Elcano and the First Circumnavigation of the World
Copyright© 2024 by Mark West
Chapter 16
Guerrero had indicated where there was a source of fresh water, so we set about making several trips to land in the small boat to fill our water barrels after stowing the fresh fruit and vegetables below decks. The dried fruit had been placed in my cabin for safekeeping as I did not want it to be eaten by a hungry crew member. The group of Maya kept watch over our endeavours to make sure that no other Maya tribe might attack us by surprise. As a final gift from Guerrero, he ordered several slaves to climb the trees with the fruit with the hard shell and harvest them so that we might have them as fresh fruit on the voyage back to Spain. When all tasks had been completed, we embarked at last and from the prow of the nao, I was able to see the party of Maya depart and disappear into the jungle. Although the nao was prepared to depart, I gathered all the crew together to inform them of what had happened in my time in the Maya city. I did not dwell on the part I had played in defeating the rival Maya army but simply said that I had used my hand cannon to kill the enemy king. I promised the crew that they would share in the money from the sale of the birds, so that they would take good care of them on the voyage home.
When sails had been hoisted, we sailed out of sight of land again. With the agreement of my brothers and Sean, I decided that our best choice was to call at Santo Domingo for further supplies and then follow the established route that would take advantage of the winds that blew from the west to speed us on our way back to Spain and France.
In order to avoid the fate that had befallen the Santa María de la Barca that Guerrero had been shipwrecked on, it was agreed that we should anchor for the night and set sail the next day so that we should have warning of any approaching storm. We hoped to make landfall on Hispaniola in 2 days, so we would only have one night under sail when we would be at the mercy of the storms that frequently arose in those seas.
Our plan succeeded and we reached the safe haven of the port of Santo Domingo after 2 days of sailing. I later learned that the season of fierce storms had passed and would not return until late in the next summer. Thus, after a short stay in Santo Domingo, we were carried by the wind and the tides back to the south of Spain. This course meant that we did not make landfall on the Canary Islands but arrived at the port of Cadiz which was situated on the south coast of Spain and was not far from Portugal. There, we again provisioned our nao with fresh water and food, and set sail yet again for the north coast of our homeland. The crew were eager to complete the voyage, so we did not delay once the nao was stocked with what we needed to continue to France.
We were careful to avoid entering Portuguese waters although the conditions of the Treaty of Tordesillas meant that we had the right to carry trade goods from the New World to sell in Europe. However, I felt that it was better to be cautious because if we were boarded by a Portuguese vessel in the service of their king, they would probably take all our cargo as booty, and we would be powerless to prevent them from doing so.
By now, it was the end of February 1512 and at this time of year, the weather in those seas was often stormy. So, we were forced to stay within sight of the shore in case we needed to run to a port for shelter. Luck was with us, and we did not need to seek shelter in any Portuguese port. We rounded the north coast of Galicia and were near the port of Avilés in Asturias before we had warning of an approaching storm. So, we entered the port and waited until the storm had passed.
Asturias played an important part in Spanish history because it was from this province between the sea and the mountains that King Pelayo led the reconquest of Spain from the Moors by defeating them at the battle of Covadonga in 722. It took almost 800 years to finally expel the last Moors from Spain, but King Pelayo and Covadonga carry a special significance in the hearts of all Spanish people as the beginning of making Spain a Christian nation once more.
While we waited for the storm to pass, I debated whether we should make a pilgrimage to Covadonga, but we were informed by local people that the roads would probably be impassable due to the incessant rain that was a typical feature of winter in this northern coast of Spain. Therefore, we waited for 2 days for the storm to abate and then turned our nao towards France. Once again, we passed Zumaia and Getaria, but we did not enter either port because we wanted to hasten our arrival in Bordeaux and receive our dues for securing the fruit that the French merchants desired.