Original subtitles

It's the end of the fifteenth century - fourteen-seventy-five, fourteen-eighty.

The Mediterraean is the centre of the world.

But the world is a strange one to our eyes. There isn't much of it.

Just Europe, a little of Africa,

Britian, an island outpost of the North, Japan and China inland to the East.

The rest is water - the limitless ocean sea.

Most sensible people believe the earth is flat.

But, here and there, a crackpot theorist is convinced that it is a sphere,

that you can sail right around it.

It is fourtee n-eighty-five now,

and one of these crackpot fellows is toiling up

the long slope to the monastery at Rabida in Spain.

Diego, come and look.

What's the matter?

I'm so tired.

You'll soon be able to rest. You see that building over there? The one on the hill.

That's Rabida, where the friars live.

They'll give us food and a bed for the night.

Do you think you can walk as far as that?

I'll try. - That's it.

Then, if you're a good boy and keep very quiet,

may be they'll help me to see the Queen.

How can they do that?

Ah, that's a long story.

Tell me. - Oh, no.

Please, Father.

Promise you'll never mention it to anyone else?

I promise. Cross my heart.

Well, the Prior, Father Perez, is the one I want to see.

He used to be the Queen's confessor, and it may be that he'll give me a letter to her.

Will you really see the Queen?

I hope so. Only remember, he mustn't know what we're after.

If he suspects, he'll be careful.

So we're just two weary travellers, you understand?

You are welcome, brother. What do you seek?

Of your charity. A little bread and a cup of water for the child.

Will you come inside? - Thank you.

Pax domini sit tecum.

Et tecum pax.

I see you are a scholar, my son, as well as a traveller.

Certainly a traveller, Father.

I have sailed as far north as Iceland,

as far south as Guinea, and eastwards, to the Golden Horn.

But that is to have reached the limits of the world.

Of the known world, yes, Father, but of the actual world not by a thousand leagues.

How can you say that, never having seen it?

Have you ever seen heaven or hell?

We have sound reasons for believing they exist.

I have sound reasons, too.

What are they?

The same as yours -

faith and revelation, to which I can add comography and mathematics.

What is that you have there?

Bread and water for the child, Father. That is what they asked for.

And have we nothing better to offer?

I brought the boy an apple too.

An apple! Take them inside.

Brother Jose will show you to the guest chamber.

I hope you'll do us the honor of spending the night here.

You are too kind, Father. - Not at all.

You shall pay for your supper by telling us more about this new world of yours.

Gloria patri et filio

et spiritui, sancto,

secut erat in principle et nunc et semper

et in seccula sacculorum. Amen.

There is no need for us to go yet. Stay and drink another cup of wine.

And tell us why you're so impatient to sail to India.

For two reasons, Father.

First, because there are thousands of heathen in those parts

waiting to be converted.

And because they are rich in gold and spices.

The first reason is better than the other.

Gold has it's uses.

True, and most of them bad.

But why sail to the west?

Because that's the quickest route to India.

How can that be when India is to the east?

You agree that the earth is a sphere

like this?

That is the accepted belief among philosophers.

Very well. Then here is Spain, and here are India, China and Japan.

Now if instead of travelling east by land, we travel west by sea,

we come in some three thousand miles to Japan again.

And where do you go now?

To France, and, if I am unlucky there, to England.

But why to France?

Because a voyage like this needs ships and money.

Perhaps the French will give them to me - the Portuguese won't.

Two years I've been kicking my heels in Lisbon

trying to explain my scheme to people who cannot see beyond their noses. Two years!

But why go to France? Why not Spain?

I know no one at the Spanish court.

I am a foreigner, without influence, without friends.

What chance have I got?

My son, do you believe in the workings of a divine providence?

Of course, Father.

Because it may be providence that brought you here today.

I don't understand.

I'll tell you. For many years I was confessor to the queen.

I believe that if she were to hear your story, she might lend it a friendly ear.

You mean you

you could give me a letter to the Queen?

No. - Oh, but I thought you

My son, in affairs of state you must learn to move slowly.

I will give you a letter to a friend of mine at court.

She will introduce you to others with influence,

and one day, if providence is still kind, you may meet the Queen.

Come and see me in the morning before you leave.

Thank you, Father.

What happened to the boy's mother?

She's been dead these two years, Father.

I am glad you've decided to leave him with us.

He'll be safe here, and it will provide an excuse for your coming to visit us again.

Good-bye my son. - Good-bye Father.

I shall never cease to give thanks that providence lead me to you.

My son, one of the lessons that I learnt in the course

of a long and not entirely uneventful life

is that providence works best when she is aided with a little knowledge.

I don't understand Father.

Don't you? Do you mean to tell me that you didn't know who I was

before you arrived here last night?

Well, naturally, your reputation

As the Queen's confessor?

Yes, Father, I admit it.

I hope providence will continue to assist you to meet the right people.

Good-bye, my son. God be with you.

Good-bye Father. - I'll leave you with the boy.

Wait here please, sir.

Your servant, madam.

The good Friar writes of your project with great enthusiasm.

Are you sure that he couldn't be mistaken?

Father Perez is a learned man, madam. I wouldn't presume to doubt his judgment.

I didn't say I doubted him. I know him too well for that,

but you, I do not know at all.

That is my loss, madam,

an omission I trust will soon be rectified.

There is no need to practice your pretty speeches on me.

I hear too many of them around the court.

Do you seriously believe in a new world across the ocean?

I'd stake my life on it.

You may be asked to do that one day.

I am ready.

If I can arrange for you to see the Queen -

I said if-

You'll be ready with evidence and arguments to support your case?

Madam, I can talk for two hours on this subject without repeating myself.

I don't doubt it, but please save that for the queen.

Then I shall see her?

Call on me again next Thursday, and I'll tell you what progress I have made.

But I

Your servant, Madam.

Mind where your going, idiot.

I humbly beg you lordships pardon.

I am not a lord.

I trust that the omission will soon be rectified.

Who is he? I haven't seen him about before, have I?

No, but I think you may see a great deal of him in the future.

What's his line?

New worlds across the sea.

What new worlds? Where?

He wants their majesties to give him a fleet of ships

so that he can sail west across the ocean and come to Japan and India that way.

Then he's crazy.

He seems very sure of himself.

Stuff and nonsense. The whole thing's ridiculous.

We shall be a laughing stock of the civilised world.

