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on the contrary in consequence of the services which he has rendered us we intend to confer still further on him such there is every reason to believe was the sincere intention of the but the stream of her royal was doomed to be poisoned or by the base channels through which it flowed the favour shown to was extended likewise to his family the title and of with which he had invested his brother had at first awakened the displeasure of the king who reserved all high of the kind to be granted exclusively by the crown by a royal letter the was now conferred upon don as if through spontaneous favour of the sovereigns no allusion being made to his having previously it while all these measures were taken for the immediate gratification of others were adopted for the interests of the colony permission was granted him to take out three hundred and thirty persons in royal pay of whom forty were to be or gentlemen one hundred foot soldiers thirty sailors thirty ship boys twenty fifty ten twenty of various kinds and thirty females he was subsequently permitted to increase the number if he thought proper to five hundred but the additional number were to be paid out of the produce and of the colony he was likewise to grant lands to all such as were disposed to cultivate sugar or other rural on condition that they should remain and on the island four years after such grant and that all the wood and precious which life and voyages of might be found on their lands should be reserved to the crown nor were the interests of the unhappy natives forgotten by the compassionate heart of in spite of the by which their and were made matters of civil and divine right and by the political of the day always consented with the greatest reluctance to the slavery even of those who were taken in open warfare while her utmost solicitude was exerted to protect the part of this helpless and devoted race she ordered that the greatest care should be taken of their religious instruction and the greatest shown in collecting the imposed upon them with all possible indulgence to in fact the given with respect to the treatment both of indians and are the only indications in the royal of any impression having been made by the complaints against of severity in his government it was generally recommended by the sovereigns that whenever the public safety did not require stern measures there should be manifested a disposition to and easy rule when every disposition was thus shown on the part of the crown to the expedition to the colony unexpected difficulties arose on the part of the public the charm was which in the preceding voyage had made every adventurer crowd into the service of an had been thrown upon his and his new found world instead of a region of wealth and wonder was considered a land of poverty and disaster there was a difficulty in either ships or men for the voyage to remedy the of these one of those arbitrary orders was issued so opposite to our present ideas of commercial policy the officers of the crown to press into the service whatever ships they might judge suitable for the proposed expedition together with their masters and and to fix such price for their as the officers should deem just and reasonable to supply the want of voluntary a measure was adopted at the suggestion of which shows the desperate to which he was reduced by the great reaction of public sentiment this was to the sentences of condemned to to the or to the mines into to the new where they were to labour in the public service without pay those whose sentence was for life to be for ten years those banished for a specific term to be transported for half that term a general pardon was published for all at large who within a certain time should surrender themselves to the admiral and for the colonies those who had committed death to serve for two years those were of a lighter nature to serve for one those only were from this indulgence who had committed certain specific crimes such as majesty treason murder this measure calculated to poison the population of an infant community at its very source was a fruitful cause of trouble to and misery and to the colony it has been frequently adopted by various nations whose superior experience should have taught them better and has proved the of many a rising it is assuredly as unnatural for a ind l cap ms t l vol ii ufe and voyages of to cast forth its crimes and vice upon its colonies a it would be for a parent to his diseases upon his children in both instances the obligation of nature is nor should it be matter of surprise if the seeds of evil which are thus sown should bring forth bitter notwithstanding all these violent there was a delay in fitting out the proposed expedition this is partly accounted for by changes which took place in the persons appointed to the of the these concerns had for a time been consigned to de in whose name with that of many of the necessary papers had been made out in consequence of high and unreasonable demands on the part of he was removed firom office and de bishop of the papers had be made out anew and fresh formed while these concerns were attended to the queen was suddenly overwhelmed with affliction by the death of her only son prince whose had been with such splendour in the spring it was the first of a series of domestic which assailed her affectionate heart and rendered it desolate for the remainder of her days in the midst of her distress however she still thought on in	48
consequence of his urgent representations of the misery to which the colony must be reduced two ships were in the beginning of under the command of with supplies the necessary funds were advanced by the queen herself out of her private for the marriage of her daughter with king of an instance of her kind feeling toward was also evinced f in the time of her affliction his two sons and had been pages to the deceased prince the now took in the same capacity into her own service with all this zealous disposition on the part of the queen still met with the most injurious and in preparing the six remaining vessels for his voyage his cold blooded enemy having the of indian affairs was enabled to and all his plans the various petty officers and agents employed in the concerns of the were many of them de and of the bishop and knew that they were gratifying him in they looked upon the latter also as a man declining in popularity who might be offended with they not therefore to throw all kinds of difficulties in his path and to treat him occasionally with that which petty and men in place are prone to exercise it seems almost incredible at the present day that such important and glorious should have been subject to such bore them au with silent though swelling indignation he was a stranger in the land he was he felt that the popular tide had turned against him and that it was necessary to many present for the sake of his great purposes so wearied and however did he become by the thrown in his way and sa disgusted by the prejudices of the public that he at one time thought of his discoveries altogether he was chiefly induced to by his grateful attachment to the queen and bis desire to achieve something that might cheer and her under her yo si life and voyages of at length after all kinds of the six were fitted for sea though it was impossible to conquer the popular to the service sufficiently to the allotted number of men in addition to the persons in employ already a physician surgeon and were likewise sent out for the relief of the colony and several priests to replace father boil and certain of his discontented brethren while a number of were embarked by the admiral for the purpose of cheering and the spirits of the the insolence which had suffered from the of throughout this long protracted term of preparation were destined to him to the last moment of his in spain and as it were to follow him to the water s edge among the worthless who had an him the most noisy and was one de or of he was not an old christian the venerable by which it is to be understood that he was either a jew or a converted to the catholic faith he had an impudent front and an tongue and echoing the sentiments of his patron the bishop had been loud in his abuse of the admiral and his the very day when the was on the point of weighing anchor was assailed by the insolence of this either on the shore when about to or on board of his ship where he had just entered in the hurry of the moment he had not his usual self command his indignation hitherto con mi el de y de su y de en a de la letter of to the nurse of prince repressed suddenly burst forth he struck the to th ground and him repeatedly with his foot in this the accumulated and which had long at his heart nothing could more strongly what had previously suffered from the of unworthy men than this transport of passion so unusual in his temper he deeply regretted it and in a letter written some time afterwards to the sovereigns he entreated that it might not be allowed to injure him in their opinion be being absent envied and a stranger the apprehensions evinced in this simple but affecting appeal were not ill founded for attributes the humiliating measures shortly after adopted by the sovereigns towards to the impression produced by this affair it had happened near at home and as it were under the very eye of the sovereigns it spoke therefore more quickly to their feelings than more important from a distance the personal of a public officer was represented as a instance of the temper of and a of the charges of cruelty and oppression sent from the colony as was a creature of the the affair was sure to be represented to the sovereigns in the most odious point of view thus the generous intentions of princes and the exalted services of subjects are apt to be defeated by the of cold and men in place by his hostility to and the secret which he threw in the way of the most illustrious of human has to his name coupled with the contempt of every generous mind ind l cap ms life and voyages of book x chapter i departure of from spain on his third voyage of on the th of may set sail from r t the port of st de with his of six vessels on his third voyage of discovery the route he proposed to take was different from that pursued in his former voyages he intended to depart from the cape de islands sailing to the until he should come under the line then to steer directly westward with the favour of the trade winds until he should ar at land or find himself in a parallel of with various considerations had induced him to adopt this course in his preceding voyage when he the southern side of under the belief that it was the continent of asia he had observed that it	48
swept off life and voyages of toward the south from this circumstance and from information gathered among the natives of the islands he was induced to believe that a eat tract of the main land lay of the countries he had already discovered king john ii of appears to have entertained a similar idea as records an opinion expressed by that monarch that there was a continent in the southern ocean if this were the case it was supposed by that in proportion as he approached the and extended his discoveries to more and more under the influence of the sun he should find the productions of nature by its rays to more perfect and precious qualities he was strengthened in this belief by a letter written to him at the command of the queen by one an eminent and learned who in the course of his trading for precious stones and had been in the and in various parts of the east bad conversed with the merchants of the remote parts of asia and africa and the natives of india and and was considered deeply in geography generally but especially on the nature of those countries from whence the valuable in which he dealt was procured in this letter assured that according to his experience the objects of commerce such as gold precious stones and were chiefly to be found in the regions about the line where the inhabitants were black or darkly coloured and that until the admiral should arrive among people of such he did not think he would find those articles in great ind c t t document expected to find people more to the south he recollected that the natives of had spoken of black men who had once come to their island from the south and the heads of whose were of a sort of metal which they called they had given the admiral specimens of this metal which on being in spain proved to be a mixture of eighteen parts gold six silver and eight copper a proof of valuable mines in the country from whence they came conjectures that these black people may have come from the or the western coast of africa and been driven by tempest to the shores of it is probable however that had been as to their colour or had misunderstood bis it is difficult to believe that the natives of africa or the could have survived a voyage of such magnitude in the frail and provided they were accustomed to use it was to ascertain the truth of all these and if correct to arrive at the favoured and countries about the inhabited by people of similar with those of the under the line that in his present voyage to the new world took a course much further to the south of that which he had hitherto pursued having heard that a french was ofi cape st he stood to the after leaving st touching at the islands of and where he remained a few days taking in wood and water and other supplies and then continued his course to the islands on the th of june he arrived at where st l p vol ii life and voyages op there lay at anchor a french with two spanish on seeing the of standing the harbour the captain of the put to sea in all haste followed by his one of which in the hurry of the moment left the greater part of her crew on shore making sail with only four of her and six spanish prisoners the admiral at first them for merchant ships alarmed by his warlike appearance when informed of tlie truth however he sent three of his ships in pursuit but they had too much distance to be overtaken the six however on board of hie of the seeing assistance at hand rose on their and the admiral s vessels coming up the prize was and brought back in triumph to the port the admiral the ship to the captain and gave up the prisoners to the governor of the island to be exchanged for six carried ofi by the leaving on the st of june divided his ofi the island of three of the ships he direct for to carry supplies to the colony one of these ships was commanded by de native of a man of much worth and integrity the second by de of brother of the mother of the admiral s second son he was cousin also of the unfortunate officer who commanded the ess of la at the time of the the third was commanded by or a related to the admiral and a man of much judgment and capacity these captains were alternately to have the command and bear the signal light a week at a time the c admiral carefully to them their course when they sight of they were to steer for the south side for the new port and town which he supposed to be by this time established in the mouth of the according to royal orders sent out by with the three remaining vessels the admiral his voyage towards the cape de islands the ship in which he sailed was the other two were merchant as he advanced within the the change of climate and the close and weather which prevailed brought on a severe attack of the followed by a violent fever notwithstanding his painful illness however he enjoyed the full possession of his faculties and continued to keep his reckoning and make his observations with his usual vigilance on the th of june he arrived among the cape de islands which instead of the freshness and which their name would presented an aspect of the most cheerless he remained among these islands but a very few days being disappointed in his expectation of obtaining flesh for ships provisions and cattle for stock for the island of to procure	48
them would require some delay in the meantime the health of himself and of his people under the influence of the the atmosphere was loaded with clouds and neither sun nor star w s to be seen a temperature prevailed and the livid looks of the inhabitants bore witness to the of the leaving the island of vista on the th of july stood to the intending to continue on m p martyr f cap r life and voyages f found himself under the line the cur rents however which run to the north and among those islands his progress and kept him for two days in sight of the island the summit of this island which seen at a distance resembled a church with a lofty and which was said at times to smoke and flames was the last point discerned of the old world continuing to uie about one hundred and he found himself on the th of july according to his observations in the fifth degree of north latitude he had entered that region which extends for eight or ten degrees on each side of the line and is known among by the name of the calm the trade winds firom the and meeting in the neighbourhood of the destroy each other and a profound calmness of the elements is produced the whole sea is like a mirror and vessels remain almost motionless with flapping sails the panting under the heat of a sun by any refreshing breeze weeks re sometimes expended in crossing this tract of the the weather for some time past bad been cloudy and oppressive but on the th there was a bright and burning sun the wind suddenly fell and a dead calm commenced which lasted for eight days the air was like a furnace the tar melted the of the ships yawned the salt meat became the wheat was as if with fire the shrunk from the wine and water some of which and burst while the heat in the holds of the vessels was so that no one could remain below a time to prevent the damage that was f place the lost all strength and spirits under the oppressive heat it seemed as if the old fable of the was about to be realized and that they were approaching a fiery region where it would be impossible to exist it is true the heavens were for a great part of the time and there were showers but the atmosphere was close and stifling and there was that combination of heat and moisture which all the energies of the human frame during this time the admiral suffered extremely firom the but as usual the activity of his mind heightened by his anxiety allowed him no indulgence or repose he was in an unknown part of the ocean where every thing depended his vigilance and sagacity and was continually watching the phenomena of the elements and looking out for signs of land finding the heat so intolerable he altered his course and to the westward hoping to find a temperature further on even under the same parallel he had observed in his previous voyages that after sailing westward a hundred from the a change took place in the sea and sky both becoming serene and bland and the air temperate and refreshing he imagined that a peculiar and prevailed over a great tract of ocean extending from north to south into which the sailing from east to west would suddenly enter as if crossing a line the event seemed to justify his theory for after making their way slowly for some time to the westward through an ordeal of and with a stifling atmosphere the ships all at once into a genial region a pleasant breeze i creeping over the sea and gently filled their sails the i vl d clouds broke away the sky became serene v v i i fe and voyages of and cl ar and sun shone forth with all its but no longer with a burning beat had intended on reaching this temperate tract to have stood once more to the south and then westward but he found his ships so by the late weather which had opened their and caused them to excessively that it was necessary to seek some convenient harbour as soon as possible where they might be much of the provisions also was spoiled and the water was nearly exhausted he kept on therefore directly to the west trusting from the flights of birds and other favourable indications that he should soon arrive at land day after day passed away without his expectations being realized the necessities of his ships became continually more urgent wherefore supposing himself in a parallel of with the islands he bore away towards the northward in search of them intending to touch among them for and and then to proceed to on the st of july there was not above one of water remaining in each ship and the admiral experienced great anxiety about mid day a named being accidentally at the mast head beheld the of three mountains rising above the horizon he immediately gave the cry of land to the great joy of the crew as the ships drew nearer it was observed that these mountains w re joined together at the base had determined to the first land he should behold by giving it the name of the the appearance of these three mountains united into one struck him as a singular and almost mysterious coincidence with a solemn feeling cap of devotion he gave to this newly discovered island the name of la it continues to bear at the present day sup h r and voyages of chapter ii voyage through the gulf of his course for the island its eastern extremity to which he gave	48
the name of de la from the form of a rock in the sea which resembled a under sail he had to coast for five along the southern shore before he could find safe on the following day august he continued westward in search of water and a convenient harbour where the vessels might be he was surprised at the and of the country having expected to find it more and as he approached the whereas he beheld stately groves of palm trees and luxuriant forests which swept down to the with and running streams beneath their shade the shores were low and but the country rose in the interior was cultivated in many places and by and scattered in a word the softness and purity of the climate the freshness and sweetness of the appeared to to equal the delights of early spring in the beautiful province of in spain letter of o the sovereigns from t at a to which be gave the name of de la he sent the boats on shore for water here to their great joy the found an abundant and brook at which they filled their there was no safe harbour however for the vessels nor could they meet with any of the though they found traces of foot steps and various fishing which they had left behind in the hurry of their flight there were tracks also of animals which the supposed to be but which must have been deer with which as it was ascertained the island while thus the island on the st of august co beheld land to the south stretching to the distance of more than twenty it was that low tract of coast by the numerous branches of the but the admiral supposing it to be an island gave it the of la imagining that he now for the first time beheld that main continent that which had been the object of his earnest search on the d of august he continued on to the point of which he called point it stretched towards a corresponding point of making a narrow pass with a high rock in the centre to which he gave the name of near this pass the ships cast anchor as they were approaching this place a large in which were indians off firom the shore and coming wit nt ih paused and hailed the ships in a language which a one on board understood being extremely desirous of obtaining a near view y of these people and of making concerning their country tried to on by by the display of looking glasses j i vol if i y life and of and various glittering but all in vain they remained gazing in mute wonder for above two hours but with their in their hands ready to take to flight on the least attempt to approach they were near however for him to have a full view of them they were all young men well formed with long hair and fairer the indians he had hitherto seen they were naked excepting bands and of cotton about their heads and coloured of the same about their they were armed with bows and arrows the latter and tipped with bone and they had an article of which had never before been seen among the inhabitants of the new w d having found all other means to attract them ineffectual palms now tried the power of music he knew the of the indians for dances performed to the sound of their rude drums and the chant of their he ordered something similar to be executed on the deck of his ship where while one sang to the beat of the and the sound of other musical instruments the danced after the popular spanish fashion no sooner however did this strike up than the indians it for a signal of put their on their arms seized their bows and let fly a shower of arrows this rude salutation was immediately answered by the discharge of a couple of which put the to flight and concluded this singular entertainment though thus shy of the admiral s vessel they approached one of the without fear or hesitation and running under the stem had a with the pilot who gave a cap and mantle to the one who appeared to be the he received the presents with great delight inviting the pilot by m st br signs to come to land where he should be well entertained and receive great presents in return on his appearing to consent they went to shore to wait for him the pilot put off in the boat of the to ask permission of the admiral but the indians seeing him go on board of the hostile ship suspected some treachery and springing into their ca darted away with the swiftness of the wind nor was any thing more seen of them the complexion and other physical characteristic of these savages caused much surprise and speculation in the mind of supposing himself in the degree of latitude though actually in the tenth he had expected to find the inhabitants similar to the of africa under the same parallel who were black ill shaped and with hair or rather wool whereas these indians were formed had long hair and were even fairer than those distant from the the climate also instead of being as he approached the appeared more temperate he was now in the days yet the nights and mornings were so cool that it was necessary to use covering as in winter this is the case in many parts of the especially in calm weather when there is no wind nature by heavy in the long nights of those and the earth after the great of the day was at first greatly perplexed by these to the course of nature as observed in the old world were in opposition also to the tions he	48
had founded on the theory of the cap s p martyr l ind l c ms letter of to the sovereigns t a life and voyages of bat they gradually contributed to the formation of a theory which was springing up in bis active imagination and which will presently be shown after at point the were permitted to land and refresh themselves among the shady woods and of island there were no runs of water but by sinking in the sand they soon got sufficient to fill the however found his at this place extremely a rapid current set from the through the strait formed by the main and the island of flowing as he observed night and day with as much as the when swollen by floods in the pass between point and its correspond ent point the current being compressed boiled and raged to such a degree that thought it was crossed by a of rocks and preventing all entrance with others extending beyond over which the waters roared like on a rocky shore to this pass from its angry and dangerous appearance he gave the name of de la the mouth of the serpent he thus found himself placed between two difficulties the continual current from the east seemed to prevent all return while the rocks which appeared to beset the pass threatened destruction if he should attempt to proceed being on board of his ship late at night kept awake by painful illness and an anxious and watchful spirit he heard a terrible roaring from the south on looking out in that direction he beheld the sea heaped up as it were into a great ridge or hill the height of the ship covered with foam and rolling towards him with a tremendous uproar as this approached rendered more terrible in appearance by the obscurity of night he trembled for the safety of his vessels his own ship was suddenly lifted up with violence to such a height that he dreaded lest it should be or cast upon the rocks while another of the ships was borne violently from her and exposed to imminent peril the were for a time in great consternation and feared they should be swallowed up in the commotion of but this passed on and subsided after a violent contest with the counter current of the this sudden rush of water it is supposed was caused by the swelling of one of the rivers which flow into the gulf of and which was as yet unknown to anxious to himself from this dangerous neighbourhood he sent the boats on the following morning the depth of water at the and to ascertain whether it was possible for the ships to pass through there to the northward to his great joy they returned with a report that there were several of water and currents and setting both ways either to enter or return a favourable breeze prevailing he immediately made sail and passing through the formidable strait in safety found himself in a tranquil expanse beyond he was now on the inner side of to his left spread that broad gulf since known by the name of which he supposed the open sea but was surprised on it to find the water fresh he continued to northward towards a mountain at the point of the island about fourteen from point here he beheld of land opposite to each other one on the island of trim j p letter of to the sovereigns t ind c c i r life and voyages of the other to the west on the long of which stretches from the main land and forms the northern side of the gulf but which for an island and gave it the name of de between these there was another pass which even more dangerous than the being beset with rocks among which the compressed current forced its way with roaring to this pass gave the name of not choosing to encounter its apparent dangers he turned northward on sunday the th of august and along the inner side of the supposed island of intending to keep on until he came to the end of it and then to strike northward into the free and open ocean and shape his course for it was a fair and beautiful coast with fine lying close to each other the country cultivated in many places in others covered with fruit trees and stately forests and watered by frequent streams what greatly astonished was still to find the water and that it grew more and more so the further he proceeded it being that season of the year when the various rivers which empty themselves into this gulf are by rains and pour forth such quantities of fresh water as to conquer the of the ocean he was also surprised at the smooth of the sea which appeared as tranquil and safe as one vast so that there was no need of seeking a port to anchor in as yet he had not been able to have any communication with the people of this part of the new world the shores which he had visited though occasionally cultivated by the hand of man were silent and deserted and excepting the fugitive party in the at point he had seen t nothing of the natives he was extremely anxious to meet with some human being that could as it were break this silence and give him some information concerning the country after sailing several along the therefore he on monday the th at a place where there appeared signs of cultivation and sent the to shore they found traces of men fires which th had kindled the remains of fish which they had cooked and foot prints where they had recently there was likewise a house but not an individual to be the coast was covered with beautiful groves and with continuing further westward to	48
where the country was more level in a river immediately a with three or four indians came ofi to the nearest to the shore the captain of which pretending a desire to accompany them to land sprang into their it and with the assistance of his secured the indians as they were swimming when they were brought to the admiral he soon dissipated their alarm by his usual he gave them beads bells and sugar and sent them highly gratified to shore where many of their countrymen were assembled this kind treatment as usual had the most favourable such of ae natives as had came ofi to the ships with the fullest confidence they were tall of stature finely formed and free and in their movements their hair was long and some wore it cut short but none of them it as was the custom among the natives of they were armed with bows arrows and the men wore cotton about their heads and beautifully wrought with various colours so as at a distance to look like silk but the women were entirely naked they brought life and voyages of bread and other with kinds of some white made from and resembling beer and others green of a and expressed from various t they appeared to judge of every thing by the sense of smell as others examine objects by the sight or when they approached a boat they smelt to it and to the people in like manner every thing that was given them was they set but little value upon beads but were delighted with bells brass also was held in high estimation they appeared to find something extremely grateful in the smell of it and i called it that it was from the skies from the indians understood that the name of their country was and that further to the west he would find it more taking several of them to serve as guides and he proceeded eight westward to a point which he called ag a or the needle here he arrived at three o clock in the morning when the day dawned he was with the beauty of the country it was cultivated in many places highly and adorned with magnificent vegetation the of the natives were among groves laden with fruits and flowers the vines themselves among the trees and birds of brilliant fluttered from branch to branch the air was temperate and bland and by the fragrance of flowers and blossoms and numerous fountains and streams kept up a universal and freshness was so much charmed with the beauty and of this favoured part of the coast that he gave it the name of the gardens ind l c the natives came off in great in which were superior in construction to those hitherto seen being v very large and light and having a cabin in the centre accommodation of the owner and his family l hey in the name of their king to come to land many of them had plates about necks of that inferior kind of gold called by the they said that it came m a high land which they pointed out at no great distance to the west but intimated that it was dangerous to go there either because the inhabitants were or the place by but what suddenly aroused the attention and awakened the of the was to behold strings of pearls round the arms of some of the natives they informed that they were procured on the oa the northern side of which he still supposed to be an island and th y showed the mother of pearl shells from whence they had been taken anxious to acquire further information and to procure specimens of these pearls to send to spain he the boats to shore the moment the landed a multitude of the natives came to the beach to receive them headed by their principal and his son they treated them with profound reverence as beings descended from heaven and conducted them to a spacious house the residence of the where they were in their simple but hospitable way with bread and various fruits of excellent and the different kinds of which letter of to the sovereigns t p vol ii r life and voyages of have been already mentioned while they were in the the men remained together at one end of it and the women at the other after they had finished their at the of the they were taken to that of the son where a like was set before them these people w re remarkably with at the same time a more in and martial air and spirit than the natives of and they were fairer than any he had yet seen though so near to the line where be had expected to find them of the colour of many ornaments of gold were seen among them but all of an inferior quality one indian had a piece of the size of an apple they had various kinds of one of a green colour with yellow ne k and the tips of the wings of a red others of the size of domestic fowls and of a vivid scarlet excepting some feathers in the wings they readily gave to the but what the latter most were the pearls of which they saw many and among the indian women the latter gladly gave them in exchange for bells or any article of brass an several specimens of fine pearls were procured for the admiral to send to the sovereigns nothing could exceed the kindness and of this people heightened as it was by an intelligent and a martial frankness they seemed worthy of the beautiful country they inhabited it was a cause of great concern both to them and the that they could not letter of ind l c cap understand each others language they conversed however by signs	48
mutual good will made their intercourse and pleasant and at the hour of the returned on board of their ships gratified with entertainment t life and voyages of chapter of the voyage through the gulf op return to the quantity of fine pearls found among the natives fc pf was sufficient to arouse the sanguine of it appeared to the theory of the learned dealer in gems that as he approached the he would find the most rare and precious productions of nature his active imagination with its accustomed quickness seized upon every surrounding circumstance that appeared to favour his wishes and putting them together drew from them the most flattering he had read in that pearls are from drops of dew which fall into the mouths of if so what place could be more to their growth and than the coast of the dew in these parts was heavy and abundant and the were so plentiful that they clustered about the roots and branches of the trees which grew in the margin of the tranquil sea when a branch which had drooped for a time in the water was drawn forth it would be found covered with noticing this sanguine conclusion of that the shell fish here spoken of are not of the kind which produce pearl for that those by a natural instinct as if conscious of their precious charge hide themselves in the deepest water still imagining the coast of to be an island and anxious to it and arrive at the place where these pearls were said by the indians to abound left the gardens on the th of august and westward within the in search of an outlet to the north he observed portions of appearing towards the bottom of the gulf which he supposed to be islands and called them and and fancied that the desired outlet to the sea must lie between them advanced however he found the water continually growing and until he did not dare to venture any further with his ship which he observed was of too great size for of this kind being of a hundred tons and requiring three of water he came to anchor therefore and sent a light called the to ascertain whether there was an outlet to the ocean between the supposed islands the returned on the following day that at the western end of the gulf there was an opening of two which led into an inner d circular gulf surrounded by four apparently smaller or rather mouths of rivers from which flowed the great quantity of fresh water that the neighbouring sea in fact from one of these mouths issued the great river the or as it is now called the to this inner and circular gulf gave the name of the gulf of pearls through a mistaken idea that they in its waters none in fact being found there he still imagined that the four of which the man i ind cap life voyages of spoke might be intervals between islands though they affirmed that all the land he saw was one connected continent as it was impossible to proceed farther westward with his he had no alternative but to his course and seek an exit to the north by the he gladly have continued for some time to explore this coast for he considered himself in one of those regions described as the most favoured upon earth and which must increase in riches towards the imperious considerations however compelled him to his voyage and hasten to st the sea stores of hi ships were almost exhausted and the various supplies for die colony with which they were were in danger of he was suffering extremely in his health besides the which had rendered him a for the greater part of the voyage he was afflicted by a complaint in his eyes caused by fatigue and over watching which almost deprived him of sight even the voyage along the coast of he in which he was thirty and days almost without sleep had not so injured his eyes disordered his blood or caused him so much painful as the on the th of august therefore he set sail eastward for the and was borne along witb great city by the currents i hich however mm from landing again at his favourite spot the gardens on sunday the di he near to the in a fine harbour to which he gave the name of de from a cap i letter of to the sovereigns t p species of monkey called with which the neighbourhood on the borders of the sea he perceived many trees which he for a fruit only found in the countries of the east there were great also of growing within the water with clinging to their branches their mouths open as he supposed to receive the dew which was afterwards to be transformed to pearls on the following morning the th of august towards noon the ships approached the and pre venture through that formidable pass the dis cape at the end of and cape the extremity of is about five but in interval there were two islands which named and the impetuous body of fresh water which flows through the gulf particularly in the rainy months of july and august is at the narrow these islands where it makes a turbulent sea roaring as if breaking over rocks and rendering the and exit of the gulf extremely dangerous the rs and perils of such places are always to who have no or pilot or advice of previous e them at first apprehended sunken bat on considering the commotion of the i he attributed it to the conflict between the prodigious body of fresh water setting through the gulf and struggling for an outlet and the tide of salt water straggling to enter the ships had scarcely ventured into the fearful channel when the wind	48
died away and they were in danger every moment of being thrown upon the rocks or ind l c v life and voyages of the current of fresh water er gained the victory and carried them safely through the admiral when once more safe in the open sea congratulated himself upon his escape from this perilous strait which he might well be called the mouth of the he now stood to the westward running along the outer coast of still supposing it an island and intending to visit the gulf of pearls which he imagined to be at the end of it opening to the sea he wished to ascertain whether this great body of fresh water proceeded from rivers as the of the had affirmed for it appeared to him impossible that the streams of mere islands as he supposed the surrounding land could furnish such a prodigious quantity on leaving the el he saw to the many distant two islands which he called assumption and conception probably those now known as and in his course along the northern coast of he saw several other small islands and many fine to some of which he gave names but they have ceased to be known by them on the th he discovered the islands of and afterwards famous for their pearl th island of about fifteen in length and six in breadth was well peopled the little island of lying between ft and the main land and only about four from the latter was dry and without either wood or fresh water but possessed a good harbour on approaching this island the admiral beheld a number of indians fishing for pearls who made for the land a boat being sent to communicate with them one ind l c t f the sailor many strings of pearls round the neck of a female having a plate of ware a kind of painted and w th gaudy colours he broke it and presented the pieces to the indian woman who gave in exchange a considerable number of her pearls these he carried to the admiral who immediately sent per sons on shore well provided with plates and bells for which in a little time he procured about three pounds weight of pearls some of which were of a very large size and were sent by him afterwards to the sovereigns as specimens was great temptation to linger here and to se other places which the indians mentioned as in pearls the coast of also continued extending to the westward as as the eye could reach rising into a range of mountains and provoking to ascertain whether as he began to think it was a part of the continent was compelled however though with the greatest reluctance to forego this most interesting the malady of his eyes had now grown so that he could no longer take observations oi keep a look out but had to trust to the reports of the and he bore away therefore for intending to i e o the toils of his voyage and to bis while he should send his brother the to complete the discovery of this important country after sailing for five days to the he made the island of on the th of august fifty to the westward of the river the place of his destination and v st p vol ik life and voyages of on the following morning under the little island of he was astonished to find himself so mistaken in his calculations and so far below his destined port but attributed it correctly to the force of the current setting out of the which while he had lain to at nights to avoid running on rocks and had borne his ships to the west this current which sets across the sea and the of which now bears the name of the gulf stream was so rapid that on the th when the wind was but moderate the ships had made in four and twenty hours attributed ta the violence of this current the formation of that pass called the where he supposed it had forced its way through a narrow that formerly connected with the extremity of he imagined also that its constant operation had worn away and the borders of the main land gradually producing that fi of islands which stretches from to the or and which according to his idea had originally been part of the solid continent in of this opinion he notices the form of those islands being narrow firom north to south and extending in length from east to west in the direction of the current the island of where had is about thirty o the west of the river where be expected to find the new which his brother had been instructed to found the strong and steady current from the east however and tjie of winds front that quarter might detain him for a long time at the island letter to the king and queen t her nd render the of his voyage slow and precarious he sent a boat on shore therefore to procure an indian messenger to take a letter to his brother the six of the natives came off to the ships one of whom was armed with a spanish the anxious mind of the admiral was immediately ed at seeing a weapon of the kind in the possession of an indian it was not an article of traffic and he feared could only have fallen into his hands by the death of some he apprehended that evils had befallen the during his long absence and that there had again been troubles with the natives having his messenger he again made sail and arrived off of the mouth of the river on the th of august he was met on the way by a on board of which was the who having received his letter had hastened forth	48
with te to welcome his arrival the meeting of the brothers was a cause of mutual joy and consolation they were strongly attached to each other each had had his trials and sufferings during their long separation and each looked with confidence to the other for relief don appears to have always had great deference for the soaring genius the comprehensive mind and the commanding reputation of his brother while the latter placed great reliance in times of difficulty on the worldly knowledge the activity and the lion hearted courage of the arrived almost the wreck of himself his voyages were always of a nature to wear out both soul and body having to amidst unknown dangers and to ind l c life and voyages of keep anxious watch at all hours and in all as age and increased upon him these trials became the severe his constitution must originally have been wonderfully vigorous but a powerful constitution exposed to too great hardships at an a period of life breaks up into violent and in this last voyage he had been and by fever by mad bis whole system disordered by incessant he came into po rt haggard and almost blind his spirit however was as usual superior to all bodily tion or decay and he looked forward with magnificent to the of his recent discoveries which he intended should be immediately by his hardy and brother chapter iv speculations op concerning the coast op a the phenomena of a great and striking nature which presented themselves in the course of this voyage had powerfully exercised the mind of in considering the vast body of fresh water which flow into the gulf of and thence rushes such force into the ocean he formed one of his simple and grand conclusions it could not be produced by an island or by islands it must be some mighty river which had wandered through a great extent of country collecting all its streams and pouring them in one vast current into the ocean the land therefore which furnished such a river must be a continent he now supposed that the various ti of land which he had beheld about this gulf were mostly connected together that the coast of extended far to the west beyond a chain of mountains which he had beheld afar off from and that the land opposite to instead of being an island continued to an immense distance to the south far beyond the into that hitherto unknown to civilized man he considered ru this an extension of the continent thus tha t the greater part of the surface of the globe was firm land in life and voyages of this last opinion he found supported by authors of the highest name both ancient and modern among whom he and st and the cardinal de to whose writings he always attached great value he lays particular stress also on the assertion of in his fourth book that of seven parts of the world six are dry land and one part only is covered with water the land therefore surrounding the gulf of was but the border of an almost boundless continent stretching far to the west and to the south including the most precious regions of the earth l under the most stars and as yet unknown and free to be discovered and appropriated by any christian nation may it please our lord he in his letter to the sovereigns to give long life and health and leisure to your that you may this so noble in which god will receive great service spain vast increase of grandeur and all christians much consolation and delight since throughout these lands will be the name of our so far the of though sanguine admit of little but he carried them still further until they ended in what may appear to some mere in his letter to the sovereigns he stated that in his former voyages when he westward from the he had observed after sailing about a hundred a sudden and great change in the sky and the stars the temperature of the air and the calmness of the ocean it seemed as if a line ran from north to south beyond which every thing became different the needle which had previously inclined toward ihe now varied a whole point to the the sea hitherto clear was covered with weeds so dense that in his first voyage he had expected to run on a universal tranquillity reigned throughout the elements and the climate was mild and genial whether in summer or winter on taking his observations at night after crossing that imaginary line the north star appeared to him to describe a circle in the heavens of five degrees in on his present voyage he had varied his route and had run southward firom the cape de islands for the line before reaching it however the heat had become and a wind np from the east he had been induced to strike mien in the parallel of in guinea for several days he had been almost consumed by and heat under a yet clouded sky and in a atmosphere until he arrived at the ideal line mentioned extending from north to south here suddenly to his great relief he had emerged into serene weather with a clear blue sky and and a sweet and temperate atmosphere the further he had proceeded west the more pure and genial he had found the climate the sea tranquil the breezes soft and all these phenomena with those he had remarked at the same line but north in his former voyages excepting that here there was no in the sea and the movements of the stars were the star appeared to him here to describe a circle of ten degrees in instead of five an which had struck him with astonishment but which he says he ascertained by observations taken in different nights	48
with his its greatest at the former place in the parallel of the he had found ten degrees and in the present place fifteen life and voyages of from these and other circumstances he was inclined to doubt the theory with respect to the form of the earth philosophers had described it as but they v knew nothing of the part of the world which he had discover the ancient part known to them he had no doubt was q he now supposed that the real form of the earth was that of a one part more elevated than the rest and upwards toward the this part he supposed to be in the interior of this newly found continent and immediately under the all the phenomena which he bad previously appeared to theory the which he had observed in passing the running from north to south he to be by the ships having arrived at this supposed swelling of the earth where they began gently to mount towards the skies into a purer and more celestial here the of the needle he ascribed to the same cause being by the coolness and of the climate varying to the in proportion as the ships continued onward in their so also the of peter martyr that the admiral told him that from the climate of great heat and air he had ascended the back of the sea as it were ascending a high towards heaven t in his attempts to account for the of the needle supposed that the north star possessed the quality of the four points as did likewise the that if the needle were touched with one part of the it would point east with another west and so on wherefore he adds those who prepare or the needles cover the with a cloth so that the north part only remains out that is to say the part which possesses the virtue of causing the needle to point to the north c the north and the circle it described in the heavens appeared to be greater in consequence of regarded from a greater elevation less and through a purer medium of atmosphere and these phenomena would be found to increase the more one approached the from the still increasing eminence of this part of the earth he noticed also the difference of the climate vegetation and people of this part of the new world from those under the same parallel in africa there the heat was the land and the inhabitants were black with wool ill in their forms and dull and brutal in their natures here on tl e contrary although the sun was in he found the heat moderate the mornings and evenings fresh and cool the country g een and fruitful and covered with beautiful forests the people even than in the lands he had discovered further north having long hair with well and graceful forms lively and courageous spirits all this in a latitude so near to the he attributed to the superior of this part of the world by which it was raised into a more celestial region of the air on turning northward through the gulf of he observed that he had found the circle described by the north star again to the current of the sea also increased in wearing away as has already been remarked the borders of the continent and producing the adjacent islands by its incessant operations which was further confirmation of the idea that one in going southward and in returning had imagined that the highest part of the earth and nearest to the skies was under the pole other had maintained that it was under the vol ii life and voyages of hence it was apparent that both conceived one part of the earth to be more elevated and noble and nearer to the heavens than the rest they did not think of this eminence being under the line because they had no certain knowledge of this but only spoke of it and from conjecture as usual he assisted his theory by holy writ the sun when god made it he was in the first point of the or the first light was there that place according to his idea must be here in the remotest part of the east where the ocean and the extreme part of india meet under the line and where the highest part of the earth is situated he supposed this of the world though of immense height to be neither rugged nor but that the land rose to it by gentle and degrees the and fertile shores of were situated on its remote borders of course with those precious articles which are congenial with the most favoured and excellent as one penetrated into the interior and gradually ascended the land would be found to increase in beauty and and in the exquisite nature of its productions until one arrived t the summit under the this he imagined to be the noblest and most perfect place on earth enjoying from its position an equality of days and nights and a of seasons and being elevated into a serene and heavenly temperature above the and the clouds and the storms and which and disturb the lower regions in a word here he supposed to be situated the original abode of our first parents the primitive seat of human innocence and bliss the garden of or paradise he imagined this place to be still flourishing in all its delights but inaccessible to mortal feet excepting by divine permission according to the opinion of the most eminent fathers of the church from this height he presumed though of course from a great distance proceeded this mighty stream of fresh water which filled the gulf of and the salt ocean in its vicinity being supplied by the fountain mentioned in as springing from the tree of life in the garden of such was the singular speculation	48
of which he detailed at full length in a letter to the sovereigns various authorities for his opinions among which were st st and st and his theory with much of that in which he was deeply it shows how his ardent mind was heated by the magnificence of his discoveries shrewd men in the coolness and of ordinary life and in these modern days of cautious and sober fact may smile at such a reverie but it was by the speculations of the most sage and learned of those times and if it had not been could we wonder at any sally of the nation in one placed in the situation of he beheld a vast world rising as it were into existence before him its nature and extent unknown and as yet a mere region for conjecture every day displayed some feature of beauty and island after island i de t p t see article situation of the i paradise v v life and voyages of rocks he was told were with gold whose grove with or whose shores with pearls interminable of coast beyond stretching as far as the eye could reach luxuriant valleys sweeping away into a vast interior whose distant mountains he was told concealed still happier lands and of still greater when he looked upon all this region of golden promise it was with the glorious conviction that his genius had in a manner called it into existence j he regarded it with the triumphant eye of a had not been capable of these enthusiastic of the imagination he might with other have reasoned calmly and coldly about the probability of a continent existing in the west but he would never have had the daring to adventure in search of it into the unknown of in the midst of his fanciful speculations we find that solid foundation of sagacity which formed the basis of his character the conclusion which he drew from the great flow of the that it must be the of a continent was shrewd and striking a learned spanish historian has also excused other parts of his theory he suspected he a certain elevation of the globe at one part of the philosophers have since determined the world to be a slightly elevated in its he suspected that the of influenced the needle not being able to penetrate the cause of its variations successive of voyages and experiments have made this more manifest and have shown that cold sometimes the needle of all its virtue perhaps new observations may justify the of even his error concerning the circle described by the star which he thought by an illusion in proportion as the observer approached the ma k him a philosopher superior to the time in which he n l y k life and voyages of book xl j it t chapter i administration of the expedition to the province of had anticipated repose from his toils on arriving at but a new scene of trouble and anxiety opened upon him which was destined to the of his and to affect all his future fortunes to explain this it is necessary to relate the of the island in the long space of time during which he had been so detained in spain when he sailed for europe in march his brother don who remained as governor with the title of took the earliest measures to execute his directions with respect to the mines recently discovered by on the south side of the island leaving don in command at he v r life and voyages of repaired with a large force to the neighbourhood of the mines and choosing a favourable situation in a place most in ore he built a fortress to which he gave the name of st the workmen however finding of gold among the earth and stone employed in its construction gave it the name of the golden tower the remained here three is the building of the fortress and making the necessary preparations for working the mines and the ore the progress of the work however was greatly by of provisions having frequently to a part of jt e men from their labours and to send them about the country in quest of supplies the old fashioned hospitality of the island was at an end the indians no longer gave their provisions freely they had learnt from the white men to profit by the necessities of the stranger and to exact a price for the bread that was to relieve his hunger their scanty stores also were soon exhausted for their habits and their natural and seldom permitted them to have more provisions on hand than was requisite for present support the found it difficult therefore to maintain so large a force in the neighbourhood until they should have time to cultivate the earth and raise live stock or should receive supplies from spain leaving ten men to guard the fortress with a dog to assist them in catching he marched with the rest of his men about four hundred in number to fort conception in the abundant country of the here be passed the whole month of june collecting the tribute being supplied with food by and bis subordinate p martyr l t j in the following month july the three commanded by arrived from spain bringing a of men and what was still more needed a supply of provisions the latter was quickly distributed among the hungry but unfortunately a great part was found to have been injured during the voyage this was a serious misfortune in a community where the least pressure of produced murmur and by the received letters from his brother directing him to found a town and in th mouth of the near to the new mines he requested him also to send prisoners to spain of the and their subjects as	48
