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3rd of October, 1519

30 September: 3- Tenerife- Sepetiba Bay (between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo)
Departure on September 30, 1519- Arrival on December 13, 1519. 75-day journey.

3 October: The fleet departs Tenerife and follows a south-west course down to latitude 27° N, then changing to south by west.

18 October: The fleet experiences a series of storms off Sierra Leone.

29 November: The fleet reaches Cabo Santo Agostinho at latitude 8° 21 ́ S, now Cabo Branco, to the north of Recife.

El lunes 3 de octubre hicimos rumbo directamente hacia el sur, pasando entre el Cabo Verde y sus islas, situadas por los 30° 30′ de latitud septentrional, y después de haber corrido durante varios días a lo largo de la costa de Guinea, arribamos hacia el 8° grado de latitud septentrional, donde existe una montaña que se llama Sierra Leona.

Aquí experimentamos vientos contrarios o calmas chichas acompañadas de lluvias, hasta la línea equinoccial, habiendo durado este tiempo lluvioso sesenta días, a pesar de la opinión de los antiguos.

Hacia los 14° de latitud septentrional, experimentamos varias rachas violentas, que, unidas a las corrientes, no nos permitieron avanzar. Cuando venía alguna de estas rachas, tomábamos la precaución de amainar todas las velas, poniendo la nave de costado hasta que cesaba el viento.

Durante los días serenos y de calma, nadaban cerca de nuestra nave grandes peces llamados tiburones. Estos peces poseen varias hiladas de dientes formidables, y si desgraciadamente cae un hombre al mar, lo devoran en el acto. Nosotros cogimos algunos con anzuelos de hierro; pero los más grandes no sirven para comer y los pequeños no valen gran cosa.

Durante las horas de borrasca, vimos a menudo el Cuerpo Santo, es decir, San Telmo. En una noche muy oscura, se nos apareció como una bella antorcha en la punta del palo mayor, donde se detuvo durante dos horas, lo que nos servía de gran consuelo en medio de la tempestad. En el momento en que desapareció, despidió una tan grande claridad que quedamos deslumbrados, por decirlo así. Nos creíamos perdidos, pero el viento cesó en ese mismo momento.

Hemos visto aves de diferentes especies: algunas parecía que no tenían cola; otras no hacen nidos, porque carecen de patas; pero la hembra pone e incuba sus huevos sobre el lomo del macho en medio del mar. Hay otras que llaman cágasela, que viven de los excrementos de las otras aves y yo mismo vi a menudo a una de ellas perseguir a otra sin abandonarla jamás hasta que lanzase su estiércol, del que se apoderaba ávidamente. He visto también pescados que vuelan y otros reunidos en tan gran número que parecían formar un banco en el mar.

[11] At midnight on Monday, 3 October, the sails were trimmed toward the south, and we took to the open Ocean Sea, passing between Cape Verde and its islands in fourteen and one-half degrees. Thus for many days did we sail along the coast of Ghinea, or Ethiopia; here there is a mountain called Sierra Leone, which lies in eight degrees of latitude, with contrary winds, calms, and rains without wind, until we reached the equinoctial line, where we had sixty days of continual rain, contrary to the opinion of the ancients. Before we reached the line, at fourteen degrees, many furious squalls of wind and currents of water struck us head on. Since we were unable to advance, and so as to avoid being wrecked, all the sails were struck; and in this manner did we wander here and there on the sea, waiting for the squall to cease, for it was very violent. When it rained there was no wind; when the sun shone, it was calm.

[12] Some large fish with fearsome teeth called tiburoni came to the side of the ships, and whenever they find men in the sea they devour them. We caught many of them with iron hooks, although they are not good to eat unless they are small, and even then they are not very good.

[13] During those storms the Holy Body, that is to say St Elmo, appeared to us many times in the form of light. Once he appeared during an exceedingly dark night, with the brightness of a blazing torch, on the maintop, where he stayed for about two hours or more, to our consolation, for we were weeping. When that blessed light was about to leave us, so dazzling was the brightness that it cast into our eyes, that we all remained for more than an eighth of an hour blinded and calling for mercy, for truly we thought that we were dead men. The sea suddenly grew calm.

