Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
valled their own king in power and magnificence. They admired the
splendour and appreciated the sumptuous repast set before them
but, when the time came to present their own tawdry gifts to this
monarch, they could only feel embarrassed.
Yet, once again, they had to make a hasty departure. The only
aspect of western technology that impressed Bulkiah was shipbuild-
ing. He tried to lure the Europeans into a trap so that he could
seize the
Victoria
and the
Trinidad.
But the travellers were, by now,
extremely cautious and they made good their escape. For several
weeks they wandered among the islands behaving more like pirates
than envoys of His Most Catholic Majesty. They took what they
wanted by force, including pilots to guide them through the reefs
and channels and detained prominent men as hostages to ensure
the good behaviour of their subjects. At last, they reached the Spice
Islands, the commercial goal of the whole enterprise. The ruler of
Tidore received them enthusiastically, probably because he saw
Spain as a counterbalance to the powerful Portuguese whose visits
were becoming increasingly frequent. The two ships were very soon
loaded with cargoes of cloves, bought very cheaply. For the first time
captains and mariners could allow themselves to indulge the dream
of returning home wealthy men, standing high in royal favour. They
had made a trade treaty between their king and one of the rulers of
the rich Moluccas. They could reasonably look forward to a raptur-
ous reception in Spain.
If they could reach Spain. This was now the problem that tor-
mented their minds. There were two possible ways back to their
own land, and both were dangerous. Eastward lay the horrors of the
empty Pacific that they had already experienced. Westward lay an
established trade route to Europe but one dominated by their Por-
tuguese enemies. They decided on the Indian Ocean route but, when
the time for departure came, the
Trinidad
was found to be taking in
water. So there was a last minute change of plan. It was decided that,
