40
VOYAGES
A N D D I S C O V E R I E S OF
Columbus was one of tbe surest recommendations to the favor of the Bishop Fonseca, by whom the license was issued for their expedition. Vicente Yafiez Pinzon was the leader of this new enterprise, and he was accompanied by two nephews, Arias Perez and Diego Fernandez, sons of his late brother, Martin Alonzo Pinzon. Several of his sailors had sailed with Columbus in his recent voy足 age to Paria, as had also his three principal pilots, Juan Quintero, Juan de Umbria, and Juan de Jerez.
Thus these minor voyages
seemed all to emanate from the great expeditions of Columbus, and to aim at realizing the ideas and speculations contained in the papers transmitted by him to Spain. The armament consisted of four caravels, and was fitted out at the port of Palos.
The funds of Vicente Yanez were completely
exhausted before he had fitted out his little squadron ; he was obliged therefore to purchase on credit the sea-stores and articles of traffic necessary for the enterprise.
The merchants of Palos
seem to have known how to profit by the careless nature of sailors and the sanguine spirit of discoverers.
In their bargains they
charged honest Pinzon eighty and a hundred per cent, above the market value of their merchandise, and in the hurry and urgency of the moment he was obliged to submit to the imposition.* The squadron put to sea in the beginning of December, 1499, and after passing the Canary and Cape de Verde Islands, stood to the southwest.
Having sailed about seven hundred leagues,
they crossed the equator and lost sight of the north star.
They
had scarcely passed the equinoctial line when they encountered a terrible tempest, which had well nigh swallowed up their slender * Navarrete, vol. iii. tions for redress.
See Doe. No. 7, where Vicente Yanez Pinzon peti足