CHAPTER XXIV.
"Three score and ten I can remember well, Within the volume of which time I have seen Hours dreadful, and things strange, but this sore sight Hath trifled former knowings."
Macbeth.
A sight that struck our hero with a terror and awe, almost as great asthose experienced by the ignorant Haytians at the report and effect ofthe arquebuse, awaited him, as he came in view of the anchorage. TheSanta Maria, that vessel of the admiral, which he had left only fourdays before in her gallant array and pride, lay a stranded wreck on thesands, with fallen masts, broken sides, and all the other signs ofnautical destruction. The Nina was anchored in safety, it is true, at nogreat distance, but a sense of loneliness and desertion came over theyoung man, as he gazed at this small craft, which was little more than afelucca, raised to the rank of a ship for the purposes of the voyage.The beach was covered with stores, and it was evident that the Spaniardsand the people of Guacanagari toiled in company, at the construction ofa sort of fortress; an omen that some great change had come over theexpedition. Ozema was immediately left in the house of a native, and thetwo adventurers hurried forward to join their friends, and to ask anexplanation of what they had seen.
Columbus received his young friend kindly, but in deep affliction. Themanner in which the ship was lost has been often told, and Luis learnedthat the Nina being too small to carry all away, a colony was to be leftin the fortress, while the remainder of the adventurers hastened back toSpain. Guacanagari had shown himself full of sympathy, and was kindnessitself, while every one had been too much occupied with the shipwreck tomiss our hero, or to hearken to rumors of an event as common as aninroad from a Carib chief, to carry off an Indian beauty. Perhaps, thelatter event was still too recent to have reached the shores.
The week that succeeded the return of Luis was one of active exertion.The Santa Maria was wrecked on the morning of Christmas day, 1492, andon that of the 4th of January following, the Nina was ready to depart onher return voyage. During this interval, Luis had seen Ozema but once,and then he had found her sorrowing, mute, and resembling a witheredflower, that retained its beauty even while it drooped. On the eveningof the third, however, while lingering near the new-finished fortress,he was summoned by Sancho to another interview. To the surprise of ourhero, he found the young cacique with his sister.
Although language was wanting, on this occasion, the parties easilyunderstood each other. Ozema was no longer sorrowful, and borne downwith grief: the smile and the laugh came easily from her young andbuoyant spirits, and Luis thought he had never seen her so winning andlovely. She had arranged her scanty toilet with Indian coquetry, and thebright, warm color of her cheeks added new lustre to her brilliant eyes.Her light, agile form, a model of artless grace, seemed so ethereal asscarce to touch the earth. The secret of this sudden change was not longhid from Luis. The brother and sister, after discussing all theirdangers and escapes, and passing in review the character and knowndetermination of Caonabo, had come to the conclusion that there was norefuge for Ozema but in flight. What most determined the brother toconsent that his sister should accompany the strangers to their distanthome, it would be useless to inquire; but the motive of Ozema herself,can be no secret to the reader. It was known that the admiral wasdesirous of carrying to Spain a party of natives; and three females, oneof whom was of Ozema's rank, had already consented to go. Thischieftain's wife was not only known to Ozema, but she was a kinswoman.Every thing seemed propitious to the undertaking; and as a voyage toSpain was still a mystery to the natives, who regarded it as somethinglike an extended passage from one of their islands to another, noformidable difficulties presented themselves to the imagination ofeither the cacique or his sister.
This proposition took our hero by surprise. He was both flattered andpleased at the self-devotion of Ozema, even while it troubled him.Perhaps there were moments when he a little distrusted himself. StillMercedes reigned in his heart, and he shook off the feeling as asuspicion that a true knight could not entertain without offering aninsult to his own honor. On second thoughts, there were fewer objectionsto the scheme than he at first fancied; and, after an hour's discussion,he left the place to go and consult the admiral.
Columbus was still at the fortress, and he heard our hero gravely andwith interest. Once or twice Luis' eyes dropped under the searchingglance of his superior; but, on the whole, he acquitted himself of thetask he had undertaken, with credit.
