Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2008 06:00:00 +0200 From: eskrima-request@martialartsresource.net Subject: Eskrima digest, Vol 15 #165 - 2 msgs X-Mailer: Mailman v2.0.13.cisto1 MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net Errors-To: eskrima-admin@martialartsresource.net X-BeenThere: eskrima@martialartsresource.net X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.13.cisto1 Precedence: bulk Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net X-Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net List-Unsubscribe: , List-Id: Eskrima-FMA discussion forum, the premier FMA forum on the Internet. 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Provided in memory of Mangisursuro Michael G. Inay (1944-2000). See the Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) FAQ and the online search engine for back issues of the Eskrima/FMA digest at http://MartialArtsResource.com Mabuhay ang eskrima! Today's Topics: 1. Re: advice for martial arts school owners (maurice gatdula) 2. Fatal Alliance (Ray) --__--__-- Message: 1 Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:30:16 -0700 (PDT) From: maurice gatdula To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net Subject: [Eskrima] Re: advice for martial arts school owners Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net hello everybody. i sent this email to the list earlier, before the one that you got today, but it never made it to you. hopefully this will explain it better, why i sent it. i use to take sales and marketing seminars in washington dc when i first open my school in 92. i was young, uneducated, and no idea how to run a school. but these people help me learn the ropes in business, EFC. in the 90s it was very personal, and men like dennis brown and samuel (forgot the last name) they were very open with their schools, meaning, they open the doors for me to give advice, even write notes all over my ads, and call me to say, Mustafa, thats not a good idea, and this is why. i know if you dont have successful people to share ideas with, even compete against (dennis brown had a school two blocks away from mine, i had more than 150 students to his 400, but i had no employees and his rent is almost $5000), i know i would not have a school today (actually i have two, three by the end of the summer). i dont know about AMS and some of those other companies, but EFC help me learn the business and i didnt have to go to college for it, and if a guy like me can make it, any of you can. oh and i did it with no kids class, no afterschool karate, no contracts, no 3 years black belt programs. our classes were very hard, and our sparring was very hard, and this is before it got popular to get beat up in a class (MMA), when the experts said, maurice you cannot make good fighters and make money at the same time (email me privately and i will tell you who gave me this advice) anyway, i didnt see EFC or their schools for a long, time, especially since i been on the west coast, but today one of my good friends and old students, ramon espinosa, sent me this link, http://www.efconline.com/articlepublic.aspx?ProductID=962 and i remembered how much i benefit from EFC services. i think its about $250 a month (at least back in the 90s) and if you have problems keeping your business strong, you cant afford to pass them up. th eadvice in this article is a good suggestion if you have a traditional school or adults-only school or even just a small school. its perfect for FMA, because we cannot advertise our place the same way the McSensei does it (or McGuro, lol). you can be honest to your way of teaching and your background, and make money, and describe to people on the outside, what kind of school you are, and this article is a good place to start. take a look and tell me what you think. i know there is a guy in the southern states i cant remember his name, or the state i think its mississipi, or louisiana, who i use to get advice from for, how to find adult students. i think i will send another email to share with you what i learn from him. nick cokinos, who owns EFC is the master of business behind jhoon rhee, who is also one of the masters i learned business form too. mr cokinos ran art linkletter dance schools, and he helped jhoon rhee leave the basement schools, and into big money. now before you laugh at jhoon rhee, remember, he is the one who gave us jeff smith and michael coles, and many other great fighters. mr cokinos taught him to use the same "operations plan" as art linkletter to grow his school. the same for dennis brown, who had a school in "the hood" kennedy street in NW DC, to million dallar schools all around the east coast. dennis brown is the runner of the us capitol classic tournament (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QGbT9a-3EQ) with thousands of fighters every years and thousands of dollars. he is the teacher of willie bam johnson, "bone" (chuck jeffries) and tayari casel and many others. my point is, the traditional, hard core martial arts master does not have to die broke. my grandpa died with no