patched from what
Spanish port he should first enter, coming back east from west, over
Ocean-Sea, from Asia!

But he had long, long followed his own advice, stood by his own course.
The doing so had so served him that it was natural he should have
confidence. Now he said only, "I do the best I can! I have little sea
room. One Scylla and Charybdis? Nay, a whole brood of them!"

I could agree to that. I saw it coming up the ways that they would give
him less and less sea room. He went on, "Merchandise has to be made
attractive! The cook dresses the dish, the girl puts flowers in her
hair.... Yet, in the end the wares are mighty beyond description! The
dish is for Pope and King--the girl is a bride for a paladin!"

Again he was right afar and over the great span. But they would not see
in Spain, or not many would see, that the whole span must be taken. But
I was not one to chide him, seeing that I, too, saw afar, and they would
not see with me either in Spain.

CHAPTER XX

WE sailed for two days east by south. But the weather that had been
perfection for long and long again from Palos, now was changed. Dead
winds delayed us, the sea ridged, clouds blotted out the blue. We held
on. There was a great cape which we called Cape Cuba. Off this a storm
met us. We lived it out and made into one of those bottle harbors of
which, first and last, we were to find God knows how many in Cuba!

The Admiral named it Puerto del Principe, and we raised on shore here
a very great cross. We had done this on every considerable island since
San Salvador and now twice on this coast. There were behind us seven
or eight crosses. The banner planted was the sign of the Sovereignty of
Spain, the cross the sign of Holy Church, Sovereign over sovereigns,
who gave these lands to Spain, as she gave Africa and the islands to
Portugal. We came to a great number of islets, rivers of clear blue sea
between. The ships lay to and we took boat and went among these. The
King's Gardens, the Admiral called them, and the calm sea between them
and mainland the Sea of Our Lady. They were thickly wooded, and we
thought we found cinnamon, aloes and mastic. Two lovely days we had in
this wilderness of isles and channels where was no man nor woman at
all, then again we went east and south, the land trending that way.
Very distant, out of eastern waste, rose what seemed a large island. The
Admiral said that we should go discover, and we changed course toward
i