It was night.

No light was to be seen on the shore; through the darkness nothing could be made out that looked like the walls of the fort.

Columbus fired a cannon; then he fired another.
The echoes were the only answer.

They must be sound sleepers in our fortress there, said the Admiral.

At last, over the water he heard the sound of oars--or was it the dip of a paddle?
A voice called for the Admiral; but it was not a Spanish voice.