were still at peace, but it appears that this “man, dressed in a little brief authority,” thought that the capture would gratify his sovereign.  The remonstrances of the admiral were of no avail; and as the weather would not allow of his remaining in his present anchorage, he was forced to stand out to sea, and to run nearly to St. Michael’s, with a crew which comprised only three able seamen.  On the 21st of February he returned to St. Mary’s, and eventually, as the governor was unable to seize Columbus himself, he decided on recognizing the royal commission which he produced, and restoring his crew.  On the 24th the “Nina” again steered for Spain, but another tempest supervened, and continued with more or less fury for more than a week.

  Arrival in the Tagus.

In this last storm, which raged with destructive violence along the west coast of the whole Continent of Europe, and which drove the “Pinta” almost helplessly towards a lee-shore, the dangers of the voyage reached their climax.  “I escaped,” says the admiral, “by the greatest miracle in the world.”  Fortunately, however, his seamanship was equal to the emergency, and on the afternoon of the fourth of March he came to anchor in the Tagus.  To the King of Portugal, who happened to be at no great distance, he sent a despatch announcing his arrival and the result of his voyage, and, in reply, received a pressing invitation to court.  With this he thought proper to comply, “in order not to show mistrust, although he disliked it,” and was received by the king with the highest honours.  This must have been almost too much of a triumph for a generous mind, considering that the court before which he was displaying the signs of a new world had refused the opportunity of securing the discovery for itself.  The king, however, now took occasion to put in a claim to the newly found countries, basing it on that papal bull which has been mentioned in a previous chapter but, although Columbus, in the interest of his sovereigns, took care to repudiate this claim as decidedly as possible, his royal host continued to entertain him with the utmost consideration.

  Reception at Palos.

Possibly mistrusting the seamanship of his subordinates, Columbus refused the offer of safe conduct and means of transport to Spain by land; and on the 13th of March, in the teeth of a north-westerly wind and a heavy sea, left the Tagus for the bar of Saltes, and safely reached his starting-point at Palos on the 15th, again a Friday.  The enthusiasm and excitement aroused by the success of the expedition were unbounded.  At Palos, especially, where few families had not a personal interest in some of the band of explorers, the little community was filled with extraordinary delight.  Not an individual member of the expedition but was elevated into a hero,—­not a debtor or a criminal whom the charter of immunity had led, rather than bear the ills he had, to fly to others that he knew not of,—­ but had expiated his social misdeeds, and had become a person of consideration and an object of enthusiasm.  The court was at Barcelona.  Immediately on his arrival Columbus despatched a letter to the king and queen, stating in general terms the success of his project; and proceeded forthwith to present himself in person to their highnesses.