BAY OF ST. HELENA. 



195 



* Success ! Success !' far echoes o'er the tide, 

 While our broad hulks the foaming waves divide. 

 When slowly gliding from our wistful eyes, 

 The Lusian mountains mingle with the skies ; 

 Tago's loved stream and Cintra's mountains cold, 

 Dim fading now, we now no more behold ; 

 And still with yearning hearts our eyes explore, 

 Till one dim speck of land appears no more." 



The admiral had fixed upon the Cape Verd Islands as the 

 first place of rendezvous in case of separation by storm. They 

 all arrived safely in eight days at the Canaries, but were here 

 driven widely apart by a* tempest at night. The three captain^ 

 subsequently joined each other, but could not find the admiral. 

 They therefore made for the appointed rendezvous, where, to 

 their great satisfaction, they found da Gama already arrived ; 

 "and, saluting him with many shots of ordnance, and with 

 sound of trumpets, they spake unto him, each of them heartily 

 rejoicing and thanking God for their safe meeting and good 

 fortune in this their first brunt of danger and of peril." Diaz 

 here took leave of them and returned to Portugal. Then, on the 

 3d of August, they set sail finally for the Cape of Good Hope. 



They continued without seeing land during the months of 

 August, September, and October, greatly distressed by foul 

 weather, or, in the quaint language of those days, "by torments 

 of wind and rain." At last, on the 7th of November, they 

 touched the African coast, and anchored in a capacious bay, 

 which they called the Bay of St. Helena, and which is not far 

 to the north of the Cape. Here they perceived the natives "to 

 bee lyttle men, ill favored in the face, and of color blacke ; and 

 when they did speake, it was in such manner as though they did 

 alwayes sigh." Camoens rhapsodizes at length over this approach 

 to the land ; and it must be remembered that, having followed in 

 da Gama's track as early as the year 1553, his descriptions of 

 scenery are those of an eye-witness: 



" Loud through the fleet the echoing shouts prevail: 

 We drop the anchor and restrain the sail ; 



