BIBLIOTHECA AUGUSTANA

 

Ferdinando Magellano

1480 - 1521

 

Relazione del primo viaggio

intorno al mondo

 

1519 - 1522

 

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Agosto 1521

 

Partendone de questa ysola tornassemo in drieto þ truuare vno loco apto þ conciare le naui þ che faceuano hacqua vna naue þ poco vedere deL suo piloto dete in certi bassi duna ysola deta bibalon ma cō lo ajuto de dio la liberassemo vno marinaro de qella naue nō hauedendose despauilo vna candella in vna barille pien de poluere re de bombarda Subito la tolse fora sensa danno nissuno seguẽdo poi lo nȓo camino pigliassemo vno prao pienno de Cochi que andaua a burne le homini fugirono in vna Jsoleta fin que pigliassemo questo tre alti fugirono de drieto da certe ysollete.

AL capo de burne fa questa et vna Jsola deta Cimbonbon ɋ sta in octo gradi et sette menuti e vno porto þfecto þ conciare naui þ ilque entrassemo dento et þ haueȓ tropo le cose necessarie þ conciare le naui tardassemo quarātaduj giorni Jn Questi giorni ognuno de nuy se afaticaua qi in vna cosa qi in vnalta ma la magior faticha haueuāo era andar far legnia neli boschi senza scarpe Jn questa ysola sonno porci saluatici ne amazassemo vno de questi cō lo batello ne lacqua passando de vna ysola in vnalta loqalle haueua lo capo longo duy palmi et mezo et li denti grandi gli sonno Cocodrili grandi cussi de terra como de mare ostrigue et cape de diuerse sorte fra le altre no trouassemo due la carne de luna pezo vinti sey libȓ et lalta quaranta catro pigliassemo vno pesce ɋ haueua Lo capo Como vno porco con dui Corni eL suo corpo era tuto duno osso solo haueua soura la schena como vna sella et era picolo Ancora qi se troua arbori ɋ fanno la foglia Quando cascano sonno viue et Ca minano Quelle foglie sonno de piu ne meno Como qelli deL moraro ma nō tanto Longue apresso eL pecolo de vna parte et delalta anno duy piedi iL pecollo e corto et pontino non anno sangue et qi le coca fugino yo ne teny vna noue giorni in vna scatola Quando la apriua Questa andaua in torno intorno þ la scatola non penso viueno de alto senon de arie.

 

Leaving that island, we turned back in order to find a suitable place to calk the ships, for they were leaking. One ship ran on to some shoals of an island called Bibalon, because of the carelessness of its pilot, but by the help of God we freed it. A sailor of that ship incautiously snuffed a candle into a barrel full of gunpowder, but he quickly snatched it out without any harm. Then pursuing our course, we captured a prau laden with cocoanuts on its way to Burne. Its crew sought refuge on an islet, until we captured it. Three other praus escaped behind certain islets.

At the head of Burne between it and an island called Cimbonbon, which lies in [a latitude of] eight degrees and seven minutes, is a perfect port for repairing ships. Consequently, we entered it; but as we lacked many things for repairing the ships, we delayed there for forty-two days. During that time, each one of us labored hard, one at one thing and one at another. Our greatest fatigue however was to go barefoot to the woods for wood. In that island there are wild boars, of which we killed one which was going by water from one island to another [by pursuing it] with the small boat. Its head was two and one-half palmos long, and its teeth were large. There are found large crocodiles, both on land and sea, oysters and shellfish of various kinds. Among the last named we found two, the flesh of one of which weighed twenty-six libras, and the other forty-four. We caught a fish, which had a head like that of a hog and two horns. Its body consisted entirely of one bone, and on its back it resembled a saddle; and it was small. Trees are also found there which produce leaves which are alive when they fall, and walk. Those leaves are quite like those of the mulberry, but are not so long. On both sides near the stem, which is short and pointed, they have two feet. They have no blood, but if one touches them they run away. I kept one of them for nine days in a box. When I opened the box, that leaf went round and round it. I believe those leaves live on nothing but air.