Back then, items that weren’t locally available were highly coveted, especially pelts, precious metals, and spices.* In the event that these seasoned salt-seeking seafarers didn’t return home, most people assumed the fearless travelers must have run into some kind of undefeatable beast, a story bolstered by the fact that every time European sailors tried to explore the West African coast, they never made it farther south than North Africa’s Sahara Desert coast. It had to be monsters. What else but a saber-toothed leviathan could defeat these gallant pathfinders in rickety ships?
