Columbus in the First Person
Part Three: The Voyage
On August 3, 1492, my fleet sat sail from the Spanish port of Palos. I, along with approximately forty men, sailed on the Santa Maria, which was the largest of the three ships and about twenty-five men sailed on each of the smaller vessels, the Nina and the Pinta. I knew of a wind system that went in a circle and made the current flow west and then around to the east again. Following this current would help my ships to travel on our course more easily.
We sailed on for many days and my crew became very frightened. They believed that sea monsters populated the waters of the Atlantic and would devour any vessel that passed. As the weeks wore on, the crew became increasingly agitated threatening to mutiny and refusing to go on. Even I became apprehensive about what perils might lay before us, but I did not let this show to my crew. I refused to turn back and promised my sailors every day that there would be wealth and honor the next morning.
I kept a journal of my travels, recording how many miles we had sailed each day. After a while, I was obliged to keep two records: one that I kept purely for myself, and one that I showed to my crew. I was afraid that if I showed the actual statistics to my sailors, they would be appalled at how far away they were from Spain and demand that we turn back. To reassure my crew, I showed them a journal that listed our distance from Spain as much less than it actually was.
I was also occasionally doubtful that we would find Asia. After all, there had been many explorers before me who had gone on bold expeditions like the journey I was going on, and had never found their destination. If I failed to find Asia, it would be so degrading. I would be forced to return to Spain in disgrace and look extremely foolish. What if there really were sea monsters in the waters west of Asia? They would attack our fleet and the beasts would consume us all, or, even worse, our ships would sink and we would drown in a watery grave. All efforts we made to survive would be rendered futile!
Oh, stop it, Christopher Columbus, I thought to myself. My imagination was running away with me again. I convinced myself that my plan was sure to succeed. Of course there was a westward route to Asia! My plan was brilliant! I would reach Asia and return to Spain as a hero. I would be considered one of the greatest navigators in the world.
Two months after I had embarked on my voyage, on October 11, 1492, the lookout saw thorn bushes floating in the water. That was a sign that land was nearby! Shortly, we sighted an island. All of our despair and apprehension turned into joy. Holy music was played aboard the ships as we rejoiced at finally reaching Asia. I was so relieved that I had succeeded. I would become the most famous explorer of all time and my name would be written in history books everywhere!
When we docked at the island, I immediately got off the ship and planted the Spanish flag in the land. I named the island San Salvador and claimed it for Spain. One thing about this land puzzled me. I had expected to find the Chinese emperor, or wealthy Asian merchants garbed in fine silken robes. I thought that there would be huge, shining cities or beautiful palaces. But, to my surprise, there were none of these things in the land that I had discovered. The natives that greeted my crew and me wore little clothing and seemed rather primitive, not like the sophisticated, rich Asian merchants I had expected to encounter.
This did little to dampen my spirits, because, after all, I had found Asia. I was the first European to reach Asia by sailing westward, and I had truly accomplished a feat of monumental proportions. I needed to bring back proof that I had, indeed, reached Asia, and that there was much wealth there. I also wanted to impress that king and queen, so I decided that I had to return with a pelf of treasures. My sailors and I swapped simple things of ours, such as bells and beads, for gold and spices from the natives. They would give us anything that we wanted. I was surprised at how amazed the natives were at us. We must have looked as strange to them as they seemed to us. They stared, dumbfounded, at our ships, and gazed astounded at our horses. I found it very peculiar that they were baffled about things that were so common to people in Europe. Hadn't they ever seen ships or horses before?
The natives treated us like we were supernatural and willingly gave us food and drink. They acquiescently supplied us with whatever treasures we wanted. My crew sailed along the shores of several Asian islands, and at one island, the Santa Maria collided with a reef and sank. Luckily, no dire damage was done, and I left the men who were sailing on the Santa Maria on that island to set up a colony there.
I returned to Spain with my two remaining ships and was welcomed like a great hero. I hope to return to Asia, find out more information about it, and start many new colonies there. I also wish that Spain would build up a great trading empire with Asia by using the westward route that I discovered, and become a mighty and rich nation. I am very proud of my immense accomplishment, and I hope to go down in history forever as Christopher Columbus: the one who discovered a westward route to Asia.
