Port of San Julian. Winter Quarters. June 1520.
Four more of the native men came to us today. They were unarmed and seemed friendly. Magellan was impressed with the youngest of these Indians and wanted to capture them, but by Spanish law, these natives couldn't be taken as slaves unless they fought us. This problem was conveniently solved when the Concepcion's navigator, João Carvalho, 'found' weapons hidden nearby. But, the Admiral didn't want to take the Indians by force and used a trick instead.
As our guests were about to leave, the Captain General had many gifts brought to them and they soon had as much as they could carry. Then iron shackles were shown to the unknowing natives. Iron is very rare and valuable in this land and the Indians were anxious to have them as well as the other gifts but couldn't carry anymore. Magellan made signs that the rings could be placed on their legs. The natives agreed and immediately, the shackles were closed and locked.
Despite efforts to calm them, the Indians knew at once that they had been tricked and struggled greatly trying to free themselves. It took several crewmen to subdue each of them. Two of the four were offered their freedom in return for leading a group of our men to their village and their help in capturing the wives of the two remaining captives.
I, personally, don't like this enslavement and feel it is beneath Magellan to stoop to these measures. I refused to take part in the abduction party, which is led by Carvalho of all people. I don't trust him. I feel the Admiral has forgiven his fellow countryman too quickly especially after his involvement in the mutiny and his other deceptions. This attack can only cause more trouble for the fleet.
Seville, Spain. August 1519.
I stood at the top of the gangplank of the Victoria, staring at the man who had made my life a living Hell for years. What could I do? This voyage was the chance of a lifetime, but how could I take orders from Luis de Mendoza? How could I trust him? A sailor should be able to trust his captain! There was always the chance that he wouldn't recognize me, but that was unlikely. I had changed a lot in the last four years, but I looked much like my father, too much like Luis himself.
Antonio finally noticed my hesitation and pulled me onto the deck saying, "Come, come Mendoza! What are you waiting for?"
I am trying to decide if I want to run or not, I replied in my mind, but said nothing aloud. I had few choices and I was tired of running from my uncle, tired of being afraid of him. I walked slowly behind Antonio. Luis's back was to us and he did not notice us as we came aboard.
"Captain Mendoza, may I have a word with you? The Captain General has sent this seaman to join your crew and..." Antonio started as Luis turned to face us. Apparently, my friend hadn't made the connection of the Captain's name and mine being the same and only realized our relation when he saw the two of us together.
"I see," Luis smoothly cut in as Antonio trailed off. He sounded completely disinterested, but I could see the recognition in his eyes. "Welcome aboard the Victoria, Señor. Report to the ship's master. He will show you where you can stow your gear and give you your watch assignment." And with that, he turned away and went into his cabin.
Antonio turned to me when Luis was out of sight and asked in a hushed tone, "Are you related to the Captain?"
I nodded dumbly, not wanting to speak.
Antonio looked as if he realized something for the first time. "You don't get along, I take it." Again, I nodded. He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Well my friend, the best of luck to you. I sail with Magellan on the Trinidad, but I am sure I will see you sometimes. Don't worry about Captain Mendoza. He can't do anything too bad to you so have no fear. Your fate is in Magellan's hands, not his."
You don't know him, I thought, but again merely nodded. Antonio clapped me on the shoulder and left.
-----
I managed to find the master, a man by the name of Antonio Salamón and found a place for the few belongings I had. I spent the rest of the day becoming familiar with the ship I was to sail on.
I slept little that night and thought a lot. Antonio was right after a fashion. Luis couldn't harm me. As long as I did my duty and gave him no cause to notice me, I shouldn't have any problems. But, the thought of spending the next two to three years under his command made my skin crawl.
-----
The morning of August 10 dawned cool and bright.
As I talked to the other crewmembers, I learned that although we weren't fully supplied, the King was forcing Magellan to sail from Seville. Or at least the fleet was leaving Seville. Magellan and the fleet officers, including my uncle, were staying as there were still many details to complete (much to my delight). The fleet would put in at San Lucar and later, the Canaries, to finish the provisioning.
