QUIROS 165 



along the loth line to make sure of Santa Cruz. On the 

 7th of April the mast-head man cried that he saw " land 

 to the North-West, high and black." Soon smoke was 

 seen, which " doubled our delight." A port was found, 

 and they " anchored with incredible joy." But it was 

 not Santa Cruz. It was the chief island of the Duff Group. 

 The native name was Taumaco. Ouiros called it " Nuestra Nuestra 

 Sefiora del Socorro in memory of the succour found there." 



The Chief, named Taumai, was " a man with a good-looking Ap. 1606. 

 body and face, handsome eyes, well formed nose, colour 

 rather brown, beard and hair turning grey. He was 

 grave and sedate, prudent and wise in what he did, and 

 what he promised he performed." " Never was there 

 a barbarian," says one of our writers, " who possessed 

 the good sense of this one." Quiros dressed him in shot 

 silk which he seemed to value highly. The Friars landed, 

 and performed the first Mass of our Lady of Loretto, 

 with a commemoration of St. Peter. The natives were 

 very attentive on their knees, " beating their breasts 

 and doing everything they saw the Christians do." " When 

 they saw that we worshipped the Cross, they desired 

 to paint the same cross on their breasts, and many did 

 so. They asked us for ink to do this, and we gave them 

 gunpowder." " Pity," says Quiros, " to think with what 

 facility all the people of those lands would receive the 

 Faith if there was any one to teach them ; and yet what 

 a great perdition there is of such a vast number of souls 

 as are condemned here ! " 



Taumaco was hot Santa Cruz, but it was near Santa News of land 

 Cruz. That island, said Taumai, was "five days' voyage to the South - 

 to the West," or, according to Torres, two hundred and 

 forty miles. The natives knew all the details of the story 

 of the Spanish colony at Santa Cruz, and for that reason 

 were " alarmed when they saw arquebuses." But Taumai 

 also gave news that put Santa Cruz out of mind. He 

 spoke of great lands in the South. " He began counting 

 on his fingers as many as sixty islands, and a very large 

 land, which he called Manicolo. . . . To explain which 

 were small islands he made small circles, and for larger 



