"They little thought how pure a light,
With years, should gather round that day;
How love should keep their memories bright--
How wide a realm their sons should sway."
Bryant.
The night that succeeded was one of very varied feelings among the
adventurers. As soon as Sancho secured the reward, he had no further
scruples about communicating all he knew, to any who were disposed to
listen; and long ere Columbus returned on board the vessel, the
intelligence had spread from mouth to mouth, until all in the little
squadron were apprised of the intentions of the Portuguese. Many hoped
that it was true, and that their pursuers might be successful; any fate
being preferable, in their eyes, to that which the voyage promised; but,
such is the effect of strife, much the larger portion of the crew were
impatient to lift the anchors and to make sail, if it were only to get
the mastery in the race. Columbus, himself, experienced the deepest
concern, for it really seemed as if a hard fortune was about to snatch
the cup from his lips, just as it had been raised there, after all his
cruel sufferings and delays. He consequently passed a night of deep
anxiety, and was the first to rise in the morning.
Every one was on the alert with the dawn; and as the preparations had
been completed the previous night, by the time the sun had risen, the
three vessels were under way, the Pinta leading, as usual. The wind was
light, and the squadron could barely gather steerage way; but as every
moment was deemed precious, the vessels' heads were kept to the
westward. When a short time out, a caravel came flapping past them,
after having been several hours in sight, and the admiral spoke her. She
proved to be from Ferro, the most southern and western island of the
group, and had come nearly on the route the expedition intended to
steer, until they quitted the known seas.
"Dost thou bring any tidings from Ferro?" inquired Columbus, as the
strange ship drifted slowly past the Santa Maria; the progress of each
vessel being little more than a mile in the hour. "Is there aught of
interest in that quarter?"
"Did I know whether, or not, I am speaking to Don Christopher Columbus,
the Genoese that their Highnesses have honored with so important a
commission, I should feel more warranty to answer what I have both heard
and seen, Senor," was the reply.
"I am Don Christopher himself, their Highnesses' admiral and viceroy,
for all seas and lands that we may discover, and, as thou hast said, a
Genoese in birth, though a Castilian by duty, and in love to the queen."
"Then, noble admiral, I may tell you that the Portuguese are active,
three of their caravels being off Ferro, at this moment, with the hope
of intercepting your expedition."
"How is this known, friend, and what reason have I for supposing that
the Portuguese will dare to send forth caravels, with orders to molest
those who sail as the officers of Isabella the Catholic? They must know
that the Holy Father hath lately conferred this title on the two
sovereigns, in acknowledgment of their great services in expelling the
Moor from Christendom."
"Senor, there hath been a rumor of that among the islands, but little
will the Portuguese care for aught of that nature, when he deemeth his
gold in danger. As I quitted Ferro, I spoke the caravels, and have good
reason to think that rumor doth them no injustice."
"Did they seem warlike, and made they any pretensions to a right to
interrupt our voyage?"
"To us they said naught of this sort, except to inquire, tauntingly, if
the illustrious Don Christoval Colon, the great viceroy of the east,
sailed on board us. As for preparation, Senor, they had many lombardas,
and a multitude of men in breast-plates and casques. I doubt if soldiers
are as numerous at the Azores, as when they sailed."
"Keep they close in with the island, or stretch they off to seaward?"
"Mostly the latter, Senor, standing far toward the west in the morning,
and beating up toward the land as the day closeth. Take the word of an
old pilot, Don Christopher, the mongrels are there for no good."
This was barely audible, for, by this time, the caravels had drifted
past each other, and were soon altogether beyond the reach of the voice.
"Do you believe that the Castilian name standeth so low, Don
Christopher," demanded Luis, "that these dogs of Portuguese dare do this
wrong to the flag of the queen?"
"I dread naught from force, beyond detention and frauds, certainly; but
these, to me, at this moment, would be little less painful than death.
Most do I apprehend that these caravels, under the pretence of
protecting the rights of Don John, are directed to follow us to Cathay,
in which case we should have a disputed discovery, and divided honors.
We must avoid the Portuguese, if possible; to effect which purpose, I
intend to pass to the westward, without nearing the island of Ferro, any
closer than may be rendered absolutely indispensable."
Notwithstanding a burning impatience now beset the admiral, and most
with him, the elements seemed opposed to his passage from among the
Canaries, into the open ocean. The wind gradually failed, until it
became so calm that the sails were hauled up, and the three vessels lay,
now laying their sides with the brine, and now rising to the summit of
the ground-swell, resembling huge animals that were lazily reposing,
under the heats of summer, in drowsy indolence.
