When we raised our sails that
dragon canoe cried out and marveled. But the cacique with
the coronal asked intelligent questions. The Admiral showed
him the way of it, mast and spar and sail cloth, and how
we made the wind our rower. He listened, and at the last
he gave Christopherus Columbus for that instruction the
gold disk from his breast. I do not know--Yucatan might
have gone on from that and itself developed true ship. If it
had long enough time! But Europe was at its doors.
The canoe kept with us for a little, then shouted to see the
fair breeze fill our sails and carry us from them.
It was mid-August. We came to a low-lying land with
hills behind. Here we touched and found Indians, though
none such as Yucatan seemed to breed. It was Sunday and
under great trees we had mass, having with us the Franciscan
Pedro of Valencia. From this place we coasted three
days, when again we landed. Here the Indians were of a
savage aspect, painted with black and white and yellow and
uttering loud cries. We thought that they were eaters of
men's flesh. Likewise they had a custom of wearing earrings
of great weight, some of copper, some of that mixed
gold we called guanin. So heavy were these ornaments
that they pulled the ear down to mid-throat. The Admiral
named this place the Coast of the Ear.
On we sailed, and on, never out of sight of land to starboard.
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