The admiral was most anxious to despatch supplies and re-enforcements to his brother, and he succeeded in sending off two caravels in advance, under the command of Hernandez Coronel, who had been appointed chief magistrate of Espafiola.  The other vessels consisted of two naos, or ships of a hundred tons, and four caravels.  After months of harassing and unnecessary delay, they dropped down the Guadalquiver from Seville and the admiral sailed.  He touched at Porto Santo and Madeira, and reached Gomera on May 19th.  Columbus had become aware, through information collected from the natives of the islands, that there was extensive land, probably a continent, to the southward.  He had also received a letter from a skilled and learned jeweller named Jaime Ferrer, dated August 5, 1495, in which it was laid down that the most valuable things came from very hot countries, where the natives are black or tawny.  These and other considerations led him to determine to cross the Atlantic on a lower parallel than he had ever done before; and he invoked the Holy Trinity for protection, intending to name the first land that was sighted in their honor.  But he was impressed with the importance of sending help to the colony without delay.

He therefore detached one ship and two caravels from Gomera to make the voyage direct.  The ship was commanded by Alonzo Sanchez de Carbajal of Baeza.  One caravel was intrusted to Pedro de Arana, brother of Beatriz Enriquez and brother-in-law of the admiral.  The other had for her captain a Genoese cousin, Juan Antonio Colombo.  It will be remembered that Antonio, the brother of Domenico Colombo and uncle of the admiral, lived at the little coast village of Quinto, near Genoa, and had three sons—­Juan Antonio, Mateo, and Amighetto.  When these cousins heard of the greatness and renown of Christopher, they thought at least one of them might get some benefit from his prosperity.  So the younger ones gave all the little money they could scrape together to enable the eldest to go to Spain.  His illustrious kinsman welcomed him with affection, and as he was a sailor he received charge of a caravel, in which trust he proved himself, as Las Casas tells us, to be careful, efficient, and fit for command.  The three vessels sailed from Gomera direct for Espanola on June 21st.  Columbus continued his voyage of discovery with one vessel and two caravels.  Pero Alonzo Nino, the pilot of the Nina in the first voyage, was with him.  Herman Perez Matteos was another pilot, and there were a few other old shipmates in the squadron.  The admiral touched at Buena Vista, one of the Cape de Verd Islands, remaining at anchor for a few days, and on July 5th he sailed away into the unknown ocean, for many days on a south-west course.  His intention was to go south as far as the latitude of Sierra Leone, 8 deg. 30’ N., and then to steer west until he reached land.