Ten weeks after setting out from Spain and five weeks after stopping at the Canary Islands for supplies and repairs, the crews of the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria were becoming restless and afraid. The captains of the first two ships were eager to head home. But Christopher Columbus wasn’t ready to give up. After promising to turn back if land wasn’t sighted within 48 hours, he retired to his cabin and in his words, “prayed mightily to the Lord.” The very next day the Bahamas came into view. Columbus acknowledged many times that he felt motivated by a divine influence. In a letter to Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, he wrote, “Our Lord unlocked my mind, sent me upon the sea, and gave me fire for the deed. Those who heard of my enterprise called it foolish, mocked me, and laughed. But who can doubt but the Holy Ghost inspired me?”
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