"'_Ora pro nobis, Mater!_'--what a spell
Was in those notes, with day's last glory dying
On the flush'd waters--seemed they not to swell
From the far dust, wherein my sires were lying
With crucifix and sword?--Oh! yet how clear
Comes their reproachful sweetness to my ear!
'_Ora_'--with all the purple waves replying,
All my youth's visions rising in the strain--
And I had thought it much to bear the rack and chain!"
The Forest Sanctuary.
It may now be well to recapitulate, and to let the reader distinctly
know how far the adventurers had actually advanced into the unknown
waters of the Atlantic; what was their real, and what their supposed
position. As has been seen, from the time of quitting Gomera, the
admiral kept two reckonings, one intended for his own government, which
came as near the truth as the imperfect means of the science of
navigation that were then in use would allow, and another that was
freely exhibited to the crew, and was purposely miscalculated in order
to prevent alarm, on account of the distance that had been passed. As
Columbus believed himself to be employed in the service of God, this act
of deception would be thought a species of pious fraud, in that devout
age; and it is by no means probable that it gave the conscience of the
navigator any trouble, since churchmen, even, did not hesitate always
about buttressing the walls of faith by means still less justifiable.
The long calms and light head-winds had prevented the vessels from
making much progress for the few last days; and, by estimating the
distance that was subsequently run in a course but a little south of
west, it appears, notwithstanding all the encouraging signs of birds,
fishes, calms, and smooth water, that on the morning of Monday,
September 24th, or that of the fifteenth day after losing sight of
Ferro, the expedition was about half-way across the Atlantic, counting
from continent to continent, on the parallel of about 31 or 32 degrees
of north latitude. The circumstance of the vessels being so far north of
the Canaries, when it is known that they had been running most of the
time west, a little southerly, must be imputed to the course steered in
the scant winds, and perhaps to the general set of the currents. With
this brief explanation, we return to the daily progress of the ships.
The influence of the trades was once more felt, though in a very slight
degree, in the course of the twenty-four hours that succeeded the day of
the "miraculous seas," and the vessels again headed west by compass.
Birds were seen as usual, among which was a pelican. The whole progress
of the vessels was less than fifty miles, a distance that was lessened,
as usual, in the public reckoning.
The morning of the 25th was calm, but the wind returned, a steady,
gentle breeze from the south-east, when the day was far advanced, the
caravels passing most of the hours of light floating near each other in
a lazy indolence, or barely stirring the water with their stems, at a
rate little, if any, exceeding that of a mile an hour.
The Pinta kept near the Santa Maria, and the officers and crews of the
two vessels conversed freely with each other concerning their hopes and
situation. Columbus listened to these dialogues for a long time,
endeavoring to collect the predominant feeling from the more guarded
expressions that were thus publicly delivered, and watching each turn of
the expressions with jealous vigilance. At length it struck him that the
occasion was favorable to producing a good effect on the spirits of his
followers.
"What hast thou thought of the chart I sent thee three days since, good
Martin Alonzo?" called out the admiral. "Dost thou see in it aught to
satisfy thee that we are approaching the Indies, and that our time of
trial draweth rapidly to an end?"
At the first sound of the admiral's voice, every syllable was hushed
among the people; for, in spite of their discontent, and their
disposition even to rise against him, in their extremity, Columbus had
succeeded in creating a profound respect for his judgment and his person
among all his followers.
"'Tis a rare and well-designed chart, Senor Don Christopher," answered
the master of the Pinta, "and doth a fair credit to him who hath copied
and enlarged, as well as to him who first projected it. I doubt that it
is the work of some learned scholar, that hath united the opinions of
all the greater navigators in his map."
"The original came from one Paul Toscanelli, a learned Tuscan, who
dwelleth at Firenze in that country; a man of exceeding knowledge, and
of an industry in investigation that putteth idleness to shame.
Accompanying the chart he sent a missive that hath much profound and
learned matter on the subject of the Indies, and touching those islands
that thou seest laid down with so much particularity. In that letter he
speaketh of divers places, as being so many wonderful exemplars of the
power of man; more especially of the port of Zaiton, which sendeth forth
no less than a hundred ships yearly, loaded with the single product of
the pepper-tree. He saith, moreover, that an ambassador came to the Holy
Father, in the time of Eugenius IV., of blessed memory, to express the
desire of the Great Khan, which meaneth King of Kings, in the dialect of
those regions, to be on friendly terms with the Christians of the west,
as we were then termed; but of the east, as will shortly be our
designation in that part of the world."