of the beauty and of the inhabitants the mode of their reception was calculated to confirm their favourable as they approached the place thirty females of the s household came forth to meet them singing their or and dancing and waving palm branches the married females wore of embroidered cotton reaching to the knee the young women were entirely naked with merely a round the forehead their hair falling on their shoulders they were beautifully their skin smooth and delicate and their complexion of a clear and agreeable brown according to old peter martyr the when they beheld them issuing om green woods almost imagined they beheld the or native and of the fountains by the ancient poets when they came before don they knelt and gracefully presented him the green branches after these came the female i on a kind of light litter borne by six indians the other females she had no other covering than an apron of various coloured cotton she wore round her head a grant of red and white flowers and wreaths of the same round her neck and arms she received the and his followers with that natural grace and courtesy for which she was celebrated no hostility towards them for the fate her husband had experienced at their hands on the contrary she seemed from the first to conceive for them great admiration and sincere friendship p martyr l life and voyages of the and his officers were now to the house of where a banquet was served up of a great variety of sea and river fish with the roots and fine which formed the principal food of the indians here first the conquered their to the g ana the favourite delicacy of the indians but which the former had regarded with disgust as a species of serpent the willing to himself to the of the country was the first to taste of this animal being kindly pressed by his his example they found it to be highly and delicate and firom that time forward the began to get into among spanish the banquet being over don and six of his principal were lodged in the dwelling of the rest were distributed in the houses of the inferior where they slept in of cotton the usual beds of the natives for two days they remained with the hospitable entertained with various indian games and among y these are like unto saving in they call them unto that day none of men adventure to taste of them by reason of horrible and yet the being by the of the s determined to taste of the but when he the thereof to be so to his tongue he too without al the which thing companions perceiving were not him in that they had now none other than of the of these which they affirm to be of more pleasant taste than or p martyr b den s ng v m which the remarkable was the representation of a battle two of naked indians armed with bows and arrows suddenly into the public square and began to in a manner similar to the play of or by degrees tbey grew and fought with such earnestness that four were slain and many wounded which seemed to increase the interest and pleasure of the spectators the contest would have continued longer and might have been still more bloody had not the and the other interfered and begged that the game might cease when the were over and familiar intercourse had promoted mutual confidence the addressed the and on the real object of his visit he informed them that his brother the admiral had been sent to this island by the sovereigns of who were great and mighty with many under their sway that the had returned to his sovereigns how many there were in the island leaving him in command and that he had come to receive under the protection of these mighty and to arrange a tribute to be paid by him in such as should be most convenient and satisfactory to him the was greatly embarrassed by this demand knowing the that had been inflicted on the other parts of the island by the of the for gold he that he had been that gold was the great object for which the white men had come to their island and ind l c t life and voyages of that a tribute was paid in it by some of his fellow but that in no part his was gold to be found and his subjects hardly knew what it was to this the replied with great that nothing was further if om the intention or wish of his sovereigns than to require a tribute in things not produced in his but that it might be in cotton and bread with which the surrounding country appeared to abound the countenance of the brightened at this he promised cheerful compliance and instantly sent orders to all his subordinate to sow abundance of cotton for the payment of the tribute having all the requisite arrangements the took the friendly leave o the worthy and his sister and set out for thus by and sagacious management one of the most extensive provinces of the island was brought into cheerful and had not the wise policy of the been defeated by the of worthless and turbulent men a large t have been collected without any recourse to violence or oppression in all instances these simple people appear to have been extremely and meekly and even to have resigned their rights to the white men when treated with gentleness and humanity chapter ii establishment op a chain of military posts of the of the on arriving at found it as a scene of misery and many bad during his absence most were ill those who were healthy complained of the of food and those who	48
were ill of the want of the provisions which had been distributed among them from the supplies brought out a few months before by had been consumed the partly from sickness and partly from to labour had neglected to cultivate the surrounding country and the indians on whom ihey had chiefly depended outraged by their had abandoned the vicinity and fled to the mountains preferring to on roots and in their rugged rather than remain in the luxuriant plains subject to the wrongs and of the white men the history of this island presents continual pictures of the miseries the actual want and poverty produced by the grasping of gold it had rendered the heedless of all the less obvious but more certain and sources of wealth all labour seemed lost that was to produce profit by any process instead of the vol ii life and voyages of soil around them and real treasures from its surface they thought only of mines and golden streams and were starving in the midst of no sooner were the provisions exhausted which had been brought out by than the began to break forth in their accustomed murmurs they represented themselves as neglected by who amidst the and delights of a court thought little of their sufferings they considered themselves equally forgotten by government while having no vessel in the harbour they were destitute of all means of sending home intelligence of their disastrous situation and of imploring relief to remove this last cause of discontent and to furnish some object for their hopes and thoughts to rally round the ordered that two should be built at for the use of the island to relieve the settlement also from all useless and individuals during this time of he distributed such as were too ill to labour or to bear arms into the interior where they would have the benefit of a better climate and more abundant supply of indian provisions he established at the same time a chain of military posts between and the new port of st they consisted of five fortified houses each surrounded by its dependent hamlet the first of these was about nine from and was called la six beyond was four and a half further was and five further fort conception which was fortified with great care being at the foot of the golden mountains of in the vast and and within half a league of the residence of its having thus relieved p martyr d l of all its useless population and left none but such as were too ill to be removed or were required for the service and protection of the place and the construction of the the returned with a large body of the most effective men to the fortress of st the military posts thus established succeeded for a time in the natives but fresh soon began to be manifested excited by a different cause from the preceding among the who had accompanied father boil to the island were two of far greater zeal than their superior when he returned to spain they behind earnestly bent upon the fulfilment of their mission one was called roman pane a poor as he himself of the order of st the other was a they resided for some time among the indians of the endeavouring to make they had succeeded with one family consisting of sixteen persons the chief of which on being had taken the name of the of the however was the great object of their pious labours the extent and importance of his possessions made his of great consequence to the interests of the colony and the zealous fathers considered it a means of bringing his numerous subjects under the dominion of the church for some time the lent a willing ear he learnt the the ave maria and the creed and made his whole family repeat them daily the other of the and of the province of however reproached him and at him for to the laws and of the strangers who were of his possessions and of his nation the complained that in consequence of these and voyages of i evil communications their fancied convert suddenly into his but another and more grievous cause is for his his favourite wife was or treated with outrage by one of the of some authority and the indignant all faith in a religion which as he supposed admitted of such losing all hope of the of the removed to the of another taking with them their indian convert before their departure they erected a small chapel and furnished it with an altar and images for the use of the family of the had scarcely departed when several indians entered the chapel broke the images in pieces trampled them under foot and buried them in a neighbouring field this it was said was done by order of in contempt of the holy religion from which he had a complaint of this was carried to the who ordered a process to be immediately and those who were found to be punished according to the law it was a period of great in law especially among the spanish in spain all in religion all from the faith and all acts of either by or jew were punished with fire and such was the fate of the poor ignorant indians convicted of this outrage on the church it is questionable whether had any hand in this offence and it is probable that the whole affair was exaggerated a proof of the credit due to the evidence brought forward may be judged by one of the facts recorded by roman pane the poor the field in which the holy images were buried was planted he says with certain roots shaped like a or several of which coming up in the of the images were found to have grown most in the form of a cross the cruel punishment	48
inflicted on these indians instead of their countrymen filled them with horror and indignation they had not been accustomed to such stern rule and ferocious justice and having no clear ideas nor powerful sentiments with respect to religion of any kind they could not comprehend the nature nor extent of the crime committed even a man naturally moderate and pacific was highly at this of power within his and this death inflicted on his subjects the other perceived irritation and endeavoured to induce him to unite in a sudden that by one general and vigorous effort they might break the yoke of their wavered for some time he knew the martial skill and of the he stood in awe of their cavalry and he him the disastrous fate of but his heart was full of despair and he beheld in the of these strangers the assured ruin of his race the early writers speak of a tradition current among the inhabitants of the island respecting this he was of an ancient line of hereditary his father in times long preceding the discovery having for five days according to their superstitious applied to his semi or household deity for information of things to come he received for answer that within a few years there should come to the island a nation covered with clothing which should destroy all their customs and ceremonies and should fl de fr roman j and voyages op their children or reduce them to painful this tradition was probably invented by or priests of die indians after the had begun to exercise their whether this had an effect in the mind of to against the strangers is uncertain some have asserted that he was compelled to take up arms by the of his subjects who still flattered themselves with the hope of success and threatened in case of his refusal to choose some other while others have alleged the outrage committed upon his favourite wife as the principal cause of it was probably all these things combined which at length induced the unfortunate to listen to the counsels of his neighbouring and to enter into their conspiracy a secret consultation was held among them wherein it was that on the day of payment of their tribute when a great number could without causing suspicion they should suddenly rise upon the and by some means the garrison at fort conception received intimation of this conspiracy being but a handful of men and surrounded by hostile tribes they were alarmed for their safety they immediately an indian messenger to the at st begging immediate assistance how to get this letter safe to his hands was an anxious question their safety depended upon it the indian messenger might be and the letter taken from him for the natives had discovered that these letters peter martyr d l t ind l c j d l c p martyr d l had a wonderful power of communicating intelligence and fancied that they could talk the letter was therefore enclosed in a reed which the messenger used as a staff he was in fact hut affected to be dumb and lame he spoke only by signs that he was returning to his home and leaning on his staff along with extreme difficulty he was suffered to depart and dragged himself feebly forward until out of sight when he resumed his speed and bore the letter safely and to st the with his characteristic and activity immediately set out with a body of troops for the fortress and though his men were much by scanty fare hard service and long he hurried them rapidly forward never did aid arrive more the indians were already assembled in the plain to the amount of many thousands armed after their manner and waiting for the appointed time to strike the blow after consulting with the commander of the fortress and the other principal officers the his mode of proceeding the places in which the various had distributed their forces he appointed an officer with a body of men to each with orders at an appointed hour of the night to rush suddenly into the villages where they were sleeping to surprise them and and to bind the and bring them off prisoners before their subjects could for their defence as was the most important personage and his capture would probably be attended with most difficulty and danger the took the charge of it upon himself at the head of one hundred men l ind d l c e and voyages op this sagacious upon a knowledge of the attachment of the indians to their and calculated to spare a great was completely the villages walls nor other were quietly at midnight and the rushing suddenly into the houses where the were seized and hound them to the number of fourteen and hurried them off prisoners to the fortress before any effort could be made for their defence or rescue the indians struck with terror and confusion made no resistance nor any show of hostility surrounding the fortress in great multitudes but without weapons they filled the air with and imploring the release of their the completed his with the spirit sagacity and moderation with which he had hitherto conducted it he informed himself of the causes which had led to this conspiracy and of the individuals who had been most two of the the principal of the and who had most wrought upon the easy nature of were put to death as to that unfortunate the ascertained the deep wrongs he had suffered and the with which he had been provoked to revenge he him nay according to he proceeded with stern justice against the whose outrage on the wife of the had sunk so deeply in his heart the extended his also to the remaining of the conspiracy apprehensive that severe measures might incense their subjects or drive them to despondency and induce them to	48
abandon the he held forth to them promises of great and ds if they should continue firm in their loyalty but terrible should they aj kin be found in rebellion the heart of was fl by the unexpected of the tf a speech to his people setting forth the irresistible of the their great to their to such as were faithful and he earnestly them henceforth to cultivate their friendship the indians listened to him with attention his praises of the white men were confirmed in their minds by this great instance of moderation on the part of the when their bad concluded they took him up with transport on their shoulders bore him to his habitation with songs and shouts of joy and for some time the tranquillity of the was restored p martyr d l h ind d l c vol ii life and op chapter m r to to receive tribute with all his and discretion the found it to manage the proud and turbulent spirits of the spanish their to increase and their impatience of any rule they could ill brook the sway of a foreigner who when they attempted to be them with a firm and iron hand don had not the same legitimate authority in their eyes as his brother the splendid reputation of the admiral gave dignity and grandeur to his name he was the of the country and the representative of the sovereigns yet even him they with difficulty brought themselves to obey the however was regarded by many of them as a mere intruder himself into power on the merits and services of his brother and possessing no authority from the crown for such high command they spoke with impatience and indignation of the long absence of the admiral and of his fancied to their wants little aware of the incessant anxieties he was suffering on their account during his in spain the sagacious measure of the in building the for some time diverted their attention they a watched their progress with solicitude looking upon them as a means either of obtaining relief or of the island don was aware that and discontented men should never left to he sought continual means of keeping them in and indeed a state of constant activity was congenial to his own vigorous spirit about this time messengers arrived from of ua informing him that he had large quantities of cotton and other articles in which his tribute was to be paid ready for delivery the immediately summoned a numerous train who gladly set forth with him to this fruitful and happy region they y were again received with songs and dances and all the national of respect and by and his sister the latter appeared to be highly popular among the natives and to have almost as much sway in as her brother her natural ease and the graceful dignity of her manners more and more won tiie admiration of the the found thirty two inferior assembled in the house of awaiting arrival with respective the cotton which they had brought amounted to so great a quantity as to fill one of their houses having delivered this they offered the to give him ai much bread as he desired the offer was most acceptable in the present state of the colony and don sent to for one of the which was nearly finished to be as soon as possible to to be with bread and cotton in the meantime the utmost kindness was on the by these gentle and generous people they life and voyages of brought from all quarters large supplies of provisions and they entertained their guests with continual and the early spanish writers whose heated by the accounts of the and who could not form an idea of the simplicity of savage life especially in these parts which were supposed to border upon asia often speak in terms of oriental magnificence of the of the the palaces of the and the lords and ladies of their courts as if they were de the of the accounts given of however have a different character ind give a picture of savage life in its perfection of indolent ease and enjoyment the troubles which distracted the other parts of devoted had not yet reached the inhabitants of this pleasant living among beautiful and groves on the borders of a sea which appeared for ever by storms having few wants and those readily supplied they appeared from the common lot of labour and to pass their lives in one holy day when the regarded the and sweetness of this country the gentleness of its people and the beauty of its women they pronounced it a perfect paradise at length the arrived which was to be with the articles of tribute it about six miles distant from the residence of and proposed to her brother that they should go together to behold what she called the great of the white men on their way to the coast the was lodged one night in a village in a house where up all those articles which she esteemed most rare and precious they consisted of various of cotton w wrought of chairs tables and other articles of of and other kinds of wood carved with figures an and of household some of clay others of wood all great skill and ingenuity in a people who had no iron tools to work with such were the simple of this indian princess of which she generously made numerous presents to her guests nothing could exceed the wonder and delight of this intelligent woman when sh first beheld the ship her brother who treated her with a fi fondness and a respectful attention worthy of civilized life had prepared two gaily painted and decorated one to convey her and her attendants and the other for himself and his	48
however preferred to with her attendants m the ship s boat with the as they approached the the cannon fired a salute at the sound of this thunder and the sight of volumes of smoke bursting from the sides of the ship and rolling along the sea overcome with dismay fell into the arms of the and her attendants would have overboard in their the laughter and the cheerful words of don however speedily reassured them as they drew nearer vessel several instruments of martial mu ic struck up with which they were greatly delighted their admiration increased on entering on board of the accustomed only to their simple and slight every thing here appeared to be on a solid and complicated and on a wonderfully vast scale but when the anchor was the sails were spread and aided by a gentle breeze they beheld this vast mass moving as it were by its own from side to side and playing like a huge monster on the deep the brother and sister remained life and voyages of gazing at each other in mute astonishment nd seems to have filled the mind of the most savage with more wonder than that sublime and beautiful of genius a ship under sail and the the made many presents to his sister and their attendants and took leave of them to return by land with his troops to showed great affliction at their parting him to remain some time longer with them j f appearing fearful that they had failed in their to please him she even offered to follow him to the settlement nor would she be consoled until he had promised to return again to it is impossible not to be struck with the great ability shown by the in the course of his brief government of the island wonderfully alert and active he made repeated of great extent fi om one province to another and was always at the post of danger at the critical moment by skilful management he had with a handful of men defeated a formidable without any of blood he had the most enemies among the natives by his great moderation while he all wanton by the of signal he had made firm friends of the most important princes brought their under cheerful tribute opened new sources of supplies for the colony and procured relief for its immediate wants had his judicious measures been by those under his command the whole country would have been a scene of p martyr d l d c t v p tranquil and would have produced great i i to the crown without cruelty to the natives but like np hei admiral he was doomed to have his good and judicious arrangements by the vile passions and perverse conduct of others while he ii s absent from new had been there which were soon to throw the whole island into i life and voyages of chapter iv conspiracy of the prime of the present mischief in the colony was one a man who was under the deepest obligations to the admiral raised by him from poverty and obscurity he had been employed at first in but showing strong natural talents and great he had been made ordinary equivalent to justice of the peace the able which he had himself in this situation and w of his great fidelity and gratitude had induced on departing for spain to him mayor or chief judge of the island it is true he was an man but as there were as yet no of law in the colony the office required little else than shrewd good sense and upright principles for its discharge was one of those base spirits which grow in the sunshine of prosperity he had seen his benefactor return to spain apparently under a cloud of disgrace a long interval had elapsed without any tidings firom him he considered him a fallen man and began to devise how he might profit by his he was with an d l c office inferior t to that of the the brothers of were highly he imagined it possible to ruin them both with the and with the government at home and by cunning and bustling activity to work way into the command of the colony the vigorous and somewhat austere character of the for some time kept him in awe but when he was absent from the settlement was able to carry on his confidence don who then commanded at was an upright and worthy man but deficient in energy felt himself his superior in talent and spirit and his self was wounded at being inferior to him in authority he soon made a party among the daring and of the community and secretly loosened the ties of order and good government by listening to and encouraging the of the common n them against the character and conduct and his brothers he had heretofore been employed as of various public works this had brought him into habits of familiar communication with workmen sailors and others of the lower order his originally vulgar character enabled him to himself to their and manners while his present standing gave him consequence in their eyes finding them full of about hard treatment severe toil and the long absence of the admiral he to be moved by their he threw out suggestions that the admiral might never return being disgraced and ruined in consequence of the representations of he with the hard treatment they experienced from the and his j on who being foreigners could take no interest ill welfare nor feel a proper respect for the pride of a vol ii life voyages of but who them merely as slaves to build houses and for them or to swell their state and secure their power as they marched about the island themselves with the spoils of the by this means	48
against any sudden assault had still some hopes that might be to government and might be gradually brought into life and voyages of bis plans or that the garrison would be disposed to desert tempted by the life which he permitted among his followers in the neighbourhood was die town inhabited by here were thirty soldiers under the command of captain de repaired thither with his armed force hoping to and his party but the captain shut himself up with his men in a fortified house refusing to permit them to hold any with the latter threatened to set fire to the house but after a little consideration contented himself with seizing their store of provisions and then marched towards fort which was not quite half a league distant l c cap chapter v the to the in relief of fort conception his interview with the had received intelligence of the proceedings of yet for a time he hesitated to set out in pursuit of him he had lost all confidence iii the loyalty of the people around him he knew not how far the conspiracy extended nor on whom he could rely de of the fortress of la together with de and de all principal men were in league with he feared that the commander of fort conception might likewise be in the plot and the whole island in arms against him he was reassured however by tidings from that loyal wrote to him letters for representing the weakness of his garrison and the increasing forces of the don now hastened to his assistance with his accustomed and threw himself with a into the fortress being ignorant of the force of the and doubtful of the loyalty of his own followers he determined to adopt mild measures understanding that was at a village but half a league distant he sent a messenger to him on the life and voyages of of his the injury it was calculated to in and the certain ruin it must bring upon himself he summoned him to appear at the fortress his word for his personal safety repaired accordingly to fort conception where the held a with him from a window demanding the reason of his appearing in arms in opposition to royal authority replied that he was in the service of his sovereigns defending their subjects from the men who sought their destruction the ordered him to surrender his staff of office as mayor and to submit to superior authority refused to resign his office or to put himself in the power of don whom he charged with seeking his life he refused also to submit to any trial unless commanded by the king pretending however to make no resistance to the exercise of authority he offered to go with his followers and reside at any place the might the latter immediately the village of the the same native of the islands who had been in spain and had since married a daughter of objected pretending that there were not sufficient provisions to be had there for the of his men and departed that he would seek a more eligible residence elsewhere he now proposed to bis followers to establish themselves and take possession of the remote province of the who had returned from thence had given accounts of the life they had led there of the of the soil the sweetness of the climate the hospitality d l c cap i and gentleness of the people their i dances and various amusements and above all the beauty of the women for they had been by the naked charms of the dancing of in this delightful region from the iron rule of tlie and relieved from the necessity of irksome labour they might lead a life of perfect freedom and indulgence and have a world of beauty at their command in short drew a picture of loose enjoyment such as he knew to be irresistible with men of idle and habits his followers with joy to his proposition some preparations however were necessary to carry it into effect taking advantage of the absence of the he suddenly marched off with bis band td and entering it in a manner by surprise endeavoured to the with which they might sail to don hearing the tumult issued forth with several persons of distinction but such was the force of the and their menacing conduct that he was obliged to withdraw with a number of his most faithful into the fortress held several with him and offered to submit to his command provided he would set himself up in opposition to his brother the his proposition was treated with scorn the fortress was too strong to be assailed with success he found it impossible to the and feared the might return and he be enclosed between two forces he proceeded therefore in all haste to make provisions for the proposed expedition to still pretending to act in his official capacity and to do every thing from loyal motives for the protection and support of the oppressed subjects of the crown he broke open the royal shouts of long live the king supplied his followers with arms am vol ii k life and voyages of and whatever they desired from the public stores proceeded to the where the cattle and other european animals were kept to breed took whatever he thought necessary for his intended establishment and permitted his followers to kill such of the remaining cattle as they might want for present supply having committed this he marched in u out of reflecting however on the prompt and vigorous character of the he felt that his situation would be but little secure with such an active enemy behind him who on himself from present would not fail to pursue him to his proposed paradise of he determined therefore to march again to the and endeavour either to get possession of the person of the	48
or to strike some blow at him in his present crippled state that should him from yielding future returning therefore to the vicinity of fort conception he endeavoured in every way by the means of subtle to the garrison to desertion or to stir it up to revolt the had ample information of the of the enemy and of his own personal danger he dared not take the field with his forces no confidence in their fidelity he knew that they listened wistfully to the of and contrasted the meagre fare and stern discipline of the garrison with the abundant cheer and easy that prevailed among the to these he relaxed from his usual treating his men with great indulgence and promising them large rewards by these means he was enabled to cap d l c d some degree of loyalty among his men his service having an advantage over that of as being on the side of government and law finding that his attempts to corrupt the garrison were unsuccessful and fearing some sudden sally from the vigorous drew off to a distance and sought by all means to strengthen his own power and that of the government he asserted equal right to manage the affairs of the island with the and pretended to have separated from him on account of his being passionate and in the exercise of his authority he represented him as the tyrant of the the of the indians for himself he assumed the character of a of and champion of the injured he pretended to feel a patriotic indignation at the heaped upon by a family of obscure and foreigners and professed to free the natives from wrung from them by these men for their own and contrary to the beneficent intentions of the spanish he connected himself closely with the brother of the late whose son and nephew were in his possession as for payment of tribute this warlike he by presents and caresses on him the of brother in fact the unhappy natives deceived by his professions and at the idea of having a protector in arms for their defence submitted cheerfully to a thousand supplying his followers with provisions in abundance and bringing to all the gold they could collect voluntarily yielding him heavier than those from which he pretended to free them ind l c life and voyages of the affairs of the island were now in a lamentable tion the indians perceiving the among the white men and encouraged by the protection of began to throw off all to the government the at a distance ceased to send in their and those who were near by were excused by the that by indulgence he might retain their friendship in this time of danger s daily gained strength they ranged in and at large in the open country cherished by the natives while the who remained loyal fearing among the natives had to keep under shelter of the fort or in the strong houses which they had erected in the villages the were obliged to all kinds of and both from their soldiers and from the indians fearful of driving them to by any severity the clothing and of all kind either for maintenance or defence were rapidly wasting away and the want of all supplies or tidings from spain was sinking the spirits of the well affected into despondency the was shut up in fort conception in daily expectation of being openly by and secretly informed that means were taken to destroy him should he issue from the walls of the fortress such was the desperate state to which the colony was reduced in consequence of the long of in spain and the thrown in the way of all his measures for the of the island by the of and the of and his at this critical juncture when reigned triumphant and the colony was on the brink of ruin tidings were brought to the ind l cap that had arrived at the port of st with two ships bringing supplies of all kind and a strong of f life and voyages of chapter vi second of and flight to the mountains of the arrival of took place on the third of february it was the salvation of the colony the of troops and the supplies of all kinds strengthened the hands of don the royal confirmation of his title and authority as at once all as to the of his r and confirmed the fidelity of his and the tidings that the admiral was in high favour at court and would soon arrive with a powerful struck consternation into those who had entered into the rebellion on the presumption of his having fallen into disgrace the no longer remained up in his fortress but set out immediately for st with a part of his troops although a very superior rebel force was at the village of the only two bow shot distance followed slowly and gloomily with his party anxious to ascertain the truth of these tidings to make if possible among those who had newly arrived and to take advantage of every circumstance that might his rash and fortunes the left strong guards on the passes of the roads to prevent bis near ap f to st but paused within a few of the place when the found himself secure in st with this of force and the prospect of a still greater at hand his feelings prevailed over his indignation and he sought by gentle means to the popular that the island might be restored to tranquillity before his brother s arrival he considered that the had suffered greatly from the want of supplies that their had been quickened by the he had been compelled to inflict and that many had been led to rebellion by doubts of the of his authority while therefore he proclaimed the royal act bis title and powers	48
he promised also for all past on condition of return to hearing that was within five of st with his band le sent who had been appointed by the sovereigns mayor of the island to him to obedience promising him oblivion of the past he trusted that the representations of a discreet and honourable man like who had been witness of the favour in which his brother stood in spain would convince the of the of their cause however conscious of his guilt and doubtful of the of don feared to venture within his power he determined also to prevent his followers from communicating with lest they should be him by the promise of pardon when that therefore approached the of the he was opposed in a narrow pass by a body of with their halt there traitor cried life and voyages of liad you arrived eight days later we all have been one it was in vain that endeavoured by fair reasoning and earnest entreaty to win this perverse and turbulent man from his career answered with and defiance to oppose only the tyranny and of the but to be ready to submit to the admiral on his arrival he and several of his principal wrote letters to the same effect to their friends in st urging them to plead their cause with the admiral when he should arrive and to assure him of their disposition to acknowledge his authority when returned with of s the proclaimed him and his followers that shrewd rebel however did not suffer his men to remain within either the of promise or the terror of menace he immediately set out on his march for his promised land of trusting in its soft regions to every honest principle and virtuous tie of his followers by a life of and in the meantime the mischievous effects of his among the became more and more apparent no sooner bad the left fort conception than a conspiracy was formed among the natives to surprise it was at the head of this conspiracy moved by the of who had promised him protection and assistance and led on by the forlorn hope in this distracted state of the spanish forces to relieve his paternal from the intolerable of strangers holding secret communications with his i d l c it was that they all rise simultaneously upon the who were in small parties in their villages and should put them to death while be with a chosen force should surprise the fortress of conception in the present weak state of the garrison as the indians did not in counting and might make a mistake in the appointed time the night of the full moon was fixed upon for the one of the principal not being a correct observer of the heavenly bodies took up arms before the appointed night he was by the soldiers in his village the alarm was given and the were all put upon the alert the fled to for protection but the full of indignation and despair put him to death upon the spot no sooner did the hear of this fresh than he again put himself on the march for the with a strong body of men did not await his coming he saw that every attempt was fruitless to shake off these strangers who had settled like a curse upon his he found their friendship withering and destructive and he now dreaded their vengeance therefore his and beautiful domain the once happy he fled with his family and a small band of faithful followers to the mountain of this is a lofty chain extending along the north side of the island between the and the sea the inhabitants were the most robust hardy tribe of the island and far more formidable than the mild inhabitants of the plains it was a part of this tribe which displayed hostility to the in the course of the first voyage of and in a with them in the gulf of the first drop of native blood vol ii life and voyages of had been shed in the new world the reader may ber the frank and confiding conduct of these people the the and the faith with which their trusted himself on board of the of the admiral and in the power of the it was to this same named that the fugitive of the now applied for refuge he came to his residence at an indian town near cape about ten west of and implored shelter for his wife and children and his handful of loyal followers the of the mountains received him with open arms he not only gave an asylum to his family but he pledged himself to stand by him in his distress to defend his cause and share his desperate fortunes men in civilized life learn from but their most generous actions are by the deeds of savages who act only from natural impulse ind ap ms p martyr d u l chapter vii campaign of the in the mountains op aided by his mountain ally and by bands of made several into the plain cutting off straggling parties of the laying waste the villages oi the natives who continued in to them and destroying the fruits of the earth the arrival of the put a stop to these but he determined to root out so formidable an adversary from the neighbourhood shrinking from no danger nor fatigue and leaving nothing to be done by others which he could do himself he set forth in the spring with a band of ninety men a i n and a body of indians to penetrate among the wild of the mountains after passing over a steep rendered almost for troops by rugged rocks and the he descended into a beautiful valley or plain extending along the coast and embraced by arms of the mountains which advanced toward the sea his advance into the	48
country was watched by the keen eyes of indian who among the rocks and as the were seeking the ford of a river at the entrance of the plain of these darted firom among the bushes on its bank a voyages of one flung himself headlong into the water and swimming across the mouth of the river escaped the other being taken gave information that six thousand indians lay in ft on the opposite shore waiting to attack them as they crossed the advanced with caution and finding a shallow place entered the river with his troops they were scarcely in the stream when the savages painted and looking more like than men burst from their concealment the forest rang with their and they discharged a shower of arrows and by which notwithstanding the protection of their many of the were wounded the however forced his way across the river and the indians took to flight some were killed but their swiftness of foot their knowledge of the forest and their dexterity in darting and winding through the most tangled enabled the greater number to the pursuit of the who were with and by the advice of one of his indian guides the pressed forward along the valley to reach the residence of at on the way he had several with the natives who would suddenly rush forth from among the bushes discharge their weapons with furious war cries and take refuge again in the of their rocks and forests inaccessible to the having taken several prisoners the sent one accompanied by an indian of a friendly tribe as a messenger to demanding the surrender of promising friendship and protection in case of compliance but threatening in case of refusal to lay waste his territory with fire and sword the listened attentively to the t messenger when he had finished tell the said he that they are bad men cruel and of the of others and of cent blood i have no desire of the friendship of such men is a good man he is my friend he is my guest he has fled to me for refuge i have promised to protect and i will keep my word when the messenger brought this reply or rather defiance the saw that nothing was to be gained by friendly when the success of his required it he was a stern soldier he immediately ordered the village in which he had been to be set on fire and several others in the neighbourhood he then sent further messengers to warning him that unless he delivered up the fugitive his whole should be laid waste in like manner and he would e nothing in every direction but the smoke and flames of his burning villages the unhappy beholding the destruction which threatened to them cursed the day in which had taken refuge among them they surrounded their with urging that the fugitive should be given up for the salvation of the country the generous was he reminded them of the many virtues of and the sacred claims he had on their hospitality he declared that he was ready to abide all evils rather than it should ever be said had betrayed his guest the people retired with sorrowful hearts and the into his presence again pledged his word to stand by him and protect him though it should cost him his he sent no reply to the and lest any further messages might be brought to life and j s si shake the h of his subjects he placed men in with orders to any messengers who might approach they had not lain in wait long when they beheld two advancing through the forest one of whom was a captive th other an indian ally of the they were both instantly slain the was following at no great distance with only ten foot soldiers and four when he found his messengers lying dead in the forest path with arrows he was greatly exasperated and resolved to deal with this obstinate tribe he advanced therefore with all his force to where and his army were at his approach the inferior and their overcome by their terror of the took to flight when the unfortunate found himself thus deserted he took refuge with his family in a secret part of the mountains several of the for to kill him or deliver him up as a offering but he fled to the heights where he wandered about alone in the and desolate places the of the forests and the of the mountains rendered this expedition excessively painful and laborious and protracted it far beyond the time that the had contemplated his men not merely from fatigue but hunger the natives had all fled to the mountains their villages remained empty and desolate all the provisions of the consisted of bread and such roots and as their indian could gather for them with now and then a few taken with the assistance of their dogs they slept almost always on the ground in the open air under the trees exposed to the heavy dew which falls in this climate for three months they were the mountains until almost worn out with toil and hard fare many df them had farms in the neighbourhood of fort conception which required their attention they therefore entreated f since the indians were terrified and dispersed to return to their in the the granted many of them and an allowance out of the scanty stock of bread which remained retaining only thirty men he resolved with these to search every den and of the mountains until he should find the two it was difficult however to come upon their traces in such a wilderness there was no one to give a to their retreat the whole country was abandoned there were the of men but not a human being to be seen or if by chance they	48
caught some wretched indian stealing forth fi om the mountains in quest of food he always professed utter ignorance of the hiding place of the it happened one day however that several captured two of the followers of who were on their way to a distant village in search of bread they were taken to the who compelled them to betray the place of concealment of their and to act as guides twelve volunteered to go in quest of him themselves naked and painting their bodies so as to look like indians and their swords in palm leaves they were conducted by the guides to the retreat of the unfortunate they came secretly upon him and found him surrounded by his wife and children and a few of his household totally of danger drawing their swords the rushed upon them and made them all prisoners when these were brought to the life and voyages of be gave up all further search after and returned to fort conception among the prisoners thus taken was the sister of she was the wife of another of the whose had yet been visited by the and she was to be one of the most beautiful women of the island tenderly attached to her brother she had abandoned the security of her own and had followed him among rocks and in all his hardships and comforting him with a woman s sympathy and kindness when the her husband who tenderly loved her heard of her he was distracted with grief and hastening to the offered to submit himself and all his possessions to his sway if his wife might be restored to the accepted his offer of and released this indian beauty together with several of his subjects whom be had captured the kept his word he became a firm and valuable ally of the large tracts of land and im them with quantities of bread and other provisions kindness appears never to have been lost upon this gentle people when this act of reached the they came in multitudes to the fortress bringing presents of various kinds promising and imploring the release of and his family the granted their prayer in part the wife a household of the but still him prisoner to the fidelity of his subjects in the meantime the unfortunate who had been hiding in the wildest part of the mountains was driven by hunger to venture down occasionally into the plain in quest of food the looking upon him as the cause of their misfortunes and perhaps hoping by his sacrifice to procure the release of their betrayed his haunts to the a party was immediately dis patched to secure him they lay in wait in the path by which he usually returned to the mountains as the unhappy after one of his solitary and excursions was returning to his den among the cliffs he was surprised by the lurking and brought in chains to fort conception after his repeated and the extraordinary zeal and perseverance displayed in his pursuit expected nothing less than death from the vengeance of the don however though stern in his policy was neither nor cruel in his nature he considered the tranquillity of the sufficiently secured by the of the and he ordered him to be detained a prisoner and in the the indian in this important part of the island being thus brought to a conclusion and precautions taken to prevent their don returned to the city of st where shortly after his arrival he had the joy of receiving his brother the admiral after nearly two years and six months absence such was the active and sagacious but turbulent and disastrous administration of the in which we find evidences of the great capacity the mental and bodily vigour of this self formed and almost self taught man he united in a singular degree the sailor the soldier the particulars of this chapter are chiefly from p martyr the manuscript history of l and ind d l c i vol ii j life and voyages c and the like his brother the admiral his mind and manners rose immediately to the level of his situation showing no nor and the sway of sudden and extraordinary powers with he and m of one who had been born to it he has been accused of severity in his government but no instance appears of a cruel or wanton abuse of authority if he was stern towards the he was just the of his administration were not produced by his own but by the perverse passions of others which called for its exercise and the admiral who bad more of manners and benevolence of heart was not more fortunate in the good will and the obedience of the the character of don does not appear to have been sufficiently appreciated by the world it is a portrait that has hanged in the shade but it is worthy of being brought out into the light as a companion to that of hi brothers it is less rich and varied and amiable and perhaps in its but its traits are bold generous and heroic and t with iron firmness and voyages of book xii chapter i confusion in the proceedings of the re at arrived at st wearied by a j g voyage and worn down by both mind and body repose but from the time he first launched upon public life he was doomed never again to taste the sweets of tranquillity the island of the favourite child as it were of his hopes was destined to involve him in perpetual troubles to his fortunes his and fill his latter days with sorrow and what a scene of poverty and had this and lovely island been rendered by the bad passions of a few men the wars with the natives and the of the had put a stop to the labours of the mines	48
and all hopes of wealth were at a m i x of aa end the horrors of famine bad succeeded to those of war the cultivation of the earth been y neglected several of the provinces bad been during the late troubles a great part of the indians h fled to the mountains and those who remained had lost all heart to labour seeing that the produce of their toils was liable to be from them by strangers it is true the great was once more quiet but it was a forlorn tranquillity that beautiful region which but four years before the had found so and happy which seemed to shut up in its luxuriant bosom all the sweets of nature and to all the cares and sorrows of the world was now scene of wretchedness and many of those indian towns where the had been detained by genial hospitality and almost worshipped as beneficent were now silent and deserted some of their late inhabitants were lurking among rocks and some were reduced to slavery many had perished with hunger and many had fallen by the sword it seems almost incredible that so small a number of men restrained too by well meaning could in so short a space of time have produced such wide spreading miseries but the principles of evil have a fatal activity with every exertion the best of men can do but a moderate amount of good but it seems in the power of the most contemptible individual to do mischief the evil passions of the white men which had inflicted such upon this innocent people had likewise a return of to themselves in no part was this more truly than among the inhabitants of the most idle and of the island the public works were unfinished the gardens v and fields they had begun to cultivate lay they bad the om their vicinity by and cruelty and bad rendered the country around them a solitary wilderness idle to labour and destitute of any resources with which to occupy their they quarrelled among themselves against their rulers and wasted their time in alternate riot and despondency many of the about the island had suffered from ill health during the late troubles being shut up in indian villages where they could take no exercise and obliged to on food to which they could not themselves those who had been employed had been worn down by i service long and scanty food many of them were broken in constitution and many had perished by disease there was a universal desire to leave the island and to escape from the miseries which they had created yet this was the favoured and fruitful land to which the eyes of philosophers and poets in europe were fondly turned as the pictures of the golden age so true it is that the fairest that fancy ever devised would be turned into a by the passions of bad men one of the first measures of on his arrival was to issue a of all the measures of the and and his associates that turbulent man had in a manner taken possession of where he had been kindly received by the natives he had permitted his followers to lead an idle and life among its beautiful scenes making the surrounding country and its inhabitants to their pleasures and their passions an event happened previous to their knowledge of the arrival of which threw supplies into their hands and strengthened their power as life and voyages of they were one day on the they beheld three at a distance the sight of which in this part of the ocean filled them with wonder and alarm the ships approached the land and came to anchor the apprehended at first that they were vessels in pursuit of them however who was as sagacious as he was bold that they were ships which had wandered from their course and been borne to the westward by the currents and that they mast be ignorant of the recent of the island the utmost secrecy on his he went on b ard pretending to be stationed in that neighbourhood for the purpose of keeping the natives in obedience and collecting tribute his conjectures as to th vessels were correct they were in fact the three which had been detached by co his at the islands to bring supplies to the colonies the captains being ignorant o the strength of the currents which set through the sea had been carried west far beyond their reckoning until they had at length wandered to the coast of and his followers kept their secret closely for three days being considered a man in important trust and authority the captains did not hesitate to grant all his for supplies he swords and various other while his men dispersed through the three vessels were busy among the secretly making representing the hard life of the at st and the ease and in which they passed their time at many of the had been in compliance with the admiral s ill judged proposition to criminal into to the colony they were the refuse of spanish j towns and from spanish they were the very men therefore to be wrought upon by such representations and promised on the first opportunity to desert and join the it was not until the third day that de the most intelligent of the three captains discovered the real character of the dangerous guests whom he had admitted so freely board of his vessels it was then too late the mischief was he and his fellow captains had many earnest conversations with to persuade him from dangerous opposition to the authority the certainty that was actually on his way to the island with additional forces and authority had strongly on his mind he had as has already been intimated prepared his friends at st to plead his cause	48
with the admiral assuring him that he had only acted in opposition to the injustice and oppression of the but was ready to submit to on his arrival perceived that the resolution of and of several of his principal was shaken and flattered himself that if he were to remain some little time the he might succeed in drawing t em back to their duty contrary winds rendered it impossible for the ships to work up against the currents to st it was arranged among the captains therefore that a large number of the people on board and others most important to the service of the colony should proceed to the settlement by land they were to be conducted by captain of one of the a relative of the admiral and devoted to his interests was to proceed with the ships when the wind should permit life and voyages of and to remain on shore to endeavour to bring the to their on the following morning landed with forty men well armed with swords and but was astonished to find himself suddenly deserted by all his party excepting eight the went off in triumph to the who received with exultation this important of kindred spirits it was in vain that endeavoured by and threats to bring them back to their duty they were most of them convicted accustomed to order and to set law at defiance it was equally in vain that he appealed to and reminded him of his professions of loyalty to the government the latter replied that he had no means of obedience his was a mere of observation where every one was at liberty to adopt the habit of the order such was the first of a long train of evils which sprang from this most ill judged expedient of a colony with and thus mingling vice and with the fountain head of its population grieved and disconcerted returned on board with the few who remained faithful fearing further the two captains immediately put to sea leaving on shore to his attempt at the it was not without great and delay that the vessels reached st the ship of having struck on a sand bank and sustained great injury by the time of their arrival at their destined port the greater part of the provisions with which they had been was either exhausted or de arrived shortly afterwards by land having been escorted to within six of the place by several a y of the to protect him from the indians he had failed in his attempt to persuade the band to immediate submission but had promised that the moment he heard of the arrival of he would repair to the neighbourhood of st to be at hand to state his and the reasons of his past conduct and to enter into a for the of all differences brought a letter from him to the admiral to the same purport and expressed a confident opinion from all that he observed of the that they might easily be brought back to their by an assurance of am d l c c t l c vol ii i life and voyages of chapter of the admiral with the departure op ships for spain notwithstanding the favourable of was greatly troubled by the late events at he saw that the insolence of the and their confidence in their strength must be greatly increased by the accession of such a large number of well armed and desperate the proposition of to approach to the neighbourhood of st startled him he doubted the sincerity of his professions and apprehended great evils and dangers from so artful daring and turbulent a leader with such a rash and devoted crew at his command the example of this lawless at large about the island and living in loose and open could not but haye a dangerous effect upon the newly arrived and when they were close at hand to carry on secret and to hold as it were a camp of refuge to all the loyalty of the whole might be and some measures were immediately necessary to the fidelity of the people against such he was aware that there was a vehement desire among many to return to and that an idea had been v by the that he and his brothers wished to de in the on the island through motives of self interest on the th of september therefore he issued a tion offering free passage and provisions for the voyage to k all who wished to return to spain in five vessels which nearly ready to put to sea he hoped by this means to relieve the colony from the idle and to the party of and to retain none about him but such as were sound hearted and well disposed to the service of the island he wrote at the same time to the and well tried who commanded the fortress of conception him to be upon his guard as the were coming into his neighbourhood he him also to have an interview with to offer him pardon and oblivion of the past on condition of his immediate return to duty and to invite him to repair to st to have an interview with the admiral under a solemn and if required a written assurance from the latter of personal safety was sincere in his intentions he was of a benevolent and disposition and singularly free from all feeling towards the many worthless and wicked men who heaped sorrow on bis head had scarcely received this letter when the began to arrive at the village of this was situated in a delicious valley or of the same name a country well peopled and abundant it was about ten from fort conception and about twenty from st here one of the of the had large possessions and his residence became the head quarters of the de	48
