Quotes from Laurence Bergreen

Significantly, Serrão's letters placed the Spice Islands far to the east of their true position;

top of the pinnacle came the pilot, who plotted the ship's route; the master, who supervised the precious cargo;

The storm had stranded the castaways about seventy miles from the rest of the fleet, without food or wood or fresh water

reach the fabulous Indies by sailing westward across the ocean.

This error might have been intentional, to disguise the Spice Islands' location from outsiders

and finally the captain. Each of the top three officers had his own page (as Captain General, Magellan

in freezing weather. They were cold and exhausted; soon they would be starving.

edict of the Portuguese king, announced on November 13, 1504

but in any event his geographical legerdemain alleviated Spain's principal anxiety:

Their land route back to Port Saint Julian presented seemingly overwhelming obstacles:

Thirty-eight days later, Magellan spied the Pacific Ocean and wept with joy.

Events moved on, and in July 1579, Elizabeth was nearly assassinated as she traveled on a barge along the Thames.

Stripped of his command, and having learned nothing from the experience of his failed mutiny, Cartagena grew intensely resentful of his inexperienced replacement. From that moment, he burned with desire for revenge against Magellan, no matter what the cost to the expedition, and as Fonseca's son, Cartagena had power to make great trouble. Of all the perils that Magellan faced on the journey's first leg, the greatest was Cartagena's treachery.

anyone revealing discoveries or plans for missions of exploration could be executed.

Magellan's expedition to the Spice Islands must not violate the treaty.

The officers had their own cabins, cramped, to be sure, but a mark of distinction

snow-covered mountains and the Santa Cruz River, three miles wide.

His relief did not last long. He faced the largest body of water on the planet

Thomas Appletree, who had fired the shot, was condemned to death by hanging

From 1500 to about 1550, not one book concerning Portuguese discoveries was published

Magellan spoke excitedly of his intention to sail along the eastern coast of what is now called South America until the land ended

The castaways spent eight days in more or less the same area, disoriented, dispirited, waiting for pieces of the wreck

which almost nothing was known in Europe.

experienced local pilots, familiar with the seas and tides, were valuable to a visitor like Drake.