October 12，1492

We have spotted land！I have named it San Salvador.I believe that Japan is only a short distance to the west.［Editor’s note：Columbus landed in the Bahamas south of Florida.He believed that he was on islands off the coast of Japan.］

There are strange looking people here，very different from my men and me.They wear little clothing and are of a different color.Our giant ships with enormous white sails amaze them.These Indians are not what I expected，and there are no cities of gold like Marco Polo[8]described.［Editor’s note：Columbus had actually met members of the Taino[9]tribe，but he believed he was in the Indies.This is why he called them Indians.］

I spotted several of them wearing GOLD！They tell me that islands to the north and south are where the gold will be found，so I ordered my men to set sail for the gold！