money in the bank, but the year he died i had 75 students in my school and built my mom a house (i was 22). my kung fu master died broke, but he left behind students who built almost 20 schools in washington dc and more than a thousand students, all traditional, hard core. learning business will help a style and the master keep a roof on his students heads and grow his school. document.getElementById("MsgContainer").innerHTML='\x3cdiv\x3e\x3cbr\x3ei use to take sales and marketing seminars in washington dc when i first open my school in 92. i was young, uneducated, and no idea how to run a school. but these people help me learn the ropes in business, EFC. in the 90s it was very personal, and men like dennis brown and samuel \x28forgot the last name\x29 they were very open with their schools, meaning, they open the doors for me to give advice, even write notes all over my ads, and call me to say, Mustafa, thats not a good idea, and this is why. i know if you dont have successful people to share ideas with, even compete against \x28dennis brown had a school two blocks away from mine, i had more than 150 students to his 400, but i had no employees and his rent is almost \x245000\x29, i know i would not have a school today \x28actually i have two, three by the end of the summer\x29. i dont know about AMS and some of those other companies, but EFC help me learn the business and i didnt have to go to college for it, and if\u00a0a guy\x0d\x0a like me\u00a0can make it, any of you\u00a0can.\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e \x3cdiv\x3e\u00a0\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e \x3cdiv\x3eoh and i did it with no kids class, no afterschool karate, no contracts, no 3 years black belt programs. our classes were very hard, and our sparring was very hard, and this is before it got popular to get beat up in a class \x28MMA\x29, when the experts said, maurice you cannot\u00a0make good fighters and make money at the same time \x28email me privately and i will tell you who gave me this advice\x29\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e \x3cdiv\x3e\u00a0\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e \x3cdiv\x3eanyway, i didnt see EFC or their schools for a long, time, especially since i been on the west coast, but today one of my good friends and old students, ramon espinosa, sent me this link, \x3ca href\x3d\x22http\x3a\x2f\x2fwww.efconline.com\x2farticlepublic.aspx\x3fProductID\x3d962\x22 target\x3d\x22_blank\x22\x3ehttp\x3a\x2f\x2fwww.efconline.com\x2farticlepublic.aspx\x3fProductID\x3d962\x3c\x2fa\x3e\u00a0and i remembered how much i benefit from EFC services. i think its about \x24250 a month \x28at least back in the 90s\x29 and if you have problems keeping your business\x0d\x0a strong, you cant afford to pass them up. th eadvice in this article is a good suggestion if you have a traditional school or adults-only school or even just a small school. its perfect for FMA, because we cannot advertise our place the same way the McSensei does it \x28or McGuro, lol\x29. you can be honest to your way of teaching and your background, and make money, and describe to people on the outside, what kind of school you are, and this article is a good place to start. take a look and tell me what you think. i know there is a guy in the southern states i cant remember his name, or the state i think its mississipi, or louisiana, who i use to get advice from for, how to find adult students. i think i will send another email to share with you what i learn from him.\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e \x3cdiv\x3e\u00a0\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e \x3cdiv\x3enick cokinos, who owns EFC is the master of business behind jhoon rhee, who is also one of the masters i learned business form too. mr cokinos ran art linkletter dance schools, and he\x0d\x0a helped jhoon rhee leave the basement schools, and into big money. now before\u00a0 you laugh at jhoon rhee, remember, he is the one who gave us jeff smith and michael coles, and many other great fighters. mr cokinos taught him to use the same \x26quot\x3boperations plan\x26quot\x3b as art linkletter to grow his school. the same for dennis brown, who had a school in \x26quot\x3bthe hood\x26quot\x3b kennedy street in NW DC, to million dallar schools all around the east coast. dennis brown is the runner of the us capitol classic tournament \x28\x3ca href\x3d\x22http\x3a\x2f\x2fwww.youtube.com\x2fwatch\x3fv\x3d9QGbT9a-3EQ\x22 target\x3d\x22_blank\x22\x3ehttp\x3a\x2f\x2fwww.youtube.com\x2fwatch\x3fv\x3d9QGbT9a-3EQ\x3c\x2fa\x3e\x29\u00a0with thousands of fighters every years and thousands of dollars. he is the teacher of willie bam johnson, \x26quot\x3bbone\x26quot\x3b \x28chuck jeffries\x29 and tayari casel and many others.