a man of turbulent and mischievous character brought his dis life and voyages of to this place of and others of the drew together there by different no sooner did the hear of the arrival of than he set forth to him was an old and venerable man with gray hairs and a he was loyal frank and virtuous of a serious disposition and great simplicity of heart he was well chosen as a with rash and men being calculated to calm their passions by his to their by his age to win their confidence by his and to awe their by his virtue found in company with de and de three of his principal flushed with a confidence of his present strength treated the pardon with contempt declaring that he did not come there to treat of peace but to demand the release of certain indians who had been captured and were about to be to spain as slaves notwithstanding that he in his capacity of mayor had pledged his word for their protection he declared that until these indians were surrendered to him he would listen to no terms of compact throwing out an insolent intimation at the same time that he held the admiral and his fortunes in his hand to make and mar them as he pleased the indians here alluded to were certain subjects of who had been by to resist the of tribute and who under the sanction of his supposed ind l g authority had engaged in the of the knew that the of the indians was an feature in the government of the island with the queen and the artful character of this man is evinced in his giving his opposition to the air of a of the rights of the suffering other demands were made of a highly insolent nature and the declared that in all further they would treat with no other agent than having had proofs of his and in the course of their late communications with him at this reply to his of pardon was totally different from what the admiral had been led to expect he was placed in the most embarrassing situation every thing around him seemed false and suspicious he knew that had friends and secret even among those who professed to remain faithful and he knew not how far they might have extended their a circumstance soon occurred to show the justice of his apprehensions he ordered the men of st to appear under arms that he might ascertain the force with which he could take the field in case of necessity a report was immediately they were to be led to against the not above seventy men appeared under arms and of these not forty were to be relied upon one affected to be lame another ill some had relations and others had friends among the followers of almost all were to the service saw that a resort to arms would only serve to betray his own weakness and the power of the and c life and b of would completely prostrate the dignity and authority of government it was necessary to therefore however humiliating he had detained the five ships for eighteen days in port hoping in some way to have put an end to this so as to send home favourable accounts of the island to the sovereigns the provisions of the ships however were wasting the indian prisoners on board were and several of them threw themselves overboard or were with heat in the holds of the vessels he was anxious also that as many of ihe discontented as possible should make sail for spain before any commotion should take place on the th of october therefore the ships put to sea wrote to the sovereigns an account of the rebellion and of his proffered pardon being refused as pretended that it was a mere quarrel between him and the of which the admiral was not an impartial judge the latter entreated that might be summoned to spain where their might be his judges or that an investigation might take place in presence of de who was friendly to and of as witness on the part of the he attributed in a great measure the troubles of the island to his own long in spain and the thrown in his way by those who had been appointed to assist him who had the departure of the ships with supplies until the colony had been reduced to the greatest hence had arisen discontent murmur and finally rebellion in one of these ships sailed the father of the venerable historian from whom he derived many of those facts of his history l c he entreated their in the most pressing manner that the affairs of the colony might not be neglected and that those at who had charge of its concerns might be instructed at least not to devise instead of assistance he alluded to his of the the insolent of and entreated th t neither that nor other circumstance m be allowed to prejudice him in the royal favour through the of men he assured them that the natural resources of the island required nothing but good management to supply all the wants of the but that the latter were indolent and he proposed to send home by every ship as in the present instance a number of the discontented and worthless to be replaced by sober and industrious men he begged also that might be sent out for the instruction and of the indians and what was equally necessary for the of the he required also a man learned and experienced in the law to as judge over the island together with several officers of the royal nothing could the and policy of these suggestions but unfortunately one the moral beauty of this excellent letter he requested that for two years longer the might be permitted to employ	48
of the alleged of had been received but that this matter must be to remain in suspense as the sovereigns would investigate and remedy it presently l c life and voyages of this cold reply to his earnest representations had the most effect upon he saw that his complaints had little with the government that the of im enemies were the sovereigns and he anticipated insolence on the part of the when they should discover the little influence he possessed in spain full of devotion however to the success of his and of fidelity to the interests of the sovereigns he resolved to spare no personal sacrifices of com fort or dignity but at any cost to the troubles of the i f island eager to the with therefore he sailed in the latter part of august with two to the port of to the west of st and much nearer to he was accompanied by several of the most important of the colony repaired thither likewise with die turbulent de and a number of his band the he had already received firom the admiral had increased his and he had doubtless received intelligence of the cold manner in which the complaints of the admiral had been received in spain he conducted himself more like a triumphant terms than a seeking to procure pardon by he came on board of the and with his usual e the preliminary terms upon which he and his companions were disposed to first that he should be permitted to send several of his company to the number of fifteen to spain in the vessels which were at st secondly that those who re should have lands granted them to cultivate in place of royal pay that it should be proclaimed that every thing done by and his party had been caused by false testimony and the of persons who desired to injure and who were to the royal service that should be in his office of mayor or chief f s se were hard and insolent conditions to commence with but they were accorded then went on shore and communicated them to his companions for two days the held a consultation among themselves at the nd of which they sent their drawn up in form and in language including all the granted at fort conception with those recently demanded by and concluding with one more insolent than all the r ft namely that if the admiral should fail in the fulfilment of any of these articles they should have a right to together and to compel his performance of by force or by any other means they might think thus the were not only seeking to obtain e i of the past but a pretext for future in case they should again rise in rebellion the mind grows wearied and impatient with and the heart of the generous reader must bum with indignation at this protracted and ineffectual struggle of a man of the exalted merits and services of in the toils of such contemptible surrounded by doubt and danger a foreigner among a jealous people an commander in a island and by the government he was seeking to serve and creating suspicion by his very he knew not where to look for faithful advice or efficient aid or candid judgment he found as it were the d l c t c life and voyages of very ground on which be stood giving way under him he understood that conversations began to be held among his own people they saw the with which the had in the possession of one of the finest parts of the island they now began to talk among themselves of following their example of the standard of the admiral and seizing upon the province of at the eastern extremity of the island which was said to contain valuable mines of gold thus situated every consideration of personal pride and dignity and determined at any individual sacrifice to secure the interests of an ungrateful crown forced himself to sign this most humiliating he trusted that afterwards when he could gain quiet access to the royal ear he would be able to convince the king and queen that it had been and forced from him hy the extraordinary difficulties in which he had been placed and the imminent perils of the colony before it however he inserted a that the commands of the sovereigns of himself and of the appointed by him should be obeyed ind d l c f f f j chapter v made to and his followers de of several of the for spain when resumed his office of mayor i or chief judge he displayed all the to be expected from who had himself into power by means while at the city of st he was always surrounded by his only with the and and having all the turbulent and desperate men of the community at his he was enabled to the quiet and loyal by his he bore an impudent front against the even of himself from office one a lieutenant of the admiral declaring that no one should bear a staff of office in the island but such as he appointed had a difficult and task to bear with the insolence of this ma and that under his to the he permitted many by and to the and prejudices had been awakened against him and by various to bribe as it were the to the performance of their duty to such of the col as preferred to ind c life and voyages of remain iu the island he offered a choice either of royal pay or of portions of lands with a number of indians some free others s slaves to assist in the cultivation the latter was generally preferred and were made out in which he endeavoured as much as possible	48
that he was home a of enemies and false witnesses to his character and his conduct but he bad no alternative to as much as possible their he sent by the same car die loyal and upright to with de to attend to his affairs at court and furnished with the written processes which had been taken relative to the conduct of and his he wrote at the same time to the sovereigns them to inquire into the truth of the late transactions and to act as they thought best he stated his opinion that the which he had signed with the were and void for reasons that they had been from him by violence and at sea where he did not exercise the o e of that there had been two processes relative to the and the having been condemned as it was not in the power of the admiral to them from their that the treated of matters touching the royal over which he had no control without the of the proper officers and that his companions on leaving spain had taken an oath to be to the sovereigns and to the admiral in their name for these and similar reasons some just others rather he urged their not to consider themselves bound to the terms which he had to these men but to inquire into their and treat them accordingly k d l c he repeated the request made in a former letter that a learned man might be sent out as judge to the laws in the island since he himself had been charged with although conscious of having always observed a guarded he requested also that discreet persons should be sent out to form a council and others for however that care should be taken in all these that their powers should be so limited and defined as not to interfere with his ii dignity and privileges he strongly on this point for he felt that his had on former occasions been invaded he observed that he might be but it appeared to him that princes ought to show much countenance to their for without the royal favour to give them strength and consequence every thing went to ruin under their command a sound forced firom the admiral by his recent experience in which much of his own and the triumph of the had been caused by the distrust of the crown and its to his complaints finding age and infirmity creeping upon him and his health being much by his last voyage began p think of his son as an active to share with him in the toils and cares of his station and who being destined as his successor might gain under his eye for the future discharge of his high duties was still serving as a page at court but was grown to man s estate and capable of entering into the important concerns of life prayed therefore that he might be sent out to him as he felt himself much broken and d l c v xi life and voyages of i chapter vi a rival of with a at the western part of the island sent to meet him among the which induced to post his departure for spain has been mon the arrival of four ships at the western part of the these had on the th of september in a r a little below apparently with the design of cutting woods which abound in that neighbourhood and of carrying off the natives for slaves further reports informed him that these ships were commanded by de the same hot headed and bold hearted who had distinguished himself on various occasions in the previous voyages of discovery and particularly in the capture of the knowing the daring and ad r spirit of this man felt much disturbed at his visiting the island in this manner on what appeared to be little better than a expedition to call him to account and to oppose his however required an agent of spirit and address no one seemed better fitted for the purpose than he was as daring as and of a more character an expedition of the kind would occupy the attention of himself and his and divert them from schemes of t chief the large recently made to would be trusted secure present fidelity it more profitable them to be loyal than rebellious gladly he had nothing further to gain by and he was anxious to secure his ill gotten possessions and by public services should for his past he was a vain as well im a bustling man and took a pride in himself well in an which called for both courage and departing firom st with two he arrived th of september within two of the the ships were here he i five and twenty resolute followers well armed and to range the forests he sent five to they brought him word that was on shore several distant firom his ships with only fifteen men who were employed in making bread in an indian village threw himself between and his ships thinking to take him by surprise however was of his approach by the indians with whom the very name of inspired terror from his late in danger he supposed had been sent in pursuit of him and he found himself cut off from any retreat to his ships with his usual he immediately presented himself before attended merely by half a dozen followers the latter began by conversing on general topics he then into his motives for landing on the island particularly on that remote and lonely part without first himself to the admiral replied that he had been on a voyage of discovery and had put in there in distress to repair his ships and procure provisions then demand life and	48
admiral they hailed him as a new leader come to their fancied t in place of who they considered as hav ing deserted them they made complaints ta of the injustice of the admiral whom they charged with from them the of their pay was a hot headed man with somewhat of a spirit and immediately set himself up for a of it is said also that he gave himself out as by government in with to act as or rather of the admiral and that one of the first measures they were to take was to enforce the payment of all due to the servants of the crown it i questionable however whether made any of the kind which could so readily be dis proved and would have tended to disgrace him with the government it is probable that he was encouraged in his chiefly by his knowledge of the tottering state of the admiral s favour at court and of his own security in the powerful protection of he may have also the opinion diligently by those with whom he had chiefly in spain just before his departure that these people bad been driven to by the op of the admiral and his brothers some feeling of generosity therefore it is probable mingled with his usual love of action and when he proposed to all their wrongs to put himself at their head march at once to st and oblige the admiral to pay them on the spot or him from the island the proposition j was received with of transport by of the others made objections quarrels arose a scene of violence and ensued in which several cap and voyages of a were killed and wounded on both sides but the party for the expedition to st remained triumphant fortunately for the peace and safety of the admiral arrived in the neighbourhood just at this critical juncture attended by a crew of resolute followers he had been by to watch the movements of on hearing of his arrival on the coast of on his way had heard of the violent scenes which were taking place and sent to his old de to follow him with all the force he could collect they reached within a day of each other an instance of the bad faith usual between bad men was now evinced the former of finding him earnest in his intention of serving government and that there was no hope of engaging him in their new sought to take him by surprise and cut him off on his ap but his vigilance and prevented them when he heard of the approach of and retired on board of his ships though of a spirit he had no inclination in the present instance to come to blows where there was a certainty of desperate fighting and no gain and where he must raise his arm against government now held forth the doctrine which had so often been preached to himself in vain he wrote to on his conduct and the confusion be was producing in the island and invited him on shore to an arrangement of all alleged knowing the and violent character of his repeated messages and refused to venture within his power he even seized one of his messengers de sup if and landing suddenly at carried another of his followers named de both of whom he detained in irons on board of his vessel as for a certain r a one armed sailor who had deserted threatening to hang them if the was not given up various took place between these two each wary of the address and of the other made sail and stood twelve to the northward to the province of one of the most beautiful and fertile parts of the country and inhabited by a kind and gentle people here he landed with forty men seizing upon whatever he could find of the provisions of the natives and followed along shore and were soon on his traces here in a light swiftly by indians who approaching within hail of the ship informed that since he would not trust himself on shore would come and confer with him on board if he would send a boat for him now thought himself secure of his enemy he immediately a boat within a short distance of the shore where they lay on their oars requiring to come to them how many may accompany me demanded the latter only five or six was the reply upon this de and four others to the boat the crew refused to admit more then ordered one man to carry him to the and another to walk by his side and assist him by this party was eight strong the instant he entered the boat he ordered the to row to shore on their refusing he and his ind l c ms life and voyages of companions attacked them sword in band wounded several and made all prisoners excepting an indian who plunging imder the water escaped by swimming this was an important triumph for anxious for the recovery of his boat which was indispensable to the service of the ship now made of peace he approached the shore in the smaller boat which was him taking with him his principal pilot an and four entered the boat he had just cap with seven and fifteen fighting men causing fifteen others to be ready on shore to in a large in case of need a characteristic interview took place between these each keeping on his guard their conference was carried on at a distance justified his hostile movements by that had come with an armed force to seize him this the latter positively denied promising him the most reception from the admiral in case he would repair to st an arrangement was at length effected the boat was restored a mutual of the men took place with	48
the exception of the one armed who had and on the following day according to agreement set sail to leave the island threatening however to return at a future time with more ships and men waited in the neighbourhood doubting the truth of his departure in the coarse of a few days word was brought him that had landed on a distant part of the coast he immediately pursued him with eighty men in sending by land before he arrived at the letter of to the nurse of prince k place had again made sail and saw and heard no more of him however that departed either to some remote district of or to the island of where he made up what he called his or drove of slaves carrying i er of the unhappy natives whom he sold in the slave mar et of l c vol ii and voyages of chapter conspiracy of and when men have been accustomed to act they take vast merit to themselves for an exertion of common honesty the followers of were loud in forth their unwonted loyalty and the great services they had rendered to government in driving from the island like all ill they expected that their good conduct would be amply rewarded looking upon their leader as having every thing in his gift and being well pleased with the delightful province of they requested him to share the land among them that they might settle there would have had no hesitation in their request had it been his career but he was now anxious to establish a character for to the laws he declined therefore to their wishes until by the admiral knowing however that he had a spirit among these men which it was dangerous to and that their r ity by long indulgence did not admit of delay he among them certain lands of his own in the territory of his ancient host of he then wrote to the admiral for permission to return to st and received b letter in reply giving him many thanks and com d for the diligence and address which he had but him to remain for a time in lest should be yet hovering about the coast and disposed to make another descent in that province the troubles of the island were not yet at an end but destined again to break forth and from somewhat of a cause there arrived about this time at a young of noble family named don de he possessed an agreeable person and winning manners but was rash in his passions and in his principles he was cousin to de one of the most active in the late rebellion of and had conducted himself with such at st that had banished him from the island there being no other opportunity of he had been to to return to spain in one of the ships of but arrived after their departure received him on account of his old comrade de and permitted him to choose some place where he would reside until further orders concerning him should arrive from the admiral h chose the province of at the place where m captured the boat of it was a beautiful part of that delightful coast but the reason chose it was its vicinity to while at the latter place in consequence of the indulgence of he was received at the house of the and of the that woman still retained her partiality to the notwithstanding the disgraceful scenes which had passed before her eyes and the native dignity of her character had commanded the respect even of the which had her province by her late d the k life es of e she bad a daughter named t grown and admired for ber beauty ra often in company witb ber became and his personal advantages soon won the heart of the sim pie indian girl it was to be near ber that be chose as a residence at a place where his cousin de ca kept a number of dogs and to be employed in the chase delayed bis departure discovered the object that bound him to and warned him to from his pretensions and leave the province that was himself attached to the young in beauty and jealous of ber preference of his rival the mother pleased witb the gallant appearance and manners of the youthful favoured his attachment especially as be sought her daughter in marriage notwithstanding the orders of still lingered in in the house of and sending for a priest desired him to his intended bride when heard of this he sent for and re him sharply for remaining at and for at tempting to deceive a person of the importance of by the affections of her daughter the strength of his passion and his correct intentions and entreated permission to remain was he alleged that some evil might be put on his conduct by the admiral but it is probable his true motive was a desire to send away a rival who interfered with his own designs obeyed but had scarce been three days at when unable to remain longer absent from the object of his passion he returned to i i accompanied by or five friends and himself in the dwelling of who was at that time confined by a malady in eyes being of his return sent persons to him with his to orders and to command him to return instantly to the young now assumed a tone of defiance he warned not to make foes when he had such great need of friends for to his certain knowledge the admiral intended to take ofi his head upon this assuming the magistrate ordered him to quit that part of the island and repair to st to present himself before the admiral the thoughts of being banished entirely from the vicinity	48
of his indian beauty checked the vehemence of the youth he changed his tone of haughty defiance into one of humble and appeased by this submission permitted him to remain for the present in that part of the island was doomed to reap the fruits of the mischief he had sown he had and violence into the hearts of his late followers and now was exposed to the at this opposition to his passion meditated revenge he so made a party among the old comrades of who detested as a magistrate the man they had as a leader it was to rise suddenly upon him and either to kill him or put out his eyes was of the plot and proceeded with his usual was seized in the dwelling of the presence of his intended bride seven of his were likewise arrested immediately sent an account of the to the admiral at present to do nothing without his authority and declaring himself not competent to judge a i ufe of in the was at that ink at in the ordered tiiat the should be conducted to the of st these on the part of towards his old comrades immediate in the island when de heard that his was a prisoner and that too by command of his former fa te he was highly exasperated and resolved on vengeance hastening to the old c rebellion he called upon the co operation f the re appointed it was readily yielded they went round together to the various parts of the where their late companions in rebellion had received lands and settled working upon their ready passions and in the cause of an old comrade these men seem to have had an irresistible to was a favourite with them all the charms of the indian had probably their influence and the conduct of was pronounced a interference to prevent a marriage agreeable to all parties and to the colony there is no being so odious to his former associates as a robber or rebel in the service of justice the old scenes of were renewed the weapons which had scarce been up from the recent were again snatched down from the walls and rash preparations were f a b for action soon saw a body of daring and men ready with horse and weapon to follow him on any desperate blinded by the which had attended their former he now threatened acts of greater meditating not merely the rescue of his cousin but the deaths of and the admiral was at fort conception with an force when this dangerous plot was in his very neighbourhood not dreaming of any further men on whom he had such he doubtless have fallen in their power had not intelligence been brought him of the plot by a from the he saw at a glance the perils by which he was surrounded and the evils that were about to burst over the island it was no longer a time for measures be determined to strike which should crush the very head of rebellion taking with him but six or seven servants and three all well armed he set out in the night for the place where the were confiding in the of their plot and the late of ad they appear to have been perfectly came upon them suddenly and by surprise seized and several of his principal and bore them off prisoners to fort conception the moment was critical the was ripe for a revolt he had the of the conspiracy in his power and an example called for that should strike terror into the he ordered to be hanged on the top of the fortress the latter entreated that he might be allowed to confess himself previous to execution a priest was summoned the miserable who had been so hardy in rebellion lost all courage at the near approach he delayed to confess beginning and pausing and and again hesitating as if he hoped by away time to give a chance for rescue instead of his own sins he began to accuse others of who were known to be innocent until at this false j life and and and losing all patience in mingled indignation and scorn ordered the wretch to be flung headlong from the several of the of were condemn to death but reserved in con for the present this sudden act of severity was promptly followed up before the had time to recover from their was taken with several of his rs in his den at and conveyed to the fortress of st where confined the original of this second rebellion de the of the young indian princess these for blows from a quarter which had long been so had the desired effect the seized with don for the most part to their old and retreat they were not suffered to there again and concert new the by pursued them with his characteristic rapidity of movement and vigour of arm it has been said that he carried a priest with him in order that as he arrested they mi t be confessed and hanged upon the spot but the more probable account is that he them prisoners to st he had seventeen of them at one time confined in one common awaiting their trial while he continued in pursuit of the these were prompt and severe measures but when we consider how long had borne with these men d l c t ind l c ms d l l c v y r how much he had and sacrificed to them how he had been interrupted in au his great and die wet fare of the colony destroyed tar their ble and how they had defied his authority and at length attempted bis life we cannot wonder that he should at last let fall the sword of justice which	48
he had hitherto held suspended the power of was now completely the good of the various measures which had taken since his im arrival for the benefit of the island began to appear the indians seeing the of resistance submitted to the yoke many of them gave promising signs of civilization having embraced christianity and in some instances adopted clothing the began to cultivate diligently their lands assisted by the labours of the natives and every thing assurance of settled and regular prosperity considered all this happy change as about by the especial of heaven be expresses this opinion decidedly in one of his letters an instance of those fancies which at times visited his imagination when by illness or anxiety in the preceding winter about the festival of christmas when with war by indian foes and among his people when full of distrust of those around him and apprehensions of disgrace at court he had for a time sunk into utter despondency in the midst of his gloom when he had abandoned himself to despair he heard he says a voice calling to him o man of little faith be not cast down fear nothing i will provide for thee the seven vol ii v and voyages years of the gold are not expired and in that and in all other i will take car e of thee on that very day he adds he received intelligence of the discovery of a v tract of country rich in imaginary pro o divine aid thus mysteriously and given to him still more fully accomplished the troubles and which had recently surrounded him had at length broken away and serene tranquillity had succeeded he now anticipated the prosperous of his favourite enterprise so long the exploring ot t of and the establishment of a in of pearls how were his hopes at this moment a storm had gathered and was about to burst over his head that should him with distress strip him of his honours and render him comparatively a for the remainder of his days t t here to the vow which he made on tt new world and expressed in a letter to the sovereigns that within seven years he would furnish rom the profits of his discoveries thousand foot and five thousand horse for the of the holy and an additional force of like amount within five years afterwards t letter of to the e of prince cap w r and s v j fi book h chapter i at court against to examine into his while had been involved in of difficulties in the island of his enemies had been but too successful in his standing in the court of spain the report brought by of his anticipated disgrace was not entirely the event was considered as near at hand and every e i made to it every vessel that returned from the new world came with complaints and representing the characters of and his brothers in the most odious point of view as new men by their sudden rise from obscurity i to command and insulting in their conduct towards men of birth and lofty spirit oppressive in their rule ip f sob and voyages of tiie people and cruel in their treatment natives the and was urged that they were foreigners who could have no interest in the of spain or the prosperity of f contemptible as urn plea may seem it had a most effect it was even carried to such a that co was accused of a design to cast off all ta spain and to make himself sovereign of the countries he had discovered or to them into the hands of some other power a which however extravagant was to the jealous mind of it is true that by every ship likewise sent home statements written with all the frankness and energy of truth setting forth the real cause and nature of the of the island and pointing out and imploring which if properly applied might have been but his letters arriving at distant intervals made but single and transient impressions on the royal mind which were speedily by the influence of daily and active tion his enemies at court having continual access to the ear of the s were enabled to place every thing urged against him in the strongest point of view while they secretly the force of his they had a plausible logic which they continually used to prove either bad management or bad faith in there was an incessant drain upon the treasury for the support of the colony was this witli the extravagant pictures he had drawn of the wealth of the island and its golden mountains in which he had pretended to find the veritable the source of all the riches of solomon they inferred that he had either deceived the sovereigns by or he had wronged k r r j was totally incapable of the v w government the disappointment of in finding his newly discovered possessions a source of expense instead of profit was to press sorely on his mind the wars by his ambition had his resources and him io he had looked with confidence to the new world for relief and for ample means to pursue bis triumphs s nd he grew impatient at the repeated demands which it occasioned on his scanty treasury to bis on this point every disappointed and man who returned the colony was encouraged in claims pay withheld by or losses in his service this was especially the case with the loose which bad been to free the island from tbey found their way to the court at they followed the king when he rode out filling the mr with their complaints and for their	48
should he find them to them in the government a singular mode of partiality the person chosen for this most momentous and delicate office was don de an officer of the royal household and a commander of the military and religious order of him a very honest and religious man but he is represented by others and his actions the description as passionate and ambitious three powerful objections to his in a case requiring the utmost patience and and where the judge was to derive wealth and power the conviction of one of the parties the authority in is defined in letters from the sovereigns still and which deserve to he noticed for the royal intentions appear to have varied with times and circumstances the first was dated on the st of march and the complaint of the admiral that an and certain other persons had l c vol it i l am s of risen in rebellion against him wherefore letter we order you to yourself of the of the foregoing who and what persons were who ro i j he said admiral and our and for what cause and what and other injuries have committed and of whatever else you find it necessary to inform yourself on this subject and the obtained and the truth known you find take their bodies and their effects and thus taken proceed them and against the absent to the greatest civil and criminal that you find they merit to carry this into effect he was in case of necessity to call in the assistance of the admiral and of all other persons in authority the powers here given are directed merely and in consequence of the complaints of letter dated on the st of may two months subsequently is of quite a purport it makes no mention of but is addressed to the officers and of property of the islands and informing of the appointment of to the government with full civil and criminal among the powers is the following it is our will that if the said commander de should think it necessary for our service and the purposes of justice that any or other persons who are at present in those islands or may arrive there should leave them and not return and reside in them and that they should come and present themselves before us he may command it in our name and oblige them to depart and he thus commands we order that without waiting to inquire or consult us or to receive from other letter or command and without appeal or obey whatever he shall say and under the which he shall impose on our part c another letter dated likewise on the st of may in which is simply admiral of the ocean ea orders him and to surrender the ships houses arms cattle and all other royal property into the hands of as governor under penalty of the to which those subject who refuse to surrender and other when commanded by their sovereigns a fourth letter dated on the th of may and addressed to simply by the title of admiral is a mere letter of ordering him to give faith and obedience to whatever should impart i v the second and third of these letters were and only to be produced if on examination there should appear such on the part of and his brothers as to warrant their being of command this heavy blow as has been shown remained for a year yet that it was whispered about and triumphantly anticipated by the enemies of is evident from the of who sailed from spain about the time of the signature of those letters and had intimate communications with bishop who was considered in producing this measure the very license granted by the bishop to to sail on a voyage of discovery in of the of the admiral has the air of being given on a presumption of his speedy and the same presumption as has already been observed must have encouraged in his turbulent conduct at life and voyages of at length the long projected measure was carried into set sail for st about the middle of july with two in which were twenty five men as a kind of guard who were to serve for a year there were six likewise who had charge of a number of indians sent back to their country beside the letters patent was by a royal order to ascertain all of pay due to persons in the service of the crown and to discharge them and to oblige the admiral to pay what was due on his part so that those people might receive what was owing to them and there might be no more complaints in addition to all these powers was furnished with many blank letters signed by the sovereigns to be filled up by him in such manner and directed to such persons as he might think important to the mission which he was d l c its chapter arrival of at st his violent assumption of the command was still at fort conception the affairs of the after the catastrophe of the of his brother the accompanied by was pursuing and the fugitive in and don x in temporary command at st had in a manner destroyed itself the had pulled ruin upon their own heads and the island appeared delivered from the of violent and lawless men f such was the state of public affairs when on the morning of the d of august two were off the harbour of st about a league at sea they we off and on waiting until the sea breeze which about ten o clock should bring them into port don supposed them to be ships sent from spain with supplies and hoped to find on board his nephew who the admiral had requested might be sent out	48
to assist him in his various concerns a was immediately to obtain information which approaching the inquired what news they brought and whether the son of the admiral was on board life and voyages of himself replied from the principal vessel himself as a sent out to investigate the late rebellion the of the then inquired about the news of the island and was informed of the recent transactions seven of the he was told had been hanged that week and five more were in the fortress of st condemned to suffer the same fate among these were and de the young whose passion for the daughter of had been the original cause of the rebellion further conversation passed in the course of which that the admiral and the were absent and don in command when the returned to the city and it was known that a had arrived to make into the late troubles there was a great stir and agitation throughout the community knots of gathered in every direction those who were conscious of were filled with consternation while those who had real or imaginary to complain of especially those whose pay was in appeared with joyful countenances as the vessels entered the river beheld on either bank a with the body of a hanging on it apparently but lately executed he considered these as proofs of the alleged cruelty of many boats came ofi to the ship every one being anxious to pay early court to this public remained on board all day in the course of which he collected much of the of the place and as those who sought to se h ind l g h ind d l c cure hia favour were those who had most to fear from his it is evident that the nature of the must generally have been to in fact before landed if not before he had arrived the of the admiral was decided in his mind the next morning he landed with all his followers and went to the church to attend mass where he found don the lieutenant of the admiral and other persons of note mass being ended and those persons with a multitude of the being as at the door of the church ordered his letters patent to be read him to investigate the rebellion to seize the persons and the property of and to proceed against them with the utmost of the law commanding also the admiral and all others in authority to assist him in the discharge of his duties the letter being read he demanded of don and the to surrender to him the persons of and the other prisoners with the processes that had been taken concerning them and ordered that the parties by whom they were accused and those by whose command they had been taken should appear before him don replied that what had been had been by order of the admiral who held superior powers to ai r that could possess and without whose authority he could do nothing he requested at the same time a copy of the letters patent that he might send it to his brother to whom alone the matter this refused observing that if don had power to do nothing it was useless to give him a copy he added that since the office and authority he had proclaimed appeared to have no i life and voyages of weight he would try what power and consequence there was in the name of governor and would show them that he had command not merely over them but over the admiral himself the little community remained in breathless suspense awaiting the movements of the next morning he appeared at mass resolved on assuming those powers which were only to have been produced after full investigation and ample proof of the of when mass was over and the eager had gathered round the door of the church in presence of don and ordered his other royal patent to be read him with the of the islands and of the patent being read took the customary oath and then claimed the obedience of don and all present to the royal instrument on the authority of which he again demanded the prisoners confined in the fortress in reply they professed the utmost deference to the letter of their but again observed that they held the prisoners in obedience to the to whom the sovereigns had granted letters of a higher nature the self importance of was at this especially as he saw it had some effect upon the who appeared to doubt his authority he now produced the third of the crown ordering and his brothers to deliver up all ships and other royal property to win the public completely on his side he read also the additional issued on the th of may of the same year ordering him to pay the of wages due to all persons in the royal service and to i compel the admiral to pay the of those u he was this last document was received with shouts by tlie multitude many having long due to them in consequence of the poverty of the treasury flushed with his growing importance again demanded the prisoners threatening if refused to take them by force meeting with the same reply he repaired to the fortress to execute his threats this post was commanded by the same who had once taken refuge among the indians on the banks of the won the affections of the female received from her information of the neighbouring gold mines and had induced his countrymen to remove to these parts when came before the fortress he found the gates closed and the upon the he ordered his letters patent to be read with a loud voice the and to be held up to view and then demanded the surrender of the prisoners requested a	48
copy of the letters but this refused that there was no time for delay the prisoners being s under sentence of death and liable at any moment to be executed he threatened at the same time that if they were not given up he would proceed to and would be for the consequences the wary again required time to reply and a copy of the letters saying that he held the fortress for the king by the command of the admiral his lord who had gained these and islands and that when the latter arrived be should obey his orders ind l c vol ii life and voyages op the whole spirit of was roused within him at the refusal of the all the people he bad brought from spain together with tlie sailors from the ships and the of the place he them to aid him in getting possession of the prisoners but to harm no one in case of resistance the mob shouted assent for was already the idol of the multitude about the hour of he set out at the head of this army to storm a fortress destitute of a garrison and jl j n only in name being calculated to withstand only a y naked and slightly armed people the accounts of this transaction have something in them on the ludicrous and give it the air of an absurd assailed the with great the frail and locks of which gave way at the first shock and gave him an easy admission in the meantime however his zealous applied to the walls as if about to carry the place by assault and to experience a desperate defence the and don de alone appeared on the they had drawn swords but no resistance entered the fortress in triumph and without the prisoners were found in a chamber in irons he ordered that they should be brought up to him to the top of the fortress where having put a few questions to them as a matter of form he gave them in charge to an named de such was the and entrance into office of de he had reversed the order of his written instructions having seized upon the govern sup sup w ment before he had the conduct of he continued his career in the same acting as if the case had been spain and he had been sent out merely to the admiral from his not to ascertain the manner in which he had fulfilled them he took up his residence at the house of seized upon his arms gold plate jewels horses his book and other writings both public and even to his most secret papers he gave no account of the property f thus seized and which he no doubt considered already to the crown excepting that he paid out of it the wages of those to whom the admiral was in to increase his favour with the people he proclaimed on the second day of his assumption of power a general license for the term of twenty years to seek for gold paying merely one to government instead of a third as heretofore at the same time he spoke in the most and terms of saying that he was to send him home in chains and that neither he nor any of his would ever again be permitted to govern in the c sup f letter of to the nurse of prince ft i life voyages t chapter iii summoned to appear before when the reached at fort con of the high handed proceedings of la he considered them the acts of some rash adventurer like since government bad apparently thrown open the door to private he might expect to have his path continually crossed and his by bold or themselves to interfere in the affairs of the colony since the departure of another had touched upon the coast and produced a transient alarm being an expedition under one of the by the sovereigns to make discoveries there had also been a rumour of another hovering about the island which proved however to be the conduct of bore all the appearance of a lawless of some intruder of the kind he had possessed himself forcibly of the fortress and consequently of the town he had issued extravagant injurious to the government and apparently intended only to make par among the people and he had threatened to throw letter of to the nurse of prince himself in irons that this man could really be by government in such measures was to belief the admiral s consciousness of his own services the repeated assurances of high consideration on the part of the and the perpetual granted to him under their hand and seal with all the solemnity that a compact could possess all forbade him to consider the transactions at st in any other light than that of on his authority by some daring or individual to be nearer to st and obtain more correct information he proceeded to which was now beginning to assume the appearance of a settlement several having erected houses there and cultivated the adjacent country he had scarcely reached when an bearing a staff of office arrived there from st the appointment of to the government and bearing copies of his letters patent there was no especial letter or message sent to the admiral nor were any of the common of courtesy and ceremony observed in him in the command all the proceedings of towards him were abrupt and insulting was exceedingly embarrassed how to act it was evident that was with extensive powers by the sovereigns but that they could have exercised such a sudden and apparently capricious act of severity towards him as that of him of all his command he could not believe he endeavoured to persuade himself that was some person sent out to t exercise	48
the functions of chief judge according to the re quest he had written home to the sovereigns and that they r had him likewise with powers to make i and voyages of an into the late troubles of the island all beyond these powers he tried to believe were mere and of authority as in the case of at all events he was determined to act upon such presumption and to endeavour to gain time if the had really taken any harsh measures with respect to him it must have been in consequence of the least delay might give them an opportunity of their error and making the necessary amends he wrote therefore in guarded terms him to the island him against measures especially in to collect gold informing him that he was on the point of going to spain and in a little time would leave him in command with every thing fully and clearly explained he wrote at the same time to the like purport to certain who had come out with he that these letters were only written to gain time he received no replies but while an insulting silence was observed towards him filled up several of the blank letters of which he had a number signed by the sovereigns and sent them to and others of the admiral s enemies the very men whom he had been sent out to judge these letters were full of and promises of to prevent any mischief which might arise from the and so granted by published by word and letter that the powers assumed by him could not be nor his as he himself held superior powers granted to him in letter of to the nurse of prince t d l c by th crown which could no more be in this instance than they had been in that of for some short time remained in this anxious and perplexed state of mind uncertain what line of conduct to pursue in so singular and for a he was soon brought to a decision and de a arrived at and delivered to him the royal letter of signed by ther sovereigns on the th of may in which they commanded him to give faith and obedience to and they delivered to him at the same time a summons from the latter to appear immediately before him this letter from the sovereigns struck at once at the root of all his dignity and power he no longer made hesitation or but with the summons of departed almost alone and for st d l g letter to nurse of prince v i i o life and voyages of chapter iv ant his brothers arrested and sent to spain in chains the tidings that a new governor had arrived and that was in disgrace and was to be sent home in chains rapidly the and the hastened from all parts to st to make interest with it was soon perceived that there was no way than that of his felt that he had taken a rash step in upon the government and that his own safety required the conviction of he listened eagerly therefore to all public or private and welcome was he who could bring any charge however extravagant against the admiral and his brothers hearing that the admiral was on his way to the city he made a bustle of preparation and armed the troops affecting to believe a rumour that had called upon the of the to aid him with their subjects in a resistance to the commands of government no grounds appear for this absurd report which was probably invented to give a colouring of precaution to subsequent measures of violence and insult the admiral s brother don was seized thrown in irons and confined on board of a without any reason being assigned for his imprisonment in the meantime pursued his journey to st travelling in a lonely manner without guards or most of his people were with the and he had declined being attended by the remainder he had heard of the of his hostile intentions and although he knew that violence was threatened to his person he came in this simple and confiding way to manifest his pacific feelings and to remove all suspicion no sooner did hear of his arrival than he gave orders to put him in irons and confine him in the fortress this outrage to a person of such dignified and venerable appearance and such eminent merit seemed for the time to shock even his enemies when the irons were brought every one present shrunk fi om the task of putting them on him either from a sentiment of compassion at so great a reverse of fortune or out of a habitual reverence for his person to fill the measure of ingratitude out to him it was one of his own a and cook says who with front applied to him the as though he were serving him with choice and i knew the fellow adds the venerable bis and i think his name was conducted himself with characteristic under the injuries heaped upon him there is a noble scorn which and the heart and the tongue of the truly great when enduring the of the unworthy could not stoop to the of a weak and violent man like he looked beyond this shallow agents and all his petty tyranny to the sovereigns who had employed him it was their ind l c iso vol life and voyages of and their alone that could wound his spirit and he felt assured that when the truth came to be known they would blush to find how greatly they had wronged him with this proud assurance he bore all present ia silence although he had the admiral and don his power and had secured the yet felt and anxious the with ap armed force under his command was still in the	48
distant province of in pursuit of the knowing his and determined spirit he feared he might take some violent measure when he should hear of the treatment and imprisonment of his brothers he doubted whether any order from himself would have any effect except to the stern don he sent a demand therefore to to write to his brother him to repair to st and forbidding him to execute the persons he held in confinement readily complied he his brother to submit quietly to the authority of his sovereigns and to endure all present wrongs and under the confidence that when they arrived at every thing would be explained and peter martyr as a vulgar rumour of the day that the admiral not knowing what might happen wrote a letter in to the urging him to come with arms in his hands to prevent any violence that might be contrived against him that the advanced in with his armed force but having the to proceed some distance ahead of it was surprised by the governor before his men could come to his and that the letter in had been sent to spain this must have been one of the of the day to j re i c ice the public mind of the kind appears on receiving this letter don immediately t his command he hastened peacefully to st and on arriving experienced the same treatment with his brothers being put in irons and confined on board of a they were kept separate from each other and no communication permitted between them did not see them himself nor did he allow others to visit them but kept them in ignorance of the cause of their imprisonment the crimes with which they were charged and the process that was going on against them it has been questioned whether really had authority for the arrest and imprisonment of the admiral and bis and whether such violence and was the charges in the made by and which was seen and made from it by for his history it is in fact in total contradiction to the statements of and in his history of st p states that the process against was conducted in writing that written charges were sent to him to which he replied in the same way this is contrary to the statements of and the admiral himself in his letter to the nurse of prince john after relating the manner in which he and had been thrown in irons and confined separately without being visited by or permitted to see any other expressly adds i make oath that i do not know for what i am imprisoned again in a letter written some time afterwards from he says i taken and thrown with two brothers in a ship loaded with irons with little clothing and much ill treatment without being summoned or convicted by justice t d l c l c life and voyages of la any case contemplated by the sovereigns he may have fancied himself to do so by the in the letter of instructions dated march st in which speaking of the rebellion of he is to seize the persons and the property of those who appeared to be and then to proceed against them and against the absent with the highest civil and criminal this evidently had reference to the persons of his followers who were then in arms and against whom sent home complaints and this by a violent construction seems to have into an authority for seizing the person of the admiral himself in fact in the whole course of his proceedings he reversed and confounded the order of his instructions his first step should have been to proceed against the this he made the last his last step should have been in case of ample evidence against the admiral to have him in office and this he made the first without waiting for evidence having from the very outset that was in the wrong by the same rule he had to presume that all the opposite parties were in the right it became indispensable to bis own justification to the admiral and his brothers and the he had been sent to judge became by this singular of rule necessary and cherished evidences to those against whom they had the intentions of the crown however are not to be at the expense of its miserable agent if proper respect had been felt for the rights and of would never have been with powers so extensive and nor would he have dared to proceed to such with such i and had he not felt assured that it would not be to the jealous minded the old scenes of the time of were now renewed with and the old charges revived with others still more extravagant from the early and never to be forgotten outrage upon pride of compelling in a time of emergency to labour in the construction of works necessary to the public safety down to the recent charge of war against the government there was not a hardship misfortune abuse or in the island that was not to the of and his brothers beside the usual of oppressive labour unnecessary tasks painful short of food and cruel upon the and unjust wars against the natives they were now charged with preventing the of the latter that they might send them slaves to spain and profit by their sale this last charge so contrary to the pious feelings of the admiral was founded on his having objected to the of certain indians of mature age until they could be instructed in the doctrines of christianity justly considering it an abuse of that holy to administer it thus blindly was charged also with having pearls and other precious articles collected in his voyage along the coast of and of keeping the sovereigns in ignorance of the nature of his discoveries there	48