"This is surprising, Senor!" exclaimed Pinzon: "how is it known, or is
it known at all, of a certainty?"
"Beyond a question; since Paul stateth, in his missive, that he saw much
of this same ambassador, living greatly in his society, Eugenius
deceasing as lately as 1477. From the ambassador, no doubt a wise and
grave personage, since no other would have been sent so far on a mission
to the Head of the Church; from this discreet person, then, did
Toscanelli gain much pleasant information concerning the populousness
and vast extent of those distant countries, the gorgeousness of the
palaces, and the glorious beauty of the cities. He spoke of one town, in
particular, that surpasseth all others of the known world; and of a
single river that hath two hundred noble cities on its own banks, with
marble bridges spanning the stream. The chart before thee, Martin
Alonzo, showeth that the exact distance from Lisbon to the city of
Quisay is just three thousand nine hundred miles of Italy, or about a
thousand leagues, steering always in a due-west direction."[2]
[Footnote 2: NOTE.--It is worthy of remark that the city of Philadelphia
stands, as near as may be, in the position that the honest Paul
Toscanelli supposed to have been occupied by "the famous city of
Quisay."]
"And doth the learned Tuscan say aught of the riches of those
countries?" demanded Master Alonzo--a question that caused all within
hearing to prick up their ears, afresh.
"That doth he, and in these precise and impressive words--'This is a
noble country,' observed the learned Paul, in his missive, 'and ought to
be explored by us, on account of its great riches, and the quantity of
gold, silver, and precious stones, which might be obtained there.' He
moreover described Quisay as being five-and-thirty leagues in circuit,
and addeth that its name in the Castilian, is 'the City of Heaven.'"
"In which case," muttered Sancho, though in a tone so low that no one
but Pepe heard him, "there is little need of our bearing thither the
cross, which was intended for the benefit of man, and not of paradise."
"I see here two large islands, Senor Almirante," continued Pinzon,
keeping his eyes on the chart, "one of which is called Antilla, and the
other is the Cipango of which your Excellency so often speaketh."
"Even so, good Martin Alonzo, and thou also seest that they are laid
down with a precision that must prevent any experienced navigator from
missing his way, when in pursuit of them. These islands lie just two
hundred and twenty-five leagues asunder."
"According to our reckoning, here, in the Pinta, noble Admiral, we
cannot, then, be far from Cipango at this very moment."
"It would so seem by the reckonings, though I somewhat doubt their
justness. It is a common error of pilots to run ahead of their
reckonings, but in this instance, apprehension hath brought ye behind
them. Cipango lieth many days' sail from the continent of Asia, and
cannot, therefore, be far from this spot; still the currents have been
adverse, and I doubt that it will be found that we are as near this
island, good Martin Alonzo, as thou and thy companions imagine. Let the
chart be returned, and I will trace our actual position on it, that all
may see what reason there is to despond, and what reason to rejoice."
Pinzon now took the chart, rolled it together carefully, attached a
light weight, and securing the whole with the end of a log-line, he hove
it on board the Santa Maria, as a seaman makes a cast with the lead. So
near were the vessels at the moment, that this communication was made
without any difficulty; after which, the Pinta, letting fall an
additional sail or two, flapped slowly ahead, her superiority,
particularly in light winds, being at all times apparent.
Columbus now caused the chart to be spread over a table on the poop, and
invited all who chose to draw near, in order that they might, with their
own eyes, see the precise spot on the ocean where the admiral supposed
the vessels to be. As each day's work was accurately laid down, and
measured on the chart, by one as expert as the great navigator himself,
there is little question that he succeeded in showing his people, as
near as might be, and subject to the deduction in distance that was
intentionally made, the longitude and latitude to which the expedition
had then reached; and as this brought them quite near those islands
which were believed to lie east of the continent of Asia, this tangible
proof of their progress had far more effect than any demonstration that
depended on abstract reasoning, even when grounded on premises that were
true; most men submitting sooner to the authority of the senses, than to
the influence of the mere mind. The seamen did not stop to inquire how
it was settled that Cipango lay in the precise place where it had been
projected on this famous chart, but, seeing it there, in black and
white, they were disposed to believe it was really in the spot it
appeared to be; and, as Columbus' reputation for keeping a ship's
reckoning far surpassed that of any other navigator in the fleet, the
facts were held to be established. Great was the joy, in consequence;
and the minds of the people again passed from the verge of despair to an
excess and illusion of hope, that was raised only to be disappointed.