Many was the secret _pater_, or _ave_, that was mumbled by the mariners,
and not a few vows of future prayers were made, in the hope of obtaining
a breeze. Occasionally it seemed as if Providence listened to these
petitions, for the air would fan the cheek, and the sails would fall, in
the vain expectation of getting ahead; but disappointment as often
followed, until all on board felt that they were fated to linger under
the visitations of a calm. Just at nightfall, however, a light air
arose, and, for a few hours, the wash of the parted waters was audible
under the bows of the vessels, though their way was barely sufficient to
keep them under the command of their helms. About midnight, however,
even this scarcely perceptible motion was lost, and the craft were again
lazily wallowing in the ground-swells that the gales had sent in from
the vast expanse of the Western Ocean.
When the light reappeared, the admiral found himself between Gomera and
Teneriffe, the lofty peak of the latter casting its pointed shadow, like
that thrown by a planet, far upon the water, until its sharp apex was
renewed, in faint mimicry, along the glassy surface of the ocean.
Columbus was now fearful that the Portuguese might employ their boats,
or impel some light felucca by her sweeps, in order to find out his
position; and he wisely directed the sails to be furled, in order to
conceal his vessels, as far as possible, from any prying eyes. The
season had advanced to the 7th of September, and such was the situation
of this renowned expedition, exactly five weeks after it had left Spain;
for this inauspicious calm occurred on a Friday, or on that day of the
week on which it had originally sailed.
All practice shows that there is no refuge from a calm at sea, except in
patience. Columbus was much too experienced a navigator, not to feel
this truth, and, after using the precaution mentioned, he, and the
pilots under him, turned their attention to the arrangements required to
render the future voyage safe and certain. The few mathematical
instruments known to the age, were got up, corrected, and exhibited,
with the double intention of ascertaining their state, and of making a
display before the common men, that would heighten their respect for
their leaders, by adding to their confidence in their skill. The
admiral, himself, had already obtained a high reputation as a navigator,
among his followers, in consequence of his reckonings having proved so
much more accurate than those of the pilots, in approaching the
Canaries; and as he now exhibited the instruments then used as a
quadrant, and examined his compasses, every movement he made was watched
by the seamen, with either secret admiration, or jealous vigilance; some
openly expressing their confidence in his ability to proceed wherever he
wished to go, and others covertly betraying just that degree of critical
knowledge which ordinarily accompanies prejudice, ignorance, and malice.
Luis had never been able to comprehend the mysteries of navigation, his
noble head appearing to repudiate learning, as a species of
accomplishment but little in accordance with its wants or its tastes.
Still, he was intelligent; and within the range of knowledge that it was
usual for laymen of his rank to attain, few of his age did themselves
more credit in the circles of the court. Fortunately, he had the most
perfect reliance on the means of the admiral; and being almost totally
without personal apprehensions, Columbus had not a more submissive or
blind follower, than the young grandee, under his command.
Man, with all his boasted philosophy, intelligence, and reason, exists
the dupe of his own imagination and blindness, as much as of the
artifices and designs of others. Even while he fancies himself the most
vigilant and cautious, he is as often misled by appearances as governed
by facts and judgment; and perhaps half of those who were spectators of
this calculated care in Columbus, believed that they felt, in their
renewed confidence, the assurances of science and logical deductions,
when in truth their senses were impressed, without, in the slightest
degree, enlightening their understandings.
Thus passed the day of the 7th September, the night arriving and still
finding the little squadron, or fleet, as it was termed in the lofty
language of the day, floating helplessly between Teneriffe and Gomera.
Nor did the ensuing morning bring a change, for a burning sun beat,
unrelieved by a breath of air, on the surface of a sea that was
glittering like molten silver. When the admiral was certain, however, by
having sent men aloft to examine the horizon, that the Portuguese were
not in sight, he felt infinitely relieved, little doubting that his
pursuers still lay, as inactive as himself, to the westward of Ferro.
"By the seamen's hopes! Senor Don Christopher," said Luis, as he reached
the poop, where Columbus had kept an untiring watch for hours, he
himself having just risen from a siesta, "the fiends seem to be leagued
against us! Here are we in the third day of our calm, with the Peak of
Teneriffe as stationary as if it were a mile-stone, set to tell the
porpoises and dolphins the rate at which they swim. If one believed in
omens, he might fancy that the saints were unwilling to see us depart,
even though it be on their own errand."
