This, then, was the explanation of the strange towers 

 and structures on the horizon which had aroused our 

 curiosity as Sea Diver approached that afternoon. For the 

 first time in history, the island had come alive, its lethargic 

 inhabitants startled into unfamiliar but remunerative ac- 

 tivity as they labored at roads and pipe lines and the ex- 

 pansive quarters which seem so necessary to American 

 forces overseas. 



The next morning we started out eagerly to circle 

 the island with Sea Diver. We planned to inspect Watling 

 carefully from offshore. Another day we would return 

 with one of the small boats to examine whichever loca- 

 tions seemed to require additional scrutiny. We wanted 

 first to determine on what part of the island Columbus 

 might have landed, and second, whether the descrip- 

 tions in his Journal coincided with the geography of 

 Wathng. 



We headed north along the west shore as Morison 

 beheved Columbus had traveled in his long boat when 

 he ". . . went along the island in a north-northeasterly 

 direction, in order to see the other part, which lay to the 

 east, to see what was there and also to see the villages." 



As Sea Diver approached the north end of Watling, 

 we came upon a large harbor formed by reefs and cays 

 which carried on for miles to the northeast. We soon dis- 

 covered that we must navigate carefully, for underwater 

 reefs extended into the sea well beyond the defining line 

 of cays. 



As soon as we left the shelter of the island, we began 

 to meet some big seas, and Sea Diver rolled and pitched, 

 occasionally taking water over her starboard bow. It was 

 fortunate that Ed went below just when he did to check 

 the engine room, for a port had been left open, and his 

 workbench, with its valuable tools and machinery, was 

 dripping with salt water. We came about immediately 



On the Track of Columbus 219 



