As Magellan's ship neared the Ladrones - oi 

 "Thieves' Islands" -(the modern Marianas) 

 he was greeted by dozens of islanders in 

 canoes. The Islands were so named because 

 the natives attempted to steal nearly 

 everything within sight. This engraving 

 Is from Hulslus' book of 1603. 



for four or five days. We were also forced to eat the sawdust of wood 

 and rats which became such a delicacy that we paid half a ducat 

 apiece for them." 



During two long months they sighted only two atolls, then 

 came a third terrible month when nothing was sighted. Finally, on 

 March 6, ninety-eight days after losing sight of South America, 

 they came to a wooded island and, hardly able to believe their eyes, 

 saw canoes manned by curious savages racing toward them. For 

 three days they rested there, eating fresh food bartered from the 

 inhabitants and trying to foil the islanders' incessant attempts to 

 steal everything they could lay their hands on. For a long time 

 afterward the islands — which are the modern Marianas — were 

 known as the Ladrones (Thieves') Islands. 



A week more on a westward course and they reached Samar and 

 Malkou, in what are now the Philippine Islands. There they an- 

 chored for several days and their dreams of wealth seemed on the 

 verge of coming true when they noticed gold ornaments being 

 worn by some of the chiefs. After tending to their sick and taking 

 on fresh suppUes, they sailed on to Ma22ava (now Limassawa) 

 where the Malay spoken by Magellan's Moluccan slave was under- 

 stood by the natives. El Dorado seemed just over the horizon, and 

 everything appeared to be working toward the success of Magellan's 

 great adventure. 



Piloted by the chief of these amiable people, the fleet went on 

 to the nearby island of Cebu, which was a large trading center for 

 spices; and once more the natives gave them a cordial welcome. 

 In fact, Cebu's rajah, who was accustomed to exacting tribute from 

 visiting ships, decided to waive his dues and offer friendship instead. 

 He visited the Spanish flagship in state and was so overwhelmed 

 by what he heard and saw of the power of Spain, and the conso- 

 lations of the Spaniards' religion, that he gladly entered into a 

 treaty with them. He even asked to be baptized. It must have seemed 

 to Magellan and his men that the end of their trials was at hand, 

 and that little more remained for them to do but load their ships 

 with rich cargo and sail happily home. But within a few days 

 disaster was to strike. 



The rajah of Cebu had been planning an attack on Mactan, a 

 small neighboring island whose chief had refused to pay his 

 customary homage. Magellan, driven by some luckless impulse, 

 offered to make the attack with Spanish arms, and to lead it himself. 

 With only fifty men, he attacked the island at midnight on April 26, 

 1 5 21, and set fire to the main village. But then things went wrong. 

 The little company was surrounded by hosts of infuriated savages 

 and driven back by sheer weight of numbers. Although armor 

 protected the white men's bodies, their limbs were exposed to the 

 hundreds of arrows and stones that hailed down on them. 



Pigafetta has left a vivid account of the tragic end: "Thus we 

 fought for an hour or more, until at length an Indian succeeded in 

 wounding the captain in the face with a bamboo spear. He, being 

 desperate, plunged his lance in the Indian's breast, leaving it there. 

 But, wishing to use his sword, he could only draw it halfway from 

 the sheath because of a spear wound he had received in his right 

 arm. Seeing this, the enemy all rushed at him; and one of them 

 with a long terzado, like a large scimitar, gave him a heavy blow 

 on the left leg, which caused him to fall forward on his face. Then 



34 



