Scales of Gold - Dorothy Dunnett [149]
Navigation of the narrowing river, with its bends and its shoals and its islands, kept them sufficiently occupied; and the evening landings for food and fodder, through mud and gnats and lurking dangers from beast and from man, taught them to depend on each other. At Cantor, more than one hundred and forty miles from the mouth of the Gambia, one of the sick seamen died, and they went ashore, a solemn and united company, to bury him.
The market of Cantor was as far up this river as Diogo Gomes had travelled; here he had obtained gold, and here he had been told of the caravan routes to the Sahara and to the east which in season met on this spot. The settlement still existed, and the traders, but there were no Christians among them to share in the service, nor any who wished to listen to Godscalc, and the sheds and warehouses were empty, swept clean as elsewhere by the Fortado.
‘She is upriver,’ said Loppe, on their return to the ship. ‘Two days from here, at the place of the baboons, is how they describe it. They say they distrust her, and believe she will employ any force or ruse to find out and carry back the secret of the gold.’
Twenty miles beyond, gossip also informed them, the King Bati Mansa might currently be found. And two days’ sail beyond that was the rock barrier and the falls beyond which neither caravel could penetrate, and the way (three hundred leagues to the east, rumour insisted) to the kingdom of the lord they called Preste João.
‘So here are the choices,’ Nicholas said, perched on the after-deck with twenty-seven fit men and two women around him. ‘We may leave the ship here, with a guard, and set out east on foot, avoiding the King and the Fortado. Or we may continue to sail to where Bati Mansa lies between us and Doria, trusting to the Fortado’s ill reputation and our success with Gnumi Mansa to encourage the King to make us welcome. Or thirdly, we may sail past Bati Mansa without putting his goodwill to the test and proceed as far upriver as we can.’
Loppe’s voice, responding, clashed with that of Jorge da Silves. Remarkably, they both said the same thing. The master spoke first, and Loppe elaborated.
‘We should sail to Bati Mansa. It isn’t true that Ethiopia is so near. To set out so early on foot would waste our time and our energy. Also, Senhor da Silves and Father Godscalc must be permitted to take the cross to this King, who may protect us from Doria. Threats were made at the Senagana with good cause. Doria has pride, and we tricked and shamed him with the gold and the Ghost.’
‘We have cannon,’ Nicholas said. ‘And he has a full cargo. Will he risk an attack at suicidal close quarters, with nothing to gain?’
‘That was,’ said Gelis van Borselen, ‘the received wisdom on the Ghost, as I remember. Just before Signor Doria turned his guns on us. He seems to be touchy.’
‘Forbye, if he’s full and finished his business, why is he waiting?’ said Bel of Cuthilgurdy.
‘To see where we go,’ said the master. ‘Or so I believe.’
‘In which case,’ Nicholas said, ‘he’s unlikely to harm us. He may even mean to sit where he is, and waylay us when we come back. So what do we do? We’ve heard nothing from Bati Mansa but surely, like Gnumi, he wants to court Portugal. I think as Lopez does—we should keep to the water. We have arms. We can reply if we’re threatened by Bati. By the same token, we can deal with the Fortado if we have to. She may not fire. We might even manage to persuade her to leave.’
‘How?’ said Diniz.
‘There are ways,’ Nicholas said. ‘We could invite the crew to listen to Luis. And if they don’t go, we’ve still made provision. We disembark the horses. Our special boats can be carried. Once past the rock at the falls, we can take to the water again and outstrip anyone who wants to follow us. And when the Gambia peters out, we can make a portage to the Joliba, and the great lake everyone speaks of which leads to the east. Does that seem reasonable?’
‘Not,’ said Gelis, ‘if you pass Ethiopia on the way. Who says it