BackgroundnotesQuestionsto consider when reading the extracts from Columbus' JournalCheck some further information about this documentas a mp3file or as a txt file.
Source: www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/columbus1.html
Friday, 3 August 1492. Set sail from the barof Saltes at 8 o'clock, and proceeded with a strong breeze till sunset, sixtymiles or fifteen leagues south, afterwards southwest and south by west, whichis the direction of the Canaries.
*****
Thursday, 9 August. The Admiral did not succeedin reaching the island of Gomera till Sunday night. Martin Alonzo remainedat Grand Canary by command of the Admiral, he being unable to keep the othervessels company. The Admiral afterwards returned to Grand Canary, and therewith much labor repaired the Pinta, being assisted by Martin Alonzo and theothers; finally they sailed to Gomera. They saw a great eruption of namesfrom the Peak of Teneriffe, a lofty mountain. The Pinta, which before hadcarried latine sails, they altered and made her square-rigged. Returned toGomera, Sunday, 2 September, with the Pinta repaired. The Admiral says that he was assured by manyrespectable Spaniards, inhabitants of the island of Ferro, who were at Gomerawith Dona Inez Peraza, mother of Guillen Peraza, afterwards first Count ofGomera, that every year they saw land to the west of the Canaries; and othersof Gomera affirmed the same with the like assurances. The Admiral here says that he remembers, whilehe was in Portugal, in 1484, there came a person to the King from the islandof Madeira, soliciting for a vessel to go in quest of land, which he affirmedhe saw every year, and always of the same appearance. He also says that heremembers the same was said by the inhabitants of the Azores and describedas in a similar direction, and of the same shape and size. Having taken infood, water, meat and other provisions, which had been provided by the menwhich he left ashore on departing for Grand Canary to repair the Pinta, theAdmiral took his final departure from Gomera with the three vessels on Thursday,6 September.
*****
Sunday, 9 September. Sailed this day nineteenleagues, and determined to count less than the true number, that the crewmight not be dismayed if the voyage should prove long. In the night sailedone hundred and twenty miles, at the rate of ten miles an hour, which makethirty leagues. The sailors steered badly, causing the vessels to fall toleeward toward the northeast, for which the Admiral reprimanded themrepeatedly. Monday, 10 September. This day and night sailedsixty leagues, at the rate of ten miles an hour, which are two leagues anda half. Reckoned only forty-eight leagues, that the men might not be terrifiedif they should be long upon the voyage.
*****
Sunday, 23 September. Sailed northwest and northwestby north and at times west nearly twenty-two leagues. Saw a turtle dove,a pelican, a river bird, and other white fowl;–weeds in abundance with crabsamong them. The sea being smooth and tranquil, the sailors murmured, sayingthat they had got into smooth water, where it would never blow to carry themback to Spain; but afterwards the sea rose without wind, which astonishedthem. The Admiral says on this occasion "the rising of the sea was very favorableto me, as it happened formerly to Moses when he led the Jews fromEgypt."
*****
Saturday, 6 October. Continued their coursewest and sailed forty leagues day and night; reckoned to the crew thirty-three.This night Martin Alonzo gave it as his opinion that they had better steerfrom west to southwest. The Admiral thought from this that Martin Alonzodid not wish to proceed onward to Cipango; but he considered it best to keepon his course, as he should probably reach the land sooner in that direction,preferring to visit the continent first, and then the islands. Sunday, 7 October. Continued their course westand sailed twelve miles an hour, for two hours, then eight miles an hour.Sailed till an hour after sunrise, twenty-three leagues; reckoned to thecrew eighteen. At sunrise the caravel Nina, who kept ahead on account ofher swiftness in sailing, while all the vessels were striving to outsailone another, and gain the reward promised by the King and Queen by firstdiscovering land–hoisted a flag at her mast head, and fired a lombarda,as a signal that she had discovered land, for the Admiral had given ordersto that effect. He had also ordered that the ships should keep in close companyat sunrise and sunset, as the air was more favorable at those times for seeingat a distance. Towards evening seeing nothing of the land which the Ninahad made signals for, and observing large flocks of birds coming from theNorth and making for the southwest, whereby it was rendered probable thatthey were either going to land to pass the night, or abandoning the countriesof the north, on account of the approaching winter, he determined to alterhis course, knowing also that the Portuguese had discovered most of the islandsthey possessed by attending to the flight of birds. The Admiral accordinglyshifted his course from west to west-southwest, with a resolution to continuetwo days ill that direction. This was done about an hour after sunset. Sailedin the night nearly five leagues, and twenty-three in the day. In alltwenty-eight.
