Free Over the Edge of the World: Magellen's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe by Laurence Bergreen Page B

rice, garlic, almonds, lentils. All fruit was preserved. Raisins, a particular favorite of the sailors, came in two varieties, “sun raisins,” dried in the open air, and “lye raisins,” boiled in a mild lye solution. Magellan also carried with him jelly and jam preserves, including a cider jam known as “diacitron.” The officers brought with them a delicacy in the form of preserved quince, carne de membrillo, a jam made from the small, hard, applelike fruit. As the voyage wore on, quince jelly would play a crucial role in the lives of the sailors, and Magellan’s as well.
    There were casks filled with vinegar, which was used as a disinfectant both for the ships and for contaminated water. On rare occasions, starving sailors would add vinegar to rotting hardtack. Sugar and salt also had a place in the list of provisions. Salt was plentiful, and was used for preserving meat and fish through the voyage, while sugar was scarce. It was administered to sailors who had fallen ill, but not used in food. Honey, far cheaper, served as the universal sweetener. These provisions made for an unhealthy diet, high in salt, low in protein, and lacking vitamins that sailors needed to protect themselves against the rigors of the sea. Given the inadequacy and volatility of his food supply, it was no surprise that Magellan’s first thought on arriving at ports of call was replenishing his stock, and, along with it, his sailors’ health and morale.
     
    D isputes over the crew’s composition and pay bedeviled Magellan until the moment of the fleet’s departure from Seville. Three of his Spanish pilots demanded to be paid as much as the more experienced Portuguese pilots Magellan had retained, but King Charles refused, reminding them that they had already been richly rewarded with a full year’s pay in advance, free lodgings in Seville, and the prospect of knighthood.
    The composition of the crew engendered greater controversy. Magellan was suspected of packing the roster with his countrymen, but the reality was that experienced Spanish seamen willing to enlist on the voyage were scarce, and so he was forced to include many foreigners. The Casa de Contratación decreed that Magellan must limit his entire crew to 235 men, including cabin boys. If he did not obey this constraint, the Casa sternly warned, the resulting “scandal or damage” would be blamed on him, “as it would any person who chooses to disobey a royal command.” When the armada’s roster, bloated with well-connected Spaniards, exceeded this number, the Casa stopped short of halting preparations, but it placed Magellan on warning. And when he hired no less than seventeen apprentice sailors, or grumetes, he was forced to let them go. He was reminded that key positions such as bookkeepers and bursars must be filled by Spaniards. Magellan protested that he had retained the services of only two Portuguese bursars, and he pleaded in writing with the Casa to allow the men he had enlisted to board the ships, regardless of nationality. If he could not have the crew he wanted, he insisted that he would abandon the expedition.
    The Casa would not let matters rest there. On the day before the fleet’s departure from Seville, August 9, 1519, Magellan was summoned from his frantic last-minute preparations to testify that he had made every effort to hire Spanish officers and crew members rather than foreigners. He had, in fact, gone to great lengths to comply, and he swelled with pride as he delivered his sworn statement. “I proclaimed [through a town crier] in this city [Seville], in squares and markets and busy places and along the river that anyone— sailors, cabin boys, caulkers, carpenters, and other officers—who wished to join the Armada should contact me, the captain, or talk to the masters of the ship, and I also mentioned the salaries stipulated by the king. Sailors will receive 1,200 maravedís, cabin boys 800 maravedís, and pages 500 maravedís every month, and