And the King gave our commander the right to carry as
supporters on his coat-of-arms two sea-wolves."
Beatriz drew a long breath. "Weren't you very scared, Tio Sancho?"
"Sailors must not be scared, little one. Or if they are, they must
never let their arms and legs be scared. We knew that we had to obey
orders or be dead, so we obeyed. I have been glad many a time since that
I sailed with Gonsales and old Morales to the discovery of Madeira."
"What are sea-wolves?" asked Fernao.
"Like no beast that ever you saw, my son. They have the fore part of the
body like a dog or bear, the hind part ending in a tail like a fish, but
with hair, not scales, on the body; the head has a thick mane, and the
jaws are large and strong. They are no more seen on that island, for
they went there only because it was never visited by men."
"Did they try to drive the people away?"
"No; they do not fight men unless men attack them. But the settlers were
once driven off Puerto Santo by animals, and not very fierce animals at
that." The old pilot grinned. "They were driven away by rabbits.
Somebody brought rabbits there and let them loose, and in a few years
there were so many that everything that was planted was eaten green. The
people who live on that island now have made a strict rule about
rabbits.
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