The Life of Columbus: From His Own Letters and Journals and Other Documents of His TimeHale, Edward Everett
History
The Life of Columbus: From His Own Letters and Journals and Other Documents of His Time
Hale, Edward Everett
Columbus, Christopher, 1451-1506
They left San Martin on the same day, and passed the island of Santa
Cruz, and the next day (November 15) they saw a great number of islands,
which the Admiral named Santa Ursula and the Eleven Thousand Virgins.
This seemed “a country fit for metals,” but the fleet made no stay
there. They did stop for two days at an island called Burenquen. The
Admiral named it San Juan Bautista (Saint John Baptist). It is what
we now call Porto Rico. He was not able to communicate with any of the
inhabitants, as they lived in such fear of the Caribs that they all
fled. All these islands were new to the Admiral and all “very beautiful
and of very good land, but this one seemed better than all of them.”
On Friday, the twenty-second of November, they landed at the island of
Hispaniola or Hayti which they so much desired. None of the party who
had made the first voyage were acquainted with this part of the island;
but they conjectured what it was, from what the Indian captive women
told them.
The part of the island where they arrived was called Hayti, another part
Xamana, and the third Bohio. “It is a very singular country,” says Dr.
Chanca, “where there are numberless great rivers and great mountain
ridges and great level valleys. I think the grass never dries in the
whole year. I do not think that there is any winter in this (island) nor
in the others, for at Christmas are found many birds’ nests, some with
birds, and some with eggs.” The only four-footed animals found in these
islands were what Dr. Chanca calls dogs of various colors, and one
animal like a young rabbit, which climbed trees. Many persons ate these
last and said they were very good. There were many small snakes, and few
lizards, because the Indians were so fond of eating them. “They made as
much of a feast of them as we would do of pheasants.”
“There are in this island and the others numberless birds, of those
of our country, and many others which never were seen there. Of our
domestic birds, none have ever been seen here, except that in Zuruquia
there were some ducks in the houses, most of them white as snow, and
others black.”
They coasted along this island for several days, to the place where the
Admiral had left his settlement. While passing the region of Xamana,
they set ashore one of the Indians whom they had carried off on the
first voyage. They “gave him some little things which the Admiral had
commanded him to give away.” Another account adds that of the ten Indian
men who had been carried off on the first voyage, seven had already
died on account of the change of air and food. Two of the three whom the
Admiral was bringing back, swam ashore at night. “The Admiral cared for
this but little, thinking that he should have enough interpreters among
those whom he had left in the island, and whom he hoped to find there
again.” It seems certain that one Indian remained faithful to the
Spaniards; he was named Diego Colon, after the Admiral’s brother.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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