On Useppa

"I'm learning how to do it, he thought.  This part of it anyway.  Then too, remember he hasn't eaten since he took the bait and he is huge and needs much food.  I have eaten the whole bonito.  Tomorrow I will eat the dolphin.  He called it dorado." Old Man and the Sea





The El Dorado of South America had not quite revealed itself over the many years now of the mission of the expeditionary Spanish treasure fleet.  Nor had the captain of the El Capitan come to his position through the usual channels of the Spanish navy.

He had been nothing more than a low rank midshipman for the Spanish Armada, but he was well known at court, and had an obstinate quality about him that left the perception that he was both an up and comer and one who would prioritize results of these 'Americas' expeditions above all else.  The competition among European powers was so exhaustive at this point in the 16th century and sea trade such an overwhelming investment for businessmen that there were no accolades for mere survival of a returning crew.  Captain de Madrone was wrestling with this very subject on his mind as he watched his sister ship Trueheart sail off from the shores of Cartagena with its supply chambers brimmed full of silver coinage. It was an outrage that the Trueheart, upon its very first sailing, would land the

treasure chests that would most likely propel its crew to fame and further fortune under the greedy influence of the Spanish court. The fleet had now set sail no longer than three days from Cartagena when a stiff Gulf wind had shoved the ships on a more northerly course than anticipated.  De Madrone had given what would eventually become the dastardly signal to the Trueheart that the two ships should now exchange their order in the line.  Trueheart was heavier and sturdier on its center, burdened as it was by the silver tonnage it carried, and would supposedly have better sight lines as it blew upwards along the Gulfo de Mexico off the continent of La Florida.

Although certainly off course, De Madrone had made the risky calculation that he had in fact passed these very waters before, albeit in far better conditions.  As he guessed, there was a hidden reef line that secured the myriad chain of islands off the coast of La Florida.  If a certain galleon ship were to ram directly into such a reef at such and such a rate of speed, there would most certainly be damage done to the hull. This ship would not, of course, sink on the spot, but would have to seek refuge in among the intricate network of the island shores.