Captain
Martin Pinzon beached the Pinta and unshipped the
hurt and useless rudder. Work upon a new one began at
once. The Admiral, the two captains and those of rank upon
the ships supped with the commandant at his quite goodly
house, and the next day he and his officers dined aboard the
Santa Maria. The Admiral liked him much for he was more
than respectful toward this voyage. A year before, bathing
one day in the surf, there had come floating to his hand a
great gourd. None such grew anywhere in these islands,
and the wind for days had come steadily from the west. The
gourd had a kind of pattern cut around it. He showed it to
the Admiral and afterwards gave it to him. The latter
caused it to pass from hand to hand among the seamen. I
had it in my hands and truly saw no reason why it might
not have been cut by some native of the West, and, carried
away by the tide or dropped perchance from a boat, have at
last, after long time, come into hands not Indian. Asia tossing
unthinkingly a ball which Europe caught.
The _Pinta_ proved in worse plight than was at first thought.
The Nina also found this or that to do besides squaring her
Levant sails. We stayed in Gomera almost three weeks.
The place was novel, the day's task not hard, the Admiral
and his captains complaisant. We had leisure and island
company.
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