Fillies and Birds were feen; and founding very frequently. 
4. The Men being unexperienced in fucli a Coiirfe, fee- 
ing no Hopes, and nothing appearing but Sky and Wa- 
ter for To many Days, carefully obferved every Token, 
being then farther from Land than any Men had ever 
been before. On the 1 9th, a Sea Gull went to the Ad- 
miral's Ship, and others came near in the Afternoon, 
which gave Hopes that fome Land was near, as believing 
that thefe Birds went not far from it ; and with this Hopes, 
the Weather being calm, they founded with 200 Fa- 
thoms of Line, and though they found no Ground, they 
perceived that the Currents ran South-weft., On the 20th, 
in the Forenoon, they faw two other Gulls near the Ad- 
.miral *, and fome time after they took a Blackbird with a 
white Spot on the Head, the Feet like a Duck’s ; they 
alfo killed a fmall Fifh, and faw Abundance of Weeds 
like what they had feen before •, and the Ships making 
way through them, they became lefs afraid. The next 
Morning, at Break of Day, three other little Land Birds 
came on board the Admiral finging, and at Sun rifing 
they flew away •, which was fome Comfort to the Men, as 
believing that the other Sea Fowls might eafily go farther 
from the Land, but that the little Birds could not come 
from fo great a Diftance. Some time after they faw ano- 
ther Gull coming from the Weft North-v/eft-, and the next 
Day in the Afternoon more Weeds to the Northward, 
which was fome Satisfabtion to them, believing the Land 
Was near. The Weeds at the fame Time perplexed them, 
fome Knots of them being fo thick, that they hindered 
the Ships Way, and therefore they kept as clear from 
them as they could. The next Day they faw a Whale ; 
and on the 2 2d they fpied fome Birds; and thofe three 
Days the Wind was at South-weft, and though it was 
contrary, the Admiral faid it was good^, becaufe the Men 
muttering and refufmg to obey *, and alledging among 
other things, that fince they had fo long run before the 
Wind, it would be hard for them to return to Spain^ by 
Reafon that though it had fometimes proved contrary, it 
had held but of fhort time, and was not fteady : And 
though the Admiral anfwered that was occafioned by 
their being near Land, and urged fome more Reafons 
for it •, he ftood in need of God’s fpecial AlTiftance, be- 
caufe the Difcontents increafed, the Men grew mutinous, 
and by degrees, paid him no Refped ; reflefting on the 
King for having given Orders for the Voyage; and al- 
moft all of them agreed not to proceed in it. 
The Admiral managed Things with great Addrefs ; 
fometimes encouraging the Men, and alluring them of 
the Shortnefs and good Succefs of their Voyage; and 
fometimes threatning them with the King’s Authority; 
but it pleafed God, that on the 23d the Wind came up 
at Weft North-weft, the Sea indifferent rough as they all 
wilhed ; and three Hours before Noon a Turtle Dove flew 
over the Admiral ; and in the Afternoon a Gull and other 
white Birds; and among the Weeds they found little 
Grafshoppers. The next Day came a Gull and fome 
Turtle Doves from the Weft ward, and fome fmall Fiflies, 
which they ftruck. As thefe Tokens had hitherto failed, 
the Mens Fear increafed, and they took occafion to gather 
Parties, faying, the Admiral in a mad Humour had 
thought to maLe himfeif great at the Expence of their 
Lives ; and though they had done their Duty, and fail- 
ed farther from. Land than ever any Man had done be- 
fore, they ought not to be inftrumental to their own De- 
ftruftion ; ftili proceeding without any Reafon, till their 
Provifions failed them, which, though they were ever 
very fparing, would not fuffice to carry them back any 
more than the Ships, which were already very crazy ; fo 
that no body would think they had done amifs , and 
that fo many having oppofed the Admiral’s Projedls, the 
more Credit would be given to them : Nay, there want- 
ed not fome, who faid that, to put an End to all De- 
bates, the beft Way would be to throw him into the Sea, 
and fay he had unfortunately fallen in, as he was atten- 
tively gazing on the Stars, and no body would go about 
to enquire into the Truth of it; that was the beft Means 
for them 'to return and fave themfelves. 
