By The Inhabitants Of This Place, Antonio Was
Informed That Their River Was Formerly Called Tauralachim Or The Great
Stock, To Express Its Greatness:
That it is deep and navigable for 80
leagues, up to a town named Moncalor, and then becomes wide and
shallow, coming from the great country of Chintaleuho, where the
country for eight days journey had been depopulated 40 years before by
a multitude of birds!
In the middle of that country is the great lake
of Cunabetee or Chiamay, whence spring four great rivers. That lake
is 180 leagues in circumference, and the country round abounds in mines
of silver, copper, tin, and lead.
From thence Antonio proceeded to the island of Hainan, passing in
sight of Champiloo, in lat. 18 deg. N. at the entrance of the bay of
Cochin China. Farther on he discovered the promontory of Pulocampas,
whence the island of Hainan may be seen. To the west of this they found
a river, up which Borallo was sent in a small vessel with 16 men, who
discovered at least 2000 sail of vessels and a large walled town. On
their return they saw a large vessel at anchor. The captain supposing
this might be Husseyn took it; but learnt from an ancient Christian of
Mount Sinai, who was among the prisoners, that it belonged to a pirate
named Quioy Tayjam, who had killed above an hundred Portuguese, and
now lay hid in the forecastle with six or seven others, all of whom were
drawn from their hiding place and slain. In this vessel were found
60,000 quintals[358] of pepper, with a great deal of other spices,
besides ivory, tin, wax, and powder, the whole valued at 60,000 crowns;
besides several good cannon, some valuable baggage, and silver. In the
hold were nine children, the biggest only about nine years old, all
loaded with irons, and starving of hunger.
[Footnote 358: This is either an enormous exaggeration, or a gross
error. The quantity in the text is equal to 3500 tons. - E.]
Coasting along the island of Hainan, Antonio met some fishers of pearls,
whom he used courteously. They told him that the island belonged to
China. Hence he went to the river Tananquir, where he was suddenly
attacked by two large vessels, both of which were taken, after a long
struggle, in which 80 of the enemy were slain, with the loss of 14 men
belonging to Antonio, only one of whom was a Portuguese. After a while
they heard lamentable cries in the hold of one of these ships, in which
17 prisoners were found, two of whom were Portuguese. From one of these
Antonio was informed that these vessels had belonged to Necoda
Xicaulem, who, after becoming a Christian at Malacca and marrying a
Portuguese woman, had killed her and many more of her nation. The booty
in these two ships was valued at 50,000 crowns. One of the vessels was
burnt, as Antonio had not a sufficient number of men to navigate her.
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