obvious facts which speak to the feelings of the multitude and the necessity of reflection no one stopped to inquire into the case it was sufficient to be told that was brought home in irons from the world he had discovered a general burst of indignation arose in and its neighbouring city which was echoed throughout all spain if the ruin of ha been the of his enemies they had defeated their object by their own violence there was one of those sudden frequent in the public mind when it i life and voyages of is pushed to an length those of the who had recently been loud in their against were now as loud in their of his treatment and a strong was expressed against which it would have been odious for the government to con tend the tidings of his arrival and of the man ner in which he had been brought reached the court at and filled the halls of die with murmurs of astonishment of his wrongs ignorant bow far they had been by the sovereigns bad to write to them in the course of his voyage however be had a long letter to de la a lady of the court high in favour with queen who had been nurse to prince this letter on his arrival at martin the captain of the had permitted to send off privately by express it arrived therefore before the process of was received it was from this letter that the sovereigns derived their first intimation of his treatment it contained a statement of the late transactions of the island and of the wrongs he written with his usual and energy to the contents would be but to events already recorded some expressions however which burst from him in the warmth of his feelings are worthy of being noted the of worthless men says he have done me more injury than all my services have me speaking of the to which he was subjected he such is the name i have acquired that if i were to build i churches j ind l c they would be called of robbers after relating in indignant terms the conduct of in seeking testimony respecting his administration from the very men who had against him and throwing himself and his brothers in irons without letting them know the with which they were charged i have been much he adds that a person should be sent out to investigate ray conduct who knew that if the he sent home should be of a grave he would remain in the government he that in forming an opinion of his administration had not been made for the extraordinary difficulties with which he had to contend and the wild state of the country over which he had to rule i was judged he as a governor who had been sent to take charge of a well regulated city under the dominion of long established laws where there was no danger of every thing running to disorder and ruin but i ought to be judged as a captain sent to subdue a numerous and hostile people of manners and religion opposite to ours living not in regular towns but in forests and mountains it ought to be considered that i have brought all these under to th ir giving them dominion over another world by which spain heretofore poor has suddenly become rich whatever errors i may have fallen into they were not with an evil intention and i believe their will credit what i say i have known them to be merciful to those who have done them i am convinced that they will have still more indulgence for me who have innocently or by as they will hereafter be more and i trust they will consider my great services the advantages of which are ry day more and more apparent j m life and voyages of when this letter was read to the noble minded and she found how had been wronged and the royal authority abused her soul was filled with mingled sympathy and indignation the tidings were confirmed by a letter from the or of into whose hands and his brothers had been delivered until the pleasure of their should be known and by another letter from de expressed in terms with his humane and honourable conduct towards his illustrious prisoner however might have secretly felt disposed towards the momentary tide of feeling was not to be resisted he joined with his generous queen in her of the treatment of the admiral and both sovereigns hastened to give evidence to the world that his imprisonment had been without their authority and contrary to their wishes without waiting to receive any process that might arrive from they sent orders to that the prisoners should be instantly set at liberty and treated with all distinction they wrote a letter to in terms of gratitude and expressing their grief at all that he had suffered and inviting him to court they ordered at the same time that two thousand should be advanced to his the loyal heart of was again lifted up by this ample declaration of his sovereigns he felt conscious of his integrity and anticipated an immediate of all his rights and he appeared at court in l c t l c or s equivalent tp dollars at the present day m on the th of december not as a man rained and dis but richly dressed and attended by an honourable he was received by their with favour and distinction when the queen beheld this venerable man approach and thought on all that he had deserved and all that he had suffered she was moved to tears had borne up firmly against the rude of the world he had endured with lofty scorn the injuries and of men but he possessed strong and quick sensibility	48
natives of the island then reduced them into classes and distributed them according to his favour or caprice among the the latter at his suggestion associated themselves in of two persons each who were to assist one another with their respective and indians one the labours of the field and the other the search for the only of was life and of to produce large quantities of ore he had one saying continually in his which shows the and principle upon which he acted make the most of your time he would say there is no knowing how long it may last alluding to the possibility of his being speedily recalled the acted up to his advice and so hard did they drive the poor natives that the yielded more to the wn than had ever been pro by the third under the government of in the meantime the unhappy natives red under all kinds of from their little used to labour feeble of constitution and accustomed in their beautiful and lu i island to a life of ease and freedom they sunk under the toils imposed upon them and the by which they were enforced gives an indignant picture of the capricious i tyranny exercised over the indians by worthless many of whom had been transported from the of these wretches who in their own country had been the among the vile here assumed the tone of grand they insisted upon being attended by trains of servants they took the daughters and female relatives of for the r or rather for their nor did they limit themselves in number when they travelled instead of using the horses and with which they were provided they obliged the natives to transport them w n their shoulders in or with others attending to hold of palm leaves over their heads to keep off the sun and of feathers to cool them and that he has seen the backs and shoulders of the unfortunate indians who bore the raw and bleeding from the task when these ar at an indian village they consumed and away the provisions of the inhabitants seizing upon whatever pleased their caprice and obliging the and his subjects to dance before them for their amusement their very pleasures were attended with cruelty they never addressed the natives but by the most degrading terms and on the least offence or the least of ill humour they inflicted blows and lashes and even death itself such is but a faint picture of the evils which sprung up under the feeble rule of and which are darkly described by from actual observation as he visited the island just at the close of his administration had trusted to the immense amount of gold wrung from the miseries of the natives to for all errors and to secure favour with the sovereigns but he had totally j mistaken his course the of his government soon reach d the royal ear and above all the wrongs of the natives reached the benevolent heart of was more calculated to arouse her indignation and she urged the speedy departure of to put a stop to these in to the plan already mentioned the government of extended over the islands and of which was to be the he was to enter upon the exercise of his powers immediately on his arrival by sending home by the return of the fleet he was instructed to inquire j into the late the without favour or partiality and removing all worthless persons from the island he was to immediately the license granted ind l c ms life and voyages of by for the general search after old it having been given without authority he was to acquire for the crown a third of all that was collected and one half of all that should be collected in future he was to build towns and them the same privileges enjoyed by those of spain and obliging the and particularly the soldiers to reside in them instead of scattering themselves about the island among sage provisions there were others injurious and characteristic of an age when the principles of commerce were but little understood but which were continued by spain long after the rest of the world had discarded them as the errors of dark and times the the trade of the colonies no one could carry there on his own account a royal was appointed who was to be the sole merchant through whom were to be obtained supplies of european articles the crown reserved to itself not only exclusive property in the mines but in precious stones and like objects of extraordinary value and also in woods no strangers nd above all no or jews were permitted to establish themselves in the island or to go upon voyages of discovery such were some of the upon trade which spain imposed upon her colonies and which were followed up by others equally her commercial policy has een the of modern times but may not the present tions on trade imposed by the most intelligent nations be equally the wonder and the jest of future ages was particularly careful in providing for the kind treatment of the indians was ordered to the and declare to them that the sovereigns took them and their people under their especial protection they were merely to pay tribute like other subjects of the crown and it wa s to be collected with the utmost and gentleness great pains were to be taken in their religious instruction for which purpose twelve were sent out with a pre ate named de a venerable and pious man this was the first formal introduction of the order into the new world all these precautions with respect to the natives were defeated by one provision it was permitted that the indians might be compelled to work in the mines and in other but this was limited to the royal service they	48
were to be engaged as hired and paid this provision led to great and for under whatever pretext the gained control over the services of the natives they were sure to enforce it to their misery and destruction but while the sovereigns were making for the relief of the indians with that frequent in human judgment they encouraged a gross invasion of the rights and the welfare of another race of human beings among their various on tliis occasion we find the first trace of negro slavery in the new world it was permitted to carry to the colonies negro slaves born among that is to say slaves born in and other parts of spain the children and descendants of natives brought from the atlantic of africa with which a ind l c ms t se en de i en los de la real lo per se ind l c j tt e and voyages ot of the kind had for some time been carried on by the and there are signal events in the course of history which sometimes bear the appearance of judgments it is a fact worthy of observation that the place where this sin against humanity was first introduced into the new world has been the first to exhibit an awful amidst the various concerns which claimed the attention of the sovereigns the interests of were not for gotten was ordered to examine into all his ac counts without undertaking to pay them oflf he was the he had sustained by his imprisonment the interruption of his privileges and the of his effects all the property by was to l e restored or if sold to be made good if it had been employed in the royal service was to be out of the treasury if had appropriated it to his own use he was to account for it out of his private purse equal care was to be taken to the brothers of the admiral for the losses they had suffered by their arrest was likewise to receive the of his and the same were to be paid to him in fu ture he was to be permitted to have a resident in the island to be present at the and marking of the gold to collect his and in short to attend to all his air to this office he appointed de whose he had so well tried in his with and the sovereigns commanded that this agent should always be treated with great respect the fleet appointed to convey to his government was the largest that had yet sailed to the new world it n t of thirty sail five of them from ninety to one hundred and fifty tons twenty four of from thirty to ninety and one bark of twenty five tons the number of souls embarked in this fleet was about twenty five hundred many of them persons of rank and distinction with families that might appear with dignity in his new office he was allowed to use precious stones and other articles of attire which were at that time in spain in consequence of the of the nobility he was permitted also to have seventy two as his body guard ten of whom were with this expedition sailed don appointed as mayor or chief justice j in place of who was to be sent to spain there were of various kinds a physician surgeon and and seventy three married ment with their families all of respectable character destined to be distributed in four towns and to enjoy peculiar privileges that they might form the basis of a sound and useful population they were to as many of the idle and who were to be sent firom the island this excellent measure bad been especially urged and entreated by there was also live stock arms of all kinds every thing in short that was required for the supply of the island such was the style in which a favourite of and a native subject of rank was fitted out to enter part says the fleet consisted of thirty two sail he states from memory however from documents i n part vol ii a i f u and voyages of v upon the withheld from the put to sea on the th of february in the part of the voyage it was encountered by a terrible storm one of the ships with one hundred and twenty passengers the others were obliged to throw overboard every thing was on deck and were completely scattered the shores of spain were with articles from the fleet and a rumour spread that all the ships had perished when this reached the sovereigns they were so overcome with grief that they shut themselves up for eight days aiid admitted no one to their presence the rumour proved to be but one ship was lost the others assembled again at the island of in the and pursuing their voyage arrived at st on the tb of april h ind l c ms h if j chapter iv proposition of relative to the recovery of the holy ft remained in the city of for upwards of nine months endeavouring to his affairs from the confusion into which they had been thrown by the rash conduct of and the restoration of his offices and during this time he experienced the smiles and attentions of the sovereigns and promises were repeatedly made him that he should ultimately be in all his honours he had long since however ascertained the great interval that may exist between promise and performance in a court had be been of a morbid and spirit he had ample food for he beheld the career of glory which he had opened thronged by favoured he witnessed preparations making to convey with unusual pomp a successor to that government from which he had been so and rudely in	48
or and the handwriting appears to be of the same time permit os the sovereigns were under the of j constantly guiding thej r enter in a direction to to the power and glory of the church recent conquest of had been considered a european and had gained to the sovereigns the of catholic it was natural to think of extending their still and up mi the their of spain and their long triumphs over the cross in fact the duke of had made a recent into in the course of which be bad taken the city of and bis expedition bad been pronounced a renewal of the holy wars against the in africa there was nothing therefore in the proposition of that could be regarded as preposterous considering the period and circumstances in which it was made though it strongly bis own enthusiastic and visionary character it must be recollected that it was meditated in the courts of the among the splendid remains of grandeur where but a few years before he bad beheld the standard of the faith elevated in triumph above the of it appears to have been the ofi spring of one of those moods of high excitement when as has been observed his soul was elevated by the contemplation of his a life and voyages of great and glorious office when be considered himself under divine inspiration the will of heaven and those high and holy purposes for which he had been was not singular in this belief it was entertained by many of his zealous and learned the me in the letter written to pi at the command of the sovereigns i see in this a great mystery the divine and providence sent the great st thomas from the west into the east to manifest in india our holy and catholic faith and you senior he sent in an opposite from the east unto the west until you have arrived in the i into the extreme part of upper india that the people may hear that which their ancestors neglected of the preaching of st thomas thus shall be accomplished what is written in and again the office which you hold senior places you in the light of an and of god sent by his divine judgment to make known his holy name in unknown lands de c collection t v a chapter v r preparations of for a fourth voyage op discovery the relative to the recovery of tbe holy held but a temporary sway over the mind of his thoughts soon returned with renewed to their channel he became impatient of and soon conceived a leading object for another of discovery the achievement of de of the long attempted to india by the cape of good hope was one of the signal events of the day following in his track had made a most successful voyage and returned with his vessels laden with the precious of the east the riches of were now the theme of every tongue the trade in diamonds and precious stones from the mines of in pearls gold silver ivory and in silken costly woods and of all kinds the discoveries of the savage regions of the new world as yet brought little to spain but this route suddenly opened to the luxurious countries of the east was pouring in immediate wealth upon was roused to generous by these accounts he now conceived the idea of a voyage in which with his usual enthusiasm he hoped to not merely vol ii i a i and voyages of the discovery of de but even those of his previous according to his own observations in his voyage to and the reports of ther who had pursued the same route to a greater distance it appeared that the coast of stretched far to the west the southern coast of which he considered a part of the continent stretched towards the same point the current which swept the sea most pass be those lands he was persuaded therefore that there must be a strait existing somewhere opening into the sea the situation in which be his strait was somewhere about what is at present the of could be bat discover such a passage and thus link the new world he had discovered with the oriental regions of the old he that be should make a magnificent close to his labours and this great object of his existence when unfolded his plan to the sovereigns it was listened to with great attention certain of the royal council it is said endeavoured to throw difficulties in the way observing that the various of the and the low state of the royal treasury rendered any new expedition highly they intimated also that ought not to be employed until his good conduct in was satisfactorily established by letters fi om these narrow minded suggestions failed in their aim had confidence in the integrity of l c the vicinity de dies as the place had as far west as that place and probably considered the strait as at no great distance beyond as to the expense i tbat while so powerful a fleet and splendid a to to possession of his it would be and ungrateful to refuse a few ships to the of the new world to enable to his illustrious as to his was aroused at the idea of being soon put in possession of a more direct and safe route to those countries with which the crown of was opening so a trade the project also would occupy the admiral for a considerable time and while it diverted him from claims of an inconvenient nature would employ talents in a way to the crown however the king might doubt his abilities as a he had the highest opinion of his skill and judgment as a if such a strait as the one supposed were really	48
vi preface a visit to i shortly after set off f r that capital with an idea of undertaking there the translation of the work r soon after my arrival the publication of mr made its appearance i found it to contain many documents hitherto unknown which threw additional lights on the discovery of the new world and which reflected great credit on the of the learned editor still the whole presented rather a mass of rich materials for history than a history itself there were precious tracts for the mere man of but the sight of papers and official documents is apt to be repulsive to the general reader who seeks for clear and connected narrative these circumstances made me hesitate in my proposed undertaking yet the subject was of so interesting and national a kind that i could not willingly abandon it on considering the matter more i perceived that although there were many books in various languages relative to they all contained limited and accounts of his life and voyages while numerous valuable at i preface vii tracts on the subject existed only in manuscript or in the form of letters journals and public acts it appeared to me that a history faithfully from these various materials was a in literature and would be a more satisfactory occupation to myself and a acre acceptable work to my country than the translation i had dated i was encouraged to undertake such a work by the great which i found within my reach at i was resident under the roof of the american o rich esq one of the most in europe and who for several years had made particular after every document relative to the early history of america in his extensive and curious library i found one of the best of spanish history many documents for which i might search elsewhere in vain this he put at my absolute command with a frankness and seldom to be met with among the of such rare and valuable works and his library has been my main resource throughout the whole course of my i i aft v if viii i d also the ro library of and the library of the college of san two noble and extensive open to access and conducted with great order and liberality from don martin de i received the most obliging communicating various valuable and curious pieces of information discovered in the course of his nor can i refrain from my admiration of the self sustained zeal of that man one of the last of spanish literature who is almost alone yet in his labours in a country where at present literary exertion meets but little excitement or reward i must acknowledge also the liberality of the duke of the and present representative of who submitted the of his family to my inspection and took a personal interest in exhibiting the treasures it contains nor lastly must i omit my deep obligations to my excellent friend don de of prince a gentleman of talents and and particularly in th history of his country and its n ix to his and silent and the m is indebted for much of the accurate information recently imparted on points of early his tory in the possession of this gentleman are most of the papers of his deceased friend the late historian who was cut off in the midst of his valuable labours these and various other documents have been imparted to me by don with a kindness and which greatly increased yet lightened the obligation with these and other incidentally afforded me by my local situation i have endeavoured to the best of my abilities and the time i could allow myself during a in a foreign country to this history i have diligently all the works that i could find relative to my subject in print and manuscript comparing them as far as in my power with original documents those sure lights of historic endeavouring to ascertain the truth amid those which will inevitably occur where several persons have recorded the same facts vol i b them from different points and under the influence of different interests and feelings in the execution of this work i have avoided indulging in mere speculations or general except such as rose naturally out of the nature of the subject preferring to give a minute and narrative no particular that was characteristic of the persons the events or the times and endeavouring to place every fact in such a point of view that the reader might perceive its merits and draw his own and conclusions as many points of the history required explanations drawn from contemporary events and the literature of the times i have preferred instead of the narrative to give detached illustrations at the end of the work this also enabled me to indulge in greater latitude of detail where the subject was of a curious or interesting nature and the sources of information such as not to be met with in the common course of reading after all the work is presented to the public with extreme all that i can safely claim pr xi is an earnest desire to state the truth an absence from prejudices respecting the nations mentioned in my history a strong interest in my sub and a zeal to make up by for the many of which i was conscious w i october op i book i chapter i birth and education of ii early life of in discovery under prince henry of residence of at ideas concerning islands in the ocean v grounds on which founded his belief of the existence of lands in the west vi correspondence of with events in relative to discoveries vii of to the court of viii departure of from and application to other courts book il chapter i	48
first arrival of in spain ii characters of and in of to the court of iv before the council at v further at the court of follows the court in its m contents chapter chapter application to the duke of return to the of la application to the court at the time of the surrender of arrangement with the spanish sovereigns ix preparations for the expedition at the port of book iii i departure of on his first voyage ii of the voyage first notice of the of the needle in of the various terrors of the ly of the voyage discovery of land book iv i first landing of in the new world ii among the iii discovery and of it further of y search after the supposed island of desertion of the discovery of of viii ix transactions with the natives x building of the fortress of la xi of the fortress of la departure of for spain book v i towards the eastern end of meeting with with the natives at the gulf of chapter chapter contents xv chapter ii return voyage arrival at the ni transactions at the island of st s iv arrival at visit to the court v reception of at vi reception of at the spanish court at vii of c at attention paid to him by the sovereigns and bull of preparations for a second voyage of ix bet the courts of spain and with respect to the new discoveries r x further preparations for the second voyage character of de differences of with and book vi chapter i departure of on his second voyage discovery of the islands ii transactions at the island of iii among the iv arrival at the harbour of la disaster of the fortress v transactions with the natives suspicious conduct of vi of the city of of the vn expedition of de to explore the interior of the island of the ships to spain at of de xvi contents ix to the of x excursion of de among the customs and characteristics of the natives return of to xl arrival of at sickness of the colony xii distribution of the spanish forces in the interior preparations for a voyage to i i f ii i p life and ov book l whether in old beyond the reach of history or tradition and in some remote period of civilization when as some imagine the arts may have flourished to a degree on to those whom we term the there existed an intercourse between the opposite shores of the atlantic whether the egyptian legend by respecting the island of was indeed no fable but the obscure tradition of some vast country by one of those of our globe which have left traces of the ocean on the of lofty mountains must ever re main matters of vague and visionary speculation as far as history extends nothing was known of and the islands of the western until their discovery towards the close of the century a wandering bark may occasionally have lost sight of the land marks of the old and been vol i life and v of driven by across the wilderness of waters long before the invention of the compass but never returned to reveal the secrets of the ocean and though from w time some document has floated to the shores of the old world giving to its wondering inhabitants evidences of land far beyond the watery horizon yet no one ventured to spread a sail and seek that land enveloped in mystery and peril or if the legends of the be correct and their mysterious was the coast of or the shore of they had but transient glimpses of the new world leading to no certain or permanent knowledge and in a little time lost again to mankind certain it is that at the beginning of the century when the most intelligent minds were seeking in every direction for the scattered lights of knowledge a profound ignorance prevailed among the learned as to the western regions of the atlantic its vast waters were regarded with awe and wonder seeming to bound the world as with a chaos into which conjecture could not penetrate and enterprise feared to adventure we need no greater proof of this than the description given of the atlantic by al the an eminent writer whose countrymen were the of the middle ages and possessed all that was then known of geography the ocean he the ultimate bounds of the inhabited earth and all beyond it is unknown no one has been able to any thing concerning it on account of its difficult and perilous its great obscurity its profound depth and see at the end of this work article discoveries m ri wi through fear of its mighty and its winds yet there are many islands in it some others there is no who dares to enter into its deep waters or if any have done so they have merely kept along its fearful of departing from them the waves of this ocean although roll as high ms mountains yet maintain themselves without breaking for if they broke it would be impossible for ship to plough it is the object of the following work to relate the deeds and fortunes of the who first had the judgment to divine and the to brave the mysteries of this perilous deep and who by his hardy genius his constancy and his heroic courage brought the ends of the	48
earth into communication with each other the narrative of his troubled life is the link which the history of the old world with that of the new chapter i birth and education of op the early days of nothing certain if known the time of his birth his birth place his are all involved in obscurity and such has been the ingenuity of that it is difficult to the truth from the web of conjectures with which it is judging from the testimony of one of spain by s spanish life and voyages of of his and he must have been bom about the year or several places contend for the honour of having given him birth but it seems satisfactorily established that he was a native of the ancient city of a like has arisen with respect to his more an one noble family has laid claim to him since his name has become so illustrious as to confer rather than distinction it is probable that all of these may have sprung from one common stock though shaken asunder and some of them cast down by the civil wars of italy it does not appear that there had been any nobility in his family within the knowledge of himself or hit nor is the fact material to his fame it is certainly more honourable to his memory to be the object of among various noble families than to be able to the most illustrious descent his son who wrote his history and who a journey to investigate the subject all of the kind it better that his family should date its glory from the admiral than look beyond him to ascertain whether his had been and had kept hawk and hound for i am of opinion he that i should derive less dignity from any nobility of than from being the son of such a the immediate of was poor though and his father being a wool long resident in the city of he was the eldest of four children having two brothers and commonly known as the of los for remarks on the birth birth place fee of see the illustrations at the end of this work t cap ii l i j i m i or as his name was translated into spanish and one sister of whom nothing si known excepting that she was married to a person in obscure life called the family name in italian is it was into by himself in his earlier letters and by others in their writings concerning him in compliance with the usage of the times when latin was the general of correspondence af d that in which every name of historical importance was written the however is better known in spanish history as having altered his name when he removed to spain the principal reason given by his son for this alteration was that his descendants might be distinguished from branches of the family for this purpose he to what was supposed to be the roman origin of the name which he to to it to the tongue from his variety of the name of is retained in the present history as that by which he has been most generally known throughout the world his education was but limited but as extensive probably as the circumstances of his parents would permit while quite a child he was taught to read and write and wrote so good a hand says who possessed many of his that with it he might have earned hit bread to this succeeded drawing and painting and in these he likewise acquired efficient skill to have gained a he was sent for a short time to the great school of learning in here he studied grammar and became well ind l cap ms life and voyages of acquainted with the latin tongue his education however was principally directed to those necessary to fit him for life he was instructed in geography or as it was at that time termed and he had at a very early age evinced a strong passion for science and an irresistible inclination for the sea and he pursued with every congenial study in the latter part of his life when in consequence of the great events which were t about by his agency he looked back upon his career with a solemn and feeling he this early determination of his mind as a secret impulse from the deity guiding him to the and inspiring him with the inclinations which should fit him for the high he was chosen to in tracing the early history of a man like whose actions have had so vast c n on human it is interesting to notice how much has been owing to the influence of events and how much to an of the mind the most original and genius grows more or less out of the times and that strong impulse which considered as supernatural is unconsciously produced by the operation of external circumstances every now and then thought takes some sudden and general direction either some long neglected re on of knowledge and exploring and its forgotten paths or breaking with wonder and delight into some and field of discovery it is then that an ardent and imaginative genius catching the impulse of the day all less gifted takes the lead of the cap f letter to the sovereigns t a throng by which it was first put in motion and presses forward to achievements which spirits would never have to attempt we find in an illustration of this remark the strong passion for knowledge which he so early felt and which gave rise to his after actions was to the age in which he lived discovery was the brilliant path of light which was for ever to distinguish the century the most splendid era of invention	48
in the annals of the during the long night of and false learning geography with the other had been lost to the european nations fortunately it had not been lost to mankind it had taken refuge in the bosom of africa while the of the were wasting time and talent and by idle and the assembled at were taking the measure ment of a degree of latitude and calculating the of the earth on the vast plains of true knowledge thus happily preserved was now making its way back to europe the revival of science the revival of letters among the various authors which the awakening zeal for ancient literature had once more brought into notice were and from these was regained a fund of knowledge which had long faded from the public mind curiosity was aroused to pursue this forgotten thus suddenly a translation of the work of had been made into latin at the commencement of the century by a noble and learned and had thus been rendered more familiar to the italian students another translation had followed by james angel de of which fair and beautiful co life and of became common in the the also began to be after of and i other sa s who had the sacred fire of alive during the interval of european darkness the thus was but limited and feet yet like the of morning light it was full of interest and beauty it seemed to call a new creation into existence and broke with all the charm of wonder upon imaginative minds were surprised at their own ignorance of the world around every step seemed discovery for every region beyond native country was in a such was the stale of and feeling with respect to this interesting science in the early part of the i century an interest still more intense was awakening i h ch i er appear to themselves who from having to contend at then very with and acquire an to encounter and a facility to difficulties throughout their career such men learn to effect great purposes with small means supplying this deficiency by the resources of their own energy and invention this from his earliest commencement throughout the whole of his life was one of the remarkable features in the history of in every undertaking the and rent of his means the grandeur of his life and voyages of chapter il early life of left the university of while yet extremely young and returned to his father s house in it has been asserted by a contemporary writer in his annals of that republic and repeated by other that he for some time in following his father s trade of wool the assertion is indignantly contradicted by his son who however gives us no information to supply its the generally received is that he immediately entered into life for which he had been educated and to which he was prompted by his and disposition he says himself that he began to at fourteen years of age in a city the sea has irresistible attractions for a youth of ardent curiosity and his imagination pictures forth every thing fair and desirable beyond its waters also walled and on the land side by rugged mountains yielded but little scope for on shore while an and widely extended commerce visiting every country de c t a de t t c t c h and a marine in every sea naturally led forth her children upon the waves as their element in his history of speaks of the of its youth to wander abroad in quest of fortune with the intention of returning to their native place but that of twenty who thus departed scarce two returned either dying or marrying in other countries or being by the tempest of civil which distracted the republic the life of the in those days was made up of voyages and daring even a commercial expedition resembled a warlike and the merchant had often to fight way from port to port was almost the ire between the italian states tlie of the the fitted out by private who exercised a kind of in their own and kept petty armies and in their pay the ships and of private a kind of naval sometimes employed by hostile sometimes the seas in search of lawless these with the holy war continually against the powers rendered the narrow seas to which was principally confined scenes of the most hardy and trying such was the rugged school in which wai reared and it would have been deeply interesting to have marked the early development of his genius amidst its stem surrounded by the hardships and which beset a poor adventurer in a life he seems ever to have cherished a of y tone of thought and do l id life and voyages ov lo have liis nation schemes of glorious the severe and varied lessons of his youth gave him practical knowledge that of resource tliat and self for which he was afterwards remarkable in this way the fruits of r are turned to by a vigorous genius and an mind all this instructive era of his history however is covered with darkness his son who could have best it has left it in obscurity or has now and then perplexed us with cross perhaps unwilling from a principle of mistaken pride to reveal the and obscurity from which his father so emerged a and scattered anecdotes are all that exist but they are interesting as giving glimpses of the and adventurous life he must have led the first voyage in which we have any account of his was at that time under the protection or rather the sovereign of france and her ships and ci being engaged in the of that were identified the french marine the names of these two sea captains vaguely in history from time to time daring the obscure part of the	48
career of have caused much perplexity to some of his who have supposed that they the with these he sailed on several occasions and a considerable length of time and he is said to have embarked with the uncle in the expedition against there is no authority for this latter fact among the who were his none of whom indeed give any particulars of his early biography but it has been repeatedly affirmed by later writers and circumstances to give weight to the assertion it is established that he at one time held a separate command in the service of this king of and was employed in a hardy enterprise to cat out a from the port of this is incidentally mentioned by himself in one of his letters to and written many years afterwards it happened to me he says that king whom god has taken to himself seat me to to capture the and when i arrived off the island of st in i was informed that there were two ships and a with the by which intelligence my crew were so troubled that they determined to proceed no further but to return to for another vessel and more people v p c t tide illustrations article the j cap and voyages of as i could not by any means compel them i assented to their wishes the point of the compass and spreading all sail it as then evening and next morning we were the cape of while all were firmly of opinion that they were sailing toward we have no further record of this bold but we behold in it strong indications of that and spirit which him success in his more important his expedient to a discontented crew by deceiving them with respect to the ship s course is in with t ie of the reckoning to which he had recourse for the same purpose in his first voyage of discovery the struggle of john of duke of for the crown of lasted about four years with varied fortune but was finally unsuccessful the part of his expedition in which it is presumed was frequently engaged distinguished itself by and at one time when the duke was reduced to take refuge in the island of a handful of and controlled the bay of there is an interval of many years during which we have but one or two shadowy traces of he is supposed to have been principally engaged in the and up the sometimes in voyages of commerce sometimes in warlike between the italian states sometimes in pious and against the mention is made on his own authority of his having been at the island of where he saw the mode cap t see illustrations article expedition of john of is of certain late authors imagine that they have discovered proofs of his having enjoyed an import ant in the marine of his native country in his of a report that was in captain of several ships in the vice of louis xl of france and that he attacked and took two spanish as a for the having made an into on account of which sang addressed a letter of remonstrance to the french also in his of a letter found in the of written in by two illustrious gentlemen on their return from stating that in the previous year when the fleet was stationed ofi to guard the island a commanded by one brushed by them shouting san the war cry of and were permitted to pass without the being then at the mentioned in these two was in all probability the old admiral of that name who according to and other commanded about that time a with which he the king of to the coast of france as often sailed under his flag he may have been with him on these occasions the last trace of during this obscure period of his life is given by his son who him a distinguished share in a naval of the younger nephew to the old admiral just mentioned who he cap f sup to vol article x no u like am was a famous so for his deeds the that the mothers used to frighten their children with his name this hold having heard of four richly laden on their return voyage from them with his on the coast between and cape st a desperate engagement took the vessels each other and the fought hand to hand and from ship to ship the battle lasted from morning until evening with great on both sides the vessel commanded by wag engaged with a huge they threw and fiery and the was wrapped in flames the were fastened together by chain and irons and could not be separated both were involved in one and soon became a mere blazing mass the threw themselves into the sea way of for the error without the cf historian is to presume that may have confounded some other action in which his father was concerned with this which he found recorded without date by waving therefore as somewhat this romantic and arrival of on the shores of we shall find in the great in whidi that kingdom was engaged at the time ample attractions for m person of his character and pursuits for this purpose however it is necessary to cast a glance over historical events connected with discovery which rendered at that moment the great resort of men skilled in and science from all parts of the world vol ii life and voyages of chapter m of discovery under prince henry of the career of modem bad before tbe time of and the atlantic of ca were at that period the scenes of some have attributed its to an incident said to have occurred in the century an englishman of the name of flying to france with a lady of whom he was was driven	48
atlantic was yet in its infancy and however some have ventured a way upon it still looked with distrust upon a boisterous expanse which appeared to have no opposite shore in their voyages they still kept close to the coast fearful of venturing out of sight of land marks which guided their timid every bold head land and far stretching was a wall to bar their progress they crept along the shores and thought they bad accomplished a wonderful expedition when they had ventured a few degrees beyond the straits of cape non the termination of ancient enterprise was long the li of their daring they hesitated to double its rocky point h by a sun a of fire where the very waves which beat upon the shores boiled under tbe intolerable of the heavens to these errors and to give a scope to equal to the of his designs prince henry in tbe aid of science be established a naval college and erected an at and invited thither the most eminent professors of tbe faculties as president james of a man learned io and skilful in making and instruments the of this establishment were soon all that was known relative to geography and was gathered together and reduced to system a vast improvement took place in maps the compass was also brought into more general use especially among tbe rendering tbe more bold and by him to in the most day and in the darkest night encouraged by these advantages and stimulated by tbe of prince henry the marine became for the of its and the extent of its discoveries cape bt was doubted the region of the penetrated and of its terrors the greater part of the african coast cape to cape de and the cape de and islands which lay hundred distant from the continent were rescued from the empire of tbe ocean to secure the quiet and full enjoyment of his discoveries henry obtained tbe protection of a bull to the crown of sovereign authority over all the lands it might discover in the atlantic to india in with indulgence to all who should die in these s life and voyages of at the same time menacing with the terrors of the church all who should interfere in these christian henry died on the th of november without the great object of his ambition it was not until many years afterwards that de pursuing with a fleet the track he had pointed out realized his by the cape of good hope sailing along the southern coast of india and thus opening a highway for commerce to the regions of the east henry however lived long enough to reap some of the richest rewards of a great and good mind he be held through his means his native country in a grand and ac career of prosperity the discoveries of e were the theme of wonder and admiration of the century and from being one of the least among nations suddenly rose to be one of the most important all this was not by arms but by arts not by the of a cabinet but by the wisdom of a college it was the great achievement of a prince who has well been described full of thoughts of lofty enterprise and acts of generous spirit one who bore for his device the motto the talent to do good the only talent worthy the ambition of henry at his death left it in charge to his country to pro the route to india he had formed companies and associations by which commercial zeal was in the cause and it was made a matter of interest and competition to individuals from time to time was de ii t do asia x des t l ft thrown into a tumult of excitement by the forth of some new expedition or the return of a with accounts of new and new vi ted every thing was confident promise and sanguine anticipation the miserable of the african coast were into powerful nations and ihe continually heard of tt ent countries farther on it was as yet the twilight of knowledge imagination went hand in hand with discovery and as the latter its slow and cautious way the former peopled all beyond with the fame of the discoveries and of the continually fitting out drew the attention of the world strangers from all parts the learned the curious and the to to inquire into tlie or to in the advantages of these among these was whether thrown there as has been asserted by the result of a desperate adventure or drawn by liberal and the pursuit of honourable fortune i and ov chapter iv residence of at ideas concerning islands in the ocean arrived at about the year he was at that time in the full vigour of manhood and of an engaging presence minute descriptions are given of his person by his son by and others of his according to these accounts he tall well formed muscular and of an elevated and dignified his was long and neither full nor meagre his complexion fair and and inclined to ruddy his nose his cheek bones were rather high his eyes light grey and apt to his whole countenance had an air of authority his hair in his youthful days was of a light colour but care and trouble according to soon turned it grey and at thirty years of age it was quite white he was moderate and simple in diet and apparel eloquent in discourse engaging and with strangers and of an and in domestic life that strongly attached his household to his person his temper was naturally but he subdued it by the of his spirit himself with a courteous and cap ind l c ms t hut l gentle gravity and never indulging in of language his life be was noted for a strict attention to e offices	48
islands from the west in the description of which thought he recognized the immense said by to grow in india information is likewise noted given him by the inhabitants of the of trunks of huge pine trees of a kind that did not grow upon any of those islands to their shores by the winds but especially of the bodies of two dead men cast upon the island of whose features from those of any known race of people to ii added the report of a of p ht st mary that he had seen land to the west in the course of a voyage to ireland which the ship s company for some extreme part of other stories of a k d are noted as well as of the fancied islands of st and of the seven cities to which last as has been already observed gave but little faith such is an abstract of the grounds on which according to his proceeded one to another until he came to the conclusion that there was land in the western part of the ocean that it was that it was fertile and finally that it was inhabited it is evident that several of the facts must have become known to after he had formed his opinion and merely served to strengthen it still every thing tliat throws any light upon the progress of thought which led to so great an event is of the highest interest and the of here furnished though not perhaps the most logical in its yet being extracted from the papers of himself remains one of the most interesting documents in the of the human mind on considering this statement it is apparent that the grand which induced to his was that placed under the first head namely that the most eastern part of asia known to the could not be separated from the by more than a third of the of the globe that the intervening pace must in a great measure be filled up by the unknown of asia and that as the of the world was less than was generally supposed the shores could easily be attained by a moderate voyage to the west j h a d voyages of it is similar how the of this great depended upon two happy errors the imaginary extent of asia to the east and the supposed of the f both errors of the most learned and profound but without which would hardly have upon his enterprise as to the idea of finding land by sailing directly to the west familiarity has rendered it so simple and obvious as to with some the merits of the first conception and the of the first attempt but in those days as has well been observed the of the earth was yet unknown no one could tell whether the ocean were not of immense extent impossible to be traversed nor were the laws of specific gravity and of central ascertained by which the of the earth the possibility of making the tour of it would be manifest the therefore of finding land by sailing to the west was one of those mysteries of nature which are considered incredible while matters of mere speculation but the simplest things imaginable when they have once been ascertained when had formed his theory it is singular the firmness with which it became fixed in his mind and the effect it produced upon his character and conduct he never spoke in doubt or hesitation but with as much certainty as if his eyes had beheld the promised land no trial nor disappointment could afterwards divert him from the steady pursuit of his object a deep religious sentiment mingled with his meditations and gave them at times a tinge of superstition but it was of a sublime and lofty kind he npon himself as standing in the hand of heaven t note sur la de de chosen from among for the accomplishment of its high he read as he his contemplated discover foretold in holy writ and forth darkly in a revelations of tlie the ends of the earth to be brought together and au nations and and united under the of the this was to be the triumphant of his bringing the remote and re of the earth into with europe carrying the light the true faith into and pagan lands and gather ing their countless nations under the holy dominion of the the nature of his gave an elevation to his spirit and a dignity and to his whole he conferred with sovereigns almost with a of his views were and unbounded his proposed discovery was of his were magnificent nor would he ever even after long repeated disappointments and under the of actual what aj to be extravagant demands for a mere possible discovery those who could not conceive how an and comprehensive genius could arrive by evidence at so firm a conviction sought for other modes of for it when tlie glorious result had established the of the opinion of attempts were made to prove that he had previous information of tl e lands which he pretended to discover among these was an idle of a tempest pilot to have died in his home written accounts of an unknown land in the west upon be had been driven by adverse this story according to had no other foundation than one of the popular tales about the shadowy at a j r life and voyages of r st which a captain from guinea fancied he had beheld beyond for a time in idle rumour altered and shaped to suit their purpose by such as sought to the glory of co at length it found its way into print and has h ff echoed by various varying with every and full of and an assertion has also been made that wag pre in his by martin a contemporary er it was	48
said had landed accidentally on the coast of south america in the course of an expedition and that it was with the assistance of a map or globe projected by on which was laid down the newly discovered country that made his voyage this rumour originated in an absurd of a latin manuscript and was by any documents yet it has had its circulation and has even been revived not many years since with more zeal than discretion but is now completely and put to rest the land visited was the coast of africa beyond the the globe he projected was finished in while was absent on his first voyage it contains no trace of the new world and thus proof tliat its existence was yet unknown to there is a certain spirit which in the garb of learned goes about the traces of casting down its monuments and and its fairest care should be taken to great names from such it one of the see illustrations article rumour concerning the pilot who died in the house of t sec illustrations article purpose of that of o human genius and enterprise may for this purpose pains hav been taken in the to the of idea in the mind of to show that it ae conception of his by the of age and aided by nose of knowledge y upon life and of chapter correspondence of with events in relative to as early as had conceived the design of seeking a western route to india though as yet it lay crude and in his mind this appears from the correspondence already mentioned with the learned of which took place in the summer of that year the letter of is in reply to one from and the design which he had expressed of making a voyage to the west to more clearly the facility of arriving at india in that direction he sent him a map projected partly according to and partly according to the descriptions of the the eastern coast of asia was depicted in front of the western of africa and europe with a moderate space of ocean between them in which were placed at convenient distances and the other islands was greatly animated by the letter and of who was considered one of the of the day he appears to this map by which sailed on his first voyage of discovery cap he had in his sion at the time of writing his history it is greatly to be regretted that so interesting a document should be lost it may yet exist amidst the lumber of some of the spanish few documents of mere curiosity would be precious t li ve the work of which had been translated into languages and existed in in most this gives marvellous of the riches of the of and or since ascertained to be northern and china on the coast of which according to the m of a sailing directly west would be to arrive he describes in terms the power and grandeur of the sovereign of these the great of and the splendour and magnitude of bis of and and the wonders of the island of or supposed to be this island ne places opposite five hundred in the ocean he represents it as bounding in gold precious stones and other choice objects of commerce with a monarch whose palace was covered with plates of gold as in other countries palaces are covered with lead the of this traveller were by many considered bnt though they are of splendid they have since been found to be correct they are thus particularly noted from the influence they had over the imagination of the work of is a key to many parts of his history in his to the various courts he represented the countries he expected to discover as those regions of wealth which the had the of the were the objects of in all his voyages j and in his among the he was continually flattering himself the hopes of arriving at the island of g and the of and a more particular account of and his writings given among th life and voyages of while the of attempting the discovery in the west was in the mind of he made a voyage to t he north of europe of this we have no other memorial than the following passage extracted by his son from one of his letters in the year in february i one hundred beyond the southern part of which is degrees distant from the and not as some pretend neither is it situated within the line which the west of but is much more the english principally those of go with their to this island which is as large as england when i was there the sea was not and the tides were so great as to rise and fall twenty six the island thus mentioned as is generally sup posed to have been which is far to the west of the of the as laid down on the map of nothing more is known of this voyage in which we dis cover indications of his ardent and impatient desire to break away from the limits of the old world and into die unknown regions of the ocean several more years elapsed without any decided effort on the part of to carry his design into execution he was too poor to fit out the necessary for so important an expedition indeed as he expected to find vast and heathen countries to any lawful he considered it an only to be undertaken in the employ of some sovereign state which could assume over tbe he might discover and reward him with and privileges to bis vices c during the latter part of the reign of of was too little in the cause of b to make it probable that a of the kind would be	48