\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e \x3cdiv\x3e\u00a0\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e \x3cdiv\x3emy point is, the traditional, hard core martial arts master does not have to die broke. my grandpa died with no money in the bank, but the year he died i had 75 students in my school and\x0d\x0a built my mom\u00a0a house \x28i was 22\x29. my kung fu master died broke, but he left behind students who built almost 20 schools in washington dc and more than a thousand students, all traditional, hard core. learning business will help a style and the master keep a roof on his students heads and grow his school.\x3c\x2fdiv\x3e'; --__--__-- Message: 2 From: Ray To: Eskrima-Digest Date: Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:41:10 -0700 Subject: [Eskrima] Fatal Alliance Reply-To: eskrima@martialartsresource.net Since folks are obviously interested in learning more about Magie and L-L, a repost from 2003. Fatal Alliance (1 of 2) From 2003... Part 1 of 2 From the book Magellan, by Tim Joyner. Starting at page 178... Magellan had assured King Charles that the Moluccas lay in the Spanish Hemisphere, four degrees east of the extended Treaty line. He had driven his fleet to the edge of the Antarctic to discover the strait between the oceans, overcoming mutiny, the wreck of one of his ships, and the desertion of another. Crossing the broad Pacific Ocean without being able to reprovision his ships, he had lost nineteen men to scurvy and starvation. Finally, having reached the eastern edge of the archipelago southeast of China, which he suspected included the Moluccas, he found himself nine degrees west of the extended demarcation, in territory reserved by treaty for Portuguese exploitation. However, all was not lost. Unclaimed territory, discovered and occupied by either signatory in the hemisphere nominally assigned to the other, would be considered within the dominion of the occupying power. Under this treaty provision, if he could establish trading posts and conclude alliances with local rulers before the arrival of the Portuguese, Magellan could yet assure Spanish dominion over these islands. With many of the sick crewmen having recovered their strength, the squadron got underway again on March 25. Sailing west from Homonhon soon brought Magellan's ships to the long eastern coastline of Leyte. Turning south, they sailed through Surigao Strait, passing between two pairs of small islands. The first pair can be identified as Cabigan and Hibuson; the second as Dinagat and Panaon. As they were proceeding cautiously through the strait, a storm arose, driving them west past the southern end of Panaon. On March 28, they hove to in front of Limasawa, a small island off the southernmost promontory of Leyte. Here occurred an event that provided clear proof that Magellan's squadron, by traveling west across an uncharted ocean, had achieved the goal that had eluded Columbus. They had reached the eastern limit of the known world. A canoe bearing eight natives came out from Limasawa to inspect the ships. To his and everyone else's delight, Magellan's Malay slave, Enrique, understood the speech of their visitors. Magellan had acquired Enrique in Malacca in 1511. Pigafetta said that he was from Sumatra, but Philippine scholars have suggested that a native of Sumatra could not have understood the dialect spoken in the Central Philippines. They deem it more likely that Enrique had been raised in the Central Philippines, was captured, then sold into slavery in Sumatra before being taken to Malacca. If so, Enrique was the first human to have completed a full circuit of the Earth. The eight curious islanders whose language Ernique understood were too timid to bring their canoe alongside the Spanish ships. To show goodwill, Magellan had a floating plank pushed gently toward them, bearing gifts that the natives carried back to their island. Two hours later, two barges (barangay) approached the ships. On the largest, seated regally under an awning of mats, was a person of obvious importance. His name was Colambu, ruler of a territory that, in addition to the islands of Limasawa and Suluan, included a district in Mindanao. After a long conversation with Enrique, Colambu permitted some of his men to board the flagship, but did not accompany them. Magellan received the visitors courteously, loading them with gifts to take to their chief; in return, Colambu offered a bar of gold and a basket of ginger. So the islanders would not suspect how highly the Spaniards valued these commodities, Magellan politely declined the offering. The next day, Good Friday, he sent Enrique ashore to negotiate for fresh food and to assure Colambu that the Spaniards had come in peace. When Enrique returned, Colambu came with him, boarding the flagship without hesitation. Again he offered gifts: two large fish and three porcelain jars filled with rice, which the captain general gratefully accepted. Magellan gave Colambu a hat and a red-and-yellow robe of fine Turkish cloth; the men who accompanied him each received a knife and a mirror. Serving them refreshments, Magellan expressed his earnest desire for friendly relations, and in response Colambu insisted that Magellan become his blood brother by casi casi, in which the participants taste each other's blood. When the ceremony was completed, Magellan took Colambu and his retinue on a tour