A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 10 | Page 9

the date palm, and supplies the natives with bread,
oil, wine, vinegar, and even physic. The wine being drawn from the
tree itself, and all the rest from the fruit or nut. To procure the wine,
they eat off part of a branch, and fasten to the remaining part a large
reed or hollow cane, into which the liquor drops, being like white-wine
in colour, and of a grateful tartish taste. When a good quantity of this is
drawn off, it is put into a vessel, and is their cocoa-wine without farther
preparation.
[Footnote 7: In this voyage the term Ladrones seems confined to the
most southern islands of this group, as there are no other islands for a
very considerable distance in any direction. The entire group stretches
about 6° 10' nearly N. and S. or 125 leagues. In modern geography,
Guaham and Tinian are the largest islands of the group. Urac, Agrigan,
Analajam, and Saypan, are the names of some others of the Ladrones.
The names in the text do not occur in modern maps. Thirty leagues
from Guaham, the southernmost island, would bring them to
Tinian.--E.]
The fruit, which is as large as a man's head, has two rinds or coats. The
outermost is green, and two fingers thick, entirely composed of strings
and threads, of which they make all the ropes that are used in their
canoes. Under this there is another rind, or shell rather, of considerable
thickness, and very hard. This they burn and pulverize, and use it in this
state as a remedy for several distempers. The kernel adheres all round
the inside of this shell, being white, and about the thickness of a finger,
having a pleasant taste, almost like an almond: this, when dried, serves
the islanders instead of bread. In the inside of this kernel there is a
considerable hollow space, containing a quantity of pure limpid liquor,
of a very cordial and refreshing nature, which sometimes congeals into
a solid, and then lies like an egg within the hollow kernel. When they
would make oil, they steep the fruit in water till it putrifies, and then
boil it over the fire to separate the oil, the remaining water becoming

vinegar, when exposed some time to the sun. Lastly, by mixing the
kernel with the liquor lodged within its cavity, and straining it through
a cloth, they make a very good milk. The cocoa-nut tree resembles the
date palm, except in not being so rugged and knotty. They will continue
to thrive for an hundred years, or more, and two of them will maintain a
family of ten persons in wine plentifully, if used by turns, each tree
being drawn for seven or eight days, and then allowed to rest as long.
According to their promise, the islanders returned with a farther supply
of provisions, and entered into much familiar cordiality with the
Spaniards. A number of them having been invited on board the
admiral's ship, a gun was discharged by way of entertaining them, but
put them in such terror, that they were ready to leap over board, yet
were soon reconciled by good usage and presents. The name of their
island was Zulvan, of no great compass; yet considerable for its
productions. They had in their barks various kinds of spices, as
cinnamon, cloves, nutmegs, ginger, and mace, with several ornaments
made of gold, which they carried up and down to sell as merchandise.
Although without apparel, these people were dressed, or ornamented
rather, in a more costly manner than Europeans; for they had gold
earrings in each ear, and various jewels fastened by means of gold to
their arms; besides which, their daggers, knives, and lances were richly
ornamented with the same metal.[8] Their only cloathing consisted of a
kind of apron, of a species of cloth made very ingeniously from the rind
of a tree. The most considerable men among them were distinguished
from the common people by a piece of silk ornamented with
needle-work, wrapped round their heads. These islanders were gross,
broad; and well set on their limbs, of an olive complexion, having their
bodies constantly rubbed over with cocoa-nut oil.
[Footnote 8: It is highly probable that the valuable spiceries, gold, and
jewels, of the text, are mere fables, invented by Pigafetta, to enhance
the value of his voyage, as such productions are now unknown to the
Ladrone islands.--E.]
Departing from this place on the 21st March, 1521, and steering
between west and south-west, they passed among the islands named

_Cenalo, Huinanghan, Hibussan,_ and _Abarian._[9] The 28th, they
came to the isle of _Buthuan,_ where they were kindly received by the
king and prince, who gave them considerable quantities of gold and
spices; in return for which, Magellan presented the king with two cloth
vests,