Columbus sends six armed men inland to find huts, roads and mastic

The northeast blew hard and made the anchors drag half a cable’s length, at which the Admiral marveled, and he put it down to the anchors being set too close to the land and the wind coming down upon it. And seeing that it was contrary for going where he intended, he sent six men well furnished with arms ashore, to go 2 or 3 leagues inland to see if they could have speech with anyone. They went and came back without having found people or houses: they did find some huts and very wide roads and places where many had made fires; they saw the best lands in the world, and found many mastic trees, and brought some of it back, and said there was much, except that now is not the time to gather it, because it does not set.