nger is the best. The plant
is like the saffron-plant, and its root, which resembles the root of
saffron, is what we call ginger. Our men were kindly received by the
various chiefs, who all, after the example of the King of Thedori,
spontaneously submitted themselves to the imperial government. But
the Spaniards, having now only two ships, determined to bring with
them specimens of all sorts of spices, etc., but to load the ships
mainly with cloves, because there had been a very abundant crop of it
this season, and the ships could contain a great quantity of this kind
of spice. Having laden their ships with cloves, and received letters
and presents from the chiefs to the emperor, they prepared to sail
away. The letters were filled with assurances of fidelity and respect:
the gifts were Indian swords, etc. The most remarkable curiosities
were some of the birds, called Mamuco Diata, that is the Bird of God,
with which they think themselves safe and invincible in battle. Five of
these were sent, one of which I procured from the captain of the ship,
and now send it to your lordship--not that you will think it a defence
against treachery and violence, but because you will be pleased with
its rarity and beauty. I also send some cinnamon, nutmegs, and cloves,
that you may see that our spices are not only not inferior to those
imported by the Venetians and Portuguese, but of superior quality,
because they are fresher. Soon after our men had sailed from Thedori,
the larger of the two ships [the Trinidad] sprang a leak, which let
in so much water, that they were obliged to return to Thedori. The
Spaniards seeing that this defect could not be put right except with
much labor and loss of time, agreed that the other ship [the Victoria]
should sail to the Cape of Cattigara, thence across the ocean as far
as possible from the Indian coast, lest they should be seen by the
Portuguese, until they came in sight of the southern point of Africa,
beyond the tropic of Capricorn, which the Portuguese call the Cape of
Good Hope, for thence the voyage to Spain would be easy. It was also
arranged that, when the repairs of the other ship were completed,
it should sail back through the archipelago and the Vast [Pacific]
Ocean to the coast of the continent which we have already mentioned
[South America], until they came to the Isthmus of Darien, where
only a narrow neck of land divides the South Sea from the Western
Sea, in which are the islands belo