On The Third Day, To
Our Great Joy And Surprise, We Descried Land, Being Much Astonished To
Discover Land In A Quarter Where No Person Could Have Expected It[2].
Two
men were immediately sent aloft, who cried out that two large islands
were in sight.
This news was communicated through the ships, to our great
satisfaction, as we were sensible these islands were unknown in Portugal.
Judging it probable that these islands might be inhabited, and eager to
try our fortune, we steered towards one of them, which we soon came up
with, and sailed round a part of it, till we found safe anchorage. The
weather being now much calmed, we sent our boat on shore, well manned and
armed. The men landed, and having examined some part of the island,
brought back word that they could meet with no signs of inhabitants
whatever.
Next morning, to clear up all doubts, I sent ten men to land on the
island, well armed with guns and cross-bows, whom I ordered to go to the
top of some mountains within sight, and to look from thence, not only for
people, but for more islands. These men executed my commands, but found
no appearance of any inhabitants. They found, however, an incredible
number of pigeons, which were so tame, being strangers to man, that they
readily allowed themselves to be caught, and our people brought great
numbers of them to the caravels. But, what was of much more importance,
they brought intelligence of having discovered three other islands; one
of which being to leeward, towards the north, could not be seen from the
ships, while the other two lay to the south, all within sight of each
other.
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