Stuff and nonsense, the whole thing's ridiculous.

We shall be the laughing stock of the civilised world.

Exactly what I said, sire.

Let us at least hear all he has to say before we condemn him.

We have more important things to do than to listen

to sailers' stories about imaginary islands. There's a war on.

You have our leave to with-draw.

But, your Majesty

You have our leave to with-draw.

Master Columbus? - Yes.

I have a message for you. The Queen will see you in her apartments tomorrow morning.

The Queen! - At eleven o'clock.

Come closer, I dislike speaking to people at a distance.

You seem to have interested the Duke of Nodina Celi in your ideas,

as well as Father Perez. He writes that he is ready to help you.

What do you say to that?

It's a matter for the crown, madam. it is too great a thing for anyone less.

You seen to have impressed the Duke.

Ito talked to him, your majesty.

Has he talked to you too, Chancellor?

He does nothing else but talk, your Majesty.

I understand you have also talked to expert gentlemen in Portugal,

who were not impressed.

They know very little in Portugal, madam.

Indeed.

That is rather my experience with my own experts. Talk to me then, freely.

But briefly.

Briefly, madam? With all the proofs I have to give, an hour at least.

An hour?

I am indulging myself as it is.

Assuredly, madam.

Now then, briefly.

I have knowledge of certain lands to the west which can be reached

Yes, yes, India is to be reached by a short western passage.

I know all that. I have read it in these letters.

Forget your maps and reckonings and calculations, they may be right or wrong.

But when you speak of new lands along this route, what is it that you imagine?

What is it that you see?

I see an empire for the sovereign of Castile and Aragon,

such as no monarch ever dreamed of.

A land whose illimitable riches

would pay for these Moorish wars a dozen times.

What else?

The Holy Sepulecher itself could be rescued from the power of Mohamed.

It's an ambition many great princes have lived for and have died without seeing.

Humbly it is mine, for the glory of your Magesty.

You have heard that the noblest aims

can cause men to twist the facts to serve their theories.

Your Magesty,

lam as sure as what I shall discover,

as if it were under lock and key in my room at home.

Set all my proofs aside and this I still know

that I was elected -

pre-ordained -

inspired

Madam. - Oh, yes, yes, very well.

I think you had better remain here while the court stays.

You shall be provided for meanwhile, and your project shall go to a Royal Commission

Does that satisfy you?

I'm deeply grateful, your Majesty, but - But your impatient, I know.

You must curb your impatience, and wait.

It is good for the soul.

Are you married?

My wife died some years ago, madam.

Oh, I'm sorry.

So, we are kept waiting while this foreign quack

peddles his crazy notions to the Queen. A fine state of affairs, I must say.

If you ask me, it's a disgraceful waste of time and public money.

This upstart mountebank from Genoa -

a fellow who can't even speak Spanish correctly.

Have you heard his accent?

He expects us to listen to his crackpot schemes.

It makes me sick.

Don't you think you'd better reserve judge- ment until you hear what he has to say?

I know what I think, now.

Gentlemen, Master Columbus is waiting. Shall we take our places.

We are here, sir, by command of their Royal Highnesses,

to hear your porposals in full detail.

To weigh them, and question you, and after- wards to report of them to the sovereigns.

You are assured of a fair and proper hearing,

and I now invite you to set forth your arguments.

My proposals, gentlemen, begin and end with one assumption,

that the earth is round a sphere like a ball or an orange.

And one deduction which I make from that assumption.

If the earth is round - and who nowdays doubts it?

It must follow that a man who traverses the earth by land or sea

will one day return to the point from which he started.

That, in essence, is the foundation - the kernal of my proposals.

In support of them I have a mass of evidence which I fully believe

will convince your excellencies.

These calculations show that we can expect to reach India

after sailing some seven hundred and fifty leagues;

but, if we leave mathematics and physics and turn to the Scriptures,

we find justification for supposing that there is land between us and India.

And where do the Scriptures say that?

The Prophet Esdras, your Excellency.

It tells us that God commanded the waters

to be gathered into a seventh part of the earth.

In other words, there are six parts of land, to one of water.

Judge then from that, how much land must still remain to be discovered.

I would like to draw your attention to the writings of the Venetian, Marco Polo,

who speaks of lands east of India and Cathay;

lands which must therefore, lie between us and India,

if we travel westwards around the circumference of the earth.

Master Columbus, we have been here for three days.

We have listened most patiently to your proposals, your theories,

your suppositions, your assumptions but so far, we are without evidence of any sort.

Have you no proof to give us?

With all do deference, I think you have had the proof.

Proof by deduction is a form of proof known to every mathematician.

And to a lesser degree, by every mariner.

What do you say to that, my Lord Admiral?

The fellow's right enough.

If you accept that the earth is a sphere,

then you must accept that by sailing west you'll come to the east-

if you go on long enough.

May I say something?

By all means.

If, as some of you seem so sure - I am not among you -

but if the earth is a sphere

then Master Columbus' case automatically falls to the ground.

Why so?

Because, sir, if you sail down the slope of the sea,

how can you ever hope to sail up it again?

What is your answer to that?

The wind will blow the ships back again, of course.

What, up hill?

Water does not run up hill.

That is exactly what I am saying. The whole scheme is propostorous.

On the contrary, sir, it is you who are preposterous.

You are behaving like an over-grown schoolboy,

and deliberately making asinine remarks in order to discredit me.

That will do, Master Columbus. - I submit, your Excellency

That will do.

Because we understand your natural impatience,

we shall not impose any punishment on you for your behavior.

But you will apologise to the learned gentleman forthwith.

Learned gentleman! - Master Columbus!

Very well, I apologise.

The commission is adjourned until tomorrow at the same time.

Been waiting long?

Three years.

You're not serious?

Oh, yes, and believe me, three years is not long, not for a Royal Commission.

I hope they don't keep me waiting that long.

What are you after?

An appointment as a notary.

I hope you get it.

Thank you. And you?

What about me?

Well, what do you want?

All I want is to present Spain with enough gold

to fill her treasury for the next hundred years;

enough land to make her the greatest power in the world,

and enough glory to satisfy a hundred kings.

You think I'm mad, I suppose?

No. No, of course not.

If you can really give them all that- well, why don't they take it?

I'll tell you why.

May I come in?

Please do.

I want to talk to you about my cousin. Has she been to see you yet?

No.

Well when she does do what you can. She's anxious to come back to court.