listened to the monarch was too engrossed with the wars with spain for the of the princess to the crown of to engage in peaceful of an expensive nature the public also was not prepared so perilous an notwithstanding the many voyages which had been made to the coast of africa and the b islands and that the compass had been introduced into more general use was still with and rarely ventured far out of sight of land discovery advanced slowly along the of africa and the feared to far into the southern with the stars of which they were totally to men the project of a voyage directly westward into the midst of that boundless waste to seek some visionary land appeared as extravagant as it would at the present day to forth in a into the regions of space in quest of some distant star the time however was at hand that was to extend the powers he era was to the quick advancement of knowledge the recent invention of the art of enabled men to communicate rapidly and their ideas and discoveries it drew forth learning from and and brought it familiarly to the reading desk of the student tracts of information which before had existed only in costly carefully up and kept out of the reach of tlie ii scholar and obscure artist were now in every hand there was to be no in knowledge nor any pause in its career every step in advance was immediately and simultaneously and widely recorded ii life and of in a thousand forms and fixed for ever could never again be a dark age nations might shut their eyes to the light and lit in wilful darkness but they could not it out it would shine on to happier parts of the world by the powers of the press at this juncture a monarch ascended the throne of of different from john ii had the passion for discovery from his grand uncle prince henry and with his reign all its activity revived his first care was to build a fort at st george de la on the coast of guinea to protect the trade carried on in that neighbourhood for gold ivory and slaves the african discoveries had conferred great glory upon but as yet they had produced more expense than profit the accomplishment of the route to india however it was expected would repay all their cost and toil and open a source of wealth to the nation the project of prince henry which had now been for half a century had excited an eager curiosity about the remote parts of asia and had revived all the accounts true and of travellers beside the marvellous work of already mentioned there was the narrative of ben of a celebrated spanish jew who had set out from in to visit the scattered of the hebrew tribes wherever dispersed over the face of the earth wandering with zeal on this pious errand over most parts of the known world he penetrated into china and passed thence into the southern islands of asia voyages en tom the work of of written in hebrew was so much in tliat the translation went through at least sixteen b let l c j t there were die of and two the one in the in by pope innocent iv as for the purpose of the grand of and the journal of william or a celebrated bent on a similar errand in by ix of then on his into these but had proved but the curious of them which remained when thus revived in the century served to the public curiosity respecting the remote parts of asia in these we first find mention made of the renowned john an imaginary christian king said to bold sway in a remote part of the east who was long an object of and but whose kingdom seemed to shift ite in the tale traveller and to vanish from the search as as the island of st all tlie and dreamy concerning this shadowy and his oriental realm were in it was fancied that traces of his empire were discovered in the interior of africa to the east ei where there was a prince who used a among his of john ii partook largely of the popular excitement produced by these in the early part of his reign he actually sent visionary in quest of john to visit whose became the romantic desire of many a ous the magnificent idea he had formed of the remote parts of the east made him extremely j bat the splendid project of prince henry should be realized and that the flag should penetrate to the indian seas im patient of the with which his advanced along and of the life and voyages of every cape and presented to he called in the aid of science to devise some means by which greater scope and certainty might be given to his two and joseph the latter a jew the most able and of his kingdom together with the celebrated martin entered into a learned consultation on the subject the result of their and labours was the application of the to the seaman by the of the sun to ascertain his distance from the this instrument has since been improved and modified into the modem of which even at its first introduction it possessed all the essential advantages it is impossible to describe the produced upon by thi invention it cast it loose at once fi m its long bondage to the land and set it free to the deep science had thus prepared guides for discovery across the ocean instead of the shores like the ancient and when driven from the land groping his way back in doubt and apprehension by the uncertain guidance of the stars the modem might adventure boldly into unknown seas confident of being able to his course by means	48
of the compass the should he find no distant port asia l c p rt mb ii f r it r chapter of to the court op the application of the to was one of those events which seem to have something in them it was the one thing wanting to an intercourse across the deep and it the enterprise of of that character which was so great an obstacle to its accomplishment it was immediately af ter this event that he proposed his voyage of discovery to the crown of this is his first proposition of which we have any clear and record although it has been strongly asserted that he made one at an earlier period to his native country the court of had shown extraordinary liberality in most of those who had made discoveries in her service had been appointed to the government of the islands and countries which they had discovered although many of them were foreigners by birth encouraged by this liberality and by the anxiety evinced by king john ii to accomplish a passage by sea to india an audience of that monarch he proposed in case the king would furnish him with ships and men to undertake a shorter and more direct route to india than that which they were seeking his plan wa to strike directly to the west across the u life and voyages op he then unfolded his with respect to tlie extent of asia describing also the immense riches of the island of the first land at which he to arrive of this audience we have two accounts written in somewhat of an opposite spirit one by his son the other by de the it is curious to notice the different views taken of the same transaction by the enthusiastic son and by the cool perhaps prejudiced historian the king according to t listened to his father y great attention but was discouraged from engaging ui any new scheme of the kind by the cost and trouble already sustained in exploring the route by the african coast which as yet remained his father however supported his proposition by such excellent reasons that the king was induced to give his consent the only difficulty that remained was the terms for being a man of lofty and noble sentiments demanded high and honourable titles and rewards to the end says that he might leave him a name and family worthy of his deeds and merits on the other hand attributes the seeming acquiescence of the king merely to the of he considered him says the historian a man fond of displaying his abilities and given to fantastic fancies such as that respecting tlie island of but in fact this idea of being vain was taken up by the writers in after years and as to the island of it was far from being considered by the king who as has been by his mission in search gap asia c of john was a ready in these travellers tales concerning the east the reasoning of its weight on the mind of the monarch since it is certain that he referred proposition to a learned charged with all matters relating to discovery this was composed of the two able masters and joseph and the king s de bishop of a man greatly for his learning a by birth and generally called from the name of his native place this scientific body treated the project a extravagant and still the king does not appear to have been satisfied according to his historian he his council composed of the and persons of the greatest learning in the kingdom and asked their advice whether to adopt this new route of discovery or to pursue that which they bad already opened the proposition of was generally condemned by the council and in ct a spirit seemed to be awakening among them hostile to all discovery it may not be deemed superfluous to notice briefly the discussion of the council on this great question reports a speech of the bishop of in which he not only objected to the proposed enterprise as of reason but even any further of the discoveries they tended he said to the drain the resources and divide the power of the nation already too much weakened by recent war and while their forces were thus scattered abroad on remote and they exposed themselves to attack from their active enemy the king of key v u life and voyages of the greatness of he observed did not arise so much from the extent of their as from the wisdom and ability with which they governed in the nation it would be madness to into out first considering them in with its means the king had already sufficient in hand of certain advantage without engaging in others of a wild nature if he wished employment for the active of the nation the war in which he was engaged against the of was sufficient wherein his triumphs were of solid advantage tending to and those neighbouring foes who had proved themselves so dangerous when possessed of power this cool and cautious speech of the bishop of directed against those which were tlie glory of the touched the national pride of don de count of villa real and drew from him a and patriotic reply it has been said by a historian that reply was in support of the proposition of but tliat does not clearly appear he may have treated the proposal with respect but his eloquence was employed for those in the were already engaged he observed was not in its infancy nor were its princes so poor as to lack means to engage in discoveries even that those proposed by were why should they abandon those commenced by their late prince henry on such solid foundations and with such happy prospects crowns he observed enriched themselves by commerce fortified by alliance and acquired	48
by conquest the views of a nation could not always be the same they extended with its and prosperity was at peace with all the princes of europe it bad nothing to fear hi from engaging in an extensive it would be the greatest for to penetrate into the secrets and horrors of the ocean sea so formidable to the other nations of the world thus occupied it would escape the idleness in a long interval of peace that source of vice tliat silent file which little by little wore away tlie strength and of a nation it was an he added to the name to menace it with imaginary perils when it had proved itself so in the most certain and tremendous great souls were born for great he wondered much that a so religious as the bishop of should oppose this undertaking the ultimate object of which was to the catholic faith and spread it from pole to pole reflecting glory on the nation and yielding empire and lasting fame to its princes he concluded by declaring that although a soldier he dared to with a voice and spirit as if from heaven to whatever prince should achieve this more happy success and renown than had ever been obtained by sovereign the most and fortunate such was the warm and generous speech of the count of villa real in favour of the african it would have been fortunate for had his eloquence been exerted in favour of for it is said to have been received with to have overpowered the of the cold spirited and to have inspired the king and council with renewed for the attempt to the extremity of africa which they afterwards completed with such brilliant success l la l t o life and voyages op chapter vm departure of from and ap to other courts john il of is generally represented as a wise and prince and as one little apt to be ruled by his in this memorable with however he appears to have been wanting in his usual and to have listened to council opposite at all times to true policy and in this instance productive of much mortification and regret certain of his seeing that the monarch was dissatisfied with their decision and still retained a lurking inclination for the suggested a by which au its advantages might be secured without committing the dignity of the crown by entering into formal about what might prove a mere it was proposed that should be kept in suspense while a vessel should be secretly despatched in the direction he had pointed out to ascertain whether there were any foundation for his theory this advice is attributed to bishop of and with the narrow policy which would have persuaded king john to abandon the splendid track of his african discoveries the king in evil hour departed from his usual justice and generosity and had the weakness to permit the was required to furnish f a plan of his voyage with the or other documents according to which he intended to shape his coarse that they might be examined by the council he readily com ed a was then with the pretext of carrying provisions to the cape de islands but with private instructions to pursue the route in the papers of departing from those islands the stood westward for several days the weather grew stormy and the having no seal to them and seeing nothing but an waste of wild tumbling waves still extending before them lost all courage to proceed they put back to the cape de islands and thence to their own want of resolution by the project of as extravagant and this unworthy attempt to him of his aroused the indignation of king john it is said would have renewed the but he resolutely declined his wife had been for some time dead the domestic tie which had bound him to was broken j he determined therefore to abandon a country where be had been treated with so faith and to seek patronage elsewhere towards the end of he departed secretly from taking with him his son the reason assigned for leaving the kingdom thus privately is that he feared being prevented by the king another reason appears to have arisen from his poverty while engrossed by those speculations which were to produce such benefit to mankind his affairs had run to ruin it would seem that he was even in b t s i l i c b like a d of i er ol being for a lately l wliich was to some years by ihe king of l inviting hit him any arrest on account of any process civil or be a him an interval now occurs of about a year which the movements of are involved in a modem spanish historian of great investigation and is of opinion that he departed immediately for where he that he was in when he repeated in person a proposition of his enterprise which be had formerly made to government by letter but that he met a contemptuous ul the republic of in f was not in a situation favourable to such an undertaking she was under a long decline and embarrassed by a foreign war her deposit in the had recently fallen into the r fc w tm r w j jl r c is an old floating in to that effect a magistrate of that city be adds assured bim that he had formerly seen mention in the public of this of and of its being declined in consequence of the critical state of national affairs the long and wars however which had prevailed between and his native state render this application rather improbable different authors agree that about this time he visited his aged father made some arrangements for his comfort and having performed the duties of a pious son departed once more to	48
the whole country like an were now up within the mountain boundaries of the kingdom of the victorious armies of and were continually advancing and pressing this fierce people limits under these sovereigns the various pet of spun began to feel and act as one nation and to rise to eminence in arts as well as and it has been remarked lived together not like man and wife whose estates are common under the orders of the husband but like two strictly allied they bad separate claims to in virtue of their respective they had separate and were of en distant from each other in parts of their empire each the royal authority yet they were so happily united by common views c life voyages op common interests and a great deference for each other that this double administration never prevented a unity of purpose and of action au acts of were executed in both their names all public were with both their their were stamped together on the public coin and the royal seal displayed the united arms of and was of the middle stature weu and hardy and active from exercise his carriage was free erect and majestic he had a clear serene forehead which appeared more lofty from his head being partly bald eyebrows were large and parted and like his hair of a chestnut his eyes were clear and animated his complexion was somewhat ruddy and by the toils of war his mouth moderate well formed and gracious in its expression his teeth white though small and irregular his voice sharp his speech quick and his genius was clear and comprehensive his judgment grave and certain he was simple in dress and diet in temper devout in his religion and so in business that it was said he seemed to repose himself by working he was a great observer and judge of men and in the science of the cabinet such is the picture given of him by the spanish of his time it has l f en added however that he had more of than religion that his ambition was craving rather than that he made war less like a than a prince less for glory than for mere dominion and that his policy was cold selfish and artful he was called the wise and prudent in spain in italy the pious in france and england the ambitious and f while his picture it may not be deemed impertinent to ihe of a monarch whose policy had an effect upon the history of and the of the new world success attended all bis though be had ascended the throne of by he obtained by marriage and les by conquest and he upon as to any body when pope ii its and and gave their throne to the he sent his forces into and or reduced to ad and and most of the a new world was also g ea to him without cost by ae of for the expense of the enterprise borne by his he had three objects at heart from the of his reign which he pursued with and zeal the conquest of the the of the jews and the of the in he accomplished them all and was rewarded by pope innocent viii with the of most catholic majesty a title which his have retained contemporary writers have been enthusiastic in their descriptions of but time has their she is one of the purest and most beautiful characters on the pages of history site was well of the middle site great dignity and of and a mingled gravity and sweetness of her complexion was fair her j air to rid her eyes de da d cap t torn p de j cap vol i life and voyages of were ol a clear blue with a expression and was a singular modesty in her countenance as it did a wonderful firmness of purpose and earnestness of spirit though strongly attached to her husband and of his fame yet she always maintained distinct rights as an allied prince she exceeded him in beauty in personal dignity in of genius and in grandeur of soul the active and resolute qualities of man with the softer of woman she mingled in the warlike of her husband engaged personally in his and in some instances surpassed him in the firmness and of her measures while being inspired with a truer idea of glory she a more lofty and generous temper his subtle and calculating policy it is in the civil history of their reign however thai the character of shines most her and maternal care was continually directed to reform the rt a m t she was always an advocate for to the although she was the soul of the war against she considered that war essential to protect the christian faith and to relieve her subjects from fierce and formidable enemies while all her public thoughts and acts were and august her private habits were simple and in the intervals of state business she assembled round her the men in literature and science and directed herself by their counsels in letters and arts through her patronage rose to that height it assumed among the learned institutions of the age she promoted the tion of honours and rewards for the of the the art of invented and the establishment of presses in every part of the kingdom books were admitted free of all duty and more we are told were printed in spain at that early period of the art than in the present literary age it is wonderful how much the of depend at times upon the virtues of individuals and how it is ven to great spirits by exciting and directing the latent powers of a nation to stamp it as it were with their own greatness such beings realize the idea of guardian angels appointed by heaven to watch over the	48
of such had been prince henry for the kingdom of and such was now for spain the illustrious de la per ji i or chapter iii of cot s to the of arrived at early in i he was disappointed however in his hopes of immediate he found it impossible to obtain even a hearing de prior of instead of being secured to his interests by the recommendation of de looked upon his plan as extravagant and impossible indeed the slender interest on be founded liis hopes ti engaged in of the in person arrived at the was like a military camp the rival kings of bo the called also el and the nephew generally termed el had just formed a and their league for prompt and e ly in the ring the marched off to lay to the city of and the it she was continually employed in troops and supplies to the army and at the same time attending to the multiplied of civil on the i th of june she repaired to the camp engaged in the siege of and both s remained for some time in the of the war with vigour they had barely returned to to their by when they were obliged to set out to suppress a of the count of from thence they repaired to for the winter this brief picture of the occupation and the bustling life of the spanish sovereigns during the first year after the arrival of may ve an idea of their throughout the term of his which precisely with tb war with the the court was continually from place to place according of the were either on journeys or in the field and when had an interval of repose from tbe ragged toils of war they had a thousand claims on their time and attention from the and which they were throughout their c til life and ge of amidst such pressing concerns of domestic and so to the treasury it is not to be wondered at that the should find little time to attend to a scheme of foreign discovery which required much called for great expense and was generally esteemed the wild dream of an it is a question even whether for some time bis application reached their ears de who was to have been his of communication was to his cause and was himself taken up with military concerns and absent with the court in its being one of tlie who the queen in this as it was termed holy war during the summer and autumn of the period of the campaign and transactions just alluded to remained at he continued to support himself it is believed by maps and and trusted to time and exertion to make him and friends of influence warmly into his views by the aid of these friends he was introduced to the celebrated de of and grand cardinal of this was the most important personage about court the king and queen had him always at their side in peace and war he accompanied them in their and they never took any measure of consequence without consulting him he was called by peter martyr the third king of spain he was a man of a clear understanding eloquent judicious and of great quickness and capacity in business simple yet curiously nice in his apparel lofty and venerable yet gracious ai d gentle in his though an elegant scholar the grand cardinal like many learned men of his day was but httle skilled in and was in his ous scruples when the theory of was first mentioned to him it struck him as opinions with the form of the earth as described in the sacred further explanations had their force with a man of his quick apprehension and sound sense he perceived that at any rate there could be nothing in attempting to extend the bounds of human knowledge and to ascertain the works of creation his scruples once removed he gave a courteous and attentive hearing the latter knowing the importance of his exerted himself to produce conviction the clear headed cardinal listened with profound attention he saw the grandeur of the conception and felt the force of the arguments he was pleased likewise with the noble and earnest manner of and became at once a firm and serviceable friend page translation t l c l c t the of cardinal f b he before fur lit fi ll as k afterwards in his letters an in ihe hand of to accomplish its designs was too a e of men not a the character of pen soaring might be his and ma the scheme had and practical his ambition was b uie possibility of more important than tho e which had shed such glory upon still as usual he was cool and wary and determined to take the opinion of the men in t i kingdom and to be guided by their decision he the matter to de the prior of him to the and to hold a chapter iv tht council at the interesting conference relative to the proposition of took place in the great seat of learning in spain it was held in the of st in was lodged and entertained with great hospitality during the course of the examination religion and science were at time and more especially in that country closely associated the treasures of learning were in and the professors chairs were exclusively filled from the the of the clergy extended over the state as well as the church and posts of honour and influence at court with the exception of hereditary were almost entirely confided to it was even common to find and in and at the of armies for the had been thrown bv for the lance during the holy war against the the era was for the revival of but still more for the of religious zeal	48
and spain surpassed all other countries of in the of her devotion the had just been in tliat kingdom and ever opinion that of made its owner to and persecution c vol t life and voyages of was the period when a council of in the of st to the new theory of it was composed of professors of geography and the other branches of science together with various of the church and learned before this as presented himself to and defend his conclusions he had been at as a visionary by the vulgar and the ignorant but he was convinced that he only required a body of enlightened men to listen to his to triumphant conviction the greater part of this learned it is very probable came against him as men in place and are apt to be against poor there is always a to a man under examination as a kind of or whose faults and errors are to be detected and exposed too appeared in a most light before a body an obscure member of no learned institution destitute of all the and circumstances which sometimes give authority to and depending upon the mere force of natural genius some of the entertained the popular notion that he was an adventurer or at best a visionary and others had that morbid impatience of any upon established doctrine which is apt to grow upon dull and men in life what a striking spectacle must the hall of the old have presented at this memorable conference a simple standing forth in the midst of an imposing array of professors and of the his theory with natural eloquence and as it were pleading the cause of the new world we are told that when he began to state the grounds of his belief the of st ib t paid attention to him that learned in the than the rest of the the others af to have themselves behind dogged position that after so many profound philosophers and rs had been the form of the world and so many able had been sailing about it for several thousand years it was presumption in an ordinary man to suppose that there remained such a vast discovery for him to make several of the objections opposed by this leaned body have been handed down to us and have provoked many a sneer at the expense of die university of but they are not so much of the peculiar deficiency of institution as of the imperfect state of science at die time and the manner in which knowledge though rapidly extending was still in its progress by all subjects were stiu contemplated through the obscure medium of those ages when the lights of antiquity were trampled out and faith was left to fill the place of bewildered in a of religious mankind had their steps and firom the boundary line of ancient knowledge thus at the very threshold of the discussion instead of objections was with firom the bible and the testament the book of die of david the of the the of the and the of the to these were added the of various saints and reverend st and st st and st st and st and a champion of the faith points were mixed up de l c to life of discussion aiid a was allowed no weight if it appeared to a text of scripture or a of one of the thus the of in opinion so generally maintained by the of the as lo be pronounced by the great contest between the learned and the ignorant became a stumbling block with some of the of several of them stoutly contradicted this position ol supporting by from and st who were considered in those days as almost authority but though these writers were men of and two of the greatest of what ha called the golden age of learning yet their writings were calculated lo darkness in respect to the the passage from to more grave were advanced on tlie of st he the doctrine of with the of our since to assert that there were inhabited lands on the opposite of the globe would be to that there were nations not descended from adam it being to have passed the intervening ocean this be to the bible expressly declares that all men are descended from one common parent such were the for which had to at the very outset of his conference and which certainly relish more of than the to his simplest the form of the earth were opposed of scripture they ob served that in the the heavens are said to be extended like a skin that is according to the or covering of a tent which among the ancient pastoral nations was formed of the skins of animals and that st paul in his to the the heaven to a or tent extended over the earth which they inferred must be flat who was a devoutly religious man found that he was in danger of being convicted not merely of error but of others more in science admitted the form of the earth and the possibility of an opposite and but they brought up the of the and maintained that it would be impossible to arrive there in consequence of the beat of the this be passed they observed that the of the earth be so in the english translation it is v f life voyages of great as to require at least three years to the voyage and those who should undertake it must perish of hunger and thirst from the impossibility of carrying provisions for so long a period he was told on the of that admitting the earth to be it was only in the northern and in that section only was by the heavens that the opposite half was a chaos a gulf or a mere waste of water not the least	48
absurd objection advanced was that should a ship even succeed in reaching in this way the of india she could never get back again for the of the globe would present a kind of mountain up which it would be impossible for her to sail with the most favourable such are specimens of the errors and prejudices the mingled ignorance and and the with which had to contend throughout the examination of his theory can we wonder at the difficulties and which he experienced at courts when such vague and crude notions were entertained by the learned men of a university we must not suppose however because the objections are all which remain on record that they are all were advanced these only have been on account of their superior absurdity they were probably advanced by but few and those persons in studies in retirement where the opinions derived from books had opportunity of being corrected by the experience of the day there were no doubt objections advanced more in their nature and more worthy of that distinguished cap t cap it u bit justice to add also the replies of bad great witb many of his learned in answer to the objections be that the writers were speaking as bat in language addressed to all the of he treated with deference as pious but not as philosophical which it was necessary either to admit or the objections drawn from ancient he met boldly and upon terms for be was on i all p of he showed tbat tiie most illustrious of these both to be they ed that the communication and he that difficulty for be bad to st george la in guinea almost under the line and had found that region not merely but in population in and when took his stand before this learned body he had the plain and simple somewhat perhaps by the greatness of his task and the august nature of his but he bad a degree of feeling which gave him a confidence on the execution of what he conceived hb great errand and he was of an ardent temperament that became heated in action by its own generous fires and others of bis have spoken of his commanding person his elevated his air of his eye and the pe of his voice how must they have given and force to his words as casting aside hu maps and and for a his practical and scientific lore his visionary spirit took fire at the objections of his and he met them upon own and voyages of ground pouring forth those magnificent of scripture and those mysterious of the which in his enthusiastic moments he considered as types and of the sublime discovery which he proposed among the number who were convinced by the reasoning and warmed by the eloquence of was de a worthy and learned of the order of st at that time professor of the of st but who became afterwards of the second in spain this able and te divine was a man whose mind was above the narrow of lore one who could appreciate ae value of wisdom even when uttered by lips he was not a mere passive he took a generous interest in the cause and by with all his powers the blind of his more brethren so as to obtain for him a if not an hearing by their united efforts it is said they brought over the most learned men of the schools one great difficulty was to reconcile the plan of with the of i to which all scholars yielded faith how would the most enlightened of those have been astonished had any one them that the man was then in existence whose system should reverse the grand theory of which stationed the earth in the centre of the universe notwithstanding every exertion however there was a mass of and learned pride in this body which refused to yield to the of an obscure foreigner without fortune or or any honours de ij c ei it before could his and understood that he should remove from his those principles on which their were founded a task always more difficult than that of teaching the doctrine occasional took place but without producing any decision tke ignorant or what is worse the prejudiced remained in their with the dogged perseverance of dull men tlie liberal and intelligent felt little interest in wearisome in themselves and foreign to their ordinary pursuits ven those who listened with approbation to the plan regarded it only as a delightful vision full of probability and promise but one which never could be realized de to whom the matter was especially had too little esteem for it and was too much occupied with the and bustle of public concerns to press it to a conclusion and thus the inquiry and neglect life and voyages op chapter v further at the court of i follows the court in its the of the board at were interrupted by the departure of the court to early in the spring of called away by the concerns of the war and the memorable campaign de now bishop of accompanied the queen as her for a long time was kept in suspense following the movements of the court he was encouraged at times by the prospect of his proposition being taken into immediate consideration being appointed for the purpose but the tempest of warlike af which hurried the court from place to place and gave it all the bustle and confusion of a camp continually swept away all questions of less immediate importance it has ge been supposed that the several years which wasted in irksome were spent in the drowsy and monotonous attendance of but on the contrary they were often passed amidst scenes of peril and adventure and in following up his suit he was led into some of the most striking situations of	48
this wild rugged and war whenever the court had an interval of leisure there seems to have been a disposition to take up his affair but the hurry and tempest returned and the question was n grain swept during tliis time he the and of which he afterwards complained being by the light and ignorant a a mere and by the as an the very it is pointed to their as he passed being taught to regard as a kind of madman during this long tim lie his expenses in part y the exertion of his in making maps the worthy de occasionally assisted with his purse as well as his good offices with the sovereigns he was part of the a guest of de and for a considerable period entertained at the expense of the duke of a no of great possessions wh was much engaged in ma it is due to the sovereigns to say that while was thus kept in suspense he was attached to the royal suit and sums were issued to his expenses and lodgings provided for him whenever summoned to follow the movements of the court and attend the that were at various times appointed of several of these sums still exist in the book of accounts of of one of the royal which has lately been found in the of from these we are enabled in some degree to follow the movements of during his attendance upon this rambling and warlike court one of these was for money to enable him to come to the court then held in the camp before daring the memorable siege of when that city was so and fiercely defended by the in the coarse of this siege his application to the sovereigns was ly to a violent close a having life and voyages of attempted to the royal tent he attacked don of and de of instead of the king and queen after don he was in a blow aimed at the and immediately cut to pieces by the attendants the lady here mentioned was a person of extraordinary and force of character she eventually a great interest in the of and had influence in mending it to the queen with whom she was a the campaign ended with the capture of there appears to have been no time during its stormy siege to attend to the question of though de the bishop of was present as appears by his entering the captured city in solemn and religious triumph surrendered on the th of august and th court had scarcely time to return to when it driven away by the sovereigns passed the winter in occupied in various public of moment they entered the by way of in the spring and after a short campaign retired to for the winter whether accompanied the court during these does not appear although an order for three thousand dated june makes it probable but what quiet hearing could be expected from a court surrounded by the din of arms and continually on the march c p martyr t l c r that these he was still encouraged io fail daring interval is highly probable in the course spring he received a letter from john ii king of dated di of march inviting him to return to his court and assuring him of protection from any suits of either a civil or nature that be against him this letter from its tenor appears to he a reply to one in which had commenced to return he did not think proper however to e with the invitation of the monarch in february and repaired from to where they received an from henry vii of england they formed an alliance whether at this time had any reply to his application to the english court does not appear that be did at some time during bis ne in spain receive a letter from henry the is expressly stated by himself in one subsequently by him to and the spanish sovereigns returned to in may and appears then to have been brought to mind and steps taken to have the long investigation resumed de in his annals of says that the sovereigns wrote to that city directing lodgings and to be furnished who wag there to the court on a conference of importance the ci the command but the was postponed being interrupted by the campaign in which adds the author the same ting giving proofs o the which accompanied his wisdom and his cap t i an de l p vm a ro order is letter here to dated may in he ll h addressed to the of towns that lodgings should be to and his in connected with the ro al the campaign in which uie historian of m to so honourable t part was one of the most glorious of that war queen attended with her court including as usual a stately train of among whom is particularly mentioned the of the of de much of the success of tlie campaign is ascribed to the presence and counsel of the city of bar u which had resisted for upwards of ix surrendered soon after her arrival and on the d of december beheld the elder of the si in i who had oc the and sent a veil embroidered with hands up at its shrine it was probably from conversation with these and from the pious indignation excited by the threat of the that conceived an enthusiastic idea which he more or less entertained until the day of his death he determined to devote the profits firom bis contemplated discovery to a holy to rescue the sacred chapel from the power of the the bustle and turmoil of this campaign prevented the conference at nor did the concerns of fare better during the subsequent and entered in february with great pomp and there were then preparations made for the marriage of	48
their eldest daughter the princess with the prince don heir apparent of the celebrated in the month of april with splendour throughout the whole winter and spring the court was in a continual tumult of parade and pleasure and torch light what chance had of being heard in these alternate of war and it was not until the winter of that could obtain the long delayed hearing of his application the sovereigns were preparing to depart on their final campaign in the of with a determination never to their camp from before that city until their victorious should float upon its towers saw that if once the court got into movement there would be an end to hopes of ao attention to his affairs he pressed therefore for a decisive reply it is l is c and voyages ok probable that the conference now took place which the us of as having been postponed and that the council of scientific men to whom the project had been referred was again it is certain that at this time de being called upon by the sovereigns gave the report of this learned body he informed their that it was general opinion of the that the scheme proposed was vain and impossible and that it did not become such great to engage in an of the kind on such grounds as had been advanced although such was the general report of the had made an impression upon several of those learned men which strongly in his favour he had an active friend in d to prince who from his situation and character had ae to the royal ear the names of several men of rank and merit are also mentioned who were friendly to his in fact the grave and honourable of his clear knowledge of every thing relative to his profession the and generosity of his views and his energetic manner of them commanded respect wherever he could succeed in fixing attention a degree of consideration had therefore gradually grown up at for his enterprise and notwithstanding the report of the learned of the sovereigns seemed unwilling to close the door upon a project which might be so important in its advantages de was commanded to inform who was then at that the great cares and expenses of the war rendered it impossible for them to engage in any new ent but cap that when the war wa concluded they would have time and inclination to treat with him what he offered this was a starved reply to receive after so many of weary attendance of anxious expectation and de hop whatever too there might have heen message at dictated by the was probably in the through which it passed at any was to receive the reply at the hands a who had always showed himself on friendly therefore to the court at to learn ul ate of the their reply the same declining to engage in the for the present but holding out hopes of patronage when released from the cares and expenses of the war looked upon this as a mere mode of getting rid he believed the sovereigns tbe objections of the ignorant and the v ing up all hopes of from the turned his lack upon filled with disappointment and tion i sup j life a d voyages op chapter vi to the of return j to the op la d though had now of from the sovereigns he was unwilling to break off all with spain a lie of a tender nature still bound him to the country his first visit to he bad conceived a passion for a lady of that city this has been given as an additional cause of s both had estates like lying along the sea board with ports and shipping at their command these served the crown more as allied princes than as bringing armies of their into the field led od by their own captains or by themselves in person they assisted with their and they with treasures to the of the war but a ri t over the disposition f their forces during the the duke of volunteered at time a large force of the of bis household sending twenty thousand of gold and one hundred vessels some armed and others laden with provisions from his rich the domestic of these were like the of petty sovereigns whole armies of thronged their various estates and their were filled with persons of merit and with young of family reared under their in the exercise of arts and arms to the duke of first applied they bad many and conversations but could never come to a the duke was tempted for a time by the magnificent held out but the very splendour of these threw a colouring of exaggeration over the and us that he finally rejected it as the dream of an italian visionary next turned to the duke of and for a time with great prospect of success they had or s dollars and equivalent to the present value of dollars t c ind i l c j c i am of and at one time duke was actually on i the point of liim on the contemplated vith three or four which he had ready in his port i fearing however that such an expedition would be strongly by the he suddenly abandoned tl observing that the object was too great to be grasped by a subject and was fit only for a sovereign power he advised i to apply once more to the spanish i and d to use his with the queen saw time and life thus wasting away in i hopes aud bitter disappointments he felt averse tt d e idea of again returning to follow the court in all iu i fling movements he had received a letter of encourage from the king of and determined to lose no e in to	48
with the was at an spain was delivered its and its sovereigns might securely turn their views to foreign they kept their word with persons of confidence were appointed to with him among whom was de who by the recent conquest had risen to be of at the very outset of their however unexpected difficulties arose so fully was with the grandeur of his that he would listen to none but de c t de la p vol i y i mi i il that d and privileges of admiral i over ihe he should with r all gains by or sl the with him were at such a demand pride was shocked to see one whom they had con i a adventurer to rank and ir to their own one observed with ii sneer thai it was d arrangement wliich he proposed hy he w s s all events of the honour of a command nod had to lose iu case of to this promptly by to furnish one eighth of the cost on f enjoying an eighth of the however were pronounced had always considered n ng or a for bread i but to man who had for years been an and in his assuming ho y a tone an office that approached to the awful dignity of one excited the astonishment as well as indignation he represented to that it would be ing to the dignity of so illustrious a to lavish honours upon a nameless stranger le observed even in case of success would be m not one point of his demands and the broken off it is impossible not to admire the great constancy of purpose and of spirit displayed by ever since he had tlie sublime idea of discovery more eighteen years had elapsed since his correspondence with of wherein he had announced his design the greatest part of that time had been in at various courts that what neglect ridicule and disappointment had be not nothing however could shake his perseverance nor make him descend to which he considered beneath the dignity of his in all bis he forgot his present he forgot bis present his ardent imagination realized the magnitude of his contemplated discoveries and be felt himself about empire though so large a portion of life had worn away in fruitless there was no certain that the same weary career was not to be entered upon al any other court yet so indignant was be at die repeated disappointments he bad experienced in spain that he determined to abandon it for ever rather than compromise his demands taking leave of his friends therefore he mounted bis and forth from fe in the be of february on his way to from whence he intended to depart immediately for france when the few friends who were zealous in the theory of saw him really on the point of the they were filled with distress considering his departure an loss to the nation among the number was de st angel of the in he determined to make one bold ef life and voyages of k fort to the evil he obtained an immediate audience of the queen accompanied by de who supported him warmly in all his instances the of the moment gave him courage and eloquence he did not restrain himself to entreaties he mingled almost reproaches he expressed his astonishment that a queen who had evinced the spirit to undertake so many great and peril ous should hesitate at one where the loss could be so trifling while the gain might be he reminded her how much might be done for the glory of god the exaltation of the church and tlie extension of her own power and dominion what cause of regret to herself of triumph to her enemies of sorrow to her friends should this thus rejected by her be accomplished by some other power he reminded her what fame and dominion other princes had acquired by discoveries here was an opportunity to them all he entreated her majesty not to be by the of learned men that the project was the dream of a visionary he the judgment of and the and of his plans neither would even his failure reflect disgrace upon the crown it was worth the trouble and expense to clear up even a doubt upon a matter of such importance for it belonged to enlightened and princes to investigate questions of the kind and to explore the wonders and secrets of the universe he stated the liberal of to bear an eighth of the expense and informed her that all the for this great consisted but of two vessels and about three thousand crowns these and many more arguments were urged with that power which honest zeal the of it is said exerted her eloquence also to s effect the conquest of the queen the generous of was it seemed as if for the first time the subject broke upon her mind in its real grandeur and she declared her resolution to undertake the there was a s hesitation the looked coldly on the affair and the royal were absolutely drained by the war some time must be given to how could draw on an exhausted treasury for a measure to the king was adverse st angel watched this suspense with trembling the next moment him with an enthusiasm worthy of herself and of the cause exclaimed i undertake the for my own crown of and will pledge my private jewels to raise the necessary funds this was the moment in the life of it stamped her renown for ever as the of the discovery of the new m st angel eager to secure this noble impulse assured her majesty that there would he no need of her jewels as he was ready to advance the necessary funds his offer was gladly accepted the funds really came from the of but king	48
this engagement through the assistance of the of and added a third vessel to the thus one eighth of the expense attendant on this grand expedition undertaken by a powerful nation was borne by the individual who conceived it and who likewise risked his on its success the were signed by and at the city of fe in the or plain of on the th of april a of privilege or commission to of similar purport was drawn out in form and issued by the sovereigns in the city of on the th of the same month in this the and of and governor were likewise made hereditary in his family and he and his were to the title of don to their names a distinction accorded in those days only to persons of rank and estate though it has since lost all value from being universally used in spain ao the issued on occasion bore equally tbe of and but her separate crown of all the expense and during her life few persons except were permitted to establish themselves in the new it is true some claim has been set up by the to a share in the glory of this in consequence of seventeen being by the st angel out of the treasury of king prudent monarch however took care to have his kingdom few years afterwards for in of this loan a part of the gold brought by from the new world was employed in the and of the royal saloon in he grand palace of in the or abode of tlie the port of de m in was fixed on as the place where the was to be fitted out this port in consequence of some had been condemned by the royal council to serve tlie crown for one year with two armed a royal order was signed on the th of april commanding the authorities of to have the two ready for sea within ten days after receiving this notice and to place them and their at the disposal of tbe latter was likewise to procure and fit out a third vessel the of all three were to receive the ordinary wages of employed in armed vessels and to be paid four months in advance they were to sail in such direction as under the royal authority should and were to obey him in all things with merely one that st l i p t a de l c and voyages of ther he nor they were to go to st la on h coast of guinea nor any other of lately discovered possessions of a of good conduct signed by was to be the discharge of obligation to the crown orders were likewise i by the sovereigns addressed to the public authorities and the people of all ranks and conditions in the borders of commanding them to furnish supplies and assistance of all kinds at reasonable prices for the fitting out of the vessels and were on such as should cause any duties were to be for articles furnished to the vessels and all criminal processes against the person or property of any individual engaged in the expedition was to he suspended during his absence and for two months after his a home felt mark of favour characteristic of the kind and considerate heart of was accorded to his before he was enabled to it into effect that most of that time was past in almost hopeless amidst poverty neglect and ridicule that the prime of his life had away in the and that when his perseverance wag finally crowned with he was his fifty year his example encourage the never to despair a i r life and voyages of chapter ix preparations for the expedition at the port of once more presented himself at the gate of the la but he now appeared in he was received with open arms by the worthy prior and again became his guest during his at the character and station of gave him great importance in the neighbourhood and he exerted it to the utmost in support of the desired attended by this zealous friend repaired on the d of may to the church of st george in there the royal order for two to be furnished by the town and put at his disposition was formally read by the public of the place in presence of the and and many of the inhabitants and full compliance was when the nature of the intended expedition came to be known however astonishment and a degree of horror prevailed throughout the place the inhabitants considered the ships and demanded of them in the light of sacrifices devoted to destruction the owners of vessels refused to furnish them for so desperate a service and the shrunk from such a wild and de l c t de t l ill into the wilderness of the ocean all the frightful tales and with which ignorance and superstition are prone to people regions obscure and mysterious were up concerning the unknown parts of the deep and by the of to any one from in the nothing can be a stronger evidence of the bold nature of this undertaking than the extreme dread with which it was regarded by a community composed of some of the most adventurous of the age notwithstanding the tenor of the royal order and the promise of compliance on the part of the weeks elapsed without any thing being done in fulfilment of its demands the worthy prior of la backed the of with all his influence and eloquence but in vain not a vessel was to be procured upon this more absolute were issued by the sovereigns dated the th of june ordering the of the coast of to press into the service any vessels they might think proper belonging to spanish subjects and to oblige the masters and to sail with in whatever direction he	48
should be sent by royal command de an officer of the royal household was sent to see that this order was properly complied with receiving two hundred a day as long as he was occupied in the business which sum was to be from such as should be and together with other expressed in the this letter was acted upon by in and the neighbouring town of but apparently with as little success as the preceding one the of those places were thrown into complete confusion and took place but nothing of was effected il t and voyages of al length martin a rich and g who has already been came forward and a decided and personal interest in the expedition what understanding he bad with as to his does not appear in the testimony given many years afterwards in t ie suit between don the son of and the crown it was affirmed by several witnesses th t was to divide with him his share of the profits but the evidence in that law suit was so full of and palpable that it is difficult to the truth from it as no immediate profits resulted from the expedition no claim of the kind was brought forward certain it is that the assistance of was most and and many of the witnesses iti that suit in declaring that but for him it have been impossible to out the necessary he and his brother likewise a of great courage and ability who after after the great difficulties made by various courts in expedition it is surprising how an was required it is evident that had reduced his to the limits lest any great expense should cause three small vessels were apparently all that he had requested two of them were light not superior river and of more modem days specimens of this class of vessels exist in old prints and paintings they are re presented as n and without deck in the but built up at the and stem with and for die accommodation of the crew peter martyr the learned contemporary of says that only one of the three vessels was the of the vessels was con an advantage by in a voyage of discovery him to run close to the shores and to enter shallow rivers and in his third voyage when the gulf of he complained of the size of his ship being nearly a hundred tons but that such long and perilous into unknown seas should be undertaken in vessels without decks and that they should live through the violent by which they were frequently assailed remain among the singular circumstances of these daring voyages during the of the vessels troubles and difficulties continued to arise one of the vessels named the together with its owners and people had been pressed into the service by the under the arbitrary of the sovereigns and it was a striking instance of the see illustrations article ships of t p martyr l vol i e life and voyages of authority exercised over commerce in those times that respectable individuals should thus be compelled to engage with persons and ships in what appeared to them a mad and desperate enterprise the owners of this vessel and showed the greatest to the voyage and took an active part in certain quarrels and which occurred had likewise been compelled to in the other ships all kinds of obstacles were thrown in the way to or defeat the by these people and their friends the employed upon die vessels did their work in a careless and imperfect manner and on being commanded to do it over again they some of the who had willingly repented of or were by their relatives and sought to others deserted and concealed themselves every thing had to be effected by the most harsh and arbitrary measures and in defiance of popular prejudice and opposition at length by the beginning of august every difficulty was and the vessels were ready for sea the largest which had been prepared expressly for the voyage and was was called the maria on board of this ship hoisted his flag the second called the was commanded by martin accompanied by his brother martin as pilot the called the had sails and was commanded by the third of the brothers there journal of t p gap t lad l c ms were three other pilot and of was general of the and de a native of chief de went as royal an officer always sent in the ments of the crown to take official note of all transactions there were also a doctor and a surgeon together with various private several servants and ninety making in all hie and persons previous to departing on his took his son from the of la and placed him under the of an of the town of and martin an of the same probably to ve him some knowledge of the world previous to his being sent to court the being ready to put to sea impressed with the solemn of undertaking confessed himself to the and partook of the ment of the communion his example was followed by officers and crew and they entered upon their of awe and with the most devout and affecting committing themselves to the especial and protection of heaven a deep gloom was spread over the whole community of at their departure for almost every one had some relative or friend on board of the st l l f testimony of in the law suit between don and the life and the spirits of the depressed by their own s were still more cast down at the of those they left behind who took leave of them with tears and and dismal as of men they were never to behold again v ufe and voyages of on his first voyage it was on friday the third of august at eight	48
o clock in the morning that set on his first voyage of discovery he departed from the of a small island formed by the arms of the river in front of the town of in a direction for the islands from whence it was his intention to strike due west of this voyage he commenced a regular journal intended the inspection of the spanish sovereigns it opened a stately wherein in the following words were set forth the motives and views which led to his expedition in d n whereas most christian most high most excellent and most princes king and of the and of the islands of the sea our in this present year of after your l ann voyages ok had pit an ni lo tlie with the who in europe and concluded tliat in the f at of where on the second o january of present year i saw the of your placed by force of arms on the of the which it fortress of that city and beheld the kin sally forth from the gates of tlie city and kiss the royal hands of your and of my lord the prince and in thai same month in of the which t had given to your es of the of india and of a prince who is called the grand which k to in our language king of kings how that many be his had sent to rome to entreat for of our holy faith to instruct him in the same and he holy father had never provided him with them and thus so many people were lost believing in and doctrines of therefore your u pointing me high admiral of the ocean sea and perpetual and governor of all the islands and i should discover and gain and which may be discovered and gained in the ocean sea and that my eldest son should succeed me and so on from generation to generation for ever i departed therefore from the city of on saturday the th of may of the same year to a where i armed three ships well calculated for such service and sailed from that port well with provisions and with many on friday the d of august of the same year half an hour before sunrise and took the route for the islands of your to lay my course thence and until i should arrive at the and deliver the of your to those princes and accomplish that which you had commanded for this purpose i intend to write during this voyage very from day to day all that i may do and see and experience as will hereafter be also my sovereign princes beside describing each night all that has occurred in the day and in the day the of the night i propose to make a in which i will set down the waters and lands of the ocean sea in their proper situations under their bearings and further to compose a book and illustrate the whole in picture by latitude from the and from the west and upon the whole it will be essential that i should forget sleep and attend closely to the to accomplish these things which will be a great labour thus are formally and expressly stated by the objects of this extraordinary voyage the material fact t p life and voyages of still of bis journal will be found in the present work as a guide by which to sail he had prepared a map or improved upon that sent him by neither of those now exist but the globe or finished by martin in this year of the admiral s first voyage is still and an idea of what the of must have been it the of and the south of ireland to the end of guinea and opposite to them on the other side of the atlantic the extremity of asia or as it was termed india between them is placed the island of or which according to lay fifteen hundred miles distant from the coast in his advanced this island about a thousand too much to the an abstract of this journal made by has recently been discovered and is published in the first volume of he collection of sen many passages of this abstract had been previously inserted by in his history of the and the same journal had been used by in the history of his father in the present account of this voyage the author has made use of the journal contained in the work of the manuscript history of the history of the by the life of the admiral by his son the chronicle of the by the manuscript history of and by of los p and the letters and of the ocean sea by peter martyr all of whom with the exception of were and acquaintances of these are the principal authorities which have been consulted though scattered lights have occasionally been obtained from other sources lu east supposing it to be about in the of aod at this island he hoped first to arrive the exultation of at finding himself m many years of baffled hope at length fairly launched on bi grand was checked by his want of in he resolution and perseverance of his as long aa he remained within reach of europe there was no that in a moment of repentance and alarm they might not the of the voyage and insist on a return symptoms soon appeared to warrant his apprehensions on the third day the made signal of distress her was discovered to be broken and this to be done through the of the owners of tlie and to their vessel and cause her to be left behind as has already been observed they had been pressed into the service greatly their will and their upon for tlie expedition in to the royal orders wm much disturbed at this occurrence it	48
