Part 18 (1/2)

They discovered that the legs of the invaders were exposed, and that they could be wounded there with poisoned arrows.

A poisoned arrow was aimed at Magellan. It pierced him in the leg. He felt the wound, and knew its import.

He gave orders to retreat. A panic ensued, and his men took to flight.

The air was filled with arrows, spears, stones, and mud.

The Spaniards tried to escape to the boat. The islanders followed them and directed their fury to Magellan. They struck him twice on his helmet.

Magellan's thought now was not for himself, but for the safety of his men.

He stood at his own post fighting that they might make safe their retreat.

He thus broke the a.s.sault for nearly an hour, until he was almost left alone.

An Indian suddenly rushed down toward him having a cane lance. He thrust this into his face. Magellan wounded the Indian, and attempted to draw his sword. But he had received a javelin wound in his arm, and his strength failed.

Seeing him falter, the Indian rushed upon him and brought him down to the earth with a rude sword.

The Indians now fell upon him and ran him through with lances.

He tried to rise up, to see if his men were safe. He did not call for a.s.sistance, but to the last sought to secure the safety of his men. In fact, he never seemed to so much as think of himself in the whole contest. It was thus that his life went out, and his heart ceased to beat. He was left dead on the sand, on April 27, 1521. The natives refused to surrender his body. Eight of his own men and four Indians, who had become Christians, perished with him.

[Ill.u.s.tration: The death of Magellan.]

There was one man who was true to the Admiral to the end. He was wounded with him, but survived. He it was that saw that the Admiral had forgotten himself at the hour of the final conflict. It was Pigafetta, the Italian, whose narrative we are following.

This hero of the pen says of him to whom he gave his heart:

”One of his princ.i.p.al virtues was constancy in the most adverse fortune.”

”It was G.o.d who made me the messenger of the new heavens and new earth, and told me where to find them,” said Columbus. ”Maps, charts, and mathematical knowledge had nothing to do with the case.”

As sublime an inspiration is seen in the words of Pigafetta in regard to Magellan:

”_No one gave to him the example how to encompa.s.s the globe._” His sight was the inner eye, the pure vision of a consecrated purpose in life.

No hero of the sea has ever been more n.o.ble! His purpose in life was everything; he had the faith of a Christian Knight; he was as nothing to himself, but to others all, and he died giving his own body for a s.h.i.+eld to his men. His name will always be a.s.sociated with what is glorious in the history of the Philippines.

Magellan was dead, but a good purpose lives in others. Magellan dead, Del Cano yet lives, and the Italian historian has other scenes to record.

The farol of Magellan will go on; it will never cease to s.h.i.+ne, and the cast-out name of the Christian Knight will become a fixed star amid the lights that have inspired the world.

CHAPTER XXI.

THE SPICE ISLANDS.--WONDERFUL BIRDS.--CLOVES, CINNAMON, NUTMEGS, GINGER.--THE s.h.i.+PS OVERLOADED.

The ma.s.sacre at Matan caused the Spaniards to lose credit in the eyes of the natives. The King of Seba turned against them, thus throwing a shadow on the glory of Magellan's missionary work. The Spaniards were, however, much to blame for the change that took place in the King's heart.