voyage. With the assistance which Columbus now got he was able to
fit out three small vessels. He went in the largest of the
vessels--the only one which had an entire deck--as admiral[12] or
commander of the fleet.

[Footnote 12: Admiral (ad'mi-ral).]


8. Columbus sails.--Early on Friday morning, August 3d, 1492,
Columbus started from Palos to attempt to cross that ocean which men
then called the "Sea of Darkness,"--a name which showed how little
they knew of it, and how much they dreaded it.

We may be pretty sure that the guardian of the convent was one of
those who watched the sailing of the little fleet. From the upper
windows of the convent he could plainly see the vessels as they left
the harbor of Palos.

[Illustration: COLUMBUS LEAVING PALOS, AUGUST 3D, 1492.]


9. What happened on the first part of the voyage.--Columbus sailed
first for the Canary Islands, because from there it would be a
straight line, as he thought, across to Japan and Asia. He was obliged
to stop at the Canaries[13] more than three weeks, in order to make
a new rudder for one of his vessels and to alter the sails of another.

At length all was ready, and he again set out on his voyage toward
the west. When the sailors got so far out on the ocean that they could
no longer see any of the islands, they were overcome with fear. They