190 SL W. Redway—The First Landfall of Columbus. 
which he thought to be about five leagues distant. He reached 
the island after dark, for in the record of the 15th he says: 
I had been standing off, and on this night, fearing to come close to the 
shore to anchor, for I could not know whether the coast was free from 
shoals, and intending at dawn to clew up sails; and as the island was 
over five leagues ahead, rather, seven, and the tide detained me, it was 
noon when I reached said island ; and I found that the side of the island, 
which is toward the island of San Salvador, runs north and south and is 
five leagues in length, and the other, which I followed, extends east and 
west and contains more than ten leagues; and, as from this island I saw 
another larger one to the west, I clewed up sails, for I had gone all that 
day until night, because I could not have gone to the western cape, to 
which I gave the name of the island of Santa Maria de la Concepcion, 
and about sunset I anchored near said cape.* 
This second island Columbus asserts to have a north-and-south 
side sixteen and an east-and-west side thirty-two miles in length. 
Now Crooked and Acklin islands—they are practically one t— 
conform exactly to this description, and there is not another 
island in the Bahama archipelago that does. The north-and- 
south side of Crooked island is thirteen; the east-and-west side 
is twenty-nine miles; the distance from Samana to the north- 
eastern point of Crooked island is twenty-three miles—22.3 the 
log says. An expert sailing master could not come nearer the 
truth today than did the Admiral. There is but one discrep- 
ancy, namely, the Admiral’s assertion that the side of the island 
toward Guanahani is the east (Norte Sur) side. As a matter of 
fact it is the north (Leste Oueste) side that lies off Guanahani. 
Whether or not during the night, while standing off and on, the 
* Habia temporejado esta noche con temor de no llegar 4 tierra a sorgir 
antes de lamafiana por no saber si la costa era limpia de bajas, y en 
amaneciendo cargar velas. Y como la isla fwese mas lejos de cinco leguas, 
antes sera siete, y la marea me detuvo, seria medio dia cuando llegué 4 
la dichia isla y fallé que aquella haz, ques de la parte de la isla de San 
Salvador, se corre Norte Sur, y hay en ella cinco leguas, y la otra que yo 
segui se corria Leste Oueste, y hay en ella mas de diez leguas. Y como 
desta isla vide otra mayor al Oueste, cargué las velas por andar todo aquel 
dia fasta noche, porque aun no pudiera haber andado al cabo del Oueste, 
a la cual puse nombre la isla de la Santa Maria de la Concepcion, y cuasi 
al poner del sorgi acerca del dicho cabo. 
{ The narrow gut that separates them is hardly more than a tidal swale 
or kill, not more than four or five feet deep at high tide. It is invisible 
from the deck of a passing vessel. 
& 
