The next day, being a Friday, the Chief Pilot, seeing the determination of the men in the camp, from what the Vicar had said, and the illness and low spirits of the Adelantado, asked permission to go on shore and speak to the soldiers in his name. The Adelantado answered: “I know not whether those people will listen to anything in my favour and that of the land, being so determined, and having declared that they would have their own way.” The Pilot went to him a second time, and at last he consented. So the Chief Pilot went on shore, and the first person he met, with a scornful gesture, and his head turned derisively, said: “Are you ordered to go with a report to Peru? Now is the time to take my letters.” Then a soldier, who was a friend to the Adelantado, came to the Pilot, and said: “Things look very bad; I know not what will happen.” Another said: “Though I wish to see you proceeding with the enterprise, I am very sorry to see you here, because of the menaces with which you will be received.”

On going further into the camp, many soldiers came to him. Some were saying: “Where have you brought us to? What place is this whence no man goes, and to which no man will return? Even if notice was sent, people would only come to take gold, silver, pearls, or other things of value, and these are not here. The Adelantado is not to send notice, nor will all of us, or any of us, consent to it.”

Others said: “We did not come to sow: for that purpose there is plenty of land in Peru; that is not the way to follow the service of God or of the King. We have obligations to our own people, not to these savages. These are not the islands the Adelantado told us of, nor will we remain here. Embark us and take us to seek those other islands, or take us to Peru or some part where there are Christians.” Resolute words of people without a master! Of these and other like things one and the other talked, in the direction whither their desires guided them, or rather drove them, without attending to whether the things they wanted were profitable or harmful. For mutineers have their wills so unrestrained that they have no bridle to check them, though the words spoken to them may be words of truth.

The Chief Pilot enquired for the reasons which made them think that the land was bad, to which they answered that it yielded next to nothing. On this he asked them what they had left in Peru, and what they had brought from there? and what they sought for to pass this life, unless it was money to buy a house and sustenance: a thing which few succeed in doing until late, most men passing their lives in hopes; that the present is good for working, without knowing what may come after, or what may be discovered. They said that when that time came twenty years would have passed away, and they would be old. The Pilot said to them that according to that, they ought to know how to find cities, vineyards, and gardens; to enter a house ready furnished, with the tables spread, and to make the owners give up their property and go into servitude; or they should know how to find mountains, valleys, and plains of emeralds, rubies, and diamonds, ready to be loaded and taken away. It should be remembered that all the provinces in the world had their beginnings; that Seville, Rome, and Venice, and the other cities of the world, were once forests or bare plains; and that it had cost the inhabitants what great things cost to create them, that their successors might enjoy the fruits of their labours, as they do now enjoy them. “What I understand is that you want others to have worked that you may rest, without remembering that all have to work, though the first workers may have made the beginnings.”

But they looked upon the Chief Pilot with suspicion, and they gave for a reason that it was he who was to go with the news, and he therefore favoured the settlement of this land that he might remain in the other. He asked them what riches they had seen him take that they thought this of him; that he it was who risked most, having to go for their good to discover routes over unknown seas; besides the labour he had to go through, to look out for a rock at night, and to complete calculations.

He further addressed them as follows:—“Gentlemen, who is it that deceives you and makes you discontented? What is the bad conception which makes you think that you can all leave this place with the ease that you promise yourselves? Tell me who they are, for I will explain to you the impossibilities there are in going from here to Peru, or any other part whatsoever.” One of them answered: “Let that be how it may, for I would rather die at sea than where I am, and between the two we are in irons.” The Pilot said to this man: “Know you not that we follow our General, who is in the place of the King, and that we are bound to desire what he desires for the King’s service; and to want any other thing is to want to go contrary to the royal service.” They all answered: “Here we are not going against the royal service.” To this the Pilot replied: “What is it to go against the will of your General; to refuse to improve the land which he has settled in the royal name; and what is it to disobey, incite, and menace those who do not agree with you?” They answered: “We only desire that notice be not sent to Peru, and that, as we are a small body of men, we may be taken from here and taken to the islands of which we are in search, or to some better place.” The Pilot replied: “The Adelantado is the person whose duty it is to see that all goes well. It should be left to him, who now wishes a second time to search for the Admiral at the island of San Cristobal, which he was instructed to search for. If it should be found all will be well, and if not, a Christian view of things should be taken. The Adelantado’s person and that of his wife were in the same place where they all were, and all would share the dangers together. If the Almiranta was found, all must approve. Moreover, it was not the Chief Pilot who had to go, but the Adelantado, who was well prepared.” The Pilot added that their leader was ill, and that it was not reasonable to expect that his person should be exposed to new risks. But when he should wish to go, there should be none to contradict, being such honourable men whose faith could be trusted in this and more.

At this time others had come to give their opinions, but as the music was loud and so much out of tune, it did not sound well.

Continuing the discussion, the Chief Pilot, whose services in having navigated the fleet and discovered four islands whence they could take a new departure with a fair wind and short voyage, were nearly forgotten, now said: “You should all remember that if God had not given us the island on which we now are, we should all have perished; and as He gave it, we ought to be willing to remain here for a time. Now it may be seen that the same wind which brought us detains us here; the wind that was fair is now contrary, and a return to Peru is impossible without seeking a very high latitude. The ships have many defects, and we cannot careen them, we have no cables, and the rigging is rotten. As for provisions, we have nothing left but a little flour, and the jars for water are diminished in number, as many of them have been broken; while the barrels are out of order, there being no one who can repair them. The route is long and unknown, and we do not know what would be the duration of such a voyage. These things are certain, and cannot be avoided, without the risk of your own lives and those of your comrades.” He said further: “I desire that the wind would change, but we must go west, being the only course with a fair wind. We may be certain that we shall not be a longer time on the voyage than we were in coming here, where we can have as much, in the way of supplies, as we started with. Why should we have gone through so much labor, wasting our property and running such great risks, undertaking such an honorable enterprise, if we do not go through with it?

