SEARCH FOR AMAZONIANS.

On the 16th of January, Columbus left the Gulf of Samana on his homeward
course, from which, however, he deviated at first in the hope of finding
the island, peopled with Amazons, described by Marco Polo, of which he had
understood the natives of St. Domingo to give him intelligence. Such a
discovery would be, he considered, a conclusive proof of the identity of
his new country with Marco Polo's Indies, and when four natives offered to
act as his guides, he thought it worth while to steer (in the direction of
Martinique) in quest of the fabulous Amazonians. But the breeze blew
towards Spain; home-sickness took possession of the crews; murmurs arose
at the prolongation of the voyage among the currents and reefs of those
strange seas; and, in deference to the universal wish of his companions,
Columbus soon abandoned all idea of further discovery, and resumed his
course for Europe.


STORM ENCOUNTERED.

At first the voyage was tranquil enough, though the adverse trade-winds,
and the bad sailing of the Pinta,[13] retarded the progress of both
vessels.

[Footnote 13: This was occasioned by the defective condition of her
mast, whereupon the admiral remarks in his diary, that "if Pinzon had
exerted himself as much to provide himself with a new mast in the
Indies, where there are so many fine trees, as he had in running away
from him in the hope of loading his vessel with gold, they would not
have laboured under that inconvenience."]