CHAPTER X
PALOS vanished, we lost the headland of La Rabida, a haze hid Spain.By nightfall all was behind us. We were set forth from native land,set forth from Europe, set forth from Christendom, set forth from seacompany and sailors' cheer of other ships. That last would not be whollytrue until we were gone from the Canaries, toward which islands, runningsouth, we now were headed. We might hail some Spanish ship going to,coming from, Grand Canary. We might indeed, before we reached theseislands, see other sails, for a rumor ran that the King of Portugal wassending ships to intercept us, sink us and none ever be the wiser, itnot being to his interest that Spain should make discoveries! Pedro itwas who put this into my ear as we hauled at the same rope. I laughed."Here beginneth the marvelous tale of this voyage! If all happens thatall say may happen, not the Pope's library can hold the books!"
The _Santa Maria_ was a good enough ship, though fifty men crowded it.It was new and clean, a fair sailer, though not so swift as the Pinta.We mariners settled ourselves in waist and forecastle. The Admiral, Juande la Cosa, the master, Roderigo Sanchez, Diego de Arana and Roderigo deEscobedo, Pedro Gutierrez, a private adventurer, the physician BernardoNunez and Fray Ignatio had great cabin and certain small sleeping cabinsand poop deck. In the forecastle almost all knew one another; all raninto kinships near or remote. But the turn of character made the realgrouping. Pedro had his cluster and Sancho had his, and between swayednow to the one and now to the other a large group. Fernando, I feelgladness in saying, had with him but two or three. And aside stoodvariations, individuals. Beltran the cook was such an one, a bold,mirthful, likable man. We had several dry thinkers, and a braggart andtwo or three who proved miserably villainous. We had weathercocks andmen who faced forward, no matter what the wind that blew.
The Admiral knew well that he must have, if he could, a ship patient,contented and hopeful. I bear him witness that he spared no pains.
We had aboard trumpet and drum and viol, and he would have frequentmusic. Each day toward evening each man was given a cup of wine. Andbefore sunset all were gathered for vesper service, and we sang _SalveRegina_. At night the great familiar stars shone out above us.
Second day passed much like first,--light fickle wind, flapping sails,smooth sea, cloudless sky. To-day beheld sea life after shore grownhabitual. We might have sailed from Marseilles or Genoa and been sailingfor a month. If this were all, then no more terror from the Sea ofDarkness than from our own so well-known sea! But Fernando said, "It isafter the Canaries! We know well enough it is not so bad this side ofthem. Why do they call them Dog Islands?"
"Perhaps they found dogs there."
"No, but that they give warning like watchdogs! 'If you go any furtherit shall be to your woe!'"
"Aye, aye! Have you heard tell of the spouting mountain?"
This night the wind came up and by morning was blowing stiffly, urgingus landward as though back to Spain. The sky became leaden, with a greatstormy aspect. The waves mounted, the lookout cried that the _Pinta_was showing signals of distress. By now all had shortened sail, but thePinta was taking in everything and presently lay under bare poles. TheSanta Maria worked toward her until we were close by. They shoutedand we back to them. It was her rudder that was unshipped and injured.Captain Martin Pinzon shouted that he would overcome it, binding itsomehow in place, and would overtake us, the _Pinta_ being faster sailerthan the Santa Maria or the Nina. But the Admiral would not agree, andwe took in all sail and lay tossed by a rough sea until afternoonwhen the Pinta signaled that the rudder was hung. But by now the skystretched straight lead, and the water ran white-capped. We made no waytill morning, when without a drop of rain all the cloud roof was drivenlandward and there sprang out a sky so blue that the heart laughed forjoy. The violent wind sank, then veered and blowing moderately carriedus again southward. All the white sails, white and new, were flung out,and we raced over a rich, green plain. That lasted through most of theday, but an hour before sunset the _Pinta_ again signaled trouble. Therudder was once more worse than useless.
Again it was mended. But when the next morning it happened the thirdtime and a kind of wailing grumble went through the Santa Maria, therecame pronouncement from the Admiral. "The Canaries lie straight ahead.In two days we shall sight them. Very good! we shall rest there and makea new rudder for the _Pinta_. The Nina will do better with square sailsand we can change these. Fresh meat and water and some rambling ashore!"
Beltran the cook had been to the Canaries, driven there by a perversewind twenty years ago when he was boatswain upon a big carrack. He saidit was no great way and one or two agreed with him, but others declinedto believe the Admiral when he said that in two days we should beholdthe volcano. Some were found to clamor that the wind had driven us outof all reckoning! We might never find the Canaries and then what wouldthe _Pinta_ do? Whereas, if we all turned back to Palos--
"If--if!" answered Beltran the cook, who at first seemed strangely andhumorously there as cook until one found that he had an injured legand could not climb mast nor manage sail. "'If' is a seaman without aship!--He's a famous navigator."
