They were reluctant to part with the gold, but as usual pointed down the coast and said that there was much more gold there; they even gave a name to the place where the gold could be found--Veragua; and for once this country was found to have a real existence.

The fleet anchored there on October 17th, being greeted by defiant blasts of conch shells and splashing of water from the indignant natives.

Business was done, however: seventeen gold discs in exchange for three hawks' bells.
Still Columbus went on in pursuit of his geographical chimera; even gold had no power to detain him from the earnest search for this imaginary strait.

Here and there along the coast he saw increasing signs of civilisation--once a wall built of mud and stone, which made him think of Cathay again.

He now got it into his head that the region he was in was ten days' journey from the Ganges, and that it was surrounded by water; which if it means anything means that he thought he was on a large island ten days' sail to the eastward of the coast of India.