"We _may not_ believe in omens, when they are no more than the fruits of
natural laws," gravely returned the admiral. "There will shortly be an
end of this calm, for a haze is gathering in the atmosphere that
promises air from the east, and the motion of the ship will tell thee,
that the winds have been busy far to the westward. Master Pilot,"
addressing the officer of that title, who had charge of the deck at the
moment, "thou wilt do well to unfurl thy canvas, and prepare for a
favoring breeze, as we shall soon be overtaken by wind from the
north-east."
This prediction was verified about an hour later, when all three of the
vessels began, again, to part the waters with their sterns. But the
breeze, if any thing, proved more tantalizing to the impatient mariners
than the calm itself had been; for a strong head sea had got up, and the
air proving light, the different craft struggled with difficulty toward
the west.
All this time, a most anxious look-out was kept for the Portuguese
caravels, the appearance of which, however, was less dreaded than it had
been, as they were now supposed to be a considerable distance to
leeward. Columbus, and his skilful assistants, Martin Alonzo and Vicente
Yanez, or the brothers Pinzon, who commanded the Pinta and the Nina,
practised all the means that their experience could suggest to get
ahead. Their progress, however, was not only slow but painful, as every
fresh impulse given by the breeze, served to plunge the bows of the
vessels into the sea with a violence that threatened injuries to the
spars and rigging. So trifling, indeed, was their rate of sailing, that
it required all the judgment of Columbus to note the nearly
imperceptible manner in which the tall, cone-like summit of the Peak of
Teneriffe lowered, as it might be, inch by inch. The superstitious
feelings of the common men being more active than usual, even, some
among them began to whisper that the elements were admonishing them
against proceeding, and that tardy as it might seem, the admiral would
do well to attend to omens and signs that nature seldom gave without
sufficient reason. These opinions, however, were cautiously uttered--the
grave, earnest manner of Columbus having created so much respect, as to
suppress them in his presence; and the mariners of the other vessels
still followed the movements of their admiral with that species of blind
dependence which marks the submission of the inferior to the superior,
under such circumstances.
When Columbus retired to his cabin for the night, Luis observed that his
countenance was unusually grave, as he ended his calculations of the
days' work.
"I trust all goes to your wishes, Don Christopher," the young man gaily
observed. "We are now fairly on our journey, and, to my eyes, Cathay is
already in sight."
"Thou hast that within thee, Don Luis," returned the admiral, "which
rendereth what thou wishest to see distinct, and maketh all colors gay.
With me it is a duty to see things as they _are_, and, although Cathay
lieth plainly before the vision of my mind--thou, Lord, who hast
implanted, for thine own great ends, the desire to reach that distant
land, only know'st how plainly!--although Cathay is thus plain to my
moral view, I am bound to heed the physical obstacles that may exist to
our reaching it."
"And are these obstacles getting to be more serious than we could hope,
Senor?"
"My trust is still in God--look here, young lord," laying his finger on
the chart; "at this point were we in the morning, and to this point have
we advanced by means of all the toil of the day, down to this portion of
the night. Thou seest that a line of paper marketh the whole of our
progress; and, here again, thou seest that we have to cross this vast
desert of ocean, ere we may even hope to draw near the end of our
journey. By my calculation, with all our exertions, and at this critical
moment--critical not only as regardeth the Portuguese, but critical as
regardeth our own people--we have made but nine leagues, which are a
small portion of the thousand that lie before us. At this rate we may
dread a failure of our provisions and water."
"I have all confidence in your resources, Don Christopher, and in your
knowledge and experience."
"And I have all confidence in the protection of God; trusting that he
will not desert his servant in the moment that he most needeth his
support."
