242 



HISTORY OF THE SEA. 



This profession of Christianity did the poor pagan no good, for 

 he soon disappeared, — murdered, doubtless, by his people, in 

 consequence of his attachment to the foreigners. 



The whole description given by Pigafetta of these savages, 

 whom Magellan called Patagonians, — from words indicating the 

 resemblance of their feet, when shod with the skin of the lama, 

 to the feet of a bear, — is now known to be much exaggerated. 

 It is certain that they were by no means so gigantic as he 

 represented them. He adds that they drank half a pail of water 

 at a draught, fed upon raw meat, and swallowed mice alive ; that 

 when they were sick and needed bleeding they gave a good 

 chop with some edged tool to the part affected; when they 

 wished to vomit they thrust an arrow half a yard down their 

 throat. The headache was cured by a gash in the forehead. 



A fearful tragedy was enacted in Port Julian. The four 

 Spanish captains conspired to murder Magellan. The plot was 

 discovered and the ringleaders were brought to trial. Two were 

 hung, another was stabbed to the heart, while a number of their 

 accomplices were left among the Patagonians. Magellan quitted 

 Port Julian in August, 1520, having planted a cross on a neigh- 

 boring mountain and taken solemn possession of the country in 

 the name of the King of Spain. On the 14th of September, he 

 discovered a fresh-water river, which he named Santa Cruz, in 

 honor of the anniversary of the exaltation of the cross. Here 

 the crew, by Magellan's order, made confession and received the 

 holy communion. 



On the 21st of October, Magellan made the great discovery 

 which has immortalized his name. He reached a strait commu- 

 nicating between the Atlantic Ocean and the South Sea : con- 

 sulting the calendar for a name, he called it in honor of the 

 day, the Strait of the Eleven Thousand Virgins. It is now 

 Magellan's Strait. It was enclosed between lofty mountains 

 covered with snow ; the water was so deep that it afforded no 

 anchorage. The crew were so fully persuaded that it possessed 