*****
Thursday, 11 October. Steered west-southwest;and encountered a heavier sea than they had met with before in the wholevoyage. Saw pardelas and a green rush near the vessel. The crew of the Pintasaw a cane and a log; they also picked up a stick which appeared to havebeen carved with an iron tool, a piece of cane, a plant which grows on land,and a board. The crew of the Nina saw other signs of land, and a stalk loadedwith rose berries. These signs encouraged them, and they all grew cheerful.Sailed this day till sunset, twenty-seven leagues. After sunset steered their original course westand sailed twelve miles an hour till two hours after midnight, going ninetymiles, which are twenty-two leagues and a half; and as the Pinta was theswiftest sailor, and kept ahead of the Admiral, she discovered land and madethe signals which had been ordered. The land was first seen by a sailor called Rodrigode Triana, although the Admiral at ten o'clock that evening standing on thequarter-deck saw a light, but so small a body that he could not affirm itto be land; calling to Pero Gutierrez, groom of the King's wardrobe, he toldhim he saw a light, and bid him look that way, which he did and saw it; hedid the same to Rodrigo Sanchez of Segovia, whom the King and Queen had sentwith the squadron as comptroller, but he was unable to see it from his situation.The Admiral again perceived it once or twice, appearing like the light ofa wax candle moving up and down, which some thought an indication of land.But the Admiral held it for certain that land was near; for which reason,after they had said the Salve which the seamen are accustomed to repeat andchant after their fashion, the Admiral directed them to keep a strict watchupon the forecastle and look out diligently for land, and to him who shouldfirst discover it he promised a silken jacket, besides the reward which theKing and Queen had offered, which was an annuity of ten thousandmaravedis. At two o'clock in the morning the land wasdiscovered, at two leagues' distance; they took in sail and remained underthe square-sail lying to till day, which was Friday, when they found themselvesnear a small island, one of the Lucayos, called in the Indian language Guanahani.Presently they descried people, naked, and the Admiral landed in the boat,which was armed, along with Martin Alonzo Pinzon, and Vincent Yanez his brother,captain of the Nina. The Admiral bore the royal standard, and the two captainseach a banner of the Green Cross, which all the ships had carried; this containedthe initials of the names of the King and Queen each side of the cross, anda crown over each letter. Arrived on shore, they saw trees very greenmany streams of water, and diverse sorts of fruits. The Admiral called uponthe two Captains, and the rest of the crew who landed, as also to Rodrigode Escovedo notary of the fleet, and Rodrigo Sanchez, of Segovia, to bearwitness that he before all others took possession (as in fact he did) ofthat island for the King and Queen his sovereigns, making the requisitedeclarations, which are more at large set down here in writing. Numbers ofthe people of the island straightaway collected together. Here follow the precise words of the Admiral:"As I saw that they were very friendly to us, and perceived that they couldbe much more easily converted to our holy faith by gentle means than by force,I presented them with some red caps, and strings of beads to wear upon theneck, and many other trifles of small value, wherewith they were much delighted,and became wonderfully attached to us. Afterwards they came swimming to theboats, bringing parrots, balls of cotton thread, javelins, and many otherthings which they exchanged for articles we gave them, such as glass beads,and hawk's bells; which trade was carried on with the utmost good will. Butthey seemed on the whole to me, to be a very poor people. They all go completelynaked, even the women, though I saw but one girl. All whom I saw were young,not above thirty years of age, well made, with fine shapes and faces; theirhair short, and coarse like that of a horse's tail, combed toward the forehead,except a small portion which they suffer to hang down behind, and never cut.Some paint themselves with black, which makes them appear like those of theCanaries, neither black nor white; others with white, others with red, andothers with such colors as they can find. Some paint the face, and some thewhole body; others only the eyes, and others the nose. Weapons they havenone, nor are acquainted with them, for I showed them swords which they graspedby the blades, and cut themselves through ignorance. They have no iron, theirjavelins being without it, and nothing more than sticks, though some havefish-bones or other things at the ends. They are all of a good size and stature,and handsomely formed. I saw some with scars of wounds upon their bodies,and demanded by signs the of them; they answered me in the same way, thatthere came people from the other islands in the neighborhood who endeavoredto make prisoners of them, and they defended themselves. I thought then,and still believe, that these were from the continent. It appears to me,that the people are ingenious, and would be good servants and I am of opinionthat they would very readily become Christians, as they appear to have noreligion. They very quickly learn such words as are spoken to them. If itplease our Lord, I intend at my return to carry home six of them to yourHighnesses, that they may learn our language. I saw no beasts in the island,nor any sort of animals except parrots." These are the words of theAdmiral. Saturday, 13 October. "At daybreak great multitudesof men came to the shore, all