In spite of these appeals, the danger increased every minute, and we may
well imagine the agony of the little crew. The intrepid Columbus, who
had accomplished a marvelous thing, a feat which would stagger all
Europe, seemed destined to go down in mid-ocean with his great
discovery! Here was the _Pinta_ sunk and the _Nina_ likely to
follow her any minute! Europe would never know that land lay west of her
across the Atlantic! And all those timid, doubting men in Spain, who had
opposed the expedition from the very first, would shake their heads and
say, "Poor men, the sea monsters on the ocean's rim have gobbled them
up!" It must have taken every bit of heart out of the brave Admiral to
think that Spain would never know how gloriously he had succeeded.

Down into his dark cabin he went, and there, while the little
_Nina_ staggered and pitched on the mountainous waves, he steadied
his swinging lantern with one hand, and with the other hastily wrote on
a parchment what he had done. This he tied in waterproofed cloth, placed
it in a wooden cask, and threw it overboard. Then, for fear it might
never be washed ashore, he hurriedly prepared a second cask and lashed
it to the deck, hoping that the little caravel, even if he and all his
men perished, might toss about till it reached the Azores, which he
judged must be near. And sure enough, next morning land was in sight,
and the sailors shouted for joy though the storm still raged. It was not
until the 18th that the sea had subsided sufficiently for them to
approach the rocky coast. When finally they were able to cast anchor,
they found they were at Santa Maria, one of the Azores group.

The Azores, you will remember, were inhabited by Portuguese. Columbus,
knowing there would surely be a church there dedicated to the Virgin,
sent half the crew ashore to make the penitential procession they had