CHARACTER OP COLUMBUS. 393 



money as he could spare, in stock, in the bank of St 

 George at Genoa, to form a permanent fund, subservient 

 at any future time to the king's conquest of Jerusalem. 

 If the king should not undertake it, he was to set on foot 

 a crusade at his own charge and risk. 



It is not strange, that a man of this ardent tempera- 

 ment should yield to many of the prevalent superstitions 

 of the age, less characteristic of his own genius. During 

 a tremendous storm which occurred upon his first voy- 

 age, some of the crew, by his orders, vowed that in case 

 a certain lot fell upon him, he would make a pilgrimage 

 to a certain saint, bearing a waxed taper of five pounds' 

 weight. The admiral drew the lot, and from that mo- 

 ment considered himself apilgrim bound to perform the vow. 

 He undertook another pilgrimage also, a solemn mass, 

 and a vigil. He speaks of a certain movement of the 

 sea afterwards as providentially ordered to allay the 

 clamors of his crew, like a similar interposition of old, 

 in favor of Moses. 



The suppression of a mutiny is attributed to the same 

 cause ; and he himself records an instance of what he 

 considered a supernatural visitation. He was sick and 

 dejected, he says, and had almost abandoned himself to 

 despair, when he heard a voice calling to him, ' O man 

 of little faith! be riot cast down ; fear nothing; I will 

 provide for thee. The seven years of the term of gold 

 are not yet expired, (all allusions to the vow of the holy 

 sepulchres,) and in that and all other things I will take 

 care of thee.' On that very day, he adds, he received 

 intelligence of the discovery of a large tract of country 

 rich in mines. Again, he writes to the king and queen, 

 that the Indians of Cariari, on the coast of Jamaica, were 

 great enchanters ; as also that two of their girls, who 

 had visited his ship, had concealed magic powers upon 

 their persons. This was the belief also of his mariners, 

 it seems ; and the origin of it was, that some of them 

 had taken out pen, ink and paper to write in presence of 

 the Indians, who, mistaking the process for a necro- 

 mantic spell, had themselves scattered a fragrant 

 powder in the air to counteract it. 



The most obvious explanation of a trait in this great 



VOL. i. NO. xvi. 35* 



