Rio de Santa Cruz. Winter Quarters. October 18, 1520
The time has finally come. After two months of inactivity, winter has finally turned into spring. Magellan has given orders for the fleet to get under way. Hopefully we will soon discover the long awaited passage to the western sea. From there we set sail to the Spice Islands, hopefully to trade for the valuable goods found only there.
What new adventures will we find? What fate is awaits us?
Cape Desire. November 21, 1520
A month has past. Magellan has been vindicated in his belief in the Paso to the western sea and yet the voyage is still in jeopardy.
For two days after leaving the Rio de Santa Cruz we battled head winds, fighting for every inch we advanced. Finally, the wind shifted to the north and we were able to make progress. The coast we passed was nothing but sand and rock, desolate and depressing.
On October 21, we sighted a cape with white cliffs rising above a strangely indented shore. The Admiral gave it the name Cabo de las Virgenes, in honor of Saint Ursula's day. On the far side, we entered a bay of deep, black water. Surrounded by steep hills, we could see snow clad peaks in the distance. It was completely barren with no sign of people or even plant life. The wind howled through the dark inlet.
All of the crew, including myself, thought it was merely another bay, but Magellan insisted we must explore every possible passage. The San Antonio and Concepcion were ordered to sail as far west into the bay as they could but that they must return in five days to report what they found.
That night the wind became a gale and once again a violent storm whipped the waters around us. So fierce was the tempest that the Trinidad and the Victoria began to drag anchor. No hay buenas estaciones.11 We sailed for open water, missing the rocks of shore by mere inches.
The storm continued for two days and we were constantly fighting to keep from sinking. The lantern never dimmed in Magellan's cabin and at times I caught a glimpse of him pacing, waiting anxiously for the storm to abate. But the Captain was not worried about our safety, but rather for the safety of the two ships in the narrows of the bay with no room to tack and no place to take shelter. Only a miracle could save them from being driven onto the rocky shore.
When the storm finally blew itself out, we all waited for Fate's judgment.
A day passed with no sign of the San Antonio or Concepcion. Then another, and another. Few of us retained any hope on the fourth day.
Sitting on the main deck of the Trinidad, thoughts of gloom pervaded my mind. Suddenly the man in the crow's nest cried out, "Smoke! Call the Admiral to the deck! There is a pillar of smoke in the distance!"
Magellan was on deck almost before I could stand up. The smoke could only mean one thing...It was over. The San Antonio and Concepcion were lost, and with them Magellan's dream.
"Lower the boats!" The Captain General ordered without emotion. "Find the source of the smoke and save what lives you can."
Hardly had we begun to carry out his orders when the watch out again. "A sail! A sail! God be praised, one ship is saved!" Everyone rushed to the rail and stared out into the bay. "No, both ships! Both the San Antonio and the Concepcion are returning, safe and sound!"
I ran to the upper deck and stood beside Magellan and his companions, peering into the distance, looking for proof of the watch's words. Just as I perceived the faint outlines of the two ships, we saw flashes in quick succession follow by the thunderous rapport of cannon fire.
"Why are they firing?" Antonio asked in confusion. "Don't they have orders not to waste any powder?"
I nodded, not understanding myself why the ships continued to fire salvo after salvo. "Their sails are dressed with flags," I noted.
"And it looks like the crews are cheering and waving," Cristovão added.
"They have found it!" Magellan said softly. We turned to look at him, not comprehending his meaning. "They have found the passage to the western sea!"
-----
We all listened breathlessly as Serrano, now captain of the Concepcion, told Magellan their story. "We had sailed deep into the bay when the storm came upon us. Immediately, we shortened the canvas, but were driven farther and farther west until it seemed certain we would be wrecked upon the shore! But at the last moment, we saw a channel. The bay was not closed and the water there was much calmer in that narrow seaway. We entered a second bay followed by a Second Narrows. This widening and narrowing continued again and again. We continued to travel in this remarkable strait for three days without reaching its end and there were no indications that this was another estuary. The water remained salty and the ebb and flow of the tide continued regularly nor did it close steadily as a river would. After each narrows there was always a new bay. Admiral, this canal must lead to the Mar del Sur!"
Magellan lowered his head at his words. "I had almost surrendered to despair," I heard him say softly. "Now, when faith and hope had almost failed, illusion shows itself to be truth and dreams, reality." He faced the crew and spoke the words we had been waiting to hear. "Let there be no more hesitation! Fire one more salvo in honor of King Charles, and let there be one more prayer to the Great Admiral. Leave anchor and prepare to sail to the west! With steady courage, foreword into the labyrinth!"