young and of fine shapes, very handsome; theirhair not curled but straight and coarse like horse-hair, and all with foreheadsand heads much broader than any people I had hitherto seen; their eyes werelarge and very beautiful; they were not black, but the color of the inhabitantsof the Canaries, which is a very natural circumstance, they being in thesame latitude with the island of Ferro in the Canaries. They were straight-limbedwithout exception, and not with prominent bellies but handsomely shaped.They came to the ship in canoes, made of a single trunk of a tree, wroughtin a wonderful manner considering the country; some of them large enoughto contain forty or forty-five men, others of different sizes down to thosefitted to hold but a single person. They rowed with an oar like a baker'speel, and wonderfully swift. If they happen to upset, they all jump intothe sea, and swim till they have righted their canoe and emptied it withthe calabashes they carry with them. They came loaded with balls of cotton,parrots, javelins, and other things too numerous to mention; these they exchangedfor whatever we chose to give them. I was very attentive to them, and stroveto learn if they had any gold. Seeing some of them with little bits of thismetal hanging at their noses, I gathered from them by signs that by goingsouthward or steering round the island in that direction, there would befound a king who possessed large vessels of gold, and in great quantities.I endeavored to procure them to lead the way thither, but found they wereunacquainted with the route. I determined to stay here till the evening ofthe next day, and then sail for the southwest; for according to what I couldlearn from them, there was land at the south as well as at the southwestand northwest and those from the northwest came many times and fought withthem and proceeded on to the southwest in search of gold and precious stones.This is a large and level island, with trees extremely flourishing, and streamsof water; there is a large lake in the middle of the island, but no mountains:the whole is completely covered with verdure and delightful to behold. Thenatives are an inoffensive people, and so desirous to possess any thing theysaw with us, that they kept swimming off to the ships with whatever theycould find, and readily bartered for any article we saw fit to give themin return, even such as broken platters and fragments of glass. I saw inthis manner sixteen balls of cotton thread which weighed above twenty-fivepounds, given for three Portuguese ceutis. This traffic I forbade, and sufferedno one to take their cotton from them, unless I should order it to be procuredfor your Highnesses, if proper quantities could be met with. It grows inthis island, but from my short stay here I could not satisfy myself fullyconcerning it; the gold, also, which they wear in their noses, is found here,but not to lose time, I am determined to proceed onward and ascertain whetherI can reach Cipango. At night they all went on shore with their canoes. Sunday, 14 October. In the morning, I orderedthe boats to be got ready, and coasted along the island toward the north-northeast to examine that part of it, we having landed first at the easternpart. Presently we discovered two or three villages, and the people all camedown to the shore, calling out to us, and giving thanks to God. Some broughtus water, and others victuals: others seeing that I was not disposed to land,plunged into the sea and swam out to us, and we perceived that they interrogatedus if we had come from heaven. An old man came on board my boat; the others,both men and women cried with loud voices–"Come and see the men who havecome from heavens. Bring them victuals and drink." There came many of bothsexes, every one bringing something, giving thanks to God, prostrating themselveson the earth, and lifting up their hands to heaven. They called out to usloudly to come to land, but I was apprehensive on account of a reef of rocks,which surrounds the whole island, although within there is depth of waterand room sufficient for all the ships of Christendom, with a very narrowentrance. There are some shoals inside, but the water is as smooth as a pond.It was to view these parts that I set out in the morning, for I wished togive a complete relation to your Highnesses, as also to find where a fortmight be built. I discovered a tongue of land which appeared like an islandthough it was not, but might be cut through and made so in two days; it containedsix houses. I do not, however, see the necessity of fortifying the place,as the people here are simple in war-like matters, as your Highnesses willsee by those seven which I have ordered to be taken and carried to Spainin order to learn our language and return, unless your Highnesses shouldchoose to have them all transported to Castile, or held captive in the island.I could conquer the whole of them with fifty men, and govern them as I pleased.Near the islet I have mentioned were groves of trees, the most beautifulI have ever seen, with their foliage as verdant as we see in Castile in Apriland May. There were also many streams. After having taken a survey of theseparts, I returned to the ship, and setting sail, discovered such a numberof islands that I knew not which first to visit; the natives whom I had takenon board informed me by signs that there were so many of them that they couldnot be numbered; they repeated the names of more than a hundred. I determinedto steer for the largest, which is about five leagues from San Salvador;the others were some at a greater, and some at a less distance from thatisland. They are all very level, without mountains, exceedingly fertile andpopulous, the inhabitants living at war with one another, although a simplerace, and with delicate bodies. 