LIFE OF COLON, BY HIS SOSN.

33

newly broke off. By thefe tokens, and reafon itfelf, the admiral being affured he wasnear land, at night, after prayers, he made a fpeech to all the men in general, puttingthem in mind how great a mercy it was that God had brought them fo long a voyagewith fuch fair weather, and comforting them with tokens which every day were plainerand plainer; therefore he prayed them to be very watchful that night, fince they wellknew that in the firft article of the inftructions he gave each fhip at the Canary iflands,he ordained that when they had failed feven hundred leagues to the weftward, withoutdifcovering land, they Ihould lie by from midnight till day. Therefore, fince they hadnot yet obtained their defires in difcovering land, they Ihould at lead exprefs their zealin being watchful. And forafmuch, as he had molt affured hopes of finding land thatnight, every one Ihould watch in his place ; for befides the gratuity their highneffeshad promifed of thirty crowns a year for life, to him that fir 11 faw land, he would givehim a velvet doublet. After this, about ten at night, as the admiral was in the greatcabin, he faw a light afhore, but faid it was fo blind he could not affirm it to be land,though he called one Peter Gutieres, and bid him obferve whether he faw the faid light,who faid he did ; but prefently they called one Roderick Sanchez of Segovia, to lookthat way, but he could not fee it, becaufe he came not up time enough where it mightbe feen ; nor did they fee it afterwards above once or twice, which made them judgeit might be a candle or torch belonging to fome fiffierman or traveller, who lifted itup and let it fall down ; or perhaps that they were people going from one houfe toanother, becaufe it vanifhed and fuddenly appeared again ; fo that few would guefsbut that they were near land. Being now very much upon their guard, they ftill heldon their courfe, till about two in the morning the caraval Pinta, which being an ex-cellent failer was far a-head, gave the fignal of land, which was firft difcovered by afailor whofe name was Roderick de Triana, being two leagues from fhore. But thethirty crowns a year was not granted by their catholic majefties to him, but to theadmiral, who had feen the light in the midft of darknefs, fignifying the fpiritual light hewas then fpreading in thofe dark regions. Being now near land, all the Ihips lay by,thinking it a long time till morning, that they might fee what they had fo longdefired.

CHAP. XXIII. — How the Admiral went cijhore and took poffejfion for Their Catholic

Majefties.

DAY appearing, they perceived it was an ifland, fifteen leagues in length, plain,without hills, and full of green trees and delicious waters, with a great lake in themiddle, inhabited by abundance of people, who ran down to the ffiore aftonilhed andadmiring at the fight of the Ihips, believing them to be fome living creatures, and wereimpatient to know certainly what they were. Nor were the Chriftians lefs hafty toknow them, whofe curiofity was foon fatisfied, for they foon came to an anchor; theadmiral went afhore with his boat well armed, and the royal ftandard difplayed, as didthe captains of the other two fhips in their boats, with their particular colours of thisenterprize, which were a green crofs with an F. on the one fide, and on the other thenames of Ferdinand and Ifabel, or Elizabeth crowned. Having all given thanks toGod , kneeling on the fhore, and kiffed the ground with tears of joy, for the greatmercy received, the admiral flood up, and called that ifland St. Salvador. After thathe took poffeffion for Their Catholic Majefties, in the ufual words, and with thefolemnity proper in thofe cafes j abundance of the natives that were come out being

VOL. xn. F prefent,