My Shipmate—Columbus
Page 5
She smiled at him, her own lips trembling.
"Martin," she said.
His arms moved. They went around her, drew the softness of her close.She murmured something, but he did not hear it. His lips found hers asecond time, fiercely. His hands her shoulder, her throat, her ...
"Flat," Columbus mumbled. "Flat. Abs'lutely flat. The Earth is--flat asa pancake...."
"Oh, Martin!" Nina cried.
* * * * *
It was raining in the morning. A hard, driving rain, pelting down on theseaport of Palos. The three caravels floated side by side in the littleharbor and a large, derisive crowd had gathered. The crowd erupted intonoisy laughter when Columbus and his little party appeared on foot.
"I need a drink," Columbus whispered. "I can't go through with it."
"Father," Nina said. "We're with you. I'm here. Martin is here."
"I can't go--"
"You've got to go through with it! For yourself and for the world. Now,stand straight, father. They're looking at you. They're all looking atyou."
Columbus, thought Danny. The intrepid voyager who had discovered a newworld! He smiled grimly. Columbus, the history books should have said,the drunken sot who didn't even have the courage to face his ownconvictions.
They walked ahead through the ridiculing crowd. Danny's throat was stillsore. He was not frightened, though. He possibly was the only man in thecrew who was not frightened. The others didn't care what theirdestination was, true: but they wanted to reach it alive. Danny knew thejourney would end in success. The end of the journey meant nothing tohim. It was written in history. It was ...
Unless, he suddenly found himself thinking, I came back here to writeit. He grinned at his own bravado. What would they have said in freshmanpsych--that was practically paranoid thinking. As if Danny Jones,Whitney College, Virginia, U.S.A., could have anything to do with thesuccess or failure of Columbus' journey.
They reached the small skiff that would take them out to the tiny fleetof caravels. The crowd hooted and jeered.
"... going to drop off the edge of the world, Columbus."
"If the monsters don't get you first."
"Or the storms and whirlpools."
Columbus gripped Nina's hand. Martin-Danny took his other arm firmly andsteered him toward the prow of the skiff. "Easy now, skipper," Dannysaid.
"I can't--"
"There's wine on the Santa Maria," Danny whispered. "Much wine--to makeyou forget. Come on!"
"And I'm going, father," Nina said. "Whether you go or not."
"You!" Columbus gasped. "A girl. You, going--"
"With Martin Pinzon. If--if my own father can't look after me, thenMartin can."
"But you--" Danny began.
"Be quiet, please," she whispered as Columbus climbed stiffly into theskiff. "It may be the only way, Martin. He--he loves me. I guess I'm theonly thing he cares about. If he knows I'm going."
"To the Santa Maria!" Columbus told the rowers as Danny and Nina gotinto the skiff.
"To the New World!" cried Danny melodramatically.
"What did you say?" Nina asked him.
His face colored. "I mean, to the Indies! To the Indies!"
The skiff bobbed out across the harbor toward the three waitingcaravels. Departure time had arrived.
Two hours later, they were underway.
* * * * *
The sea was calm as glass, green as emerald. The three caravels, after ajourney of several days, had reached the Canary Islands where additionalprovisions and fresh water were to be had.
"This," said Columbus, waving his arms to take in the chain of islands."This is as far as a mere man has a right to go. There is nothingfurther, can't you see? Can't you?"
He was sober. Danny had come over in a skiff from the Nina to see thathe remained sober at least for the loading and the departure. It wasas if he, Danny, was going to preserve Columbus' name forhistory--single-handed if necessary.
"We will not go on," Columbus said. "We're going back. The only way tothe Indies is around the Cape of Storms, around Africa. I tell you--"
"That's enough, father," Nina said. "We ..."
"I'm in command here," Columbus told them. It surprised Danny. Usually,the drunken sailor was not so self-assertive. Then it occurred to Dannythat it wasn't merely self-assertiveness: it was fear.
Danny called over the mate, a one-legged man named Juan, who walked witha jaunty stride despite his peg leg. "You take orders from Columbus?"Danny said. "Would you take orders from me?"
Juan shook his head, smiling. "You command aboard the Nina only, MartinPinzon. I heard what the Captain said. If he wants to go back and giveup this fool scheme, it's all right with me. And you know the rest ofthe crew will say the same."
Nina looked at Danny hopelessly. She said, "Then, then it's no use?"
Danny whispered fiercely, "Your father loves you very much?"
"Yes, but--"
"And doesn't want to see anything happen to you?"
"But--"
"And believes the world is flat and if you sail far enough west you'llfall off?"
"But I--"
"Then you're coming with me aboard the Nina!"
Columbus gasped, "What did you say?"
"She's coming with me, on the Nina. If you don't want to find thewestern route to the Indies, we will. Right, Nina?" he said, taking herhand and moving to where the rope-ladder dangled over the side of theSanta Maria to the skiff below.
"Don't take her from this deck," Columbus ordered.
Danny ignored him. "Don Juan!" cried Columbus, and the peg-leg cametoward Danny.
"I'm sorry, Don Martin," he said, "but--"
Still holding Nina's hand, Martin stiff-armed him out of the way and ranfor the side. Someone jerked the rope-ladder out of reach and someoneelse leaped on Martin. For, he was Martin now, Martin Pinzon. His ownidentity seemed submerged far below the surface, as if somehow he couldlook on all this without risking anything. He knew that he was merely adefense mechanism, to ward off fear: for, it wasn't true. If MartinPinzon were hurt, _he_ would be hurt.
He hurled the man from his back. Nina screamed as a cutlass flashed inthe sun. Martin-Danny ducked, felt the blade whizz by overhead.
"Jump!" Martin-Danny cried.
"But I can't swim!"
"I can. I'll save you." It was Danny again, completely Danny. He felthimself arise to the surface, submerging Martin Pinzon. Because theSpaniard probably couldn't swim at all, and if Danny made promises, itwas Danny who must fulfill them.
He squeezed Nina's hand. He went up on the side--and over. The waterseemed a very long way down. They hit it finally with a great splash.
Down they went and down, into the warm murky green depths. Down--andfinally up. Danny's head broke surface. He was only yards from theskiff. He had never let go of Nina's hand, but now he did, getting alifeguard's hold on her. He struck out for the skiff.
* * * * *
Fifteen minutes later, they were aboard the Nina. "I command here,"Danny told the crew. "Is that correct?"
"Aye, sir," said Don Hernan, the mate.
"Even if Columbus tells you different?"
"Columbus?" spat Don Hernan. "That drunkard is in command of the SantaMaria, not the Nina. We follow Martin Pinzon here."
"Even if I give one set of orders and Columbus another?"
"Even then, my commander. Yes."
"Then we're sailing west," Danny cried. "Up anchor! Hurry."
"But I--" Nina began.
"Don't you see? He thinks I'm abducting you. Or he thinks I'm sailingwest with you to certain death. He will follow with the Santa Maria andthe Pinta, trying to rescue you. And we'll reach the Indies. Columbuswill sail across the Western Sea to save his daughter, but what's thedifference _why_ he'll sail. The important thing is, Queen Isabella gavehim the charter and the caravels and with them he's making history. Yousee?"
"I ... I think so," Ni
na said doubtfully.
A heady wind sprang up. The square-rigged sails billowed. The Nina beganto surge forward--into the unknown West.
Tackle creaked aboard the nearby Santa Maria and Pinta. The two othercaravels came in pursuit. But they won't catch us, Martin knew. Theywon't catch us until we reach--Hispaniola. And then, pursuit will be nomore. Then, it will no longer matter and we'll all be heroes....
*