That won't be easy, after what happened last time.

That was ten years ago.

The Queen has a long memory, especially where her husband is concerned.

I know, I know. Well, do what you can she's a nice little thing.

A pretty little thing, perhaps. I'm not so sure about the "nice."

That's a question of taste, I suppose.

Oh, I saw that fellow, Columbus, down below.

Well?

I take it, he's waiting to see you?

Suppose he is?

Don't you think it would be kinder to tell him, he hasn't a chance?

I thought the commission hadn't reported yet.

They haven't.

Well?

When they do, the answer will be "no." He might as well give up now as later.

Oh, I

Well, Master Columbus, and what is it this time?

The same as last time. When do I hear something? When can I start?

I can't tell you that. - Doesn't anybody know?

You must be patient a little longer.

Patient -

I waited two years in Portugal, I've waited three here,

and where am I, at the end of it all?

Back where I started, being patient.

It's the war, you know.

Oh, war. If it wasn't that, it would be something else.

Look at me, I'm so shabby I'm ashamed to be seen in public.

I've worn my clothes out rubbing up against ante-room doors.

I can't do any more.

I know. I'm sorry, but it does me good to pour out my troubles to someone.

The court returns next week. Come and see me then, I may have news for you.

Juana!

How wonderful to see you again.

Oh, I'm sorry, I, I

May I present Master Christopher Columbus.

Madame Beatriz de Peraza.

Christopher Columbus -

not the man who wants to sail round the world the wrong way?

The same.

But, how delightful.

You don't look like a crank at all.

Should I?

Well, it is rather a fantastic idea, isn't it?

I don't think so.

But, tell me confidentially, you're not really serious about this, are you?

I mean, it's just an idea to make money, isn't it?

Certainly not.

You mean, you really think you can do it? - Certainly.

But, how terribly thrilling.

Look, I've nothing much to do this evening.

Why not meet me in the court yard of oranges and tell me all about it?

You're surely not interested in the ravings of a lunatic?

Oh, I deserve that, didn't I?

I do apologise.

Now, will you meet me and tell me all about it?

Very well.

Your servant, madame.

Master Columbus, Master Columbus. Come in and help us celebrate.

No, no thanks. I'm not in the mood.

Oh, please, to oblige me. It's not every day, one gets a court appointment.

You got your ...? - Come along.

My friends, Master Columbus.

Master Columbus, my friends.

We are drinking to Diego's new job.

Come on everyone, drink to Diego.

Friends, I thank you.

I shall try to be the best notary in any town,

in any province, in any country in the world. Need I say more?

No. - Sit down. - Very well.

What's your line?

Ships.

How many have you got?

None.

He will have, very soon.

Who's going to give them to him?

The Queen. - The Queen?

Tell them all about your scheme, Christopher,

tell them what you told me this afternoon.

Hey, Diego, what sort of celebration do you call this, eh?

Bring us some more. - I'll get another.

Maids may come, maids may go

Good red wine will ever flow.

Up aloft, gales may blow,

Wine keep us, warm below.

I must go. Excuse me.

You're not leaving? - Yes, I must.

I hoped you'd stay and tell us more about your voyages.

At the moment, my voyages take place entirely on land.

I'm glad you've got your appointment. Good-bye.

I'm sorry we are such poor company.

Oh, it's not that.

Well, if you must know the truth, I'm penniless,

and I can't sit and drink other people's wine, if I can't buy a round in return.

Oh, is that all? Listen I live here with my cousin

and there's an empty room upstairs and you're welcome to stay as long as you like.

Well I - No, no, no, it's all right,

there's something you can do for me in return.

What?

Take me with you, when you go on your voyage.

Why do you want to come?

Because I believe you are about to make some wonderful new discoveries,

and I want to be there when you make them. - Well, bless you, for that, anyway.

Then, you'll stay? - No, no. I thank you.

Be rtriz!

This is Master Columbus the man I told you about.

The man who wants to sail around the world the wrong way?

The same.

Somebody else said that to me today. What's so funny about it?

Nothing, if you're sure you can do it. - Of course, I'm sure.

But in the meantime, while he's waiting for his ships,

he has to have somewhere to live, so I thought the little room upstairs

I'll take your bundle.

Thank you. Oh, there's something your cousin forgot to tell you, I've no money.

Neither have we, so we start even. This way.

I brought it specially for you to see.

Am I boring you?

A little. - I'm sorry.

You know what you need more than charts, don't you?

No. What?

More friends - more influence -

more people like me who can say a word in the proper quarter.

But you've been away from the court for ten years you said.

Yes, but there was a reason for that.

You see, when I was seventeen I was rather beautiful.

You're very beautiful now.

I hoped you'd notice that eventually.

But when I was seventeen, the King noticed it.

The Queen thought he noticed it too often,

so I was married and packed off to the Canaries.

You're married?

I was married. He's dead.

And you could say a word for me in the proper quarters?

Why not?

If you did, you'd be helping Spain.

Well, It's not really Spain I'm concerned about.

Well, and how does it feel to be a gay young widow at court?

I like it very much.

You have everything you want, I hope - dresses, jewellery?

Yes, why? Don't you like my dress?

It looks very attractive and very expensive.

It was.

Did it ever occur to you to wonder where the money's coming from?

From Hernan's estate, I suppose. I've always left money matters to you.

They couldn't be in better hands, but there are some things even I can't do.

Supposing you had your entire fortune here on the table, in gold pieces, shall we say,

and you insisted on throwing it out of the window. I couldn't stop you.

Why do you say that?

That's what you're doing at the moment.

I don't understand.

Then it's high time you did.

Every penny that you and I, and the rest of the family possess

is invested either in the Canaries, or the mediterranean sea trade.

If this Genoese upstart you're so fond of gets his ships,

and half of what he promises comes true, we're ruined.

You as well as the rest of us.

I hardly know him.

You've been with him every day for the last fortnight.

But I know next to nothing about his scheme. What can I possibly do?

Marry him and make him settle down.

Marry him -

but how can I do that?

Must I draw you a diagram?

Offer him security, position, and anything else you care to give him,

and he'll give up this wild goose chase.

And if he won't?

Then there are other ways of disposing of him.

You wouldn't dare.

I'd do a good deal in order to avoid becoming a pauper,

and so will you if you're as sensible as I think you are.

I'll have to think it over.

Well don't think too long, or it may be too late.

