Even making a difficulty in giving him their
hands to kiss, and then caused him to sit down in their presence. Having
given a brief account of his voyage, they gave him leave to retire to his
apartment, whither he was attended by the whole court; and so great was
the favour and honour shewn him, that when the king rode about Barcelona,
the admiral rode on one side of him and the Infante Fortuna on the other;
whereas before no one rode along-side of the king except the Infante, who
was his near kinsman.
[1] Rabo de junco is explained to signify Rush-tailed: Rabo being a tail
and Junco a rush in the Spanish language. - E.
[2] Don Ferdinand compliments his father too largely in this place by
supposing Cipango and Hispaniola the same. The original design of
Columbus to sail westwards to India, which he erroneously supposed to
be vastly nearer in that direction, led him accidentally almost to
discover Hispaniola on the supposed route to Cipango or Japan. - E
[3] The dates of the voyage may be here recapitulated. Columbus sailed
from Palos on the third of August 1492, and reached the island of
Gomera, one of the Canary islands, on the ninth of August, or in six
days.