"The sister of a cacique, thou say'st, Don Luis," returned the admiral,thoughtfully. "The virgin sister of a cacique!"
"Even so, Don Christopher; and of a grace, birth, and beauty, that willgive our Lady, the Queen, a most exalted idea of the merits of ourdiscovery."
"Thou wilt remember, Senor Conde, that naught but purity may be offeredto purity. Dona Isabella is a model for all queens, and mothers, andwives; and I trust nothing to offend her angelic mind can ever come fromher favored servants. There has been no deception practised on this wildgirl, to lead her into sin and misery?"
"Don Christopher, you can scarce think this of me. Dona Mercedes herselfis not more innocent than the girl I mean, nor could her brother feelmore solicitude in her fortunes, than I feel. When the king and queenhave satisfied their curiosity, and dismissed her, I propose to placeher under the care of the Lady of Valverde."
"The rarer the specimens that we take, the better, Luis. This willgratify the sovereigns, and cause them to think favorably of ourdiscoveries, as thou say'st. It might be done without inconvenience. TheNina is small, of a verity, but we gain much in leaving this large partybehind us. I have given up the principal cabin to the other females,since thou and I can fare rudely for a few weeks. Let the girl come, andsee thou to her comfort and convenience."
This settled the matter. Early next morning Ozema embarked, carryingwith her the simple wealth of an Indian princess, among which the turbanwas carefully preserved. Her relative had an attendant, who sufficed forboth. Luis paid great attention to the accommodations, in which bothcomfort and privacy were duly respected. The parting with Mattinao wastouchingly tender, for the domestic affections appear to have been muchcultivated among these simple-minded and gentle people; but theseparation, it was supposed, would be short, and Ozema had, again andagain, assured her brother that her repugnance to Caonabo, powerfulcacique as he might be, was unconquerable. Each hour increased it,strengthening her resolution never to become his wife. The alternativewas to secrete herself in the island, or to make this voyage to Spain;and there was glory as well as security in the latter. With thisconsolation, the brother and sister parted.
Columbus had intended to push his discoveries much further, before hereturned to Europe; but the loss of the Santa Maria, and the desertionof the Pinta, reduced him to the necessity of bringing the expedition toa close, lest, by some untoward accident, all that had actually beenachieved should be forever lost to the world. Accordingly, in the courseof the 4th of January, 1493, he made sail to the eastward, holding hiscourse along the shores of Hayti. His great object now was to get backto Spain before his remaining little bark should fail him, when his ownname would perish with the knowledge of his discoveries. Fortunately,however, on the 6th, the Pinta was seen coming down before the wind,Martin Alonzo Pinzon having effected one of the purposes for which hehad parted company, that of securing a quantity of gold, but failed indiscovering any mines, which is believed to have been his principalmotive.
It is not important to the narrative to relate the details of themeeting that followed. Columbus received the offending Pinzon withprudent reserve, and, hearing his explanations, he directed him toprepare the Pinta for the return passage. After wooding and wateringaccordingly, in a bay favorable to such objects, the two vesselsproceeded to the eastward in company; still following the north shore ofHayti, Espanola, or Little Spain, as the island had been named byColumbus.[4]
[Footnote 4: The fortunes of this beautiful island furnish a remarkableproof of the manner in which abusse are made, by
the providence of God,to produce their own punishments. This island, which is about two-thirdsthe size of the state of New York, was the seat of Spanish authority, inthe New World, for many years. The mild aborigines, who were numerousand happy when discovered, were literally exterminated by the crueltiesof their new masters; and it was found necessary to import negroes fromAfrica, to toil in the cane-fields. Toward the middle of the sixteenthcentury, it is said that two hundred of the aborigines were not to befound in the island, although Ovando had decoyed no less than fortythousand from the Bahamas, to supply the places of the dead, as early as1518! At a later day, Espanola passed into the hands of the French, andall know the terrible events by which it has gone into the exclusivepossession of the descendants of the children of Africa. All that hasbeen said of the influence of the white population of this country, asconnected with our own Indians, sinks into insignificance, as comparedwith these astounding facts.]
