412
LIFE
A N D
VOYAGES
OF
[BOOK V I I .
milk, and perfectly turbid, as though flour had been mingled with it.
This is caused by fine sand, or calcareous particles, raised
from the bottom at certain depths by the agitation of the waves and currents.
It spread great alarm through the ships, which
was heightened by their soon finding themselves surrounded by banks and keys, and in shallow water.
The further they pro
ceeded, the more perilous became their situation.
They were in
a narrow channel, where they had no room to turn, and to beat out; where there was no hold for their anchors, and where they were violently tossed about by the w i n d s , and in danger of being stranded.
A t length they came to a small island, where they
found tolerable anchorage.
Here they remained for the night
in great anxiety; many were for abandoning all further prosecu tion of the enterprise, thinking that they might esteem themselves fortunate should they be able to return from whence they came. Columbus, however, could not consent to relinquish his voyage, now that he thought himself in the route for a brilliant discovery. The next morning he dispatched the smallest caravel to explore this new labyrinth of islands, and to penetrate to the mainland in quest of fresh water, of which the ships were in great need. The caravel returned with a report that the canals and keys of this group were as numerous and intricate as those of the Gar dens of the Queen; that the mainland was bordered by deep marshes and a muddy coast, where the mangrove trees grew within the water, and so close together, that they formed, as it were, an impenetrable wall: that within, the land appeared fertile and mountainous; and columns of smoke, rising from various parts, gave signs of numerous inhabitants.*
Under the
guidance of this caravel, Columbus now ventured to penetrate * Cura de los Palacios, cap. 128.