ll see that it came from
land, and land to the west?"

"But it is caught here! What if we are caught here too? These weeds may
stem us--turn great crab pincers and hold us till we rot!"

"If--and if--and if" cried the Admiral. "For Christ, His sake, laugh at
yourselves!"

On, on, we went before that warm and potent wind, so steadfast that
there must be controlling it some natural law. Ocean-Sea spread around,
with that weed like a marsh at springtide. Then, suddenly, just as the
murmuring faction was murmuring again, we cleared all that. Open sea,
blue running ocean, endlessly endless!

The too-steady sunshine vanished. There broke a cloudy dawn followed by
light rain. It ceased and the sky cleared. But in the north held a mist
and a kind of semblance of far-off mountains. Startled, a man cried
"Land!" but the next moment showed that it was cloud. Yet all day the
mist hung in this quarter. The _Pinta_ approached and signaled, and
presently over to us put her boat, in it Martin Pinzon. The Admiral met
him as he came up over side and would have taken him into great cabin.
But, no! Martin Pinzon always spoke out, before everybody! "Senor, there
is land yonder, under the north! Should not we change course and see
what is there?"

"It is cloud," answered the Admiral. "Though I do not deny that such a
haze may be crying, 'Land behind!'"

"Let us sail then north, and see!"

But the Admiral shook his head. "No, Captain! West--west--arrow
straight!"

Pinzon appeared about to say, "You are very wrong, and we should see
what's behind that arras!" But he checked himself, standing before
Admiral and Don and Viceroy, and all those listening faces around. "I
still think," he began.

The other took him up, but kept considerate, almost deferring manner.
"Yes, if we had time or ships to spare! But now it is, do not stray from
the path. Sail straight west!"

"We are five hundred leagues from Palos."

"Less than that, by our reckoning. The further from Palos, the nearer
India!"

"We may be passing by our salvation!"

"Our salvation lies in going as we set forth to go." He made his gesture
of dismissal of that, and asked after the health of the _Pinta_. The
health held, but the stores were growing low. Biscuit enough, but bacon
almost out, and not so many measures of beans left. Oil, too, approached
bottom of jars. The Nina was in the same case.

"Food and water will last," said the Admiral. "We have not come so far
with