LIFE OF COLUMBUS. 



lated, and threatened his ignorant and superstitious crew, 

 as they occasionally required it. He sustained their hopes 

 also by directing their attention from time to time, to 

 large patches of weeds drifting on the water, from the 

 west ; to land-birds, whales, shore-fish, and every other ap- 

 pearance of a neighboring continent or island. On the 

 25th of September, as two of the vessels were sailing 

 gently together side by side, Columbus was startled by a 

 shout from the Pinta, and looking up he beheld Pinzon, 

 the captain of that caravel, mounted on the stern of his ves- 

 sel, and crying with a loud voice, 'Land ! Land ! Se- 

 nor, I claim my reicard!' (a pension of thirty crowns 

 promised by the sovereign, to the first who should see 

 land.) He pointed at the same time to the southwest, 

 where there was indeed an appearance of land at a great 

 distance. The enthusiasm raised by this incident was 

 unbounded. Columbus fell upon his knees and returned 

 thanks to God ; and Pinzon repeated the Gloria in Excel- 

 szs*in which he was loudly joined by the crews of both ves- 

 sels. The light of the next morning, however, put an end 

 to their hopes, for the fancied coast, which was nothing 

 more than an evening cloud, vanished during the night.- 

 They were now dejected and mutinous again. But the 

 signs of approaching land soon became too numerous 

 and plain to be mistaken. The evening of October llth, 

 after the mariners of the admiral's ship had sung the 

 vesper hymn to the Virgin, as usual, he collected them 

 together, addressed them impressively, assured them that 

 they should make land that very night, and promised a 

 velvet doublet, in addition to the king's pension, to whom- 

 soever should make the discovery. 



Not an eye was closed that night, on board either of 

 the vessels. All was enthusiastic expectation. As the 

 evening darkened,Columbus himself took his station upon 

 the top of the castle or cabin on the high poop of his vessel, 

 and there maintained hour after hour an anxious and in- 

 cessant watch. Suddenly, about 10 o'clock, he thought 

 he beheld a light glimmering at a distance. Distrusting 

 the eagerness of his own hopes, he called one of his 



* Glory in the Highest. 



