these enormous giants, who just before seemed as though
they were ready to fight and conquer Jove himself,
were so alarmed at the sound, that they began to sue
for peace. It was arranged that three men, leaving
the rest behind, should return with our men to the
ships, and so they started. But as our men not
only could not run as fast as the giants, but could
not even run as fast as the giants could walk, two
of the three, seeing a wild ass grazing on a mountain
at some distance, as they were going along, ran off
after it and so escaped. The third was brought
to the ships, but in a few days he died, having starved
himself after the Indian fashion through homesickness.
And although the admiral returned to that cottage,
in order to make another of the giants prisoner, and
bring him to the emperor, as a novelty, no one was
found there, as all of them had removed elsewhere,
and the cottage had disappeared. Hence it is
plain that this nation is a nomad race, and although
our men remained some time in that bay, as we shall
presently mention, they never again saw an Indian
on that coast; nor did they think that there was anything
in that country that would make it worth while to
explore the inland districts any further. And
though Magellan was convinced that a longer stay there
would be of no use, yet since for some days the sea
was very rough and the weather tempestuous, and the
land extended still further southward, so that the
farther they advanced, the colder they would find
the country, their departure was unavoidably put off
from day to day, till the month of May arrived, at
which time the winter sets in with great severity in
those parts, so much so, that, though it was our summer-time,
they had to make preparations for wintering there.
Magellan, perceiving that the voyage would be a long
one, in order that the provisions might last longer,
ordered the rations to be diminished. The Spaniards
endured this with patience for some days, but alarmed
at the length of the winter and the barrenness of
the land, at last petitioned their admiral Magellan,
saying that it was evident that this continent extended
an indefinite distance south-wards, and that there
was no hope of discovering the end of it, or of discovering
a strait; that a hard winter was setting in, and that
several men had already died through scanty food and
the hardships of the voyage; that they would not long
be able to endure that restriction of provisions which
he had enacted; that the emperor never intended that
they should obstinately persevere in attempting to
do what the natural circumstances of the case rendered
it impossible to accomplish; that the toils they had
already endured would be acknowledged and approved,
since they had already advanced further than the boldest
and most adventurous navigators had dared to do; that,
if a south wind should spring up in a few days, they
might easily sail to the north, and arrive at a milder
climate. In reply, Magellan, who had already