The first vessels they saw were flat-bottomed, he said, with sails made of papyrus-reeds and wicker, occasionally of leather. Farther on they found ships with pointed keels and canvas sails, in every respect like our own. The seamen were skilled in managing wind and water; but they were most grateful to him, Raphael said, for showing them the use of the compass, of which they had been ignorant. For that reason they had formerly sailed with great timidity, and only in summer. Now they have such trust in the compass that they no longer fear winter at all, and tend to be rash rather than cautious. There is some danger that through their imprudence this discovery, which they thought would be so advantageous to them, may become the cause of much mischief.