discovering the world.
After this war in which Champlain distinguished himself, peace accords allowed Spain to repatriate its numerous soldiers taken prisoner. Waiting to return to their country, the men were detained at Port Blavet, in Brittany. Who should be found there, pacing the docks of the port, but the famous uncle? Captain Provençal was not only a well-known navigator in his own country, but had also made his mark abroad. The King of Spain entrusted him with the mission of bringing back the prisoners aboard his ship, the St. Julien. The uncle informed his nephew he was welcome to come along, and Samuel accepted with alacrity.
On July 15, 1598, the St. Julien, an imposing vessel that had already sailed to Newfoundland, lifted anchor. Champlain learned the ropes during the voyage, which included several perilous episodes: they struck some rocks in the fog and were completely immobilized for several days. After six weeks, the ship arrived at the Spanish port of Cadiz.
“Finally!” proclaimed Captain Provençal on deck, opening his arms wide, glad to be back in this city where he had his second residence. “Stay as long as you like, Samuel. Here you are at home!” The offer came at just the right time. After the harshness of army life, the vineyards, olive trees, and flower banks of Spain were entrancing in the autumn sunshine.
The nephew spent four months in Cadiz and in Seville, to the north. He toured the area, made contacts, drew maps of the cities he was discovering. He went where he pleased and sometimes would join his uncle. One day, they were meandering together down a small, bustling street in Cadiz, where the fish market gave off its smell of the sea in the morning air.
“Would you be willing to go back on board?” Guillaume Hallène suddenly asked in a mysterious tone.
Samuel looked at him inquiringly.
“Say… to the West Indies?”
“Are you really asking me?” Samuel replied, picturing himself there that very minute.
The name “West Indies” had been given to the islands explored one hundred years earlier by Italian navigator Christopher Columbus and other discoverers searching for a passage to India; at this time, the islands were under Spanish rule. Reportedly, they were laden with gold, silver, rare varieties of trees and exotic fruit. Yet these reports were more than just stories: by the shipload, Spain was stripping its colonies of riches. The European powers fiercely disputed Spain's right to these possessions. The ships' cargoes were frequently plundered by pirates from England, France, and Holland.
As for the two men making their plans, they were now discussing the island of Puerto Rico, then besieged by an English fleet. In response to the attack, the King of Spain was preparing to send over two thousand men and twenty ships. The St. Julien would be among them.
“Will you come with me?” asked the shipowner.
Champlain, dumbfounded, took time to reflect on what was happening to him. Barely freed from his military obligations, he was being asked to cross the Atlantic for the first time, on behalf of a country he had come to appreciate during the last weeks. The setting would be the Caribbean: he had always hoped to see such places of conquest for himself, the most intoxicating imaginable. He pictured himself over there. He would keep a journal to inform the King of each expedition and its outcome. He would discuss in detail the geographical particularities of the coasts and draw precise navigational maps. Decidedly, for Champlain, who dreamed of something other than planting cabbage in his native land, the offer was enticing.
Reining in his emotion before the start of such an adventure, he kept his expression solemn, befitting the man he had become, the officer he had been, and the experienced navigator he promised he soon would be.
“It seems a reasonable prospect,” he conceded.
Soon after this conversation, it was discovered that Puerto Rico had indeed fallen into English hands. From then on, mobilization of troops was halted. The fleet remained in port and the St. Julien went nowhere. With regret, Champlain saw the string of Caribbean islands disappear.
Not long after, a Spanish admiral named Francisco Coloma took note of the uncle's ship: the vessel seemed rapid, trustworthy, and likely to join the fleet that cast off every year and headed for the West Indies. Don Coloma called upon Captain Provençal, who said he would be happy to accompany the mission. In the days before setting sail, a new difficulty arose: the uncle was called away on an urgent matter. How would that affect his nephew's role in the venture? Without his sailmaster, Samuel was not sure he would be allowed to leave.
“Providence seems to be holding me back!” Champlain bemoaned, nervously pacing up and down Guillaume Hallène's garden.
“Let me convince Don Coloma that you'd be an asset to me!” the captain reassured him.
His powers of persuasion were successful. In February 1599, Champlain departed with the admiral's fleet. Two months later, the islands were in sight. Passing one island after another, they reached San Juan, the gateway to Puerto Rico. The conquering English were no longer there; yellow fever, spreading wildly, had forced them to flee. Beforehand, they had burned houses and made off with a precious booty of leather, sugar, ginger, and silver. Pleased nonetheless by this outcome, the Spanish remained in Puerto Rico for a month.
Champlain, already at work on reporting his mission, drew geographical maps and sketched tropical plants and fruit trees. He made observations on the earth's fertility and the appearance of the ports. As befitting a Frenchman, he also took inventory of what he ate: unusually large lemons, delicious papayas, heart-shaped fruit that tasted like sweet cream. In Puerto Rico he drew one of the local reptiles, labelled the drawing a chameleon, and addéd it to his thorough explanations. These creatures disconcerted him. He had been told that they lived simply off the air they breathed, which he doubted.
Later, Champlain stopped off at other islands, such as Santo Domingo, today the territory of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and the Cayman Islands. From time to time, they had to defend themselves against pirates. The voyage continued on to Mexico.
Mexico… This country of apparently inexhaustible riches had long fascinated Champlain. However, his stay in the Aztec homeland showed him both the best and worst of it.
First the marvel of discovery! He wrote in his journal that no one could imagine a country more beautiful than this kingdom of New Spain. The forests there were the most majestic imaginable and featured a remarkable variety of birds. The uniformly gentle and green countryside was dotted with flocks of animals that fed year round on cool grass in this Eden-like climate, watered just enough by nighttime dew. The fruit was beautiful, luscious, abundant.
All this filled Champlain with a deep sense of contentment. The experience culminated with the sight of Mexico City. He raved that it was superbly filled with beautiful temples, palaces, and magnificent houses! The main roads were well planned and bordered with luxurious shops. As for the population of Mexico City, Champlain estimated that about fifteen thousand Spaniards and almost a hundred thousand native people lived there, along with numerous black slaves brought over from Africa.
However, his fascination was mingled with shame: here he was associated with a colonial power that, following the conquest, had ruled as a cruel invader. Becoming more familiar with Mexico, he realized that behind the facade of great homes and gardens of the rich lay the fear that consumed the indigenous communities. For them, Spain's intrusion into their land and mountains