It was the 16th of the month, ere the adventurers finally took theirleave of this beautiful spot. They had scarcely got clear of the land,steering a north-easterly course, when the favorable winds desertedthem, and they were again met by the trades. The weather was moderate,however, and by keeping the two vessels on the best tack, by the 10th ofFebruary, the admiral, making sundry deviations from a straight course,however, had stretched across the track of ocean in which these constantbreezes prevailed, and reached a parallel of latitude as high as Palos,his port. In making this long slant, the Nina, contrary to formerexperience, was much detained by the dull sailing of the Pinta, whichvessel, having sprung her after-mast, was unable to bear a press ofsail. The light breeze also favored the first, which had ever beendeemed a fast craft in smooth water and gentle gales.
Most of the phenomena of the outward passage were observed on thehomeward; but the tunny-fish no longer excited hopes, nor did thesea-weed awaken fears. These familiar objects were successfully, butslowly passed, and the variable winds were happily struck again in thefirst fortnight. Here the traverses necessarily became more and morecomplicated, until the pilots, unused to so long and difficult anavigation, in which they received no aids from either land or water,got confused in their reckonings, disputing hotly among themselvesconcerning their true position.
"Thou hast heard to-day, Luis," said the admiral, smiling, in one of hisrenewed conferences with our hero, "the contentions of Vicente Yanez,with his brother, Martin Alonzo, and the other pilots, touching ourdistance from Spain. These constant shifts of wind have perplexed thehonest mariners, and they fancy themselves in any part of the Atlantic,but that in which they really are!"
"Much depends on you, Senor; not only our safety, but the knowledge ofour great discoveries."
"Thou say'st true, Don Luis. Vicente Yanez, Sancho Ruiz, Pedro AlonzoNino, and Bartolemeo Roldan, to say nothing of the profound calculatorsin the Pinta, place the vessels in the neighborhood of Madeira, which isnearer to Spain, by a hundred and fifty leagues, than the truth wouldshow. These honest people have followed their wishes, rather than theirknowledge of the ocean and the heavens."
"And you, Don Christopher, where do you place the caravels, since thereis no motive to conceal the truth?"
"We are south of Flores, young Count, fully twelve degrees west of theCanaries, and in the latitude of Nafe, in Africa. But I would that theyshould be bewildered, until the right of possession to our discoveriesbe made a matter of certainty. Not one of these men now doubts hisability to do all I have done, and yet neither is able to grope his wayback again, after crossing this track of water to Asia!"
Luis understood the admiral, and the size of the vessels rendering thecommunication of secrets hazardous, the conversation changed.
Up to this time, though the winds were often variable, the weather hadbeen good. A few squalls had occurred, as commonly happens at sea, butthey had proved to be neither long nor severe. All this was extremelygrateful to Columbus, who, now he had effected the great purpose forwhich he might have been said to live, felt some such concern lest theimportant secret should be lost to the rest of mankind, as one whocarries a precious object through scenes of danger experiences for thesafety of his charge. A change, however, was at hand, and at the verymoment when the great navigator began to hope the best, he was fated toexperience the severest of all his trials.
As the vessels advanced north, the weather became cooler, as a matter ofcourse, and the winds stronger. During the night of the 11th ofFebruary, the caravels made a great run on their course, gaining morethan a hundred miles between sunset and sunrise. The next morning manybirds were in sight, from which fact Columbus believed himself quitenear the Azores, while the pilots fancied they were in the immediatevicinity of Madeira. The following day the wind was less favorable,though strong, and a heavy sea had got up. The properties of the littleNina now showed themselves to advantage, for, ere the turn of the day,she had to contend with such a struggle of the elements, as few in herhad ever before witnessed. Fortunately, all that consummate seamanshipcould devise to render her safe and comfortable had been done, and shewas in as perfect a state of preparation for a tempest, as circumstanceswould allow. The only essential defect was her unusual lightness, since,most of her stores as well as her water being nearly exhausted, herdraught of water was materially less than it should have been. Thecaravel was so small, that this circumstance, which is of littleconsequence to the safety of large vessels, got to be one ofconsideration in a craft whose means of endurance did not place herabove the perils of squalls. The reader will understand the distinctionbetter when he is told that ships of size can only lose their spars bysudden gusts of wind, seldom being thrown on their beam ends, as it istermed, unless by the power of the waves; whereas, smaller craft incurthe risk of being capsized, when the spread of their canvas isdisproportioned to their stability. Although the seamen of the Ninaperceived this defect in their caravel, which, in a great measure,proceeded from the consumption of the fresh water, they hoped so soon togain a haven, that no means had been taken to remedy the evil.
