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The San Sebastian likewise was in trouble. No break for seven days. It was those enchanters of Cariari magic asleep for a while but now awake! Storm. And two ships nigh to foundering. When wind sank and blue came back, we left Puerto Bello and turned again south by east, but now with crazy, crazy ships, weather-wrenched and worm-eaten, teredo pierced.

There was nothing of which the Norsemen were more afraid than of the teredo, or shipworm, which gnaws the wood of ships. It was observed in Greenland and Iceland that pieces of wood often floated on shore which were filled with holes made by this animal, and they thought that in certain places the seas were full of this worm, so that a ship would be bored and sunk in a little while.

They here remained until the 23rd, endeavouring to repair their vessels, which were fearfully pierced by the teredo. Misled by the seamen, always eager to get on shore, who went to sound it, he entered a small harbour, which he called The Cabinet. It was infested with alligators, which filled the air with a musky odour.

At 11 hours 30 minutes A.M. we found a portion of the timber of a ship on the water, containing animals similar to those on the pine-tree yesterday: this was perforated through and through by different species of teredo.

Chinese fishermen catch shrimps in nets, dry them on the hillsides, and send both dry meat and shells to China. They dry the meat of the abalone also, and use the beautiful shells, which you have no doubt seen, for carving into curios, or making into jewellery. A salt-water creature very destructive to shipping and the wharves is the teredo, or ship-worm.

These, with the adjacent country of the main-land, were cultivated with fields of Indian corn, and various fruits and vegetables, whence Columbus called the harbor Puerto de Bastimentos, or Port of Provisions. Here they remained until the 23d, endeavoring to repair their vessels, which leaked excessively. They were pierced in all parts by the teredo or worm which abounds in the tropical seas.

The squadron encounters fearful storms Returns to Veragua The Adelantado visits the cacique Quibian Vessels nearly lost by a bore in the river The Adelantado sets off for the gold-mines During a second excursion collects much gold Columbus resolves to form a colony The vessels prevented from crossing the bar Eighty men engaged in building a fort Diego Mendez goes on a scouting expedition, and discovers the treacherous designs of Quibian Visits the village of the cacique The Adelantado undertakes to capture Quibian He succeeds The cacique escapes on his way down the river Is supposed to be lost Columbus prepares to sail Indians attack the settlement Driven off Tristan goes up the river for water He and his party destroyed by the Indians Settlement again attacked The Spaniards entrench themselves No communication possible with the ships Fearful tragedy on board Gallant conduct of Ledesma The settlement abandoned The ships, pierced by the teredo, unseaworthy One abandoned at Puerto Bello Stands across to Cuba A tempest Narrow escape In vain endeavouring to get westward, steers for Jamaica The caravels run on shore and prepared for defence Diego Mendez obtains provisions Crosses in a canoe to Hispaniola Mutiny of Porras and others They put to sea in canoes Driven back by a storm Misconduct on shore Instigate the Indians to withhold provisions Columbus predicts an eclipse of the moon A second mutiny Arrival of Escobar Refuses to take Columbus away Adventures of Mendez Porras persists in his rebellion Porras captured by the Adelantado Vessels arrive Columbus reaches San Domingo Reaction in his favour Returns with his brother to Spain His last illness and death.

Many of the trees are valuable as timber, especially the Billian, or Borneo iron-wood tree, which is impervious to the attacks of white-ants ashore and almost equally so to those of the teredo navalis afloat, and is wonderfully enduring of exposure to the tropical sun and the tropical downpours of rain.

But is it, or is it not, Christian men shall win! And send me Bartholomew Fiesco. Such talk is injury. It bores men's courage worse than the teredo a ship's bottom!"

Although in the sea there are thousands of creatures, which, by their manner of life, are prohibited from ever passing the boundary line between land and water, yet many sea-worms, as for example the teredo, or ship-worm, are especially fashioned for living in and perhaps feeding on wood, in the shape of stray floating trees and branches, the bottoms of ships, and piles of wharves.