The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1891-10-02

signs of land diverted the attention of
the crews and insensibly beguiled them
onward.
On the 1st of October, according to
the reckoning of the pilot of the ad-
mirals ship, they had come $50 leagues
west since leaving the Canary islands.
The reckoning which Columbus showed
the crew was 584, but the reckoning
which he kept privately was TOT. On
the following day the weeds foated from
east to west, and ON the third day no
birds were to be seen.
The crews now began to fear that they
had passed between islands, from one to
the other of which the birds had been
flying. Columbus had also some doubts
of the kind, but refused to alter his west
ward course. The people again uttered
murmurs and menaces, but on the fol-
lowing day they were visited by such
flights Of birds, and the various indica-
tions of land became so numerous, that
from a state of dependency they passed
to one of confident expectation.
Eager to obtain the promised pension,
the seamen were continually giving the
cry Of land on the least appearance of
the kind. To put a stop to these false
alarms, which produced continual disap-
pointments, Columbus declared that
should any one give such notice, and
land not be discovered within three days
afterward, he should thenceforth forfeit
all claim to the reward.
On the evening of the 9th of October
Martin Alonzo Pinzon began to lose con-
fdence in their present course and pro-
posed that they should stand more to the
southwark. Columbus. however, still
persisted in steering directly west OBJ
serving this difference of opinion in a
person so important in his squadron as
Pinzon, and fearing that chance or de-
sign might scatter the ships, he ordered
that, should either Of the caravels be
separated from him, 1t should stand to
the west, and endeavor as soon as possi-
BILE to join company again; he directed,
also, that the vessels should keep near to
him at sunrise and sunset, as at these
times the state of the atmosphere is most
favorable to the discovery of distant
land.
On the morning of the 7th of October,
at sunrise. several of the admirals crew
thought they beheld land in the west,
but SO indistinctly that no one ventured
to proclaim it, lest he should be mis-
taken and forfeit all chance of the re-
ward; the Nina, however, being a good
sailer, pressed forward to ascertain the
fact. In little while a flag was hoisted
at her masthead, and gun discharged,
being the preconcerted signal for land
New joy was awakened throughout the
little squadron, and every eye was turned
to the west As they advanced, how
ever, their cloud built hopes faded away,
and before evening the fancied land had
again melted into air.
The crews now sank into degree of
detection proportioned to their recent
excitement, but new circumstances oc-
enrred to arouse them. Columbus, hav-
ing observed great flights of small field
birds going toward the southwest, con-
cluded they must be secure of some
neighboring land, where they could find
food and resting place. He knew the
Importance which the Portuguese voy-
ayers attached to the fight of birds, by
following which they had discovered
most of their islands He had now come
760 leagues, the distance at which he
had computed to find the island of Ci-
pango; as there was no appearance of
it, he might have missed it through
some mistake in the latitude. He deter
mined, therefore, on the evening of the
7th of October, to alter his course to the
west-sonthWest, the direction In which
the birds generally few, and continue
that direction for at least two days.
after all it was no great deviation from
his main course, and would meet the
wishes of the Pinzons, as well as be in
spiriting to his followers generally.
For three days they stood in this d.
rection, and the farther they went the
more frequent and encouraging were the
signs of land Flights of small birds of
various colors, some Of them such as sing
in the fields. came flying about the ships
ana then continued toward the south
west, and others were heard also dying
by in the night Tunny fish played
about the smooth sea. and a heron, a
pelican and a duck were seen, all bound
in the same direction The herbage
which foated by was fresh and green, 40
ifrecentlY fran land, and tho air, Colum-
bus observes, was sweet and fragrant as
April breezes in Seville.
All these. however. were regarded by
the crews as so many delusions beguiling
them on to destruction, and when on the
evening Of the third day they beheld the
sun so down upon q shoreless horizon,
they broke forth into turbulent clamor.
They exclaimed against this obstinacy in
tempting fate by continuing ON into
boundless sea. They insisted upon turn
ing homeward and abandoning the voy-
age as hopeless. Columbus endeavored
to pacify them by gentle words and
promises of large rewards; but finding
that they only increased in clamor, he
assumed a decided tone. He told them
it was useless to murmur. the expedition
bad been sent by the soyereigas to seek
the Indies, and, happen what might, he
was determined to persevere, until, by
the blessing of God. he should accomplish
the enterprise.
Columbus was now at open defiance
with his crew. and his situation became
desperate. Fortunately the manifesto
tions of the vicinity of land were such
on the following day as no longer to ad-
NIT doubt. Besides quantity of fresh
weeds, such as grow in rivers, they saw
a green fish of kind which keeps about
L 4 L. II