Sooner or later he'll make a false step, they all do, you know, and then

I hope I make myself clear?

Beatriz, come and sit down,

I want to ask your advice.

Do you think I should marry again?

Do you want to?

I don't know.

Then don't.

Marriage is difficult enough if both people want it badly,

but if you're not sure, then it would be madness.

You haven't asked me who the lady is.

I don't need to.

What do you think of her?

I've never seen her.

But you know all about her.

Oh, I know some of the things they say about her.

What is your advice?

I can't advise you,

but I can tell you that there are two kinds of wives.

The wives who are ambitious and head strong

who drive their men on and on till they get what they want.

And the other knd?

The other are the comforters - the cushions -

the wives who smooth out their husbands' wrinkles

and tell them how wonderful they are.

Which is the right kind for me?

You, you need both, or neither.

You're not the man to be satisfied with one thing for long.

You know, you're quite right.

A man like me shouldn't have a wife at all.

How can I do the things I have to do,

if all the time I'm thinking my wife will be wondering why I haven't come home.

The children will be calling for their father - poor little lambs.

No, I shall take your advice. No more marriages for me.

I must be free.

Thank you my dear, you've made me a very happy man.

You know what will happen to you, don't you?

If your lucky enough to get your ships,

you'll go sailing off and maybe you'll find a new route to India,

and maybe you won't.

If you don't, you'll probably die looking for it.

And if you do, you'll come back and the King will say,

"Now go and find a new route to the North Pole," and you'll die looking for that.

And if you're not very careful, you'll die long before you even get your ships.

How, of boredom?

No, of a stab in the back some dark night.

You know you're surrounded by enemies.

I? Nonsense.

It's true. There are hundreds of people at court who would be glad to see you dead.

Who?

Everyone who has vested interest in some other sea route.

Everyone whose trade may suffer if you're successful.

Give it up.

And do what?

Settle down.

Can you imagine me settling down?

Why not? You could have a position at court, money, security.

Master Columbus. - What is it?

His Excellency Don Francisco wishes to speak with you.

You'd better go, I'll wait for you here.

Ah, Master Columbus, how good of you to come. Won't you sit down?

Thank you.

I hope you won't mind my touching on a rather personal matter

but, after all, we're both men of the world,

and there is no point in beating about the bush.

You've been seeing a great deal of my little cousin lately.

Yes.

Do you find her attractive?

I find her a charming and congenial companion.

Exactly, but you know what people in court circles are like.

They've nothing to do except gossip, and how they gossip.

If you speak to a woman once, you're in love with her.

If you're seen with her twice, you're betrothed.

Three meetings and you might as well be married.

I hope I make myself clear.

Not entirely.

Then I'll be blunt, Master Columbus.

My cousin is a widow, young beautiful, and unattached.

You've been seeing a great deal of her. Tongues have been wagging.

Her name has been coupled with yours, and that means her good name is at stake.

I'm forced to ask you now, what are your intentions?

Well, sir?

You ask my intentions. I will tell you.

It is my intention to cross the ocean sea until I come to India.

That is my only thought.

And nobody, man, woman or child, is going to stand in my way.

I hope I make myself clear?

Of course you must make it clear to your cousin that no blame attaches to her.

She cannot help her beauty any more than the King can help noticing it.

She has a child, they tell me?

Two, your Majesty.

As a mother myself, I know how painful it is to be separated from one's children.

Tell her she has our permission to return to the Canaries at once.

As your Majesty pleases -

and Master Columbus?

What do you wish done about him?

Nothing.

But surely

Surely what?

But he has laid hands on the person of his Majesty.

I am sure that the King has forgotten all about it.

I advise you to do the same.

So, Master Columbus, we meet again.

And this time there is no need for me to ask your intentions

because you haven't much say in your future plans have you?

You may not know it, but the King has a horror of violence

particilarly when it is directed against himself.

I have just left their Majesties, they sent you a message - it is a very simple one -

make yourself scarce, Master Columbus. Go back to your Genoese slum.

Go to the devil, if you please.

But don't show your face around the court again

unless you wish something very unpleasant to happen to it.

I hope I make myself clear?

Madame, I've bad news for you

Master Columbus is leaving Spain.

He set out at daybreak for France.

Madame, may I speak with you alone.

Father Perez and the Chancellor are outside.

They beg me to see you.

About him? - Yes.

Well, Genoese sailor seems to have powerful friends.

Isn't that one more proof that there must be something in what he says.

Bring them in.

Gentlemen, I hear you've come to scold me.

No, your Majesty. Simply to ask if there is no way of preventing this tragedy?

Madam, I marvel that a woman of such grace and understanding

should fling away an opportunity like this for some other sovereign to pick up.

It would be a inestimable service to God, to your Crown, and your Country.

Forgive me if I say I'm disappointed in you.

I'm sorry Father. He asked impossible things.

A little title or two - a little authority in lands you and I will never see.

But the cost. - I'd risk as much myself, will do now

if your Majesty will allow me.

No, no, I will not have him be beholden to anyone but the Crown.

And yet you won't help him.

Raise what is necessary on these. - Madame, there is no need for that.

Your word is enough.

The money shall be advanced to you

untill your able to repay it with the gold from the New World.

And if there is no gold in your New World?

Then I will repay it myself.

You shall have my bond for it.

You have great faith in him

I have, your Majesty.

Pray God you are right.

Send someone to fetch him back, say the Queen begs him to return.

Your Majesty.

Master Christopher Columbus?

The same. - In the name of her Majesty Queen Isabella.

So they've come to their senses at last. - Yes.

Do you see that? - What?

The wind has just changed. It's blowing due west.

Soon you'll see it filling the sails of the ships that will take us to the New World.

Benedictio dei ominpotentis

patris et filiidt spiritus sancti

descendat super vos et maneat semper.

Thank you.

Cast off the moorings!

Friday, third August, fourteen hundred ninety two

Set sail from Palos on the morning tide with three ships -

The Santa Maria

The Pinta

And the Nina.

God be with us in this great enterprise.

Thank you. - Thank you.

Is this yesterday's reckoning?

Yes.

Twelve leagues?

What about it?

Well, I'm no sailor, but surely, with this wind, isn't that very little?

Book in my bunk under the pillow.

There's not much I keep from you Diego.

Open it.

Sunday the ninth of September.

We have made this day nineteen leagues

but I am determined to reckon less than the distance actually covered

so that if the voyage is long the crew shall not be terrified and disheartened.