of the flagship, showing them samples of the trade goods stowed in the hold. Using compass and sea charts, he tried to explain that his ships had come from the opposite side of the world to arrive at these islands. He then ordered his gunners to fire some of the ship's artillery. It had the desired effect, for the roar of the cannon both awed and terrified his guests. Next, Magellan staged a mock combat to demonstrate the invulnerability of a man in full armor to attack by three men armed with swords and daggers. At this, reported Pigafetta, "... the king was rendered almost speechless." Magellan boasted that one armored Spaniard would be worth a hundred of Colambu's warriors. When the wide-eyed island chieftan agreed, Magellan told him that he had two hundred men so armed on each of his ships. This was a gross exaggeration: He had less than half that number, and many of his men were still weak, a few dying. Unfortunately, Magellan was beginning to believe his own propaganda; self-delusion can ruin any career, and in a military leader it can be fatal. Grateful for the hospitality and impressed by the power of Spanish arms, Colambu urged his host to allow some of his crew ashore, where they would be entertained and given a tour of the island. Magellan selected Pigafetta and a mariner whose name is not recorded. When they arrived on the island, the two were treated to a banquet. Pigafetta's companion got quite drunk from the palm wine dispensed liberally with the food, and so too, apparently, did Colambu. Early in the evening the latter left the entertainment of his guests to his eldest son and retired to his quarters to sleep it off. At dawn, bright-eyed and refreshed, Colambu arrived at his son's house to escort the Europeans back to the site of the previous night's banquet. Just as the party was about to resume, a boat from the Trinidad came to fetch the two weary revelers, who returned to the ship accompanied by Colambu's brother, Siaui, and three others. A chief in his own right, Siaui ruled several districts in northern Mindanao. Neither of the two chiefs lived on Limasawa. "When [the two brothers] wished to see one another," wrote Pigafetta, "they both went to hunt on the island where we were." Magellan invited Siaui and his three retainers to dine, and over the meal, the chief regaled his host with tales of the gold found in his district. As it had been by the gold jewelry worn by the Suluan chief, Magellan's notion that he was nearing the fabled source of King Solomon's gold was probably strengthened by these stories. In a summary culled from the reports of the expedition's survivors, a contemporary Spanish historian wrote that there was so much gold on an island near Mindanao that nuggets the size of hazel nuts and small fruit could be sifted from the beach sand. Pigafetta told essentially the same story, adding, "... on the island of the king who came to the ship, there are gold mines." The next day, March 31, 1521, would be Easter Sunday, and Magellan decided to conduct religious services ashore. By offering thanks to God for their deliverance from the perils of the hazardous voyage, and conducting a solemn Easter mass, he hoped to demonstrate to his island hosts the reverence with which Spaniards approached the most sacred of Christian holy days. Magellan sent the fleet chaplain, Pedro de Valderrama, ashore with some sailors to prepare a site, and Enrique went along to explain to the two chiefs that the Spaniards "... were going to land on the island, not to dine with them, but to perform a religious ceremony." Intrigued by the promise a spectacle that they probably assumed would be followed by a feast, Colambu and Siaui consented, and had two slaughtered pigs delivered to the site. Magellan's notion of a solemn religious ceremony had a decidedly mililary slant. On Easter morning, noted Pigafetta, "... about fifty of us went ashore, not wearing full body armor, but carrying our weapons and dressed in our finest attire. At the moment our boats touched the beach, six bombards were fired as a sign of peace. We leapt onto the beach, where the two kings who had come to meet us embraced the captain general and placed him between them. We marched in formation to the place prepared for the mass, which wasn't very far from the beach. Before beginning the mass, the captain general sprinkled the two kings with perfumed water. When it vas time for the offering, they went forward, as we did, to kiss the cross, but did not make the offering. When the body of Our Lord was raised, they showed their adoration with hands clasped, faithfully imitating what we were doing. At that moment, on a signal from Magellan, the gunners on the ships discharged all their artillery at once, producing a thunderous roar. "After the mass," wrote Pigafetta, "some of our men took communion. The captain general then ordered the performance of a sword dance, at which the kings were greatly pleased." The sword dance to which Pigafetta referred is native to Toledo but performed in many parts of Spain. The dancers wear colorful linen shirts with baggy pantaloons