which was called the Santa Maria, Columbus hoisted his flag; the second, called the Pinta,

CARAVELS OF COLUMBUS'S TIME.

was commanded by Pinzon; and the third, the, Nina, by one of Pinzon's brothers. The armament consisted in all of a hundred and twenty persons. When all was ready, Columbus and his crew partook of the holy Communion, and committed themselves solemnly to the guidance and protection of Heaven.

On Friday, the 3d of August 1492, Columbus set sail on his first voyage of discovery. The inhabitants of Palos were overwhelmed with gloom and melancholy forebodings, as they watched the departure of the three vessels, which they never

Co

expected to behold again; and the sailors themselves were filled with doubts and fears. lumbus's own satisfaction at having at last commenced his long-wished-for undertaking was greatly diminished by the want of confidence which he felt in his crew.

The little fleet made first for the Canary Islands, and having stopped there a month, again put to sea, and, taking a due westerly course, sailed straight out into the Atlantic Ocean. As soon as they had lost the last trace of land, the hearts of the crews failed them: they felt as if they had taken leave of the world for ever, and they saw nothing before them but danger, mystery and alarm. Columbus endeavoured to cheer them with descriptions of the magnificent country to which he was conducting them, and with promises of the wealth and lands which were in store for them.

Fearing that their patience might be exhausted, should he not discover land as soon as he expected, he determined to keep them in ignorance of the progress the ships were making. During the whole voyage he kept two reckonings of the ship's course: one was private, for his own especial guidance, and was perfectly correct; the other was open to general inspection, and from this one he daily subtracted a number of leagues, so that the faint-hearted crews were deceived as to the real distance they were advancing.

After they had sailed about two hundred leagues from the Canary Islands, a phenomenon occurred

which alarmed even Columbus. This was the variation of the needle. He was struck with astonishment one morning by perceiving that, instead of pointing exactly to the north, the needle pointed a few degrees to the north-west; and on examining it attentively for some days, he found that the variation increased as the ships advanced. The fact soon attracted the attention of the pilots also, and filled them with dismay: they thought that the very laws of nature were changing, and that they were about to lose the only guide on which they could depend. Columbus tried to account for this singular variation of the needle in the best manner he could, so as to quiet the minds of his men; but he did not know the real cause of it, nor has any one to this day, notwithstanding the great progress that has been made in general knowledge and science, been able to explain the mystery.

The ships had now entered the track of the trade winds, which always blow from east to west, and they were borne swiftly and smoothly across the ocean. The hopes of the men were constantly being raised by seeing what they considered to be signs of land. Tropical birds, of a kind that never sleep on the water, came within sight, and tunnyfish played about the bows of the ships. At one time they found themselves among large patches of herbs and weeds, some of which were green, with the appearance of having been recently detached from the rocks on which they had grown. These

fields of weeds were at first regarded with great satisfaction, but at length they became, in many places, so dense and matted, as in some degree to impede the sailing of the ships. The crews then took fright, and fearing that the ships might stick fast in the weeds, they avoided them as much as possible. Columbus himself had no idea of reaching the eastern coast of Asia for some time; for, according to his calculations, that continent was still a considerable distance off. He thought it possible, they might be in the neighbourhood of unknown. islands; but so certain was he of ultimately reaching the expected land, if he kept steadily on the westerly course he was then pursuing, that no persuasions of his men would induce him to deviate from it in search of land, either to the north or south. So, notwithstanding the murmurs of his crew, he continued to sail westward, but still no land appeared. At last his men, weary of constant. disappointment, grew discontented and alarmed. A calm also set in, during which the ships made little or no progress. The men observed, too, that whenever the wind did blow it was from the east, and they imagined that if this were always the case, it would be impossible for them ever to return home again.

Days passed on, and they still beheld nothing but the wide waters all around them. Their discontent and dejection increased, and a mutinous spirit began to show itself among them. They ceased to feel any confidence in Columbus, and they

demanded that the voyage should be abandoned, and that the ships should be turned homewards : some of them even proposed to get rid of Columbus altogether by throwing him overboard. Columbus was well aware of his critical situation, and did his utmost to soothe and encourage his men; but the more he reasoned with them, the more turbulent and clamorous they became. Nothing, however, would induce him to alter his course, and he was soon at open defiance with them. Fortunately, at this moment the signs of land increased, and soon left no doubt of its immediate neighbourhood. Discontent and mutiny gave way to joy and expectation, and every eye was strained in hopes of being the first to discover the long-sought-for land.

Columbus expected to make land that night, and he ordered a careful look-out to be kept from all the ships. He himself took his station on the top of the cabin of his vessel, his mind filled with the greatest anxiety. Suddenly, at about ten o'clock, he beheld a light in the distance: it glimmered in the darkness for a few moments, and disappeared, then re-appeared at intervals in faint gleams. Columbus considered this light to be a sign of land, and of inhabited land, and he was right. At two o'clock in the morning the Pinta, which was the foremost vessel, fired a gun as a signal that land was discovered, and soon all eyes beheld a faint streak of land in the distance. The excitement of all on board grew more intense every moment.