"Martin Pinzon?"
"Him too. But I meant our Admiral."
"He hasn't had a ship for years!"
"He was of the best when he had one! I've heard old Captain Ruy tell--"
"Maybe he wasn't crazy in those days, but he's crazy now!"
That was Fernando. I think it was from him that certain of the crewtook the word "crazy." They used it until one would think that for purevariety's sake they would find another!
The sixth day from Palos there lifted from sea the peak of Teneriffe.
This day, passing on some errand the open door of the great cabin, Isaw the Admiral seated at the table. Looking up, he saw me, gazed aninstant, then lifted his voice. "Come in here!"
He sat with a great chart spread upon the table before him. Besideit the log lay open, and he had under his hand a book in which he waswriting. Door framed blue sky and sea, a pleasant wind was singing ina pleasant warmth, the great cabin which, with the rest of the ship, hemade to be kept very clean, was awash with light and fineness of air."Would you like to look at the chart?" he asked, and I came and lookedover his shoulder.
"I made it," he said. "There is nothing in the world more useful thanknowing how to make maps and charts! While I waited for Kings to make uptheir minds I earned my living so." I glanced at the log and he pushedit to me so that I might see. "Every day from Palos out." His strongfingers touched the other book. "My journal that I keep for myself andthe Queen and King Ferdinand and indeed for the world." He turned theleaves. The bulk of them were blank, but in the front showed closelycovered pages, the writing not large but clear and strong. "This voyage,you see, changeth our world! Once in Venice I heard a scholar learnedin the Greek tell of an old voyage of a ship called _Argo_, whence itscaptain and crew were named Argonauts, and he said that it was of allvoyages most famous with the ancients. This is like that, but probablygreater." He turned the pages. "I shall do it in the manner of Caesarhis Commentaries."
He knew himself, I thought, for as great a man as Caesar. All said, hisbook might be as prized in some unentered future. He did not move wheretime is as a film, but where time is deep, a thousand years as a day. Hecould not see there in detail any more than we could see tree and housein those Canaries upon which we were bearing down.
I said, "Now that printing is general, it may go into far lands and intomultitude of hands and heads. Many a voyager to come may study it."
He drew deep breath. "It is the very truth! Prince Henry the Navigator.Christopherus Columbus the Navigator, and greater than the first--"
Sun shone, wind sang, blue sea danced beyond the door. Came from deckRoderigo Sanchez and Diego de Arana. The Admiral made me a gesture ofdismissal.
The Canaries and we drew together. Great bands of cloud hid much of thehigher land, but the volcano top came clear above cloud, standing bareand solemn against blue heaven. Leaving upon our right Grand Can
ary westood for the island of Gomera. Here we found deep, clear water closeto shore, a narrow strand, a small Spanish fort and beginnings of avillage, and inland, up ravines clad with a strange, leafless bush,plentiful huts of the conquered Guanches. Our three ships came toanchor, and the Admiral went ashore, the captains of the _Pinta_ and theNina following. Juan Lepe was among the rowers.
The Spanish commandant came down to beach with an armed escort. TheAdmiral, walking alone, met him between sea and bright green trees, andhere stood the two and conversed while we watched. The Admiral showedhim letters of credence. The commandant took and read, handed themback with a bow, and coming to water edge had presented to him the twocaptains, Martin and Vicente Pinzon. He proved a cheery old veteran ofold wars, relieved that we were not Portuguese nor pirates and happy tohave late news from Spain. It seemed that he had learned from a supplyship in June that the expedition was afoot.
The _Santa Maria_ and the Nina rode close in shore. Captain MartinPinzon beached the Pinta and unshipped the hurt and useless rudder. Workupon a new one began at once. The Admiral, the two captains and thoseof rank upon the ships supped with the commandant at his quite goodlyhouse, and the next day he and his officers dined aboard the SantaMaria. The Admiral liked him much for he was more than respectful towardthis voyage. A year before, bathing one day in the surf, there had comefloating to his hand a great gourd. None such grew anywhere in theseislands, and the wind for days had come steadily from the west. Thegourd had a kind of pattern cut around it. He showed it to the Admiraland afterwards gave it to him. The latter caused it to pass from hand tohand among the seamen. I had it in my hands and truly saw no reason whyit might not have been cut by some native of the West, and, carried awayby the tide or dropped perchance from a boat, have at last, after longtime, come into hands not Indian. Asia tossing unthinkingly a ball whichEurope caught.
