After Dinner The Company Adjourned
To Another Place, Where There Was A Bull-Feast, With Several Wild Horses
Among Them, And At The Death Of Each Animal There Followed Dancing Music
And Other Entertainments.
De Faria continued here five months, entertained in great splendour,
having dogs and horses to go a hunting, as the environs abounded in
game.
The time being come for going to the mines of Quamgiparu, Quiay
Panjau who was to have accompanied him thither was carried off by
sickness. After this another Chinese named Similau dissuaded Antonio
from attempting the adventure of the mines, as attended with too much
difficulty and danger, and proposed to him to undertake an expedition to
the island of Calempluy, in which were the tombs of the ancient kings
of China, which were said to contain great treasures. To this Antonio
gave ear, as covetousness had great sway even upon his generous mind.
Happy had it been for him if he had returned to India, satisfied with
the victories he had already achieved. About the middle of May 1542, he
set sail accompanied by Similau in two galliots with 146 men, 52 of
whom were Portuguese, and among these the priest Diego Lubato. Next
day they discovered the islands of Nangnitur, and then entered upon
seas till then unknown by the Portuguese. Having crossed a gulf of 40
leagues, they discovered the high mountain, of Nangalaci, and held on
their course northwards. At the end of ten days they anchored in a river
where they saw white people like the Chinese, but differing in language,
and could never prevail to have any intercourse with them. After eight
days sailing they entered the strait of Silcapaquim, in which they
spent five days in sight of many populous towns. But this course
appearing dangerous, they steered up the river Humbepadam by the
advice of Similau, passing to the east of the mountain Fangus, and
came thirteen days afterwards to the bay of Buxipalem in the latitude
of 30 deg., which produces fish, serpents, and crocodiles of wonderous size,
and many sea-horses. Farther on they came to the bay of Calinclam,
surrounded with high mountains, whence four great rivers fall into the
sea. They next sailed under the great mountain Botinasora, abounding
in lions, rhinoceroses, tigers, ounces, and other wild beasts, and then
past Gangitanu, inhabited by the Gigahui, a wild gigantic people,
some ten and some eleven spans high, of whom they saw fourteen of
both sexes. They have good complexions, being white and red, but very
ill-favoured features. Antonio gave them some procelain dishes and silk,
for which they seemed thankful, and brought some cows and deer in
return, but their language could not be understood.
At length they arrived in the bay of Nanking, and six days afterwards
to the great city of Pamor, whose bay was almost hid under three
thousand vessels. Fearing danger here they stood off and came to
Tanquilem, where Similau and 36 Chinese seamen ran away for fear;
because Antonio, weary of the voyage, and finding that Similau could
give no good account of where they were, threatened to kill him. Similau
was not indeed ignorant, but he was so terrified by the ill usage of the
Portuguese that he knew not what he said, and they were afraid that
either he knew not the coast or meant to betray them. It was a great
error to believe him at Liampo, and to use him ill at Nanking where
they had most need of him. In fine the Portuguese gave themselves up for
lost, not knowing where they were till some of the natives informed them
that they were only ten leagues from the island of Calempluy, on which
they sore repented the ill usage they had given to Similau. Doubling
Cape Guinaytarau, after a tedious voyage of two months and a half,
they discovered the island of which they were in search in the middle of
the river. This island is quite plain and seemed four miles round. Next
morning Antonio sailed round it in his galliots, and found it surrounded
by a wall of jasper so closely built that it seemed all one stone. The
wall rose 19 feet above the surface of the water, and was terrassed on
the inside. On the top of the wall was a massy twist, on which was a
brass rail, having little columns at regular distances, on which were
the statues of women having balls in their hands, all likewise of brass.
At some distance from these were figures of iron, of monstrous shapes,
that seemed to give each other their hands; and further on were several
curious arches of stones of various colours. On the inside there were
afterwards seen a delightful assemblage of small groves of orange trees,
among which were 366 chapels dedicated to the gods of the year. On one
side was a great building, not all of a piece, but divided into seven
parts, all over splendidly ornamented with gold.
In the evening Antonio entered the island by one of its eight gates,
accompanied by sixty men, four of whom were Portuguese. On entering one
of the chapels, they saw a man who seemed an hundred years of age, who
fell down with fear; but, on recovering, rebuked the soldiers for taking
the bars of silver from the tombs. Having received information of what
was in the other chapels, Antonio went on board with a considerable
quantity of silver taken from the first chapel, meaning to return next
day to plunder them all. About midnight, lights were seen on the top of
the great building, and numbers of bell were heard all over the island.
Antonio went again on shore, though advised to make off as the alarm was
given. He brought away two old men with some candlesticks and a silver
idol, and was informed that the island would soon be relieved, as the
first hermit had given the alarm; on which Antonio found that he had
erred in not bringing away that old man as he was advised.
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