in the Greek style and bandanas on their heads. Whirling this way and that, they slash their naked swords in wide arcs, coming breathtakingly close to the heads and bodies of the other dancers. In one step called "the throat cutter," several dancers thrust their swords at the throat of a dancer who, at the last moment, skillfully slips away between them. After the dance, Magellan presented the two chiefs with a tall cross adorned with a crown of thorns, requesting that it be erected on the highest point of the island. This cross, he told the chiefs, when seen by Spanish ships, would let them know that they would be received as friends. Magellan then offered his ships and fighting men to help defeat their enemies. Colambu and Siaui, while acknowledging that they were at war with two neighboring islands, declined because "... the season for fighting had not yet arrived." While their reception at Limasawa could not have been more cordial, and the crews had benefited enormously from the fresh fruit, fish, and meat provided by their hosts, the Spaniards had not yet been able to replenish their supplies of less perishable foods. Other than ginger, neither had they seen any evidence of spices. The people at Limasawa indicated that such commodities could be obtained at Seylani (Leyte), Zubu (Cebu), and Calagan (Mindanao), and Magellan decided to go to Cebu, the principal trading center of the region. Colambu promised to guide him there personally if he would wait two days and help harvest the rice crop on Lirnasawa. Eager to get rice for his ships' depleted stores, and needing a pilot to guide them through the reef-studded archipelago, Magellan agreed. Seizing on this as a cause for celebration, Colambu and Siaui hosted another feast, serving vast quantities of palm wine along with roast pig and other tropical delicacies. Natives and Spaniards alike spent all the next day sleeping off its effects. Harvesting the rice took three more days. On April 4, seven days after arriving at Limasawa, Magellan's squadron set forth for Cebu. With Colambu's barangay leading, the squadron sailed northwest, then north through Canigao Channel, hugging the coast of Leyte to avoid Danajon Bank and the reefs off Bohol Island. When they reached Baybay, a small port on the west coast of Leyte, Magellan's guides told him that the surrounding area was rich in gold and other valuable resources. From Baybay they headed west across the Camotes Sea. With plenty of sea room, a fresh breeze, and all sails set, Magellan's ships overtook and passed the barangay that had been leading them. To allow it to catch up, they hove-to off the Camotes Islands. Pigafetta reported that when Colambu "... caught up with us, he was greatly astonished at the speed with which we sailed." From the Camotes, the squadron headed southwest. Soon, the mountains of Cebu Island loomed in front of them. Off Bagacay Point, they entered the narrow channel between Cebu Island and the small island of Mactan. As they sailed down the channel, there came into view a densely populated shoreline with most of the houses on stilts. On April 7, 1521, with banners and pennants flying, the squadron hove-to directly in front of the bustling port of Cebu. Intent on making a grand impression, Magellan ordered the squadron's gunners to fire a salute using all their artillery. It had the desired effect: Many of the town's terrified inhabitants fled into the hills. The three ships nosed into the harbor and let go their anchors, and Magellan sent his young relative (possibly his natural son), Cristovao Rebelo, ashore with Enrique to locate the authorities and assure them of his peaceful intentions. They found the local potentate, Rajah Humabon, surrounded by a crowd of retainers, all very much alarmed by the thunder of the artillery. Enrique assured the rajah that the guns had been fired merely in salute. It was the custom, he said, for Spanish ships to so honor the rulers and citizens of the foreign ports they visited, and should be taken as a sign of peace. Relieved that his city was not under attack, Humabon asked Magellan's emissaries what brought their chief to Cebu. Enrique answered that his master, a captain of the greatest king in the world, had heard such good things about the ruler of Cebu that he had come to visit him, bringing greetings and an offer of friendship. His master also wished to purchase fresh food for his ships and to trade for the products of Cebu with the merchandise he had brought from Spain. An emboldened Humabon replied that his custom was to require the payment of a port tariff by all visiting ships. In fact, he told them, only four days ago he had received such a payment from a Siamese junk that had called to take on a cargo of slaves and gold. Rebelo haughtily drew himself up and, with Enrique interpreting, told Humabon that since his captain general served such a powerful monarch, he would not pay tribute to any prince. He had come with a message of peace, but if war was what the ruler of Cebu wanted, war he would have. A Moslem merchant, apparently a resident agent for Siamese trading interests, whispered to Humabon that he had better be careful with these strangers: They were probably Portuguese, the "Franks" whose brutal conquest of Calicut and Malacca had spread terror and disrupted ancient trading patterns from India to the China Seas. Overhearing the merchant, Enrique told Humabon that his master served the Spanish king who also was emperor of all the Christians. The latter was even more powerful in men and ships than the king of the Portuguese. When the agent from Siam confirmed this, Humabon became thoroughly alarmed and announced that he would discuss the matter with his advisors and give his decision to the captain general the next day. He then treated Rebelo and Enrique to an elaborate lunch. 