The Horse and The Jaguar
- Thread starter phildup
- Start date
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Hello folks,
Due to family issues, the post I am working on will be delayed until next week I expect.
Sorry 'bout that.
Oh no! I hope it's nothing bad!
Just time consuming, be patient folks and thanks for the good karmaOh no! I hope it's nothing bad!
The family stuff is still going on folks. I haven't forgotten this TL, but have been unable to concentrate on it. Please be patient, I'm not done with it yet.
BTW, thanks for the Turtledove nominations and the Livy nominations. I really appreciate it!
Calm.
Be calm! When you can come back here; we'll be here.
We don't forget this great story.
Be calm! When you can come back here; we'll be here.
We don't forget this great story.
much appreciated1
I cannot wait for you to come back from your hiatus. In the meanwhile, I will sacrifice my annoying neighbor to Kukulkan for your safe return.
Can you sacrifice mine too? It is a bit messy for liking.I cannot wait for you to come back from your hiatus. In the meanwhile, I will sacrifice my annoying neighbor to Kukulkan for your safe return.
Chapter 74 The Universal Foe and the Nutmeg Tree
Hui Ghisa, a direct descendant of a Chinese commander Hui Kun Lin who had grown rich and powerful during the early days of the Empire in Chan Chan, commanded the second flotilla which sailed from Malacca. His ten ships included two large war junks, six armed merchantmen and two smaller armed patrol vessels. He set sail in the last week of September, mapping the many kingdoms and sultanates along the coast of Java. At Pasai and Lambri he paused and traded for the aromatic wood called Kapur. His pilots then guided his small fleet north through the chain of islands called Nakkavaram and then gradually westward toward the land of Cholamandalam and the port of Vedapuri.
From there they hugged the coast, heading south and trading at Sadiria, Cuddalore, Kaveripoompattinam, Tranquebar, Karaikal and Napattinam. Fine cottons, as light as a feather and richly decorated in elaborate patterns along with exotic woods, spices and gemstones of unusual beauty found their way into the Imperial holds before the flotilla sailed southwest into the deep ocean towards Sinhala and landed at the city of Gimhathiththa, also called Qali. From here they sailed north along the coast to Kolon thota, a major port and gateway to the Kingdom of Kotte.
In Kolon thota they were greeted by a representative of King Parakramabahu VIII. The king’s man had come with a sizeable retinue and believed that the Imperial fleet represented the return of the great Chinese fleets which had last visited nearly a century before. He was therefore surprised to learn that they represented a completely unknown power on the other side of the world. He had come with an invitation to the head of the fleet travel to the capitol of Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte where Parakramabahu VIII would grant an audience, but now, wishing to impress upon the strangers the power of the King, revised the invitation to a demand that he come and pay homage. The king had been informed and blessed his minister’s action by sending an Elephant corps to escort the foreigners to the capitol.
The distance to the royal city was actually quite short, but the procession took a circuitous route designed to exaggerate the scope of the kingdom. Unfortunately for their hosts, Hui Ghisa and his retinue were able enough navigators to see that they were being led nearly in circles and determined that the city was only a day or so from the port.
The Imperials were suitably impressed by the elephants, the scale of their escort and the grandeur of the capital and the palace. They had brought gifts suitable for a great monarch which pleased the king greatly. Hui easily conveyed the peaceful and exploratory nature of his visit as well as the vast distance between their two homelands. This great empire, the King decided, was no threat to his kingdom or his rule. Hui was soon allowed to return to Kolon thota and his ships and was escorted with proper dignity by a shorter and more comfortable route.
Two days after Hui’s return, Parakramabahu VIII sent suitable gifts for the Sapa Inca, including a single great jewel, a sapphire nearly as big as a child’s fist.
The port was full of rumors of other strangers who had appeared in this part of the world over the last few years. Foreigners who were as apt to bombard a city as to trade with it and so easy to anger that the smallest insult resulted in war. Kotte had so far not been visited by these violent men, no better than pirates in many of the merchant’s minds, but the coast the fleet was now weighing anchor for had borne the brunt of their rages.
Hui and his ships now sailed northwest to the great entrepôt of Kozhikode, called Calicut by their newly acquired Arab pilots. Aware that the waters might be patrolled by hostile foreign ships, his crews were drilled relentlessly and the ships remained always in a battle ready state.
It was now late January of 1503 and the fleet encountered Arab ships sailing from the port of Thiruvananthapuram, south of the great port of Kochi. The Arabs told them that a war was underway between Calicut and Kochi and their allies; Kannur and the newly arrived Portuguese. Hui now knew who the violent foreign visitors he had been warned of were. The Arab mariners related tales of the capture of a pilgrim ship bound for their holy places and how the Portuguese torched the ship with all 400 pilgrims aboard, leaving not a soul alive. Hui was startled at the viciousness of this act and considered turning back until he learned that the foreign fleet was preparing to return to their distant homeland, leaving a small squadron of ships to guard the coast.
