Produced by David Widger
Columbus was at sea again; firm ground to him, although so treacherousand unstable to most of us; and as he saw the Spanish coast sinking downon the horizon he could shake himself free from his troubles, and feelthat once more he was in a situation of which he was master. He firsttouched at Porto Santo, where, if the story of his residence there betrue, there must have been potent memories for him in the sight of thelong white beach and the plantations, with the Governor's house beyond.He stayed there only a few hours and then crossed over to Madeira,anchoring in the Bay of Funchal, where he took in wood and water. As itwas really unnecessary for him to make a port so soon after leaving,there was probably some other reason for his visit to these islands;perhaps a family reason; perhaps nothing more historically important thanthe desire to look once more on scenes of bygone happiness, for even onthe page of history every event is not necessarily big with significance.From Madeira he took a southerly course to the Canary Islands, and onJune 16th anchored at Gomera, where he found a French warship with twoSpanish prizes, all of which put to sea as the Admiral's fleetapproached. On June 21st, when he sailed from Gomera, he divided hisfleet of six vessels into two squadrons. Three ships were despatcheddirect to Espanola, for the supplies which they carried were urgentlyneeded there. These three ships were commanded by trustworthy men: Pedrode Arana, a brother of Beatriz, Alonso Sanchez de Carvajal, and JuanAntonio Colombo—this last no other than a cousin of Christopher's fromGenoa. The sons of Domenico's provident younger brother had notprospered, while the sons of improvident Domenico were now all in highplaces; and these three poor cousins, hearing of Christopher's greatness,and deciding that use should be made of him, scraped together enoughmoney to send one of their number to Spain. The Admiral always had asound family feeling, and finding that cousin Antonio had sea experienceand knew how to handle a ship he gave him command of one of the caravelson this voyage—a command of which he proved capable and worthy. Fromthese three captains, after giving them full sailing directions forreaching Espanola, Columbus parted company off the island of Ferro. Hehimself stood on a southerly course towards the Cape Verde Islands.
His plan on this voyage was to find the mainland to the southward, ofwhich he had heard rumours in Espanola. Before leaving Spain he hadreceived a letter from an eminent lapidary named Ferrer who had travelledmuch in the east, and who assured him that if he sought gold and preciousstones he must go to hot lands, and that the hotter the lands were, andthe blacker the inhabitants, the more likely he was to find riches there.This was just the kind of theory to suit Columbus, and as he sailedtowards the Cape Verde Islands he was already in imagination gatheringgold and pearls on the shores of the equatorial continent.
He stayed for about a week at the Cape Verde Islands, getting inprovisions and cattle, and curiously observing the life of the Portugueselepers who came in numbers to the island of Buenavista to be cured thereby eating the flesh and bathing in the blood of turtles. It was not aninspiriting week which he spent in that dreary place and enervatingclimate, with nothing to