That Columbus was sincere in all that related to this new delusion, with
the exception of the calculated reduction of the true distance, is
beyond a doubt. In common with the cosmographers of the age, he believed
the circumference of the earth much less than actual measurement has
since shown it to be; striking out of the calculation, at once, nearly
the whole breadth of the Pacific Ocean. That this conclusion was very
natural, will be seen by glancing at the geographical facts that the
learned then possessed, as data for their theories.
It was known that the continent of Asia was bounded on the east by a
vast ocean, and that a similar body of water bounded Europe on the west,
leaving the plausible inference, on the supposition that the earth was a
sphere, that nothing but islands existed between these two great
boundaries of land. Less than half of the real circumference of the
globe is to be found between the western and eastern verges of the old
continent, as they were then known; but it was too bold an effort of the
mind, to conceive that startling fact, in the condition of human
knowledge at the close of the fifteenth century. The theories were
consequently content with drawing the limits of the east and the west
into a much narrower circle, finding no data for any freer speculation;
and believing it a sufficient act of boldness to maintain the spherical
formation of the earth at all. It is true, that the latter theory was as
old as Ptolemy, and quite probably much older; but even the antiquity of
a system begins to be an argument against it, in the minds of the
vulgar, when centuries elapse, and it receives no confirmation from
actual experiment. Columbus supposed his island of Cipango, or Japan, to
lie about one hundred and forty degrees of longitude east of its actual
position; and, as a degree of longitude in the latitude of Japan, or 35 deg.
north, supposing the surface of the earth to be perfectly spherical, is
about fifty-six statute miles, it follows that Columbus had advanced
this island, on his chart, more than seven thousand English miles toward
the eastward, or a distance materially exceeding two thousand marine
leagues.
All this, however, was not only hidden in mystery as regards the common
men of the expedition, but it far out-stripped the boldest conceptions
of the great navigator himself. Facts of this nature, notwithstanding,
are far from detracting from the glory of the vast discoveries that were
subsequently made, since they prove under what moral disadvantages the
expedition was conceived, and under what a limited degree of knowledge
it finally triumphed.
While Columbus was thus employed with the chart, it was a curious thing
to witness the manner in which the seamen watched his smallest movement,
studied the expression of his grave and composed countenance, and sought
to read their fate in the contraction, or dilation, of his eyes. The
gentlemen of the Santa Maria, and the pilots, stood at his elbow, and
here and there some old mariner ventured to take his post at hand, where
he could follow the slow progress of the pen, or note the explanation of
a figure. Among these was Sancho, who was generally admitted to be one
of the most expert seamen in the little fleet--in all things, at least,
that did not require the knowledge of the schools. Columbus even turned
to these men, and spoke to them kindly, endeavoring to make them
comprehend a part of their calling, which they saw practised daily,
without ever succeeding in acquiring a practical acquaintance with it,
pointing out particularly the distance come, and that which yet remained
before them. Others, again, the less experienced, but not the less
interested among the crew, hung about the rigging, whence they could
overlook the scene, and fancy they beheld demonstrations that came of
theories which it as much exceeded their reasoning powers to understand,
as it exceeded their physical vision to behold the desired Indies
themselves. As men become intellectual, they entertain abstractions,
leaving the dominion of the senses to take refuge in that of thought.
Until this change arrives, however, we are all singularly influenced by
a parade of positive things. Words spoken seldom produce the effect of
words written; and the praise or censure that would enter lightly and
unheeded into the ear, might even change our estimates of character,
when received into the mind through the medium of the eye. Thus, the
very seamen, who could not comprehend the reasoning of Columbus, fancied
they understood his chart, and willingly enough believed that islands
and continents must exist in the precise places where they saw them so
plainly delineated.
After this exhibition, cheerfulness resumed its sway over the crew of
the Santa Maria; and Sancho, who was generally considered as of the
party of the admiral, was eagerly appealed to by his fellows, for many
of the little circumstances that were thought to explain the features of
the chart.
"Dost think, Sancho, that Cipango is as large as the admiral hath got
the island on the chart?" asked one who had passed from the verge of
despair to the other extreme; "that it lieth fairly, any eye may see,
since its look is as natural as that of Ferro or Madeira."
"That hath he," answered Sancho, positively, "as one may see by its
shape. Didst not notice the capes, and bays, and headlands, all laid
down as plainly as on any other well-known coast? Ah! these Genoese are
skilful navigators; and Senor Colon, our noble admiral, hath not come
all this distance without having some notion in what roadstead he is to
anchor."
