* * * *
Which is the way it turned out--almost.
The Santa Maria and Pinta pursued all through August and September andinto October, but the Nina kept its slim lead. The ships were never outof sight of one another and once or twice Columbus even hailed them,imploring them to return to Spain with him. When they ignored him, hisdeep voice boomed to his own crew and the crew of the Pinta: "Then sailon, sail on!" It was these words, Danny knew, that history would record.Not the others.
One morning in October, he awoke with a start. Something had disturbedhis sleep--something ...
"Good morning, captain," a voice said.
He looked up. It was a giant of a man, with a hard face andbrutal-looking eyes. He knew that face. Pietro! The giant of the tavern.
"But you--"
"I was aboard all the time, my captain," Pietro said. "An auxiliaryrower. You never knew." He said nothing else. He lunged at Martin'sbunk--for I'm Martin again, Danny thought--a knife gleaming in his bighand.
* * * * *
Martin-Danny sat up, bringing the covers with him, hurling them like acloak at Pietro. The giant's knife-hand caught in the covers and Dannyswung to his feet, shoving the big man. Pietro stumbled into the bunk,then lashed around quickly, unexpectedly, the knife loose again. Dannyfelt it grating across his ribs hotly, searingly. He staggered andalmost fell, but somehow made it to the door and on deck. He neededroom. Facing that knife in the close confines of the cabin, he was adead man and knew it.
He hit the stairs and headed for the deck. He reached the door--tugged.It held fast. He heard Pietro's laughter, then threw himself to oneside. The knife thudded into the wood alongside Danny's shoulder.
Then the door came open, throwing him back. He stumbled, regained hisbalance, plunged outside. With a roar, Pietro followed him, knife againin hand.
Danny backed away slowly. Only a few crew members were on deck now, anda watch high up in the crow's nest. The watch was crying in analmost-delirious voice: "Land, land! Land ho-oo!" But Martin-Dannyhardly heard the words. Pietro came at him--
Suddenly Don Hernan was in front of him. Don Hernan's hand nipped up andthen down and a knife arced toward Danny. He caught it by the haft,swung to face the giant. But, he thought, I don't know how to use aknife. I'm Danny Jones, I ...
Pietro leaped, the knife down, held loosely at his side, underhanded,ready to slash and rip. Danny sidestepped and Pietro went by in a rush.Danny waited.
Pietro came back carefully this time, crouching, balanced easily on theballs of his feet. For all his size, he fought with the grace of adancer.
Danny felt warm wetness where the blood was seeping from his ribs. Feetpounded as more of the crew came on deck in response to the watch'sdelirious words. Instead of crowding at the prow, though, they formed acircle around Danny and Pietro. Danny thought: But I'm the captain. Thecaptain. They ought to help me ... they ... He knew though that theywould not. They were a fierce, proud people and the law of single combatwould apply even to the captain who had piloted them across an unknownocean.
Pietro came by, attempting to slash with his knife from outside. Dannymoved quickly--not quick enough. The knife point caught his arm thistime. He felt his hand go numb. His own knife clattered to the deck asblood oozed from his biceps.
Once more Pietro charged him. Weaponless, Danny waited. Pietro waslaughing, sure of himself--
Careless.
Danny slipped aside as Pietro brought the knife around in a wickedswipe. He spun with it and when he came around Danny was waiting forhim. He drove his left fist into the great belly and his right to thebig, bearded jaw. Pietro slumped, disbelief in his eyes. He swung theknife again but only succeeded in wrapping his giant arm around Danny.He bent his head, shook it to clear it of the sting of Danny's blows.And Danny rabbit-punched him.
Pietro went down heavily and someone shouted. "The face! Kick him in theface!"
Wearily, Danny shook his head. He went with Nina to the rail and saw thegreen palm-fringed island of the New World. Nina smiled at him, thenripped something from what she was wearing and began to bandage hisribs, his arm.
* * * * *
They heard a splash. Danny looked around, saw Don Hernan and a member ofthe crew gazing serenely down. Pietro was down there, where they hadtossed him. For a while the body floated, then the limbs splashed wildlyas Pietro regained consciousness. He drifted back away from the ship. Hewent under, and came up. He went under again, and stayed under....
"The Indies," Nina said.
"The Indies," Danny said. He did not make the distinction between eastand west. They must learn for themselves.
The Pinta and the Santa Maria came up alongside. All thoughts of pursuitwere gone. Columbus waved. He was very close now on the deck of theSanta Maria. There was something in his face, something changed.Columbus was a new man now. He had been shamed. He had followed hisdaughter and Martin Pinzon across an unknown ocean and he was changednow. Somehow, Danny knew he could now make voyages on his own.
"Martin," Nina whispered. "They may say it was father. But it was you.I'll know in my heart, it was you."
Danny nodded. She put her arm around his shoulder, and kissed him. Heliked this slim girl--he liked her immensely, and it wasn't right. Shewasn't his, not really. She was Martin Pinzon's. He let the Spaniardcome to the surface, willed his own mind back and down and away. She'sall yours, Pinzon, he told the other mind in his body. She--and thisworld. I'm a--stranger here.
But once more he kissed Nina, fiercely, with passion and longing.
"Goodbye, my darling," he said.
"Goodbye! What--"
He let Martin Pinzon take it from there. "Hello," said Martin Pinzon."I mean, hello forever, darling."
She laughed. "Goodbye to your bachelorhood, you mean."
"Yes," he said. "Yes."
But it was Martin Pinzon talking now. Completely Martin Pinzon.
He was back in his grand-uncle's basement. He was in the trunk and hefelt stiff. Mostly, his right arm and the right ribs felt stiff. He felthis shirt. It was caked with blood.
Proof, he thought. If I needed proof. What happened to Pinzon happenedto me.
He stood up. He felt weak, but knew he would be all right. He knew aboutColumbus now. At first, a weak drunkard. But after the first voyage,thanks to Martin Pinzon and Nina, an intrepid voyager. For history saidColumbus would make four voyages to the New World--and four he wouldmake.
Danny went outside, to where the lawyer was waiting for him. The trunkwas Danny's now, the time trunk. And he would use it again, often. Heknew that now, and it was wrong to deflate a dream.
Columbus was a hero. He would never say otherwise again.
THE END
Transcriber's Note:
This etext was produced from _Amazing Stories_ October 1956. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without note.
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