Chapter 4

Returning to Deba by barge, we then directed our nao to Hondarribía in Gipuzkoa at the wish of Cermeño, who swore that the best quality of gunpowder could be found there. And so it proved, with Artieta placing an order for 50 quintales (2,300 kilos) to be delivered to Bilbao. The cost of this quantity of gunpowder was 114,505 maravedis, and again there was no hint of Artieta attempting to enrich himself at the expense of the crown. The same was true of Cermeño who conducted the negotiations to buy this quantity of gunpowder. While we were in Hondarribia, I remained hidden from sight as much as possible because I still had fears that at such close proximity to France, there might be some who remembered my time serving in Juan’s tavern, and who might have heard from Juan about the agreement with the French merchants. I was glad to leave that port as soon as our business had been concluded to Cermeño’s satisfaction.

I contemplated visiting Getaria to see how my family and friends were, but on reflection judged it prudent not to upset their daily routine by returning so soon after I had left. The fact that I had still not secured an offer of a position of rank on the voyage was also a factor in making my decision. I did not want people in Getaria to believe that I might be passed over for some important position. So, I remained with our party as we sailed to Bilbao to finalise our purchases. Likewise, Artieta did not visit his home town of Lekeitio, but insisted that our mission was more important than spending time in familiar surroundings. However, when we again landed in Bilbao, we enquired about iron foundries which had a reputation for excellent work. We visited several in Barakaldo near Bilbao on the left bank of the river Nervión to place orders for goods on the list from Fonseca. Then, as it was August, we two Basques sought out a tavern in a village at the mouth of the river Nervión which several employees at different iron foundries assured us had the best grilled sardines and bonito, which were the delicacies of that season. This was a small fishing port known as Kai Zaharra (Old Port) which lay at the bottom of a hill below a settlement of a few scattered farmhouses known locally as Alkorta which in Euskara means ‘a stone stable’. We found the small tavern in a square overlooking the old fishing port and introduced ourselves to the owner who told us his name was Mario Basagoiti. He was 42 years old and had inherited the tavern from his older brothers who had been lost at sea while fishing off the coast of Ireland. He was surprised to hear that the fame of his tavern had spread as far as Barakaldo, but he invited us to judge for ourselves whether the reputation of the food was justified. Indeed the sardines and bonito grilled over an open fire in the square outside the simple tavern tasted heavenly, especially when accompanied by a locally produced white wine known as txakoli, and were much appreciated by Cermeño. Even Barbosa, who as a Portuguese was very familiar with these fruits of the sea, had to admit that the taste and smell of the food caused him to believe that there was little to judge between the quality of this simple food in that rustic tavern and that of his home town, although he refused to drink the txakoli, declaring it bitter after one sip, and instead demanded a red wine from Rio Oja.

However, that was the only time we spent at leisure on this voyage. In Bilbao and Barakaldo, Artieta purchased the remaining weapons that might be needed on the voyage. These comprised 1,000 spears, 71 light and heavy cannons, longbows, crossbows and crossbow bolts, arrows, armour and cannon balls and lead and iron projectiles for the weapons that used gunpowder. In total, Artieta spent 525,150 maravedis on purchases of weapons. However, as Barakaldo was famed for its ironwork, in addition to weapons, we also returned to Sevilla with other iron products, such as anchors, fishing harpoons, hoes, mallets, shovels, picks, saws, lanterns, axes, cooking kettles, small iron bars, nails of all kinds, and even a forge. The trip had been a success, and I was able to report to Recalde on my return that Artieta had displayed no attempt to cheat or falsify invoices with the intention of enriching himself while making purchases. On the contrary, he had demonstrated a remarkable ability to obtain discounts and reduced prices for the many items he had bought, thereby saving the crown money.

When I reported my findings and observations to Recalde, he laughed heartily and explained that Artieta had no need to try to pry loose a few maravedis or ducats from the privy purse as Magellan had already agreed to purchase a ship he owned as one of the five naos that would undertake this historic voyage. From the sale of this nao, the Santa Catalina de Siena of 132 tons, Artieta received 270,000 maravedis. This price reminded me of the low price that I had been forced to accept for the sale of the Santa Maria to the merchants from Savoy in order to pay my crew for their services after the retreat from the disaster of Gelves. I had been refused payment for my services by the Governor of Naples, so I had no other remedy but to sell the nao that I had inherited from my father, which led to me being accused of treason as Savoy was a competitor to the crown of Spain, and especially to its rule of the kingdom of Naples.

From this, I understood that if a man had the right connections, he would not have to work hard to make his fortune. As a result, I endeavoured to make myself as useful to Recalde as possible, in the hope that he would reward me with a suitable position on the fleet. And so it proved.

Recalde was ordered by King Carlos to deliver a message to his mother, Queen Juana, who had been confined to the Royal Palace in Tordesillas when Carlos attained his majority and ascended to the throne of Castile at the age of 16 on the death of his grandfather, King Ferdinand. Queen Juana had inherited the crown of Castile on the death of her mother, Queen Isabella in 1504 and had ruled Spain jointly with her father, Ferdinand, but she was later deemed to be mad, and was popularly known as Juana la Loca (Juana the Mad). She had gained that title when she refused to allow the body of her husband, Philip the Handsome, to be buried in Burgos on his death in 1506, and ordered it to accompany her when, heavily pregnant, she travelled almost 700 kilometres from Burgos to Granada where she finally allowed his corpse to be buried in the tomb of her mother, Isabella, as a sign that Philip had a legitimate entitlement to the throne of Castile during his life. By placing Philip’s body in the tomb of Isabella, Juana had publicly asserted the right of her son, Carlos, to claim the throne of Spain. Her reward was to be banished by Carlos when he ascended to the throne of Spain at the age of 16 on the death of his grandfather, Ferdinand; and to be called mad by the world. I saw no signs of madness in the short time I spent in her presence, but as I am not a physician, my opinion is of little worth.