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.LIFE OF COLON, BY HIS SON.

journal of all that happened to him during the voyage, fpecifying what wind blew,how far he failed with every wind; what currents he found, and what he faw by theway, whether birds, or fifhes, or other things, which he always did in four voyageshe made from Spain to the Indies. I will not write all thofe particulars ; for thoughto give an account of his voyage, and to fhew what impreffions and effects anfweredthe courfe and afpects of the ftars, and to relate what difference there is between thatand our fea and our countries, would be now very beneficial; yet I do not think allthofe particulars would now be pleafing to the reader, whom fuch long and fuper-fiuous relations muff tire. Therefore I fhall only difcourfe of thofe things I fhall thinkneceflary and convenient.

CIIAP. XVII. — The Admiral arrived at the Canary IJlands, and therefurnifhed himfelf

completely with all he wattled.

THE next day after the admiral’s departure for the Canary iflands, beingSaturday the fourth of Auguft, the rudder of one of the caravals called La Pinta,broke loofe, and being therefore forced to lie by, the admiral foon came by herfide, but the weather blowing hard, could give no affiftance, yet commanders at feaare obliged fo to do, to encourage thofe that are in diftrefs. This he did the morereadily, as mifdoubtijag this had happened by the contrivance of the mafter, to avoidgoing the voyage, as he attempted to do before they fet out. Pinzon the captain,being an able feaman, foon repaired that fault with the help of fome ropes, fo thatthey were able to continue their voyage, till on Tuefday following, the weatherbeing rough, the ropes broke, and they were forced again to lie by to mend whathad given way. From which'misfortune of breaking of the rudder twice, any bodythat had been fuperflitious, might have foreboded its future difobedience to theadmiral, when through the malice of Pinzon, it twice got away from him, as fhallbe mentioned hereafter.

To return to what we have in hand, they apply the bell; remedy they couldfor the prefent, that they might at lealt reach the Canary iflands, which all threefhips difcovered on Thurfday the ninth of Auguft about break of day, but the windbeing contrary, they could not come to an anchor at Gran Canaria , though verynear it, that day nor the two following. Here the admiral left Pinzon, that goingafhore he might endeavour to get another fhip; and he to the fame purpofe wentaway to the ifland Gomera, with the caraval called La Nina, that if they failed of aveflel in one ifland, they might find it in the other. Thus he came to Gomera on theSunday following, being the twelfth day of Auguft, and fent his boat afhore, whichreturned in the morning, with the news that there was never a veflel in the ifland atthat time, but that they hourly expected the lady Beatrix de Bobadilla, proprietrefsof that fame ifland, who was then at Gran Canaria , and had hired a veflel of fortytun, belonging to one Gradenna of Sevile, which being fit for the voyage he defigned,he might have taken. Therefore the admiral refolved to expedt him in that port,believing that if Pinzon had not been able to repair his own veflel, he might himfelfhave got another at Gomera. Having flayed there the two following days, and theveflel above mentioned not appearing, he fent a man aboard a bark that was boundfrom Gomera to Gran Canaria , to acquaint Pinzon where he lay, and aflift him infixing his rudder, writing to him that he did not go himfelf to aflift him, becaufe thatveflel could not fail. But it being long after the departure of that bark, before theadmiral received any anfwer ; he refolved on the twenty third of Auguft to return