al. From the Pinta they see a
branch of a tree, a stake and a smaller stake, which they draw in, and
which appears to have been cut with iron, and a piece of cane. Besides
these, there is a land shrub and a little bit of board. The crew of
the Nina saw other signs of land and a branch covered with thorns and
flowers. With these tokens every-one breathes again and is delighted.
They sail twenty-seven leagues on this course.

"The Admiral orders that they shall resume a westerly course at sunset.
They make twelve miles each hour; up till two hours after midnight they
made ninety miles.

"The Pinta, the best sailer of the three, was ahead. She makes signals,
already agreed upon, that she has discovered land. A sailor named
Rodrigo de Triana was the first to see this land. For the Admiral being
on the castle of the poop of the ship at ten at night really saw a
light, but it was so shut in by darkness that he did not like to say
that it was a sign of land. Still he called up Pedro Gutierrez, the
king's chamberlain, and said to him that there seemed to be a light,
and asked him to look. He did so and saw it. He said the same to Rodrigo
Sanchez of Segovia, who had been sent by the king and queen as inspector
in the fleet, but he saw nothing, being indeed in a place where he could
see nothing.

"After the Admiral spoke of it, the light was seen once or twice. It was
like a wax candle, raised and lowered, which would appear to few to be
a sign of land. But the Admiral was certain that it was a sign of land.
Therefore when they said the 'Salve,' which all the sailors are used to
say and sing in their fashion, the Admiral ordered them to look out well
from the forecastle, and he would give at once a silk jacket to the man
who first saw land, besides the other rewards which the sovereigns had
ordered, which were 10,000 maravedis, to be paid as an annuity forever
to the man who saw it first.

"At two hours after midnight land appeared, from which they were about
two leagues off."

This is the one account of the discovery written at the time. It
is worth copying and reading at full in its little details, for it
contrasts curiously with the embellished accounts which appear in the
next generation. Thus the historian Oviedo says, in a dramatic way:

"One of the ship boys on the largest ship, a native of Lepe, cried
'Fire!' 'Land!' Immediately a servant of Columbus replied, 'The Admiral
had said that already.' Soon after, Columbu