-----
The fleet sailed into the First Narrows and had traveled no more than a league when something ashore caught our attention. It appeared to be a man made structure, and the Admiral, hoping to find a village, sent a boat ashore. I was anxious to get off the ship for a time and volunteered to go along. Ten of us rowed to the shore but found, not a village as expected, but what appeared to be a burial ground. I watched as my fellow sailors nervously cross themselves. I must admit that after seeing the cold graves and the rotting carcass of a huge whale that had washed ashore in this place, I wasn't opposed to going back aboard.
The fleet continued on passing hills under clouded skies. Everything was silent. Again and again we cast the lead22, but could not reach the bottom of the strait.
Magellan continued my lessons during this time and I learned navigation in one of the most difficult places imaginable. There were shallows to be avoided, rocks to skirt around and squalls frequently came down from the hills, whipping the waters into a frenzy. But Magellan was patient and stubborn, with the sea and me.
-----
We passed through the Second Narrows without incident and came to a place where the passage divided. One way went southeast, the other southwest. The Captain General ordered the San Antonio and Concepcion to the take the first passage while we, in the flagship and the Victoria, would take the southwest route. The fleet would reassemble after five days at the mouth of a small river full of sardines where we could replenish some of our supplies.
The ships were about to go their separate ways when unexpectedly, Magellan called for the council of his captains and navigators. This decree surprised everyone, including myself. The last time they had been ordered to meet was to trap the now marooned Cartegena. What could have happened to cause them to meet again?
I managed to corner Enrique shortly before the council began. "What is going on Enrique?" I asked. "Why is the Captain calling the officers together now?"
"He merely wants to discuss the voyage," he answered evasively.
I wasn't about to be satisfied with that answer. "Enrique, you and Magellan know more of my secrets than anyone else in the fleet..."
"It is still not my place to tell you, Mendoza! If you want to know what is going on, ask Magellan to allow you to attend the council. You are his apprentice and have more than proven yourself trustworthy. I believe he would agree."
And so I found myself standing next to Enrique in the Admiral's cabin as the officers assembled around a large table. Captain Mesquita and Captain Barbosa greeted their kinsman warmly. Serrano and Espinosa were cool and competent as ever. Del Cano threw me a nasty look as he sat down and Carvalho smiled ingratiatingly.
When the other officers had been seated, Magellan began, "I have called this council to ask your opinions, gentlemen. Is it wise to press on with our exploration, or would it be better to return to Spain, satisfied with what we've already accomplished." he paused briefly. "To that end, I asked each captain to take an inventory of the supplies stored aboard their ships. Tonight I ask you to report those findings to me." Magellan sat down at the head of the table and looked at each of those assembled. "What have you found?"
"The news is not good, Admiral," Serrano declared.
"The stores recorded in the logbooks and what is actually in our holds do not match," Duarte Barbosa continued.
Captain Mesquita put in angrily, "Someone back in Spain is lining his pockets with the money that should have been used to furnish the fleet's provisions."
"How much is actually left?" Estevão Gomes, the former navigator of the Trinidad, asked.
"About half of what there should be," Serrano finished. An outburst of disbelief and anger followed his statement.
The Admiral slapped his hand against the table and the men quickly fell silent. "I feared as much," he stated darkly. "If I had not ordered the rations cut while in winter quarters at San Julian, we would have been forced to turn back already." Magellan again met the eyes of each man present. "The supplies we have will be sufficient for the remainder of our journey to the Spice Islands. Once we find the exit of this strait, these islands lay only a month's journey from us. I believe we must continue! What say you?" All the heads around the table nodded in agreement...save one.
"Senhor Gomes, you disagree?" Magellan queried.
"Aye Captain, I do," Gomes said clearly annoyed. "We have already accomplished much and it would be foolish to continue with so few provisions. What good is finding this passage if we do not live to tell His Majesty of its existence?"
"Coward!" Cristovão interrupted angrily, but Magellan silenced him with a glance.
"I asked for his honest opinion," Magellan said coolly. He then looked to the objector again. "But I lead this fleet and the majority of my officers agree with this decision. We will continue if we have to eat the leather from the yards."
Gomes looked as if he wished to protest more, but held his tongue.
"I don't like the looks of this," Enrique whispered to me. I had to agree.
-----
Just after the meeting adjourned, the Captain General assembled the crew on the main deck. "This council has decided to continue our expedition. The long sought westerly route to the Spice Islands is within our grasp and we will go on!" The crew cheered the announcement and Magellan continued, "As this is All Saints Day, this strait shall be named Todo los Santos.33 May God help us and bring us good fortune!"
-----
We continued on into the southwest passage. Each night we could see fires on the eastern shore. Because of this, the Admiral named that land Tierra del Fuego, the Land of Fire.
