in anything approaching a head wind, and that they were practically no good at all at beating to windward.  The shape of their hulls, the ungainly erections ahead and astern, and their comparatively light hold on the water, would cause them to drift to leeward faster than they could work to windward.  In this head wind, therefore, Columbus found that he was making very little headway, although he stood out for long distances to the northward.  On Wednesday, November 21st, occurred a most disagreeable incident, which might easily have resulted in the Admiral’s never reaching Spain alive.  Some time in the afternoon he noticed the Pinta standing away ahead of him in a direction which was not the course which he was steering; and he signalled her to close up with him.  No answer, however, was made to his signal, which he repeated, but to which he failed to attract any response.  He was standing south at the time, the wind being well in the north-east; and Martin Alonso Pinzon, whose caravel pointed into the wind much better than the unhandy Santa Maria, was standing to the east.  When evening fell he was still in sight, at a distance of sixteen miles.  Columbus was really concerned, and fired lombards and flew more signals of invitation; but there was no reply.  In the evening he shortened sail and burned a torch all night, “because it appeared that Martin Alonso was returning to me; and the night was very clear, and there was a nice little breeze by which to come to me if he wished.”  But he did not wish, and he did not come.

Martin Alonso has in fact shown himself at last in his true colours.  He has got the fastest ship, he has got a picked company of his own men from Palos; he has got an Indian on board, moreover, who has guaranteed to take him straight to where the gold is; and he has a very agreeable plan of going and getting it, and returning to Spain with the first news and the first wealth.  It is open mutiny, and as such cannot but be a matter of serious regret and trouble to the Admiral, who sits writing up his Journal by the swinging lamp in his little cabin.  To that friend and confidant he pours out his troubles and his long list of grievances against Martin Alonso; adding, “He has done and said many other things to me.”  Up on deck the torch is burning to light the wanderer back again, if only he will come; and there is “a nice little breeze” by which to come if he wishes; but Martin Alonso has wishes quite other than that.

The Pinta was out of sight the next morning, and the little Nina was all that the Admiral had to rely upon for convoy.  They were now near the east end of the north coast of Cuba, and they stood in to a harbour which the Admiral called Santa Catalina, and which is now called Cayo de Moa.  As the importance of the Nina to the expedition had been greatly increased by the defection of the Pinta, Columbus went on board and examined her.  He found that some of her spars were in danger of giving way; and as there was