Here Columbus prepared himself to catch a few hours' sleep, though it
was in his clothes, the interest he felt in the position of his vessels
forbidding him to undress. This celebrated man lived in an age when a
spurious philosophy, and a pretending but insufficient exercise of
reason, placed few, even in appearance, above the frank admission of
their constant reliance on a divine power. We say in appearance, as no
man, whatever may be the extent of his delusions on this subject, really
believes that he is altogether sufficient for his own protection. This
absolute self-reliance is forbidden by a law of nature, each carrying in
his own breast a monitor to teach him his real insignificance,
demonstrating daily, hourly, at each minute even, that he is but a
diminutive agent used by a superior power in carrying out its own great
and mysterious ends, for the sublime and beneficent purposes for which
the world and all it contains has been created. In compliance with the
usage of the times, Columbus knelt, and prayed fervently, ere he slept;
nor did Luis de Bobadilla hesitate about imitating an example that few,
in that day, thought beneath their intelligence or their manhood. If
religion had the taint of superstition in the fifteenth century, and men
confided too much in the efficacy of momentary and transient impulses,
it is certain that it also possessed an exterior of graceful meekness
and submission to God, in losing which, it may be well questioned if the
world has been the gainer.
The first appearance of light brought the admiral and Luis to the deck.
They both knelt again on the poop, and repeated their paters; and then,
yielding to the feelings natural to their situation, they arose, eager
to watch for what might be revealed by the lifting of the curtain of
day. The approach of dawn, and the rising of the sun at sea, have been
so often described, that the repetition here might be superfluous; but
we shall state that Luis watched the play of colors that adorned the
eastern sky, with a lover's refinement of feeling, fancying that he
traced a resemblance to the passage of emotions across the tell-tale
countenance of Mercedes, in the soft and transient hues that are known
to precede a fine morning in September, more especially in a low
latitude. As for the admiral, his more practical gaze was turned in the
direction in which the island of Ferro lay, awaiting the increase of the
light in order to ascertain what changes had been wrought during the
hours he had slept. Several minutes passed in profound attention, when
the navigator beckoned Luis to his side.
"Seest thou that dark, gloomy pile, which is heaving up out of the
darkness, here at the south and west of us?" he said--"it gaineth form
and distinctness at each instant, though distant some eight or ten
leagues; that is Ferro, and the Portuguese are there, without question,
anxiously expecting our appearance. In this calm, neither can approach
the other, and thus far we are safe. It is now necessary to ascertain if
the pursuing caravels are between us and the land, or not; after which,
should it prove otherwise, we shall be reasonably safe, if we approach
no nearer to the island, and we can maintain, as yesterday, the
advantage of the wind. Seest thou any sail, Luis, in that quarter of the
ocean?"
"None, Senor; and the light is already of sufficient strength to expose
the white canvas of a vessel, were any there."
Columbus made an ejaculation of thankfulness, and immediately ordered
the look-out aloft to examine the entire horizon. The report was
favorable; the dreaded Portuguese caravels being nowhere visible. As the
sun arose, however, a breeze sprung up at the southward and westward,
bringing Ferro, and consequently any vessels that might be cruising in
that quarter, directly to windward of the fleet. Sail was made without
the loss of a moment; and the admiral stood to the northward and
westward, trusting that his pursuers were looking out for him on the
south side of the island, which was the ground where those who did not
thoroughly understand his aim, would be most likely to expect him. By
this time the westerly swell had, in a great measure, gone down; and
though the progress of the vessels was far from rapid, it was steady,
and seemed likely to last. The hours went slowly by, and as the day
advanced, objects became less and less distinct on the sides of Ferro.
Its entire surface next took the hazy appearance of a dim and
ill-defined cloud; and then it began slowly to sink into the water. Its
summit was still visible, as the admiral, with the more privileged of
his companions, assembled on the poop, to take a survey of the ocean and
of the weather. The most indifferent observer might now have noted the
marked difference in the state of feeling which existed among the
adventurers on board the Santa Maria. On the poop, all was cheerfulness
and hope, the present escape having induced even the distrustful,
momentarily, to forget the uncertain future; the pilots, as usual, were
occupied and sustained by a species of marine stoicism; while a
melancholy had settled on the crew that was as apparent as if they were
crowding around the dead. Nearly every man in the ship was in some one
of the groups that had assembled on deck; and every eye seemed riveted,
as it might be by enchantment, on the fading and falling heights of
Ferro. While things were in this state, Columbus approached Luis, and
aroused him from a sort of trance, by laying a finger lightly on his
shoulder.
"It cannot be that the Senor de Munos is affected by the feelings of the
common men," observed the admiral, with a slight mixture of surprise and
reproach; "this, too, at a moment that all of an intelligence sufficient
to foresee the glorious consequences, are rejoicing that a heaven-sent
breeze is carrying us to a safe distance from the pursuing and envious
caravels! Why dost thou thus regard the people beneath, with a steady
eye and unwavering look? Is it that thou repentest embarking, or dost
thou merely muse on the charms of thy mistress?"
