CHRISTOPHER
CHAP. I . ]
COLUMBUS.
129
years of baffled hope, fairly launched on his grand enterprise, was checked by his want of confidence in the resolution and per severance of his crews.
As long as he remained within reach of
Europe, there was no security that, in a moment of repentance and alarm, they might not renounce the prosecution of the voy age, and insist on a return. his apprehensions.
Symptoms soon appeared to warrant
On the third day, the Pinta made signal of
distress; her rudder was discovered to be broken and unhung. This Columbus surmised to be done through the contrivance of the owners of the caravel, Gomez Eascon and Christoval Quintero, to disable their vessel, and cause her to be left behind.
As
has already been observed, they had been pressed into the service greatly against their will, and their caravel seized upon for the expedition, in conformity to the royal orders. Columbus was much disturbed at this occurrence.
It gave
him a foretaste of further difficulties to be apprehended from crews partly enlisted on compulsion, and all full of doubt and fore boding.
Trivial obstacles might, in the present critical state of
his voyage, spread panic and mutiny through his ships, and entirely defeat the expedition. The wind was blowing strongly at the time, so that he could not render assistance without endangering his own vessel.
For
tunately, Martin Alonzo Pinzon commanded the Pinta, and being an adroit and able seaman, succeeded in securing the rud der with cords, so as to bring the vessel into management.
This,
however, was but a temporary and inadequate expedient; the fastenings gave way again on the following day, and the other ships were obliged to shorten sail until the rudder could be secured. This damaged state of the Pinta, as well as her being in a
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