Chapter 8

Juan pointed to one of the men and said that his name was Gaston. He did not make any effort to name the remaining three men, and I did not enquire about them. In fact, they remained silent for most of the discussion that followed, with Gaston explaining in strongly accented, but intelligible, Castilian why they had come to Hondarribia.

“We have been sent by a group of merchants from Bordeaux because they have seen how the Portuguese and the Spanish have divided the world between them in the search for spices. And although they have tried to interest the King of France to finance an expedition to explore these new worlds, he is not interested. The merchants can see that there are many possibilities to gain wealth by importing some new spices that surely exist before either the Spanish or the Portuguese control their trade.”

He paused, and taking a drink from the cup that sat before him on the wooden table, he continued. “The Treaty of Tordesillas has divided the world between the Spanish and the Portuguese, and the French do not have the military resources to try to break the monopoly of these countries. As you are aware, France was expelled from Naples by the Spanish, and their historical enemy, England, is allied to Spain through the marriage of Catherine, the daughter of the Catholic Kings, Ferdinand and Isabella, to King Henry VIII. So, the French King has decided to focus his attention on conquering some of the city states in the north of Italy such as Milan and not to make enemies of Spain, Portugal or England. But, by doing so, he risks making France weak if Spain and Portugal monopolise the spice trade from the New World and the Spice Islands.”

I nodded in agreement with what Gaston had said. I had taken part in the capture of Naples, and I had witnessed at first hand the expulsion of the French army from the lands in the south of Italy. It was common knowledge that the Portuguese had already found a way to sail to India, and from there to the Spice Islands further to the west, by going round the Cape of Good Hope at the tip of Africa, and the Spanish were exploring the lands of the New World.

“Why are you telling us this?” I asked. “What is your purpose here?”

Gaston peered closely at me in the dim light of the few candles that were still providing light in the tavern. “I see you like to come straight to the point, sir. I will do the same. What is your name and what is your connection with our host, Juan?”

“My name is Juan Sebastian Elcano, and I am from the port of Getaria. I acquired my knowledge of seamanship from Juan. I sailed with him as my captain for 3 years and I spent a winter with him when we were shipwrecked in the land off the Grand Banks. Does that satisfy your curiosity?” I spoke bluntly and without courtesy, but I was anxious to hear the reason these men had come from France to Hondarribia. I did not need to hear about the political ambitions of the countries of Europe. Instead, I needed to hear what they wanted to acquire and what they offered in return.

Gaston smiled at my response to his questions. “Very well, Juan Sebastian, I will come straight to the heart of the matter. The group of merchants who have sent us here know the reputation of Captain Juan from his dealings with them in carrying eau de vie from Bordeaux to Hondarribia. They also know about how he and his crew survived for so many months in the unknown land off the Grand Banks. For this reason, they sent us here to make a proposal to him. And as you say that you know him well, with his permission, I will also permit you to hear our proposal. But I must insist that what I propose to you has to remain a secret, and that you will not divulge this secret to anyone else.”

Again, he paused and looked at Juan and myself for our agreement. Both Juan and I nodded and gave him our assurances that we would not tell anyone else what he was about to relate.

“But first, Captain Juan, can you please clear these few drunks from the tavern and make sure that the door is barred, so no one can overhear what I have to say.”

Juan looked at me and together we rose and with oaths and kicks we woke the three drunks who had fallen asleep where they had been drinking. It did not take long to eject them from the tavern and bar the door. Juan indicated that we should serve more drinks to the group, and, bearing the drinks, we returned to the group of Frenchmen and resumed our seats beside them.

Gaston thanked us for the drinks, and the other three also conveyed their thanks with smiles and nods. Then, when all had drunk some of their fresh drinks, Gaston continued to speak.

“You know that when Cristobal Colon made the incredible discovery of new lands across the Atlantic Ocean, he never really discovered a new route to India. Instead, he found unknown lands that may one day prove to be sources of riches. However, until now, little gold and few spices have been discovered there. But there is one land where we know there are spices that are unknown in Spain, Portugal or France. This is an area where there are abundant spices growing wild.”

Gaston looked at us, anticipating our questions, but before we could ask them, he was already continuing with his explanation.

“Most of what has been explored in the new lands are islands, but it is clear that there is also a huge land that is not an island. Both the Portuguese and the Spanish have begun to explore this land, but the area is so great that they have not been able to discover what riches it may hold. However, there is one place that the Spanish found in 1503 that is the home of several strange plants. There is one fruit which is not sweet like oranges and not bitter like lemons. Instead, its fruit is like fire. It causes the mouth to burn if it is consumed. Another fruit appears to be similar in shape, but it is not fiery. Instead, the natives of that place dry this fruit and then grind it to make a mild aromatic powder that is red in colour and which they add to their food. Finally, there is a red fruit that is very juicy and sweet to the taste.”