Such was the state of things, as the sun set on the night of the 12th ofFebruary, 1493. As usual, Columbus was on the poop, vessels of all sizesthen carrying these clumsy excrescences, though this of the Nina was sosmall as scarcely to deserve the name. Luis was at his side, and bothwatched the aspect of the heavens and the ocean in grave silence. Neverbefore had our hero seen the elements in so great commotion, and theadmiral had just remarked that even he had not viewed many nights asthreatening. There is a solemnity about a sunset at sea, when the cloudsappear threatening, and the omens of a storm are brooding, that is neverto be met with on the land. The loneliness of a ship, struggling througha waste of dreary-looking water, contributes to the influence of thefeelings that are awakened, as there appears to be but one object onwhich the wild efforts of the storm can expend themselves. All else seemto be in unison to aid the general strife; ocean, heavens, and the air,being alike accessories in the murky picture. When the wintry frowns ofFebruary are thrown around all, the gloomy hues of the scene aredeepened to their darkest tints.
"This is a brooding nightfall, Don Luis," Columbus remarked, just as thelast rays that the sun cast upward on the stormy-looking cloudsdisappeared from their ragged outlines--"I have rarely seen another asmenacing."
"One has a double confidence in the care of God, while sailing underyour guidance, Senor; first in his goodness, and next in the knowledgeof his agent's skilfulness."
"The power of the Almighty is sufficient to endue the feeblest mortalwith all fitting skill, when it is his divine will to spare; or to robthe most experienced of their knowledge, when his anger can only beappeased by the worldly destruction of his creatures."
"You look upon the night as portentous, Don Christopher!"
"I _have_ seen omens as ill, though very seldom. Had not the caravelthis burdensome freight, I might view our situation less anxiously."
"You surprise me, sir Admiral! the pilots have regretted that our barkis so light."
"True, as t
o material substance; but it beareth a cargo of knowledge,Luis, that it would be grievous to see wasted on these vacant waters.Dost thou not perceive how fast and gloomily the curtain of nightgathereth about us, and the manner in which the Nina is rapidly gettingto be our whole world? Even the Pinta is barely distinguishable, like ashapeless shadow on the foaming billows, serving rather as a beacon towarn us of our own desolation, than as a consort to cheer us with herpresence and companionship."
"I have never known you thus moody, excellent Senor, on account of theaspect of the weather!"
"'Tis not usual with me, young lord; but my heart is loaded with itsglorious secret. Behold!--dost thou remark that further sign of thewarring of the elements?"
The admiral, as he spoke, was standing with his face toward Spain, whilehis companion's gaze was fastened on the portentous-looking horizon ofthe west, around which still lingered sufficient light to render itsfrowns as chilling as they were visible. He had not seen the change thatdrew the remark from Columbus, but, turning quickly, he asked anexplanation. Notwithstanding the season, the horizon at the north-easthad been suddenly illuminated by a flash of lightning, and even whilethe admiral was relating the fact, and pointing out the quarter of theheavens in which the phenomenon had appeared, two more flashes followedeach other in quick succession.
"Senor Vicente"--called out Columbus, leaning forward in a way tooverlook a group of dusky figures that was collected on the half-deckbeneath him--"Is Senor Vicente Yanez of your number?"
"I am here, Don Christopher, and note the omen. It is the sign of evenmore wind."
"We shall be visited with a tempest, worthy Vicente; and it will comefrom that quarter of the heavens, or its opposite. Have we made all surein the caravel?"