Thus the evil Defigns of the Men very much perplex- 
ed Cchmibus ; but fometimes giving good Words, and 
at other times putting them in mind of the Punifhment 
they would incur if they obftrufted the Voyage, he 
curbed their Infolence with Fear, and as a Confirmation of 
the Flopes he gave them of foon concluding the Voyage 
fiiccelsfully, he often put them m mind of the above 
mentioned Signs, promiflng them they would foon find 
a very rich Country, where they would all conclude their 
Labour well beftowed. The Men were fo anxious and 
difconfolate that every Hour feemed a Year, till on the 
25th at Sun fetting, whilft Columbus was talking to Vin- 
cent Yanez Pinzon^ he cried out Land, Land, Sir ; let 
me not lofe my Reward for this good News; and 
fliewed towards the South-weft a Body that looked like 
an Hand, about 25 Leagues from the Ships. This, 
v/hich was looked upon' as an Invention concerted be- 
tween them two, fo much cheated up the Men, that they 
returned Thanks to God'; and the Admiral, till Night, 
made as if he believed it to be fo, fteering his Courfe that 
way a great Part of the Night, to humour the Men. 
The next Morning they all perceived they were Clouds, 
which often look like Land, and to the great Regret of 
of the major Part, they held on their Courfe Weft ward. 
But to return to the Tokens ; they faw a Gull and a Wag- 
tail, and other Birds ; and the next Day they faw another 
Wagtail flying from the Weft Eaftward, and many 
gilt Filhes appeared, which they killed ; and a Wagtail 
flew very near the Ship, and they perceived that the Cur- 
rents ran not fo ftrong as before, but turned back with 
the Tides, and there were fewer Weeds; and the Day 
following they took many gilt Filhes. On the 29th they 
faw a Wagtail, which is a Sea-Fowl that never refts, 
purfues the Gulls till they empty their Bellies for fear, 
and catching their Dung in the Air feeds on it ; and of 
thefe Birds there are many in the Iflands of Cabo Verde. 
Soon after two Wagtails appeared, and many flying Fifli- 
es, which having two litde Wings, fometimes fly a 
Mulket Shot, or a few Yards, above the Vfater ; being 
about a Span in Length, and fometimes fell into the Ships, 
In the Afternoon they met with a great Quantity of Weeds, 
in a Line from North to South, and three Gulls and a 
Wagtail purfuing them ; the Men ftili fancying that the 
Weeds were a Token that there was Ground near them 
under Water, and that they Ihould perilh. 
On the 30th, four Wagtails flew near the Admiral, 
and by their being together, they gueffed that they were 
near Land, and alfo becaufe four more came foon after, 
and they faw many Weeds in a Line from Weft North- 
weft, to Fall South-eaft, and many Fifties called Em- 
perors, which have a very hard Skin, and are not fit to 
eat. Though the Admiral took notice of thefe Tokens, 
he did not forget thofe in the Sky. He obferved, there, 
that the Polar Stars were, at Night, on the Weft Qiiarter, 
and when Day came on, they were at the North-eaft Quar- 
ter; by which he concluded that during the Night, they 
advanced but three Lines, which are nine Hours, and 
this he found every Night ; he alfo perceived, that at 
Night-fall, the Needles varied one whole Degree, and in 
the Morning they were right with the Star ; which very 
much troubled and confounded the Pilots, till he told 
them, that the Occafion of it was the Compafs of the 
North Star about the Pole, and that gave them fome 
Satisfadlion ; for, in reality, that Variation made them 
apprehenfive of Danger, as being far from Land. 
5. Odlober the ift, at Break of Day, a Wagtail came 
to the Admiral, as did others, two or three Hours before 
Noon ; and the Vfeeds came from Eaft to Weft, fome be- 
lieving they ihould fall in fo near the Land, that the 
Ships would be a-ground and perifh. The fame Day, in 
the Morning, the Pilot told the Admiral that they v/ere 
then 588 to the Weftv^^ard, off the Ifiand Ferro. The 
Admiral told the Pilot, that by his reckoning it was 
584; but, in his own Thoughts, and according to his 
true reckoning, it was 607. The Pilot of the Caravel 
Nina., on the Third, in the Afternoon, faid he found they 
had failed 650 Leagues, and the Pilot of the Pinta faid 
634, wherein they were miftaken, for they had always 
failed before the 'Wind: But Columbus ftili took no no- 
tice, left the Men fhould be difmayed at the vaft Run ; 
for the greateft Sea, till then known, did not exceed 200 
