30 LIFE 0? COLON, BY HIS SON.

having condemned his opinion, there would be nobody now t^,favour and defend him,and they (hould fooner find credit, if they accufed him of ignorance and mifmanagement,than he, whatfoever he could fay for himfelf. Nor did there want fome who faid, that toend all difpute, in cafe he would not acquiefce to them, they might make (hort and throwhim overboard, and give out, that as he was making his obfervations he dropped intothe fea; and no man would go about to enquire into the truth of it, which was thereadied: way for them to return home and fecure themielves. Thus they went onfrom day to day, muttering, complaining, and confulting together : nor was the ad-miral without apprehenfions of their inconftancy, and ill intentions towards him.Therefore fometimes with good words, and fometimes with a full refolution to expofehis life ; putting them in mind of the punilhment due to them if they obftruched thevoyage, he in fome meafure quelled their apprehenfions, and fuppreffed their illdefigns. To confirm the hope he gave them, he put them in mind of the aforefaidfigns and tokens, affuring them they would foon find land; u'hich figns they werefo attentive to, that they thought every hour a year till they law land. On Tuefdaythe 25th of September, about fun-fetting, as the admiral was difcourfing with Pinzon,whofe Ihip was very near, the faid Pinzon on a fudden cried out, “ Land, land, fir!Let not my good news inifcarryand Ihewed him towards the fouth-weft a bulkwhich looked very like an ifland, about twenty-five leagues from the Ihips. Thiswas fo pleafing to the men, that they returned thanks to God ; and the admiral, whohad given no credit to thefe words, to pleafe the men, and that they Ihould not ob-ftrudt his voyage, Hood that way a great part of the night. Next morning they per-ceived that what they had feen were only clouds, which often look like land ; forwhich reafon, to the great diflatisfaclion of moll of the failors, they turned the Itemsof their Ihips weftward, as they had always done, except when the wind hindered.Continuing ftill attentive to the figns, they faw an alcatraz, a rabo dejunco, andother birds like thofe above mentioned. On Thurfday the 27th of September, in themorning, they faw another alcatraz coming from the weft, and failing eaftward, andabundance of fifties with gilt backs appeared, whereof they (truck one with a harping-iron. A rabo de junco flew by them, and they found that the currents for thofelaft days were,not fo regularly fixed as they ufed to be before, but turned with thetide, and there were not To many weeds as before. On Friday following, all the (hipstook fome fifties with gilt backs, and on Saturday they faw a rabo de junco, whichthough it be a fea-fowl does not reft on' it, but flies always in the air, purfuing thealcatrazes, till it makes them drop their excrement for fear, which it catches in theair for its nouriftiment; and thus it maintains itfelf on the fea; and it is reportedthere are many of them about the iflands of Cabo Verde . Soon after they faw twoother alcatrazes, and abundance of flying fifties, which are about a fpan long, andhave two little wings like a bat; they fly about a pike high from, the water, and amufket (hot in length, more or lefs, and fometimes they drop upon the (hips. Afternoon they faw abundance of weeds lying in length north and fouth, as they had donebefore, befides three alcatrazes and a rabo de junco that purfued them.

On Sunday morning four rabo de juncoes came to the (hip, by reafon of whofecoming fo together, it was thought the land was nearer, efpecially becaufe foon afterthere flew by four alcatrazes, and abundance of weeds were feen in a line lying weft-north-weft and eaft-fouth-eaft, and alfo a great number of thofe fifties they callemperadores, which have a very hard (kin, and are not fit to eat. How much foeverthe admiral regarded thefe tokens, yet he never forgot thofe in the heaven, and the

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