Sail Back


  Magellanˇ¦s old enemies, the Spanish officers, were glad
that their leader was dead. Now they could proceed to the 
Spice Islands without further delay.
  They burnt Magellanˇ¦s log books, hoping to destroy all 
record of the mutiny and other quarrels. Then they scuttled
the Concepcion, because there were not enough fit men left 
to sail her. When they reached the Spice Islands, they were
so greedy that they overloaded the Trinidad with spices, 
silks and gold, and she sank. 
  Only the Victoria, commanded by Sebastian del Cano, comp-
leted the long voyage westward across the Indian Ocean, ro-
und the coast of Africa, and so back to Spain. 
  On 6 September 1522, she dropped anchor off the mouth of
the River Guadalquivir. Out of the original company of 277
who had set sail from that same point three years earlier, 
only 18 had returned-the first men actually to circumnavig-
ate the world.