X.IFE OF COLON, BY HIS SON.

3 Z

'do without caufe, at every turn, out of covetoufnefs of that allowance, it was orderedthat whofoever faid he faw land, if it were not made out in three days after, Ihouldlofe the reward, though afterwards he fhould prove the firft difcoverer. All aboardthe admiral being thus forewarned, none of them durft cry out land ; but thofe inthe caraval Ninna, which w r as a better failor, and kept a-head, believing it to be cer-tainly land, fired a gun, and put out their colours in token of land. But the fartherthey failed, the more their joys vanilhed, till that appearance quite vanilhed, thoughit pleafed God foon after to give them fome manner of comfort, for they faw greatflights of great fowl, and others of finall land-birds, flying from the weft towards thefouth-weft. Therefore the admiral being now fo far from Spain , and fure that fuchfmall birds would not go far from land ; he altered his courfe, which till then was weft,and flood to the fouth-weft, faying, that if he changed his road, it was becaufe hedeviated but little from his firft defign, and becaufe he would follow the example ofthe Portuguefe, who had difcovered moft of their iilands by means of fuch birds, andthe more becaufe thofe they faw followed almoft the fame way. He had always pro-pofed to himfelf to find land according to the place they were then in ; fince as theywell knew, he had often told them, he never expe&ed to find land till he was fevenhundred and fifty leagues to the weftward of the Canaries ; within which diftance hehad farther faid, he fhould difcover Hifpaniola, which he then called Cipango ; andthere is no doubt but he had found it, had not he known it was reported to lie in lengthfrom north to fouth: for which reafon he had not inclined more to the fouth to runupon it, and therefore that and others of the Caribbee iflands lay now on his larboard-fide, fouth of him, whither thofe birds were directing their courfe. Being fo near toland was the reafon they continually faw fuch abundance of birds; and on Monday the8th of October, there came to the Ihip twelve finging birds of feveral colours, andafter flying a turn about the {hip, they held on their way. They alfo faw from thefhips many other birds flying towards the fouth-weft ; and that fame night abundanceof large fowls were feen, and flights of fmall birds coming from the northward, andflying after the reft- Befides, they faw a good number of tunny filh. In the morn-ing they fpied a jay, an alcatraz, ducks and fmall birds, flying the fame way the othershad done $ and they perceived the air to be frefli and odoriferous, as it is at Seville in April. But they were now fo eager to fee land, that they had faith in no fignswhatfoever: fo that though on Wednefday the ioth of Odlober, they law abundanceof birds pafs by both day and night, yet the men did not ceafe to complain, nor theadmiral to blame their want of courage: declaring to them, that right or wrong they•mull go on in difcovering the Indies Their Catholic Majefties had fent them to.

CHAP. XXII. — Bow the Admiral difcovered the firjl Land, which was an IJland called

De Los Lucayos.

THE admiral being no longer able to withftand fo many as oppofed him, it pleafed•God that on Thurfday the nth of Oftober, afternoon, the men took heart andrejoiced, having manifeft tokens that they were near land, which were, that thofe aboardthe admiral faw a green rulh fwim by the ftiip, and then a great green filh of that fortthat goes not far from the rocks. Thofe aboard the caraval Pinta faw a cane anda ftaff, and took up another ftaff curioufly wrought, and a fmall board, and abundanceof weeds frelh walhed away from the banks. Thofe in the caraval Ninna faw otherfuch like tokens, and a branch of a thorn full of red berries, which feemed to be

newly