“But in truth, should I meet with gold or spices in great quantity, I shall remai…” — Christopher Columbus

Each day we understand better what the Indians say, and they us, so that very often we are intelligible to each other.

I believe that there are many herbs and many trees that are worth much in Europe for dyes and for medicines; but I do not know, and this causes me great sorrow. Arriving at this cape, I found the smell of the trees and flowers so delicious that it seemed the pleasantest thing in the world.

For the execution of the voyage to the Indies, I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps.

Tomorrow morning before we depart, I intend to land and see what can be found in the neighborhood.