354 pigafetta’s voyage round the world.
he pillaged the city on account of its inhabitants preferring obedience to the GentileKing of Java, and difovvning the authority of the King of Burnd.
Johan Carvajo, our pilot, without confulting us, rellored the captain to liberty, hav-ing been induced to this meafure, as we afterwards learnt, by a bribe of a large fumin gold. Had we retained this captain, the Rajah Siripada would no doubt have givenany thing we might have required for his ranfom * * ; for he had rendered himfelf for-midable to the Gentiles, who are perpetually at war with the Mahometan king.
In the port in which we were there is another city, inhabited by Gentiles, like thatof the King of Siripada, built in the fea, and of much greater fize than the capital ofthe Mahometan King. The King of the Gentiles is equally potent as his neighbour,but is not fo oftentatious; nay, it appears probable that Chriftianity might with muchfacility be introduced in his country f.
The Mahometan King, on being informed of the damage we had done his junks,caufed us to be informed by one of our people fettled on fhore for the purpofe oftrade, that his vefiels had had no hoftile intentions towards us, but were merely ontheir way to attack the Gentiles; in evidence of which fome of the heads of thefepeople who had been killed in battle were fhewn us. We then fent word to the King,that if this was the cafe, he had only to fend away the two men who were on fliore withour merchandize, and the fon of Johan Carvajo, but this the King refufed. Thus wasJohan Carvajo punifhed by the lofs of his fon (born in the Brazils), and .whom he un-doubtedly would have recovered in exchange for the captain-general, but for his avariceand thirft after gold. We retained on board fixteen of the chief men of the iflandand three women, whom we reckoned on tranfporting to Spain , with intention of pre-fenting thefe latter to the queen ; but Carvajo kept them for himfelf.
The Mahometans here go naked, like all the other inhabitants of this climate. Theyare very partial to quickfilver, which they take internally, regarding it not only asa remedy in different diforders, but alfo as a prefervative of health. They adore Ma-homet and follow his law, conefquently they eat no pork. They wafh their pofteriorswith their left hand, which they never ufe in eating ; and when they void their urine,ftoop for the purpofe. Their faces they wafh with the right hand ; but they never rubtheir teeth with their fingers. They circumcife like the Jews . They never kill eithergoats or fowls, without firft addrefling -the fun. They cut off the pinions of theirfowls, and their feet, after which they fever them in twain. Never do they eat of anyanimal but fuch as is killed by themfelves.
This ifland produces camphor, a fort of balfam which exudes by drops from betweenthe bark and the wood of the tree : thefe drops are as fmall as particles of bran. If
wrote, there was moft probably a confiderable city. In the chart of the Eaft Indies, publifhed in 1709,by Moll, a city of this name is marked at the mouth of Frtftr river, in lat. S. long. 111 E. of London ;and belides this, off the fouth-weftern point of Borneo the ifland Laoot or Laut, that to which Amorettialludes. Eng. Tr.
* Upon no juft grounds whatever could this captain have been retained. Carvajo certainly was guilty ofgreat ingratitude in adting fo haftiiy as he did, efpecially after the open and generous conduct of the Kit'Sof Borneo towards the Spaniards. Pigafetta perhaps veils the real caufe for their unprovoked hoftility*The junks could not have anchored in the harbour without exciting enquiry on the part of the commanderof the fquadron ; he would have learnt in confequence that they returned rich with the plunder of Laoe,and, mindlefs of his obligations to the Sovereign of the country, prefumpt vely, then rtfolved by murderand piracy to make himfelf mailer of the wealth on board : the appearance of the fleet in this cafe w'l‘have furniihed him with the flimfy pretence for following up his plan, which Pigaietta Hates. Eng. Tr-f The Portuguefe introduced Chriftianity among them, which flouriihed until 1590 Sonnerat lococitato ; where alfo he fays, that the Mahomedans have obliged the Pagans to quit the fea fhore, and retireto the mountains.
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