"By San Iago! Don Christopher, this time your sagacity is at fault. I
neither repent, nor muse as you would imply; but I gaze at yonder poor
fellows with pity for their apprehensions."
"Ignorance is a hard master, Senor Pedro, and one that is now exercising
his power over the imaginations of the seamen, with the ruthlessness of
a tyrant. They dread the worst merely because they have not the
knowledge to foresee the best. Fear is a stronger passion than hope, and
is ever the near ally of ignorance. In vulgar eyes that which hath not
yet been--nay, which hath not, in some measure, become familiar by
use--is deemed impossible; men reasoning in a circle that is abridged by
their information. Those fellows are gazing at the island, as it
disappears, like men taking a last look at the things of life. Indeed,
this concern exceedeth even what I could have anticipated."
"It lieth deep, Senor, and yet it riseth to the eyes; for I have seen
tears on cheeks that I could never have supposed wetted in any manner
but by the spray of the ocean!"
"There are our two acquaintances, Sancho and Pepe, neither of whom
seemeth particularly distressed, though the last hath a cast of
melancholy in his face. As for the first, the knave showeth the
indifference of a true mariner--one who is never so happy as when
furthest from the dangers of rocks and shoals: to such a man, the
disappearance of one island, and the appearance of another, are alike
matters of indifference. He seeth but the visible horizon around him,
and considereth the rest of the world, temporarily, as a blank. I look
for loyal service in that Sancho, in despite of his knavery, and count
upon him as one of the truest of my followers."
Here the admiral was interrupted by a cry from the deck beneath him,
and, looking round, his practised and quick eye was not slow in
discovering that the horizon to the southward presented the usual watery
blank of the open ocean. Ferro had, in fact, altogether disappeared,
some of the most sanguine of the seamen having fancied that they beheld
it, even after it had finally sunk behind the barrier of waves. As the
circumstance became more and more certain, the lamentations among the
people grew less and less equivocal and louder, tears flowed without
shame or concealment, hands were wrung in a sort of a senseless despair,
and a scene of such clamor ensued, as threatened some serious danger to
the expedition from this new quarter. Under such circumstances, Columbus
had all the people collected beneath the break of the poop, and standing
on the latter, where he could examine every countenance for himself, he
addressed them on the subject of their grief. On this occasion the
manner of the great navigator was earnest and sincere, leaving no doubt
that he fully believed in the truth of his own arguments, and that he
uttered nothing with the hope to delude or to mislead.
"When Don Ferdinand and Dona Isabella, our respected and beloved
sovereigns, honored me with the commission of admiral and viceroy, in
those secret seas toward which we are now steering," he said, "I
considered it as the most glorious and joyful event of my life, as I now
consider this moment, that seemeth to some among you so painful, as
second to it in hope and cause for felicitation. In the disappearance of
Ferro, I see also the disappearance of the Portuguese; for, now that we
are in the open ocean, without the limits of any known land, I trust
that Providence hath placed us beyond the reach and machinations of all
our enemies. While we prove true to ourselves, and to the great objects
that are before us, there is no longer cause for fear. If any person
among you hath a mind to disburden himself, in this matter, let him
speak freely; we being much too strong in argument to wish to silence
doubts by authority."
"Then, Senor Don Almirante," put in Sancho, whose tongue was ever ready
to wag, as occasion offered, "it is just that which maketh your
Excellency so joyful that maketh these honest people so sad. Could they
always keep the island of Ferro in sight, or any other known land, they
would follow you to Cathay with as gentle a pull as the launch followeth
the caravel in a light breeze and smooth water; but it is this leaving
all behind, as it might be, earth as well as wives and children, that
saddens their hearts, and uncorks their tears."
"And thou, Sancho, an old mariner that wast born at sea"--
"Nay, your Excellency, illustrious Senor Don Almirante," interrupted
Sancho, looking up with pretended simplicity, "not exactly at sea,
though within the scent of its odor; since, having been found at the
shipwright's gate, it is not probable they would have made a haven just
to land so small a part of the freight."
"Well, born _near_ the sea, if thou wilt--but from thee I expect better
things than unmanly lamentations because an island hath sunk below the
horizon."
