ground, with fertile land for their crops, a nearby supply 

 of fresh water, and a quiet landing place for their canoes? 

 I remembered that Las Casas, the historian who had visited 

 the site of Navidad during Columbus's lifetime, had de- 

 scribed it as being "overgrown with so many and such 

 great trees." Perhaps like those I had seen along the banks 

 of the Grande Riviere before we had reached the barren 

 shore lands. 



Also, I recalled, the morning after the Santa Maria 

 was wrecked, Columbus had found it necessary to send a 

 messenger to inform Guacanagari, "who had his town in- 

 land about a league and a half from the said bank." I had 

 read other passages which indicated that Navidad was in- 

 land, doubtless up a river. But which river? The Fosse to- 

 day was a dried-up river bed with no outlet to the sea, 

 while the Grande Riviere was a wide, deep river bed, carry- 

 ing a quantity of water even at this dry season. 



According to all accounts, the mouth of the Grande 

 Riviere had been built out into the sea with silt both be- 

 fore and since the time of St.-Mery. A map of the area in 

 St.-Mery's time had shown a deep indentation at the mouth, 

 while today the shore line extended some distance into 

 the harbor. So the anchor which was found at Habitation 

 Bellevue, a long way from the sea, might in Columbus's 

 time have lain much closer to the outlet. 



As I returned with the Becks that afternoon to Cap 

 Haitien, I examined the Grande Riviere with new interest. 

 It seemed very probable that somewhere along its shores 

 the Indian village and Navidad had once existed. I wished 

 that it were possible to explore its lower reaches where it 

 entered the sea, for the extent of this delta land might be 

 a clue as to where the Santa Maria had found its last resting 

 place. Perhaps Ed and I could visit it later with Reef Diver, 

 from the direction of the sea. 



204 Sea Diver 



