All night we stood off and on, rather joyful at the thought of finding this port, and at dawn we found ourselves 3 leagues to leeward of the place where the natives had been seen; and looking out a first and a second time, there was no sign of that bay, but only a narrow and long reef almost covered by the water. There was one place where there were some palm trees, for which reason the Captain sent both the boats, well manned and armed with jars, to seek for water. They found the beach very difficult, most of it rocks, on which the waves broke with great fury. But undaunted by this, our people jumped into the water up to their waists, loaded with arquebuses, spades, and crowbars, and the last, whose name was Belmonte,[2] had such difficulty that, if Ensign Rozo[3] had not helped him with his spear, which enabled him to get out, there would have been an end of his career. Marching in good order, they entered a palm grove, where they found, at the foot of a tree, a number of brown stones, and one in the form of an altar, covered with branches. It was supposed that this was a burial-place, or a place where the Devil spoke to and deceived these miserable natives, without there being any one to obstruct him. Our people, to sanctify the place, set up a cross,[4] and gave God thanks on their knees for being the first to hoist His royal standard in an unknown place inhabited by heathens. In sorrow for their evil condition, they spoke thus: “How long, O pious Lord, is the darkness in which they live to last for these people?” They said this with all due reverence; and, leaving the cross, they began to dig for water, which they did not find, but were able to quench their actual thirst with cocoa-nuts.
When they went down to embark they saw a shape, which appeared to be that of a man, coming towards them at a short distance. They went to see what it was, and found that it was an old woman, who appeared to be a hundred years of age: a tall and large woman, with fine and long black hairs and only four or five grey ones, her colour brown, face and body wrinkled, teeth few and decayed, and with other faults caused by a long life. She came along, waving with soft palm leaves. She carried some cuttle-fish dried in the sun, in a basket, and a knife made from a mother-of-pearl shell, also a skein of thread. A little speckled dog accompanied her, which ran away.
With this good capture the boat returned to the Captain, to show her to him, who was highly delighted at seeing a human creature. He seated her on a box, and gave her meat and soup from a pot, which she ate without scruple; but she could not manage the hard biscuit. She showed that she knew well how to drink wine. A mirror was put into her hand, and she looked at the back, then at the front, and when she saw her face she was much pleased. All noticed her good manners, and concluded that, when young, she was not bad-looking. She looked at all the men with attention, but she displayed the greatest pleasure in looking at the boys. She looked at the goats as if she had seen them before. There was a gold ring with an emerald on one of her fingers. She was asked for it, but replied by signs that she could not give it without cutting off her finger, and she seemed sorry for this. She was offered one of brass, which she did not care for. Having given her things to dress herself with and take away, we saw four canoes coming from the village under sail, out of a lake which the island has in its centre, and they anchored near the palm grove. The Captain presently ordered the old woman to be landed, in order to reassure the natives. They no sooner recognised her than they came to see her, and looked at her as if she had been long absent. They came to our people with the confidence of friends. There were seventy-two natives, and by signs they said that they were going, as they presently did go, to see the cross. As well as they could our people tried to make them understand its value, and that they should place themselves before it on their knees. Finally, they did all that they were told.
When it was asked which of them was the chief, they pointed out a robust, tall, and well-proportioned native, with a good well-complexioned face, who appeared to be fifty years of age. He wore on his head a tuft of black feathers, and towards the front some skeins of golden hairs whose ends reached half way down his back. According to their custom, it should be the hair of his wife. He also wore round his neck a large plate of mother-of-pearl. He had a serious manner, and all the others paid him great respect. He was asked whether he would like to go on board the ship, and, having given us to understand that he would, he was taken to the boats with some followers. One of the boats having been swamped, they helped to raise her. The chief got into one boat, and several natives into another, but when they had gone a short distance they jumped overboard, apparently from fear, and began to swim. The chief wanting to do the same, we detained him. He tried to do so by main strength, which was great, and to take a knife from a soldier, but failed. He made other attempts, but nothing availed him. The boat arrived alongside, and four men took hold of him and tried to make him go up; but it was labour in vain, for he would not stir. The chief was stretched out at his whole length, fencing with his nervous arms, and in this way he strove to get clear and escape by swimming. Seeing he could not do this, he put one foot against the ship’s side and sent the boat some distance. When we saw how much trouble he was giving, he was fastened to a whip, to hoist him into the ship; and when he found himself secured he got into such a fury that it shocked our eyes.
The Captain went down into the boat, and the first thing he did was to take in his hand the palm branch the other had given him, and to remove the cord which had caused the chief such anger. He showed that he felt this release very much, both by his face and his hands; but not for this did he consider himself in safety. With melancholy looks he gazed at those who were in the boat, then at the ships, the sails and masts, and at the land, pointing with his finger that he wanted to return there. The Captain was sorry to find him so discontented. He dressed him in a pair of breeches and shirt of yellow silk, put a hat upon his head, a tin medal round his neck, gave him a case of knives, embraced him, and ordered the boat to go on shore. This quieted him.
A sergeant and some men had remained on shore, collecting cocoa-nuts. Three, who were together, saw the natives collected in order with their lances, and appearing to be determined to force them into their canoes, as their chief had been forced to go to the ship. Eight of our people got together, and pointed out to the natives that they had remained as sureties, and that their chief was now coming on shore in the boat. With this, and owing to two of us showing off by fencing with their swords, the natives remained peaceable until their chief landed, when they were astonished at his being clothed. He gave them to understand what had happened, and they ran to receive him. One of these was a well-made youth, and very handsome. He was supposed to be the chief’s son, for he was the only one he embraced, and the two together showed an expression of sentiment at which the others helped.
These and other strange doings having been finished, in the order of drilled soldiers, all carrying the chief in their midst, they marched slowly to their canoes, and some of our men, who were looking on and noting all this, went with them. The natives, who were now contented, gave them water to drink, and some fish they had brought to eat. The chief, who had left his garland of plumes and tresses on shore, gave it into the hands of the sergeant, to be given to the Captain who had released and clothed him. This was the final act of a man who knew and was grateful, though himself unknown, causing confusion to some of the company who received much greater benefits, and gave a bad return. The natives then departed, and our people, to give them joy, fired their arquebuses into the air, and returned on board.
To this island the name of the “Conversion of St. Paul” was given. It is in latitude 18°, distant from Lima 1,180 leagues.[5] Its circumference is 40 leagues, and in the centre there is a large shallow lake. The people are corpulent, and of very good shape and colour. Their hair is fine and loose, and they have their parts covered. Their arms are thick and heavy lances of palm-wood, about 30 palmos long, and clubs of the same wood. The anchorage, where the launch found bottom, is on the east side near the palm grove above referred to, near which is the village on the shores of the lake.
As soon as the people had come on board, it seemed desirable to the Captain that the ships should lie-to that night, in order to go next day to where the natives were. The Chief Pilot said that as it was well to windward, and not to waste the water, it would be better to stand on, as we did, with the wind E. to N.E. Next day another island was sighted to the N.E., and named “Decena.”[6] We could not go either to it or to other islands that were sighted later. The first was named “Sagitaria,”[7] the second “Fugitiva.”[8] Afterwards, in latitude 14°, the pilots were asked for their positions, who gave them, some much more, others much less.