"Excellency, you may; it mattereth little to Sancho, if half the islands
in the sea were sunk a good deal lower. There are the Cape de Verdes,
now, which I never wish to look upon again, and Lampidosa, besides
Stromboli and others in that quarter, would be better out of the way,
than where they are, as for any good they do us seamen. But, if your
Excellency will condescend to tell these honest people whither it is
that we are bound, and what you expect to find in port, and, more
especially, when we are to come back, it would comfort them in an
unspeakable degree."
"As I hold it to be the proper office of men in authority to let their
motives be known, when no evil followeth the disclosure, this will I
most cheerfully do, requiring the attention of all near me, and chiefly
of those who are most uneasy concerning our present position and future
movements. The end of our voyage is Cathay, a country that is known to
lie in the uttermost eastern extremity of Asia, whither it hath been
more than once reached by Christian travellers; and its difference from
all other voyages, or journeys, that may have been attempted in order to
reach the same country, is in the circumstance that we go west, while
former travellers have proceeded east. But this is effecting our
purposes by means that belong only to stout-hearted mariners, since none
but those who are familiar with the ocean, skilful pilots, and obedient
and ready seamen, can traverse the waters, without better guides than
the knowledge of the stars, currents, winds, and other phenomena of the
Atlantic, and such aids as may be gleaned from science. The reason on
which I act, is a conviction that the earth is round, whence it
followeth that the Atlantic, which we know to possess an eastern
boundary of land, must also have a western; and from certain
calculations that leave it almost certain, that this continent, which I
hold will prove to be India, cannot lie more than some twenty-five or
thirty days' sailing, if as many, from our own Europe. Having thus told
when and where I expect to find the country we seek, I will now touch a
little on the advantages that we may all expect to derive from the
discovery. According to the accounts of a certain Marco Polo, and his
relatives, gentlemen of Venice, and men of fair credit and good
reputations, the kingdom of Cathay is not only one of the most extensive
known, but one that most aboundeth in gold and silver, together with the
other metals of value, and precious stones. Of the advantages of the
discovery of such a land to yourselves, ye may judge by its advantages
to me. Their Highnesses have dignified me with the rank of admiral and
viceroy, in anticipation of our success, and, persevering to a
successful termination of your efforts, the humblest man among ye may
look with confidence to some signal mark of their favor. Rewards will
doubtless be rendered in proportion to your merits; he that deserveth
much, receiving more than he who hath deserved less. Still will there be
sufficient for all. Marco Polo and his relatives dwelt seventeen years
in the court of the Great Khan, and were every way qualified to give a
true account of the riches and resources of those regions; and well were
they--simple Venetian gentlemen, without any other means than could be
transported on the backs of beasts of burden--rewarded for their toils
and courage. The jewels alone, with which they returned, served long to
enrich their race, renovating a decayed but honorable family, while they
did their enterprise and veracity credit in the eyes of men.
"As the ocean, for a long distance this side of the continent of Asia
and the kingdom of Cathay, is known to abound with islands, we may
expect first to meet with them, where, it would be doing nature herself
injustice, did we not anticipate fragrant freights of balmy spices, and
other valuable commodities with which that favored quarter of the earth,
it is certain, is enriched. Indeed, it is scarce possible for the
imagination to conceive of the magnitude of the results that await our
success, while naught but ridicule and contempt could attend a hasty and
inconsiderate return. Going not as invaders, but as Christians and
friends, we have no reason to expect other than the most friendly
reception; and, no doubt, the presents and gifts, alone, that will
naturally be offered to strangers who have come so far, and by a road
that hath hitherto been untravelled, will forty-fold repay you for all
your toils and troubles.
"I say nothing of the honor of being among those who have first carried
the cross to the heathen world," continued the admiral, uncovering
himself, and looking around him with solemn gravity; "though our fathers
believed it to be no little distinction to have been one in the armies
that contended for the possession of the sepulchre. But neither the
church, nor its great master, forgetteth the servitor that advanceth its
interests, and we may all look for blessings, both here and hereafter."
As he concluded, Columbus devoutly crossed himself, and withdrew from
the sight of his people among those who were on the poop. The effect of
this address was, for the moment, very salutary, and the men saw the
clouds that hung over the land disappear, like the land itself, with
less feeling than they had previously manifested. Nevertheless, they
remained distrustful and sad, some dreaming that night of the pictures
that Columbus had drawn of the glories of the East, and others fancying,
in their sleep, that demons were luring them into unknown seas, where
they were doomed to wander forever, as a punishment for their sins;
conscience asserting its power in all situations, and most vividly in
those of distrust and uncertainty.
