ocean, far from the ufual courfe of navigation; nature itfelf seemed to be altered, and the only guide which they had left was about to fail them. Columbus, with no lefs quickness than ingenuity, invented a reason for this appearance, which, though it did not fatisfy himself, feemed fo plaufible to them, that it dispelled their fears, or filenced their murmurs.

(1492) He ftill continued to fteer to the weft, nearly in the fame latitude with the Canary iflands. In this course he came within the fphere of the trade wind, which blows invariably from eaft to weft between the tropics, and a few degrees beyond them. He advanced before this fteady gale with fuch uniform rapidity that it was feldom neceffary to fhift a fail. When about four hundred leagues to the weft of thy Canaries, he found the fea fo covered with weeds, that it refembled a meadow of vaft extent; and in fome places they were fo thick, as to retard the motion of the veffels. This ftrange appearance occafioned new larm and difquiet. The failors imagined that they were now arrived at the utmost boundary of the navigable ocean; that these floating weeds would obftru&t their farther progrefs, and concealed dangerous rocks, or fome large tract of land, which had funk, they knew not how, in that place. Columbus endeavoured to perfuade them, that what had alarmed, ought rather to have encouraged them, and was to be confidered as a fign of approach

ing land. At the fame time, a brifk gele arofe, and carried them forward. Several birds were feen hovering about the fhip q), and directed their flight towards the weit. The defponding crew refumed fome degree of fpirit, and began to entertain fresh hopes.

The increase.

Upon the first of October they were, according to the admiral's reckoning, feven hundred and feventy leagues to the weft of the Canaries; but left his men fhould be intimidated by the prodigious length of the navigation, he gave out that they had proceeded only five hun dred and eighty-four leagues; and, fortunately for Columbus, neither his own pilot, not those of the other ships, had fkill fufficient to corre&t this error, and discover the deceit. They had now been above three weeks at fea; they had proceeded far beyond what former navigators had attempted or deemed poffible; all their prognoftics of difcovery, drawn from the flight of birds and other circumftances, had proved fallacious; the appearances of land, with which their own credulity or the artifice of their commander had from time to time flattered and amufed them, had been altogether illufive, and their profpect of fuccefs feemed now to be as diftant as ever. These reflections occurred of

q) See NOTE XIII.

ROBERTSON Vol. I.

H

ten to men, who had no other object or occupation, than to reafon and difcourfe concerning the intention and circumftances of their ex

pedition. They made impreffion, at first, upon the ignorant and timid, and extending, by degrees, to fuch as were better informed or more refolute, the contagion fpread at length from fhip to fhip. From fecret whispers or murmurings, they proceeded to open cabals and public complaints. They taxed their fovereign with inconfiderate credulity, in paying fuch regard to the vain promises and rash conjectures of an indigent foreigner, as to hazard the lives of fo many of her own fubjects, in prosecuting a chimerical fcheme. They affirmed that they had fully performed their duty, by venturing fo far in an unknown and hopeless courfe, and could incur no blame for refufing to follow, any longer, a defperate adventurer to certain deftruction. They contended, that it was neceffary to think of returning to Spain, while their crazy vefiels were ftill in a condition to keep the fea, but expreffed their fears that the attempt would prove vain, as the wind, which had hitherto been fo favourable to their course, muft render it impoffible to fail in the oppofite direction. All agreed that Columbus fhould be compelled by force to adept a meafure on which their common fafety depended. Some of the more audacious propofed, as the moft expeditious and certain method for getting

rid at once of his remonftrances, to throw him into the fea, being perfuaded that, upon their return to Spain, the death of an unfuccessful projector would excite little concern, and be inquired into with no curiosity.

The addrefs of Columbus in foothing them.

Columbus was fully fenfible of his perilous fituation. He had obferved, with great concern, the fatal operation of ignorance and of fear in producing difaffection among his crew, and faw that it was now ready to burst out into open mutiny. He retained, however, perfect prefence of mind. He affected to feem ignorant of their machinations. Notwithstanding the agitation and folicitude of his own mind, he appeared with a cheerful countenance, like a man fatisfied with the progrefs which he had made, and confident of fuccefs. Sometimes he employed all the arts of infinuation to foothe his men. Sometimes he endeavoured to work upon their ambition or avarice, by magnificent defcriptions of the fame and wealth which they were about to acquire. On other occafions, he affumed a tone of authority, and threatened them with vengeance from their fovereign, if, by their daftardly behaviour, they fhould defeat this noble effort to promote the glory of God, and to exalt the Spanish name above that of every other nation. Even with feditious failors, the words of a man whom they had been accu

ftomed to reverence, were weighty and perfuafive, and not only reftrained them from thofe violent exceffes, which they meditated, but prevailed with them to accompany their admi ral for fome time longer.

Their fears return.

As they proceeded, the indications of approaching land feemed to be more certain, and excited hope in proportion. The birds began to appear in flocks, making towards the fouthweft. Columbus, in immitation of the Portuguefe navigators, who had been guided, in feveral of their difcoveries, by the motion of. birds, altered his courfe from due weft towards that, quater whither they pointed their flight. But, after holding on for several days In this new direction, without any better fuccefs than formerly, having feen no object, during thirty days, but the fea and the fky, the hopes of his companions fubfided fafter than they had rifen; their fears revived with additional force; impatience, rage, and defpair, appeared in every countenance.

Danger of a mutiny,

All fenfe of fubordination was loft: the officers, who had hitherto concurred with Columbus in opinion, and fupported his authority, now took part with the private men; they affembled tumultuoufly on the deck, expoftu