"I know not what else is to be done, Senor Almirante. Our canvas is atthe lowest, every thing is well lashed, and we carry as little aloft ascan be spared. Sancho Ruiz, look you to the tarpaulings, lest we shipmore water than will be safe."
"Look well to our light, too, that our consort may not part from us inthe darkness. This is no time for sleep, Vicente--place your most trustymen at the tiller."
"Senor, they are selected with care. Sancho Mundo, and young Pepe ofMoguer, do that duty, at present; others as skilled await to relievethem, when their watch ends."
"'Tis well, good Pinzon--neither you nor I can close an eye to-night."
The precautions of Columbus were not uncalled-for. About an hour afterthe unnatural flashes of lightning had been seen, the wind rose from thesouth-west, favorably as to direction, but fearfully as to force.Notwithstanding his strong desire to reach port, the admiral found itprudent to order the solitary sail that was set, to be taken in; andmost of the night the two caravels drove before the gale, under barepoles, heading to the north-east. We say both, for Martin Alonzo,practised as he was in stormy seas, and disposed as he was to act onlyfor himself, now the great problem was solved, kept the Pinta so nearthe Nina, that few minutes passed without her being seen careering onthe summit of a foaming sea, or settling bodily into the troughs, as shedrove headlong before the tempest; keeping side by side with herconsort, however, as man clings to man in moments of dependency andperil.
Thus passed the night of the 13th, the day bringing with it a more vividpicture of the whole scene, though it was thought that the wind somewhatabated in its force as the sun arose. Perhaps this change existed onlyin the imaginations of the mariners, the light usually lessening theappearance of danger, by enabling men to face it. Each caravel, however,set a little canvas, and both went foaming ahead, hurrying toward Spainwith their unlooked-for tidings. As the day advanced, the fury of thegale sensibly lessened; but as night drew on again, it returned withrenewed force, more adverse, and compelling the adventurers to take inevery rag of sail they had ventured to spread. Nor was this the worst.The caravels, by this time, had driven up into a tract of ocean where aheavy cross-sea was raging, the effects of some other gale that hadrecently blown from a different quarter. Both vessels struggled manfullyto lay up to their course, under these adverse circumstances; but theybegan to labor in a way to excite uneasiness in those who comprehendedthe fullest powers of the machines, and who knew whence the real sourcesof danger were derived. As night approached, Columbus perceived that thePinta could not maintain her ground, the strain on her after-mastproving too severe to be borne, even without an inch of canvas spread.Reluctantly did he order the Nina to edge away toward her consort,separation, at such a moment, being the evil next to positivedestruction.
In this manner the night of the 14th drew around our lone and sea-girtadventurers. What had been merely menace and omens the previous night,were now a dread reality. Columbus, himself, declared he had never knowna bark to buffet a more furious tempest, nor did he affect to concealfrom Luis the extent of his apprehensions. With the pilots, and beforethe crew, he was serene, and even cheerful; but when alone with ourhero, he became frank and humble. Still was the celebrated navigatoralways calm and firm. No unmanly complaint escaped him, though his verysoul was saddened at the danger his great discoveries ran of beingforever lost.
Such was the state of feeling that prevailed with the admiral, as he satin his narrow cabin, in the first hours of that appalling night,watching for any change, relieving or disastrous, that might occur. Thehowling of the winds, which fairly scooped up, from the surface of theraging Atlantic, the brine in sheets, was barely audible amid the roarand rush of the waters. At times, indeed, when the caravel sunkhelplessly between two huge waves, the fragment of sail she stillcarried would flap, and the air seemed hushed and still; and then,again, as the buoyant machine struggled upward, like a drowning man whogains the surface by frantic efforts, it would seem as if the columns ofair were about to bear her off before them, as lightly as the drivingspray. Even Luis, albeit little apt to take alarm, felt that theirsituation was critical, and his constitutional buoyancy of spirits hadsettled down in a thoughtful gravity, that was unusual with him. Had acolumn of a thousand hostile Moors stood before our hero, he would havethought rather of the means of overturning it than of escape; but thiswarring of the elements admitted of no such relief. It appeared actuallylike contending with the Almighty. In such scenes, indeed, the bravestfind no means of falling back on their resolution and intrepidity; forthe efforts of man seem insignificant and bootless as opposed to thewill and power of God.
