On Thursday the 5th of July, the admiral left the island of St Jago, sailing S.W. with the intention of holding that course till he was under the equinoctial, and then to steer due west, that he might discover some other land before proceeding to Hispaniola. But the currents among these islands set so strongly to the north and north-west, that he was unable to keep his intended course, and was still in sight of Fogo, one of the Cape Verde islands, on the 7th of July. This island is very high land on the south side, and looks at a distance like a great church with a steeple at the east end, which is an exceedingly high rock, whence there usually breaks out much fire before the east winds blow, in the same manner as is seen at Teneriffe, Vesuvius, and Etna. From this last country of the Christians he held on his course S.W. till he came into only 5° of north latitude, where he was becalmed, having till then been continually attended by the before-mentioned fog. The calms lasted eight days, with such violent heat as almost to burn the ships, and it was impossible during all that time for any of the people to remain below deck, and had not the sun been clouded with occasional rains, the admiral thought they would have been burnt up alive together with their ships. On the first day of the calm, being fair, nothing could withstand the heat, had not GOD relieved them with the rain and fog. Having therefore got a little way to the northwards into seven degrees of latitude, he resolved not to hold any farther to the south, but to sail due west in that parallel, at least till he saw how the weather settled, because he had lost many casks in consequence of the hoops starting with the great heat, and the corn and all other provisions were scorched up.

About the middle of July, the admiral observed the latitude with great care, and found a wonderful difference between the appearances there and in the parallel of the Azores. For at the Azores, when the constellation of the great bear was to the right or east, then the north star is lowest, and from that time began to rise; so that when the great bear was over head, the north star had risen two degrees and a half, and being passed, that began again to descend the five degrees it had ascended. This he observed very carefully, several times when the weather was very fit for his purpose. But at the place where he now was in the torrid zone these appearances were quite contrary; for when the great bear was at its greatest elevation, he found the north star six degrees high; and when in six hours the bear came to the west the north star was then eleven degrees high; when the bear was quite depresssed and could not be seen because of the obliquity of the pole, the north star was six degrees high, so that the difference was ten degrees, and the north star described a circle having a diameter of ten degrees; whereas, in other places, it made but five, and in a different position as to the great bear, for at the Azores the polar star was lowest when the bear was in the west, and here the north star was lowest when the bear was at its greatest elevation. The admiral, not being complete master of this subject, thought this of very difficult comprehension; and observes that probably when at the equinoctial, the full orbit of the star is seen; whereas, the nearer one approaches the pole it seems the less, because the Heavens are more oblique. As for the variation, I believe the star has the quality of all the four quarters, like the needle, which if touched to the east side points to the east, and so of the west, north, and south; wherefore, he that makes a compass covers the loadstone with a cloth, all but its north part, or that which has the power to make the needle point to the north.

On Tuesday the 31st of July, 1498, having sailed many days west, insomuch that the admiral believed the Caribbee islands were to the north, he resolved to discontinue that western course, and to make for Hispaniola, because he was greatly in want of water, and almost all his provisions had perished, and because he was afraid lest some mutiny or disorder might have broken out in the colony during his long absence, which in fact had been the case as we shall shew hereafter. Therefore, altering his course from the west, he stood to the north65, thinking to fall in with the Caribbee islands to refresh his men, and to take in wood and water, of which he was in great want. While thus sailing one day about noon, Alonzo Perez Nirando, a sailor of the town of Gullva, discovered land from the round top at about fifteen leagues distance, three mountains making their appearance at once, and soon afterwards the land was observed to stretch out towards the N.E. as far as the eye could reach, so that it appeared to have no end. The salve regina and other prayers usual with seamen in times of joy or distress were immediately rehearsed, and the admiral called the land now discovered Trinidada or the island of the Trinity; both because he had before intended to give that name to the first land he might discover, and because it had pleased God to give him a sight of three mountains all at one time. He now altered his course to the west that he might get to a cape which appeared southwards, and making for the south side of the island, came to an anchor five leagues beyond a point which he named Punta de la Galera, or Galley Point, on account of a rock which lay near that point, looking at a distance like a galley under sail.

Having now only one cask of water remaining for the whole crew, and the other ships in company being in the same condition, and no water being found in this place, he continued his course still westwards, and cast anchor on the Wednesday following at another point which he named Punta de la Plaga, or Sand Point, because of a fine strand or beach where the people landed and procured water at a fine brook66. In this place they found no habitations and saw no people, though along the coast, which they had left behind them, they had seen many houses and towns. They found here, however, the tokens of fishermen who had fled, leaving behind them some of their fishing tackle; and they noticed the prints of the feet of beasts, which they judged might have been goats, and they saw the bones of one, the head of which had no horns, and which, therefore, they thought might have been a monkey, or cat-o-mountain, as they afterwards found it to have been, having found many of these cats in Paria67. This same day, being the 1st of August, while sailing between Cape Galera and la Plaga, they discovered the continent about twenty-five leagues distant, but thinking it another island, it was named Isla Santo, or the Holy Island68. The coast of Trinidada between those two points was thirty leagues in length from E. to W. without any harbour, but all the country appeared pleasantly covered with trees down to the water side, and had abundance of towns. They ran this space of thirty leagues in a very short time, because the current set so violently to the westwards that it looked like a rapid river both day and night; for although the tide flowed and ebbed along the shore above forty paces, as it does at San Lucar de Barameda in Spain, yet the current never ceases to run in the same direction.

Perceiving that no account could be got of the people of the country at this cape, that it was excessively laborious to take in a full supply of water here, and that there was no convenience for careening the ships, or procuring provisions, the admiral went next day to another point of land which seemed to be the most westerly in the island, which he named Cabo del Arenal, and came here to anchor, thinking that the easterly winds which reign there might not be so troublesome to the boats in going backwards and forwards from the shore. On the way to this point a canoe followed the admirals ship, having twenty-five men on board, and stopped at the distance of a cannon-shot, calling out and speaking very loud. Nothing could be understood, though it was supposed they inquired who our men were and whence they came, as had been usual with the other Indians. As they could not be induced to come on board, either by words or gestures, or by exhibiting looking glasses, little brass basons, and other baubles which used to have great influence on the other natives of the Indies, the admiral ordered some young fellows to dance on the poop to the music of a pipe and tabor. On seeing this, the Indians snatched up their targets, and began shooting their arrows at the dancers; who, by the admirals command, left off dancing and began to shoot with their cross-bows in return, that the Indians might not go unpunished, or learn to despise the Christians; whereupon, the Indians were glad to draw off, and made for another caravel which they immediately went along-side of without any apprehension. The pilot of that ship went over into the canoe, and gave the Indians some baubles with which they were much pleased, and said if they were on shore they would have brought him bread from their houses. The account given of these people was that they were well shaped and whiter than the other islanders, wearing their hair long like women, bound up with small strings, and that they covered their nudities with small clouts. But the people in the caravel did not detain any of them for fear of giving displeasure to the admiral.