looked with eye upon this wreck of some unfortunate drifting at the entrance of those unknown seas on the th of september in the evening being about two hundred from the island of for the first time noticed the of the needle a phenomenon which had never before been remarked he perceived about nightfall that the needle instead of pointing to the north star varied about half a point or between five and six degrees to the and still more on the following morning struck with this circumstance he observed it attentively for three days and found that the increased as he advanced he at first made no mention of this phenomenon knowing how ready his people were to take alarm but it soon attracted the attention of the and filled them with consternation it seemed as if the very laws of nature were changing as they advanced and that they were entering another world subject to unknown influences they apprehended that the compass was about to the crew his journal was entirely private and intended for his own use and the perusal of the sovereigns in a letter written from in to pope alexander he says that he had kept an account of his voyages in the style of the of which he intended to submit to his ind l c i ll i i u w b lose its mysterious virtues and without this guide what was to become of them in a vast and ocean his science and ingenuity for reasons vith which to their terror he observed that the direction of the needle was not to the star but to some fixed and invisible point the therefore was not caused by any in the compass but by the movement of the north star itself which like the other heavenly bodies had its changes and and every day described a circle round the pole the high opinion which the entertained of as a profound gave weight to this theory and their alarm subsided as yet the system of was unknown the explanation of therefore was highly plausible and ingenious and it shows the vivacity of his mind ever ready to meet the emergency of the moment the theory may at first have been advanced merely to satisfy the minds of others but appears subsequently to have remained satisfied with it himself the phenomenon has now become familiar to us but we still continue ignorant of its cause it is one of those mysteries of nature open to daily observation and experiment and apparently simple from their familiarity but which on investigation make the human mind conscious of its limits the experience of the practical and the pride of science life and voyages of chapter iii of the voyage various terrors op the on the th of september the were rejoiced by the sight of what they considered of land a and a bird called the de hovered about the ships neither of which are supposed to venture far to sea on the following night they were struck with awe at beholding a or as calls it in his journal a great flame of fire which seemed to fall from the sky into the sea about four or five distant these common in warm and especially under the are always seen in the serene sky of those falling as it were from the heavens but never beneath a cloud in the transparent atmosphere of oi of those beautiful nights where every star shines with the purest lustre they often leave a luminous train behind them which lasts for twelve or fifteen seconds and may well be compared to a flame the wind had hitherto been favourable with occasional though transient clouds and showers they had made great progress each day though according to his secret plan contrived to suppress several in the daily reckoning left open to the crew the water they had now arrived within the influence of the trade wind which die sun blows steadily from east to west between the and sweeps over a few adjoining degrees of the ocean with this directly aa they were gently but speedily over sea so that for many days they did not shift a sail perpetually to the bland and the weather whidi in this tract of the ocean is soft add refresh ing without being cool in his and expressive he the pure and to those of april in and that they wanted but the song the to complete the illusion he had reason to say so venerable for it is marvellous the which we experience when half way towards these and the more the approach these lands so much do they perceive the and softness of the air the clearness of the sky and the and fragrance s t from the groves and forests much more certainly than in april in they now began to see large patches of and weeds floating on the surface of the water all drifting from the west and increasing in quantity as they some of these weeds were as grow about rocks such as are produced in rivers some were yellow and others so green as to have been recently washed from land on one of these patches was a live which carefully preserved they saw also a white tropical bird of a kind which never sleeps upon the sea sh also played about the ships one of which was by the crew of the c now called to mind the see article t ind l c ms vol i life and voyages of account given by of certain ships oc the shores outside of the straits of were driven westward by an impetuous east wind until they reached a certain part of the ocean where it was covered with vast fields of weeds resembling islands and among which they beheld many fish he supposed himself arrived in this sea as it had been called from	48
which the ancient had turned back in dismay but which he regarded with animated hope as indicating the vicinity of land not that he had any idea of yet reaching the object of hb search the eastern end of asia for according to his he had come but three hundred and sixty since leaving the islands and he placed the main land of india much farther on on the th of september the same weather continued a soft steady breeze from the east filled every sail while to use the words of the sea was as calm as the at he had fancied that he perceived the water of the sea to grow as he advanced and he noticed this as a proof of the superior sweetness and purity of the the were all in high spirits each ship striving to get in the to catch the first sight of land the from the informed him that fi om the flight of a great number of birds which he had seen and firom certain indications in the northern horizon he thought there was land in that direction as his vessel was a fast therefore he crowded canvas and kept in the advance there was in fact a in the north such as often hangs over land and at sunset it assumed such shapes and of twenty to the degree of latitude the unity of distance used throughout this work t ind l cap lai that many fancied they beheld islands there was a therefore to steer for that quarter however was persuaded that they were mere illusions every one who has made a sea voyage must have witnessed the caused by clouds resting upon the horizon especially about sunset and sunrise which the eye assisted by the imagination and desire easily into the wished for land this is particularly the case within the where the clouds at sunset assume the most appearances on the following day there were showers by wind which considered favourable signs two also flew on board the ships birds which he observed seldom fly from land he sounded therefore with a of two hundred but found no bottom he supposed he might be passing between islands which lay both to the north and south but he was unwilling to waste the present by going in search of them beside he bad affirmed that land was to be found by keeping to the west bis whole expedition had been founded on such a presumption he should therefore risk all t and with his people were he to appear to doubt and water and to go groping blindly point to point of the he resolved therefore to keep one bold course always westward until he should reach the coast of india and afterwards if to seek these islands on his return notwithstanding the precaution which had been taken to keep the people ignorant of the distance they had sailed they were now growing extremely uneasy at the of cap from journal of t life and voyages op the voyage they bad advanced much farther west than ever man had sailed before and though beyond the reach of still they continued daily leaving vast tracts of ocean behind them and pressing onward and on ward into that apparently boundless abyss it is true they had been flattered by various indications of land and still others were but all them with vain hopes ai er being hailed with a transient joy they passed away after another and the expanse of sea and sky continued to extend before them even the wind which seemed as if sent to to the new world with such bland and gentle was now by their ingenious fears into a singular cause of alarm for they began to imagine that the wind in these seas always prevailed from the east and if so would never permit them to return to spain endeavoured in every way to soothe these ing fears sometimes by argument and sometimes by awakening fresh hopes and pointing out new signs of land on the twentieth of september the wind with light breezes from the these though m verse to their progress had a cheering upon the pie as they the wind did not always prevail the east several birds also visited the ships three of which were of a small kind which keep about groves and and which came singing in the morning and flew away again in the evening their song was cheering to the hearts of the dismayed who hailed me mi no i journal of t p it as the v ce of land the lai tbey observed were of wing and might venture far to sea but small birds were too feeble to fly far and g tbey were not by their flight on following day there either a profound calm or fight winds from the the sea as far as the eye reach was covered with weeds a often observed in this part tf the ocean which hat some the appearance of a vast meadow tut has been attributed to immense of plants which grow at the bottom of the tea until when they are detached by the of the waves and and rise to the sur ce these fields of weeds were at first regarded with great but at length they became in many places so dense and as in some degree to the of the ships which most have been under very little the ever ready to conceive the most absurd alarm now called to mind some tale about the frozen ocean where ships were said to be sometimes fixed they endeavoured therefore to avoid at m as possible these floating masses some disaster os kind t happen to considered these weeds as proof that the sea was and began to talk of lurking rocks and and treacherous and of the danger of running at it were in the midst of the ocean	48
where their vessels rot and fall to pieces far out of the track of aid and without any shore where the might take refuge they had some confused notion of the ancient story of the sunken island of aod feared that narrative c t cap life and voyages of they were arriving at that part of the ocean where was said to be by lands and the ruins of an country to these fears the admiral had frequent recourse to the lead but though he sounded with a deep sea fine he still found no bottom the minds of the however had gradually become they were full of vague terrors and superstitious fancies they every thing into a cause of alarm and harassed their commander by incessant murmurs for three days there was a continuance of light summer airs from the southward and westward and tee sea was as smooth as a mirror a whale was seen heaving up its huge form at a distance which immediately pointed out as a favourable indication that these fish were generally in the neighbourhood of land the however became uneasy at the of the weather they observed that the contrary winds which they experienced were transient and unsteady and so light as not to the surface of the sea which maintained a calm like a lake of dead water every thing differed they said in these strange regions from the world to which they had been accustomed the only winds which prevailed with any constancy and force were from the east they had not power to disturb the stillness of the ocean there was a risk therefore either of amidst and waters or of being prevented by contrary winds from ever returning to their native country continued with admirable patience to reason with these absurd fancies observing that the calmness of the sea must undoubtedly be caused by the of land in the quarter from whence the wind blew which therefore had not space sufficient to act upon the surface and to heave up ui b r large waves there is nothing however that renders men so deaf to reason as the influence of terror which and the forms of ideal danger a thousand times faster than the most active wisdom can them the more argued the more boisterous became the murmurs of his crew until on sunday the th of september there came on a heavy swell of the sea by wind this is a phenomenon that often occurs in the broad ocean being either the of some past gale or the movement given to the sea by some distant current of wind it was nevertheless regarded with astonishment by the and the imaginary terrors occasioned by the calm who as usual considered himself under the immediate eye and of heaven in this solemn in his journal that this swelling of the sea seemed ordered to the rising of his crew comparing it to that which so aided moses when conducting the children of out of the of egypt la mar y la per no mar la mar y los per lo el an la mar el de de ea los de journal of t and v va es of chapter iv of the op i the situation of was daily becoming more and more lu a be a the regions where lie lo ihe of his the b had increased his were now by as and there was danger of ir to on the point of of all his labours they s with still waited onward over the boundless of it appeared to a mere desert surrounding liable world what was to become of should u fail i their ships were too weak and i for the great voyage they bad already made but if i were to press forward ng at every moment expanse which already divided them from himself what to him were their sufferings and dangers when he was evidently content to sacrifice his own life for the chance of distinction on in such a mad expedition was to become the authors of their own destruction what obligation bound them to persist or when were the terms of their agreement to be considered as fulfilled they had already sailed far beyond the that man bad ventured before they had penetrated into remote seas by a sail how much farther were they to go in quest of a mere imaginary land were they to sail on until they perished or until all return became impossible who on the other hand would blame them were they to consult safety and turn their course before it was yet too late would they not rather be for their courage in having undertaken a similar enterprise and their in in it so far as to any complaints which the admiral might make of their returning n will they would be without weight for be was a foreigner a man without fi or his had been condemned by the learned as idle and visionary and bad been by people of all ranks he had therefore no party on his side but rather a large number whose pride of opinion would be gratified by his such are some of the by which these men prepared for an open opposition to the of the voyage and when we consider the natural of the spanish character impatient of control and the peculiar nature of these composed in a great part of men sail c ind l c vol i iq i s ami op v i ing on we mu danger there was of and some there were not at mom they proposed as n mode of all after complaints of the that should lie lo turn back they should throw him into the and give mil on their arrival in he fallen o while contemplating the stars and the signs of ihe i i f with his a report wliich	48
encouraging were the signs of land flights of small birds of various colours some of them such as sing in the fields came flying about the ships and then continued towards tiie and others were heard also flying by in the night fish played about the smooth sea and a a and a duck were seen all bound in the same direction the which floated by the ships was and green as if recently firom land and the air was sweet and fragrant as april breezes in all these however were regarded by the as so many them on to destruction and when on the evening of the third day they beheld the sun go down upon a horizon they broke forth into they exclaimed against this obstinacy in tempting fate by continuing on into a boundless sea they in i m i upon turning homeward and the voyage as hopeless endeavoured to them by gentle words and promises of large rewards but finding that they only increased in he assumed a decided tone he told them that it was useless to murmur the expedition had been sent by the sovereigns to seek the and happen what might he was determined to until by the blessing of god he should accomplish the cap hint ind l journal of t p note it has been asserted by that a day or two previous to coming in sight of the new world with his crew promising if he did not discover land within three days to abandon the voyage there is no authority for such an assertion either in the history of his son or that of the bishop each of whom had the papers before him there is no mention of such a circumstance in the made from the journal by which have recently been brought to light nor is it asserted by either peter martyr or the of los both and acquaintances of and who could scarcely have failed to mention so striking a fact if true it rests merely upon the authority of who is of inferior credit to either of the authors above and was as to many of the particulars of this voyage by a pilot of the name of who was hostile to in the manuscript process of the memorable law suit between don son of the admiral and the of the crown is the evidence of one de who that he heard many times that some of the and wished to turn back but that the admiral promised them presents and entreated them to wait two or three days before which time he should discover land de life and voyages of was now at open defiance with his crew and his situation became desperate fortunately however the y verse el o tree thia if true no to the on the other hand it was asserted by some of the witnesses in the above mentioned suit that after having proceeded some few hundred without finding land lost confidence and wished to turn back but was persuaded and even to continue on by the this assertion carries on its very face it contradiction to that constancy and und resolution displayed by merely in the present voyage but from first to last of his difficult and dangerous career this testimony was given by some of the men of the crew or the of the anxious to the merit of the latter and to that of co fortunately the from the journal of the admiral written from day to day with simplicity and all the air of truth these and show that on the very day previous to his discovery he expressed a determination to in defiance of all dangers and difficulties it is worthy of remark that on the evening of the seventh of october before changed his course to the west he was according to modem calculations along the twenty sixth degree of latitude nearly due west this would have taken him among the northern or islands or rather with the influence of the gulf stream would have carried him at once to the eastern coast of thus the whole course of spanish discovery might have taken a direction along the atlantic shores of north america and a population have been given to the present of the united states f land were on day as no longer to admit a doubt a quantity of fresh weeds such as grow in rivers they saw a green of a kind which about rocks then a branch of thorn with on it and recently separated from the tree floated by them then they picked up a reed a small board and above all a staff carved all gloom and now gave way to sanguine expectation and throughout the day each one was eagerly on the watch in hopes of being the first to discover the long sought for land in the evening when according custom board of the admiral s ship the had sung the or hymn to the vii he made an address to his crew he pointed ont the goodness of god in thus conducting them by such soft and breezes across a tranquil ocean cheering their hopes with fresh signs increasing as their fears and thus leading and guiding them to a promised land he now reminded them of the orders he had given on leaving the that after sailing westward seven hundred they should not make sail after midnight present appearances such a precaution he thought it probable they should make land that very night he ordered therefore a look out to be kept from the to should make the discovery a of velvet in addition to the to be given by the sovereigns the had been fresh all day with more sea than usual and they had made great progress at sunset they c vol i is and voyages of had stood again to the west and were the waves	48
at a rapid rate tlie keeping the lead from her sailing the greatest animation prevailed throughout the ships not an eye was closed that night as the evening darkened took his station on the top of the castle or cabin on the high of his vessel however he might carry a cheerful and confident countenance during the day it was to him a time of the most painful anxiety and now when he was wrapped by the shades of night from observation he maintained an intense and watch his eye along the dusky in search of tlie most vague indication of land suddenly about ten o clock he thought he beheld a light glimmering at a great distance fearing that his eager hopes might deceive him he called to gentleman of the king s bed chamber and demanded whether he a light in that direction the latter replied in the affirmative yet doubtful whether it might not be some delusion of the fancy called of and made the same inquiry by die time the latter had ascended th round house the light had disappeared they saw it once or twice afterwards in sudden and passing as if it were a torch in the bark of a rising and sinking with the waves or in the hand of some person on shore borne up and down as he walked from house to house so transient and uncertain wore these that few attached any importance to them however considered them as certain signs of land and moreover that the land was inhabited they continued on their course until two in the morning when a gun from the gave the joyful signal of land it was first by a named de but the reward was to the admiral for having previously perceived the light the land was now dimly seen about two distant they took in sail and laid to waiting impatiently for dawn the thoughts and feelings of in this little space of time must have been tumultuous and intense at length in of every difficulty and danger he had ac bis object the great mystery of the ocean was revealed his theory which had been the even of was established he had secured to himself a glory which must be as as the world itself it is difficult even for the imagination to conceive the feel such a man at the moment of so sublime a discovery what a bewildering crowd of conjectures must have thronged upon his mind as to the land which lay before him covered with that it was was evident from the which floated from its shores he thought too that he perceived in the air the fragrance of groves the moving light which he had beheld proved that it was the residence of man but what were its were they like those of the other parts of the globe or were they some strange and monstrous race such as the imagination in those times was prone to give to all and unknown regions had he come upon some wild island far in the indian sea or was this the itself the object of his golden fancies a thousand speculations of the kind must have npon him as with his anxious he waited for the night to pass away wondering ihe morning light would life and voyages reveal a savage wilderness or dawn upon groves and glittering and gilded cities and all the of oriental and voyages chapter i first of in the new world if was on the morning of friday th october first beheld the new world when the day dawned he saw before him a level and beautiful island several in extent of great freshness and and covered with trees like a continual orchard though every thing appeared in the wild of nature yet the island was evidently for the inhabitants were seen issuing from the woods and from all parts to the shore where they stood at the ships they were all perfectly naked and from their attitudes and gestures appeared to be lost in astonishment made signal for the ships to cast anchor and the boats to be and armed he entered his own boat richly attired in scarlet and bearing the royal standard whilst martin and his life and voyages of ther put off in company in their boats each bearing the banner of the with a green cross having on each side the letters f and y surmounted by crowns the of the and as they approached the shores they were refreshed by the sight of the ample forests which climate have extraordinary beauty of vegetation they beheld of tempting hue but unknown kind growing among the trees which the shores the purity and of the atmosphere the crystal of the seas which these islands give them a wonderful beauty and must have had their effect upon the susceptible feelings of no sooner did he land than he threw himself his knees kissed the earth and returned to god with tears of joy his example was followed by the rest whose hearts indeed with the same feelings of then rising drew his sword displayed the royal standard and round him the two captains de of the and the rest who had landed he took solemn possession in the name of the sovereigns giving the island the name of san having complied with the requisite forms and ceremonies he now called upon all present to take the oath of obedience to him as admiral and representing the persons of the id the of im a form of prayer said to have been used by on this occasion and which by order of the sovereigns was used by and in their discoveries et et et mare el the feelings of the crew now burst forth in the most extravagant they had recently considered themselves devoted men hurrying forward to destruction they now looked upon themselves as of fortune	48
and gave themselves up to the most unbounded joy they thronged around the admiral in their overflowing zeal some embraced him others k his hands those who had been most and turbulent during the voyage were now most devoted enthusiastic some ed of him as of a man who had already wealth and honours in his gift many abject spirits who had outraged him by their insolence now crouched as it were at his feet begging pardon for all the trouble they had caused him and offering lor the future the obedience to his a the natives of the island when at the dawn of day they had beheld the ships with their sails set hovering on their coast had supposed them some monsters which had issued the d during the night they had crowded to the beach and watched their movements with awful anxiety their about apparently without effort the shifting and of sails resembling huge wings filled them with when they beheld the boats approach the shore and a number of strange beings clad in glittering steel ir of various colours landing upon the beach they to their woods finding however that there was no to pursue nor them they gradually men est per ut et in de los l cap ind l c life and voyages oi recovered from their terror and approached the with great awe frequently themselves on the earth and making signs of adoration during the ceremonies of taking possession they remained gazing in timid admiration at the complexion the the shining and splendid dresses of the the admiral particularly attracted their attention from his commanding height his air of authority his dress of scarlet and the deference which was paid him by his com all which pointed him out to be the commander when they i d still further recovered from their fears they approached the touched their and examined their hands and faces admiring their whiteness pleased with their simplicity their gentleness and the confidence they in beings who must have appeared to them so strange and formidable suffered their scrutiny with perfect acquiescence the wondering savages were won by this they now supposed thai the ships had sailed out of the crystal which bounded their or that they had descended from above on their ample wings and that these marvellous beings were of the the natives of the island were no less objects of to the as they did from any race of men they had ever seen their appearance gave no promise of either wealth or for they were entirely sup t the idea that tho white men came from was universally by the inhabitants of the new world when in the course of subsequent voyages the conversed with the he inquired how tliey came down from the skies whether flying or they descended on clouds l c s naked and painted witli a variety of colours with some h was confined merely to some part of face the nose or around the eyes witli others it extended to tlie whole body and gave them a wild and fantastic appearance their complexion was of a or copper hue and they were entirely destitute of their hair was not hke the recently discovered tribes of the african coast under the same latitude but straight and coarse partly cut above the but some locks left long behind and falling upon their shoulders their features though obscured and by paint were agreeable they had lofty and remarkably fine eyes they were of moderate stature and well shaped most of them appeared to be years of age there was but one female them quite young naked like her companions and beautifully formed as supposed himself to have landed on an island the extremity of india he called the natives by the l of indians which was universally adopt d before the true nature of his discovery was and ever since been extended to all the of the world the soon discovered that these were aad gentle in their dispositions and extremely and their only arms were hardened at end by fire or pointed with a flint or tlie tooth or bone a there was no iron to be seen among them nor they appear acquainted with its properties for when a sword was presented to them they took t by the edge distributed among them coloured caps glass bells and other trifles such as the accustomed to trade with among the nations of the vol i lo life and of gold coast of these they received as gifts hanging the beads round their necks and being wonderfully delighted with their finery and with the sound of the bells the remained all day on shore themselves after their anxious voyage amidst the beautiful groves of the island they did not return to their ships until late in the evening delighted with all that they had seen on the following morning at break of day the shore was thronged with the natives who having lost all dread of what at first appeared to be monsters of the deep came swimming ofi to the ships others came in light which they called formed of a single tree and capable of holding from one man to the number of for or fifty these they managed with and if swam about in the water with perfect as if in their natural element their with great facility and them with they showed great eagerness to procure more of the toys and of the white men not apparently firom any idea of their value but because every thing fix m the hands of the strangers possessed a supernatural virtue in their eyes as having been brought with them from heaven they even picked up fragments of glass and as valuable they had but few objects to in return except of which great numbers were among them and cotton of which they had abundance and would exchange large balls of five	48
and twenty pounds weight for the merest trifle they brought also cakes of a the of which served the of glass and ware supplying them with all sorts of domestic were produced on stately trees of the size of elms kind o bread ji which constituted a principal part of their food and was afterwards an important article of provisions with the it was from a great root called which they cultivated in fields they cat into which they or scraped and strained in a press making it into a broad thin cake which was afterwards dried hard would keep for a time and bad to be in water when eaten it wai but though the water strained from it in the preparation was a deadly poison there was another hind of of this poisonous quality which w a eaten in the root either boiled or the of the was quickly excited by the sight of small ornaments of gold which some of the natives wore in their noses these the latter gladly exchanged for glass beads and bells and both parties in the bargain no doubt admiring each others as gold however was an object of royal in all of discovery forbade any in it without his express sanction and be put the same on the traffic for cotton to the crown all trade for it wherever it should be found in any he inquired of the natives where this gold was procured they answered him by signs pointing to the south and he them that in that quarter there was a king of great wealth so much that he was served in great vessels of wrought gold he understood also that there was land to the south the and the and that the people from the latter frequently proceeded to the ia quest of gold and precious stones and in their way made upon the island carrying off the inhabitants se ind l c life and voyages of of the natives showed him the of wounds they informed him they had received in battles with these it is evident that a great part of this fancied intelligence was the mere construction of the hopes and wishes of for he was under a spell of the imagination which gave its own shapes and colours to every object he was persuaded that he had arrived among those islands described by as l opposite in the chinese sea and he every thing to accord with the account given of those regions thus the enemies which the natives spoke of as coming from the he to be the people of the main land of asia the subjects of the great of who were represented by the traveller as accustomed to make war upon the islands and to inhabitants the country to the south in gold could he no other than the famous island of and the king who was served out of vessels of gold must be the monarch whose magnificent city and gorgeous palace covered with plates of gold had in such splendid terms by the island where had thus for the first time set his foot upon the new world was called by the natives it still the name of san which he gave to it though called by the english cat island the light which he had seen the evening previous to his land may have been on s island which lies a few to the ea t san is one some dispute having recently arisen as to the island on which first landed the reader is referred for a discussion of this question to the illustration of this work article first landing of t r j f of the great cluster of the or islands which stretch and from the coast of to covering the northern coast of on the morning of the th of october the admiral set off at daybreak with the boats of the ships to the island directing his course to the the coast was surrounded by a of rocks within there was depth of water and sufficient harbour to receive all the ships in the entrance was very narrow within there were several sand banks but the water was as still as in a pool the island appeared throughout to be well wooded with streams of water and a large lake in the centre as the boats proceeded they passed two or three villages the inhabitants of which men as well as women ran to the shores throwing themselves on the ground lifting up their hands and eyes either giving thanks to heaven or the as supernatural beings they ran along parallel to the boats calling after the and inviting them by signs to land offering them various fruits and vessels of water finding however that the boats continued on their course many of the indians threw themselves into the sea and swam after them and others followed in the admiral received them all with kindness and caresses giving them glass beads and other trifles which were received with transport as celestial presents for the invariable idea of the savages was that the white men had come from the skies in this way they pursued their course until they came to a small which in two or three days might be separated from the main land and surrounded with water and which was therefore by as an excellent de t life and es or situation for a fortress on this there were six indian surrounded by groves and gardens as as those of the sailors being wearied with k island not appearing to the admiral of sufficient to induce he returned to the ships of the natives with that they might acquire the si language and w having taken i a supply of wood and water they left the island of san the same evening the admiral impatient to his discoveries so satisfactorily com	48
the next morning he gave to this island the name of in honour of the king it is the same at present called the inhabitants were similar in every respect to those of the preceding islands excepting that they appeared more ingenious and intelligent some of the women wore scanty or of cotton and others had of the same but for the most part they were entirely naked their were very simple being in the form of a or high circular tent constructed of branches of trees of and palm leaves they kept very clean and neat and sheltered under beautiful and spreading trees for beds they had net of cotton extended from two posts which they called a name since adopted into universal use among in to the island within two of the cape found a noble harbour sufficient to hold a hundred ships with two formed by an island which lay in the mouth of it here while the men had landed with the in search of water he refreshed himself under the shade of the groves which he says were more beautiful than any he had ever beheld the country was as fresh and green as the month d may in the trees the fruits the the flowers the very stones for the most part as different from those of spain as night from day the inhabitants gave the same proofs as the other of being totally to the sight of civilized man they regarded the with awe and admiration approached them with of whatever their poverty or rather their simple and natural mode of life the fruits of their fields and groves the cotton which was their article of greatest value and their when the landed in search of water they took them to the springs the sweetest and runs filling their rolling them to the boats and seeking in every way to gratify their celestial however this state of poverty might have pleased the imagination of a poet it was a source of continual disappointment to the whose had been to the quick by the scanty specimens of gold which they had met with and by the information of golden islands continually given by the indians leaving on the th of october they to the in quest of an island called where understood from the signs of the guides that de t life and voyages of there was a mine of gold and a king who dwelt in a large city and possessed great treasures wearing rich clothing and jewels of gold and being sovereign of all the islands they found the island but neither the monarch nor the mine either had misunderstood the natives or they measuring things by their own poverty had exaggerated the paltry state and trivial ornaments of some however die beauty r the island to which he gave the name of his royal delightful as were the others he had vi he declares that this them all like it was covered with trees and shrubs and of known kind and of rich tropical vegetation the climate had the same soft temperature the air was delicate and the land was higher with a fine hill the of a fine sand gently by transparent was enchanted by the lovely scenery of this island it seems says he as if one would never desire to depart from hence i know not where first to go nor are my eyes ever weary of gazing on the beautiful at the end of the island he found fine lakes of fresh water with groves and surrounded by banks covered with here he ordered all the of the ships to be filled here are large lakes says he in his journal and the groves about them are marvellous and and in all the island every thing is green and the age as in april in the singing of the birds is such that it seems as if one would never desire to depart hence there are flocks of which obscure the sun and other birds large and small of so many kinds and so different from ours that it is wonderful and beside there are at present called i and trees of a thousand species each having its particular and all of marvellous so that i am in the greatest trouble in the world not to know them for i am very certain that they are each of great value i shall bring home some of them as specimens and also some of the was intent on discovering the and of the east and on approaching this island had fancied he perceived in the air h came from it the to be from the islands of the indian seas as i at at this cape says he there came off a so good and soft of the flowers or trees of the land that it was the sweetest thing in the world i believe there are here many and trees which would be of great price in spain for and but i know nothing of them which gives me great pain the fish which in these seas partook of the novelty which most of the objects in this new world they the birds in the tropical brilliancy of their colours the scales of some of them glancing back the rays of light like precious stones as thej about the ships they flashed of gold and silver through the clear waves and the taken out of their element delighted the eye with the changes of colours ascribed in fable to the no animals were een in these islands excepting the dogs already mentioned a kind of or rabbit called by the natives and this last was regarded with disgust and horror by the supposing it to be a fierce and serpent but it was found afterwards to be perfectly harmless and esteemed a great delicacy by the indians de t i g life and voyages of for several	48
days hovered about this island seeking in vain to find its imaginary monarch or to establish a communication with him until at length he reluctantly became convinced of his error no sooner however did one delusion fade away than another succeeded in reply to the continual inquiries made by the concern ing the source from whence they procured their gold the had uniformly pointed to the south now began to gather information of an island which lay in that direction and which was called but all that he could collect concerning it from the signs of the natives was coloured and gilded and exaggerated by his imagination he understood it to be of great extent in gold and pearl and and on an extensive commerce in those precious articles and that large merchant ships came to trade with its inhabitants comparing these accounts with the coast of asia as laid down on his map after the descriptions of lo he concluded that this island must be e merchant ships mentioned must be those of the grand who maintained an extensive commerce in seas he formed his plan accordingly to sail immediately for this island and make himself acquainted with its ports cities and productions for the purpose of establishing relations of traffic he would then seek another great island called of which the natives gave likewise marvellous accounts his in those islands would depend upon the quantities of gold precious stones and objects of oriental trade which he should find there after this he would proceed to the main land of india which must be within ten days sail seek the city of which according to was one of the most magnificent in the world he would there deliver in the letter of the sovereigns to the grand and when he received his reply return triumphantly to spain with this document to prove that be had accomplished the great of his voyage such was the splendid scheme with which fed his as be was about to leave the in quest of the island of journal of t life and voyages of chapter m discovery and of for several days the departure of was delayed by contrary winds and attended by heavy showers which last had prevailed more or less since his arrival among the islands it was the season of the rains which in those succeed the of summer about the of the august moon and lasting until the month of november at at midnight the commencement of october th he set sail from the island of but was nearly until mid day a gentle wind then sprang up and as he began to blow most every sail was spread and he stood towards the west the direction in which he was told the land of lay from after three days in the course of which he touched at a group of seven or eight small islands which he called de supposed to be the present islands and having crossed the bank and channel he arrived on the morning of the th october in sight of the island of the part which he first discovered is supposed to be the coast to the west of as he approached this noble island he was struck with its magnitude and the grandeur of its features its high and airy mountains which reminded him of those of its fertile valleys and long sweeping plains watered by noble rivers its stately forests its bold and stretching head lands which melted away into the remotest distance t e in a beautiful river free from rocks or of transparent water its banks with trees here landing and taking possession of the island he gave it the name of in honour of prince and to the river the name of san on the arrival of the ships two had put off from the shore but on seeing the boat approach to sound the river for they fled in the admiral visited two abandoned by their terrified inhabitants they contained but scanty effects a few made of the of the palm tree hooks and of bone and a few other fishing implements and one of the same kind of dogs which he had met with on the smaller islands which never bark he ordered that nothing should be taken away or himself with noting the manner and means of living of the inhabitants returning to his boat he proceeded for some distance up the river more and more enchanted with the of the country the forests which covered each bank were of high and wide spreading trees some bearing fruits others flowers while in some both fruit and flower were mingled a perpetual round among them were many palms but different from those of spain and africa with the great leaves of these the natives their the continual made by on the beauty of nature were by the kind of scenery he was beholding there is a wonderful splendour variety and in the vegetation of these quick and ardent vol i and voyages of the of the groves and the colours of the flowers and blossoms derive a to the eye from the transparent purity of the air and the deep serenity of the heavens the forests too are full of life with birds of brilliant painted varieties of and create a glitter amidst the of the grove and from flower to flower resembling as has well been said animated of a rainbow the scarlet too seen sometimes through an opening of a forest in a distant have the appearance of soldiers drawn up in with an advanced on the alert to give notice of approaching danger nor is the least beautiful part of animated nature the various tribes of insects that people every plant displaying brilliant coats of mail which sparkle to the eye like precious gems such is the splendour of animal and vegetable creation in these tropical regions where an ardent	48
sun in a manner his own lustre to every object and nature into the birds in general are not remarkable for their notes for it has been observed that in the race sweetness of song rarely brilliancy of remarks however that there were various kinds which sang sweetly among the trees and he frequently deceived himself in that he heard the voice of the a bird unknown in these he was in fact in a mood to see every thing through a fond and medium his heart was full even to overflowing for he was enjoying the fulfilment of his hopes and the hard earned but glorious reward of his toils and the ladies of on occasions wear in their hair numbers of those insects which have a brilliancy equal to or diamonds j perils every thing around him was beheld with the and eye of a where triumph with admiration and it is difficult to conceive the mate of his feelings while thus exploring the charms of a virgin world won by his and from his continual remarks on the beauty of the scenery and from the pleasure which he evidently derived from rural sounds and objects he appears to have been extremely open to those delicious influences exercised over some spirits by the graces and wonders of nature he gives utterance to these feelings with characteristic enthusiasm and at the same time with the and simplicity of of a child when speaking of some scene among the groves or along the shores of these d islands he says one could live there for ever broke upon him like an v it is the most beautiful island he says that eyes ever beheld full of excellent ports and profound rivers the climate was more temperate here than in the other islands the nights being neither hot nor cold while the birds and sang all night long indeed there is a beauty in a tropical night in the depth of the dark blue sky the purity of the stars and the clearness of the moon that over rich landscape and the groves a charm more touching than the splendour of the day in the sweet smell of the woods and the of the flowers which loaded every breeze fancied he perceived the fragrance of oriental and along tlie shores he found shells of the kind of which produces pearls from the grass growing to tlie very edge of the water he inferred the of the ocean these islands never the shore with angry ever since his arrival among these he had t life and of experienced nothing but soft and gentle weather and he concluded that a perpetual serenity reigned over these happy seas he was little suspicious of the occasional bursts of fury to which they are liable speaking from actual observation remarks the sea of those islands is commonly more tranquil than ours but like certain people who arc difficult to be moved and whose of passion are as violent as they are rare so when this sea becomes irritated it is terrible it breaks all bounds the country sweeps away all things that pose it and leaves frightful behind to mark the extent of its it is after these known by the name of that the shores arc found with marine shells which greatly in lustre and beauty those of the european seas it is a singular fact however that the which almost the and other islands in the immediate vicinity of have been seldom known to extend their influence to this favoured land it would seem as if the very elements were charmed into gentleness as they approach it in a kind of riot of the imagination finds at every step something to the information he had received or fancied he had received from the natives he has had proofs as ho thought that possessed mines of gold and groves of and that the waters of its shores with pearls he no longer doubted that it was the island of and weighing anchor along westward in which direction according to the signs of his the magnificent city of its king was situated in the course of his voyage he landed occasionally and visited several villages particularly st l p paris its one on the banks of a lai e river to which he gave the of de the were neatly of branches of palm trees in the shape of not laid out in regular streets but scattered here and there among the groves and under the shade of broad spreading trees like tents in a camp as is the case in many of the spanish and in the villages in the interior of the fled to the mountains or hid themselves in the woods carefully noted the architecture and furniture of their dwellings the houses were better built than those he had hitherto seen and were kept extremely clean he found in them rude statues and wooden carved with considerable ingenuity all were indications of more art and civilization than he had observed in the smaller islands and he supposed they would go on increasing as he approached finding in all the implements for fishing he concluded that these were inhabited merely by who carried their fish to the cities in the interior he thought also he had found the of cows which proved that there were cattle in the island though these are to been of the or found on this coast after standing to the for some distance came in sight of a great head land to which from the groves with which it was covered he gave the name of the cape of palms and which forms the eastern entrance to what is now known as de here three indians natives of the island of who were on board of the informed the commander martin that behind this cape there was a river from now called la mar life and voyages of	48
it was but four days journey to a place in gold by this they a province situated in the centre of in language the midst however had studied intently the map of and had from all his ideas respecting the coast of asia he concluded therefore that the indians were talking of the sovereign and of certain parts of his described by he thought he understood from them that was not an island but extending a vast distance to the north and that the king who reigned in this vicinity was at war with the great this of errors and he immediately communicated to it put an end to the delusion in which the admiral had hitherto indulged that this was the island of but it another no less agreeable he concluded that he must have reached the main land of asia or as he termed it india and if so he could not be at any great distance from and the ultimate destination of his voyage the prince in question who reigned over this neighbouring country must be some oriental of consequence he resolved therefore to seek river beyond the cape of palms and a present to the monarch with one of the letters of recommendation from the sovereigns and after visiting his he would proceed to the capital of the residence of the grand every attempt to reach the river in question however proved ineffectual cape stretched beyond cape there was no good the wind became contrary and cap ms the appearance of the heavens threatening rough weather he put back to a river where he had a day or two before and to which he had given the name of de los on the first of november at sunrise he sent the boats on shore to visit several houses but the inhabitants fled to the woods supposed that they must have a dread of his thinking it one of the sent by the grand to make prisoners and slaves he sent the boat on shore again in the afternoon with an indian on board who was instructed to assure the people of the and beneficent intentions of the and that they had no with the grand after the indian had proclaimed this from the boat to the savages upon the beach part of it no doubt to their great perplexity he threw himself into the water and swam to shore he was well received by the natives and succeeded so in their fears that before evening there were more than sixteen about the ships bringing cotton and the other simple articles of traffic of these forbade au trading for any thing but gold that the natives might be tempted to produce die real riches of their country they had none to and were destitute of all ornaments of the precious excepting one who wore in his nose a piece of wrought silver understood this man to say that the king lived about the distance of four days journey in the interior that many messengers had been to give him tidings of the arrival of the strangers upon the coast and that in less than three days time messengers might be expected from him in return and many merchants from the interior to trade the ships j life and voyages of it is curious to observe how the imagination of deceived him at every step and how he every thing into a uniform web of false conclusions over the map of referring to the of his voyage and musing on the words of the indians he imagined that he must be on the borders of and about one hundred from the capital of the grand anxious to arrive there and to delay as little as possible in the of this inferior prince he determined not to await the arrival of messengers and merchants but to two to seek the i his residence for this mission he chose two de and de the latter a converted jew who knew hebrew and and even something of one or other of which languages supposed might be known to this oriental prince two indians were sent with them as guides one a native of and tlie other an of the hamlet on the bank of the river the were furnished with strings of beads and other for their travelling expenses instructions were given them to inform the king that had been sent by the sovereigns a bearer of letters and a present which he was to deliver personally for the purpose of establishing an intercourse between the powers they were likewise instructed to inform themselves accurately about the situation and distances of certain provinces ports and rivers which the admiral by name from the descriptions which he had of the coast of asia they were moreover provided with specimens of and for the purpose of any precious articles of the kind in the the appearance of the heavens threatening rough weather he put back to a river where he had a day or two before and to which he had given the name of de los on the first of november at sunrise he sent tlie boats on shore to visit several houses but the inhabitants fled to the woods supposed that they must have a dread of his thinking it one of the sent by the grand to make prisoners and slaves he sent the boat on shore again in the afternoon with an indian on board who was instructed to assure the people of the and beneficent intentions of the and that they had no with the grand the indian had proclaimed this from the boat to the savages upon tht beach part of it no doubt to their great he threw himself into the water and swam to shore he was well received by the natives and succeeded so in their fears that before evening there were more than sixteen about the ships bringing cotton am and	48
of the opposition of the senses they beheld several of the natives going about with in their hands and certain dried which they rolled up in a leaf and lighting one end put the other end in their mouths and continued and puffing out the smoke these rolls they called a name since transferred to the plant of which they were made the were struck with astonishment at this singular indulgence prepared to meet with wonders on their return to the ships they gave favourable accounts of the beauty and of the country they had met with many of four or five houses well peopled among trees laden with unknown fruits of tempting hue and delightful around them were fields planted with the or sweet vith potatoes with or indian corn and with a species of or pulse there were fields also of the of the roots of which they made their bread these with the fruits of their groves formed the principal food of the natives who were extremely and simple in their diet there were vast quantities life and of experienced nothing but soft and gentle weather and he concluded that a perpetual serenity reigned over these happy seas he was little suspicious of the occasional bursts of fury to which they are liable speaking from actual observation remarks the sea of those islands is commonly more tranquil than ours but like certain people who are difficult to be moved and whose of passion are as violent as they are rare so when tliis sea becomes irritated it is terrible it breaks all bounds the country sweeps away all things that o pose it and leaves frightful behind to mark the extent of its it is after these known by the name of that the are found with marine shells which greatly in lustre and beauty those of the european seas it is a singular fact however that the which almost the and other islands in the immediate vicinity of have been seldom known to extend their influence to this favoured land it would seem as if the very elements were charmed into as they approach it ill a kind of riot of the imagination finds at every step to the information he had received or fancied he had received from the natives he has had proofs as he thought that possessed mines of gold and groves of and that the waters of its shores with pearls he no longer doubted that it was the island of and weighing anchor along westward in which direction according to the signs of his the magnificent city of its king was situated in the course of his voyage he landed occasionally and visited several villages particularly st l p paris one on the banks of a large river to which he gave the name of de the were neatly built of branches of palm trees in the shape of not laid out in regular streets but scattered here and there among the groves and under the shade of broad spreading trees like tents in a camp as is still the case in many of the spanish and in the villages in the interior of the fled to the mountains or hid themselves in the woods carefully noted the architecture and furniture of their dwellings the houses were better built than he had hitherto seen and were kept extremely clean he found in them rude statues and wooden carved with considerable all were indications of more art and civilization than he had observed in the smaller islands and he supposed they would go on increasing as he approached finding in all the implements for fishing he concluded that these were inhabited merely by who carried their fish to the cities in the interior he thought also he had found the of cows which proved tliat there were cattle in the island though these are to have been of the or found on this after standing to the for some distance came in sight of a great head land to which from the groves with which it was covered he gave the name of the cape of palms and which forms the eastern entrance to what is now known as de here three indians natives of the island of who were on board of the informed the commander martin that behind this cape there was a river from whence now called la mar life and voyages of it was but four days journey to a place in gold by this they a province situated in the centre of in their language the midst however had studied intently the map of and had from all liis ideas respecting the coast of asia he concluded therefore that the indians were talking of the sovereign and of certain parts of his described by he thought he understood from them that was not an island but extending a vast distance to the north and that the king who reigned in this vicinity was at war with the great this of errors and he immediately communicated to it put an end to the delusion in which the admiral had hitherto indulged that this was the island of but it another no less agreeable he concluded that he must have reached the main land of asia or as he termed it india and if so he could not be at any great distance from and the ultimate destination of his voyage the prince in question who reigned over this neighbouring country must be some oriental of consequence he resolved therefore to seek the river beyond the cape of palms and a present to the monarch with one of the letters of recommendation from the sovereigns and after visiting his he would proceed to the capital of tlie residence of the grand every attempt to reach the river in question however proved ineffectual cape stretched beyond cape there was no good the wind became contrary and cap ms i	48
