By This Way The Voyage Might Be Accomplished In Six Or Seven
Months, Which Would At Least Require Eight Or Nine By The Cape Of Good
Hope.
[Footnote 192:
In Harris, this longitude is made 23 deg. 12' W. from the
Lizard by some strange error, being 235 deg. 25' W. from Greenwich. - E.]
[Footnote 193: It does not appear what islands these were, unless
perhaps the Silibabo islands, about half way between Mindanao and the
northern end of Gilolo, but considerably farther distant than is stated
in the text. - E.]
Rajah Laut invited Captain Swan ashore, and promised to furnish what
provisions we wanted, and desired him in the mean time to secure our
ship within the river, for fear of the approaching westerly monsoon,
which Captain Swan agreed to after some deliberation. The river being
narrow, and having not above eleven feet water on the bar in
spring-tides, we had much ado to get our ship a quarter of a mile above
its mouth, where we moored head and stern in a hole, so that she lay
always afloat. The city of Mindanao is a mile in length, but not very
broad, stretching along the right bank of the river as you go up, though
there are some houses also on the opposite side. The inhabitants
frequently came aboard of our ship, and invited our men to their
houses, where they were kindly entertained after their manner with
tobacco and betel, and such of them as had money, or other articles of
value, did not want their pagalies, or female friends. Captain Swan
was entertained daily by Rajah Laut, and those of our men who had no
money had boiled rice, with scraps of fowl and buffalo beef given them.
Yet, after all these outward shews of friendship, we soon after began to
discover that Rajah Laut had sinister intentions. The sheathing on our
ship's bottom being much eaten by worms, we began in November to remove
the old sheathing, to see whether the main plank remained sound; on
seeing which, Rajah Laut shook his head, saying he had never seen a ship
with two bottoms. Besides, he did not perform his promise of providing
us with beef, pretending he could not get any; and he borrowed a
considerable sum in gold from Captain Swan, which he never repaid.
These circumstances at length induced most of our men to think of
leaving Mindanao, especially those who had not much money; and as our
ship was new sheathed and tallowed on the 10th December, they began to
urge our commander to depart in continuation of our voyage. Accordingly,
Captain Swan appointed the 13th January, 1687, for all our company to be
on board and ready to sail; but many being unwilling to depart so soon,
having dispersed about the country at the instigation of Rajah Laut, and
even Captain Swan not being very ready to come aboard, by reason of some
insubordination among the men, they deposed him from the command, and
chose Captain Teat in his room. After this we weighed in the morning of
the 13th January, and sailed out of the river, having Captain Swan and
forty-four more of the men on shore, besides sixteen others we had
buried there.
We coasted along the south side of the island to the west, and passed
next day in sight of Chambungo,[194] another town in this island,
thirty leagues west from the river of Mindanao, and said to have a good
harbour. On the 10th February we coasted along the west side of the
Philippine islands, and while passing Panga,[195] a large island
inhabited by the Spaniards, we saw many fires, which we supposed were
intended to give notice of our approach, it being rare to see a ship on
this coast. The 18th we anchored in ten fathoms at the N.W. end of the
island of Mindora. This is a large island, the middle of which is in
lat 12 deg. 45' N. its length from N.W. to S.E. being forty leagues. While
here, a canoe with four Indians came from Manilla, who told as that the
harbour of Manilla was seldom without twenty or thirty vessels, Chinese,
Portuguese, and Spaniards, and if we had a mind to trade clandestinely,
they would deliver letters from us to certain merchants there.
[Footnote 194: Probably Sambuang, at the western extremity of Mindanao,
in lat. 6 deg. 52' N. long. 122 deg. 20' E. from Greenwich. - E.]
[Footnote 195: Pany, or Panai. - E.]
We sailed again on the 21st, and came on the 23d to the S.E. end of
Luconia, where we took two Spanish barks from Pagassanam,[196] a small
town on the N.E. part of this island, having goods on board for the
Acapulco ship. This great island of Luconia extends in length through
six degrees of latitude, from 12 deg. 30' to 18 deg. 40' both N. and is
surrounded by many small isles, especially at its north end, Mindora
being the chief of these isles, which communicates its name to the
straits which run between it and the main island of Luconia. The surface
of this large island is partly composed of large pasture plains, and
partly of mountains, the latter of which afford some gold; and the
plains, or savannahs, are stored with buffaloes, bullocks, horses,
sheep, goats, and hogs. The inhabitants are Indians, who live in little
towns, under the Spanish jurisdiction, and are instructed in the Romish
religion by Spanish priests.
[Footnote 196: Perhaps the gulf on Pangasian is here meant, on the E.
side of Luzon, in lat. 16 deg. N.]
Manilla is the chief city, or rather the only one, in the island,
seated at the foot of a ridge of high hills, fronting the harbour, near
the S.W. point of the island, in lat. 14 deg. 38' N: This city is defended
by a strong wall, and is composed of well-built spacious houses, covered
with pan-tiles, the streets being broad and regular, with a large
market-place in the middle, and has many fair churches and convents.
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