themselves in his power by ftraggling in fmall parties, or marching to far from the fort. He promised to revifit them foon, with fuch a reinforcement of firenght as might enable them to` take full poffeffion of the country, and to reap all the fruits of their difcoveries. In the mean time, he engaged to mention their names to the king and queen, and to place their merit and fervices in the moft advantageous light b).

(1493) Having thus taken every precaution for the fecurity of the Colony, he left Navidad on the fourth of January, one thousand four hundred and ninety-three, and fteering towards the eaft, difcovered, and gave names to most of the harbours on the northern coaft of the island. On the fixth, he defcried the Pinta, and foon came up with her, after a feparation of more than fix weeks. Pinzon endeavoured to juftify his conduct, by pretending that he had been driven from his courfe by ftrefs of weather, and prevented from returning by contrary winds. The admiral, though he ftill fufpected his perfidious intentions, and knew well what he urged in his own defence to be frivolous as well as falfe, was fo fenfible that this was not a proper time for venturing upon any high ftrain of authority, and felt fuch fatisfaction in this junction with his confort, which delivered him from many difquieting ap

b) Oviedo ap. Ramufio, iii. p. 82, E. Herrera, dec. I. lib. i. £, 20. Life of Columbus, c. 34.

prehenfions, that, lame as Pinzon's apology was, he admitted of it without difficulty, and reftored him to favour. During his abfence from the admiral, Pinzon had vifited feveral harbours in the ifland, had acquired fome gold by trafficking with the natives, but had made no difcovery of any importance.

Refolves to return to Europe.

From the condition of his fhips, as well as the temper of his men, Columbus now found it neceffary to haften his return to Europe. The former, having fuffered much during a voyage of fuch an unusual length, were extremely leaky. The latter expreffed the utmoft impatience to revifit their native country, from which they had been fo long abfent, and where they had things fo wonderful and unheard of to relate. Accordingly, on the fixteenth of January, he directed his courfe towards the north-eaft, and foon loft fight of land. He had on board fome of the natives, whom he had taken from the different iflands which he difcovered; and befides the gold, which was the chief object of refearch, he had collected fpecimens of all the productions which were likely to become fubjects of commerce in the feveral countries, as well as many unknown birds, and other natural curiofities, which might attract the attention of the learned, or excite the wonder of the people.

A violent form arifes.

The voyage was profperous to the four teenth of February, and he had advanced near five hundred leagues across the Atlantic Ocean,. when the wind began to rife, and continued to blow with increafing rage, which terminated in a furious hurricane. Every expedient that the naval fkill and experience of Columbus could devife was employed, in order to fave the ships. But it was impoffible to withstand the violence of the ftorm, and as they were still far from any land, deftruction feemed inevitable. The failors had recourfe to prayers to Almighty God, to the invocation of faints, to vows and charms, to every thing that religion dictates, or fuperftition fuggefts, to the affrighted mind of man. No prospect of deliverance appearing, they abandoned themselves to defpair, and expected every moment to be fwallowed up in the waves. Befides the paffions which naturally agitate and alarm the human mind in fuch awful fituations, when certain death, in one of his moft terrible forms is before it, Columbus had to endure feelings of diftrefs peculiar to himself.

The conduct of Columbus.

He dreaded that all knowledge of the amazing difcoveries which he had made was now to perifh; mankind were to be deprived of every be nefit that might have been derived from the happy fuccefs of his fchemes, and his own na

me would defcend to pofterity as that of a rath deluded adventurer, inftead of being transmitted with the honour due to the author and condu&tor of the moft noble enterprise that had ever been undertaken. Thefe reflexions extinguifhed all fenfe of his own perfonal danger. Lefs af

fected with the lofs of life, than folicitous to preferve the memory of what he had attempted and achieved, he rotired to his cabin, and wrote upon parchment, a fhort account of the voyage which he had made, of the courfe which he had taken, of the fituation and riches of the countries which he had difcovered, and of the colony that he had left there. Having wrapt up this in an oiled cloth, which he inclofeď in a cake of wax, he put it into a cafk carefully ftopped up, and threw it into the fea, in hopes that fome fortunate accident might preferve a depofit of fo much importance to the world c).

Takes fhelter in the Azores.

At length Providence interpofed, to fave a life referved for other fervices. The wind abated, the fea became calm, and on the evening of the fifteenth, Columbus and his companions difcovered land; and though uncertain what it was, they made towards it. They foon knew it to be St. Mary, one of the Azores or weftern ifles, fubject to the crown of Portugal.

e) Life of Columbus, €, 37. Herrera, dec. I. lib. ii. c. 1. 2. See NOTE XVI,

There, after a violent conteft with the governor, in which Columbus difplayed no lefs fpirit than prudence, he obtained a fupply of frefa provifions, and whatever elfe he needed. One circumftance, however, greatly difquieted him. The Pinta, of which he had loft fight on the first day of the hurricane, did not appear; he dreaded for fome time that he had foundered at fea, and that all her crew had perifhed: afterwards, his former fufpicions recurred, and he became apprehenfive that Pinzon had borne away for Spain, that be might reach it before him, and by giving the firft account of his difcoveries, might obtain fome fhare of his fame.

Feb. 24. Arrives at Lifbon.

In order to prevent this, he left the Azores as foon as the weather would permit. At no great distance from the coaft of Spain, when near the end of his voyage, and feemingly beyond the reach of any difafter, another ftorm arofe, little inferior to the former in violence; and after driving before it during two days and two nights, he was forced to take fhelter in the river Tagus. (March. 4.) Upon application to the king of Portugal, he was allowed to come up to Lifbon; and, notwithstanding the envy which it was natural for the Portuguese to 'feel, when they beheld another nation entering upon that province of difcovery which they had hitherto deemed peculiarly their own, and in