But the official start of the expedition was that morning. All the crews and officers assembled at dawn for a solemn Mass of farewell. Magellan received the silken Royal standard and vowed to claim any lands we discovered in the name of King Charles. Then his captains, pilots and masters knelt before the Captain-General(1) and swore to obey him in all things. And yet, the Spanish captains Juan de Cartegena of the San Antonio, Gaspar de Quesada of the Concepcion, and my uncle, Luis de Mendoza clenched their teeth as they spoke the words. It was obvious they hated Magellan.
I knew then the voyage was bound for trouble.
-----
For the most part, our stay in San Lucar was uneventful and lasted a little over a month. But, a few days before we were to sail from port, Portuguese spies raided the San Antonio and stole a large portion of the supplies the ship carried. At first I, like everyone else, believed this was only as act of sabotage and revenge against Magellan. Now, I wonder if this was something more sinister.
The San Antonio, like the rest of the fleet, was docked in a Spanish port with a full crew aboard, and yet, a group of Portuguese saboteurs were able to take so much? I now believe Cartegena allowed this to happen to delay Magellan or to force him to abort the expedition. He truly knew nothing of the Captain's character if that was what he expected. It is not in Magellan's nature to be so easily stopped.
We sailed away from San Lucar, away from Spain, on the twentieth of September. No one could have known what lay ahead.
-----
Our course was to the southwest and our destination was one of the Canary Islands called Teneriffe at 28 N latitude. But, before we reached the island, I had a not-so-friendly conversation with Uncle Luis. He waited until we were at sea, perhaps to keep me from deserting though I cannot be sure of his motives. I do know that he waited long enough that I began to relax.
I was going about my duties that day, pleased to be out at sea and quite unaware of Uncle Luis's scrutiny. I was aloft in the rigging when the master's mate, Miguel de Rodas, called me down. Dropping quickly to the deck, I was shocked when I was ordered to report to the Captain. I had no choice. The time for a confrontation had come.
I walked to his cabin, not slowly, but not at my usual stride either. I had to be confident! I was not the twelve-year-old boy to be bullied, but a man in control of my own destiny.
I knocked briskly on the door and heard the expected, "Come in." I stepped smartly into the cabin...and waited. Luis stood with his back to me and I had time to examine his cabin. It was richly appointed. If not for the cramped conditions and the roll of the deck, it might have been his study in Granada.
Still not facing me, Luis finally spoke. "Isn't fate strange, Nephew? I did not expect to ever see you again and from your attitude, you thought the same."
Refusing to be intimidated, I replied, "Fate, I have learned, has a sense of humor."
"I thought you were going to be a soldier with that Gomez fellow," he sneered.
"I was," I stated matter-of-factly, "but I found I didn't care for a soldier's life and left His Majesty's army."
Luis snorted and finally turned to look at me. His appearance had not changed much over the years. He still had the same piecing, cold and calculating gaze. "You've grown up," he said with a warm smile.
That was enough. This 'good uncle' act was getting old. "Was there something you wanted, Captain?"
"Can I not speak with my nephew who I have not seen in four years?" I only continued to stare at him. He laughed slightly. "Very well. I will speak frankly," he looked at me and this time he didn't hide his contempt. "You will remain silent about who you are. You are a seaman, nothing more."
"I don't want to be anything 'more'," I replied, equally cold.
"Good," Luis turned away again. "Then there will be no 'misunderstandings'." Clearly dismissed, I left quickly, anxious to be away from him.
-----
We reached the island of Teneriffe after sailing for six days, but we had barely begun provisioning when a fast caravel arrived from Spain. I learned later that it carried two urgent messages for the Captain-General. The first message warned that Portuguese ships were lying in wait for our fleet on the normal route from the Canaries to the New World. If they captured our ships, Magellan would be arrested and taken back to Portugal to stand trial for treason. The second letter held even worse news. It was from the Admiral's father-in-law, who warned that there was evidence that a pact had been made among some of the fleet's captains. They planned to mutiny, kill Magellan and take over the expedition. The Admiral was careful to kept these messages a secret and all I knew at the time was there was trouble aboard the Victoria.
