The unceasing and almost superhuman wear of mind and body at last seriously affected his health. Utterly exhausted and unable to sleep, he fell into a lethargy which deprived him of sense and memory. Fearing that he might not recover, they hastened to get back to Isabella as best they could. There he found a remedy for his troubles more potent then any physicians could provide. His favorite brother, Bartolomeo, who had been sent by the King with more men and supplies, had arrived. Thus he had double cause for joy. These two brothers, who were devotedly attached to each other and had similar tastes, had been separated thirteen long years. Bartolomeo’s arrival could not have been more fortunate. The Admiral’s illness and the wretched condition of affairs at Hispaniola required the services of just such an intelligent, brave, and experienced man and, had he not come just when he did, there is little doubt Columbus and the entire colony would have perished. This unexpected good fortune not only worked Columbus’ recovery but placed him in a position to prevent the destruction of the new colony. During his absence everything had been thrown into confusion. Two-thirds of the colony had fallen victims to the diseases common in that latitude. Margrite, who had been made captain-general, had become a rebel, but as he could not carry out his purposes, had escaped to Spain upon one of the vessels with Buil, his fellow-conspirator. The soldiers under his command were scattered over the island without a leader and had committed all kinds of outrages. Because of this the natives had become embittered toward the Spaniards and had murdered many of them. Such were the conditions which threatened the destruction of the young colony. The worst of all was the fact that the natives, hitherto so peaceful and friendly, at last began to realize the danger which menaced them. Made wiser by their experiences, they looked into the future and saw, with a shudder, that a longer stay of these strangers, whom they at first had reverenced, meant famine and slavery for them. With the idle life to which they were accustomed, and in that hot climate, very little food was required for daily subsistence. A handful of maize and a little roasted cassava[18] were all they needed. Now, they noticed with surprise, that one Spaniard ate more at one meal than four of them would eat in a whole day, from which they concluded that it would not be long before everything on the island would be consumed and they would be left victims of hunger.