The _Pinta_ proved in worse plight than was at first thought. The Ninaalso found this or that to do besides squaring her Levant sails. Westayed in Gomera almost three weeks. The place was novel, the day's tasknot hard, the Admiral and his captains complaisant. We had leisure andisland company. To many it was happiness enough. While we stopped atGornera we were at least not drifting upon lodestone, equator fire andchaos!
Here on Gomera might be studied the three Pinzon brothers. Vicente wasa good, courageous captain, Francisco a good pilot, and a courageous,seldom-speaking man. But Martin Alonso, the eldest, was the prime moverin all their affairs. He was skillful navigator like his brothers andcourageous like them, but not silent like Francisco, and ambitious farabove either. He would have said perhaps that had he not been so, beenboth ambitious and shrewd, the Pinzons would never have become principalship-owning, trading and maritime family of Palos and three leaguesaround. He, too, had family fortunes and aggrandizement at heart, thoughhardly on the grand, imperial scale of the Admiral. He had much manlybeauty, daring and strength. His two brothers worshipped him, and inmost places and moments his crew would follow him with a cheer. TheAdmiral was bound to him, not only in that he had volunteered and madeothers to go willingly, but that he had put in his ship, the _Nina_, andhad furnished Master Christopherus with monies. That eighth of the costof the expedition, whence else could it come? If it tied Martin Pinzonto the Admiral, seeing that only through success could those monies berepaid, it likewise made him feel that he, too, had authority, was atliberty to advise, and at need to become critical.
But the Admiral had the great man's mark. He could acknowledge serviceand be quite simply and deeply grateful for it. He was grateful toMartin Pinzon who had aided him from his first coming to Palos, and alsoI think he loved the younger man's great blond strength and beauty. Hehad all of Italy's quickness to beauty, be it of land or sea, forest,flower, animal or man. But now and again, even so early as this, he mustput out hand to check Pinzon's impetuous advice. His brows drew togetherabove gray eyes and eagle nose. But for the most part, on Gomera, theywere very friendly, and it was a sight to see Admiral and captains andall the privileged of the expedition sit at wine with the commandant.
Juan Lepe had no quarrel with any of them. Jayme de Marchena swept thisvoyage into the Great Voyage.
The _Pinta_ was nearly ready when there arrived a small ship from Ferrobringing news that three large Portuguese ships had sailed by thatisland. Said the commandant, "Spain and Portugal are at peace. Theywould not dare to try to oust us!" He came to waterside to talk to theAdmiral. "Not to fight you," said the Admiral, "but me! King John wishesto keep India, Cipango and Cathay still veiled. So he will get timein which to have from the Holy Father another bull that will place thePortuguese line west and west until he hath the whole!" He raised hishand and let it fall. "I cannot sail to-morrow, but I will sail the dayafter!"
We were put to hard labor for the rest of that day, and through much ofthe moonlit night. By early morning again we labored. At mid-afternoonall was done. The _Pinta_, right from stem to stern, rode the bluewater; the Nina had her great square sails. The Guanches stored for usfresh provisions and rolled down and into ship our water casks. Therewas a great moon, and we would stand off in the night. Nothing more hadbeen seen of the Portuguese ships, but we were ready to go and go weshould. All being done, and the sun two hours high, we mariners hadleave to rest ashore under trees who might not for very long again seeland or trees.
There was a grove that led to a stream and the waterfall where we hadfilled the casks. I walked through this alone. The place lay utterlystill save for the murmuring of the water and the singing of a smallyellowish bird that abounds in these islands. At the end of an aisle oftrees shone the sea, blue and calm as a sapphire of heaven. I lay downupon the earth by the water.
Finding of India and rounding the earth! We seemed poor, weak men, butthe thing was great, and I suppose the doers of a great thing aregreat. East--west! Going west and yet east.--The Jew in me had comefrom Palestine, and to Palestine perhaps from Arabia, and to Arabia--whoknew?--perhaps from that India! And much of the Spaniard had come fromCarthage and from Phoenicia, old Tyre and Sidon, and Tyre and Sidonagain from the east. From the east and to the east again. All our Agethat with all lacks was yet a stirring one with a sense of dawn andsunrise and distant trumpets, now was going east, was going Home, goingeast by the west road. West is home and East is home, and North andSouth. Knowledge extendeth and the world above is fed.
The sun made a lane of scarlet and gold across Ocean-Sea. I wonderedwhat temples, what towns, what spice ships at strange wharfs might lieunder it afar. I wondered if there did dwell Prester John and if hewould step down to give us welcome. The torrent of event strikes usday and night, all the hours, all the moments. Who can tell withdistinctness color and shape in that descending stream?
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