. They carried
the mainsail very closely reefed, so as just to give her steerage-way,
and proceeded thus for three hours, making 20 miles. Meanwhile, the wind
and sea increased, and, seeing the great danger, the Admiral began to run
before it, there being nothing else to be done. The caravel _Pinta_ began
to run before the wind at the same time, and Martin Alonso ran her out of
sight,[238-1] although the Admiral kept showing lanterns all night, and
the other answered. It would seem that she could do no more, owing to the
force of the tempest, and she was taken far from the route of the
Admiral. He steered that night E.N.E., and made 54 miles, equal to 13
leagues. At sunrise the wind blew still harder, and the cross sea was
terrific. They continued to show the closely-reefed mainsail, to enable
her to rise from between the waves, or she would otherwise have been
swamped. An E.N.E. course was steered, and afterwards N.E. by E. for six
hours, making 7-1/2 leagues. The Admiral ordered that a pilgrimage should
be made to Our Lady of Guadalupe,[239-1] carrying a candle of 6 lbs. of
weight in wax, and that all the crew should take an oath that the
pilgrimage should be made by the man on whom the lot fell. As many
chick-peas were got as there were persons on board, and on one a cross
was cut with a knife. They were then put into a cap and shaken up. The
first who put in his hand was the Admiral, and he drew out the chick-pea
with a cross, so the lot fell on him; and he was bound to go on the
pilgrimage and fulfil the vow. Another lot was drawn, to go on pilgrimage
to Our Lady of Loreto, which is in the march of Ancona, in the Papal
territory, a house where Our Lady works many and great miracles.[239-2]
The lot fell on a sailor of the port of Santa Maria, named Pedro de
Villa, and the Admiral promised to pay his travelling expenses. Another
pilgrimage was agreed upon, to watch for one night in Santa Clara at
Moguer,[239-3] and have a mass said, for which they again used the
chick-peas, including the one with a cross. The lot again fell on the
Admiral. After this the Admiral and all the crew made a vow that, on
arriving at the first land, they would all go in procession, in their
shirts, to say their prayers in a church dedicated to Our Lady.

Besides these general vows made in common, each sailor made a special
vow; for no one expected to escape, holding themselves for lost, owing to
the fearful weather from which they were suffe