Suddenly it seemed as if his prayers had been answered: “I saw several things that were indications of land.” For one thing, “A large flock of sea birds flew overhead.” And for another, a slender reed floated past his flagship, Santa María, and it was green, indicating it had grown nearby. Pinta’s crew noticed the same thing, as well as a “manmade” plank, carved by an unknown hand, perhaps with an “iron tool.” Those aboard Niña spotted a stick, equally indicative that they were approaching land. He encouraged the crew to give thanks rather than mutiny at this critical moment, doubled the number of lookouts, and promised a generous reward to the first sailor to spot terra firma.突然，他的祈祷似乎得到了回应：“我看到了几件土地的迹象。”首先，“一大群海鸟从头顶飞过。”另一方面，一根细长的芦苇飘过他的旗舰圣玛丽亚，呈绿色，表明它生长在附近。品塔的船员们注意到了同样的东西，还有一块“人造”木板，可能是用“铁工具”用一只无名的手雕刻的尼娜号上的人发现了一根棍子，同样表明他们正在接近陆地。在这个关键时刻，他鼓励船员们表示感谢，而不是哗变，增加了一倍的了望员，并承诺对第一个发现陆地的水手给予慷慨的奖励。