Magellan in Samar and Butuan

We left Spain on Monday morning 1519 with 237 men.

Samar (under Sulu?)

At dawn on Saturday, March 16 1521, we came upon Samar island 300 leagues from Ladroni [The Marianas].

• The next day, Magellan had two tents set up on the shore for the sick, and had a sow killed for them.
• On Monday afternoon, March 18, we saw a boat coming toward us with 9 men. Their chief went immediately to the Magellan, giving signs of joy because of our arrival.
• Five of the most ornately adorned of them remained with us, while the rest went to get some others who were fishing, and so they all came.
• Magellan saw that they were reasonable men, so he ordered food to be set before them. He gave them red caps, mirrors, combs, bells, ivory, bocasine, etc.
• When they saw Magellan’s, they presented fish, a jar of palm wine, which they call uraca [i.e., arrack], figs more than one palmo long [bananas], and others which were smaller and more delicate, and two coconuts.
• They had nothing else then, but made us signs with their hands that they would bring rice, coconuts, and other food within 4 days.

Coconuts

Coconuts are the fruit of the palm tree.

• Just as we have bread, wine, oil, and milk, so those people get everything from that tree.
• They get wine by boring a hole into the heart of the top called palmito [i.e., stalk], from which distills a liquor which resembles white must.
  • That liquor is sweet but somewhat tart, and is gathered in canes [of bamboo] as thick as the leg and thicker.

• That palm bears a coconut fruit which is as large as the head.
  • Its outside husk is green and thicker than two fingers.
  • That husk has filaments which is made into a cord for binding together their boats.
  • Under that husk is a hard shell, thicker than a walnut shell
    • They burn it into a useful powder.
  • Under that shell there is a white marrowy substance one finger in thickness, which they eat fresh with meat and fish as we do bread.
    • It has a taste resembling the almond.
    • It could be dried and made into bread.
  • There is a clear, sweet water in the middle of that marrowy substance which is very refreshing.
    • When that water stands for a while after having been collected, it congeals and becomes like an apple.
    • To make oil, they take that coconut and allow the marrowy substance and water to putrefy.
    • Then they boil it and it becomes oil like butter.
    • When they wish to make vinegar, they allow only the water to putrefy, and then place it in the sun, and a vinegar results like that made from white wine.
  • Milk can also be made from it for we made some.
    • We scraped that marrowy substance and then mixed the scrapings with its own water which we strained through a cloth, and so obtained milk like goat’s milk.

Those palms resemble date-palms, but not smooth and are less knotty. A family of x persons can be supported on two trees, by utilizing them for wine. If they did not, then the trees would dry up. They last a century.

Those people became very familiar with us. They told us many things, their names and those of some of the islands that could be seen from that place.

Their own island was Sulu, not very large. They were very pleasant and conversable. In order to show them greater honor, Magellan took them to his ship and showed them all his merchandise—cloves, cinnamon, pepper, ginger, nutmeg, mace, gold, and all the things in the ship.

• He had some mortars fired for them, whereat they showed great fear and tried to jump out of the ship.
• They made signs to us that those spices grew where we were going.
• When they were about to retire, they took their leave very gracefully and neatly, saying that they would return according to their promise.