The upshot was that the
commander set sail one morning early and steered straight for the cloud.
"The nearer we came the higher and thicker looked the darkness that
spread over the sea, and we heard about noon a great roaring of the
waves. Still Gonsales held his course, and when the wind failed he
ordered out the boats to tow the ship into the cloud, and I was one of
those who rowed. As we got closer it was not quite so dark, but the
roaring was louder, although the sea was smooth. Then through the
darkness we beheld tall black objects which we guessed to be giants
walking in the water, but as we came nearer we saw that they were great
rocks, and before us loomed a high mountain covered with thick woods.
"We found no place to land but a cave under a rock that overhung the
sea, and that was trodden all over the bottom by the sea-wolves, so that
Gonsales named it the Camera dos Lobos. The island, because of its
forests, he called Madeira. When we came back, having taken possession
of the island for the King, he sent a colony to settle upon it, and the
first boy and girl born there were named Adam and Eva. The people set
fire to the trees, which were in their way, and could not put out the
fire, so that it burned for seven years and all the trees were
destroyed.
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