CHAPTER VI. 



THE GALAPAGOS ARCHIPELAGO. 



]ÎIE Galapagos (" Turtle ") Islands, whicli form a little world apart 

 far from the Soutli American seaboard, belong politically to Ecua- 

 dor, beir of tbe administrative province of Quito. Despite its 

 distance from tbe coast, tbis group was probably known to tbe 

 Quicbuas. According to a Peruvian legend preserved by tbe 

 Spanisb cbroniclers, a certain Tupac-Inca-Yupangui discovered in tbese waters 

 tbe two islands of Habua-Cburabi and Nina-Cbumbi, meaning in Quicbua 

 " Seaward Island " and " Fire Island." Possibly some shower of volcanic ashes» 

 or tbe flight of some strange birds, borne by a westerly gale to the shores of 

 Peru, may have revealed to the Incas tbe existence of these western lands and 

 induced them to send a fleet of rafts in their quest. 



But the Peruvian legends Avere too vague to direct the Spaniards to tbe 

 re-discovery of the group, to which their vessels were carried by a marine current. 

 In 1535 Tomas de Berlanga, Bishop of Castillo d'Or, on his voyage from Panama 

 to Peru to report on the conduct of Pizarro, fell in with the archipelago, and 

 even determined its exact latitude south of tbe equator. It was again visited 

 in 1546, by the deserter, Pivadeneira, but was left unnamed by both of tbese 

 discoverers. 



At first tbe group was vaguely designated tbe lalas Encantculas (" Enchanted 

 Islands "), doubtless because of their ill-defined position, constantly elviding the 

 Spanish pilots. L3dng far from the chief maritime routes, destitute of mineral 

 treasures, and offering no attractions except their forests, their birds, fishes and 

 turtles, tbese islands remained uninhabited till the arrival of the buccaneers, 

 who used them as a rallying point for their attacks on the Spanish main, and also 

 for repairing their ships and distributing their plunder. ■ 



During tbe second half of the seventeenth century trading-vessels carefully 

 avoided this nest of corsairs. Later the whalers utilised them as a victualling 

 station for their fleets ; but tbe first official survey was that of Alonso de Torres, 



