QUIROS 163 



island " Conversion de San Pablo." It has been iden- Conversion 



tified with Anaa or Chain Island, about two hundred i e 1 p, an 



1 Pablo, 



miles East of Tahiti. Some Spaniards swam ashore Feb. 1606 

 through the dangerous surf, and were welcomed " with 

 smiles and kisses." They found " the place where the 

 Devil spoke to and deceived these miserable natives," 

 and they " set up a cross, and gave God thanks on their 

 knees for being the first to hoist His Royal Standard 

 in an unknown land inhabited by heathens." A chieftain 

 came on board, and was " saluted three times to the sound 

 of the flute, as a grandee." Then Quiros " dressed him 

 in a pair of breeches, a shirt of yellow silk, put a hat upon 

 his head, a tin medal round his neck, gave him a case 

 of knives, and ordered the boat to take him ashore." 



They struck the loth degree of Latitude, and made 

 West for Santa Cruz. On the 1st of March they came 

 to an island which Quiros called Peregrine, whose people Peregrine, 

 were " the most beautiful, white, and elegant, that were March I6 

 met with during the voyage." They were, of course, 

 good-natured thieves, and the inevitable things happened. 

 Quiros urged humanity, but suspected that his commands 

 were not obeyed. He ordered Torres to capture four 

 boys, in order that these at least might be saved from the 

 Devil. Torres tried to do so, but " Satan, who does 

 not sleep at such important junctures," caused the natives 

 to resist. Foul deeds followed, Torres would not tell 

 the story. The " beautiful people " must " remain in 

 the wilderness, until God takes pity upon them." 



Still they sailed Westward, day after day, week after Vain search 

 week, searching for Santa Cruz. Their chief trouble > r r u f anta 

 was lack of water. Quiros had a copper instrument 

 to distil sweet water from sea water, and he got two 

 or three jars full every day, very good and sweet. But 

 fuel failed, and the allowance of water was reduced to one 

 quartillo. Quiros took his one quartillo with the rest. 

 But " the salted food and excessive heat afflicted the 

 people," and they longed to " quench the terrible thirst they 

 felt in the water-springs of Santa Cruz." For thirty-two 

 days they sailed on the same line in search of it. Again 



