The sea was a boundless, desolate blue; the clouded sky was a vast and barren expanse. Dozens of small boats chased three great ships, Taino Militia shouting and howling in fanatic fervor. The oarsmen cut through a blood-red sea beneath the setting sun, and the Samurai shot out whistling streaks of fire!
Firelight flared between sea and sky, flickering like ghost-lamps showing the way, foretelling an ill-omened death. The three great ships had already raised every sail, desperately casting off heavy supplies and cargo as they fled like arrows into the depths of the Eastern Sea. The panicked Castile Sailors wailed and prayed, while the terrified captains of the expedition cursed and stamped. And those cables suddenly severed, those ruined sails drooping in flames, were like judgment falling from the very crown of heaven!
"Diamine! Throw the burned-out sternsail into the sea! Throw all the goods into the sea! Throw the supplies into the sea too!... Merda! Throw it all! Quick! Faster still!... It's almost dark! It's about to be dark!...
"Damn it! Damn it! Those damned Pinzon brothers, relying on their fast ships, actually abandoned the flagship..."
"Merciful Lord! Please, protect us!..."
The Expedition Commander's face was black with soot as he ran all over the deck, letting out furious, heartsick shouts. The Sailors on the flagship, meanwhile, were frantically fighting the fire, pleading to God with a devotion they had never shown before. All the cargo and supplies were cast away, only so the ship could go a little faster. And this scrambling along the edge of death was like a doomsday sword hanging over everyone's head, drawing ever closer, until darkness surged in from the horizon and covered all that danger...
"Holy Mother! It's finally dark! Those devil natives can't keep chasing... They've stopped, we're safe!"
Night