They Have Also Wild Kine In This Country, In The Heads
Of Which Certain Stones Are Found, Which Have The Virtue To Bring Good
Fortune To Merchants.
After the return of Duarte Fernandes from Siam, Albuquerque sent a knight
named Ruy Nunnez de Acunha, as ambassador to the king of the Sequies, the
country we now call Pegu.
He went in a junk of the country, passing Cape
Rachado, and thence to the city of Pera, on the river Salano, on which
river are many other villages, where Duarte had been before; and he
afterwards went by Tanacerim to the city of Martavan, in 15 deg. N. and the
city of Pegu in 17 deg. N. This was the first Portuguese who travelled in
that kingdom, and who brought back a good account of the country and
people.
In the end of 1511, Albuquerque sent three ships to the islands of Banda
and Molucca, under command of Antonio de Breu and Francis Serrano, with
an hundred and twenty men. Passing through the Straits of Saban, and
along the island of Sumatra, and other islands on their left, named the
Salites, they came to the islands of Palimbang and Lu-Suparam, whence
they sailed by the noble island of Java, and eastwards between it and the
island of Madura. In this last island the men are strong and warlike, and
care little for their lives, even their women going out to war. These
people are almost continually engaged in war and mutual slaughter, like
the Mocos, and seem to place their only delight in bloodshed. Beyond Java
they came to another island called Bali, and afterwards to Avajave,
Sambaba, Solor, Galao, Malva, Vitara, Rosalanguin, and Arus; whence are
brought beautiful birds, in much estimation on account of their
feathers[25]. Beyond these islands they came to numbers of others, lying
in 7 or 8 degrees of south latitude, all so close together as to appear
like one entire mainland, and stretching near 500 leagues in length. The
ancient cosmographers describe all these islands by one general name, the
_Javos_; but more recent knowledge has found that they have all separate
names. Beyond these, and more to the north, there are other islands, which
are inhabited by a whiter people, clothed in shirts, doublets, and
trowsers, something like the Portuguese dress, and who also have silver
money. Their magistrates carry red staves in their hands, as badges of
command, and seem to have some affinity in this respect with the people of
China. There are other islands in these parts, or which the inhabitants
are red; and it is reported they are the same people with the Chinese.
De Breu went northwards to the small island of Gumnape or Ternate, from
the highest part of which flakes or streams like fire fell continually
into the sea. He went thence to the islands of Burro and Amboyna, and
came to anchor in the haven of Guliguli, where, in a village near a river,
they found dead men hanging up in the houses, as the people are cannibals.
Here they burnt the ship of Serrano, as she was old and rotten; and going
to a place on the other side of the island, in 8 deg.
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