the appearance of die threatening rough weather he put to a river where he had a day or two before and to which he had given the of de los on the first of november at sunrise he sent the boats on shore to visit several houses but the inhabitants fled to the woods supposed that they must have a dread of his thinking it one of the sent by the to make prisoners and slaves he sent the boat on shore again in the afternoon with an indian on board who was instructed to assure the people of the and beneficent intentions of the and that they bad no with the grand after the indian had proclaimed this from the boat to the savages upon the beach part of it no doubt to their great perplexity he threw himself into the water and swam to shore he was well received by the natives and succeeded so in their fears that before evening there were more than sixteen about the ships bringing cotton and the other simple articles of traffic of these forbade all trading for any thing but gold that the natives might be tempted to produce ttie real riches of their country they had none to and were destitute of all ornaments of the precious excepting one who wore in his nose a piece of wrought silver understood this man to say that the king lived the distance of four days journey in the interior that many messengers had been to give him tidings of the arrival of the strangers upon the coast and that in less than three days time messengers might be expected from him in return and many merchants from the interior to trade with the ships life and of for several days hovered about island seeking in vain to find its imaginary monarch or to a communication with until at length he reluctantly became convinced of his error no sooner however did one delusion fade away than another succeeded in reply to the continual inquiries made by the concerning the source from whence they procured their gold the natives had uniformly pointed to the south now began to gather information of an island lay in that direction and which was called but all that he could collect concerning it from the signs of the natives was co and gilded and exaggerated by his imagination he understood it to be of great extent in gold and pearl and and carrying on an commerce in those precious articles and that large merchant ships came to trade with its inhabitants comparing these accounts with the coast of asia as laid down on his map the descriptions of he concluded that this island must be and th ships mentioned must be those of the grand who maintained an extensive commerce in seas he formed his plan accordingly to sail immediately for this island and make himself acquainted with its ports cities and productions for the purpose of establishing relations of traffic he would then seek another great island called of which the natives gave likewise marvellous accounts his in those islands would depend upon the quantities of gold precious stones and other objects of oriental trade which he should find there after this he would proceed to the main land of india which must be within ten days sail seek the to was one in the world he would mm um there deliver in person the letter of the sovereigns to the grand and when he received his reply return triumphantly to spain with this document to prove that he had accomplished the great object of his voyage such was the splendid scheme with which fed his imagination as he was about to leave the in quest of the island of journal of t a i f w v life and voyages of chapter iv further op while awaiting the return of his the admiral ordered the ships to be and repaired he employed himself also in collecting information concerning the country on the day after their he ascended the river in boats for the distance of two until he came to fresh water here landing he ascended a hill to command a prospect over the interior his view however was shut in by thick and lofty forests of the most wild but beautiful among the trees were some which he considered to be the many were and he doubted not possessed valuable qualities there was a general eagerness among the to nd the precious articles of commerce which grow in the favoured of the and their were continually deceived by their hopes for two or three days the admiral was excited by reports of trees and and being found but on examination they all proved he showed the natives specimens of those and various other and which he had brought with him from spain and he understood from them that those articles were to be found in abundance to the he showed them gold and pearls also whereupon several old indians informed him that there was a country where ttie natives wore ornaments of them in their ears and round the neck arms and they repeatedly mentioned tlie word which supposed to he the name of the place in question and that it was some rich district or island they mingled however great with imperfect accounts describing nations at a distance who had but one eye others who had the heads of dogs and who were cutting the throats of their prisoners and their blood all these reports of gold and pearls and many of which were probably to please the admiral tended to keep up the persuasion that he was among the valuable and islands of the east on making a fire to heat tar for the ships the found that the wood they burnt sent forth a powerful and on examining it declared that it was the wood in the neighbouring forests in	48
so much that flattered himself a thousand of this precious might be collected every year and a more abundant supply procured than that furnished by and other islands of the in the course of their in the vegetable kingdom in quest of the luxuries of commerce they met with the a humble root little valued at the time but a more precious acquisition to man all the of the east on the th of november the two returned and every one crowded to hear tidings of the interior of the country and of the prince to whose capital they had been sent after penetrating twelve they had come to a village of fifty houses built similar to those of the coast but larger the whole village containing at least a thousand in do t p life and voyages of finding the wind adverse and the sea rough at length put his ship about to return to making to his companions to do the same the however commanded by martin had by this time gradually worked a considerable distance to the eastward as he could speedily the other vessels with the wind repeated his but still they were to night coming on he sail and hoisted signal lights to the mast head that would yet join him but when morning dawned the was no longer to be seen the fact was tliat had received extravagant accounts from one of the indians on board of his of an island or region of great riches to which he offered to guide him his was suddenly awakened his vessel being tjie best he could easily to while the others had to abandon the attempt he might be the first therefore to discover this golden region and himself with its first fruits he had long been impatient of the of the admiral thinking himself entitled to an equality from having contributed much of the funds for the expedition he was a the of the community of and accustomed from his wealth and standing to give the law among his associates he had ill therefore being obliged to sail in a subordinate capacity on board of his own ship and several had occurred between him and the admiral the sudden temptations offered to his added to his previous discontent had been too powerful for his sense of duty forgetting what was due to the admiral ind t c cap journal of t j as his commander he had his and keeping on to the eastward with the advantage of his superior sailing had gradually separated himself from the was exceedingly indignant at this desertion dependent of its being a example of he suspected some sinister design either intended to a separate command and separate advantages or to hasten back to spain and snatch the laurel of the discovery the heavy sailing of his vessel however rendered all attempt to pursue him hopeless he continued on therefore to to finish the exploring of its coast on the th of november he regained point and in a fine harbour formed by the mouth of a river to which he gave the name of st it was bordered by rich meadows the neighbouring mountains were well wooded there were pines tall enough to make for the finest ships and noble oaks in the bed of the river they found stones with gold continued for several days the of in terms the magnificence freshness and of the scenery the purity of the rivers and the number and of its his description of one place to which he gave the name of is a specimen of his vivid and feeling for the beauties of nature the of this river and the clearness of the water through which the sand at the bottom may be seen the multitude of palm trees of various forms the highest and most beautiful that i have met with and an of other great and green trees the birds m rich and the of the fields render this country most serene princes of such marvellous beauty that it au others in charms and graces as the day doth the night in lustre for which reason i say to my people life and voyages of that much as i endeavour to give a complete account of it to your my tongue cannot express the whole nor my pen describe it and i have been so overwhelmed at the sight of so much beauty that i have not known how to relate it the of the water which attributed to the purity of the rivers is the property of the ocean in these so clear is the sea in the neighbourhood of some of these islands that in still weather the bottom may be seen as in a crystal fountain and the inhabitants down four and five in search of and other shell sh which are visible from the surface the delicate airs and pure waters of these islands are among their greatest charms as a proof of the gigantic vegetation of these the enormous size of the formed from single trunks of trees one that he saw was capable of containing one hundred and fifty persons among other articles found in the indian dwellings was a cake of wax took it to present to the sovereigns for where there is wax said he there must be a thousand other good it is since supposed to have been brought from as the inhabitants of were not accustomed to gather wax on the th of december reached the end of which he supposed to be the eastern extremity of asia or as he always termed it india he gave it therefore the name of and the beginning and the end he was now greatly perplexed what course to take cap t journal of t ind d m he felt a desire to follow along the coast as it bent off to the which might bring him to the more	48
which had been sent with her returned on board late in the night finding that her village was far distant and fearing to inland confident of the favourable impression which the report given by the woman must produce the admiral on the following day nine well men to seek the village accompanied by a native of as an they found the village about four and a half to the situated in a fine valley on the banks of a beautiful river it contained one thousand houses but all deserted for they had beheld the flying as they approached the was sent after them who with great difficulty their terrors assuring them of the goodness of these strangers who had descended from the skies and went about the world making precious and presents thus assured the natives ventured back to the number of two thousand they approached the nine with slow and trembling steps often pausing and putting their hands upon their heads in token of profound reverence and they were a well formed race fairer and than the natives of the other this village was formerly known by the name of situated on the banks of the river of three rivers which itself half a mile west of port do t f t gap ms life and voyages of while were conversing them by means of their they beheld another multitude approaching these were headed by the husband of the female indian who had been entertained on board of the ships preceding evening they brought her in triumph on their shoulders and the husband was in his gratitude for the kindness with which she had been treated and the magnificent presents which had been bestowed upon her the indians having now become more familiar with the and having in some measure recovered from their extreme fear conducted them to their houses and set before them bread fish roots and fruit of various kinds learning from the that the were fond of they brought great numbers of them which they had and indeed offered freely whatever they possessed such was the frank hospitality which reigned throughout the island where as et the of was unknown the great river which flowed through this valley was bordered with noble forests among which were palms and many trees covered with fruit and flowers the air was mild as in april the birds sang all day long and some were even heard in the night the had not learnt as yet to account for the difference of seasons in this opposite part of the globe they were astonished to hear the voice of this supposed singing in the midst of december and co it a proof that there was no winter in this happy climate they returned to the ships with the beauty of the country surpassing as they said even the luxuriant plains of all that they complained of was that they saw no signs of riches among the natives and here it is impossible to refrain from dwelling on the picture given by the first of the state of manners t in this ia before the arrival of the men according to accounts the people of existed in that state of primitive and savage simplicity which some philosophers pictured as the most on earth surrounded by natural blessings without even a knowledge of artificial wants the fertile earth produced the chief part of their food almost without culture their rivers and with fish and they caught the the and a variety of birds this to beings of their and temperate habits was great abundance and what nature furnished thus they willingly shared with all the world hospitality we are told was with them a law of nature universally observed there was no need of being known to receive its every house was as open to the stranger as his own too in a letter to de st angel true it is that they felt confidence and lost their fear of us they were so liberal with what they possessed that it would not be believed by those who had not seen it if any thing was asked of them they never said no but rather gave it cheerfully and showed as much as if they gave their very hearts and whether the thing were of value or of little price they were content with whatever was given in return in all these islands h appears to me that the men are all content with one wife but they give twenty to their or king the women seem to work more than men and i have not been able to understand whether they possess individual property but rather think that whatever one has all the rest share especially in all articles of st l t letter of to de st angel t l p life and voyages of one of tbe most pleasing descriptions o be inhabitants of this island is given by old peter martyr it as he says from the conversations of the it is certain says he that the land among these people is as common as the sun and water and that mine and thine the seeds of all mischief have no place with them they are content with so little that in so large a country they have rather than so that they seem to live in the golden world without toil living in open gardens not with divided with hedges or defended with walls they deal truly one with another without laws without books and without judges they take him for an evil and mischievous man who pleasure in doing hurt to another and they delight not in yet they make provision for the increase of such roots whereof they make their bread contented with such simple diet whereby health is preserved and disease avoided much of this picture may be by the imagination but it is generally confirmed by contemporary	48
they all in representing the life of these as approaching to the golden state of poetical felicity living under the absolute but and easy rule of their free from pride with few wants an abundant country a happily tempered climate and a natural disposition to careless and indolent enjoyment p martyr of rich d m v chapter vii of when the weather became favourable made another attempt on the th december to find the island of but was again baffled by adverse winds in the course of this attempt he visited an island lying opposite to the harbour of conception to which from its in he gave the name of the natives had fled to the rocks and forests and alarm fires blazed along the heights from which circumstance he red that they were more subject to invasion than the other the country was so beautiful that he gave to one of the valleys the name of de or the of paradise and called a fine stream the af ter that renowned river which flows through some of the fairest provinces of spain setting sail on the th at midnight again for when half way across the gulf which the islands he perceived a by a single indian and as on a former occasion was astonished at his in venturing so far from land in so frail a bark and at his in keeping it above water as the wind was fresh and there was some sea running he ordered both him and his to be taken on board and having near a village on the coast of at present known as r life and voyages of de he sent him on shore well and en with various presents in the early intercourse with people kindness never seems to have failed in its effect the favourable accounts given by this indian and by those with whom the had communicated on their previous the fears of the a friendly intercourse soon took place and the ships were visited by a of the neighbourhood from this and his had further information of the island of which was described as lying at no great distance no mention is afterwards made of this island nor does it appear that made any further attempt to seek it no such island exists on the ancient and it is probable that this was one of the numerous of indian words which led and others of the first into so many fruitless the people of appeared to than any he had yet met with and of a gentle and disposition some of them had trifling ornaments of gold which they readily gave away or exchanged for any trifle the country was finely with lofty mountains and fine valleys which stretched away inland as far as the eye could reach the mountains were of such easy ascent that the highest of them might be with oxen and the luxuriant growth of the forests manifested the of the soil the valleys were watered by numerous clear and beautiful streams they appeared to be cultivated in many places and to be fitted for grain for and while detained at this harbour by contrary winds was visited by a young of apparently great importance he was borne by four men on a sort of litter and attended by two hundred of his subjects the ml being at dinner when he arrived the young ordered his to remain without and entering the bin took his seat beside not permitting him to rise or use any ceremony only old men entered with him who appeared to be his and who seated themselves at bis feet if any thing were given him to eat or drink he merely tasted it and sent it to his followers maintaining an air of great gravity and dignity he spoke but little his two watching his lips and and communicating his ideas after dinner he presented the admiral with a belt curiously wrought and two pieces of gold gave him a piece of cloth several beads coloured shoes and a of flower water he showed him spanish coin on which were the of the king and queen and endeavoured to explain to him the power and grandeur of those sovereigns he displayed also the royal and the standard of the cross it was all in vain to attempt to convey any clear idea by these the could not be made to believe that there was a region on the earth which produced these wonderful people and wonderful things he joined in the common idea that the were more than mortal and that the country and sovereigns they talked of must exist somewhere in the skies in the evening the was sent on shore in the boat with great ceremony and a salute fired in honour of him he departed in the state in which he had come carried on a litter accompanied by a great of his subjects not far behind him was his son borne and escorted in like manner and his brother on foot supported by two attendants the presents which he had received from the admiral were carried before him with great ceremony vol i and voyages of they procured but little gold in this place though ever ornaments the natives possessed they re i y gave away the region of promise still lay farther on and one of the old of the told that he would soon arrive at islands rich in the precious ore before leaving this place the admiral caused a large cross to be erected in the centre of the village and from the readiness with which the indians assisted and their imitation of the in their acts of adoration he inferred that it would be an easy matter to convert them all to christianity on the th of they made sail before d but with wind and on the evening of the th they in a	48
boat arrived at the and made known the perilous state in which they had left their vessel tliey were reproached with their desertion and refused admission the commander and several of his crew their boat hastened to the assistance of the admiral and were followed by the master and his companions covered with shame and confusion they arrived too late to save the ship for the violent current had set her more and more upon the bank the admiral seeing that his boat had deserted him that the ship had swung across the stream and that the water was gaining upon her had ordered the mast to be cut away with the hope of her sufficiently to float her ofl every effort was in vain the was firmly in the sand the shock had opened several while the swell of the striking against her left her each moment more and more until she fell over on one side ly the weather continued calm otherwise the ship must have gone to pieces and the whole crew might have perished amidst the currents and the admiral and his men took refuge on board the de chief judge of the and i the king s butler were immediately sent on shore as to the to inform him of the intended visit of the admiral and of his disastrous in the meantime as a light wind had sprung up from shore and the admiral was ignorant of his situation and of the rocks and banks which might be lurking around him he lay to until daylight the habitation of the was about a league and a half from the wreck when heard of the misfortune of his guests he manifested the utmost and even shed tears he immediately sent all his people with all the large and small that could be and so active were they in their assistance that in a little while the vessel was the himself and his brothers and relations rendered all the aid in their power both on sea and land keeping guard that every thing should be conducted with order and the property rescued from the wreck be preserved with fidelity and voyages of from time to time he sent some one of his family or some principal person of his attendants to with the admiral and to entreat him not to be distressed for that every thing he possessed should be at his disposal never in civilized country were the rites of hospitality more observed than by this savage all the landed from the ship were deposited near his dwelling and an armed guard surrounded them all night until houses could be prepared in which to store them there seemed however even among the common people no disposition to take advantage of the misfortune of the strangers although beheld what must in their eyes have been treasures cast as it were upon their and open to yet there was not the least attempt to nor in the from the ship had they appropriated the most trifling article on the contrary a general sympathy was visible in their countenances and actions and to have witnessed their concern one would have supposed the misfortune had happened to themselves c c l chapter ix transactions with the natives on the twenty sixth of december came on board of the to visit the admiral and observing him to be very much dejected the compassionate heart of the was so much moved that he shed tears he repeated the message which he had sent not to be cast down by his misfortune and offering every thing he possessed that might render him aid or consolation he had already given three houses to shelter the and to receive the effects landed from the wreck and he offered to furnish more if necessary while they were conversing a arrived from another part of the island bringing pieces of gold to be exchanged for bells there was nothing upon which the natives set so much value as upon these toys the indians were of the dance which they sometimes performed to the of certain songs accompanied by the sound of a kind of drum made from the trunk of a tree and the rattling of hollow bits of wood but when they hung the bells about their persons and heard their clear musical sound to their movements as tliey danced nothing could exceed their wild delight the sailors who came from the shore informed the admiral that considerable quantities of gold had been brought to and large pieces were eagerly given for the merest vol i j life and voyages of trifle this information had a cheering upon the attentive perceiving the lighting up of his countenance inquired into what the sailors had communicated when he learnt its purport and that the admiral was extremely desirous of gold he assured him by signs that there was a place not far off among the mountains where it to such a degree as to be held in little value he promised to procure him from thence as much as he desired the place to which he alluded and which he called was in fact a region which the afterwards found to contain valuable mines but still confounded the name with that of dined on board of the with the admiral after which he invited him on shore to visit his residence here he had prepared a as choice and abundant as his simple means afforded consisting of or fish roots and the various fruits with which the island the generous did every thing in his power to honour his guest and cheer him under his misfortune showing a warmth of sympathy yet delicacy of attention which could not have been expected from his savage state indeed there was a degree of innate dignity and refinement ed in his manners that often surprised the he was remarkably nice and in his mode of eating which was slow	48
evenings they danced in their fragrant groves to their national songs or the rude sound of their drums such was the indolent and holy day life of these simple people which if it had not the great scope of enjoyment nor the high of pleasure which civilization was certainly destitute of most of its artificial miseries the venerable speaking of their per feet it seemed almost as if they were existing in the state of innocence of our first parents before their fall brought shame into the world he might have added that they seemed likewise from the penalty inflicted on the children of adam that they should eat their bread by the sweat of their brow when die spanish looked back upon their and painful life and reflected on the cares and hardships that must still be their lot if they returned to europe it is no wonder that they regarded with a wistful eye the easy and idle existence of these indians wherever they went they met with caressing hospitality the men were simple frank and cordial the women loving and and prompt to form those which anchor the most wandering heart they saw gold glittering them to be had without labour and every enjoyment to be procured without cost by these advantages many of the surrounded the admiral they represented the difficulties and sufferings which they must encounter on a return voyage where so many would be crowded in a small and they entreated permission to remain in the island de t l p and voyages of h chapter x building of the fortress of la the solicitude expressed by many of his people to be left behind added to the friendly and pacific character of the natives now to the idea of forming the of a future colony the wreck of the would afford abundant materials to a for which might be defended by her guns and supplied with her and he could spare provisions enough to maintain a small garrison for a year the people who thus remained on the island could explore it and make themselves acquainted with its mines and other sources of wealth they might at the same time procure by traffic a large quantity of gold from the natives they could learn their and themselves to their habits and manners so as to be of great use in future intercourse in the meantime the admiral could return to spain report the success of his and bring out no sooner did this idea break upon the mind of than he set about it with his accustomed and the wreck was broken up and brought to shore and a site chosen and preparations made for the of a tower when was informed of the intention of the to leave a part of his men for the defence of the island from the ii while he returned to his country for more he was greatly his subjects manifested equal delight at the idea of retaining these wonderful people among them and at the prospect of the future arrival of the admiral ships with bells and other precious articles they eagerly lent their assistance in building the fortress little dreaming that they assisting to place on their necks the yoke of perpetual and slavery the preparations for the fortress were scarcely commenced when a report was brought by certain indians that the had in a river at the eastern end of the island immediate procured a from by several indians in which he sent a with a letter to making no complaints of his desertion but urging him to join company immediately after three days absence the returned having the island for twenty without having seen or heard any thing of the and though the admiral immediately afterwards had further reports of her being to the eastward he gave them no credit the desertion of this vessel was a source of great anxiety to and altered all his plans should return to spain before him he would doubtless seek to excuse his conduct by injurious to his future he might even try to him with the public and bear off the of the discovery should the be lost the situation of was still more critical but one ship of the three would then be and that an indifferent on the precarious return of that crazy across an immense expanse of ocean depended the success of his expedition should that vol i and voyages of one likewise perish every record of his great discovery would be swallowed up with it the obscurity of his fate would perhaps all future and the new world would remain as heretofore unknown he not risk such an event by his voyage and exploring regions which to b inviting him on every hand he determined therefore to lose no time in returning direct to spain while the fortress was the admiral continued to receive every day new proofs of the and kindness of whenever he went on shore to the works he was entertained in the most hospitable manner by that he had the largest house in the place prepared for his reception or with palm leaves and furnished with low of a black and shining wood that looked like jet when he received the admiral it was always in a style of generosity hanging around his neck some jewel of gold or making him some present of similar on one occasion he came to meet him on his landing attended by five each wearing a of gold they conducted him with great deference to the house already mentioned where him in one of the chairs took off his own of gold and placed it upon his head in return took from his neck a collar of fine coloured beads which he put round that of the he invested wm in a mantle of fine cloth which he wore gave him a pair of coloured boots and put on his finger	48
a large silver ring upon which metal the indians set a great value it not being found in their island such were the acts of kindness and continually between and this warm hearted and the latter also exerted himself to the utmost to procure great quantity of gold for the admiral before his departure the supplies furnished and the vague accounts collected through the medium of signs and imperfect inter filled the mind of with magnificent ideas of the wealth which must exist in the interior of this island the names of mountains and provinces were confused together in his imagination and supposed to mean various places where great treasure was to be found above all the name of continually occurred which was understood to be some golden region among the mountains from the natives procured most of the ore for their ornaments in the or red which in the island fancied he found a trace of oriental and he thought he had met with specimens of passing with his usual of spirit from a state of doubt and anxiety to one of sanguine anticipation he now considered his as one of those events mysteriously ordained by heaven to work out the success of his without this seeming disaster he should never have remained to find out the secret wealth of the island but should merely have touched at various parts of its coast and have passed on as a proof that the particular hand of providence was exerted in it he the circumstance of his having been wrecked in a perfect calm without wind or wave and the desertion f the pilot and when sent to carry out an anchor for had they performed his orders the vessel would have been hauled off they would have pursued their voyage and the treasures of the island would have remained a secret to them but now he looked forward to glorious fruits to be from this seeming for he hoped in god he said that when he returned life and voyages op from spain he should find a ton of gold collected in traffic by those whom he had left behind and that they had discovered mines and in such quantities that the sovereigns three years would be able to undertake a for the of the holy for so i protested to your he adds that all the gain of this my e should be spent in the conquest of and your laughed and said that it pleased you and th without this you were well disposed to tlie undertaking such was the visionary yet generous enthusiasm of the moment that prospects of vast wealth broke upon his what in some spirits would have awakened a grasping and sordid to immediately filled his imagination with plans of magnificent expenditure but how vain are our attempts to interpret the inscrutable of providence the which considered an act of divine favour to reveal to him the secrets of the land and limited all his after discoveries it linked his fortunes for the remainder of his life to this island which was doomed to be to a scene of cares and troubles to involve him in a thousand and to his declining years with humiliation and disappointment de t l p i chapter xi of the fortress of la de of for spain so great was the activity of the in the construction of their fortress and so ample the assistance rendered by the natives that in ten days it was sufficiently complete for service a large vault had been made over which was erected a strong wooden tower and the whole was surrounded by a wide ditch it was stored with all the that had been saved from the wreck or that could be spared from the and the guns being mounted the whole had a formidable aspect sufficient to and this naked and people indeed was of opinion that but little force was necessary to the whole island he considered a fortress and the of a garrison more requisite to keep the themselves in order and to prevent their wandering about and committing acts of among the natives the fortress being finished he gave to it as well as to the adjacent village and the harbour the name of la or the in memorial of their having escaped from on christmas day there were many to remain on the island from whom he selected i l voyages oi of the most able and the of tbe whole was given to de a native of and and to die who was to retain all the powers which had been in by the sovereigns in case of his death he was to be succeeded by and he dying by de there were also among the number a physician a ship carpenter a a a tailor and a all expert at their several arts the boat of the wreck was left with them to be used in fishing a variety of seeds to sow and a large quantity of articles used in indian traffic that they might procure as much gold as possible against the admiral s return as the time drew nigh for his departure assembled the men who were to remain in the island and addressed them in the most earnest and language he charged them in the name of the sovereigns to be obedient to the officer to whom he had the command that they should maintain the utmost respect and reverence for the and his how deeply they were indebted to his goodness and how important a continuance of it was to their welfare that they should be in their intercourse with the natives treating them always with gentleness and justice avoiding all acts of violence and all and above all being discreet in their conduct towards the indian women the frequent source of troubles and in the intercourse with savage nations he warned them moreover not to scatter themselves	48
asunder but to keep together as they derived de t c safety united number and that they should not stray friendly territory of he it upon and the other persons in command to do their utmost m acquire a knowledge of the productions and mines of the island to procure gold and and to explore the search of a better situation for a settlement the present harbour being inconvenient and ous on account of the rocks and which beset its entrance on the d of january landed to take a farewell of the generous and his intending the next day to set sail he gave them all a parting feast at the house which had been devoted to his use and commended to their kindness the men who were to remain especially de a and de his assuring them that when he returned from he would bring abundance of jewels more precious than any they had yet seen the worthy showed great concern at the idea of his departure and assured him that as to those who remained he should furnish them with provisions and render them every service in his power once more to ss the with an idea of the warlike powers of the white men had and mock fights performed by his in these they made use of their various arms and weapons their swords and cannon the indians were astonished at the of the swords and at the deadly power of the and but when the heavy were discharged from the fortress it in wreaths of smoke shaking the forests with their thunder and shivering the trees with the balls of stone f and voyages of which in those times were used in there was ihe deepest awe mingled with their admiration that these tremendous powers were all to be employed for their protection they rejoiced while they trembled since no would now dare to the tranquillity of their island and carry them into je when the of the day were embraced the and his principal and took a final leave of them was greatly affected and shed tears for while he had been awed by the dignified of the admiral and the idea of his nature he had been completely won by the of his manners indeed the parting scene was sorrowful on all sides the arrival of the ships had been an event of wonder and excitement to the who had as yet known nothing but the good qualities of their guests and had been enriched by their celestial gifts while the rude had been flattered by the blind deference paid them and by the kindness and unlimited indulgence with which they had been treated the parting was between the who embarked and those who remained behind for there is a strong sympathy arising from a companionship in perils and adventures which the hearts of men together the little garrison however evinced a cheerful spirit and stout resolution they looked forward with bright to the day when the admiral should return from spain with large and they promised to give him a good account of all things in the island the was detained one day longer by the absence of some of the in de t p m i m tm whom they were to take to spain at length the signal gun was fired they gave a parting cheer to the handful of comrades thus left in the wilderness of an unknown world who echoed their cheering as they gazed wistfully after them from but who were destined never to welcome their vol i a a life and voyages of book v chapter i towards the eastern end of with affair with the natives at the gulf of it was on the of january that set sail from la on his return to spain the wind being light it was necessary to tow the out of the harbour and clear of the which it they then stood eastward towards a lofty without trees but covered with grass and shaped like a tent having at a distance the appearance of a towering island being connected with by a low neck of land to this bold gave tlie name of by which it is still known the country in the immediate neighbourhood was level but further inland rose high of mountains well wooded with broad fruitful valleys between them watered by abundant streams the wind v life am voyages of being contrary they were detained for two days in a large bay to the west of the on the th they again made sail with a land breeze and the cape advanced ten when the wind again turned to blow from the east at this time a sailor stationed at the mast head to look out for rocks cried out tliat he beheld the at a distance every one was animated at the intelligence for it was a joyful event once more to meet with their companion in these lonely seas the came sweeping towards them directly before the wind with flowing canvas and the admiral seeing that it was in vain to contend with the adverse wind and that there was no safe in the neighbourhood put back to the bay west of christ followed by the other at their first interview martin endeavoured to account to the admiral for his temporary desertion pretending that it was involuntary and offering various weak and unsatisfactory excuses restrained his indignation and admitted them had a powerful party in the most of the were his several of them his relatives and one of the was his brother whereas was a stranger among them and what was worse a foreigner had presumed upon these circumstances several times in the course of the voyage to himself undue importance and treating the admiral with unwilling to provoke any which might disturb the remainder of the voyage listened but to the excuses of convinced	48
that he had parted from him for selfish purposes various gathered partly from his own story and partly from tl of his companions confirmed this opinion it was evident he been by a sudden impulse of on parting with the other he had eastward in search of an island of imaginary wealth described by the indians on board of his vessel having wasted some time among a cluster of small islands supposed to have been the he had at length been guided by the indians to where he had been for three weeks trading in various places with the natives especially in a river about fifteen east of the harbour of he had collected a large quantity of gold one half of which he retained as captain the rest he divided among his men to secure their fidelity and after thus considerable h had left the river carrying ofi four indian men and two girls whom he had t en by force with the intention of selling them in spain he pretended to have been entirely ignorant that was in a neighbouring part of the island and declared that he was in search of him when they met ofi r being thus rejoined by the other encouraged to explore the of this fancied of in which case he had no doubt of being able to load his treasure but he had lost all confidence in the s he found himself subjected to and contradiction from them and had no security that martin might not again desert him on the least temptation he determined therefore to continue his route to spain and to leave the exploring of these golden regions for a subsequent expedition the boats were accordingly to a large river which itself into the bay to take in a supply of wood and water for the voyage this river called by the natives the from the mountains of the interior c j am of and ill its course to the receives tlie of various minor streams observed among die sands at its mouth many of gold found others to the of the water wherefore he gave to this stream the name of ore or the golden river it is at present called the in this neighbourhood were of a great size also in his journal that he saw three which elevated themselves above the surface of the sea and he that he had before seen such on the coast of he adds that they were by no the beautiful beings they had been represented although they possessed some of the human countenance it is supposed that these must have been or sea seen and at a distance and that the imagination of disposed to give a wonderful character to every in this new world identified these mis animals with the of ancient story on the evening of the th january they again made sail and on the following day arrived at the river where had been trading to which gave the name of le but it took the of its original and long continued to be known as the river of martin here he had additional proofs of s that he liad been sixteen days in the river although he had obliged his crew to declare that he had been but six and that he had received tidings of the at the harbour of but had delayed suggests that these may have been oc in this river and in the other ic fall from the mountains of ha l c ing to the assistance of the until he had served his own interests by collecting gold still to notice this of duty but he obliged to to their homes the four men and two whom be bad taken from this neighbourhood and who were dismissed well clothed and many presents to for the wrong tliey had experienced and to prevent its the natives against the this wa made with great and many high words ou the of the wind being favourable for in these regions the trade wind is during and winter by they continued the island until they came to a high aad beautiful head land to which they gave the name of cape or the lover s cape bat which at present is known as cape a little beyond this they io a vast bay or rather three in breadth and extending so r inland at first supposed it might be an arm of the sea from some other land on landing tbe natives quite different from the gentle and pacific people they had hitherto met with on this island these were of a ferocious aspect and of a turbulent and warlike they were painted and wore their long and tied behind and decorated with the of and birds of gaudy they were armed with bows and arrows war clubs and swords of a formidable their bows were of the length of those used by tbe english their arrows were of slender pointed with hard wood and sometimes tipped witli bone or with the tooth of a fish their swords were of palm c h f voyages of of the most able and the of tb whole was given to de a native of and and to the who was to retain all the powers which had been in the catholic sovereigns in case of his death he was to be succeeded by and he dying by de there were also among the number a physician a ship carpenter a a a tailor and a all expert at their several arts the boat of the wreck was left with them to be used in fishing a variety of seeds to sow and a large quantity of articles used in indian traffic that they might procure as much gold as possible against the admiral s return as the time drew nigh for his departure assembled the men who were to remain in the island and addressed them	48
affair with the natives at the gulf op from la oa his to spain the being light it was necessary to tow the out of the harbour and clear of the which it they then stood eastward towards a lofty without trees hut covered with grass and shaped like a tent having at a distance the appearance of a towering island being connected with hy a low neck of land to his bold gave the name of by which it is still known the country in the immediate neighbourhood was level but further inland rose high of mountains well wooded with broad fruitful between them watered by abundant streams the wind and of tract of ocean swept by the trade winds they began te have more and enabled to steer for spain in consequence of the frequent change of course the became extremely perplexed in their widely themselves and still more widely from the truth beside keeping a reckoning with great care was a observer of all phenomena by which experienced and in what to an eye appears to be a blank expanse of ocean in all his voyages he studied the simple indications furnished by the sea the air and the sky with the watchful and anxious eye of a commander the fate of himself and his ships in the unknown regions whidi he traversed often depended upon these observations and the sagacity at which he arrived in the signs of the elements was looked upon by the common as something almost supernatural in the present instance on his return he had noticed when the great bands of floating weeds commenced and when they finished and in emerging from among them concluded himself to be in about the same degree of as when he encountered them on his outward voyage that is to say about two hundred and sixty west of on the th february and the and who were on board the admiral s ship examined the and compared their to determine their situation but could not come to agreement they all supposed themselves at least one hundred and fifty nearer spain than what believed to be the true reckoning and in the latitude of whereas he knew them to be nearly in at direction for the he suffered them however to remain in their error and even added to with the other he had eastward in search of an island of imaginary wealth described by the indians on board of his vessel having wasted some among a cluster or small islands supposed to have been the he had at length been guided by the indians to where be had been for three weeks trading in various places with the natives especially in a river about fifteen east of the harbour of he had collected a lai quantity of gold one half of which he retained as captain the rest he divided among his men to secure their fidelity and after thus considerable b had left the river carrying off four indian men and two girls whom he had by force with the intention of selling them in spain he pretended to have been entirely that was in a neighbouring part of the island and declared that he was in search of him when they off r being thus r by the hav felt encouraged to explore the of this of in which case he had no doubt of being able to his treasure but he had lost all confidence in the he found himself subjected to and contradiction from them and had no security that martin might not again de him on the least temptation he determined therefore to continue his route to spain and to leave the exploring of these regions for a subsequent expedition the boats were accordingly to a large river which itself into the bay to take in and water for the voyage this river called by the natives the from the mountains of the interior c t life and voyages of i and in its tb the ocean receives the ol minor streams oi observed among the at its mouth many found to the of water t be gave to this stream the name of or ol the golden river it is at present called the lu were of a great site mention in his journal saw three which themselves above the surface of the sea and he that he had before seen such on th coast l he adds that they were by no mean the beings had been represented although they of the countenance it is that these most have been or sea seen ana at a distance and that tlie imagination of disposed to give a wonderful to every in this new d had i these animals with the of story on the evening of the th january again and on the following day at where had been trading to which gave the name it de but it took the of its original and long continued to be known as the river of martin here he had additional proofs of du that he had been sixteen days in the river although he had obliged his crew to declare that he had been but six and that he had received tidings of die at the harbour of but lied delayed sail v i suggests that these may have been of which in this river and in the which fall from the mountains of l c the tempest still raging with violence the admiral and all the made a solemn vow that if they were spared to reach the land wherever they first went on shore they would go in procession and in shirts to offer np prayers and in some church of the of the holy virgin beside these general acts of each one made his private vow binding himself to some pilgrimage or or other of and at his favourite shrine	48
such has always been the custom with of catholic countries in times of tempest and pent but it was especially the case in that superstitious age the heavens however seemed deaf to these pious vows the storm grew still more wild and and each man gave himself up for lost the danger of the ship was by the want of the consumption of the water and provisions having lightened her so that she rolled and tossed about at the merry of the waves to remedy this and to render her steady the admiral ordered that all the empty should be filled with sea water which in some measure gave relief daring long and awful conflict of the the of was a prey to the distressing ty he feared the had m the storm in such case the whole of i is discovery the secret of the new world depended npon his own feeble bark and me of the might bury it for ever in oblivion the tumult of thoughts may be judged from his own letter to the sovereigns i could have supported this evil less grief said be had my person alone been in since i am a for my life to the supreme creator and have at other times been within a step of death but it was a cause of infinite sorrow and trouble to think that after having been illuminated from on h with faith vol i and of and certainty to undertake this after having achieved it and when on the point of convincing my and securing to great glory and vast increase of dominion it should please the vine majesty to defeat all by my death it would have been more also had i not been accompanied by others who had been drawn on by my and who in their cursed not only the hour of their coming but the fear inspired by my words which prevented their back as they had at various times determined above au my grief was doubled when i thought of my two sons whom i had left at school in destitute in a strange land without any testimony of the services rendered by their fa ther which if known might have inclined your to them and although on the one hand i was comforted by a faith that the deity would not permit a work of such great exaltation to his church wrought through so many troubles and to remain imperfect yet on the other hand i reflected on my sins for which he might intend as a punishment that i should be deprived of the glory which would to me in tliis world in the midst of these gloomy apprehensions an expedient suggested itself to by which though he and bis ship should perish the y of his achievement might survive to bis name and its advantage be secured to his sovereigns he wrote on a brief account of his voyage and discovery and of his having taken possession of the newly found lands in the name of their catholic this he sealed and directed to the king and queen and also a promise of a thousand to should deliver this he then wrapped k cap in a cloth which he placed in the centre of a cake of wax and the whole in a e barrel threw it into the sea giving his crew to suppose that he was performing some religious vow lest this memorial should never reach the land he enclosed a copy in a similar manner and placed it upon the so that should the he swallowed up bj waves the barrel might float ofl and survive these precautions in some measure the anxiety of and he was still more relieved when heavy showers there appeared at a streak of clear sky in the west giving hopes that the wind was about to shift to that quarter these hopes were confirmed a favourable succeeded but the sea still ran so high and that but sail could be carried during the night oo the morning of the th at daybreak the cry of land wag given by a stationed in the main top the of the crew at once more gaining sight of the old world were almost equal to what they had experienced on first beholding the new the land was seen east over the of the and the usual of opinion concerning it arose among the one thought that it must be the island of another the rock of near the most part by their ardent wishes placed it near to spun however judging from bis private and observations concluded it to be one of the a nearer approach proved it to be an island it was but five distant and the were themselves the assurance of speedily being in port when suddenly the wind again to the east blowing directly from the land while a heavy sea kept rolling the west life and of but i other natives of the island and had more of the rude and belongs to and bold was on tho day after the when n on the beach he sent a e party on shore in the boat the natives immediately d at and a if nothing had did ihey betray throughout their any signs of lurking fear or enmity the who ruled over the neighbouring country was on the shore he sent to the boat a string of beads of stones or rather of ihe hard of shells which to be a token and assurance of they were not yet aware of the full meaning of this symbol wliich was the bell the pledge of peace held sacred the indians the followed shortly after and the hi at with only attendants was conveyed on board i chapter iii transactions at the island of st g on the boat to land ascertained that the island where be had thus arrived st mary s the	48
most southern of the and i of the crown of the inhabitants when they beheld the light riding at anchor were astonished that it had been able to live through the gale which had raged for fifteen days with fury but when they beard that this vessel tidings of a strange country beyond the ocean they were filled with wonder and curiosity to the of the boat s crew about a place where the anchor securely they pointed oat a harbour in the vicinity but when the boat was about to depart they prevailed on three of the to remain on shore and gratify them with particulars of this voyage in the evening three men of the island the and a boat being sent for them hey brought on board bread and of various kinds from de governor of the island who claimed an acquaintance with and sent him many compliments and congratulations he for not coming in person owing to the of tlie hour and the distance of his residence but promised to visit bim the next morning and to n i life and voyages of bring further and the three men whom he still kept with him to satisfy his extreme respecting the voyage as there were no houses on the shore the messengers remained on board all night on the following morning reminded his people of the vow made during their recent peril to perform a pious procession at the first place where they should land on the neighbouring shore at no great distance from the sea was a small or chapel to the virgin which was favourable for the purpose and he made immediate arrangements for the performance of the the three messengers on returning to the village sent a priest to perform mass and one half of the crew landing walked in procession and in their shirts to the chapel while the admiral awaited their return to perform the same ceremony with the remainder of his men an reception however awaited the poor tempest on their first return to the abode of civilized man far distant from the sympathy and hospitality they had experienced among the savages of the new world scarcely had they begun their prayers and when the whole of the village horse and foot headed by the governor surrounded the and took them all prisoners as an intervening point of land hid the from the view of the the admiral remained in ignorance of this transaction when eleven o clock arrived without the return of the he began to fear that they were detained by the or that the boat had been shattered upon the surf beaten rocks which bordered the island weighing anchor therefore he stood in a direction to command a view of the chapel and the adjacent shore from hence he beheld a number of armed who dis mounting entered the boat and made for the the admiral s ancient suspicions of hostility towards himself and his were immediately revived and he his men to arm themselves but to keep out of sight ready either to defend the vessel or surprise the boat the latter however approached in a pacific manner the governor of the island on board and coming within hail demanded assurance of personal safety in case be entered the this the admiral readily gave but the still and conscious of their own ter designs continued to maintain a wary distance the indignation of now broke forth he reproached the with his and with the wrong he did not merely to the spanish but to his own sovereign by such a outrage he informed him of his own rank and dignity displaying his letters patent sealed the seal of and threatened him with the vengeance of his government the reply of was in an vein of contempt for die letters of the and of defiance of and he concluded by declaring that all he had done was in to the of the king his sovereign an the boat returned to shore much perplexed by this unexpected hostility and fearful that a war might have broken out between spain and during his absence the next day the weather became so that they were driven from their and obliged to stand to sea toward the island of st michael s for two days the ship about in great peril half of her crew being detained on shore and the greater part of those on board being and indians almost equally useless in difficult na s ufe and of tbe ran high were of those seas which otherwise being lo feebly the could scarcely have lived through the od the evening of the d the weather returned once more to hu at st ma ry s shortly after his arrival a boat came os bringing two priests and a after a and an of safety they came on board of the and requested a si t of the papers of on tbe part of him that it was the of die governor to render him every service in his power provided he really in tbe service the spanish saw that this was a mere of to cover a retreat from the hostile position he had assumed he restrained his indignation however expressed big for tlie disposition of the governor and showing his letters of easily satisfied the priests and tbe on the following morning the boat and were tbe latter during their had collected information from the inhabitants which the conduct of the king of jealous lest the expedition of might interfere his own discoveries had sent orders to his of islands and distant ports to and detain him wherever he should be met with in compliance with these orders had in the first instance hoped to surprise in the chapel and failing in that attempt bad intended to get him in power by but was from him on c lad l i c his guard	48
