Chapter 6

After participating in the successful capture of Oran, there was no requirement for my ship to remain there as only a small garrison was left behind to maintain control of the city. Therefore, I returned to Spain and, having received my pay, I first visited the tomb of Christopher Columbus in the Monastery of Santa Maria de las Cuevas in Sevilla. One month before, in April, his remains had been transferred from Valladolid where he had died in 1506 when I was in Naples. I then travelled to Valladolid where the king had established the royal court. The presence of the monarch meant that there were many courtiers also in attendance, so I had no difficulty in selling my booty of silk garments to the wives of these courtiers. Finally, I made my way to my home town of Getaria where I deposited the money from the sale of my booty and the money I had been paid by the Duke with a local goldsmith. I was now 22 years old, and I had not returned there since I was 15, so a visit to my family was overdue. Of course, I wanted to see my mother and my brothers again, and when I finally arrived in Getaria without having let them know that I was coming, they welcomed me as if I was the Prodigal Son of the Bible. Indeed, I was like a Prodigal Son because in all my years since leaving the Beothuk, I had only written to my family sporadically to let them know that I was alive. They knew that I had spent time in Naples, but they were not aware of my adventure in Oran.

For the first few weeks after arriving in Getaria, I spent time in the port and made enquiries about Juan de Hondarribia. I learned that he had returned to Getaria after having repaired the Santa Maria in Bermeo, but that he had decided not to return to the Grand Banks in search of cod. Instead, with the money he earned from selling the unusual furs we brought back from that voyage, and from selling his ship, he retired from the sea to manage a tavern he had bought in his home town of Hondarribia.

I also discussed with my family, especially with my younger brothers about a ship that my father had owned. My older brothers were not interested in the life of a sailor, but my younger brothers had gained experience working on fishing boats as I had done. They had also travelled to the Grand Banks, but when I asked for news of the Beothuk, they stated that they had not made contact with any of the people who lived in that region. Thus, I had no information about whether my child had lived.

The memory of the winter I had spent living with the Beothuk, and especially the time I had spent with Demasduit, made me want to seek adventure, but this time not adventure such as I had experienced in Oran. This time I wanted to seek adventures of the heart as I had experienced in Naples. In Getaria I had earned some fame on account of the tale of how we had survived a winter among the savages, and how I had actually lived among them. Juan de Hondarribia had been the person responsible for spreading, and probably embellishing, that tale.

That fame naturally attracted the attention of several of the young ladies of Getaria. It also attracted the attention of several of the married women of the port also if truth be known. However, although the married women would probably have been easier to conquer, the possibility of a scandal made me reluctantly avoid flirting with those who fluttered their eyelids at me as we passed in the market place or at the port. Besides, I knew that if I established a liaison with one or more of these matrons and the word got out, I would have their angry husbands to contend with, and I knew how tough and how jealous Basque men could be. So, I cast my hook in the sea of unmarried women to see what catches I might find. And the fishing was as easy as catching cod in the Grand Banks.

There was one young woman who I often saw in the marketplace where she helped her mother manage a fruit and vegetable stall. I often stopped there to buy fresh fruit and vegetables to take home to my family. Naturally, I made a point of commenting on the freshness and tastiness of the produce they sold, always careful to direct my comments to the mother rather than to the daughter in order to avoid any sense of improper behaviour. However, I also often contrived to brush my hand against the daughter’s as she passed me the items I had purchased. I often talked of my time among the Beothuk and especially described some of the strange plants that they ate. In this way, I came to know them better, and I learned that the daughter was 18 years old, and her name was María Hernández de Hernialde. Mari, as she was known in Euskara, had a pretty face and a pleasing figure.

I was determined to pursue her and conquer her if possible. She was shy and demure which made the prospect of deflowering her even more attractive. I was sure that she was a virgin because maidens shaved their heads, with the exception of a few locks that were kept long, and this was how Mari appeared. She then covered her head with a hood, with the tip folded, making a figure that resembled the chest, neck and beak of a crane. I was also sure that her mother, who was a widow, would not reject me as a suitor as I was from a respectable family, and I had achieved some fame as a sailor.

However, marriage was the last thing on my mind at that time. Instead, the thought of taking Mari’s maidenhead was what spurred me to lay siege to her. By degrees and small steps, I managed to find where she lived with her mother. Her father had been a sailor, and their house was a small cottage near the port. I knew that they could not earn much from selling vegetables and fruit as the winter time meant that they had no produce to sell, so I took advantage of their impoverished state to get closer to them. I did this by buying fish at the port and presenting it to them after knocking at their door. I did not stay to receive their thanks. Over the next few months, I gave them fish and also flour to bake bread so that they would be able to have enough basic foodstuff to sustain them.

My patience paid off eventually, as I was invited to share a meal that they had prepared with the food that I had given them. I learned about Mari’s father and how he had been lost at sea several years previously. My stories about sailing to catch cod gave them some idea of the hard life he had had to endure. This common bond allowed me to become close to Mari and soon her mother gave us permission to go walking together though the port area. As the weather grew colder, we would often enter a tavern to partake of a cup of hot wine or posset. Finally, sitting in a corner booth, hidden away from the gaze of others, I gradually stole kisses from Mari. Although she was a virgin, she was not innocent, and when my hand ‘accidentally’ rested on her thigh, she did not protest or attempt to make me remove it. Before long, I had arranged for us to be shown to a private room where we would not be disturbed. After drinks were served, I made sure the door was locked, and it did not take much persuading for Mari to lift her skirts and bend over a table to receive my attentions. Our meetings continued like this for many months, leaving my body satisfied, but my spirit still longing for adventure away from Getaria.