Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
deal was that the European geographers' calculations about the
width of the Pacific were wildly inaccurate. The gap between
'farthest East' and 'farthest West' was vast. Moreover, it seemed to
consist of nothing but empty ocean. What all this proved beyond
doubt to Magellan's dwindling band of mariners was that there was
no practicable, alternative route to the Orient. The great 'South Sea'
was a barrier to commerce; not a highway. It is hard to conceive the
emotions which must have been unleashed on 6 March 1521 when
the cry 'Land ahead' rang from the
Concepcion's
masthead. It can
only be compared with the last-minute reprieve received by a pris-
oner in the condemned cell.
The long-awaited landfall was the island of Guam, the southern-
most tip of the Mariana Ridge. Today a plaque marks the spot where
Magellan stepped ashore. It is a valuable tourist attraction but the
Micronesians do not remember their first European visitor with af-
fection. They tell how he dubbed their ancestors 'thieves', murdered
several of them and set fire to one of their villages before proceed-
ing on his way. Mistakes are inevitable when different cultures meet
for the first time. Magellan's men were ravenous, desperate and fear-
ful of strangers. The local people were curious and acquisitive. Iron
they prized above all things - for weapons and fishing spears. Out
they came in their canoes to welcome the strangers, who watched
them anxiously. But the small, brown-skinned men brought coconuts
and fruit. They seemed friendly and when they came aboard and
saw iron spikes, sail needles and steel knives they were very excited.
They began to help themselves - in exchange for the food. More ca-
noes arrived, with more offerings and more demands for metal in
exchange. Magellan was afraid of his men being outnumbered and
overpowered on their own decks. He ordered the natives off. Next
day he sent shore parties to fetch water and hunt for meat. No soon-
er had the sailors left the beach than a group of young men made off
with one of the boats. That was the point at which Magellan's brittle