“Remember well that the King has had and still has other vassals, who have defended frontiers and maintained provinces against warlike people of great power, and sometimes eating dogs and cats rather than suffer dishonour; and all without expecting any reward such as may be hoped for here. At present neither will supplies be wanting in so fertile a soil, nor will an enemy cause serious danger; nor are there other drawbacks which we are obliged to forget, but which others will not forget. For we have an honourable opportunity which many others would like to have without ever having it offered to them, which we can perpetuate at the cost of much careful management. Why should we avoid such a chance? We should show resolution, for there is time for all things, and it is as well to reach the place we want in May as in September. In short, where is it desired that we should be, if we are to say that we only come to seek our own welfare; and even to procure that we want the spirit, for very soon, and without more cause than our own cowardice, we should be undone. We should be looked upon as the enemies of God and the King, and of the honor of our General and our own, if we abandon such an enterprise and such a land.

“Enemies to God, because we abandon so easily, and without sufficient cause, the work we came to do for the honour of God and the salvation of souls. It is the great interest on which we have to turn both our eyes, to rescue from the captivity of the Devil those whom he looks upon as so secure; to turn the worship of the natives from him, and turn it to God, to whom they owe it, and whose it is.

“Enemies of the King, for impeding his service, which may be promoted in this place, without making other discoveries, incurring fresh expenses, or risking other fleets. It may be that what was intended will be achieved, for when the new world was discovered it was not known at first how important it was, there being only a few small islands of little or no value; yet, through the constancy of the discoverers, there were afterwards found the great and rich provinces of New Spain and Peru; while the return to Spain, for a long time laborious and difficult, is now made easy through the mercy of God.

“Enemies to the honour of our General, because he has expended his resources on the enterprise, leaving what he has left in Peru. Do you wish, solely for your whim, to destroy such Christian aspirations, which have endured so long?

“Enemies of our own honour, because, from this position where we now are, there is no place to which we can go that will not be in the dominions of our King, and whose Ministers will exact a very strict account of whence we came, where we have left the General, and what reason we had for abandoning a land which had been settled in the name of the King: more especially such a land as this which is fertile, with friendly and numerous inhabitants. In one way or another we cannot escape from offending our consciences, risking our lives, our honour, and our liberty. For all to go it is not possible, although we may wish it. To leave women and children, and helpless persons, would not be just. Would you go to New Spain? The Adelantado has already taken that route when he was in these parts before, but many died, and all went through terrible hardships during a long voyage; moreover, it is not always the season for such navigation. To go to the Philippines also has its difficulties.” Thinking it all over, and doing his best to combat their inconsiderate desire, the Chief Pilot concluded by saying: “Why do you litigate without any grounds, saying that you will embark presently? I will show, with the Adelantado, that what you want to do this day is impossible.”

Some of them, opening their eyes, appeared to be convinced by these arguments; but others were still obdurate. They preferred to trust to the ship rather than to what the land offered, and the water could be taken in 10,000 cocoa nuts, in joints of the canes, or even in the canoes of the natives, covering and caulking them; and they proposed other equally feasible contrivances. But the Chief Pilot said: “This is only a waste of time. Is it not for the Adelantado to decide what shall be done?” They said that “if the land will yield much food, how is it that we get nothing to eat from it?” “What certainty have you,” said the Pilot, “that the provisions obtained here will not get bad.” They answered that they were ready to risk that. As to water, they said that they would fall in with other islands on the route whence they could take in water; and that they would listen to reason, for they were reasonable beings.

Finally, they went back to their old song that they wanted to go to Manilla, which was a land of Christians. The Pilot said to them that Manilla was also a land of heathens, and that there being Christians was due to the discoverers who settled there; and that in our expedition a similar duty was required of us. In Manilla there are only some soldiers stationed by the King to guard the estates of the settlers; and it is better to remain here where we might become such as they are in fame and honour, than go marching there with shouldered arquebus. To this one of them answered that honour was where the Pope and the King were, and not among Indians. The Pilot then said that it was better to ask for what they wanted from their General, who was not a man to close his ears to a just petition; and that they should consider that their position was very offensive to the General, who desired to do what the King had ordered. What word soever sounded ill there would also follow as many more and as free. To this, one of the soldiers said: “Leave off! leave off! and leave it for he who wants to stay, for we intend to go, dislike it who may.” I was without a sword, and he with seven or eight others, went for theirs, and presently came back with heightened colour. Asking for the Camp Master, they all bowed their heads, with their swords in their hands, looking very fierce, not wanting much whispering, and secrets among some who spoke within hearing. They said publicly that they came to kill the Chief Pilot; and there was one who swore that they came saying: “Come, let us kill him, for he is the cause of our being in this land;” and others swore, and went so far with their menaces as to say: “What shall they drink in his skull.” Things did not look well. God knows what they intended.

He who had declared that they would go, spoke and said: “There is no one who does not wish to go from this land; one who keeps most apart was he who showed most willingness, but it does not signify.” He said most on that side, and was most resolved, both then and at other times; but as there were many people, there were as many arguments, and with loud voices. The Chief Pilot concluded what he had to say by declaring that all he had put before them was in the service of God and the King, and that he would sustain it to the death, as he had proved.