Shortly before sunset, the admiral caused the three vessels to heave-to,
and the two Pinzons to repair on board his own ship. Here he laid before
these persons his orders and plans for their government, in the event of
a separation.
"Thus you will understand me, Senores," he concluded, after having
explained at length his views: "Your first and gravest duty will be to
keep near the admiral, in all weather, and under every circumstance, so
long as it may be possible; but, failing of the possibility, you will
make your way due westward, on this parallel of latitude, until you have
gone seven hundred leagues from the Canaries; after which, you are to
lie-to at night, as, by that time, it is probable you will be among the
islands of Asia; and it will be both prudent, and necessary to our
objects, to be more on the alert for discoveries, from that moment.
Still, you will proceed westward, relying on seeing me at the court of
the Great Khan, should Providence deny us an earlier meeting."
"This is well, Senor Almirante," returned Martin Alonzo, raising his
eyes, which had long been riveted on the chart, "but it will be far
better for all to keep together, and chiefly so to us, who are little
used to the habits of princes, if we wait for your Excellency's
protection before we rush unheedingly into the presence of a sovereign
as potent as the Grand Khan."
"Thou showest thy usual prudence, good Martin Alonzo, and I much commend
thee for it. It were, indeed, better that thou shouldst wait my arrival,
since that eastern potentate may conceive himself better treated by
receiving the first visit from the viceroy of the sovereigns, who is the
bearer of letters directly from his own royal master and mistress, than
by receiving it from one of inferior rank. Look thou well to the islands
and their products, Senor Pinzon, shouldst thou first gain those seas,
and await my appearance, before thou proceedest to aught else. How stand
thy people affected on taking leave of the land?"
"Ill enough, Senor; so much so, indeed, as to put me in fear of a
mutiny. There are those in the Pinta who need to stand in wholesome
dread of the anger of their Highnesses, to prevent their making a sudden
and violent return to Palos."
"Thou wouldst do well to look sharply to this spirit, that it may be
kept under. Deal kindly and gently with these disaffected spirits as
long as may be, encouraging them by all fair and reasonable promises;
but beware that the distemper get not the mastery of thy authority. And
now, Senores, as the night approacheth, take boat and return to your
vessels, that we may profit by the breeze."
When Columbus was again alone with Luis, he sat in his little cabin,
with a hand supporting his head, musing like one lost in reflection.
"Thou hast long known this Martin Alonzo, Don Luis de Bobadilla?" he at
length asked, betraying the current of his thoughts, by the nature of
the question.
"Long, Senor, as youths count time; though it would seem but a day in
the calculations of aged men."
"Much dependeth on him; I hope he may prove honest; as yet he hath shown
himself liberal, enterprising, and manly."
"He is human, Don Christopher, and therefore liable to err. Yet as men
go, I esteem Martin Alonzo far from being among the worst of his race.
He hath not embarked in this enterprise under knightly vows, nor with
any churchman's zeal; but give him the chance of a fair return for his
risks, and you will find him as true as interest ever leaveth a man,
when there is any occasion to try his selfishness."
"Then thou, only, will I trust with my secret. Look at this paper, Luis.
Here thou seest that I have been calculating our progress since morning,
and I find that we have come full nineteen leagues, though it be not in
a direct westerly line. Should I let the people know how far we may have
truly come, at the end of some great distance, there being no land
visible, fear will get the mastery over them, and no man can foresee the
consequences. I shall write down publicly, therefore, but fifteen
leagues, keeping the true reckoning sacred for thine eye and mine. God
will forgive me this deception, in consideration that it is practised in
the interest of his own church. By making these small deductions daily,
it will enable us to advance a thousand leagues, without awakening alarm
sufficient for more than seven or eight hundred."
"This is reducing courage to a scale I little dreamt of, Senor,"
returned Luis, laughing. "By San Luis, my true patron! we should think
ill of the knight who found it necessary to uphold his heart by a
measurement of leagues."
"All unknown evils are dreaded evils. Distance hath its terrors for the
ignorant, and it may justly have its terrors for the wise, young noble,
when it is measured on a trackless ocean; and there ariseth another
question touching those great staples of life, food and water."
With this slight reproof of the levity of his young friend, the admiral
prepared himself for his hammock by kneeling and repeating the prayers
of the hour.