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
On the day that the captive Indian was set ashore, a Biscayan sailor
died, who had been wounded by the Caribs in the fight between the boat’s
crew and the canoe. A boat’s crew was sent ashore to bury him, and as
they came to land there came out “many Indians, of whom some wore gold
at the neck and at the ears. They sought to come with the christians to
the ships, and they did not like to bring them, because they had not had
permission from the Admiral.” The Indians then sent two of their number
in a little canoe to one of the caravels, where they were received
kindly, and sent to speak with the Admiral.
“They said, through an interpreter, that a certain king sent them to
know what people we were, and to ask that we might be kind enough to
land, as they had much gold and would give it to him, and of what they
had to eat. The Admiral commanded silken shirts and caps and other
little things to be given them, and told them that as he was going where
Guacanagari was, he could not stop, that another time he would be able
to see him. And with that, they (the Indians) went away.”
They stopped two days at a harbor which they called Monte Christi, to
see if it were a suitable place for a town, for the Admiral did not feel
altogether satisfied with the place where the settlement of La Navidad
had been made on the first voyage. This Monte Christi was near “a great
river of very good water” (the Santiago). But it is all an inundated
region, and very unfit to live in.
“As they were going along, viewing the river and land, some of our men
found, in a place close by the river, two dead men, one with: a cord
(lazo) around his neck, and the other with one around his foot. This was
the first day. On the next day following, they found two other dead men
farther on than these others. One of these was in such a position
that it could be known that he had a plentiful beard. Some of our men
suspected more ill than good, and with reason, as the Indians are all
beardless, as I have said.”
This port was not far from the port where the Spanish settlement had
been made on the first voyage, so that there was great reason for these
anxieties. They set sail once more for the settlement, and arrived
opposite the harbor of La Navidad on the twenty-seventh of November. As
they were approaching the harbor, a canoe came towards them, with five
or six Indians on board, but, as the Admiral kept on his course without
waiting for them, they went back.
The Spaniards arrived outside the port of La Navidad so late that they
did not dare to enter it that night. “The Admiral commanded two Lombards
to be fired, to see if the christians replied, who had been left with
the said Guacanagari, (this was the friendly cacique Guacanagari of the
first voyage), for they too had Lombards,” “They never replied, nor did
fires nor signs of houses appear in that place, at which the people were
much discouraged, and they had the suspicion that was natural in such a
case.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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