But surely some of the people in the fleet can reckon these things.

Plenty. But they won't think of it.

The Tinzens are good sailors but they don't keep a log. They all accept my figures.

But suppose they question them?

Then I shall say the currents are against us.

Are they?

They are dead in our favour.

Who is it?

What's a matter? - Better come on deck, somethings wrong.

What? - I don't know,

something to do with the compass.

The compass - Yea.

I'll be there in a minute.

Soon it'll pull all the nails out of the planks, you mark my words.

Quiet, you.

It's all very well for you to shout 'quiet,' but what are you ...?

Well, what is it? - It's the needle, Admiral.

What do you mean, the needle?

It's no longer true.

The magic mountain's pulling it away from the north.

We're adrift in strange waters, without even a compass to guide us.

That's a fact, Admiral.

It's proof that we've sailed out of the natural world

God made mankind to inhabit, if you ask me.

I didn't ask you.

The variations are at least five degrees west.

Is that all? Why, you poor fools,

even you, Cosa, a seaman of your experience, you amaze me.

I can only trust my eyes.

You mean you think the needle's wrong because

it no longer points to the north star?

Didn't it occur to you that it was the star that moved, not the needle?

The star!

Is that right, Pedro?

Come in.

May I speak to you, Admiral? - Of course.

I didn't say any more up above, because I didn't want to provoke a riot.

That was very sensible of you

But - What?

In all my years at sea, I've never known the compass to behave like that ...?

You never sailed this parallel before.

Beg pardon, sir, but neither have you, so how can you know that ...?

Just as I know a great many things that you don't.

You must me, Juan. I know whatl am doing.

Anything you say, Admiral. Good night. - Good night.

So the Pole Star moved? - Of course not.

Ifs a perfectly natural phenomenon - it must be.

I know if you go east the needle declines to the east,

and I suppose we've sailed to a point

where we must expect the needle to decline to the west. That must be it.

But, for the men, the Pole Star moved?

Yes, why not?

Why not, indeed. Good night.

Good night.

Tuesday, eighteenth September.

Ten days off from the Canaries and forty-seven from Spain.

The men are in good heart.

Every member of the crew faces what lies before us with courage and determination.

Well?

May we speak with you Highness?

What do you want?

We want to go home, your Worship.

What do you want me to do - put the ship about and go back to Spain,

and say we've failed? - Yes. Yes. Aye. Aye.

What are you afraid of?

They've never been further out than paddling for shrimps, sir.

Shall I put a foot to their backsides? - No, no, no,

let's hear what they're afraid of.

Well?

Did you never hear of the magic mountain, your Excellency?

No.

It's like a great magnet. It draws the ships,

and then, when they get close, all the nails come out of the planks,

and the ships fall to pieces. - Where is this wonderful mountain?

Over there, your reverence. - Have you ever seen it?

No your worship. - Then stop talking

about things you know nothing about.

If there were such a mountain, there's only one place it could be,

and that's the North Pole.

We're not going to the North Pole, we're sailing due west. Anything else?

Yes, your grace. Sea serpents.

Sea serpents?

Horrible great beasts, two hundred yards long,

that can swallow a whole ship in one gulp.

And the Sea of Darkness. Tell the Admiral about that.

Ah, that's the worst of them all, your highness. The Sea of Darkness -

when you never see the sun again, and go on and on into nothingness,

until you sail right over the edge of the world.

Now you listen to me

The ocean in front of us is the same as that behind.

There are no sea serpents or magic mountains,

or anything else between us and the New World.

I know exactly what I am doing,

and I don't want any more of your old wives' tales on my ship.

If you're afraid of the dark, I'll take your wife with me next time

and leave you at home to mind the brats.

You can't do that. - Why not?

I ain't got none.

Let us thank Providence for small mercies.

There you are, nineteen.

Nineteen days since we left the Canaries, and look at that.

What is it?

Well, can't you see? - No.

Then your blind.

For nineteen days that Wind's been blowing steadily in the same direction -

to the west. Do you know what that means? - No. What?

We'll never get back. - Why not?

Suppose the Admiral sees sense, and wants to turn round and go back,

what's going to happen?

How can we sail back the way we came, with a wind that's always blowing from the east?

We can beat against the wind.

Yes, if you've got six months to do it in,

and food for six months, and water for six months.

You know what? - What?

He don't dare to turn round and start for home.

Why not? - Because he knows we'd never get there.

Not against a wind like that.

Wednesday, Nineteenth September.

Received signal from Pinzon brothers desiring to come aboard.

Ah, coming over for a talk, see? Now perhaps we'll hear something.

Do you think they'll want to turn back?

Well, they're sensible men, and good sailors, aren't they?

Of course they'll want to turn back -

but they can't, they're finished, same as us, and they know it, you mark my words.

Come in.

You're welcome, gentlemen. Will you drink a cup of wine?

No, thank you.

To what do I owe the honour of this visit?

The time has come for a little plain speaking, Admiral.

That's why we are all here together. - Go on.

We've been doing a little calculating. How many leagues do you say we've covered?

Four hundred, a little more or less.

Our calculations say it's more than five hundred.

Your calculations?

Oh, I know the Admiral doesn't think us very intelligent,

but we can count, and we're prudent enough to take some notice of what is going on.

Now, this chart you gave us, for instance

What about it?

If we've sailed five hundred leagues - I say, if-

surely we should have sighted Japan?

Or the Brazil islands - or some island at any rate?

But so far not a sniff of one.

What else? - Isn't that enough?

Give me the chart.

You agree this is our course? - Yes.

There that's our approximate position now?

So we've over-shot the islands? - Certainly.

When? - In the night.

Then why didn't we stop and take a look at them?

Because I'm bound for Japan and India, not some measly little island.

We could have taken on fresh water if you'd stopped.

And what would have happened after that? -

The men would have said 'we've come far enough, let's go home.'

That's true enough, they would.

You're sure of that?

Just as sure as I am that we're going to find India.

Just how long do you think that's going to take?

That depends on the winds and the currents.

If we sail for six more days and don't sight land, will you turn back then?

No. - You see?

The men have had enough, and the officers have agreed to turn back.

I have not agreed.

Leis this be clear - I will not turn back until my mission is accomplished.

Say what you like; do what you like; kill me if you like -

I can't stop you; but as long as I'm alive, we go on.

Nobody is questioning your orders.

