das, had
established the continuity of land from the Gulf of Paria to Darien. The
Admiral himself had explored the coast of Cuba, both on the north and
south sides, for so great a distance that he concluded it must surely be
a promontory connected with the continent. The conclusion was that, as
it could not turn to north or south, this current, ever flowing in one
direction, must pass through a strait. The argument was perfectly sound
except in one point--the continental character of Cuba was an
hypothesis, not an ascertained fact.

Still, it was a brilliant chain of reasoning, and it led to a great
result, though not to the expected result. Just as the search for the
philosopher's stone led to valuable discoveries in chemistry, and as the
search for El Dorado revealed the courses of the two largest rivers in
South America, so the Admiral's heroic effort to discover a strait in
the face of appalling difficulties, in advancing years and failing
health, made known the coast of the continent from Honduras to Darien.

All the discoveries made by others, in the lifetime of Columbus, on the
coasts of the western continent (except that of Cabral) were directly
due to the first voyage of the Admiral, to his marvelous prevision in
boldly sailing westward across the sea of darkness, and are to be
classed as Columbian discoveries. This was clearly laid down by Las
Casas, in a noble passage. "The Admiral was the first to open the gates
of that ocean which had been closed for so many thousands of years
before," exclaimed the good bishop. "He it was who gave the light by
which all others might see how to discover. It can not be denied to the
Admiral, except with great injustice, that _as_ he was the first
discoverer of those Indies, _so_ he was really of all the mainland; and
to him the credit is due. For it was he that put the thread into the
hands of the rest by which they found the clew to more distant parts. It
was not necessary for this that he should personally visit every part,
any more than it is necessary to do so in taking possession of an
estate; as the jurists hold." This generous protest by Las Casas should
receive the assent of all geographers. The pupils and followers of
Columbus, such as Pinzon, Ojeda, Nino, and La Cosa, discovered all the
continent from 8 deg. S. of the equator to Darien, thus supplementing
their great master's work; while he himself led the way, and showed the
light both to the islands and to the c