courage. Columbus said that he was thus saved by the coming in of a heavy swell from the sea, and it was the first time, so far as he knew, that any such case had occurred since the days when the Israelites were saved by the waves which overwhelmed the Egyptians.

FALSE CRY OF LAND.

Sept. 25. This evening, about sunset, as the ships were sailing smoothly and quietly along, suddenly a great shout was heard from the quarter deck of the Pinta, which was, as usual, sailing a little in advance of the others, and on looking in that direction, those on board Columbus' vessel saw that the shouts came from Martin Pinzon himself, the commander of the vessel, who was standing upon the quarter deck, and calling out LAND! LAND! with wild and earnest gesticulations, expressive of the utmost exultation and delight. Columbus called out to him to ask if he was sure that it was land that he saw. He said he was sure, pointing at the same time eagerly in the direction where he thought it appeared.

The whole crew of his vessel were gazing intently in the same direction, and a moment afterward they commenced singing a hymn, the GLORIA

IN EXCELSIS of the mass. * The enthusiasm, of course, at once spread to the other vessels; and the crew of Columbus' ship were soon all on deck, and as Columbus thought he could also now see the land, he gave the signal to them, and they sung the GLORIA IN EXCELSIS too.

As the shades of the evening drew on, the appearance of land became indistinct, and at length faded away; but the vessels were all steered in the direction which Pinzon had indicated, every one on board looking out eagerly all the time, and expecting every moment, as the night was not dark, to bring the land again into view. They went on until past midnight, and then slowly and sorrowfully came to the conclusion that they had been deceived, and that there was no land to be found.

PROSPEROUS CONTINUATION OF THE VOYAGE.

Oct. 8. For about ten days after the incident of the false announcement of land, Columbus advanced on his voyage in a very agreeable and prosThe sea was calm, the sky serene, perous manner. and gentle breezes, bringing with them a soft and

* Glory to God in the highest. The hymns and prayers of the Catholich church were then, as now, expressed in the Latin tongue.

balmy air, wafted the vessels smoothly and yet pretty rapidly along. Birds were often seen flying to and fro, and sea-weed in great abundance continued to float in the water. The sea, moreover, was so smooth, and the air so spring-like and delicious, that Columbus said that nothing but the song of the nightingale was wanting to make them think that they were sailing on a river in the midst of some enchanted land.

Sometimes, when it was nearly calm, the crews amused themselves with fishing. There was a certain kind of golden-headed fish called the dorado, of which they caught several, and some days they saw great numbers of flying-fish skimming through the air all around them. At one time a booby came and alighted in the rigging, and a boy who was on board knocked him down with a stone which he threw at him. to throw the journal does not inform us. Perhaps the ship was ballasted with shingle taken from a beach.

How he obtained a stone

During these ten days the sailors on the whole were pretty well contented, though the pilot of Columbus' vessel, who had kept an account of the false reckonings which Columbus had given him, said one day, with an anxious face and a sigh, after he had been adding them up, that from Ferro, the

last of the Canary Islands toward the west, to the place where they were, the distance which they had run was no less than five hundred and seventyeight leagues!

The pilot would have had more reason still for the concern which he felt if he had known the true reckoning, for the real distance was over seven hundred leagues. Thus the expedition was more than one hundred leagues further to the westward than the men supposed.

This pilot recommended to Columbus to turn more to the southward, as the indications were strong, he said, of land in that direction. Columbus had hitherto been unwilling to turn aside from his course for any such purpose. He wished to push on as far toward the westward as he possibly could, so as to reach the actual shores of continental India before he was stopped. But now the signs of land became so numerous that he determined to veer to the southward somewhat more than he had done, and accordingly the ship's course, as will be seen by the chart, was now somewhat changed.

THE MUTINY.

October 10. The expedition proceeded on the new course for two days, but no land was to be

seen. Indeed, the signs and tokens of the proximity of land seemed to be diminishing. The sailors began again to be discouraged, and they uttered, both among themselves and in the presence of the officers, a great many murmurings and complaints. At last they said plainly that the voyage had been protracted long enough, and that they would not go any further.

Columbus made an address to them, endeavoring to dispel their fears, and giving them very alluring accounts of the rich reward they would all obtain in the treasures which they would find in the Indies as soon as they reached the land. He added, moreover, in conclusion, that whatever they thought of their situation, they must content themselves as well as they could and make the best of it, for he had set out upon the voyage with the intention of going to the Indies, and he was determined, by the blessing of God, to persevere till he reached his destination.

DISCOVERY OF LAND.

October 11. On this day, which was the very next after the difficulty with the seamen, there suddenly appeared proofs of the proximity of the land far more decisive than any which had yet been observed. The sailors saw several land birds,