I'm glad to hear it, and they'd better not.

If anything should happen to me, the Queen would see you hung

as high as Haman for a set of treacherous traitors.

There's no need to talk like that, Admiral. You've explained what we want.

We're satisfied.

It's Francisco I don't trust. He's the sly one.

Martin's the oldest, do as he says.

He's good sailor, that one.

He believed your story about the islands, too.

Why not?

Are you quite sure it was true?

As sure as I can be of anything.

And the weed around that crab they found was river weed?

It looked like that to me.

And the Pole Star did move?

What are you trying to say, Diego?

I just want you to ask yourself if you're sure of what your doing?

Do you doubt me?

Not unless you doubt yourself.

What makes you think I do?

You're so careful always to convince everyone we're near land.

A whale spouts, and you cry 'that's a sign land is near.'

A bird lights on the deck and you say 'that's no marine bird, that's a jay.'

It was a Jay.

You see a bank of cloud, and that's a sign of land.

Weed, shellfish, everything is a sign of land.

It's nearly three weeks since you left the Canaries.

How much more of it?

Two hundred leagues, roughly.

Two hundred leagues, and you pretend we're near land.

I had to, to keep their spirits up.

Are you really sure the land is there? - Yes.

Truly? - Yes. It must be.

It must.

Monday, eight October. Thirty days south from the Canaries, and all well.

The crew have taken new heart and have ceased to grumble.

I tell you he's mad.

He thinks that because he says there must be land there, there will be land there;

but the thing is, did God say there must be land there, eh? Answer me that.

All right, then, who are you going to trust -

God, or this jumped up Admiral from Genoa, who's never commanded a ship before?

Is he greater than God? Is he to decide whether we're to live or die?

Look at that. Thirty days we've been sailing these benighted seas.

Do you want to sail them for thirty more?

All right, now, there's only one way to deal with him.

What's that?

Throw him overboard.

Throw him overboard?

Yes. If he's so sure there's land there, let him swim to it.

What about the others?

Well, Mr. Arana canjoin him. But

Cosa's all right, he'll turn back with us when he sees which way the Wind's blowing.

Now, who's for doing it?

Good. Now - don't make a move till I give you the signal.

Can I speak to you, Admiral - privately?

I have no secrets from Diego.

Would you trust him with your life?

Gladly - why do you ask?

Because your life's in danger.

Let's have it.

The men are going to mutiny.

How do you know?

I know. What are you going to do about it?

Are you with me or them?

Why do you think I'm here?

It was a silly question, I shouldn't have asked it. How many others can you count on?

Three besides myself - maybe four.

They can't do much, they haven't any arms.

They've all they need -

a knife or two, a marline spike,

a meat-axe, and forty of them against six of us including the boy.

When do they start?

Tonight. After the Salve Regina.

Have your three on the quarter deck with us when the Salve Regina begins.

Hey, Admiral. Hey!

Are you addressing me?

Yes, I was.

What do you want?

We want to know whether you're ready to turn back and start for home.

And at once.

It's no business of yours, but the answer is, "No."

All right we'll turn back and sail without you.

Come on, lads.

Land ho!

Mutiny is a crime punishable by death, you all know that.

I could string every man jack of you up to the yard arm right now.

But I'm not going to.

I'm not even going to hang your ringleaders, and I'll tell you why.

This is a glad and historic day in the history of Spain.

Today for the first time, man has crossed the ocean from east to west and

discovered the new route to India.

Today Spain is mistress of the seas.

And while all this is happening, your snivelling about the safety of

your miserable skins, and rebelling against the authority of your betters.

I'll say no more - the incident is closed.

You can pick up your weapons and return to your duties

but I hope you will all thank God,

that, in His infinite mercy, He has saved you from the fate you deserved.

See what you did? - What did I do?

Your the one that ought to be flung overboard.

Ssh, he's still asleep. - Asleep?

It's the relief after all he's been through.

He went to sleep the moment he got in here last night, and hasn't stirred since.

Well, you'd better wake him. - Why?

That land we saw last night Well, it's not there this morning.

What's that?

What did you say?

There's no land in sight, Admiral.

I swear by San Fernando - I might have known it.

The crew are looking ugly,

and the Pinzon brothers are coming over, they're just lowering away a boat.

I'll be there in a moment.

Of course your disappointed to find that we didn't sight land.

I'm disappointed too, but its no more than I expected -

a false land fall - half a dozen false land falls.

You're bound to get them when you're sailing new seas,

but the fact remains that we are near land.

How do we know?

Because I tell you so;

but I don't ask you to accept me on trust for ever.

We'll sail west for three more days and nights.

If by dawn on the fourth day we haven't sighted land,

we'll turn round and make for home.

Does that satisfy you?

Hey. What does Master Pinzon say?

The Admiral gives the orders here, not I.

You've heard what he has to say,

it's good enough for me, and it should be good enough for you.

And if we don't sight land then?

Go about and make for home.

How do we know he means it?

Because I say so. Now, publicly.

At the end of three days, if we haven't sighted land,

you can cut off my head, throw me overboard, do as you please.

Is that clear?

All right, now get back to your watch.

Tuesday, ninth October.

This morning, I promised the men

that if we did not sight land within three days and nights, we would turn back.

Today, made thirty-two leagues, but no sign of land.

Pray God, we find it soon.

It is, I tell you, ifs quite fresh.

Here, what's that?

He's tasting sea water. He says it's fresh.

Give it to me.

Well, ifs fresher than it was yesterday.

You call that fresh? Fresh!

Wednesday, tenth October.

Today, the sky is overcast, but we sighted a great flock of birds heading south.

I am sure we are near land.

One of the boys fished it up about half-an-hour ago.

Diego.

Where did it come from?

You see this carving-

that was done by a human being, and it proves that we are near land.

I hope you're right. - So do I.

Admiral. Admiral. A Branch with flowers on it.

Flowers, eh?

You can't eat flowers.

What do you think it is then?

That's devil's stuff, just to lead us on, that's all that is.

Thursday, eleventh October.

Thus far and no land.

Another twelve hours will decide.

Well, you can go on looking if you like, I'm going to sleep.

Wake me in the morning, when we turn back.

Diego! Diego!

Yes? - Look over there.

Where? - There. Do you see anything - a light?

Aye - yes

yes, I can.

Cosa! - Did you see something?

Look over there.

A light! We've done it!

You've done it!