15 October. Stood off and on during the night,determining not to come to anchor till morning, fearing to meet with shoals;continued our course in the morning; and as the island was found to be sixor seven leagues distant, and the tide was against us, it was noon when wearrived there. I found that part of it towards San Salvador extending fromnorth to south five leagues, and the other side which we coasted along, ranfrom east to west more than ten leagues. From this island espying a stilllarger one to the west, I set sail in that direction and kept on till nightwithout reaching the western extremity of the island, where I gave it thename of Santa Maria de la Concepcion. About sunset we anchored near the capewhich terminates the island towards the west to enquire for gold, for thenatives we had taken from San Salvador told me that the people here woregolden bracelets upon their arms and legs. I believed pretty confidentlythat they had invented this story in order to find means to escape from us,still I determined to pass none of these islands without taking possession,because being once taken, it would answer for all times. We anchored andremained till Tuesday, when at daybreak I went ashore with the boats armed.The people we found naked like those of San Salvador, and of the samedisposition. They suffered us to traverse the island, and gave us what weasked of them. As the wind blew southeast upon the shore where the vesselslay, I determined not to remain, and set out for the ship. A large canoebeing near the caravel Nina, one of the San Salvador natives leaped overboardand swam to her; (another had made his escape the night before,) the canoebeing reached by the fugitive, the natives rowed for the land too swiftlyto be overtaken; having landed, some of my men went ashore in pursuit ofthem, when they abandoned the canoe and fled with precipitation; the canoewhich they had left was brought on board the Nina, where from another quarterhad arrived a small canoe with a single man, who came to barter some cotton;some of the sailors finding him unwilling to go on board the vessel, jumpedinto the sea and took him. I was upon the quarter deck of my ship, and seeingthe whole, sent for him, and gave him a red cap, put some glass beads uponhis arms, and two hawk's bells upon his ears. I then ordered his canoe tobe returned to him, and dispatched him back to land. I now set sail for the other large island tothe west and gave orders for the canoe which the Nina had in tow to be setadrift. I had refused to receive the cotton from the native whom I sent onshore, although he pressed it upon me. I looked out after him and saw uponhis landing that the others all ran to meet him with much wonder. It appearedto them that we were honest people, and that the man who had escaped fromus had done us some injury, for which we kept him in custody. It was in orderto favor this notion that I ordered the canoe to be set adrift, and gavethe man the presents above mentioned, that when your Highnesses send anotherexpedition to these parts it may meet with a friendly reception. All I gavethe man was not worth four maravedis. We set sail about ten o'clock, withthe wind southeast and stood southerly for the island I mentioned above,which is a very large one, and where according to the account of the nativeson board, there is much gold, the inhabitants wearing it in bracelets upontheir arms, legs, and necks, as well as in their ears and at their noses.This island is nine leagues distant from Santa Maria in a westerly direction.This part of it extends from northwest, to southeast and appears to betwenty-eight leagues long, very level, without any mountains, like San Salvadorand Santa Maria, having a good shore and not rocky, except a few ledges underwater, which renders it necessary to anchor at some distance, although thewater is very clear, and the bottom may be seen. Two shots of a lombardafrom the land, the water is so deep that it cannot be sounded; this is thecase in all these islands. They are all extremely verdant and fertile, withthe air agreeable, and probably contain many things of which I am ignorant,not inclining to stay here, but visit other islands in search of gold. Andconsidering the indications of it among the natives who wear it upon theirarms and legs, and having ascertained that it is the true metal by showingthem some pieces of it which I have with me, I cannot fail, with the helpof our Lord, to find the place which produces it. Being at sea, about midwaybetween Santa Maria and the large island, which I name Fernandina, we meta man in a canoe going from Santa Maria to Fernandina; he had with him apiece of the bread which the natives make, as big as one's fist, a calabashof water, a quantity of reddish earth, pulverized and afterwards kneadedup, and some dried leaves which are in high value among them, for a quantityof it was brought to me at San Salvador; he had besides a little basket madeafter their fashion, containing some glass beads, and two blancas by allwhich I knew he had come from San Salvador, and had passed from thence toSanta Maria. He came to the ship and I caused him to be taken on board, ashe requested it; we took his canoe also on board and took care of his things.I ordered him to be presented with bread and honey, and drink, and shallcarry him to Fernandina and give him his property, that he may carry a goodreport of us, so that if it please our Lord when your Highnesses shall sendagain to these regions, those who arrive here may receive honor, and procurewhat the natives may be found topossess. |
