Journal of Antonio Pigafetta

• The historic voyage began in 1519 and was successfully completed in 1522
• There are several curious persons who not only are pleased to listen to and learn the great and wonderful things which God has permitted the author to see and suffer in the long and perilous navigation, but also they desire to learn the methods and fashions of the road which the author has taken in order to go thither
• The author found himself in Spain in the year of the Nativity of our Lord, one thousand five hundred and nineteen, at the court of the most serene king of the Romans, with the reverend lord, Mons. Francis Cheregato, then apostolic proto-notary, and ambassador of the Pope Leon the Tenth
• The author deliberated, with the favour of the Emperor and the above-named lord, to experiment, and go and see with his eyes a part of those things
• The captain-general, a discreet and virtuous man, careful of his honour, would not commence his voyage without first making some good and wholesome ordinances
• The captain-general did not entirely declare the voyage which he was going to make, so that his men should not from amazement and fear be unwilling to accompany him on so long a voyage
• The masters and captains of the other ships of his company did not love the captain-general, because he was Portuguese and they were Spaniards or Castlians, who for a long time have been in rivalry and ill will with one another
• We set sail from St. Lucar

  Tuesday, the 20th September of the said year
• We arrived at an island of great Canaria, named Teneriphe


  Tuesday, the 26th September
• There is an island at the great Canaria where not a drop of water is to be found proceeding from a fountain or a river, only once a day at the hour of midday, there descends a cloud from the sky which envelops a large tree which is in this island, and it falls upon the leaves of the tree, and a great abundance of water distils from these leaves
• We arrived at daybreak in sight of a high island, three hundred leagues distant from the before-mentioned Thieves' island


  Saturday, the 16th of March, 1521
• This isle is named Zamal
• The next day the captain-general wished to land at another uninhabited island near the first, to be in greater security and to take water, also to repose there a few days
• Monday, the 18th of March, after dinner, we saw a boat come towards us with nine men in it
• The principal one amongst them went towards the captain-general with demonstrations of being very joyous at our arrival
• The captain seeing that these people were reasonable, ordered food and drink to be given them, and he gave them some red cap's, looking glasses, combs, bells, ivory, and other things
• These people presented some fish, and a vessel of palm wine, which they call in their language Uraca; figs more than a foot long and others smaller and of a better savour, and two cochos
• Cochi


  The fruit which the palm trees bear
• How wine is produced from palm trees


  1. They make a hole at the summit of the tree as far as its heart, which is named palmito, from which a liquor comes out in drops down the tree, like white must, which is sweet, but with somewhat of bitter

  2. They have canes as thick as the leg, in which they draw off this liquor, and they fasten them to the tree from the evening till next morning, and from the morning to the evening, because this liquor comes little by little
• The island where they dwelt is called Zuluam, and it is not large
• The island we were at was named Humunu; nevertheless because we found there two springs of very fresh water we named it the Watering Place of good signs, and because we found here the first signs of gold
• There is much white coral to be found here, and large trees which bear fruit smaller than an almond, and which are like pines
• This region and archipelago is in ten degrees north latitude, and a hundred and sixty-one degrees longitude from the line of demarcation
• The above-mentioned people, who had promised us to return, came about midday, with two boats laden with the said fruit cochi, sweet oranges, a vessel of palm wine, and a cock

  Friday, the 22nd of March
• Near this isle is another where there are a kind of people who wear holes in their ears so large that they can pass their arms through them; these people are Caphre, that is to say, Gentiles, and they go naked, except that round their middles they wear cloth made of the bark of trees
• In the afternoon, and being ready to depart from this place, I went to the side of our ship to fish, and putting my feet on a spar to go down to the store room, my feet slipped, because it had rained, and fell into the sea without any one seeing me, and being near drowning by luck I found at my left hand the sheet of the large sail which was in the sea, I caught hold of it and began to cry out till they came to help and pick me up with the boat

  The Monday of Passion week, the 25th of March, and feast of our Lady
• Having seen the night before fire upon an island, at the morning we came to anchor at this island; where we saw a small boat which they call Boloto, with eight men inside, which approached the ship of the captain-general


  Thursday, the 28th of March
• A slave of the captain's, who was from Sumatra, otherwise named Traprobana, spoke from afar to these people, who understood his talk, and came near to the side of the ship, but they withdrew immediately, and would not enter the ship from fear of us
• Two hours afterwards, or thereabouts, we saw come two long boats, which they call Ballanghai, full of men. In the largest of them was their king sitting under an awning of mats
• The king ordered some of his people to go to the captain's ship, whilst he would not move from his boat, which was near enough to us
• The captain gave good entertainment to the men who came to his ship, and gave them all sorts of things, on which account the king wished to give the captain a rather large bar of solid gold, and a chest full of ginger
• The next day which was Good Friday, the captain sent on shore the before-mentioned slave, who was our interpreter, to the king to beg him to give him for money some provisions for his ships, sending him word that he had not come to his country as an enemy, but as a friend
• The king came with seven or eight men in a boat, and entered the ship, and embraced the captain, and gave him three china dishes covered with leaves full of rice, and two dorades, which are rather large fish
• The captain gave this king a robe of red and yellow cloth, made in the Turkish fashion, and a very fine red cap, and to his people he gave to some of them knives, and to others mirrors
• The captain told the king, through the said interpreter, that he wished to be with him, cassi cassi, that is to say, brothers. To which the king answered that he desired to be the same towards him
• The captain showed him cloths of different colours, linen, coral, and much other merchandise, and all the artillery, of which he had some
• The captain gave the king a robe of red and yellow cloth, made in the Turkish fashion, and a very fine red cap, and to his people he gave to some of them knives, and to others mirrors
• The captain told the king, through the said interpreter, that he wished to be with him, cassi cassi, that is to say, brothers
• The king answered that he desired to be the same towards him
• The captain showed the king cloths of different colours, linen, coral, and much other merchandise, and all the artillery, of which he had some pieces fired before him, at which the king was much astonished