In such conclusive arguments, the dullest minds of the crew found
exceeding consolation; while among all the common people of the ship,
there was not one who did not feel more confidence in the happy
termination of the voyage, since he had this seeming ocular proof of the
existence of land in the part of the ocean they were in.
When the discourse between the admiral and Pinzon ceased, the latter
made sail on the Pinta, which vessel had slowly passed the Santa Maria,
and was now a hundred yards, or more, ahead of her; neither going
through the water at a rate exceeding a knot an hour. At the moment just
mentioned, or while the men were conversing of their newly awakened
hopes, a shout drew all eyes toward their consort, where Pinzon was seen
on the poop, waving his cap in exultation, and giving the usual proofs
of extravagant delight.
"Land!--Land! Senor!" he shouted. "I claim my reward! Land! Land!"
"In what direction, good Martin Alonzo?" asked Columbus, so eagerly that
his voice fairly trembled. "In which quarter dost thou perceive this
welcome neighbor?"
"Here, to the south-west," pointing in that direction--"a range of dim
but noble mountains, and such as promise to satisfy the pious longings
of the Holy Father himself!"
Every eye turned toward the south-west, and there, indeed, they fancied
they beheld the long-sought proofs of their success. A faint, hazy mass
was visible in the horizon, broken in outline, more distinctly marked
than clouds usually are, and yet so obscure as to require a practised
eye to draw it out of the obscurity of the void. This is the manner in
which land often appears to seamen, in peculiar conditions of the
atmosphere; others, under such circumstances, being seldom able to
distinguish it at all. Columbus was so practised in all the phenomena of
the ocean, that the face of every man in the Santa Maria was turned
toward his, in breathless expectation of the result, as soon as the
first glance had been given toward the point of the compass mentioned.
It was impossible to mistake the expression of the admiral's
countenance, which immediately became radiant with delight and pious
exultation. Uncovering himself, he cast a look upward in unbounded
gratitude, and then fell on his knees, to return open thanks to God.
This was the signal of triumph, and yet, in their desolate situation,
exultation was not the prevalent feeling of the moment. Like Columbus,
the men felt their absolute dependence on God; and a sense of humble and
rebuked gratitude came over every spirit, as it might be simultaneously.
Kneeling, the entire crews of the three vessels simultaneously commenced
the chant of "Gloria in excelsis Deo!" lifting the voice of praise, for
the first time since the foundations of the earth were laid, in that
deep solitude of the ocean. Matins and vespers, it is true, were then
habitually repeated in most Christian ships; but this sublime chant was
now uttered to waves that had been praising their Maker, in their might
and in their calm, for so many thousand years, for the first time in the
voice of man.
"_Glory be to God on high!_" sang these rude mariners, with hearts
softened by their escapes, dangers, and success, speaking as one man,
though modulating their tones to the solemn harmony of a religious
rite--"_and on earth peace, good will toward men. We praise thee, we
bless thee, we worship thee, we glorify thee, we give thanks to thee for
thy great glory! O Lord God! Heavenly King! God the Father Almighty!"
&c., &c._
In this noble chant, which would seem to approach as near to the praises
of angels as human powers can ever hope to rise, the voice of the
admiral was distinct, and deep, but trembling with emotion.
When this act of pious gratitude was performed, the men ascended the
rigging to make more certain of their success. All agreed in pronouncing
the faintly delineated mass to be land, and the first sudden transport
of unexpected joy was succeeded by the more regulated feelings of
confirmed security. The sun set a little north of the dim mountains,
and night closed around the scene, shadowing the ocean with as much
gloom as is ever to be found beneath a tropical and cloudless sky. As
the first watch was set, Columbus, who, whenever the winds would
allow, had persevered in steering what he fancied to be a due-west
course, to satisfy the longings of his people, ordered the vessels to
haul up to south-west by compass, which was, in fact, heading
south-west-by-south-southerly. The wind increased, and, as the admiral
had supposed the land to be distant about twenty-five leagues, when last
seen, all in the little fleet confidently relied on obtaining a full and
complete view of it in the morning. Columbus himself entertained this
hope, though he varied his course reluctantly, feeling certain that the
continent would be met by sailing west, or what he thought to be west,
though he could have no similar confidence as to making any island.
Few slept soundly that night--visions of oriental riches, and of the
wonders of the East, crowding on the minds of even the least
imaginative, converting their slumbers into dreams rendered uneasy by
longings for gold, and anticipations of the wonders of the unknown East.
