John Cabot, however, was a discoverer in the mould of Columbus, ambitious to find a new, Atlantic route to Asia. After his first expeditions success he set off in 1498 with a full fleet of five vessels. Had they returned Cabot's name would surely rank above Columbus's in the history books? But it was not to be. A dark pal of mystery has hung over what exactly happened to Cabot and his ships, a mystery which Ian Wilson tries to unravel in the context of the trading rivalry-and espionage-between the great maritime nations of England, Spain, and Portugal. And he speculates on a subject dear to Bristolian hearts-did America get its name from the Bristol customs official Richard Ameryk, who was Cabot's paymaster, rather than the less likely Florentine, Amerigo Vespucci.