How John Fernandez came to the caravels.
John Fernandez had now been seven months dwelling in that country,[N98]
and it seemeth clear, according to reason, that at the time Antam
Gonçalvez left him he must have settled to return for him, or to beg the
Infant to despatch some other, who could take him off in this way. And
after John Fernandez perceived that the caravels had had time enough to
return from Portugal, he came down many times to that shore to see if he
could have sight of any of them. And I can well believe that this was
his principal care.
And it happened that those who remained in the caravels, seeking to
fulfil the orders of their chief captains, made sail to the Isle of
Ergim (of which it appeared that they had no knowledge), and passed on
and went cruising up and down for two days until they came to another
land beyond. And a little more than an hour after they had cast anchor,
they saw a man who stood on the land over against them. Quickly one
caravel made ready to go and see who it could be; and making sail toward
him it was not able to go as far in as it wished, because the wind was
off the land. And John Fernandez, seeing the hindrance that the caravel
received, resolved to go along the shore, either hoping that the ship's
boats would be there, or for some other reason; and so went a little
way, till he saw the boats that were coming in search of their ships.
And when he shouted towards where they were coming, the others were very
glad, thinking that he was some Moor who came to them of his own will to
treat about the ransom of some one of these captives; but when they
understood his speech, and he named himself for what he was, they were
yet much more glad; so that they hastened towards him the quicker. And I
consider, saith our author, what must have been the appearance of that
noble squire, brought up as he had been upon the food you know, to wit,
bread and wine and flesh and other things skilfully prepared, after
living seven months in this fashion, where he could eat nothing except
fish and the milk of camels--for I believe there are no better cattle in
that part--and drinking brackish water, and not too much of that; and
living in a burning hot and sandy land without any delights. O ye people
who live in all the sweetness of Spanish valleys, who when you chance to
miss any part of your accustomed maintenance in the houses of the lord
with whom ye live, will let nothing else be heard for your
complaints--look, if you will, upon the sufferings of this man, and you
will find him worthy to be a great example for anyone who wisheth to do
the will of his Lord by serving him. And we others, who perchance fast
one day in many months by command of the Church, or for satisfaction of
our penance, or in honour of some festival of the Church, if it be such
that we must eat only bread and water, we give up all that day to
sadness. And how many there are who dispense their own consciences,
breaking their fasts to content their bellies. Let us see if there is
one here who, for a single week, would endure a like toil of his own
free will for Christ's sake. I will not say that the impulse of John
Fernandez was not with some regard for his Lord, for I knew this squire
myself, and he was a man of good conscience and a true Catholic
Christian; and since the object of the principal mover[BS] was so
righteous and so holy, as I have already said in other places, all the
other matters set in motion by him must needs in some way have
corresponded to his first intention.
[Footnote BS: In this action, _i.e._, Henry.]