could see both north and south, and De Quiros thought he had
discovered the great Southern Continent. He called the place "Tierra
Australis del Espiritu Santo," that is, the "Southern Land of the Holy
Spirit". It is now known that this was not really a continent, but
merely one of the New Hebrides Islands, and more than a thousand miles
away from the mainland. The land was filled by high mountains,
verdure-clad to their summits, and sending down fine streams, which fell
in hoarse-sounding waterfalls from the edges of the rocky shore, or
wandered amid tropical luxuriance of plants down to the golden sands
that lay within the coral barriers. The inhabitants came down to the
edge of the green and shining waters making signs of peace, and twenty
soldiers went ashore, along with an officer, who made friends with them,
exchanging cloth for pigs and fruit. De Quiros coasted along the islands
for a day or two till he entered a fine bay, where his vessels anchored,
and Torres went ashore. A chief came down to meet him, offering him a
present of fruit, and making signs to show that he did not wish the
Spaniards to intrude upon his land. As Torres paid no attention, the
chief drew a line upon the sand, and defied the Spaniards to cross it.
Torres immediately stepped over it, and the natives launched some arrows
at him, which dropped harmlessly from his iron armour. Then the
Spaniards fired their muskets, killing the chief and a number of the
naked savages. The rest stood for a moment, stupefied at the noise and
flash; then turned and ran for the mountains.

The Spaniards spent a few pleasant days among the fruit plantations,
and slept in cool groves of overarching foliage; but subsequently they
had quarrels and combats with the natives, of whom they killed a
considerable number. When the Spaniards had taken on board a sufficient
supply of wood and of fresh water they set sail, but had scarcely got
out to sea when a fever spread among the crew, and became a perfect
plague. They returned and anchored in the bay, where the vessels lay
like so many hospitals. No one died, and after a few days they again put
to sea, this time to be driven back again by bad weather. Torres, with
two ships, safely reached the sheltering bay, but the vessel in which De
Quiros sailed was unable to enter it, and had to stand out to sea and
weather the storm. The sailors then refused to proceed further with the
voyage, and, having risen in mutiny, compelled D