f fortune, and how she
ordered the changes of these transitory and perishing
worldly goods, at one time sustaining a man at the top of
the wheel, and at another returning him to the lowest part
thereof, and depriving him of her favors, which may truly be
said to be lent. Thus having experienced the continual labor
of one who would acquire her favors, subjecting myself to
very many inconveniences and dangers, I concluded to abandon
mercantile affairs and direct my attention to something more
laudable and stable. For this purpose I prepared myself to
visit various parts of the world, and see the wonderful
things which might be found therein. Time and place were
very opportunely offered me when I came to this conclusion.

"King Ferdinand of Castile had ordered four ships to go in
search of new lands, and I was selected by his highness to
go in that fleet, in order to assist in the discoveries. We
sailed from the port of Cadiz on the 10th of May, A.D.
1497, and steering our course through the great Western
Ocean, spent eighteen months in our expedition, discovering
much land and a great number of islands, the largest part of
which were inhabited. As these are not spoken of by the
ancient writers, I presume they were ignorant of them. If I
am not mistaken, I well remember to have read in one of
their books, which I possessed, that this ocean was
considered unpeopled. In this voyage I saw many astonishing
things, as your Excellency will perceive by the following
relation.

"We had sailed so rapidly that at the end of twenty-seven
days we came in sight of land, which we judged to be a
continent, being about a thousand leagues west of the
Fortunate Islands, now called the Grand Canaries. Here we
anchored our ships at a league and a half from the shore,
and, having cast off our boats and filled them with men and
arms, proceeded to land. Before we landed we were much
cheered by the sight of many people rambling along the
shore. We found that they were all in a state of nudity, and
they appeared to be afraid of us, as I suppose from seeing
us clothed and of a different stature from themselves. They
retreated to a mountain, and, notwithstanding all the signs
of peace and friendship we could make, we could not bring
them to parley