BURNEY’S DISCOVERIES IN THE SOUTH SEA. 
sight of the Ladrones, so named by them 
on account of the thievish disposition of 
the inhabitants. When the Spaniards 
landed to chastise them, the sick request- 
ed, if any of them should be killed, to 
have their intestines, which they were 
persuaded would cure them ina short 
time. Pigafetta, who records this cir- 
cumstance, has not explained how the 
medicine was to have been administer- 
ed. It may perhaps be elucidated by 
a fact repeatedly mentioned in Bernal 
Diaz. The wounded Spaniards in Mexico 
for want of’ oil, used to melt the fat of 
the Indians and cauterize their wounds 
therewith, Boiling oil was the remedy 
for gun-shot wounds, at a much later 
period, upon the hypothesis that it killed 
the venom of the wound. It is proba- 
ble that the Spaniards with Magalhaens 
designed to apply the same medicine to 
their scorbutic sores. Why human fat 
should have been preferred to any other 
animal grease does not immediately ap- 
pear, but that the preference was given 
to it is evident from the facts in Bernal 
Diaz. 
_ ‘They next reached the archipelago of 
St. Lazarus, now called the Philippines. 
Here the inhabitants appear to have 
united the customs of Hindostan and 
the South Sea Islands, chewing betel 
and areca, and tattowing their ‘bedies. 
Several of the Indian languages were 
understood at Mazagua, believed to be 
the island marked Limasava in some of 
the present charts. A Sumatran slave 
on board was able to interpret. The Ra- 
jah is said to have had each tooth orna- 
mented with three spots of gold. ‘To im- 
press him and his people with a dread 
of European superiority, a Spaniard in 
complete armour made his appearance, 
who sustained the attack of three men, 
their swords and daggers not making 
the slightest impression. From hence 
Magalhaens sailed to Zebu, where with 
little difficulty he converted the king and 
“ queen. ded ian 
«©The new christians were regular in 
their attendance at the chapel, and the num- 
ber of proselytes daily increased by the ar- 
rival of people from other parts of the island, 
as well as from other islands, who desired 
to be baptized  Magalhanes was careful to 
explain to the King of Zebu, if not the duties 
required, the many benefits that would ac- 
crue to him in becoming a christian; one 
amongst which, he assured him; would be 
‘the power of vanquishing with ease his ene= 
mies. The desire of possessing such an ad- 
9 
vantage, a motive very distant indeed from 
the spirit of christianity, appears to have 
been a strong inducement with the king to 
attach himself with zeal to a religion he was 
so little able to comprehend. ‘Trusting to 
the promises of Magalhanes, that he should 
be rendered the most powerful among the 
princes of theislands, he acknowledged him- 
self to bea vassal of the crown of Spain. 
The general, to prove to him the value of 
the friendship af the Spaniards, and how 
much it was his interest to continue firm in 
his allegiance, summoned a meeting of the 
other chiefs, four of whom attended. ‘These 
were required formally to submit themselves 
to the new christian king as their sovereign, 
and threatened that their refusal to obe 
him as such, would be punished with death, 
and confiscation of their possessions. This 
menace drew from all the chiefs the promise 
demanded of obedience, and a full acknow- 
ledgment of the authority of the christian 
king. But two of the chiefs, as soon as they 
were more at liberty, made light of the com- 
mand. Against one of these the general 
went with twe boais and forty of his men : 
and coming up with him in the middle of 
the night, plundered and burnt one of his 
yillages, and set up across there.” 
This spirit of aggression found its 
merited reward. Magalhaens sent to 
the king of Matan, a little island near 
Zebu, to claim tribute for the emperor, 
and submission to his friend the chrise 
tian king. The chief of Matan being a 
brave man, replied that he desired to be 
on good terms with the strangers, and 
sent them a present of provisions that he 
might not be accounted inhospitable; 
but as to obedience and tribute, he could 
owe none to those of whom he had never 
-before heard, neither would he submit 
to do reverence to those he had long 
been accustomed to command. Magal- 
haen s,notwithstanding the dissuasions of 
the king of Zebu, and of Serrano one of 
his own officers, determined to go and 
punish this contumacy. He landed 
with about fifty men, being so fully per- 
suaded that no number of Indians could 
withstand that European force, that he 
ordered the christian king to remain 
quietly with his people in their boats, 
and see how the Spaniards fought. A 
kind of missive battle took place during 
the greater part of the day, till 
«* At length, the ammunition of the Spa- 
niards began to fail, and their fire slackened, 
which being observed by the islanders, they 
pressed on, and Magalhanes found it neces- 
sary to ordér a retreat. The christian king, dur- 
ing the whole of this time, had paid the most 
exact obedience to the commands he had re- 