Yes.

And now I think I'll

I'll go and rest.

They're ready for you to go ashore, Admiral.

Oh Lord God, who has brought us safely to the end of our journey.

We thank Thee for all Thy mercies

Help us, we pray Thee, to govern these new lands wisely and well.

And to bring the inhabitants within the knowledge and understanding of Thy Kingdom

For the greater glory of Thy Name.

Amen. - Amen.

In the name of their Majesties, Ferdinand and Isabella,

King and Queen of Castile, Leon and Aragon.

I now take possesion of this land, and name it San Salvador.

I declare that this is Spanish soil for all time

and that the natives here of are subject to Spanish rule

It is our earnest desire

that they shall be taught the Spanish language

and embrace the Christian faith

For the greater glory of God,

and in accordance with the wishes of our most sovereign lady, the Queen.

In witness here of stands this Protocol

drawn up this twelfth day of October, in the year fourteen hundred and ninety-two.

Sunday, fourteenth October.

Today, moved freely among the natives and traded with them.

They are a friendly people; guileless and unwarlike,

eager to welcome us and generous in their dealings.

The country is obviously rich

and the natives wear pieces of gold on neckleis and in their noses.

You see this? Very beautiful magic ju ju, plenty strong - lovely.

I give him you and you give me that bit of yellow rubbish, eh?

And what do you think you're doing?

Just a little honest trading, Admiral.

Honest trading? A broken piece of worthless crockery, for an ounce of gold.

But, he don't know it's gold, Admiral.

That makes it all the worse.

But, he wants this, he does, really.

You want it now, don't you? Wantee, wantee?

There you are.

If you don't understand, I'll explain.

We are here to convert these natives to Christianity,

not to exploit them. Is that clear.

Yes,Admiral.

A piece of gold like that,

is worth at least a falcon's bell.

Thursday, twenty-second November.

So far I have not come upon Japan or India as I expected,

but I have found one large island which the Natives call Cuba,

and which is rich in spices and gold.

And many smaller islands the location of which I have marked on my charts.

It seems to me that there cannot be, under the sun, land superior in fertility

in wildness of cold and heat, in abundance of good fruits and pure water.

The men are well and in good spirits.

Up to the present, among all my people nobody has even had a headache,

or taken to his bed through sickness.

Indeed, my only trouble has been with Martin Pinzon,

who continually disobeys my instructions.

I am convinced he is plotting against me.

Whom do you suppose the King will be glad to see,

the man who arrives home first with cargo of gold,

or the man who stays behind and carries out instructions?

Well, are you with me? - Aye, aye, sir!

Or not?

All right. - Good.

Better no let the men know anything about this until I say so.

Carry on with your orders and leave the rest to me. Understand?

Aye, aye, sir.

He's not taking any notice.

Shall we fire again? - No.

Shall we change course and follow them?

No. He's faster than we are, we'd never catch him unless he wanted us to.

That's true enough.

The thing is, has he gone to look for the gold mines, or is making for home?

My guess is the gold.

I don't know, perhaps he'd like to be first home with the news.

Which ever it is, we'll meet again one day,

and I shan't forget what's happened tonigt.

Saturday, first December

Today I came upon more wonders,

the like of which I never thought to see in this world

Eh? What do you suppose this could be?

A fishing net? - No, no, no, the mesh is too big.

Well, perhaps it's used for storing something.

May be. But what?

Ifs a bed.

Diego, we could sling fifty of these aboard ship,

and every man jack of the crew could sleep in comfort.

I shouldn't do that. - Why not?

It's too comfortable.

Once you got them into these, you'd never get them out of them.

You see what I mean?

What do you suppose he's doing?

He's drawning in the smoke and blowing it out again.

He seems to enjoy it.

Doesn't that just prove how backward they are?

You'd never see a civilised man doing a thing like that.

He wants you to try one.

Thank you

I wonder what they're say about us at home.

That we're dead, I expect.

You can't blame them, can you?

At this rate it'll be Easter before we return.

Oh no, we'll start back in a day or two.

I shan't be sorry to see Spain again. - Nor I.

Good evening, Admiral. Shall I lake over?

Yes, I'm ready for bed. Tonight I shall sleep like a child.

I think I shall turn in, too.

Good night Juan. - Good night.

We're aground sir.

I can see that. But how did it happen?

The helmsman let her drift.

Was the helmsman in charge of the watch?

No sir, I was.

Never mind that now. Can we refloat her?

I don't see how, sir.

Christmas day, fourteen hundred and ninety-two.

Last night the Santa Maria went agound in Gailico Bay.

The master, the pilot and the helmsman had all gone to their beds

and only a boy was at the tiller.

Even so, the vessel might have been saved

If my orders had been faithfully carried out.

As it is she is a total loss and I have ordered her stores to be brought ashore.

Vincente wants to know if he can break up her timbers and bring them ashore, too.

Well they'll help to build a fort or a hut or two.

All right.

And what do you wish us to do about Cosa? - Nothing.

But he was the Officer of the Watch. The whole thing's his fault.

No, it's God's will.

Everything is God's will.

If this hadn't happened we should have sailed back to Spain -

all of us. Now it will be different.

We shall leave forty men here to explore the islands

and start a colony and teach the natives Christianity.

And Cosa is to go free?

Whatever you say.

Diego. - Yes?

I want you to stay here.

To stay here? - As Governor. Will you?

Well - yes - if you wish it.

I do.

It may be many months before any one will return here again.

I've got to cross the Atlantic alone this time,

no convey, no companions, just the Nina.

I want to be sure I've left the New World in good hands.

I'll do what I can.

You don't mind staying behind?

Why should I mind? I shall be in Paradise here.

In that ship alone, I may be in Paradise ahead of you.

Bring a chair for the Admiral.

A chair. Bring a chair.

We are all eagerness to hear of your discoveries, my Lord Admiral.

Thank you, your Majesties,

I hardly know where to begin.

The bare facts we know.

We have read your letters and taken great pleasure in them.

Thank you, madam.

So these are the men from the new lands?

Yes, your Majesty.

In those lands they live naked, though they paint themselves, as you see.

We precured them clothes for the voyage.

Mother, what is that bird?

What is it, Admiral?

This is the talking bird of the new lands.

Talking bird?

Yes, your Majesty.

Long live the King. Long live the Queen. Long live the Admiral.

I was merely making a point that in everyone's life

there is a moment when he reaches the climax of his achievements.