18 After the two emissaries returned to the Trinidad and related all that had transpired, Colambu went ashore to tell his ally, Rajah Humabon, of his experiences with these strange visitors. The next day Enrique went ashore again to learn what the rajah had decided, this time with the fleet notary, Leon de Ezpeleta. Intimidated by the thunder of Magellan's guns and the stories of Portuguese savagery, Humabon came to the town square to greet them, not only announcing that he would waive the port tax for his distinguished visitors, but offering to pay tribute to their emperor. He was assured that it would not be necessary; the captain general sought only to trade among the islands, and hoped to make Cebu the center of his trading activities. Greatly relieved, Humabon agreed to work out a trading arrangement with the Spaniards. To insure their continued friendship, he suggested that Magellan become his blood brother. At ten o'clock on the morning of April 9, Colambu returned to the Trinidad, bringing with him the Moslem agent from Siam and a message from Humabon. While he was busy that morning arranging for the collection of the foodstuffs requested by the captain general, Humabon would send his nephew who, as husband of the rajah's eldest daughter, was the heir apparent, and some of his ministers to the flagship to conclude a treaty of peace. When the emissaries arrived that afternoon, Magellan received them with appropriate ceremony. The captain general, the young prince, and Colambu were seated on chairs covered with red velvet. The principal ministers were seated on leather-backed chairs, with the rest of the delegation seated around them on mats. With Enrique serving as interpreter, Magellan asked the prince whether it was the custom in his country to conduct treaty negotiations in public, and if so, whether they had been authorized by Humabon to negotiate in his name. Reassured by the prince on both counts, Magellan dropped to his knees and prayed that the proposed alliance would be pleasing to God in Heaven. The prayer seemed to trigger in him an extended outpouring of religious sentiment. The captain general's piety profoundly touched his guests, who remarked, wrote Pigafetta, "... that they had never heard anyone say such words, but that they took great pleasure in hearing them." Emboldened by their interest, Magellan urged his guests to accept the Christian faith. When Magellan queried them about family relationships in their society, they said that "... when fathers and mothers grew old, they received no further honor, but their children commanded them." Shocked, Magellan told them that the Christian God "... had commanded us to honor our fathers and mothers, and that whoever did otherwise was condemned to eternal fire; that we are all descended from Adam and Eve, our first parents; that we have an immortal spirit; and many other things pertaining to the faith." Magellan, it seems, had begun a singular transformation: The silent, obsessive captain general was becoming an impassioned preacher, but not from unadulterated religious passion. In him, religious feelings were inextricably mixed with personal, political, and military goals. As Pigafetta told the story, after Magellan's sermon the islanders implored him to leave some men to instruct them in the Christian faith. He replied that though he couldn't spare even one man from his ships, those who sincerely hed to become Christians could be baptized by the fleet chaplain. But baptism, he warned them, must not be undertaken out of fear, the desire to please others, or the desire for personal gain. Magellan did not wish, wrote Pigafetta, " ... to cause ... displeasure to those who chose to live by their own law, but the Christians would be better regarded and treated than the others." Warming to his sermon, Magellan told the emissaries that, should they become Christians, their wives also would have to be baptized, for only then would it be permissible for their Christian husbands to sleep with them. He promised a suit of Spanish armor to those of his guests who would adopt the Christian faith. When the delegation assured him that Humabon would sign the peace treaity, and that they were all eager to be baptized, Magellan wept openly and embraced each of them. "Then he took the hands of the prince and king of (Limasawa) between his own;" continued