The men left their hammocks, from hour to hour, to stand in the rigging,
watching for some new proofs of their proximity to the much-desired
islands, and straining their eyes in vain, in the hope of looking deeper
into the obscurity in quest of objects that fancy had already begun to
invest with forms. In the course of the night, the vessels ran in a
direct line toward the south-west, seventeen of the twenty-five leagues
that Columbus had supposed alone separated him from this new discovery;
and just before the light dawned, every soul in the three vessels was
stirring, in the eager hope of having the panorama of day open on such a
sight, as they felt it to be but a slight grievance to have come so far,
and to have risked so much, to behold.
"Yonder is a streak of light, glimmering in the east," cried Luis, in a
cheerful voice; "and now, Senor Almirante, we may unite in terming you
the honored of the earth!"
"All rests with God, my young friend," returned Columbus; "whether land
is near us or not, it boundeth the western ocean, and to that boundary
we must proceed. Thou art right, truly, friend Gutierrez; the light is
beginning to shed itself along the eastern margin of the sea, and even
to rise in an arch into the vault above it."
"Would that the sun rose, for this one day, in the west, that we might
catch the first glimpse of our new possessions in that radiant field of
heaven, which his coming rays are so gloriously illuminating above the
track we have just passed!"
"That will not happen, Master Pedro, since Sol hath journeyed daily
round this planet of ours, from east to west, since time began, and will
so continue to journey until time shall cease. This _is_ a fact on which
our senses may be trusted, though they mislead us in so many other
things."
So reasoned Columbus, a man whose mind had out-stripped the age, in his
favorite study, and who was usually so calm and philosophical; simply
because he reasoned in the fetters of habit and prejudice. The
celebrated system of Ptolemy, that strange compound of truth and error,
was the favorite astronomical law of the day. Copernicus, who was then
but a mere youth, did not reduce the just conception of Pythagoras--just
in outline, though fanciful in its connection with both cause and
effect--to the precision of science for many years after the discovery
of America; and it is a strong proof of the dangers which attended the
advancement of thought, that he was rewarded for this vast effort of
human reason, by excommunication from the church, the maledictions of
which actually rested on his soul, if not on his body, until within a
few years of the present moment! This single circumstance will show the
reader how much our navigator had to overcome in achieving the great
office he had assumed.
But all this time, the day is dawning, and the light is beginning to
diffuse itself over the entire panorama of ocean and sky. As means were
afforded, each look eagerly took in the whole range of the western
horizon, and a chill of disappointment settled on every heart, as
suspicion gradually became confirmation, that no land was visible. The
vessels had passed, in the night, those bounds of the visible horizon,
where masses of clouds had settled; and no one could any longer doubt
that his senses had been deceived by some accidental peculiarity in the
atmosphere. All eyes now turned again to the admiral, who, while he felt
the disappointment in his inmost heart, maintained a dignified calm that
it was not easy to disturb.
"These signs are not infrequent at sea, Senor," he said to those near
him, speaking loud enough, nevertheless, to be heard by most of the
crew, "though seldom as treacherous as they have now proved to be. All
accustomed to the ocean have doubtless seen them often; and as physical
facts, they must be taken as counting neither for nor against us. As
omens, each person will consider them as he putteth his trust in God,
whose grace and mercy to us all, is yet, by a million of times,
unrequited, and still would be, were we to sing _Glory in excelsis_,
from morn till night, as long as breath lasted for the sacred office."
"Still, our hope was so very strong, Don Christopher," observed one of
the gentlemen, "that we find the disappointment hard to be borne. You
speak of omens, Senor; are there any physical signs of our being near
the land of Cathay?"
"Omens come of God, if they come at all. They are a species of miracles
preceding natural events, as real miracles surpass them. I think this
expedition cometh of God; and I see no irreverence in supposing that
this late appearance of land may have been heaped along the horizon for
an encouraging sign to persevere, and as a proof that our labors will be
rewarded in the end. I cannot say, nevertheless, that any but natural
means were used, for these deceptions are familiar to us mariners."
"I shall endeavor so to consider it, Senor Almirante," gravely returned
the other, and the conversation dropped.
The non-appearance of the land, which had been so confidently hoped for,
produced a deep gloom in the vessels, notwithstanding; again changing
the joy of their people into despondency. Columbus continued to steer
due west by compass, or west-by-south-southerly, in reality, until
meridian, when, yielding to the burning wishes of those around him, he
again altered his course to the south-west. This course was followed
until the ships had gone far enough in that direction to leave no doubt
that the people had been misled by clouds, the preceding evening. At
night, when not the faintest hope remained, the vessels kept away due
west again, running, in the course of the twenty-four hours, quite
thirty-one leagues, which were recorded before the crew as twenty-four.
