cepcion_. and the _St. Antonio_--that, Magelhaens began
his passage. There are many twists and divisions in the strait,
and on arriving at one of the partings, Magelhaens despatched the
_St. Antonio_ to explore it, while he proceeded with the other
three ships along the more direct route. The pilot of the _St.
Antonio_ had been one of the mutineers, and persuaded the crew
to seize this opportunity to turn back altogether; so that when
Magelhaens arrived at the appointed place of junction, no news
could be ascertained of the missing vessel; it went straight back
to Portugal. Magelhaens determined to continue his search, even,
he said, if it came to eating the leather thongs of the sails.
It had taken him thirty-eight days to get through the Straits,
and for four months afterwards Magelhaens continued his course
through the ocean, which, from its calmness, he called Pacific;
taking a north-westerly course, and thus, by a curious chance,
only hitting upon a couple of small uninhabited islands throughout
their whole voyage, through a sea which we now know to be dotted
by innumerable inhabited islands. On the 6th March 1520 they had
sighted the Ladrones, and obtained much-needed provisions. Scurvy
had broken out in its severest form, and the only Englishman on
the ships died at the Ladrones. From there they went on to the
islands now known as the Philippines, one of the kings of which
greeted them very favourably. As a reward Magelhaens undertook
one of his local quarrels, and fell in an unequal fight at Mactan,
27th April 1521. The three vessels continued their course for the
Moluccas, but the _Concepcion_ proved so unseaworthy that they had
to beach and burn her. They reached Borneo, and here Juan Sebastian
del Cano was appointed captain of the _Victoria_.

At last, on the 6th November 1521, they reached the goal of their
journey, and anchored at Tidor, one of the Moluccas. They traded
on very advantageous terms with the natives, and filled their holds
with the spices and nutmegs for which they had journeyed so far;
but when they attempted to resume their journey homeward, it was
found that the _Trinidad_ was too unseaworthy to proceed at once,
and it was decided that the _Victoria_ should start so as to get
the east monsoon. This she did, and after the usual journey round
the Cape of Good Hope, arrived off the Mole of Seville on Monday
the 8th September 1522--three years all but twelve days from the
date of their depart