" was a thing for mockery.' It was now to be seen what mockery was in it. Our account of the voyage is mainly taken from an abridgment of Columbus's own diary, made by Las Cafas, who in fome places gives the Admiral's own words. The little fquadron reached the Canary Islands in a few days, with no accident worth recording, except that the caravel "Pinta," commanded by Martin Alonso Pinzon, unshipped her rudder. This was fupposed to be no accident, but to have been done by the owners of the veffel, who liked not the voyage. The Admiral, (from henceforth Columbus is called the Admiral) is obliged to stay some time at the Canary Islands to refit the Pinta, and to make some change in the cut of her fails. In the abridgment of the diary, under the date 9th of Auguft, the Admiral remarks that many Spaniards of these islands (hombres honrados) fwear that each year they fee land; and he remembers how in the year 1484 fome one came from the island of Madeira to the king of Portugal to beg a caravel to go and discover that land which he declared he faw each year, and in the same manner.† Had not the Admiral been conscious of the substantial

* Los ocho fuí traido en disputas, y en fin se dió mi aviso por causa de burla.—Navarrete, Col. vol. 2, p. 254.

† Navarrete, Col. vol. 1, p. 5.

originality of his proceedings, he would hardly have been fo careful to collect these scattered notices which might afterwards be used, as many like them were used, to depreciate that originality. There is no further entry in the diary until the 6th of September, when they set out from Gomera (one of the Canary Islands) on their unknown

way.

For many days, what we have of the diary is little more than a log-book giving the rate of failing, or rather two rates, one for Columbus's own private heed, and the other for the failors. For inftance, when they go fixty leagues in a day and night, it is put down at forty eight for the failors. On the 13th of September, it is noted that the needle declined in the evening to the north-west, and on the ensuing morning to the north-eaft-the first time that such a variation had been obferved or, at least, recorded by Europeans. On the 14th, the failors of the Caravel Niña faw two tropical birds, which they said were never wont to be seen at more than fifteen or twenty leagues from fhore. On the 15th, they all faw a meteor fall from heaven, which made them very fad. On the 16th they first came upon those immense plains of seaweed, (the "fucus natans") which constitute the Mar de Sargaffo, and which, according to Humboldt, occupy a space in the Atlantic almost equal

to seven times the extent of France.* The af pect of these plains terrified the failors greatly, who thought they might be coming upon fubmerged lands and rocks; but finding that the veffels cut their way well through this fea-weed, the failors thereupon took heart. On the 17th, they see more of these plains of fea-weed, and thinking themselves to be near land, they are almoft in good fpirits, when finding that the needle declined to the weft a whole point of the compass and more, their hopes fuddenly fank again: they began to "murmur between their

teeth," and to wonder whether they were not in another world. However Columbus orders an obfervation to be taken at day break, when the needle is found to point to the north again; and he has forthwith an ingenious theory to account for the phenomenon of its variation which had fo disturbed the failors; namely, that it was caused by the north ftar moving round the pole. The failors are, therefore, quieted upon this head. In the morning of the fame day they catch a crab, from which Columbus infers that they cannot be more than eighty leagues diftant from land. The 18th, they see many birds, and a cloud in the

* Humboldt's Kofmos, vol. 2, p. 287.

distance; and that night expect to see land. On the 19th, in the morning, comes a pelican; in the evening another; birds not usually seen twenty leagues from the coast: alfo drizzling rain without wind, a certain fign, as the diary fays, of proximity to land. However the Admiral will not beat about for land, as he concludes that the land which these various figns give token of, can only be islands, as indeed they were. He will fee them on his return: but now he must press on to the Indies. This refolution shows his great mind, and the scientific conclufion he had come to.

He is not to be diverted from the main defign by any partial fuccefs, though by this time he knew well the fears of his men, fome of whom, according to the account of Herrera, had already come to the conclufion" that it would be their " best plan to throw him quietly into the sea, and cc fay he unfortunately fell in while he stood ab" forbed in looking at the stars" ( embebido en confiderar las eftrellas.) Indeed, three days after he had refolved to pass on to the Indies, we find him

* Mas de que tuvo por cierto que á la banda del Norte y del Sur habia algunas illas, como en la verdad lo estaban y él iba por medio dellas; porque fu voluntad era de seguir adelante hasta las Indias, y el tiempo es bueno, porque placiendo á Dios á la vuelta fe veria todo: eftas fon fus palabras. Navarrete, Col. vol. 1, p. 11.

H

faying, for Las Cafas gives his words, very "needful for me was this contrary wind, for the " people were very much tormented with the idea "that there were no winds on these feas that "could take them back to Spain."

On they go, having figns occafionally in the prefence of birds and grafs and fish that land must be near; but land does not come. Once, too, they are all convinced that they see land: they fing the "gloria in excelfis:" and even the Admiral goes out of his courfe towards this land which turns out to be no land. They are like men listening to a terrible discourse, or oration, that seems to have many endings which end not: so that the hearer at laft liftens in grim despair, thinking that all things have loft their meaning, and that ending is but another form of beginning.

These mariners were ftout-hearted, too: but what a thing it was to plunge, down-hill as it were, into a new world of waters, mocked day by day with figns of land that neared not. And these men had wives and fweethearts at home, and did not bring out with them any great idea to uphold them, and had already done enough to make them great men in their towns, and to furnish ample talk for the evenings of their lives.