lated with their commander, mingled threats with their expoftulations, and required him inftantly to tack about and to return to Europe. Columbus perceived that it would be of no avail to have recourse to any of his former arts, which having been tried fo often, had loft their ef fect; and that it was impoffible to rekindle any zeal for the fuccefs of the expedition among men, in whose breaft fear had extinguished every generous fentiment.

Diftrefs of Columbus,

He faw that it was no lefs vain to think of employing either gentle or fevere measures, to quell a mutiny fo general and fo violent. It was neceffary, on all these accounts, to foothe paffions which he could no longer command and to give way to a torrent too impetuous to be checked. He promised folemnly to his men that he would comply with their requeft, pro-" vided they would accompany him, and obey his commands for three days longer, and if, during that time, land were not discovered, he would then abandon the enterprife, and direct his course towards Spain r).

Encouraging appearances of fuccefs.

Enraged as the failors were, and impatient to turn their faces again towards their native country, this propofition did not appear to them

Oviedo, Hift. ap. Ramuf. vol. iii. p. 81. E.

ce.

unreasonable. Nor did Columbus hazard much in confining himfelf to a term fo fhort. The prefages of difcovering land were now fo numerous and promifing, that he deemed them infallible. For fome days the founding line reached the bottom, and the foil which it brought up indicated land to be at no great diftanThe flocks of birds increased, and were compofed not only of fea fowl, but of fuch land birds as could not be fuppofed to fly far from the fhore. The crew of the Pinta obferved a cane floating, which feemed to have been newly cut, and likewife a piece of timber artificially carved. The failors aboard the Nigna took up the branch of a tree with red berries, perfectly frefh. The clouds around the fetting fun affumed a new appearance; the air was more mild and warm, and, during night, the wind became unequal and variable. From all these symptoms, Columbus was fo confident of being near land, that on the evening of the eleventh of October, after public prayers for fuccefs, he ordered the fails to be furled, and the fhips to lie by, keeping ftrict watch, left they should be driven afhore in the night. During this interval of fufpence and expectation, no man fhut his eyes, all kept upon deck, gazing intently towards that quarter where they expected to difcover the land, which had been fa long the object of their wishes.

Land difcovered.

About two hours before midnight, Columbus ftanding on the forecastle, obferved a light at a distance, and privately pointed it out to Pedro Guttierez, a page of the queen's wardrobe. Guttierez perceived it, and calling to Salcedo, comptroller of the fleet, all three faw it in motion as if it were carried from pla, ce to place. A little after midnight, the joyful found of land, land, was heard from the Pinta, which kept always ahead of the other fhips. But, having been fo often deceived by fallacious appearances, every man was now become flow of belief, and waited, in all the anguifh of uncertainty and impatience, for the return of day.

Friday O. 12.

As foon as morning dawned, all doubts and fears were difpelled. From every fhip an ifland was feen about two leagues to the north, whofe flat and verdant fields, well ftored with wood, and watered with many rivulets, prefented the aspect of a deligthful country. The crew of the Pinta inftantly began Te Deum, as a hymn of thanksgiving to God, and were joined by those of the other ships, with tears of joy and transports of congratulation. This office of gratitude to Heaven was followed by an act of juftice to their commander. They

threw themselves at the feet of Columbus, with feelings of felf-condemnation mingled with reverence. They implored him to pardon their ignorance, incredulity; and infolence, which had created him fo much unneceffary difquiet, and had fo often obftructed the profecution of his well-concerted plan; and paffing, in the warmth of their admiration, from one extreme to another, they now pronounced the man, whom they had fo lately reviled and threatened, to be a perfon infpired by Heaven with fagacity and fortitude more than human, in order to accomplish a defign, fo far beyond the ideas and conception of all former ages.

First interview with the natives.

As foon as the fun arofe, all their boats were manned and armed. They rowed towards the ifland with their colours difplayed, with warlike mufic, and other martial pomp. As they approached the coaft, they faw it covered with a multitude of people, whom the novelty of the spectacle had drawn together, whofe attitudes and geftures expreffed wonder and aftonishment at the ftrange objects which prefented themselves to their view. Columbus was the first European who fet foot in the New World which he had difcovered. He landed in a rich drefs, and with a naked fword in his hand. His men followed, and kneeling down, they all kiffed the ground which they

had fo long defired to fee. They next erected a crucifix, and proftratting themselves before id, returned thanks to God for conducting their voyage to fuch an happy issue. They then took folemn poffeffion of the country for the crown of Caftile and Leon, with all the formalities which the Portuguese were accustomed to obferve in acts of this kind, in their new difcoveries s).

Their mutual aftonishment.

The Spaniards, while thus employed, were furrounded by many of the natives, who gazet, in filent admiration, upon actions which they could not comprehend, and of which they did not forefee the confequences. The drefs of the Spaniards, the whiteness of their skins, their beards, their arms, appeared ftrange and furprising. The vaft machines in which they had traversed the ocean, that seemed to move upon the waters with wings, and uttered a dreadful found refembling thunder, accompanied with lightning and fmoke, ftruck them with fuch terror, that they began to respect their new guefts as a fuperior order of beigns, and concluded that they were children of the Sun, who had defcended to vifit the earth.

The Europeans were hardly lefs amazed at the scene now before them. Every herb, and fhrub, and tree, was different from thofe which

s) Life of Columbus, e. 22. 23. Herrera, dec. 1. lib. 1. c. 13.