This part of the strait was very different from the passage's mouth. Snow capped mountains spanned the horizon though the temperature was mild. Forests and meadows lined the shores and we were able to drink from fresh springs instead of the foul, stinking water we had endured for weeks before.
Magellan decided not to travel any farther and ordered the fleet back to the river of Sardines to resupply and wait for the two other ships. Antonio and I took full advantage of the shore leave and rested gratefully in the sweet smelling grass of a meadow. He was so enraptured with the place he exclaimed, "This must be the best strait in the world!"
But I saw another side of this passage. The weather was notoriously changeable and the battle between the currents of the Atlantic and the Mar del Sur made the sea treacherous. When I voiced my opinion, Antonio declared I had no love of adventure and went off to join others from our ship. I shrugged and remained where I was, enjoying the taste of celery like plants that were growing around me.
It wasn't long after that when I noticed Enrique come ashore with the Admiral and Cristovão. I called his name and he walked over to where I was sitting. "The Admiral decided to come enjoy the land?" I asked.
Enrique laughed. "Even he likes to get off the ship once in a while." Looking at the celery plants I had been eating, he said, "Perhaps we should take some of these aboard the ship. They could be lifesaving if the provisions do run out."
I nodded.
-----
Magellan wouldn't allow the days to pass in complete idleness. In fact, he was very anxious to know if the mountains ahead of us would slow our progress and if the channel continued to the sea.
The day following my disturbing conversation with Enrique, the Admiral decided to send a boat to scout ahead. Several men volunteered as the Captain promised a reward for good news. Among those chosen were Roldán de Argot, a Flemish gunner, Bocacio Almso, an able seaman, and Hernando de Bastamete, a barber.
They set out sailing northwest between an island and what appeared to be a peninsula. They returned in three days. When they reached the end of the island, they turned to the west, but ran into fierce crosscurrents. Unable to go farther, they pulled up for the night in a bay next to a bell shaped hill. Roldán said that the following morning, he decided to climb the hill to get a better view of their surroundings. "From the summit," he continued, "I had a clear view of the place where the strait opens into the sea!"
Everyone cheered at the great news, except the Admiral. Even I didn't expect this to have the effect on the captain that it did. He wept! The soldier and sailor who never betrayed his emotions even once during the voyage wept at the news. His goal had been accomplished! He was justified! His life meant something, and the tears of joy ran down his weather beaten face into his beard.
When he could again speak, Magellan pronounced, "Let this place be named Cape Desire, for it is what we have desired so long!"
But even at this moment of triumph, Fate had a cruel trick to play.
-----
Time passed and the Concepcion and San Antonio did not appear. The fifth day, on which we were to meet, passed with no sign of the other two ships. Magellan decided he could wait no longer and we set out in search of the other vessels.
Two days after leaving out sanctuary, we sighted the Concepcion...but she was alone! And Captain Serrano didn't have any idea of what had become of the San Antonio. He told the Admiral that the larger ship had outdistanced the Concepcion on the first day after they left us and had not seen her since. "Perhaps she is simply lost or maybe Captain Mesquita didn't understand your orders, Admiral," Serrano concluded.
"Perhaps," Magellan mused, "but we will have to search for her."
And so we did. Marker cairns were raised, each containing instructions in case the San Antonio returned without finding us.
I had a sick feeling that I knew what had happened to the San Antonio, but I remained silent.
-----
For days we searched, but to no avail. Magellan even sent the Victoria all the way back to the mouth of the strait, looking for the missing ship, but there was no trace of her.
In confusion, Magellan asked San Martín to cast a horoscope to determine the fate of the San Antonio. Even before this, I knew the answer...she had deserted us. San Martín 'divined' the same conclusion.4
Her pilot was Estevão Gomes, the same man who had protested the continuation of the journey and was jealous of Magellan's appointment as Admiral of the fleet. He must have convinced the crew to mutiny and return to Spain. Captain Mesquita would never have gone along so he must have either been taken prisoner...or worse.
Now we were again faced with the question of whether to continue or return home. Everyone could see the Admiral was profoundly disturbed by this development and his disquiet spread to the other officers. He again called for a council to ask their opinion on 'continuing this enterprise' and he ordered them to reply in writing and so provide a record of their decision.
They all agree we should continue.
Cape Desire. November 22, 1520
And so here we are about to raise anchor and leave the strait.
The vast, blue water of the Mar del Sur stretches into the unknown before us. Somewhere across this broad ocean are the Spice Islands, Cathay and Cipanghu.44 Our ultimate challenge lies before us.
May we be equal to it.
1Author's Notes
"There are no good seasons here."
2 Casting the lead was done to determine the depth of the ocean.
3 This strait is now known as "The Strait of Magellan."
4 These last two places are the 16th century names of China and Japan.