Emboldened by the description of the Portuguese ships as being less than half the size of his own ships, he determined to press on, if for no other reason than to gather intelligence on the strength of the foreigners. The fleet continued on to Calicut.
The Zamorin of Calicut was, understandably, disconcerted by the arrival of yet another foreign fleet and the welcome was not warm. Hui made a great show of sending ostentatiously unarmed representatives ashore where they received a cold greeting from the local authorities. One merchant, clad only in a simple Inca tunic, was brought to the Zamorin who questioned him at length before being sent back to the fleet with a demand that the admiral himself come, similarly clad, and submit himself to the Zamorin.
Hui went ashore the next day, dressed as demanded save for a magnificent belt of woven gold which glittered under the brilliant sun. His tunic, though of simple design, was of the finest and softest alpaca, and brilliantly white. Simply dressed as he was, the impact was of a man of wealth and power. Several liters had been loaded with gifts for the Zamorin and landed shortly before the Admiral. He walked to the Zamorin’s palace, creating quite a stir with the train of treasures following him surrounded by the Calicut guards.
The Zamorin was struck by the serene carriage of the man who was escorted before him and was both delighted and impressed by the gifts presented in the name of the unknown monarch across the seas. It seemed to him that here was a nation he could deal with, here was a power that respected other nations. In his heart he also felt that here was an ally he could take advantage of against the hateful Portuguese.
Trade was authorized and the Imperial merchants dived headlong into the incredible variety of goods available in Calicut. This city was the center of trade on this coast, and, unbeknownst to the Imperials, the center of Europe’s supply of spices. The variety of goods, woods, spices, cosmetics, herbs, aromatics and everyth9ng else that made life good for the elite in Lisbon, Venice, Paris and London seemed to be concentrated in this one port. Hui made agreements to support the Zamorin in exchange for trade rights, thus placing the Sapa Inca directly in competition with the King of Portugal.
First on the list was support of the Zamorin’s attack on Kannur, a Portuguese ally to the north. Fortunately, the commander of the Portuguese squadron left to defend their interest along the coast had decided it was more important to sail tom the Red Sea than to protect the King’s interests along the Indian coast. Hui sailed to Kannur in support of the Zamorin’s 50,000 troops sent to bring the former tributary back into line. Portuguese supporters tried to escape to Vypin, but Hui’s patrol ships intercepted and destroyed their vessels. Kannur fell to the Zamorin and Portuguese influence on this section of the coast was greatly diminished.
From Kannur, the Imperial fleet sailed to Kochi, where there was a Portuguese Feitoria, or factory, as they called it. Here, Hui convinced the ruler to expel the foreigners. As they boarded an Arab ship they were concerned that they would yet be killed, but the Imperial commander escorted their ship well out of the sight of land, instructing their Arab captain to deliver them to some friendly territory, he cared not where. Hui then sailed back to Kochi, leaving the Portuguese refugees to the mercies of their Muslim hosts.
The Imperial fleet, now loaded to the gunnels with exotic cargo, bade farewell to the Zamorin, promising that the Sapa Inca would return with a fleet to fulfill their promise as allies. Hui could not make such a promise, but he wanted out of this volatile region. He had no doubt that the Empire would return due to the riches concentrated here, but for the moment, he wanted to get his ships home. On April 10. 1503, he sailed finally for the Empire, His merchantmen filled with exotic goods and his commanders with a better knowledge of the reach and methods of the foreign kingdom of Portugal.
The portion of the fleet which had sailed for home from Malacca made good progress, but one merchant desired to discover the islands that were the source of nutmeg. The commander of the fleet would not listen to any proposals for further exploration; his orders were to return to the Empire with the riches of the fleet. Auqui Acahuana, the merchant, ordered his ship to change course during middle of one night and went in search of the Banda Islands, the home of Nutmeg.
The commander of the Imperial fleet searched for a few days and then returned to his route home, but on the day he gave up searching for the lost ship, Auqui Acahuana discovered the only island in the world where the nutmeg tree grew. He quickly recognized that the climate was similar to that of the land of Paititi and determined that if the trees were transplanted he could provide the spice to the Empire and become exceedingly rich. The local sultan was reluctant to provide trees, knowing their value, but Auqui was able to bribe several locals, thereby obtaining fifty young trees, which were secretly dug out of the ground, carefully wrapped and loaded onto his ship. A local pilot was kidnapped and the Imperial merchant sailed for home with visions of extraordinary riches once the trees had been planted in the tropical ground of Paititi.