Pigafetta, "and told them that by his faith in God, his loyalty to his sovereign the emperor, and by the [crusaders] habit he wore, he swore that perpetual peace would exist between the kings of Spain and Zebu." Before leaving, the delegation presented Magellan with several large bass of rice and some live pigs, goats, and chickens, exclaiming that such poor gifts were not worthy of so great a personage. In return, Magellan gave the prince a bolt of finely woven white cloth and a cup made of gilded glass, at that time much prized in the islands. He then dispatched Pigafetta and an unnamed companion ashore, bearing presents for Humabon, including a yellow-and-violet silken Turkish robe, a red hat, strings of glass beads, a silver dish, and two gilded glass drinking cups. They found Humabon in his palace, seated on a mat. Short, fat, tattooed, and naked "...except for a cotton cloth before his privies," he was eating turtle eggs and swilling them down with palm wine. The liquor was drawn through "... a slender reed," reported Pigafetta in what may have been, if not the first, one of the earliest descriptions by a European of the use of straws for drinking. The two Europeans were invited to the house of the prince, where they were entertained with music, refreshments, and dancing. At the conclusion of his impromptu party, "... the prince had three quite naked girls dance for us," bragged Pigafetta. When he and his companion returned to their ship, Pigafetta told Magellan that they had been very well received." The next day, April 10, Magellan sent another delegation ashore to get Humabon's permission to bury two men who, weakened by scurvy, had just died. One was Juan de Aroche, a man-at-arms who had sailed from San Lucar on the San Antonio; the name of the other is not known. Humabon consented and provided a burial site in the square at the center of the town. The following day, funeral services were conducted with much of the town looking on, and the solemnity of the event left a deep impression on the people of Cebu. Several days later, Humabon declared his wish to become a Christian. While Magellan was experiencing heady success with his religious efforts, he was also busy establishing a commercial base in Cebu. The day of the funeral, a crew set up afactoria (trading post) in a building provided by Humabon, who promised protection for the enterprise and the four Spaniards assigned by Magellan to run it. The store opened for business on April 12, 1521. Of the products put on display, items made of iron or bronze appealed the most to the curious townsfolk, who gladly gave gold in exchange. Rice, pigs, goats, and other foodstuffs were traded for trinkets and other small sundries. "They gave us ten gold pieces, each worth a ducat and a half (approximately $6oo U.S.) for fourteen pounds of iron," wrote Pigafetta. Magellan forbade his sailors to trade for gold. If he had not, Pigafetta averred, "... every sailor would have given all that he possessed to obtain it, spoiling forever the trade in this metal." Then began a series of events that, to Magellan, proved that the Holy Mother had heard his prayers and was watching over him, guiding his efforts. On Sunday, April 14, Humabon, his wife, son-in-law, his most important retainers, and his ally, Colambu, were baptized in a public ceremony in the central square of Cebu City. A large platform draped with bright tapestries and decorated with palm leaves had been erected for the occasion. Forty armed men, two of them clad from head to foot in gleaming steel armor, brought the royal standard ashore from the flagship. As soon as their boat touched the beach, the gunners on the ship let loose a deafening salute, no doubt startling the huge crowd that had gathered. Humabon greeted Magellan at the beach, warmly embracing him. Followed by the curious crowd, they proceeded to the town square where, in addition to the ceremonial platform, a tall, wooden cross had been erected. Standing before the cross, Magellan announced that all who wished to be baptized must burn the idols kept in their houses and replace them with crosses, and that they must come to this plaza every day, their hands clasped for prayer. He showed them how to kneel reverently, making the sign of the cross. Magellan took Humabon's hand, and together they mounted the platform, seating themselves on two chairs covered with red and violet velvet. Magellan wore a robe of pure white, to demonstrate, he told the rajah, his love for those who were about to become Christians. The island's principal chiefs surrounded them, seated on cushions, with the lesser dignitaries on mats. [end part 1 of 2] --__--__-- _______________________________________________ Eskrima mailing list Eskrima@martialartsresource.net http://martialartsresource.net/mailman/listinfo/eskrima Subscribe or Unsubscribe: http://eskrima-fma.net Old digest issues @ ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com/pub/eskrima Copyright 1994-2008: Ray Terry, MartialArtsResource.com, Sudlud.com Standard disclaimers apply. Remember September 11. End of Eskrima Digest