QUARANTINE BLOG # 667

February 11, 2022

Note: I was a little ambitious when I told you last Friday that we wold conclude the story of Magellan today. There is one more segment after today.

With the death of Magellan, the story of the Armada de Molucca, the first circumnavigation of the globe, and the search for the Spice Islands is only half told – and that half deserves telling, but with apologies to the brave explorers who completed the mission – and their journey lasted another 17 months – I will only summarize.

Magellan’s servant, Enrique, who had rendered valuable service with his ability to interpret the Malay tongue, proclaimed that he was a free man now that his master was dead. He was correct – Magellan’s will provided for Enrique’s liberty, but the new leaders of the expedition insisted that he continue to obey orders. 

Enrique furiously stalked off the ship, went to a local leader, and convinced him to turn against the Armada.

Thirty of the Armada’s leaders were invited to a feast. All but two – Father Valderrama, and Juan Serrano, the Armada’s most experienced pilot – were murdered. The islanders offered Serrano for ransom, but each time their demand was met, they asked for more. Realizing the demands were a pretense to get the fleet closer to shore for an all-out attack, the two were abandoned. Enrique’s revenge on the Europeans was complete.

The three ships of the Armada raised anchor, and set sail with all due speed. No thought was given to sending a rescue party, to recover bodies or search for survivors, or even to punish Enrique for his betrayal. Only 115 men remained of the 257 who had left Spain.

Five days later, and half a world away, a weatherbeaten vessel tied up at the harbor in Seville. It was San Antonio, the ship that had deserted during the search for the strait. The date was May 6, 1521, and it was the first news of the Armada in 18 months.

The mutineers faced the prospect of an official inquiry, incarceration, and even punishment by death. 

Alvaro de Mesquita, the deposed captain of the San Antonio, insisted, truthfully, that he had acted loyally to Magellan and the king of Spain.

Mesquita’s account received little credence at the court. He was ordered to remain in prison, while the mutineers went free. The ringleaders, Estevao Gomes and Geronimo Guerra, had their travel expenses to and from court reimbursed, while Mesquita, considered guilty until proven otherwise, paid out of his own pocket.

Magellan’s wife, Beatriz, came under suspicion, as if she were somehow involved with events at the other end of the world. The court cut off her financial resources.

Guerra and Gomes were eventually set free together with all the sailors. The court did not want to believe that a Spanish officer could mutiny.

In Seville no one knew that the Armada de Molucca had successfully navigated the strait, or crossed the immense Pacific Ocean. No one realized how close the survivors were to their ultimate goal, the Spice Islands. Everyone – from King Charles, to the bureaucrats in the court, to the recently freed sailors – assumed that the fleet was lost and the expedition a complete failure.

Everyone was wrong.

The men of the Armada turned their attention solely to commercial affairs – reaching the Spice Islands – the reason they had sailed halfway around the world.

On November 6, 1521, they saw four islands shimmering on the horizon. A local pilot whom they had kidnaped identified those four islands as the Moluccas. After losing three ships and more than 100 men they were finally on the doorstep of the Spice Islands – Ternate, Tidore, Motir, and Makian.

On November 10, for the first time the men of the Armada de Molucca set foot on the Spice Islands.

Working feverishly throughout November and the early days of December, they purchased and stored cloves until they had no more trinkets, caps, bells, mirrors, hatchets, scissors, or bolts of cloth to exchange for spices, and no more room to store the aromatic treasure. The ships smelled of the fragrant cloves; every breath the sailors drew was permeated with the scents of wealth, ease, and luxury.

On the day of departure, Victoria weighed anchor and set sail, standing off the harbor awaiting Trinidad, the flagship, to join her. Trinidad’s, cables fouled and she began taking on water. The ship had not been adequately repaired during the long layover, and she was in danger in losing her cargo of spices.

Victoria returned, and immediately began to lighten Trinidad. Five exhausting days of labor produced no results. The decision was made to leave Trinidad, her spices and crew so that complete repairs could be affected. Victoria would sail directly for Spain, even though it meant going through Portugese waters. When repaired, Trinidad would sail for South America where it would join other Spanish ships returning to Seville. 

Early on the morning of December 21, Victoria sailed, guided by two local pilots. It was a 10,000 mile journey. And they were alone.

Next week: Home!

🛐  Today’s close is from Praying with the Psalms, by Eugene H. Peterson.

“The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes his covenant known to them” (Psalm 25:14).

God is for us, not against us.  When we realize this, we are able to spend our lives growing in God’s friendship instead of desperately and furtively trying to avoid his notice.

Prayer: God, it’s hard to get it through my head that while I am yet a sinner, and even while I continue to disappoint you, you steadfastly befriend me in Jesus.  But how grateful I am!  Thank you, in the name of your son, Amen.

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