The sea and sky were a magnificent blue, with no seaweed in sight and hardly any clouds. Schools of angelfish wandered through the water, showing off their graceful drifting movements and vivid beauty. Dozens of shearwaters roamed between sea and sky, these amphibious "flying ducks" migratory seabirds that could fly tens of thousands of kilometers in a year. They would follow whales in the sea and snatch up fish startled by them... and at this moment, they circled the three anchored Castilian ships, clearly taking these "giant beasts" on the water for whales.
"The Lord is witness! Columbus, since you've said so much, and the three captains have nodded too... then everyone will sail west for another five days!... If, after five days, we still haven't seen land, then the fleet must turn back at once!..."
".Fine! The Lord is witness! We've already sailed four or five thousand kilometers, and reached the waters of Cipangu, Japan! Believe me, within another five days west, we will surely see land or a great island!..."
"Ha! Columbus, no matter how sweet you make it sound, we'll only sail another five days! After five days, if you won't turn back... heh!..."
"Uh! I, Expedition Commander Columbus, have already sworn to the Lord and the Holy Mother! If we do not see land in five days, we return!..."
On the deck of the flagship Santa Maria, a long and dangerous crew meeting finally reached a result after a full half day of discussion.
Of the captains of the three ships, De La Cosa stayed neutral and silent, seasoned enough not to stick his neck out. The Pinzon brothers were neutral on the surface, but their words leaned toward Columbus. After all, their whole family of brothers had thrown themselves into this precisely to gamble on