Pirates of the Caribbean: How Many Miles to Babylon?

Perdition

Perdition

General Luis de Guerrero, former Alcalde of La Havana, stood on the balcony of his villa in Santiago de Cuba looking out over the bay. The tranquil scenery was the perfect setting for an evening spent planning his triumphant return to Spain, after an ignominious flight from La Havana.

Guerrero had enriched himself for many years by collecting bribes and siphoning off modest amounts of gold from Spain's plate fleet. Much had to be abandoned when he departed the city in haste, but not all. He had brought with him a small wooden box with twenty-one identical medallions in it. No one else, including their former owners, knew their true worth. Guerrero, however, a student of history, recognised the priceless, legendary gold pieces. He had amassed his collection one piece at a time, through treachery, blackmail, and worse.

He was confident that his future would be assured when he reached Spain; however, being a cautious man, he had sent one medallion to be examined by his brother and an expert in antiquities in Madrid. He sipped from a glass of Madeira and the corners of his mouth curled into a smile. As soon as his brother replied, he would depart the Caribbean, bound for Spain.

At the very same moment when the general was enjoying his Madeira, Hector Barbossa was seated at the Pearl's chart table in another part of the Caribbean Sea, absorbed in a different set of reflections. Over the last two years, the Pearl had managed to capture and restore most of the remaining cursed gold, save for a mere twenty-two medallions. Barbossa gazed at the table, upon which lay two torn halves of a letter and one gold medallion - the only one to be recovered in the last six months. And now we need but twenty-one more, he thought.

Their latest prize had been discovered by Maximo when searching the hold of a Spanish ship they had overtaken. Though his Spanish was quite poor, Barbossa had spent nearly an hour studying the torn letter, his naturally curious and suspicious nature prompting him to investigate further. At last, he strode to the door and shouted to Bo'sun, "Send Maximo."

In due course, Maximo tapped on the door and entered Barbossa's quarters, looking as if he wished to disappear behind his bushy, unkempt black beard. 

Barbossa fixed him with a piercing stare. "D'ye know why I summoned ye?" he asked.

Maximo swallowed nervously. "Because I tore the letter to get the gold out?" he mumbled into his beard. "Didn't mean t-" but Barbossa waved him off.

"Bein' from Cartagena, ye have some knowledge o' the Spanish tongue," he said, "an' I need t' know what be in this letter."

Maximo continued to look alarmed. "But I don't know how to read."

"No matter---I'll read an' ye can tell me what it means," Barbossa replied. He took up the letter and began to read haltingly, as Maximo translated.

When he read the phrase veinte más medallones, he heard Maximo catch his breath. "Twenty more!" Maximo exclaimed. "He has twenty more of them!"

"An' the last part," Barbossa went on. "Sue carta me...uh, leggeran-" He paused and looked at Maximo.

Maximo had been on the verge of telling him that llegarán was pronounced "ye-ge-RAN", but thought better of it. "Your letter will get t'me..." he offered.

"En Santiago," Barbossa added. He looked at Maximo to confirm what he already guessed. 

Maximo seemed beside himself with joy. "In Santiago!" he chortled excitedly. "He's in Santiago!"

Barbossa strode to the door, and shouted to Bo'sun. "Put on more canvas an' make way fer Santiago!" he ordered with a triumphant grin. Amid the hurried motions of her crew and the tumult of voices, the Pearl changed course and began to sail for Santiago de Cuba.