[FONT="]Chapter 74[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Universal Foe and the Nutmeg Tree
[/FONT]
[/FONT]
From there they hugged the coast, heading south and trading at Sadiria, Cuddalore, Kaveripoompattinam, Tranquebar, Karaikal and Napattinam. Fine cottons, as light as a feather and richly decorated in elaborate patterns along with exotic woods, spices and gemstones of unusual beauty found their way into the Imperial holds before the flotilla sailed southwest into the deep ocean towards Sinhala and landed at the city of Gimhathiththa, also called Qali. From here they sailed north along the coast to Kolon thota, a major port and gateway to the Kingdom of Kotte.
In Kolon thota they were greeted by a representative of King Parakramabahu VIII. The king’s man had come with a sizeable retinue and believed that the Imperial fleet represented the return of the great Chinese fleets which had last visited nearly a century before. He was therefore surprised to learn that they represented a completely unknown power on the other side of the world. He had come with an invitation to the head of the fleet travel to the capitol of Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte where Parakramabahu VIII would grant an audience, but now, wishing to impress upon the strangers the power of the King, revised the invitation to a demand that he come and pay homage. The king had been informed and blessed his minister’s action by sending an Elephant corps to escort the foreigners to the capitol.
The distance to the royal city was actually quite short, but the procession took a circuitous route designed to exaggerate the scope of the kingdom. Unfortunately for their hosts, Hui Ghisa and his retinue were able enough navigators to see that they were being led nearly in circles and determined that the city was only a day or so from the port.
The Imperials were suitably impressed by the elephants, the scale of their escort and the grandeur of the capital and the palace. They had brought gifts suitable for a great monarch which pleased the king greatly. Hui easily conveyed the peaceful and exploratory nature of his visit as well as the vast distance between their two homelands. This great empire, the King decided, was no threat to his kingdom or his rule. Hui was soon allowed to return to Kolon thota and his ships and was escorted with proper dignity by a shorter and more comfortable route.
Two days after Hui’s return, Parakramabahu VIII sent suitable gifts for the Sapa Inca, including a single great jewel, a sapphire nearly as big as a child’s fist.
The port was full of rumors of other strangers who had appeared in this part of the world over the last few years. Foreigners who were as apt to bombard a city as to trade with it and so easy to anger that the smallest insult resulted in war. Kotte had so far not been visited by these violent men, no better than pirates in many of the merchant’s minds, but the coast the fleet was now weighing anchor for had borne the brunt of their rages.
Hui and his ships now sailed northwest to the great entrepôt of Kozhikode, called Calicut by their newly acquired Arab pilots. Aware that the waters might be patrolled by hostile foreign ships, his crews were drilled relentlessly and the ships remained always in a battle ready state.
It was now late January of 1503 and the fleet encountered Arab ships sailing from the port of Thiruvananthapuram, south of the great port of Kochi. The Arabs told them that a war was underway between Calicut and Kochi and their allies; Kannur and the newly arrived Portuguese. Hui now knew who the violent foreign visitors he had been warned of were. The Arab mariners related tales of the capture of a pilgrim ship bound for their holy places and how the Portuguese torched the ship with all 400 pilgrims aboard, leaving not a soul alive. Hui was startled at the viciousness of this act and considered turning back until he learned that the foreign fleet was preparing to return to their distant homeland, leaving a small squadron of ships to guard the coast.
Emboldened by the description of the Portuguese ships as being less than half the size of his own ships, he determined to press on, if for no other reason than to gather intelligence on the strength of the foreigners. The fleet continued on to Calicut.
The Zamorin of Calicut was, understandably, disconcerted by the arrival of yet another foreign fleet and the welcome was not warm. Hui made a great show of sending ostentatiously unarmed representatives ashore where they received a cold greeting from the local authorities. One merchant, clad only in a simple Inca tunic, was brought to the Zamorin who questioned him at length before being sent back to the fleet with a demand that the admiral himself come, similarly clad, and submit himself to the Zamorin.
Hui went ashore the next day, dressed as demanded save for a magnificent belt of woven gold which glittered under the brilliant sun. His tunic, though of simple design, was of the finest and softest alpaca, and brilliantly white. Simply dressed as he was, the impact was of a man of wealth and power. Several liters had been loaded with gifts for the Zamorin and landed shortly before the Admiral. He walked to the Zamorin’s palace, creating quite a stir with the train of treasures following him surrounded by the Calicut guards.
The Zamorin was struck by the serene carriage of the man who was escorted before him and was both delighted and impressed by the gifts presented in the name of the unknown monarch across the seas. It seemed to him that here was a nation he could deal with, here was a power that respected other nations. In his heart he also felt that here was an ally he could take advantage of against the hateful Portuguese.
Trade was authorized and the Imperial merchants dived headlong into the incredible variety of goods available in Calicut. This city was the center of trade on this coast, and, unbeknownst to the Imperials, the center of Europe’s supply of spices. The variety of goods, woods, spices, cosmetics, herbs, aromatics and everyth9ng else that made life good for the elite in Lisbon, Venice, Paris and London seemed to be concentrated in this one port. Hui made agreements to support the Zamorin in exchange for trade rights, thus placing the Sapa Inca directly in competition with the King of Portugal.
