Red City on the Ocean

Chapter 13. Chimalli and the King

"Aren't you late, Senhors?" Joao II said as three navigators entered his office in the tower of the Castle of St. George and began to bow. One of them, Bartolomeu Dias, straightened up and was about to open his mouth and say something when a bell rang.

"You're not too late," the king grinned. "Well, come in and get acquainted."

Bartolomeu, Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama came to the table. The King was sitting at the head of it, and at the other end, they noticed a swarthy, half-naked man of about fifty years of age in unusual clothes. His head, arms, and body were decorated with gold chains, earrings, rings, and tattoos. On his face, ears, and nose there were traces left by previous adornments. There was a dish of roast beef in front of the strange-looking man, and he ate it with an appetite.

Two people rose from their seats on the other side of the table – an elderly sailor, with whom Bartolomeu Dias was already familiar, and a young monk in a wool shirt. The sailor's face was disfigured by a terrible scar on his cheek. A blissful smile was playing on the monk's face. "Fernao Gomes," the king introduced the sailor. Gomes politely bowed to the newcomers. The king rang the bell. The servants entered the study. They held trays of dishes and filled jugs in their hands, which they began to put on the table near the plates that had been placed in advance.

"You may be acquainted with this gentleman," the king continued. Dias nodded. "Fernao Gomes is a brave navigator who is currently exploring the African coast. Every year, he travels another hundred leagues to the south and brings back new curiosities, and most importantly, the maps. These maps show native settlements and places where valuables can be mined."

"I am glad to meet such wonderful gentlemen, of whom I have already heard a great deal," Gomes said to the new guests of the king. His speech was unusual and not quite clear. It was distorted by the wound that disfigured his cheek, but it seemed that Gomes was not at all shy about it. "I would like to introduce my son Pascoal to you. Pascoal decided to link his fate with God, and not with long voyages. He is a novice of the Jeronimos Monastery in Lisbon, founded as you know by our great Henry the Navigator, but currently, he is serving in the church of Leiria."

Pascoal's smile stretched across his face and nodded.

"Fortunately, he still tries to help me," Gomes continued. "He already knows a lot of foreign languages. With his help, I am able to talk to foreign sailors, merchants, and scientists that may visit our ports as well as foreigners who work for me here in Portugal or are engaged in long-distance campaigns. The other day, one of these foreigners mysteriously ended up in the hands of soldiers who serve in the fortress of Leiria, and Pascoal brought this wonderful man here," Gomes pointed to the guest in the unusual dress. "His name is Chimalli."

Hearing his name, Chimalli stopped eating and looked curiously at the king's guests.

"What country did he come from?" Vasco da Gama asked.

"That's the thing," Gomes exclaimed, "that we haven't been able to find out yet!"

"Sit down, Senhors, and share our meal," the king addressed the captains. They took their places at the table with bows.

"I have met many foreigners, both on the shores of different countries and at sea," Gomes continued. "I have traveled all over Europe and all the coastal countries that our ships have ever reached. I have talked to travelers who have visited China, India, and some of the hottest desert countries in the world. From these people, I learned what the natives of these countries look like and how they behave. But he," and Gomes pointed to Chimalli, "did not come from these countries. That's the only thing we've been able to ascertain for sure. He came from a country that is still unknown to us. His country is not yet in the ecumene."