Next Day, Being Saturday The Twenty-Second September, They Saw A Whale And
Several Small Birds.
The wind now veered to the south-west, sometimes more
and sometimes less to the westwards; and, though this
Was adverse to the
direction of their proposed voyage, the admiral to comfort the people,
alleged that this was a favourable circumstance; because among other
causes of fear, they had formerly said they should never have a wind to
carry them back to Spain, as it had always blown from the east ever since
they left Ferro. They still continued however to murmur, alleging that
this south-west wind was by no means a settled one, and as it never blew
strong enough to swell the sea, it would not serve to carry them back
again through so great an extent of sea as they had now passed over. In
spite of every argument used by the admiral, assuring them that the
alterations in the wind were occasioned by the vicinity of the land, by
which likewise the waves were prevented from rising to any height, they
were still dissatisfied and terrified.
On Sunday the twenty-third of September, a brisk gale sprung up at W.N.W.
with a rolling sea, such as the people had wished for. Three hours before
noon a turtle-dove was observed to fly over the ship; towards evening an
alcatraz, a river fowl, and several white birds were seen flying about,
and some crabs were observed among the weeds. Next day another alcatraz
was seen and several small birds which came from the west. Numbers of
small fishes were seen swimming about, some of which ware struck with
harpoons, as they would not bite at the hook.
The more that the tokens mentioned above were observed, and found not to
be followed by the so anxiously looked-for land, the more the people
became fearful of the event, and entered into cabals against the admiral,
who they said was desirous to make himself a great lord at the expence of
their danger. They represented that they had already sufficiently
performed their duty in adventuring farther from land and all possibility
of succour than had ever been done before, and that they ought not to
proceed on the voyage to their manifest destruction. If they did they
would soon have reason to repent their temerity, as provisions would soon
fall short, the ships were already faulty and would soon fail, and it
would be extremely difficult to get back so far as they had already gone.
None could condemn them in their own opinion for now turning back, but all
must consider them as brave men for having gone upon such an enterprize
and venturing so far. That the admiral was a foreigner who had no favour
at court; and as so many wise and learned men had already condemned his
opinions and enterprize as visionary and impossible, there would be none to
favour or defend him, and they were sure to find more credit if they
accused him of ignorance and mismanagement than he would do, whatsoever he
might now say for himself against them. Some even proceeded so far as to
propose, in case the admiral should refuse to acquiesce in their proposals,
that they might make a short end of all disputes by throwing him overboard;
after which they could give out that he had fallen over while making his
observations, and no one would ever think of inquiring, into the truth.
They thus went on day after day, muttering, complaining, and consulting
together; and though the admiral was not fully aware of the extent of
their cabals, he was not entirely without apprehensions of their
inconstancy in the present trying situation, and of their evil intentions
towards him. He therefore exerted himself to the utmost to quiet their
apprehensions and to suppress their evil design, sometimes using fair
words, and at other times fully resolved to expose his life rather than
abandon the enterprize; he put them in mind of the due punishment they
would subject themselves to if they obstructed the voyage. To confirm
their hopes, he recapitulated all the favourable signs and indications
which had been lately observed, assuring them that they might soon expect
to see the land. But they, who were ever attentive to these tokens,
thought every hour a year in their anxiety to see the wished-for land.
On Tuesday the twenty-fifth of September near sun-set, as the admiral was
discoursing with Pinzon, whose ship was then very near, Pinzon suddenly
called out, "Land! land, Sir! let not my good news miscarry." And pointed
out a large mass in the S.W. about twenty-five leagues distant, which
seemed very like an island. This was so pleasing to the people, that they
returned thanks to God for the pleasing discovery; and, although the
admiral was by no means satisfied of the truth of Pinzons observation, yet
to please the men, and that they might not obstruct the voyage, he altered
his course and stood in that direction a great part of the night. Next
morning, the twenty-sixth, they had the mortification to find the supposed
land was only composed of clouds, which often put on the appearance of
distant land; and, to their great dissatisfaction, the stems of the ships
were again turned directly westwards, as they always were unless when
hindered by the wind. Continuing their course, and still attentively
watching for signs of land, they saw this day an alcatraz, a rabo de junco,
and other birds as formerly mentioned.
On Thursday the twenty-seventh of September they saw another alcatraz
coming from the westwards and flying towards the east, and great numbers
of fish were seen with gilt backs, one of which they struck with a harpoon.
A rabo de junco likewise flew past; the currents for some of the last days
were not so regular as before, but changed with the tide, and the weeds
were not nearly so abundant.
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