First on the list was support of the Zamorin’s attack on Kannur, a Portuguese ally to the north. Fortunately, the commander of the Portuguese squadron left to defend their interest along the coast had decided it was more important to sail tom the Red Sea than to protect the King’s interests along the Indian coast. Hui sailed to Kannur in support of the Zamorin’s 50,000 troops sent to bring the former tributary back into line. Portuguese supporters tried to escape to Vypin, but Hui’s patrol ships intercepted and destroyed their vessels. Kannur fell to the Zamorin and Portuguese influence on this section of the coast was greatly diminished.
From Kannur, the Imperial fleet sailed to Kochi, where there was a Portuguese Feitoria, or factory, as they called it. Here, Hui convinced the ruler to expel the foreigners. As they boarded an Arab ship they were concerned that they would yet be killed, but the Imperial commander escorted their ship well out of the sight of land, instructing their Arab captain to deliver them to some friendly territory, he cared not where. Hui then sailed back to Kochi, leaving the Portuguese refugees to the mercies of their Muslim hosts.
The Imperial fleet, now loaded to the gunnels with exotic cargo, bade farewell to the Zamorin, promising that the Sapa Inca would return with a fleet to fulfill their promise as allies. Hui could not make such a promise, but he wanted out of this volatile region. He had no doubt that the Empire would return due to the riches concentrated here, but for the moment, he wanted to get his ships home. On April 10. 1503, he sailed finally for the Empire, His merchantmen filled with exotic goods and his commanders with a better knowledge of the reach and methods of the foreign kingdom of Portugal.
-----
The portion of the fleet which had sailed for home from Malacca made good progress, but one merchant desired to discover the islands that were the source of nutmeg. The commander of the fleet would not listen to any proposals for further exploration; his orders were to return to the Empire with the riches of the fleet. Auqui Acahuana, the merchant, ordered his ship to change course during middle of one night and went in search of the Banda Islands, the home of Nutmeg.
The commander of the Imperial fleet searched for a few days and then returned to his route home, but on the day he gave up searching for the lost ship, Auqui Acahuana discovered the only island in the world where the nutmeg tree grew. He quickly recognized that the climate was similar to that of the land of Paititi and determined that if the trees were transplanted he could provide the spice to the Empire and become exceedingly rich. The local sultan was reluctant to provide trees, knowing their value, but Auqui was able to bribe several locals, thereby obtaining fifty young trees, which were secretly dug out of the ground, carefully wrapped and loaded onto his ship. A local pilot was kidnapped and the Imperial merchant sailed for home with visions of extraordinary riches once the trees had been planted in the tropical ground of Paititi.
in case any of you thought I was dead.
Life is sometimes difficult.
For the past few weeks and the next few weeks as well, I have been focusing on family. My parents are quite elderly, both in their late 90s (no joke). My two sisters (both of whom follow this timeline so I have to be careful what I say) and I live within a few hundered yards of their house and care for them 24 hours a day. One of us is always there.
My oldest sister, Saint Louise, takes the lead since she is a nurse. she recently broke her kneecap and that resulted in myself and my other sister (the blessed Alice) taking additional duties caring for the folks.
That resulted in a complete re-alignment of focus, and the inability to concentrate on our friends in this timeline.
We are not done yet, Louise has weeks yet to go in her re-rehabilitation until she can resume her role in our parental care.
This post has been building up and had to get out because there is another twist to the tale which is pushing me. I hope it will not be so long in coming.
I want to thank all of you for your support, and let you know that we are not done yet...The Mayans want their say in the future of this world...
Life is sometimes difficult.
For the past few weeks and the next few weeks as well, I have been focusing on family. My parents are quite elderly, both in their late 90s (no joke). My two sisters (both of whom follow this timeline so I have to be careful what I say) and I live within a few hundered yards of their house and care for them 24 hours a day. One of us is always there.
My oldest sister, Saint Louise, takes the lead since she is a nurse. she recently broke her kneecap and that resulted in myself and my other sister (the blessed Alice) taking additional duties caring for the folks.
That resulted in a complete re-alignment of focus, and the inability to concentrate on our friends in this timeline.
We are not done yet, Louise has weeks yet to go in her re-rehabilitation until she can resume her role in our parental care.
This post has been building up and had to get out because there is another twist to the tale which is pushing me. I hope it will not be so long in coming.
I want to thank all of you for your support, and let you know that we are not done yet...The Mayans want their say in the future of this world...
Maybe if we get good 'ol Phil a Turtledove, we might see this back and kicking. Here's hopin'
Appreciated, thanks
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