ch discovery, noting
the difference in the likeness--built two boats, and, making for this
cloud, soon found themselves alongside a beautiful island, abounding in
many things, but most of all in trees, on which account they gave it the
name of "Madeira" (Wood). The two discoverers entered the island at
different parts. The Prince, their master, afterward rewarded them with
the captaincies of those parts. To Perestrelo he gave the island of
Porto Santo to colonize it. Perestrelo, however, did not make much of
his captaincy, but after a strenuous contest with the rabbits, having
killed an army of them, died himself. This captain has a place in
history as being the father-in-law of Columbus, who, indeed, lived at
Porto Santo for some time, and here, on new-found land, meditated far
bolder discoveries.

Joham Goncalvez Zarco and Tristam Vaz began the cultivation of their
island of Madeira, but met with an untoward event at first. In clearing
the wood, they kindled a fire among it, which burned for seven years, we
are told; and in the end, that which had given its name to the island,
and which, in the words of the historian, overshadowed the whole land,
became the most deficient commodity. The captains founded churches in
the island; and the King of Portugal, Don Duarte, gave the temporalities
to Prince Henry, and all the spiritualities to the Knights of Christ.

While these things were occurring at Madeira and at Porto Santo, Prince
Henry had been prosecuting his general scheme of discovery, sending out
two or three vessels each year, with orders to go down the coast from
Cape Nam, and make what discoveries they could; but these did not amount
to much, for the captains never advanced beyond Cape Bojador, which is
situated seventy leagues to the south of Cape Nam. This Cape Bojador was
formidable in itself, being terminated by a ridge of rocks with fierce
currents running round them, but was much more formidable from the
fancies which the mariners had formed of the sea and land beyond it. "It
is clear," they were wont to say, "that beyond this cape there is no
people whatever; the land is as bare as Libya--no water, no trees, no
grass in it; the sea so shallow that at a league from the land it is
only a fathom deep; the currents so fierce that the ship which passes
that cape will never return;" and thus their theories were brought in to
justify their fears. This outstretcher--for such is the meaning of the
word _bojador_--w