on the 19th
of June, he saw at anchor a French privateer with two Spanish prizes.
The former put to sea in all haste, followed by her prizes, one of which
had only four men on board, besides six Spanish prisoners. Though he
sent three of his vessels in pursuit, the privateer and one of the
prizes escaped, but the six Spaniards on board the other, rising on
their captors, she was retaken and brought back to the port.

Leaving Gomara, Columbus dispatched three of his ships to carry supplies
to Hispaniola, and with the three remaining vessels prosecuted his
voyage towards the Cape de Verde Islands. Though suffering from
sickness, he continued to keep his reckoning and make his observations
with his usual minuteness.

Touching at the Cape de Verdes, he was disappointed at not obtaining the
goats, sheep, and cattle he had expected. The weather was sultry and
depressing, and he and his crew suffered greatly. Steering south-west
for about one hundred and twenty leagues, he reached the fifth degree of
north latitude, the region known among seamen by the name of the "calm
latitudes." Suddenly the wind fell, a dead calm commenced, which lasted
for eight days. The air was like a furnace, the tar melted, the seams
of the ships yawned, the salt meat became putrid, the wheat was parched,
the hoops round some of the casks of wine and water shrank, while others
burst, letting out their contents.

To get out of this latitude he steered to the south-west, hoping to find
a milder temperature farther on. In this he was not disappointed. At
length a cool breeze filled the sails of the vessels, and they again
made good progress.

Columbus intended to have stood first to the south and then westward,
but the heat had made the vessels leak so excessively that it was
necessary to find a harbour as soon as possible. The provisions were
also spoiled, and the water nearly exhausted. On the 31st of July but
one cask of water remained in each ship, when about midday a seaman at
the masthead hailed that he saw the summits of three mountains rising
above the horizon.

Columbus had before determined to give the name of the Trinity to the
first land he should behold, and was struck by the appearance of these
three mountains united in one. He therefore called the island La
Trinidad. Steering to its eastern extremity, he saw a rock resembling a
galley under sail off a headland, which, in consequence, he called Punta
de la Galera. No saf