pigafetta’s voyage round the world.

326

They were fo much aftonilhed at the fight of us, that we had reafon to believe theyhad never feen any other than the inhabitants of their own ifland.

The 16th of March, at funrife, we found ourfelves near an elevated land, three hun-dred leagues from the illands De los Ladrones. We foon difcovered it to be an ifland.It is called ZamalBehind this ifland is another not inhabited, and we afterwardslearnt that its name is Humunu f. Here the captain-general refolved on landing thenext day to take in water in greater fecurity, and take fome reft after fo long andtedious a voyage. Here likewife he caufed two tents to be erected for the fick, andordered a fow to be killed J.

On Monday the 18th, in the afternoon, we faw a bark with nine men making towardsus. The captain-general hereupon iffued orders that none fliould make the leaft mo-tion, or utter a Angle word without his leave. When they had landed, the chief of theparty addrefied our commander, and teftified by figns the pleafure he experienced onfeeing us. Four of the beft dreft remained with us ; the refidue went to fetch theircompanions, who were hiking, and returned with them.

The captain, feeing them fo peaceable, placed food before them, and at the fametime offered them fome red caps, fmall looking-glaffes, combs, bells, boccaffins §, ivorytrinkets, and other fimilar articles. The iflanders, delighted with the ldndnefs of thecaptain, prefented him filh, a vafe full of palm-wine, which they call uraca, bananasmore than a fpan long, with others of a fmaller fize and fuperior flavour, and twococoa-nuts ||. They fignified at the fame time by their geftures, that they had nothingelfe to offer us at that time, but that in four days they would return, and bring usrice, which they call umai, cocoa-nuts, and other provifion.

Cocoa-nuts are the fruit of a fpecies of palm-tree, which furnifhes them with theirfubftitute for bread, with wine, oil, and vinegar. In order to obtain wine they makean incifion at the top of the palm-tree, penetrating to the pith of the tree, from whichdrops a liquor refembling white muft, but which is rather tart. This liquor is caughtin the hollow of a reed the thicknefs of a man’s leg, which is fufpended to the tree, andwhich is carefully emptied twice a day, at morning and night. The fruit of this palm-tree is of the fize of a man’s head, and fometimes larger. Its outward rind is green,and two fingers thick: it is compofed of filaments of which they make cordage fortheir boats. Beneath the outward rind is a fhell much harder and thicker than that ofthe walnut. I his fhell they burn, and referve for making into a powder which theyufe. Within, the fhell is lined with a white kernel about as thick as a finger, which iseaten in lieu of bread with meat and fifli. In the center of the nut, encircled by thekernel, afweetand limpid liquor is found, of a corroborative nature. After pouringthis liquor into a glafs, if it be luffered to ftand, it affumes the confidence of an apple. Toobtain an oil, the kernel and the liquor are left to ferment; they are afterwards boiled,and yield an oil as thick as butter. To obtain vinegar, the liquor itfelf is expofed to thefun, and the acid which refults from it refembles that vinegar we make from white wine.

* In more modern charts it is called Samar; and it is actually fituate about fifteen degrees, which make■fomewhat lefs than three hundred fea leagues weft of Guahan . L’Abbe Prevot, (Hilt. Gen. de Voy..tome x. p. 198.) milling to the extract of I'abre, makes Samar no more than thirty leagues from theMarianas

f Humunu, afterwards called the Enchanted Ifland, (Hid. Gen. de Voy. tome xv. p. 198.) is fituatenear Cape Giiigan -in the ifland Samur.

% He, no doubt, obtained this fow at the iflands De los Ladrones, where all modern navigators have metN with hogs. .(DebrofTes, tome i. p.55.)

§ Boccaffins are a fort of linen formerly much in ufe.

[| Cocos nucifera , Linn. We have in our mufeum feveral fpecimens of the fruit of the cocoa-tree, fowcof which exceed in fize a man’s head, others have a rind compofed of filaments. __