Over the Edge of the World

About the Book Another Account of Magellan’s Death

Among the most interesting counterpoints to Antonio Pigafetta’s official record of Magellan’s circumnavigation was this “Relation” or account of the voyage dictated by Ginés de Mafra, an experienced seaman and pilot who set out from Seville aboard Trinidad, the flagship. Whereas Pigafetta, inexperienced in nautical matters, left a multifaceted record tending to exalt Magellan’s deeds, de Mafra, reminiscing after the fact, delivers opinions worthy of a skeptical old salt, often second-guessing the Captain General in critical matters.

This excerpt tells of Magellan’s violent death in the Philippines from a far less sentimental perspective than Pigafetta’s famous account. It has been translated specially for this book by Victor Úbeda and is taken from the original manuscript in the National Library of Madrid, and from Descripción de los reinos, costas, puertos e islas que hay desde el Cabo de Buena Esperanza hasta los Leyquios, por Fernando de Magallanes; Libro que trata del descubrimiento y principio del Estrecho que se llama de Magallanes, por Ginés de Mafra; y Descripción de parte del Japón, edited by Antonio Blázquez and Delgado Aguilera (Madrid: Publicaciones de la Real Sociedad Geográfica, 1920).

NEAR THIS ISLAND OF CEBU there lies a smaller one to the north, named Mactan, in which there was at that time an arrogant chief. He had been called for by Magellan, who felt insulted and publicly said that he must avenge that offence, even though the chief of Cebu kept telling him that he need not grieve about it because that rebel would eventually calm down, and he would personally see to it as he was married to his sister. Magellan, it was said, had been promised as his reward perpetual possession of some islands, among which, it can be conjectured, he wanted to win Cebu, for he had said so on many occasions, and that he wished to rule over many subjects. So for this reason, he determined to go to Mactan. The lord of Cebu, upon learning his decision, told him that, since such was his will, he would help him with his people, but he loved Magellan as his friend more than he loved the other as his relative.

Magellan, who must have been more spirited than is advisable, thanked him for his willingness and his offer and refused his help, saying that he wanted him to see how the Spanish lions fought; and in this he certainly was wrong, for a man who carried on his shoulders so momentous a business had no need to test his strength, because from victory he would benefit little; and from the opposite, his armada, which was much more important, would be set at risk.

But, leaving this aside, he ordered forty men from his ships get ready and they went to Mactan in two skiffs, and it was against his will that the lord of Cebu went along with two thousand of his men merely to watch the fight. Arriving at Mactan, Magellan wanted to land ashore, but was advised not to do so by the lord of Cebu, who said that since he did not know the place he should rather await the morning, and as soon as the morning came Magellan went ashore with thirty-four men, thirteen of whom were harquebusiers, leaving six men to watch over the skiffs; the chief of Cebu, against Magellan’s will, also went to the shore with his people, but only to watch, as he had been sternly warned by Magellan to refrain from entering the fight and that his people should carry some signal that made them recognizable.

The beach where they landed was very low so they left the skiffs very far from the shore. Reaching the shore they saw a big village in a palm grove but there was nobody to be seen. Magellan ordered to set a house on fire. As they were about to do so, up to fifty men came out of the house, where they were hiding, carrying cutlasses and shields, and charged down upon our men striking them with their swords. In the midst of this scramble, one of those barbarians struck a member of the fleet with his cutlass, slashing his thigh, as a result of which he later died. Our men, wishing to avenge this, charged against the barbarians, who beat a retreat, and as our men were chasing them they came out of a street toward the backs of our men, as if it all had been arranged as an ambush, and shouting most loudly pounced on our men and began to kill them.

Magellan was already severely wounded in many parts of his face and legs, and even though he was being told to order the Cebuan men to enter the fight, he refused to do so, and while he encouraged his people he was bleeding so much that he dropped down dead; then, the Cebuan people rushed forth making the Mactanese withdraw and some of the Cebuans took our men, who were all wounded, and carried them to the skiffs, leaving twelve of our men dead on the land, Magellan being one of them, and the others returned very wounded with the lord of Cebu to his island. From what has been told it can be gathered the madcap foolhardiness which the unfortunate Magellan attempted in such an unimportant affair when he could have done some much better things instead.