hout, even to its seacoast, is filled
with groves of cocoa-palms and other trees, and thickly inhabited. Even
in the valleys, where there are rivers, it is inhabited. It has many
fields sown with rice, and abundance of yams, sweet potatoes, sugar
cane, and bananas--these last the best I have seen, being in smell
and taste far ahead of those of Nueva Espana. This same island has
also much ginger, and specimens of sulphurous rock were found." The
island had "no wild or tame cattle, nor any birds, except some little
turtle-doves that are kept in cages." The natives captured would not
eat the meat offered them, nor "would they at first eat anything of
ours." The natives were skilful fishermen, being able to catch the
fish with the naked hands, "which is a thing of great wonder." "They
are excellent swimmers. Their houses are high, and neatly and well
made"--some, placed on posts of stone, served as sleeping-apartments;
other houses were built on the ground, and in them the cooking and
other work was done. They had other large buildings that served as
arsenals for all in common, wherein the large boats and the covered
canoes were kept. "These were very spacious, broad, and high, and
worth seeing." The fleet left this island on February 3, and anchored
on the thirteenth near the island of Cebu. Peace was made with the
natives of one of the islands. Inquiries were made for Bernardo de
la Torre, one of the captains of the Villalobos expedition, and they
were given to understand that he was north from there. The natives,
while professing friendship, brought their visitors but little
food. [52] Legazpi, therefore, sent Juan de la Isla with a party
to look for a good port. This party was gone six days, experiencing
the usual treachery from the natives, who killed one of the men, who
had disembarked without permission. Meanwhile another expedition was
despatched toward the south, with the same object in view. Possession
was taken of the island of Zibabao in the king's name. [53] On the
twentieth of February the fleet set sail passing southward between a
large island and a number of small islets. Next day they cast anchor
off the large island in a large bay to which they gave the name San
Pedro. [54] Here they learned that Tandaya, where they hoped to find
the Spaniards still remaining in these regions from the Villalobos
expedition, was a day's journey farther on. In this bay a native came
to Legazpi's ship who could speak a few wor