"'Tis a wild night, Senor," our hero observed calmly, preserving anexterior of more unconcern than he really felt. "To me this surpassethall I have yet witnessed of the fury of a tempest."
Columbus sighed heavily; then he removed his hands from his face, andglanced about him, as if in search of the implements he wanted.
"Count of Llera," he answered, with dignity, "there remaineth a solemnduty to perform. There is parchment in the draw on your side of thistable, and here are the instruments for writing. Let us acquit ourselvesof this important trust while time is yet mercifully given us, God aloneknowing how long we have to live."
Luis did not blanch at these portentous words, but he looked earnest andgrave. Opening the draw, he took out the parchment and laid it upon thetable. The admiral now seized a pen, beckoning to his companion to takeanother, and both commenced writing as well as the incessant motion ofthe light caravel would allow. The task was arduous, but it was clearlyexecuted. As Columbus wrote a sentence, he repeated it to Luis, whocopied it word for word, on his own piece of parchment. The substance ofthis record was the fact of the discoveries made, the latitude andlongitude of Espanola, with the relative positions of the other islands,and a brief account of what he had seen. The letter was directed toFerdinand and Isabella. As soon as each had completed his account, theadmiral carefully enveloped his missive in a covering of waxed cloth,Luis imitating him in all things. Each then took a large cake of wax,and scooping a hole in it, the packet was carefully secured in theinterior, when it was covered with the substance that had been removed.Columbus now sent for the cooper of the vessel, who was directed toinclose each cake i
n a separate barrel. These vessels abound in ships;and, ere many minutes, the two letters were securely inclosed in theempty casks. Each taking a barrel, the admiral and our hero now appearedagain on the half-deck. So terrific was the night that no one slept, andmost of the people of the Nina, men as well as officers, were crowdedtogether on the gratings near the main-mast, where alone, with theexception of the still more privileged places, they consideredthemselves safe from being swept overboard. Indeed, even here they wereconstantly covered with the wash of the sea, the poop itself not beingprotected from rude visits of this nature.
As soon as the admiral was seen again, his followers crowded round him,solicitous to hear his opinion, and anxious to learn his present object.To have told the truth would have been to introduce despair where hopehad already nearly ceased; and, merely intimating that he performed areligious vow, Columbus, with his own hands, cast his barrel into thehissing ocean. That of Luis was placed upon the poop, in the expectationthat it would float, should the caravel sink.
Three centuries and a half have rolled by since Columbus took this wiseprecaution, and no tidings have ever been obtained of that cask. Itsbuoyancy was such that it might continue to float for ages. Covered withbarnacles, it may still be drifting about the waste of waters, pregnantwith its mighty revelations. It is possible, it may have been repeatedlyrolled upon some sandy beach, and as frequently swept off again; and itmay have been passed unheeded on a thousand occasions, by differentvessels, confounded with its vulgar fellows that are so often seendrifting about the ocean. Had it been found, it would have been opened;and had it been opened by any civilized man, it is next to impossiblethat an occurrence of so much interest should have been totally lost.