[14] I saw many kinds of birds, among them one that had no anus. Another, [which] when the female wishes to lay its eggs, it does so on the back of the male and there they are hatched; the latter bird has no feet, and always lives in the sea; also, [there is] another kind that lives on the ordure of the other birds, and in no other manner; for I often saw this bird, which is called cagassela, fly behind the other birds, until they are constrained to drop their ordure. Immediately, the cagassela seizes it and lets the bird go. I also saw many flying fish, and many others collected together, so that they resembled an island.

Noong hatinggabi ng Lunes, 3 Oktubre, itinama ang mga layag patúngong timog, at lumusong kami sa lawak ng dagat, at dumaan sa pagitan ng Tangos ng Verde at mga isla nitó sa 14 at kalahating digri. Sa gayon ay naglayag kami nang maraming araw sa baybáyin ng Ghinea, o Ethiopia, kung saan may bundok na tinatawag na Siera Leona, na matatagpuan sa latitud na 8 digri, na may mga sumasalungat na hangin, mga panahong walang hangin, at mga ulang walang hangin, hanggang sa naratíng namin ang linyang equinoctial, pagkatapos makaranas ng animnapung araw ng patuloy na pag-ulan, salungat sa palagay ng mga sinauna. Bago namin naratíng ang linya, hinampas kami nang harap- harápan sa 14 digri ng mababagsik na bagyo ng hangin at alon. Dahil hindi kami makausad, at upang hindi mawasak ang mga barko, agad na ibinaba ang mga layag; at sa ganitong paraan kami nagpaligoy-ligoy paroon at parito sa dagat, nag-aantay na tumigil ang bagyo, sapagkat napakabagsik nitó. Walang hangin kapag umuulan. Matiwasay kapag umaaraw. Lumapit sa tagiliran ng mga barko ang ilang malalakíng isdang tinatawag na tiburoni [mga pating]. Mayroon siláng mga nakatatakot na ngipin, at tuwing nakakatagpo silá ng mga tao sa dagat ay kinakain nilá silá. Nahúli namin ang marami sa kanilá gámit ang mga bakal na kawit, ngunit hindi silá masarap kainin maliban na lang kung maliit silá, at kahit ganoon pa man ay hindi pa rin silá ganoon kasarap. Hábang binabagyo kami, maraming beses na nagpakita sa amin sa liwanag ang banal na katawan, ang ibig sabihin ang Santelmo5—tulad noong isang napakadilim na gabí, na may liwanag ng isang nag-aalab na sulo, sa tuktok ng barko, kung saan siyá namalagi ng mahigit-kumulang dalawang oras, na siyáng nagpalubag ng aming loob, sapagkat tumatangis kami. Nang lilisanin na kami ng naturang pinagpalang liwanag, labis na nakasisilaw ang liwanag na tumatak ito sa aming mga mata, kayâ nanatili kaming bulag sa loob ng saikawalo nang isang oras at humihingi ng awa. Siyanga, nang akala namin ay mamamatay na kami, sakâ biglang kumalma ang dagat.

Marami akong nakitang uri ng ibon, tulad ng isang walang bútas ng puwit; at isa pa, [na] kapag nais nang mangitlog ng babae, gagawin niya ito sa likod ng laláki at doon silá mapipisâ.6 Walang mga paa ang ikalawang ibon, at laging namumuhay sa dagat. [Mayroong] isa pang uri ang kumakain ng dumi ng ibáng ibon, at wala nang ibá; sapagkat lagi kong nakikita ang ibong ito, na tinatawag na Cagasella, na lumilipad kasunod ng ibáng ibon, hanggang ang mga ito’y mapilitan nang ihulog ang kaniláng dumi, na siyá namang dadakmain kaagad ng naunang ibon at iiwanan na niya ang ikalawang ibon. Marami din akong nakitang lumilipad na isda, at marami sa mga ito ang nagtitipon, kung kayâ nagmimistula siláng isang isla.