Cartegena, Quesada and my uncle Mendoza were meeting aboard her, and they were plotting against Admiral Magellan. This alone wasn't enough to raise my suspicions, but the appearance of two of the fleet's navigators, Portuguese pilots(2) Estevão Gomes and João Carvalho, was.
Very curious of this new development, I positioned myself at the stern of the ship, above the captain's cabin. The men in the cabin below were careful to keep their voices low. I could only make out a few words, but their meaning was clear...Mutiny.
Joining the crew going ashore for supplies, I made my way to the Trinidad. I marveled at the conspirators' audacity. Only a week out of Spain and they were planning to take over the fleet. I had to warn the Captain-General.
I had just begun to climb the gangplank of the flagship when a figure stepped in front of me. "Where do you think you are going, seaman?"
"Let me pass, Señor. I must speak to the Captain-General," I said as I tried to push past the man.
"Be careful, boy," the then unknown man growled. "I could throw you in the brig for such insubordination."
"And who am I being insubordinate to, may I ask?" I said angrily.
"Gonzalo Gómez de Espinosa, the Master-at-arms of the fleet," he said with quiet menace.
I silently cursed my luck and backed up quickly. "My apologies, Master Espinosa. I will leave." I felt the captain of the guard's eyes on my back as I quickly departed. I wasn't prepared to go the brig to stop the conspirators and my uncle. At least, not yet.
I wandered away from the flagship in a stupor, not knowing what to do...and nearly ran into Enrique. Looking up I could see the schemers leaving the Victoria in the distance and coming in this direction.
Enrique was opening his mouth to say something but I cut him off. "Listen Enrique, don't speak! Cartegena and his accomplices are planning to mutiny. I've tried to warn Magellan, but Espinosa wouldn't let me speak to him. You are his closest companion, you must tell him of this danger."
Enrique was looking at me as if I had a second head, but I didn't have time to explain further. The mutineers were coming closer and I didn't want them to see me. "Hurry. You must deliver this message to the Admiral." As I hurried away, I glanced back at Enrique who was just beginning to grasp what I had said so hurriedly. He nodded and I slipped away.
I waited anxiously on the Victoria for some word of what was happening. Luis had returned to the ship and everything was business as usual. But the tension aboard ship was growing.
Later that afternoon, a message arrived from the Trinidad with word that Magellan had called a meeting to be held in his cabin. Captain Mendoza was immediately suspicious. Magellan had never called them to the flagship before, and he and the other captains were wary. I didn't know then exactly what occurred, but I have been able to piece together this account from the ship's rumors and conversations with a few participants.
The captains went in nervously, but Magellan's submissive behavior soon put them at ease. They insulted him and insisted he change course, sailing south instead of west. They intended to sail to the Spice Islands by the well-known route around the Cape of Good Hope. Unbeknownst to anyone at that time except the Captain-General himself, this was exactly what Magellan wanted. He had to change course in order to avoid the Portuguese warships that were laying in wait for the fleet.
Luis came back to the Victoria with the new orders. We now sailed south along the coast of Africa.
-----
For weeks, storms battered us. Just as the worst of these seemed to be over, we were caught in equatorial doldrums. The sun beat down upon us and the five ships. The stench from the bilges was nearly unbearable.
Tempers were running high and the growing insolence of the captains did not help matters. Cartegena was the chief of the instigator. He and his followers complained about every order that the Admiral gave until even the common seamen began to doubt Magellan's wisdom.
Cartegena upped the stakes even farther when he decided to become openly insolent. One evening off the coast of Guinea, the San Antonio came along side the Trinidad. It had been ordered since the voyage began that every day before sunset, each ship must come along side the flagship and receive their sailing orders for the following day. The master of the ship was to call out to the Trinidad with this greeting, "Dios os salve, señor capitán general y maesre, e buena compañia!"(3) But that particular night, Cartegena didn't have his master call out the greeting, but rather a common seaman.
