The fleet set sail and left those islands of the Barbudos—­and now the route to the Filipinas is very far from them.  Next day they sighted another island, Which seemed of vast extent.  But when they had arrived nearer, they found some small barren islands, stretching north and south, to which they gave the name Placeres. [19] In the afternoon another island, upon which lived many birds, was sighted, and they named it from the birds.  From this point they continued, to discover islands and barren islets, all of them in the latitude of ten degrees; and they gave various names to them.  Here Father Urdaneta ordered the vessels to ascend to the thirteenth degree, so that by running westward and turning their course to the southwest, until they reached twelve and one-half degrees, they might reach the Filipinas.  On Saturday, January 22, the Ladrones Islands were discovered, so called because their inhabitants are robbers, to as great an extent as possible.  They are very different from the natives of the other islands, whose goodness is such, that they do not know what it is to steal.  And if I admit that there are many robbers [in the Filipinas] they have become so since the Spaniards, have governed them; for the natives learn our bad habits better than our good ones.  Hence they are quite expert in all the vices of the Spaniards, but dull and ignorant in their virtues.  In this is seen the bias of their disposition, and that they are much more inclined to evil than to good.  Father Urdaneta said mass in these Ladrones Islands, and gave their inhabitants to understand, as well as he could, the purpose of his coming, making use likewise of the interpreter Pacheco.  Possession was taken of those islands for the king, our sovereign, with all the solemnities of law.  The natives expressed great satisfaction with everything; for, as they are by nature robbers, they assured the Spaniards, in order to commit their depredations better.  And not few were the jests that our Spaniards endured from that people, all out of respect to the general, who with his goodness, bore it all, claiming in this wise to win the hearts of those islanders better than with arms.  For if the natives were exasperated they would receive tardily the blessings that were intended for them.

This island of the Ladrones where the Spaniards anchored is a lofty, mountainous land, with its coasts fringed with thick cocoa groves, and other cool and shady trees.  The natives of the islands eat rice, which is the chief food of all the islands.  At times, when I consider how many people use rice as bread, I think that three-fourths of the world are sustained on this kind of food.  These Ladrones Islands number thirteen, [20] and extend north and south.  As they were the first islands of which the general took possession, his Majesty granted them to Melchor Lopez de Legaspi, only son of the general, giving him the title of adelantado.  These Indians go naked.  Both men and women are fine sailors and swimmers,