Joan Gallego [Navidad] on All Saints' Day, 1542. They passed, at a
distance of one hundred and eighty leagues, two uninhabited islands
which they named Santo Thomas [San Alberto] [29] and Anublada, or
"Cloud Island" [Isla del Socorro]; and eighty leagues farther another
island, Roca Partida or "Divided Rock" [Santa Rosa]. After sailing for
sixty-two days they came to a "lowlying, densely-wooded archipelago,"
which they named the Coral Archipelago, anchoring at one of the
islands, Santisteban [San Estevan]. The next islands they named Los
Jardines, or "The Gardens," from their luxuriant foliage. January 23,
1543, they passed a small island, whose inhabitants hailed them in
good Castilian, saying "Buenos dias, matalotes" [30] [meaning to say
"Good morning, sailors"], for which the island was named Matalotes. The
next island passed they named Arrecifes or Reefs, the significance
of which is apparent. February 2, they anchored in a beautiful bay
which they called Malaga [Baganga] and the island Cesarea Karoli
[Mindanao], "which the pilots, who afterwards sailed around it,
declared to have a circuit of three hundred and fifty leagues." After
a month's residence on the island, they left in search of the island
of Mazagua, but contrary weather forced them to anchor at an island
named Sarrangar and by them called Antonio, [31] where they had
trouble with the natives, who were attacked by the Castilians under
command of Alvarado. The people defended themselves valiantly with
"small stones, poles, arrows, and mangrove cudgels as large around
as the arm, the ends sharpened and hardened in the fire," but were
finally vanquished; they abandoned this island afterwards and went to
Mindanao. "Upon capturing this island we found a quantity of porcelain,
and some bells which are different from ours, and which they esteem
highly in their festivities," besides "perfumes of musk, amber, civet,
officinal storax, and aromatic and resinous perfumes. With these they
are well supplied, and are accustomed to their use; and they buy these
perfumes from Chinese who come to Mindanao and the Philipinas." They
found a very small quantity of gold. The booty was divided among the
company, during which a controversy arose as the soldiers objected to
both Villalobos and the viceroy of New Spain having separate shares
therein, claiming that it was sufficient to pay the former the seventh
which he asked, with the choice of one jewel. After this was settled,