t strictness, that if any one should
violate it, all the others would immediately put him to death. None
of these islands has a king, or recognized ruler, to whom the rest
are subject; therefore each person lives to suit himself. Between the
inhabitants of certain of the islands a state of hostility prevails,
whenever occasion offers, as happened while Spaniards were in the port
of the said island. At the point where the Spaniards anchored, as many
as two hundred small boats filled with natives came to the ships to
sell fowls, cocoa-nuts, potatoes, and other products of those islands,
and to buy in exchange things carried by our men--especially iron,
of which they were particularly fond, and glass articles, and other
trifles. There was a great contest to see which of the canoes would
reach the ship first, and their occupants came to blows, wounding each
other as savagely as wild beasts, so that many died in the presence
of our men. The matter was not settled until, for the sake of peace,
an agreement was made among them, with many outcries that those from
one island should do their buying on the port side of the vessel,
and those from another island, on the starboard side. Thereupon
they subsided, and bought and sold to their hearts' content. Then in
payment for this good treatment, when they took their departure from
us, they hurled their darts at the ship, wounding a number of men who
were on deck. But they did not boast of this, for our men instantly
repaid their daring with some shots from their arquebuses.

These people esteem iron more highly than silver or gold. They
give in exchange for it, fruits, yams, sweet potatoes, fish, rice,
ginger, fowls, and many fine and well-woven mats, and all for almost
nothing. These islands are extremely healthful and fertile, and will
be very easy to win over to the faith of Christ, if, on the passage
of the vessels to Manila a few religious, together with some soldiers
for protection, should be left there until the next year. [34] This
would cost but a moderate sum.

Their rites and ceremonies are not known yet, because no one
understands their speech; and it has not been possible to learn
it, since no one has been in these islands longer than while
passing. According to all appearances, their language is easy
to understand, for it is pronounced very distinctly. Their word
for ginger is _asno_; and for "Take away that arquebus," they say,
_arrepeque_. They have no nasal or gut