120 CONCEPTIONS OF COLUMBUS 



Sicily, high" (Decia ser la isla Uena de montanas muy 

 hermosas, aunque no muy altas, y toda la otra 

 tierra le parecia como la isla de Cecilia, alta). 



lago luncor: Las Casas, under date of November 3, 

 says^^ that the ''Admiral entered a boat to see that 

 river which made with its mouth a great lake and 

 thus constituted a most excellent deep and rock-free 

 port" (Sabado, 3 dias de Noviembre, por la manana, 

 entro el Almirante en la barca por ver aqual rio, el 

 cual hace a la boca un gran lago, y deste se con- 

 stituye un singularisimo puerto muy hondo y 

 limpio de piedras). This description is applied to 

 that part of Cuba which was seen six days after the 

 Costa alta. The meaning of the word ''luncor" is 

 not known; possibly it was meant for "lago luengo,"^^ 

 or long lake. The lago is quite possibly the one re- 

 ferred to above. 



las cabras: This name, "the goats," is almost 

 certainly a corruption. Goats are not native to the 

 American continent. It is reasonably certain that 

 none of the early discoverers of the eastern part of 

 America saw any goats. On the other hand, if we 

 turn to the account of the first voyage, we find the 

 following statement under the date of November 29 :^^ 

 "The sailors also found, in one house, the head of a 

 man in a basket, co\'ered with another basket, and 



34l^as Casas, op. cit.. Book I, Ch. 45 (Vol. i, p. 328). 



35 Fiske, op. cit.. Vol. 2, p. 78. 



36 Raccolta, Part I, Vol. i. p. 52 (transl. in Markham, op. cit., p. 92, 

 under entry incorrectly dated Nov. 27); Las Casas, op. cit.. Book L 

 Ch. 48 (Vol. I, p. 354)- 



