Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cape of Good Hope till 19 May. During those three months their only
landfall was on uninhabited Amsterdam Island. Hunger and scurvy
were again the worst problems the crew had to face. Inevitably, the
men came close to mutiny and insisted on making for Mozambique,
a Portuguese colony on the African coast. Elcano refused to buy im-
mediate relief at the cost of the success of the expedition. But when
they neared the Cape and ran into unremitting westerly gales, the
captain must have doubted whether he had made the right decision.
For seven weeks the
Victoria
battled against contrary winds, fight-
ing hard for every league of ocean. Her foremast was carried away.
She was leaking badly. Constant handling of sails and manning of
pumps called for superhuman endurance from her emaciated crew.
One by one they died and their bodies were committed to the deep
by comrades who wondered whether they would be next. The
Vict-
oria
at last entered the Atlantic and set a northerly course with half
the complement which had left the Spice Islands.
Now Elcano could not avoid the unwelcome reality that the ship
must put in at some harbour where the men could rest and find fresh
food. That meant facing the unknown dangers of African tribesmen,
if they made a landfall on the mainland, or the all-too-easily-guessed
reaction of a zealous Portuguese governor, if they stopped at the
Cape Verde Islands. After discussing the matter with the senior mar-
iners Elcano opted for the devil he knew. On 10 July the
Victoria
anchored off Santiago in the Cape Verde Islands. Elcano sent a boat
ashore having rehearsed with the sailors the story they were to tell.
They were to represent the
Victoria
as the damaged laggard of a con-
voy from the Americas, which had parted with its companions and
taken so long to cross the Atlantic that its victuals were exhausted.
The ruse worked - at first. Twice the skiff returned laden with sacks
of rice. But on its third visit to the town someone became suspicious.
The sailors in the boat were arrested and a message sent to Elcano