As Cartegena could well see, Magellan himself was on deck. The Admiral turned to Estevão Gomes and said something calmly. The pilot nodded and called out to Juan de Elorriaga, the master of the San Antonio, "Señor, the salute must be given in the proper manner!"
At that, Cartegena shouted so that even we aboard the Victoria could hear, "My best seaman has given you the salute, but if you prefer Magellan, I will have it recited by a cabin boy!"
Luis was on deck, along with myself, as the openly insulting reply was given and I watched him smile at the words.
He wouldn't be smiling much longer.
-----
For the next three days, the San Antonio would give no salute and matters deteriorated. Things could not go on as they were. In November 1519, another meeting was called.
As it was later told to me, Cartegena strutted about the Admiral's cabin and presumed to lecture Magellan on proper navigation, though Cartegena had never been to sea before this voyage and wouldn't know a compass from a hole in the ground! But, this talk was leading Cartegena into the trap that Magellan had set for him. His next words sprang it. "You endanger the fleet with your recklessness," Cartegena blurted. "I am no longer prepared to follow a hazardous course set by a fool!"
At that, Magellan sprang foreword, seizing Cartegena's shirt. "This is mutiny, and you are under arrest!"
Cartegena panicked. "Kill him," he screamed. But Captains Quesada, Mendoza and Serrano did not move.
Espinosa and his soldiers pulled Cartegena from the cabin. Magellan would have been justified by law to have had the San Antonio's captain beheaded on the spot, but the Admiral chose to imprison the mutineer instead. The ships of the fleet were sailing close together and we could all plainly see Cartegena being dragged by Espinosa toward the stocks on the flagship's deck. This was the first the crew of the fleet knew of what had taken place. I couldn't help but smile at the spectacle.
The ringleader was going in the stocks normally reserved for the crew only when Captain Serrano interceded on his behalf. Even watching from the Victoria, I could tell he was pleading with Magellan and did not wish to see Cartegena punished in this manner. I could hardly believe my eyes when I clearly saw Magellan acquiesce and remand the prisoner, not to Serrano as one would have expected, but to Luis. Even worse, Magellan later appointed Antonio de Coca, one of Cartegena's accomplices, as the new captain of the San Antonio.
It seemed that this wasn't the end of the trouble, only the beginning.
That night, the calm finally broke.
A gale pushed the fleet west toward the New Continent. I and others aboard the Victoria saw strange lights at the top of the masts. I had never seen anything like it before. Some of the more experienced sailors told me it was St. Elmo's fire.
It was an ominous sign.(4)
Author's Notes
1) Magellan's titles were Captain General, Admiral or simply Captain, but I use all three interchangeably.
2) Pilot is another name for the ship's navigator.
3) "God save you, captain general sir, ship's master and good ship's company!"
4 ) Actually in my research I read that seeing St. Elmo's fire was a good omen, but decided to keep with MCoG's interpretation.
History: It is actually a controversy in the historical literature whether Magellan or the Spanish captains were the more justified in their actions. Some say the Spaniards had good reason to mistrust Magellan and his abilities, while other say that there is no justification for mutiny. Pigafetta's diary is curiously silent about the fleet politics during this period of the voyage and the historical researcher can interpret this lack of information in any manner they choose.
Also if the beginning of this chapter disturbed you, you were not the only one. I was horrified by how casually and inhumanly the people Magellan and other explorers encountered were treated. The incident described really took place and it still makes me sick to think about it. :(
Inspiration: In McoG Mendoza is always so confident of his abilities and decisions that I thought it would be interesting to create this self-assurance during this period, especially in regards to authority figures like Captain Mendoza. In the series Mendoza is often sarcastic and even disrespectful to those in command, such as Gaspar, and I thought it would be interesting to explore how this might have developed by the leadership of the captains of the fleet all of whom, except Serrano I think, had no sailing experience whatsoever. Certainly wouldn't have inspired confidence in me! Our navigator's later actions when he encounters incompetent leaders would then be more explainable, at least they were to me. :)
Reviews make me happy and promote quick chapter updates. ;)