hor, and unfurled the sails
that bore the red cross of the Order of Christ. The four little ships
started on what was to be the longest and most momentous voyage on
record, while crowds stood on the shore straining their eyes till the
fleet, under full sail, vanished from their sight.

[Illustration: VASCO DA GAMA. From a contemporary portrait.]

After passing Cape Verde, in order to escape the currents of the Gulf
of Guinea, Vasco da Gama steered south-west into an unknown part of
the South Atlantic. He did not know that at one time he was within
six hundred miles of the coast of South America. Day after day, week
after week passed in dreary monotony as they sailed the wide ocean
that surrounds St. Helena, "a lonely, dreary waste of seas and
boundless sky." Everything ends at last, and, having spent ninety-six
days out of sight of land and sailed some four thousand five hundred
miles, they drifted on to the south-west coast of Africa. It was a
record voyage, for even Columbus had only been two thousand six hundred
miles without seeing land. November found them in a broad bay, "and,"
says the old log of the voyage, "we named it St. Helena," which name
it still retains. After a skirmish with some tawny-coloured Hottentots
the explorers sailed on, putting "their trust in the Lord to double
the Cape."

But the sea was all broken with storm, high rolled the waves, and so
short were the days that darkness prevailed. The crews grew sick with
fear and hardship, and all clamoured to put back to Portugal.

With angry words Vasco da Gama bade them be silent, though "he well
saw how much reason they had at every moment to despair of their lives";
the ships were now letting in much water, and cold rains soaked them
all to the skin.

"All cried out to God for mercy upon their souls, for now they no longer
took heed of their lives." At last the storm ceased, the seas grew
calm, and they knew that, without seeing it, they had doubled the
dreaded Cape, "on which great joy fell upon them and they gave great
praise to the Lord."

But their troubles were not yet over. The sea was still very rough,
"for the winter of that country was setting in," and even the pilot
suggested turning back to take refuge for a time. When Vasco da Gama
heard of turning backward he cried that they should not speak such
words, because as he was going out of the bar of Lisbon he had promised
God in his heart not to turn back a single span's breadth of the