For several succeeding days no material changes occurred. The wind
continued favorable, though frequently so light as to urge the vessels
very slowly ahead, reducing the day's progress sometimes to little more
than fifty of our English miles. The sea was calm, and weeds were again
met, though in much smaller quantities than before. September 29th, or
the fourth day after Pinzon had called out "land," another frigate-bird
was seen; and as it was the prevalent notion among seamen that this bird
never flew far from the shore, some faint hopes were momentarily revived
by his passage. Two pelicans also appeared, and the air was so soft and
balmy that Columbus declared nothing but nightingales were wanting, to
render the nights as delicious as those of Andalusia.
In this manner did birds come and go, exciting hopes that were doomed to
be disappointed; sometimes flying in numbers that would seem to forbid
the idea that they could be straying on the waste of waters, without the
certainty of their position. Again, too, the attention of the admiral
and of the people, was drawn to the variation of the needle, all uniting
in the opinion that the phenomenon was only to be explained by the
movements of the star. At length the first day of October arrived, and
the pilots of the admiral's vessel seriously set to work to ascertain
the distance they had come. They had been misled, as well as the rest,
by the management of Columbus, and they now approached the latter, as he
stood at his usual post on the poop, in order to give the result of
their calculations, with countenances that were faithful indexes of the
concern they felt.
"We are not less than five hundred and seventy-eight leagues west of
Ferro, Senor Almirante," commenced one of the two; "a fearful distance
to venture into the bosom of an unknown ocean!"
"Thou say'st true, honest Bartolemeo," returned Columbus, calmly;
"though the further we venture, the greater will be the honor. Thy
reckoning is even short of the truth, since this of mine, which is no
secret from our people, giveth even five hundred and eighty-four
leagues, fully six more than thine. But, after all, this scarce
equalleth a voyage from Lisbon to Guinea, and we are not men to be
outdone by the seamen of Don John!"
"Ah! Senor Almirante, the Portuguese have their islands by the way, and
the old world at their elbows; while we, should this earth prove not to
be really a sphere, are hourly sailing toward its verge, and are running
into untried dangers!"
"Go to, Bartolemeo! thou talkest like a river-man who hath been blown
outside his bar by a strong breeze from the land, and who fancieth his
risks greater than man ever yet endured, because the water that wetteth
his tongue is salt. Let the men see this reckoning, fearlessly; and
strive to be of cheer, lest we remember thy misgivings beneath the
groves of Cathay."
"The man is sorely beset with dread," coolly observed Luis, as the
pilots descended from the poop with a lingering step and a heavy heart.
"Even your six short leagues added to the weight on his spirit. Five
hundred and seventy-eight were frightful, but five hundred and
eighty-four became burdensome to his soul!"
"What would he then have thought had he known the truth, of which, young
count, even thou art ignorant?"
"I hope you do not distrust my nerves, Don Christopher, that this matter
is kept a secret from me?"
"I ought not, I do believe, Senor de Llera; and yet one gets to be
distrustful even of himself, when weighty concerns hang by a thread.
Hast thou any real idea of the length of the road we have come?"
"Not I, by St. Iago! Senor. It is enough for me that we are far from the
Dona Mercedes, and a league more or less counts but little. Should your
theory be true, and the earth prove to be round, I have the consolation
of knowing that we shall get back to Spain, in time, even by chasing the
sun."
"Still thou hast some general notion of our true distance from Ferro,
knowing that each day it is lessened before the people."
"To tell you the truth, Don Christopher, arithmetic and I have little
feeling for each other. For the life of me, I never could tell the exact
amount of my own revenues, in figures, though it might not be so
difficult to come at their results, in another sense. If truth were
said, however, I should think your five hundred and eighty leagues might
fairly be set down at some six hundred and ten or twenty."
"Add yet another hundred and thou wilt not be far from the fact. We are,
at this moment, seven hundred and seven leagues from Ferro, and fast
drawing near to the meridian of Cipango. In another glorious week, or
ten days at most, I shall begin seriously to expect to see the continent
of Asia!"
"This is travelling faster than I had thought, Senor," answered Luis,
carelessly; "but journey on; one of your followers will not complain,
though we circle the earth itself."