This duty discharged, the admiral had leisure to look about him. Thedarkness was now so great, that, but for the little light that wasdisengaged from the troubled water, it would have been difficult todistinguish objects at the length of the caravel. No one, who has merelybeen at sea in a tall ship, can form any just idea of the situation ofthe Nina. This vessel, little more than a large felucca, had actuallysailed from Spain with the latine rig, that is so common to the lightcoasters of southern Europe; a rig that had only been altered in theCanaries. As she floated in a bay, or a river, her height above thewater could not have exceeded four or five feet, and now that she wasstruggling with a tempest, in a cross sea, and precisely in that part ofthe Atlantic where the rake of the winds is the widest, and the tumultof the waters the greatest, it seemed as if she were merely some aquaticanimal, that occasionally rose to the surface to breathe. There weremoments when the caravel appeared to be irretrievably sinking into theabyss of the ocean; huge black mounds of water rising around her in alldirections, the confusion in the waves having destroyed all the ordinarysymmetry of the rolling billows. Although so much figurative languagehas been used, in speaking of mountainous waves, it would not beexceeding the literal truth to add, that the Nina's yards were oftenbelow the summits of the adjacent seas, which were tossed upward in soprecipitous a manner, as to create a constant apprehension of theirfalling in cataracts on her gratings; for mid-ship-deck, strictlyspeaking, she had none. This, indeed, formed the great source of danger;since one falling wave might have filled the little vessel, and carriedher, with all in her, hopelessly to the bottom. As it was, the crests ofseas were constantly tumbling inboard, or shooting athwart the hull ofthe caravel, in sheets of glittering foam, though happily, never withsufficient power to overwhelm the buoyant fabric. At such perilousinstants, the safety of the craft depended on the frail tarpaulings. Hadthese light coverings given way, two or three successive waves wouldinfallibly have so far filled the hold, as to render the hullwater-logged; when the loss of the vessel would have followed as aninevitable consequence.
The admiral had ordered Vicente Yanez to carry the foresail closereefed, in the hope of dragging the caravel through this chaos ofwaters, to a part of the ocean where the waves ran more regularly. Thegeneral direction of the seas, too, so far as they could be said to havea general direction at all, had been respected, and the Nina hadstruggled onward--it might be better to say, waded onward--some five orsix leagues, since the disappearance of the day, and found no change. Itwas getting to be near midnight, and still the surface of the oceanpresented the same wild aspect of chaotic confusion. Vicente Yanezapproached the admiral, and declared that the bark could no longer bearthe rag of sail she carried.
"The jerk, as we rise on the sea, goes near to pull the stern out of thecraft," he said; "and the backward flap, as we settle into the troughs,is almost as menacing. The Nina will bear the canvas no longer, withsafety."
"Who has seen aught of Martin Alonzo within the hour?" demandedColumbus, looking anxiously in the direction in which the Pinta ought tobe visible. "Thou hast lowered the lantern, Vicente Yanez."
"It would stand the hurricane no longer. From time to time it hath beenshown, and each signal hath been answered by my brother."
"Let it be shown once more. This is a moment when the presence of afriend gladdens the soul, even though he be helpless as ourselves."
The lantern was hoisted, and, after a steady gaze, a faint and distantlight was seen glimmering in the rack of the tempest. The experiment wasrepeated, at short intervals, and as often was the signal answered, atincreasing distances, until the light of their consort was finally lostaltogether.
"The Pinta's mast is too feeble to bear even its gear, in such a gale,"observed Vicente Yanez; "and my brother hath found it impossible to keepas near the wind as we have done. He goes off more to leeward."
"Let the foresail be secured," answered Columbus, "as thou say'st. Ourfeeble craft can no longer bear these violent surges."
Vicente Yanez now mustered a few of his ablest men, and went forwardhimself to see this order executed. At the same moment the helm wasrighted, and the caravel slowly fell off, until she got dead before thegale. The task of gathering in the canvas was comparatively easy, theyard being but a few feet above the deck, and little besides the clewsbeing exposed. Still it required men of the firmest nerve and thereadiest hands to venture aloft at such an instant. Sancho took one sideof the mast and Pepe the other, both manifesting such qualities as markthe perfect seaman only.
The caravel was now drifting at the mercy of the winds and waves, theterm scudding being scarcely applicable to the motion of a vessel solow, and which was so perfectly sheltered from the action of the wind bythe height of the billows. Had the latter possessed their ordinaryregularity, the low vessel must have been pooped; but, in a measure, herexemption from this calamity was owing to an irregularity that was onlythe source of a new danger. Still, the Nina drove ahead, and thatswiftly, though not with the velocity necessary to outstrip the chasingwater, had the waves followed with their customary order and regularity.The cross seas defeated this; wave meeting wave, actually sending thosecrests, which otherwise would have rolled over in combing foam, upwardin terrific _jets d'eau_.
