THE STORY OF MAGELLAN

AND

THE DISCOVERY OF THE PHILIPPINES

BY

HEZEKIAH BUTTERWORTH

AUTHOR OF THE TREASURE SHIP, THE PILOT OF THE MAYFLOWER, TRUE TO HIS HOME, THE WAMPUM BELT, IN THE BOYHOOD OF LINCOLN, ETC.

ILLUSTRATED BY FRANK T. MERRILL AND OTHERS

NEW YORK D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 1899

Copyright, 1899, By D. APPLETON AND COMPANY.

"Fired by thy fame,[A] and with his King in ire To match thy deed, shall Magalhaes aspire. "Along the regions of the burning zone, To deepest South he dares the course unknown. "A land of giants shall his eyes behold, Of camel strength, surpassing human mould. "Beneath the Southern star's gold gleam he braves And stems the whirl of land-surrounded waves. "Forever movèd to the hero's fame, Those foaming straits shall bear his deathless name."

Camoëns.

PREFACE.

I have been asked to write a story of Ferdinand Magellan, the value of whose discoveries has received a new interpretation in the development of the South Temperate Zone of America, and in the ceding of the Philippine Islands to the United States. The works of Lord Stanley and of Guillemard furnish comprehensive histories of the intrepid discoverer of the South Pacific Ocean and the Philippine Islands; but there would seem to be room for a short, picturesque story of Magellan's adventures, such as might be read by family lamps and in schools.

To attempt to write such a story is more than a pleasure, for the study of Magellan reveals a character high above his age; a man unselfish and true, who was filled with a passion for discovery, and who sought the welfare of humanity and the glory of the Cross rather than wealth or fame. Among great discoverers he has left a character well-nigh ideal. The incidents of his life are not only honorable, but usually have the color of chivalry.

His voyages, as pictured by his companion Pigafetta, the historian, give us our first view of the interesting native inhabitants of the South Temperate Zone and of the Pacific archipelagoes, and his adventures with the giants of Patagonia and with the natives of the Ladrone Islands, read almost like stories of Sinbad the Sailor. The simple record of his adventures is in itself a storybook.

Magellan, from his usually high and unselfish character, as well as for the lasting influence of what he did as shown in the new developments of civilization, merits a place among household heroes; and it is in this purpose and spirit I have undertaken a simple sympathetic interpretation of his most noble and fruitful life. I have tried to put into the form of a story the events whose harvests now appear after nearly four hundred years, and to picture truthfully a beautiful and inspiring character. To the narrative of his lone lantern I have added some tales of the Philippines.

H. Butterworth.

28 Worcester Street, Boston, Mass.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER PAGE

I.— A strange royal order 1

II.— Friends with a Purpose 9

III.— Prince Henry the Navigator and Vasco da Gama 15

IV.— The enthusiasts carry their plans to the king 24

V.— About the happy Italian who wished to see the world.—Beautiful Seville! 38

VI.— Enemies.— Estaban Gormez 43

VII.— "Marooned" 52

VIII.— "The wonders of new lands."—Pigafetta's tales of his adventures with Magellan.—The story of "the fountain tree."—"St Elmo's Fire" 60

IX.— Pineapples, potatoes, very old people 70

X.— The first giant.— The islands of geese and goslings.— The dancing giants 76

XI.— Capturing a giant.— Magellan's decision 84

XII.— The mutiny at Port Julian.— The Straits.— 1519 91

XIII.— "The Admiral was mad" 99

XIV.— The Pacific.— The death of the giants 103

XV.— Welcome to the Philippines 108

XVI.— The visit of the King.— Pigafetta visits the King 116

XVII.— Easter Sunday.— Magellan plants the cross 122

XVIII.— Christianity and trade established.— The Baptist of the Queen 129

XIX.— Halcyon Days 136

XX.— The Death of Magellan 139

XXI.— The Spice Islands.— Wonderful birds.— Cloves, cinnamon nutmegs, ginger.— The ships overloaded 144

XXII.— Mesquita in prison 157

XXIII.— Strange stories.— The wise old women.— The walking leaves.— The haunted sandalwood trees.— The Emperor Of China.— The little boy and the giant bird 161

XXIV.— The lost day 173

XXV.— In the Church of Our Lady of Victory.— Pigafetta 176

Supplemental 183

LIST OF FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS.

FACING PAGE

Magellan planting the Cross in the Philippine Islands Frontispiece

"He is a renegade. His arms must come down!" 2

Lisbon, from the south bank of the Tagus 4

Ferdinand Magellan 6

Barcelona 34

Night after night the ships followed Magellan's lantern 55

Interior of the Alcázar of Seville 60

The dancing giant 80

Mount Mayon, on the Island of Luzon 125

The death of Magellan 142

Pigafetta presenting the history of the voyage to the King of Spain 179

Map of the Philippine Islands 187

Native houses in Manila 190

Hong Kong 202

Iloilo 206

Boats on the River Pasig 218