Pigafetta writes how Magellan deployed forty-nine armored men with swords, axes, shields, crossbows, and guns, and sailed for Mactan in the morning of 28 April. A number of native warriors who had converted to Christianity also came to their aid. According to Pigafetta, because of the rocky outcroppings, and coral near the beach, the Spanish soldiers could not land on Mactan. Forced to anchor their ships far from shore due to the shallow water filled with rocks and coral reefs, Magellan could not bring his ships' cannons to bear on Lapulapu's warriors, whom Pigafetta claims numbered more than 1,500.