This was the crisis of the danger. There was an hour when the caravelcareered amid the chaotic darkness with a sort of headlong fury, notunfrequently dashing forward with her broadside to the sea, as if theimpatient stern was bent on overtaking the stem, and exposing all to theextreme jeopardy of receiving a flood of water on the beam. Thisimminent risk was only averted by the activity of the man at the helm,where Sancho toiled with all his skill and energy, until the sweatrolled from his brow, as if exposed again to the sun of the tropics. Atlength the alarm became so great and general, that a common demand wasmade to the admiral to promise the customary religious oblations. Forthis purpose, all but the men at the helm assembled aft, andpreparations were made to cast lots for the penance.
"Ye are in the hands of God, my friends," said Columbus, "and it is meetthat ye all confess your dependence on his goodness, placing yoursecurity on his blessings and favor alone. In this cap which ye see inthe hands of the Senor de Munos, are the same number of peas that we areof persons. One of these peas bears the mark of the Holy Cross, and he
who shall draw forth this blessed emblem, stands pledged to make apilgrimage to Santa Maria de Guadalupe, bearing a waxen taper of fivepounds weight. As the chiefest sinner among you, no less than as youradmiral, the first trial shall be mine."
Here Columbus put his hand into the cap, and on drawing forth a pea, andholding it to the lantern, it was found to bear on its surface the markhe had mentioned.
"This is well, Senor," said one of the pilots; "but replace the pea, andlet the chance be renewed for a still heavier penance, and that at ashrine which is most in request with all good Christians; I mean that ofour Lady of Loretto. One pilgrimage to that shrine is worth two to anyother."
In moments of emergency, the religious sentiment is apt to be strong;and this proposition was seconded with warmth. The admiral cheerfullyconsented; and when all had drawn, the marked pea was found in the handsof a common seaman, of the name of Pedro de Villa; one who bore no verygood name for either piety or knowledge.
"'Tis a weary and costly journey," grumbled the chosen penitent, "andcannot cheaply be made."
"Heed it not, friend Pedro," answered Columbus; "the bodily pains shalllimit thy sufferings, for the cost of the journey shall be mine. Thisnight groweth more and more terrific, good Bartolemeo Roldan."
"That doth it, Senor Admiral, and I am little content with such apilgrim as Pedro here, although it may seem as if heaven itself directedthe choice. A mass in Santa Clara de Moguer, with a watcher all night inthat chapel, will be of more account than your distant journeys made bysuch an one as he."
This opinion wanted not for supporters among the seamen of Moguer, and athird trial was made to determine the person. Again the pea waswithdrawn from the cap by the admiral. Still the danger did notdiminish, the caravel actually threatening to roll over amid theturbulence of the waves.
"We are too light, Vicente Yanez," said Columbus, "and, desperate as theundertaking seemeth, we must make an effort to fill our empty casks withsea-water. Let hose be carefully introduced beneath the tarpaulings, andsend careful hands below to make sure that the water does not get intothe hold instead of the casks."
This order was obeyed, and several hours passed in efforts to executethis duty. The great difficulty was in protecting the men who raised thewater from the sea, for, while the whole element was raging in suchconfusion around them, it was no easy matter to secure a single drop ina useful manner. Patience and perseverance, however, prevailed in theend, and, ere the light returned, so many empty casks had been filled,as evidently to aid the steadiness of the vessel. Toward morning itrained in torrents, and the wind shifted from south to west, losing butlittle of its force, however. At this juncture the foresail was againgot on the bark, and she was dragged by it, through a tremendous sea, afew miles to the eastward.
When the day dawned, the scene was changed for the better. The Pinta wasnowhere to be seen, and most in the Nina believed she had gone to thebottom. But the clouds had opened a little, and a sort of mysticalbrightness rested on the ocean, which was white with foam, and stillhissing with fury. The waves, however, were gradually getting to be moreregular, and the seamen no longer found it necessary to lash themselvesto the vessel, in order to prevent being washed overboard. Additionalsail was got on the caravel, and, as her motion ahead increased, shebecame steadier, and more certain in all her movements.