Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-16
THE ORIGINAL PArAeoN1ANs.
What Magellan Found on His First Visit
to Them

What Magellan Found on His First Visit
to Them.
Magellan's first American port, writes
Edward Everett Hale in the August Har-
per's, was the bay of Rio Janeiro, to which
he gave the name Of Santa Lucia. 1t had
been explored by Lopez four years before,
and even before that time. There was one
Portuguese trader settled on an island in
the bay, the pioneer settler of the great
city which stands there to-day. The
whole crew were delighted with the lux
uries of the climate and the cordiality of
the simple natives. "You can buy six
hens for king of diamonds" says Piga-
felta, the amusing historian of the voyage.
"They are not Christians, but they are not
idolators. for they adore nothing instinct
is their only law" This is his summary
account of their religious habit and con-
dition, an account proved to be quite in
adequate by more careful inquiries. After
thirteen days spent in this bay the squad
ron resumed its voyage of discovery.
They looked in at the great estuary of
the river La Plata, but Soils, who had lost
his life there, had already discovered that
this was not passage TO the Pacific. Still
coasting southwark, they sighted and per-
haps landed on the island of Penguins and
the island of Sea Lions, and here were
struck by terrible storm. Not far from
these islands, on the shore of the conti-
nent, they discovered the bay of San
Julian, and here Magellan determined to
winter
Magellan made his ships secure at the
shore, built forge and storehouse and
some huts for barracks, and established a
little observatory, where Andres San
Martin determined the latitude as 49o 1Sf.
Longitude in those times they could not
well determine.
While they were thus occupied little
party of natives appeared, and after some
friendly signaling one or more of them
came on board Magellan directed a
sailor to land, and to initiate every gesture
of the first who appeared, as a token of
friendship. The man acted his part so
well that the gentle savage was propiti-
ated and readily came to an interview.
On this or another occasion six Indians
consented to go on board the flagship.
Their Spanish hosts gave them kettle
full of biscuits-enough for twenty men,
in the Castilian measure of appetite. But
the hungry Indians devoured it all. Two,
at least, of these visitors were Of unusual
size. The Spaniards only came up to
their girdles. But, as the children's books
say, these were friendly giants" One of
them saw the sailors throwing rats over
board and begged that he might have
them for his own. Afterward he regu-
larly received the rats caught on board the
ships as daily perquisite. Before their
voyage was over Magellan's railors were
glad enorgh to follow his example and to
place these fellow-voyagers on their bill of
fare at the rate of ducat apiece.
This party of six-and party of nine
seen at another time-which may have in
Guided part or all of the first six, are all of
the natives whom Magellan and his men
ever saw. Of these, it seems certain that
two at least were very large. All the In
dians wore large shoes, which they stuffed
with straw for warmth. From this custom
the Spaniards gave them the name of Pat
gons, meaning in Spanish those who have
large feet. When Magellan was about to
sail, he determined to carry the two giants
home as curiosities. 1t was impossible to
overpower either of them in fair contest,
and he resorted to treachery, which can
only be excused on the theory of the
Spaniards at that time that all these saw
ages were to be ranked among brutes, over
whom Christian men had certain special
rights The two friendly giants, being
about to leave the ships, Magellan loaded
them with presents He gave them knives,
mirrors and glass trinkets, so that their
hands were full, then he offered to each a
chain. They were passionately fond of
iron, but could not take the chains from
very embarrassment of riches With their
full consent, therefore, Magellan babe the
smith fasten the chains to their legs by
the manacles which were attached to
them. When it was too late the poor
giants found, as so many wiser men have
found, that they had accepted too many
presents, and that in their very wealth
they were made slaves. When they dis
covered this they were wild with rage, and
yainly called on their god Setebos to come
to their rescue.
Not satisfied with this success, Magellan
tried to make more captives. He directed
nine Of his strongest men to compel two of
the Indians to take them to the station
where their women were. One of them
escaped, but the other was subdued after
hard conflict. He consented to lead them
to the wives of the two prisoners. When
the women heard of the fate of their lords
they uttered such screams that they were
heard at the ships far away. The Span
iards had such superiority in numbers
that they expected the next morning to
carry the Indian women and their chill
dren on board ship. But meanwhile two
Indian men came, who spent the night
with them, and at daybreak the whole
party escaped together. In their fight
they killed one of the Spaniards with a
poisoned arrow. Magellan sent large
party on shore and buried him.
And so they parted-the Spaniards and
the Patagonians. The two giants were
separated; one was placed on the Trinidad
and the other on the SAINT Antonio. 1t
was from these experiences that Europe
took the notion, which is, perhaps, not yet
fully dispelled, that Patagonia was re-
gion of giants.