196 JOURNAL OF GALLEGO. 



showed no variation from the pole and that it neither dip])ed nor 

 tilted up. 



" At this time," he writes, " I inquired of the pilots as to our 

 position ; but I only provoked their obstinacy : and we went on our 

 voyage sailing across the ocean to discover land. We noticed the 

 flight of the birds that passed us in the morning and evening, and 

 whence they came, and whither they went towards the setting sun. 

 All this was no certain guide, as some flew north and others south ; 

 and there was nothing to justify our pursuing the flying-fish which 

 abounded in those seas." It is rio-ht that I should here allude to the 

 importance attached by the voyagers of this period to the flight of 

 birds which had often guided them to the discovery of new lands. 

 It was for this reason, it will be remembered, that Columbus swerved 

 from his westerly course when approaching the American Continent. 



Gallego soon began to lose confidence in the opinion of the Lord 

 Pi-esident, because pursuing their course along the same parallel of 

 15f° they failed to observe any signs o£ land. On the 12th of 

 December, being in the meridian of the harbour of La Navidad (a 

 port on the Pacific coast of Mexico, in lat. 19° 12' N., long. 104° 40' 

 W.), there was a consultation between Gallego and the other pilots, 

 when their latitudes were found to a2[ree, but the dead reckonino^ of 

 the pilots was greater. At length, on the ICtli of the month, it was 

 resolved by the Chief-Pilot to leave this parallel and head more to 

 the northward, as they were now 620 leagues rather more than less 

 from Peru and there were no signs of their approaching land. 



Accordingly the course was altered ; and for four days they ran 

 west-by-north reaching the latitude of 13f °, and accomplishing 166 

 leagues. During the 20th and 21st of December they steered north- 

 west for 65 leagues, keeping a good look-out for land, but to no pur- 

 pose. On the 22nd, after steering to the north-west-by-west for 80 

 leagues, they reached the parallel of 11°. They then coursed north- 

 west until the 26th, which was St. Stephen's Day, having gone bv 

 their reckoning 95 leagues and attaining, as their observations showed, 

 a latitude rather under nine degrees (nueve grades escasos). It is 

 worthy of note thatjn the daily record, which was at this time 

 kept by Gallego of the course and distance and of the latitude 

 obtained by observation, it usually happens that the computed lati- 

 tude is considerably less than that observed.^ In this journal, how- 

 ever, the latitudes are all those of observation except where it is 

 1 This circumstance was, probably, due to a strong southerly drift. 