If he is a fisherman, it is the day he makes a record catch.

If he is an Admiral, it is the day he wins a great battle or discovers a new world.

What do you say to that Chancellor?

I agree with my Lord Bishop, but the great thing, of course,

is to have the wit to know it and make the most of it.

What would your Majesty say was the greatest achievement of her reign,

the discovery of the new lands, or the conquest of the Moors?

Which would you say?

The conquest of the Moors.

Your reason?

Because that is something which only a great Commander could have accomplished.

Master Columbus' achievements couldn't stand the same class -

it is merely something that was bound to happen.

Bound to happen?

Well it stands to reason, sooner or later, some ship sailing idly in that direction

would have come upon the new lands. That is all there is to it.

Do you agree, Admiral?

I should like to borow an egg, with your Majesty's leave.

An egg?

If your Majesty pleases.

Why do you ask for an egg, Admiral?

I should like to ask your guest a riddle.

A riddle? - but her Majesty asked you a question.

With her Majesty's permission, I will ask you to solve my riddle first,

and then answer her question.

We are all attention.

The riddle, your Majesties, is how to make an egg stand up on end like this,

using nothing to support it. Will you try?

Oh, it's impossible, of course.

Your Majesty'?

It is beyond my wit.

And mine.

It is beyond anybody's wit. It is impossible.

On the contrary, sir, it is easy when somebody shows you how.

And that your Majesties is the answer to Master Bobadilla's question.

Most things are easy when someone has shown you how.

Most things are easy when someone has shown you how.

Too easy, perhaps.

In the years that followed, new fleets sailed the ocean seas.

New lands were added to the map of the world, but it was not a peaceful world.

Death and disease took their toll of the early colonists

and it was scarcely ten years later that an old man

old before his time, worn out by intrigue and rebellion

lay in a hut in the jungle and dictated a letter to the Spanish court.

To Juana de Torres.

Salutations and greetings.

I write to you, dear lady,

because I know that you are near to the Queen,

and can see that she is told the truth.

I know there are persons at court

who wish to do me injury -

and who will not hesitate to belittle what I have done.

They judge me as the governer

who has gone to Sicily or

some other city under regular government,

when I ought to be judged as a conqueror

who has placed under their Majesties' sovereignty a new world,

where by Spain, which was reckened poor,

has become the richest of countries.

Bobadilla's right, something must be done about it.

Every ship that comes back from the new lands brings another story

of disorder and bloodshed. What is the man up to?

He's been given enough power.

Too much, sire, if I may be allowed to say so.

He seems to resent anybody else having any sort of entry into the new land,

and instead of colonising and keeping order,

all he does is to go aimlessly crusing about from island to island.

Oh, come now, that's not altogether just, surely?

He claims to have discovered the mainland of Cathay, what the natives call Cuba.

With the greatest respect, madam, he also claims to have found the Garden of Eden.

I won't have him ridiculed.

His discoveries have given Spain a great new empire.

Well, nobody denies that. It's what he's doing

with the empire that we're complaining about.

It's easy enough to stay at home and criticise,

espically when the person concerned isn't here to defend himself.

But, your Majesty, the amount of gold he sent home last month

was scarcely enough to pay for the carrying of it.

Of course, there are always plenty of parrots, but who wants parrots?

It isn't as though the slaves he sends home are worth anything,

they are such poor stuff.

I wanted the people of the New World converted, not enslaved.

So did we all. - True. True.

The slaves shall be sent back, every one of them

I quite agree. He had no right to do it.

It was completely against instructions.

Yes, there I can't defend him.

The trouble is the man's unreliable.

One can't trust him. - Exactly.

He may be a great sailor and discoverer, but he can't govern. And if

he can't govern, we must do it for him.

But I don't want him disgraced.

He's done much for us and for Spain.

Of course not.

He shall keep his titles, if that will make you happy.

To the Lord Admiral of the ocean seas and Viceroy or the new lands - greetings.

We have commanded our good servant Don Francisco de Bobadilla

to take ship and present himself to you, in order that he may act as Chief Justice

and Royal Commissioner in the new lands,

with power to arrest all those who mutiny or rebel against our royal persons

and for the settlement of all just grievances, etcetera, etcetera.

You can fill in the details, Bobadilla.

Yes, your Majesty. - May the

Twenty-eighth, sire.

The twenty-eighth, fourteen hundred and ninety-nine. I the King

I, the Queen.

These articles allege that you have shown yourself persistently hostile

to those of Spanish blood who have come to these islands.

That you have sent Spanish gentlemen to labour that is unworthy and degraded.

That you have made unjust war on the native population.

And that you have retained for you own use and enjoyment,

gold, land and other goods rightly the property of the Crown.

Have you anything to say?

To you, nothing.

Very well, you are under close arrest.

You will be shackled and sent back to Spain for trial.

Stand over here.

All right, sergeant, you may go.

Wait outside.

Please forgive me, Admiral.

It grieves me beyond measure to see you treated like this,

And in front of these soldiers. You understand?

Yes. So, I understand.

Come and sit down.

You're in pain.

I'll have them taken off directly we sail.

No. I shall wear them until the Queen herself orders them to be removed.

One more word, your Majesty, and I have finished.

It is seventeen years since I first came here to serve you.

Eight of those years were spent in discussion and frustration.

I was laughed at and rejected but I was right.

I have placed under your sovereignty more land than there is in Africa and Europe.

More than seventeen hundred islands, not counting Hispanola.

And what is my reward for all this?

To be arrested and put in chains.

Your imprisonment was highly displeasing to us.

It was never our intention. You must know that.

Then I am to be re-instated as Viceroy of the new lands?

Master Columbus, you have suffered much, endured much,

and now we think that you should rest for a while.

All your monies and titles shall be restored to you.

But for the present, it is better that you stay here.

That's right Admiral. We'll talk about future plans later on.

But I shall die if I don't go back sea.

For the moment we think it best that you should not.

M aje sty.

This is worse than my shackles.

Look after him.

You're worn out. Come and rest.

No. I'd rather go home.

Things are difficult just now with Maples and Venice.

There's a war on you know. - There's always a war on.

They'll agree to another voyage soon. You'll see.

It's too late.

If I go on twenty more voyages, I shall never recover from such ingratitude.

Don't they realise who I am?

Of course they do.

It's time they did.

People will remember me long after they are dead and forgotten.