such was the first reception of the admiral on his to the om world an earnest of the crosses and troubles with which he was to be life for one of the greatest benefits that ever man bad conferred upon his fellow beings i am of and iu its lo n minor the nt iu i old md ot rs to the r the he gave lo stream li or river it is at ni called the s o iii were a tions ill his that saw three elevated themselves the surface of the ea and he that he had seen on ih f h adds that tliey were by no fi tliey bad been represented although they of the it u si p that have been or sea at u distance and tliat of to give a wonderful to thing in d had i li these with the all her sails and continuing to blow with violence was obliged aj ip to under bare poles threatened each moment with destruction in this hour of darkness and peril the crew again called upon the aid of heaven a lot was cast for the performance of a pilgrimage to the shrine of maria de la in and as the lot fell upon there was singular in the of this devoutly considers it an intimation from the deity to the admiral that these storms were all on his account to humble ills pride and prevent his to himself the glory of a discovery which was the work of god and for which he had merely been chosen as an instrument various signs appeared of their being in the of land which they supposed must be the coast of the tempest however increased to such a degree that they doubted whether any of them would survive to reach a port the whole crew made a vow in case their lives were spared to last npon bread and water the following saturday the of the elements was still greater in the course of the following night the sea was broken wild and at one moment the light was high in the air and the nest moment seemed sinking in a yawning abyss the rain at times fell in torrents and the lightning flashed and the thunder from various parts of the heavens in the first watch of this night the gave the usually welcome cry of land but it now only increased the general alarm they knew not where they were nor where to look for a harbour they dreaded being driven tm shore or dashed upon the rocks and thus the very ly mm hi t ind cap land they had so to them in sail sc kept to as possible and waited the light at daybreak on the th of they off the rock of at tbe mouth of the thou entertaining a strong distrust of the good will of the prevailing tempest left no alternative but to run in for shelter and he accordingly t o clock of to to the great joy of who returned thanks to god fer their escape from so perils the came off various parts of tbe shores upon what they considered a miraculous preservation they bad been watching the vessel the whole morning with great anxiety and putting up prayers for her safety tbe oldest of tbe place that they bad never known so a winter many vessels had for months in port and there had been numerous daring the season immediately on his arrival to tbe and ii of spain with the great tidings of his discovery he wrote also tbe king of who was then at permission to go with his vessel to a report had got abroad that hb was laden with gold and be felt himself in the mouth of in the of a place like peopled by and inhabitants to prevent any misunderstanding as to the nature of his voyage he assured the king that he had not been on the coast of guinea nor to any other of the colonies bat had from and the mi of india which hfe by sailing to the west on the following day don de the of a large man of war at summoned on board his ship to give an of and his vessel the latter immediately asserted his rights and as admiral of their and refused to leave his vessel or to send any one in his place no sooner however did the commander learn his rank and the nature of his voyage than he came to the with great sound of drums and trumpets showing the of a brave and generous spirit and making the fullest offer of his services when the tidings reached of this wonderful bark which lay in the with the people and the productions of a newly discovered world the effect may be more easily conceived than described for nearly a century had derived its chief glory from its discoveries bnt here was an achievement that them all could scarcely have been more excited had the vessel come with the wonders of another planet for several days the presented a gay and moving covered with and boats of every kind round the from morning till night the vessel was thronged with among whom were of high distinction and various officers of the crown all with attention upon the accounts given by and his crew of the events of their voyage and of the new world they had discovered and with upon the specimens of unknown plants and animals bnt above all upon the indians so different from any race of men hitherto known some were filled generous enthusiasm at the idea a so sub i life and of and bo to the of wa by the of mai i with gold with pearls while at the of the king and by which w an acquisition had been lor ever to on	48
the of march a called don martin de came with a letter n king john on arrival and bim to court which was then held at about nine from the king with bis usual issued orders at the same time every thing which the required for himself his crew or his vessel should be furnished promptly and abundantly without cost gladly have declined the royal feeling distrust of the good faith of the king but the weather placed in bis power and he thought it prudent to avoid all appearance of suspicion he therefore that very evening for accompanied by liis pilot the first night he slept at where preparations had been made for bis honourable the weather being rainy be did not reach until the following night on approaching the royal the principal of the king s household came forth to meet him and attended bim with great ceremony to uie palace his reception by the monarch was y of an prince he ordered him to seat himself in his presence an honour accorded to persons of royal and after many congratulations on the glorious result of his enterprise assured him that every thing in his kingdom that could be of service to his sovereigns or was at bis command a long ensued in gave an account of his voyage and of the countries he had discovered the king listened with seeming pleasure bat with secret grief and mortification the idea was incessantly upon his mind that this splendid enterprise had once been offered to himself bad in a manner been begging for patronage at his court and had been rejected a casual observation showed what was passing iii his thoughts he expressed a doubt whether the discovery did not really to the crown of to the of the treaty of with the sovereigns replied be had never seen those nor knew any thing of their nature his orders had been not to go to la nor the coast of guinea which orders he had carefully observed the king made a gracious reply expressing himself satisfied that he had acted correctly and persuaded that these matters would be readily adjusted between the two powers without the need of on for ihe night be gave him in charge as guest to the prior of the principal personage present by whom he was and entertained on the following day the king had further conversation the admiral in which he made minute inquiries as to the oil productions nd people of the newly discovered countries and the route bad taken in us voyage to all which die latter gave the fullest replies endeavouring to the royal mind in the manner that these were heretofore and by any christian power still the king was uneasy lest this vast and discovery should in some way interfere his own newly acquired he doubted whether had not found a short way to those very countries life and of were the ot of his own ind wind were comprehended in the to tbe of all the land which h should cape non to tbe on to his confirmed them some of were tbe had once this and at as a to them wai a of ever of its importance was ah as a reproach and the of covered was a deep of the ha and ts which elevated him at that above all mean they attributed to all bis a tions the most petty and motives his rational exultation was into an insulting and they accused him of assuming a and tone when talking tbe king of his as if he would revenge himself upon the monarch for having rejected it was with the greatest eagerness therefore that they sought to foster those doubts which had sprung up in the royal mind some who bad seen the n brought in the declared that their hair don il the in having conducted himself and talked in of bis in his conversations with tbe king it ia their must have been derived from prejudiced y in bis iii c goes so far as to that entered into the port of merely to make sensible by the sight of the of hia discovery how she had lost by not accepting hia pro nd manners agreed with the of the people of part of india which lay within the route of the discoveries and which bad been included in the papa others observed that there was but little distance between the islands and those which had discovered and that the latter therefore clearly to seeing the king deeply in spirit some even went so far as to propose as a means of the of these that should be declaring that he deserved death for attempting to deceive and the two nations by liis pretended discoveries it was suggested that his might easily be accomplished without any advantage might be taken of his lofty to his pride provoke him into an and then him as if in casual and honourable encounter it is difficult to believe that such wicked and counsel could have been preferred to a monarch so upright as john bat the fact is asserted by various as well as spanish and it with the advice formerly given to the monarch in respect to is a loyalty courts is often prone to prove its zeal hy its and it is the weakness of kings to the faults that appear to arise from personal devotion happily the king had too much to adopt the measure proposed he did justice to the merit of and honoured him as a distinguished to mankind and he felt it bis duty as a don ii l de y ii ind l c ms vol i us un and or prince to protect to his of ui more bold and martial policy that be to to spain before be fit out a second e a t be ei two who had	48
sailed the admiral to of tbe newly discovered don after all the e t title and an a to the mode of settling so a this in which there was a of i g t and craft was more by king and be privately but promptly to put it in firing de one of tbe most captains of tbe age to command tbe in tbe meantime after being treated with attention was escorted back to his by don martin de and a train of of tbe court a mule being provided for himself and another for his pilot to whom tbe king made a present of twenty or of on hie way stopped at tiie of st at villa to the queen who had expressed an earnest wish to see him he found her attended by a few of ber favourite ladies and experienced the most flattering reception her m made him relate the principal events of his voyage and describe the countries be bad while she and her with eager upon tbe narrative of this ordinary and man whose was tbe l f or st dollars in gold of the present day and to dollars tlie de of the theme of every tongue that night he slept at and being oa the point of departing in the morning a of the arrived offering on die part of his majesty to attend him to the frontier if he to return to spain by land and to provide horses lodgings and every thing be might stand in need of at the royal expense the weather however having he preferred in his putting to sea once more therefore on the i th march be arrived at the bar of on sunrise of the and at day entered the harbour of from he had sailed on the third of august in the preceding year having taken not quite seven months and a half to this most momentous of all on this ind l i c c of t m life and voyages ir chapter v reception op at the of was a event in the history of the little port of where every body was more or less interested in die of his expedition the most important and wealthy sea captains of the place had engaged in it and scarcely a family but had some relative or friend among the the departure of the ships upon what appeared a and desperate bad spread gloom and dismay over the place and the storms which had raged throughout the winter had heightened the despondency many lamented their friends as lost while the imagination lent mysterious horrors to their fate them as about over wild and desert of water without a shore or as amidst rocks and and or a prey to those monsters of the deep with which in those days peopled every distant and sea in the maps and of those times and even in those of a much later date the variety of formidable and hideous monsters depicted in remote parts of the the terrors and dangers with which the imagination clothed it the same may also be said of distant and unknown lands the remote parts of asia and africa have monsters depicted in which it would be difficult to trace to any in natural history there was something more awful ia a mysterious fate than in death itself any defined aud ordinary form when the news arrived therefore that one of the adventurous ships was standing up the river the inhabitants were thrown into great a but when they heard that she returned in triumph from the discovery of a world and beheld her her s in their harbour the whole community burst forth into a transport of joy the bells were rung the shops shut all business was suspended for a time there was nothing bat the hurry and tumult of sudden exultation and breathless curiosity some were anxious to know the fate of a relative others of a friend and all to learn particulars of so wonderful a voyage when landed the thronged to see and welcome bim and a grand procession was formed to the principal church to return thanks to god for so signal a discovery made by the people of that place the shallow forgetting in the thousand difficulties which they had thrown in the way of the enterprise wherever passed the streets with and he received such honours as are paid to sovereigns bat to him they were rendered with warmth and sincerity what a contrast was this to his a few months before followed by murmurs and or rather what a contrast to his first arrival at a poor craving bread and water for his child at the gate of a understanding that the court was at felt disposed to proceed thither immediately in his reflecting however on the dangers and he had already experienced on the seas he resolved to proceed by land he a letter to the king and queen informing them of his arrival and soon after departed for to await their orders taking with him six of the es and ot ht from new set and three were left ill at it if a to be an that oa the v t and as it die of were still ringing from its towers the martin likewise entered die river her se from the admiral in die she had been driven before die of and had made the port of whether had survived the tempest and at all events to an t te him and to secure the of the court and the had immediately written to the i giving information of the discovery he had made and had requested permission to come to court and communicate the particulars in person as soon as the weather permitted he had again set sail a triumphant reception in his native port of when on entering the harbour he beheld the	48
vessel of the admiral riding at anchor and learnt the enthusiasm with which he had been received and the r with which his return had been celebrated the heart of died within him he called to mind his fire and and his wilful desertion off the coast of by which he had the of the voyage it is said that he feared to meet in hour of his triumph lest he might put him under arrest but it is more probable that he was to appear before the public in the midst of its as a to the cause which excited such universal admiration getting into his boat therefore he landed privately and kept himself out of si t until he beard of the admiral s departure he then returned to his home broken in and deeply dejected had been his world in which be moved with u bnt bow he id public opinion and the finger of mom pointed at him au the honours on all the of his into the soul of as so many reproaches on himself and when at length he received a severe and reply to the letter he bad written to the sovereigns his added to bis malady and in a f w days he sunk into the grave the victim of and remorse he was a man of great spirit and one of the of the age and the head of a family that continued to itself among the early he had contributed greatly to encourage when poor and unknown in spain offering purse and entering with hearty into his plans he had assisted him by his personal at the public prejudices and the and of his vessels when even the orders of tbe were of no avail he had advanced the part of the funds to be home by the admiral finally he had embarked with bis in tbe life as well as proper on tbe event he bad thus entitled himself to largely in the glory of this immortal enterprise but for a moment the grandeur of the cause he bad deserted the high object in view and by yielding to the impulse of a low and sordid had his character for ever that be was a man naturally of sentiments is evident from the of his remorse a mean man could not have a victim to fi f having committed and voyages of a mean action his shows how one from may the merits of a thousand services how one moment of may mar the of a whole life of virtue and how important it is for a man under all circumstances to be not merely to others but to himself r the and of in subsequent years a great against seeking in various ways to the merit of his or to gain the credit of it to their father among other it was asserted that before the sovereigns accepted the of had prepared to go at his own cost risk in two of his own ships in search of lands in the west of which he had some notice from papers found in the library at rome and also from a prophecy of the time of solomon in which it was written that from spain westward by a temperate course between north and south at ninety five degrees of would be found the fertile and abundant island of n l it may not be uninteresting here to a few particulars concerning the furnished me by a friend and which he had gathered in a voyage on of the steam boat between and on my way down the river says he i found a sailor on board a native of he was intelligent for his situation and i gathered from him the following information which may be depended upon is to a paltry village of about four hundred inhabitants and has only four or five which are employed in fishing the neighbouring town of has greatly increased add chiefly at its expense i a the of still exists and is inhabited by of that order it is situated on a hill that the low sand plains of the surrounding country the family of the removed long since to where there are now four or five branches of them they are not they the memory of their and preserve some documents in his band writing they follow his profession near salt the sailor pointed out to me a small trim looking commanded by a young of bat the name sailor mentioned to me that he had been employed in to to the house of a the t of of chapter vi reception of bt the spanish at the letter of to the spanish his discovery had produced the greatest sensation al court the event it communicated was considered the most extraordinary of their prosperous reign and following so close upon the conquest of was pronounced a signal mark of favour for that triumph achieved in the cause of the true faith the sovereigns themselves were for a time dazzled and bewildered by this sudden and easy acquisition of a new empire of indefinite extent and apparently boundless wealth and their first idea was to secure it beyond the reach of question or competition shortly after his arrival in received a letter from them expressing their great delight and him to repair immediately to court to concert plans for a second and more extensive expedition as the summer was already advancing the time favourable for a voyage they desired him to make any arrangements at or elsewhere that might hasten the expedition and to inform them by the return of the what was necessary to be done on their part this letter was addressed to him by the title of don our admiral of the sea and and governor of the islands discovered in at the lane e he was still further no time in with the the so he	48
lent a of the ships men and that would be and having made such dispositions at at circumstances permitted set oat on his for taking with him the six indians and the and productions v he bad brought from the new world k of his discovery had the i nation and as his route lay through several of the finest and most provinces of spain his journey appeared like the progress of a sovereign he passed the poured forth iu who lined the road and thronged the villages in the lai towns the streets windows and were filled with eager who rent air with his journey was in by the multitude pressing to gain a sight of and of the indians who were regarded with as much as if they had been natives of another planet it was impossible to satisfy the craving curiosity a himself and his attendants at every stage with popular rumour as usual bad exaggerated the truth and had filled the newly found country with d of wonders it was about middle of april that arrived at every had been to give turn a solemn aad ma reception the beauty and serenity cf the weather in that genial season and contributed l give splendour to as be drew near the many the more and of gallant bearing together with a vast of the came to meet hia entrance im noble city has been and of compared to one of those tlie lo d to were p the indians painted according to af e e and decorated with with national ornaments of gold after were borne kinds of live together with of species and rare plants supposed to ik of qualities while great c re was to a display of indian aiid other of old which might give an idea of the wealth of the newly discovered regions after these on back surrounded by a brilliant of chivalry the streets were almost from multitude tie windows and were crowded with the fair the ery roofs were covered with spectators it seemed as if the public eye he with on these of an unknown world or un the remarkable man by whom it had been discovered there was i a benefit the nation at length entered the hall by a brilliant crowd of among whom says he was for bis and commanding person which with bis rendered venerable by his gray hairs gave him the august i appearance of a of rome a modest smile lighted up his features showing that he enjoyed the state and glory in which he came and certainly nothing could he more deeply moving to a mind by noble ambition and conscious of having greatly deserved than these of the admiration and gratitude of a nation or rather of a world as approached tht sovereigns rose as if receiving a person of the highest rank bending his knees he requested to kiss their hands but t ere was some hesitation on the part of their to permit this act of a raising him in the most gracious manner they ordered bim to seat himself in their presence a rare honour in this and at the request of their now gave an account of the most striking events of his voyage and a description of the islands which he had discovered he displayed the specimens he had brought of unknown birds and other animals of rare plants of and virtue of native gold in dust in crude masses or into ornaments and above all the natives of these who were objects of intense and inexhaustible interest since there is nothing to man so curious as the varieties of his own species all these he pronounced mere hai of greater discoveries he had yet to make which add of wealth to the of lu ind l c s ms cap i w and or their and whole nations of to the tree faith the words of were listened to with profound emotion hy the sovereigns when he had finished they sunk on their knees and raising their clasped hands to heaven their eyes filled with tears of joy and gratitude they poured forth thanks and praises to god for so great a providence au present followed their example a deep and solemn enthusiasm pervaded that splendid assembly and prevented all common of triumph the of te by the choir of the royal chapel with the melodious of the rose up from the midst in a full body of sacred harmony bearing up as it were the feelings and thoughts of the to heaven so that says the venerable it seemed as if in that hour they communicated with celestial delights such was the solemn and pious manner in which the brilliant court of spain celebrated this sublime event up a grateful tribute of melody and praise and giving glory to god for the discovery of another world when retired from the royal presence he was attended to his residence by all tlie court and followed by the shouting for many days he was the object of universal curiosity and wherever he appeared lie was surrounded by an admiring multitude while the mind of was thus with glorious his pious scheme for the of the holy was not forgotten it has been shown that he suggested it to tlie spanish sovereigns at the time of first making his holding it forth as tlie great object to be effected by the profits of his discoveries flushed with the idea of the vast wealth that was now to to himself he made a vow to furnish an army within seven years consisting of five thousand horse and ay thousand for the rescue of the holy and a similar force within the five following years this vow was recorded in of his letters to the sovereigns to but which is no longer nor is it i it was made at the end of his first	48
voyage or at a subsequent date when the magnitude and wealthy result of his lies more fully manifest he to it vaguely in writings and be to it e q ly in a letter to pope alexander vi written in in which he also for it is essential to a full af the character and of that this wild and should be in it will be found to have itself in his mind with hi of and that a holy was to be the of divine purposes for which be himself selected by heaven as an agent it bow his mind was above selfish and how it was filled those and heroic schemes which in the time of die bad the thoughts and directed the of the and mom life and voyages of chapter vii of at attentions paid him by the sovereigns and the joy occasioned by this great discovery was not to spain the tidings were spread far and wide by by the correspondence of the learned by the of merchants and the reports of travellers a contemporary writer in his annals of for it as just made known at that court by the letters of their merchants who were in and by the mouths of various travellers the news was brought to by the return of her m and and was recorded among the triumphant events of the year the republic though she may have the opportunity of making herself mistress of the discovery has ever since been of the glory of having given birth to the that he was in london when news was brought there of the discovery and that it caused great talk and admiration in the court of henry vii being affirmed to be a thing more divine than human j t de l x collect voyages v p f the whole world in fact was filled with wonder and delight every on rejoiced in it as an event in which he was more or less interested and as t new and unbounded field for inquiry and of t of the learned we have a proof in a letter of peter martyr to his friend yon ted me my amiable he writes that yon leaped for and that your delight was mingled with tears when yoa read my to you the hitherto hidden world of the ton have felt and acted as became a man for learning what more than inch tidings can be set before an mind i feel a hai ness of spirit when i intelligent people who have returned from these it is like an accession of wealth to a our minds soiled with vices become by contemplating such glorious notwithstanding all this however no one as yet was aware of the real importance of this discovery no one had an idea that this was a totally distinct portion of the globe separated hy from the ancient world the c of was universally adopted that was the end of the continent and that the adjacent islands were in the indian seas this agreed with the of the heretofore about the moderate distance firom spain to the extremity of in a sailing the also thought to resemble those described by as in the remote parts of asia the lands therefore which had visited were called the west and as he seemed to have entered upon a vast region of countries existing letters of p martyr let vol i and s of in a state of nature the whole received the comprehensive of the new world during the whole of his at the sovereigns took every occasion to bestow on personal marks of their high consideration he was admitted at all times to the royal presence and the queen delighted to ft with him on the subject of his the king too appeared occasionally on horseback with prince on one side and on the other to in his family the glory of his achievement a coat of arms was assigned him in which the royal arms the castle and lion were with his proper bearings which were a group of islands surrounded by waves to these arms was the motto y hall for and i found a world the of thirty crowns which had been by the ns to him who in the first voyage should discover land was to for having first seen the light on the shore it is said that the seaman who first the land was so at being disappointed of what he conceived his reward that he his country and his faith and going into africa turned an anecdote which rests merely on the authority of who is extremely in his of this voyage and many told liim by the enemies of the admiral equal to a value in gold of dollars and equivalent to dollars in our it may at first sight appear but little with tlie acknowledged of to have borne away the from this poor sailor but was a subject in which his whole ambition was involved and he was less of the honour of bein personally the of the land as well as of the next to the countenance shown him by the king and queen may be mentioned that of de the grand cardinal of spain and first subject of the realm a man whose elevated character for piety learning and high like qualities gave signal value to his he invited to a banquet where he assigned him the most honourable place at table had him served with the which in those times were observed towards sovereigns at this is said to have occurred the well known anecdote of the egg a shallow present impatient of the honours paid to and jealous of him as a foreigner abruptly asked him whether he thought that in cage he bad not discovered the there were not other men in spain who would have been capable of the f to this made no immediate	48
reply but taking an egg invited the company to make it stand upon one end every one attempted it but in vain whereupon he struck it the table so as to break the end and led it standing on the broken part in this simple manner that when he had once shown the way to the new world nothing was easier than to follow it this anecdote rests on the authority of the italian historian p ed it has heen condemned aa trivial but the simplicity of the its and was characteristic of the practical of the universal popularity of the s a proof of its life and of the favour shown by the sovereigns for a time the caresses of the nobility for in a court every one with his neighbour in attentions upon the man whom the king to honour bore all these caresses and distinctions with becoming modesty though he must have felt a proud satisfaction in the idea that they had been as it were from the nation by his courage and perseverance one can hardly recognize in the individual thus made the companion of princes and the theme of general wonder and admiration the same obscure stranger who but a short time before had been a common and jest in this very court by some as an adventurer and pointed at by others as a man those who had treated him with during his long course of now sought to the remembrance of it by every one who had given him a little cold countenance and a few smiles now to himself the credit of having been a patron and of having promoted the discovery of the new world scarce a great man about the court but has been by his historian or among the of though had one tenth part of this boasted patronage been really exerted he would never have had to linger seven years for an of three knew well the weakness of the patronage that had given him the only friends mentioned by him with gratitude in his after letters as having been really zealous and effective were those two worthy de afterwards bishop of and and the prior of the of la thus honoured by the sovereigns by the great by the people for a time drank the draught of popularity before enmity and bad time to it with bitterness his discovery such upon the world as to envy itself and to call forth the of mankind well would it be for the honour of human nature could history like romance close with the of the hero s wishes we should then leave in the full of great and well prosperity but his history is destined to another proof if proof be wanting of tbe of even when won by no greatness was ever acquired by more and exalted benefits rendered to yet none ever drew on its possessor more and or involved him in more distress and difficulty thus it is with illustrious merit its very draws forth the of low and which too have a temporary in it to the world as the sun ne with splendour into the heavens calls up by the of his rays the rank and for a time his glory life and voyages of chapter vm bull op preparations for a se voyage of in the midst of their the spanish sovereigns lost no time in taking every measure necessary to secure their new although it was supposed that the countries just discovered were part of the of the grand and of other oriental princes considerably advanced in civilization yet there does not appear to have been the least doubt of the right of their catholic to take possession of them during the a doctrine had been established among the christian princes extremely favourable to their ambitious designs according to this they had the right to and seize upon the of all nations under the plea of the enemies of christ and extending the sway of his holy church on earth in to the same doctrine the pope from his supreme authority over all things was considered as to dispose of all heathen lands to such pious as would engage to reduce them to the dominion of the church and to the true faith among their inhabitants it was in virtue of this power that pope martin v and his had to the crown of all the lands it might discover from cape to the and the catholic in a treaty concluded in with the had engaged themselves to respect the rights thus acquired it was to this treaty that john ii alluded in his conversation with wherein be suggested his to the newly discovered countries on the first intelligence received from the admiral of his success therefore the spanish sovereigns took the immediate to secure the sanction of the pope alexander vi had recently been elevated to the holy chair a whom some have with every vice and crime that could disgrace humanity but whom all have represented a eminently able and he was a native of and being born a subject of the crown of it might be inferred was disposed to but in certain questions bad come before him he had already shown a disposition not the most cordial towards the catholic monarch at all events was well of his worldly and character and endeavoured to manage him accordingly he therefore to the court of rome announcing the new discovery as an extraordinary triumph of the faith t forth the great glory and gain which must to the fi wn the of the catholic doctrines throughout these vast and heathen lands care was also taken to slate that the present discovery did not in the least interfere with the possessions by the holy chair to all which bad been avoided who was at least as as he was pious a hint at the same time by which the	48
pope might perceive hat he was determined at all events to maintain bis important his were instructed to state tiiat in the opinion of many learned men these newly discovered lands having been taken possession of by the life and v of sovereigns their title to the same did not the p sanction still as pious princes obedient to the holy chair they his to issue a bull making a concession of them and of such others as might be discovered to the crown of the tidings of the discovery were received in act with great astonishment and no less exultation by the court of rome the spanish sovereigns had already elevated themselves to high consequence in the eyes of the church by their war against the of spain which had been considered in the light of a pious and though richly repaid by the acquisition of the kingdom of wa thought to them to the gratitude of all the present discovery was a still achievement it was tlie fulfilment of one of the sublime promises to the church it was giving to it the heathen for an inheritance and the parts of the earth for a possession no difficulty therefore was made in what was considered but a modest request for so important a service though it is probable the of the worldly minded was quickened by the of tne monarch a bull was accordingly issued dated may d to the spanish sovereigns the same rights privileges and in respect to the newly discovered regions as had been accorded to the with regard to their discoveries under the same condition of planting the catholic faith to prevent any conflicting claims however between the two powers in the wide range of their discoveries another bull was issued on the following day containing the famous line of by which their were thought to be clearly and permanently defined this was an ideal line drawn from the north to the south pole a hundred to the west of the and the cape de islands all land discovered by the spanish to the west of this line and which had not been taken possession of by any christian power before the preceding christmas was to belong to the spanish crown all land discovered in the contrary direction was to belong to it seems never to have occurred to the that by pushing opposite of discovery they might some day or other come again in collision and renew the question of right at the in the meantime without waiting for the sanction of the court of rome the utmost exertions were made by the sovereigns to fit ont a second expedition to regularity and in the affairs relative to the new world they were placed under the of de of who afterwards rose to he bishop of and and finally of the he was a man of family and his brothers and were or lords of and and the latter was general of de is represented by as a worldly man more calculated for than spiritual concerns and well adapted to the bustling of fitting out and notwithstanding the high to which he arose his worldly seem never to have been considered with his sacred enjoying a perpetual though of the sovereigns be a control of india affairs for about thirty years he must undoubtedly have possessed talents for business to him such of office but he was malignant and and in the gratification of his private he nut only heaped wrongs and sorrows upon the moist illustrious of the early discover i fi i life and voyages of ers but frequently the progress of their to the great of the crown this he was enabled to do privately and s by his official situation his conduct is repeatedly alluded to but in guarded terms by contemporary writers of weight and credit such as the of los and the bishop but they evidently were of speaking the fulness of their feelings subsequent spanish always more or le s controlled by have likewise dealt too with this base minded man he merits to be held up as a warning example of those beings in office who too lie like worms at the root of honourable by their unseen influence the fruits of glorious action and the hopes of nations to assist in his new duties was associated with him as and de as or their office for the transaction of india affairs was fixed at extending its vigilance at the same time to th port of where a custom house was established for this now branch of such was the of the royal india house which afterwards rose to great power an l importance a correspondent office was ordered to be in under the direction of tlie admiral these offices we re to of the and of each ship by who sailed with it all persons thus employed were dependent upon the two general superior ministers of tlie royal since the crown w as to be at all the expenses of the colony and to receive all the the most minute and account was to be of all expenses and proceeds and the most i observed as to the persons employed in the concerns of the newly discovered lands no one was permitted to go there either to trade or to form an establishment without express license from the sovereigns from or from under the heaviest the ignorance of the age as to enlarged principles of commerce and the example of the in respect to their african possessions have been in excuse of the narrow and jealous spirit here manifested but it always more or less influenced the policy of spain in her another instance of the sway maintained by the crown oyer commerce is manifested in a royal order that all ships in the ports of with their captains and should be held in readiness to serve in this expedition and were to freight	48
him and he was doomed again to be the only reply his received was a reference to the line of from pole to pole so devised by his such was asia d l cap f x i e l cap life and voyages of royal game of where the parties were playing for a newly discovered world john ii was able and intelligent and had to advise him in all his moves but wherever deep and subtle policy was was a master at the game i i i chapter x further preparations for the second voyage character of de differences of with ru and of some attempt on the part of to interfere with their discoveries the spanish iti their wrote to urging bim to hasten his departure his however needed immediately hi arriving at in the beginning of june he bad proceeded with all diligence to fit out the making use of the powers given bim to put in the ships and which were in tbe of he was joined soon after by and had remained u t a time at and with united exertions a fleet of seventeen vessels large and small were soon in a state of preparation tbe best were chosen for the service and the were in presence of the a of skilful and other were engaged for the projected colony horses both for military purposes and for the country cattle and domestic animals of all kinds were likewise provided grain seeds of various plants vines sugar and li were embarked together with a great quantity of consisting of beads u life an of bells looking glasses and other trifles for witli the natives nor was there wanting an abundant supply of provisions of all sorts of war and and for the sick an extraordinary degree of excitement prevailed respecting this expedition the most extravagant fancies were entertained with respect to tlie new world the accounts given by the who had visited it were of exaggeration for in fact they had nothing but e and confused notions concerning it like the recollections of a dream and it has been shown that himself had beheld every thing through the most medium tl e vivacity of his descriptions and the sanguine t his ardent spirit while they aroused the to a wonderful degree of enthusiasm prepared tlie way for bitter the of the was with the idea of regions of wealth where the rivers rolled over golden sands and the mountains with gems and precious where the groves produced and and the shores of the ocean were sown with pearl others had conceived visions of a kind it was a romantic and stirring age and the wars with the being over and with france suspended the bold and restless spirits of the nation impatient of the monotony peaceful life were eager for employment to these the new world presented a vast field for wild and extraordinary adventure so congenial to the spanish character in that period of its and brilliancy many of high rank officers of the royal household and in arms and inspired with a passion for hardy achievements by the romantic wars of pressed into the expedition some in the royal j t at their own cost to them it was the commence ment of a new series of surpassing in extent and splendour the to the holy land they pictured to themselves vast and beautiful islands of the ocean to be and subdued their internal wonders to be and the banner of the cross to be planted on the walls of the cities they were supposed to from thence they were to make their way to the shores of india or rather asia penetrate into and convert or what was the same thing conquer the grand and thus open a glorious career of arms among the splendid countries and semi barbarous nations of the east thus no one bad any definite idea of the object or nature of the service in which he was or the situation and character of the re on to which he was bound indeed during this fever of the imagination had sober facts and cold realities been presented they would have been rejected with disdain for there is nothing of which the public is more impatient than of being disturbed in the indulgence of any of its golden dreams among the noted personages who engaged in the expedition was a young of the name of don de celebrated for his extraordinary nt and his daring spirit and who distinguished himself by many perilous and singular exploits among the early he was of a good family to the venerable father de of spain had been brought up under the patronage of the of and had served in the wars against the he was of small size but vigorous make well dark of handsome animated and incredible strength and expert life of at all kinds of weapons in all manly and war exercises an admirable and a soldier of the highest order bold of heart free of spirit open of hand fierce in fight quick in bat ready to forgive and prone to forget an injury he was for a long time the idol of the rash and youth who engaged in the early to the new world and has been made the hero of many wonderful tales on introducing him to historical n gives an anecdote of one of his exploits which would be unworthy of record but that it the singular character of the man queen being in the tower of the principal church ef better known as ihe to her majesty and to give proofs of his courage and mounted on a great beam which projected in the air twenty feet from the tower at such an immense height from the ground that the people below looked like and it was enough to make one s flesh creep to look down along this beam	48
he walked briskly and with as much confidence as though he had been pacing his chamber when arrived at the end he stood on one leg lifting the in the air then turning round he returned in the same way to the tower unaffected by the giddy from whence the least false step would have him and dashed him to pieces he afterwards stood with one foot on the beam and placing the other against the wall of the building threw an orange to the summit of the tower a proof says im of immense muscular strength such was de who soon became among the followers of and was always foremost in every of an adventurous nature who danger as if for the very love of danger and seemed to fight more for the pleasure of fighting than for tlie sake of dis the number of persons permitted to in tiie expedition bad been limited to one thousand but such was the urgent application of to be permitted to without pay that the number had been increased to twelve hundred many more were refused for want of room in the ships for their accommodation but some contrived to get admitted by so that eventually about fifteen hundred the fleet as in bis seal for the re of the provided every thing that might be necessary in various possible the expenses l t die exceeded what had been anticipated this rise to occasional on the part of the de who sometimes refused to sign the accounts of the admiral and in the course of their transactions seems to have forgotten the deference due both to his and station for this he received repeated and severe from the who emphatically commanded that should be treated with the greatest respect and every thing done to bis and yield him from similar inserted in uie royal a of it is probable that he had l indulged in the exercise of official appears to have to various of particularly one for and for his immediate service to form his and as and which was considered tiie as all who embarked in la us cap vol i i life op s expedition were at liis in reply sovereigns ordered should be allowed ten d a or aiid twenty persons in other domestic and reminded that they had charged tbat both in the nature and mode oi his the he should study to give him content observing m die o i h wm that bis be and do one bim ih tp i these trivial m worthy of from the effect they to hare bad on die for from them we date the of f tar i hich he ever after manifested towards which every year increased in and which be gratified in the most manner by ing and troubles in his path j while the expedition was yet lingering in port wag received that a bad set sail from and for the west were immediately awakened that she was bound for th discovered lands wrote an account of it to ae sovereigns and proposed to part of bis wn tn pursuit of her his proposition but ear into effect on made to the court of king john declared that the vessel bad sailed his permission and that he would send three k to bring her back this only served to the of the spanish who d the whole a de t no laid and that it was the vessels ft their forces and their course together to the new world was urged to depart without an hour s i and to steer wide of cape si avoid the coast and islands for fear of if be met with any vessels ia as seas he had he was to them and to was also ordered to be ml the alert and in case any expedition sailed double the force after it these precautions t unnecessary whether such actually did sail and whether they were sent with sinister by does not appear nothing was either sen or heard of them by in the course of bis voyage it may be as well for the sake of to anticipate in place the regular course of history and mention the in this question was finally settled between the rival sovereigns it was impossible for king john to repress his at the indefinite of the spanish be did not know how far they might extend and whether they might not him in all his in india finding however all attempts and a nt od despairing of any further assistance from die court of rome be had recourse at last to fur and and found as is generally the case with those who turn aside into the inviting but crooked paths craft that had he kept to the line of frank and open he have saved himself a world of perplexity and have arrived sooner at his object he offered to leave to sovereigns the free of their west inn ue ami of i discovery and to to tlie plan of by a line but lie represented that line had not been far to the west that while it left the wide ocean free to the range of spanish bis could not venture more than a hundred west of his and bad no scope nor sea room in their southern voyages after and wai adjusted by from two met at in old in the ud ca ae th jane a by tbe of tbe cape de it wai wm in ten months an of and i the part of the two nations should at tbe island of the grand provided with men learned in and they were to proceed thence to the cape de islands and thence westward three and seven and determine the proposed line from pole to pole dividing the ocean between the two nations each of the two powers engaged solemnly to observe	48
lived on the same saturday in the was seen st with seven lighted at the there was much rain and great thunder i mean to say that those lights were seen wliich affirm to be the body of st on beholding which they chant many and holding it for certain that in the in which he appears no one is in danger be that mb it may i leave the matter to them but if we may believe lights have sometimes appeared to the roman during at sea which they said were and of which likewise makes on the evening of saturday the d of november co was convinced firom the colour of the sea the nature of the waves the winds and frequent showers that they must be near to land he gave orders therefore to take in sail and to maintain a watch throughout the night he had judged with his usual sagacity as the dawned a lofty island was to the west at the sight of which there were shouts of joy throughout the fleet gave to the island the name of from having discovered it on sunday as the ships moved gently onward other islands rose to sight one after another cap a similar mention is made of this superstition in the voyage of during these great storms they said that st appeared at the with n lighted candle and sometimes with two upon which the people shed tears of joy receiving great consolation and saluted him according to the custom of manners he remained visible for a quarter of an hour and then disappeared with a great flash of lightning which blinded all the people l c and voyages of g as it were from the quiet ocean covered with forests while great flights of and other tropical birds were their way firom one to the other the were now assembled on the decks of the several vessels to return thanks to god for prosperous voyage and their happy discovery of land and the and other were by the throughout the such was the pious manner in which celebrated all his discoveries and which in fact was generally observed by the spanish and it certainly presents a solemn and picture to the mind this congregation of ships as it were in a sabbath on the tranquil bosom of the deep and sending up swelling of praise to heaven for the fair land that was rising to their view chapter u at the island of the islands among which had arrived were a part of that beautiful cluster called by some the which sweep almost in a firom the eastern end of to the coast of on the continent forming a kind of barrier between the main ocean and the sea during the course of the first day that he entered this saw no less than six islands of magnitude clothed in that majestic vegetation peculiar to the and wherever the breeze passed over them the whole air was by the fragrance of their forests after seeking in vain for good at he stood for another of the group to which he gave the name of ins ship here he landed displayed the royal banner and took possession of that and the islands in the name of his sovereigns was no of a human being to be seen the island appeared to be a rich and dense forest it some of the trees being in blossom others laden with unknown others possessing among which was one with the leaf of the laurel and the of the from hence they made sail for an island of larger size with a remarkable mountain one peak of which rose to a life and voyages of great height with streams of water from it which proved afterwards to be the of a as they approached within three they beheld a great over a precipice of such immense height that to use the words of the it seemed to be falling from the sky as it broke into foam in its descent at first believed it to be merely a of white rock to this island which was called by the indians the admiral gave the name of having promised the of our lady of in to call some newly discovered place after their landing here on the th they visited a village near the shore the inhabitants of which fled at the sight of them some leaving even their children behind in their terror and confusion these the soothed with caresses binding bells and other round their arms to win the good will of their parents this village like most of those of the island consisted of twenty or thirty houses built round a kind of public place or square the houses were constructed in similar style to those of and of trunks of trees with and branches and with palm leaves they were square not circular like those of the other islands and each had its or shelter from the sun the entrance of one of these houses was decorated with images of tolerably carved in wood their furniture was the same of cotton net formed of or equal to the best of those of there letter of dr i peter martyr it or x cap were large quantities of some crude some in and some wrought into cloth of very tolerable texture and many arrows the latter tipped with sharp bones seemed to abound here there were many like those of europe and as large as household fowls with blue green white and scarlet being the splendid species called here also the first met with the delicious or pine apple the and fragrance of which astonished and lighted them while searching these houses they were to find a pan or other of iron not having ever met with that metal in the new world however that it was formed of a certain kind of heavy	48
stone found among those islands which when burnt has the appearance of shining iron and in their hasty survey may have been mistaken for such though he admits it might have been some brought by the indians from certain it is no native iron was ever found among the people of these islands object which was a matter of surprise and speculation was the of a vessel which they found in one of the houses how had it reached these shores which never to have been visited by the ships of man was it the wreck of some vessel from the more enlightened countries of asia which they supposed to lie somewhere in this direction or was it part of the which had lost at the island of during his first voyage or was it some fragment of a european ship which had drifted across the atlantic the latter was most probably the case the constant current which sets over from the coast of produced by the steady of the trade winds must occasionally bring the of the old lo shores of the new and long before the life and voyages of discovery of the simple savages of the islands and the may have gazed with wonder at huge of european which have perished in the opposite regions of the ocean and have gradually floated to their shores what most struck the attention of the and filled them with horror was the sight of various human bones as they supposed of the unnatural of these savages there were also suspended in the houses which apparently were used as and other these dismal objects convinced them that they were now at the of the or those and ferocious warriors whose and character rendered them the terror of these seas the boat having returned on board proceeded for upwards of two until late in the evening when he in a convenient port the island on this side extended for the distance of five and twenty with lofty mountains and broad plains along the coast were seen small villages and the inhabitants of which fled in as they beheld the sweeping along shores at day break permitted several of the captains to land with a number of their men to endeavour to communicate with the inhabitants these divided into parties and returned in the course of the day having taken a boy and several women some of whom were natives of the island and others from the latter co was confirmed in his idea that this was one of the islands of the he learnt that the inhabitants were in league with two neighbouring islands but that tliey made war upon all others in their vicinity they even went on in their made from the of trees to the distance of one hundred and fifty their arms were bows and arrows pointed with the of fishes or shells of and poisoned with the of they made upon the islands the villages carried off the youngest and of the women whom they retained as servants or companions and made of the men to be killed and eaten after hearing such formidable accounts of the natives of this island was extremely uneasy at finding in the evening that a of one of the was together with eight men he bad landed with his party early in the without leave and woods bad not since been seen or heard of on the following day the had not returned and the anxiety of the admiral increased fearing that they might have fallen into some of the savages for several of were such experienced that it was thought in case of being lost they could readily have their way back by the stars were sent in various directions in quest of them each with a to sound calls and guns were fired from the ships and on shore bnt all to no purpose and the par ties in the evening wearied with a fruitless search they had visited several in which they met with what they considered proofs of the of the natives and which were by no means calculated to their apprehensions for the safely of their companions limbs were suspended to the beams of the houses is if for provisions they found the head of a young man recently killed which was yet bleeding and some of his body boiling with the flesh of and and others before the fire p letter to i vol i life and voyages of several of the natives in t ie coarse of the day had been seen occasionally on the shore with wonder at the ships but when the boats the land they fled to the woods or the mountains several women came to the for refuge being who had been brought from other islands ordered that they should be decorated with bells and strings of beads and and sent on shore in hopes by these means to some of the men of the island to visit him they soon returned to the boats stripped of their ornaments by the ferocious and imploring to be taken on board of the ships the admiral learnt from them that most of the men of the island were absent the king having sailed some time before with ten and three hundred warriors on a in quest of prisoners and when the men went forth on these the women remained to defend their shores from invasion they were expert of the warrior spirit of their husbands and almost them in force and beside the female who had taken refuge on board of the ships there were several boys who had been among the natives and reserved it is said for a cruel destiny the were informed that it was the custom of the lo rear these youthful prisoners to man s estate and then to them for their and that they even deprived them of their to reader them more tender and there	48
is something so to human nature in the idea of that we would fain attribute accounts to tlie mistakes the peter martyr t letter of dr peter martyr let cap tions and the of travellers but they are too positively affirmed by respectable writers and are too curious in themselves to be passed over in silence was now at a loss what course to adopt he was anxious to arrive at and ascertain the fate of the followers whom he had left there and was impatient of any delay to sail without these men however provided they were yet alive was to abandon them to a cruel death at the hands of to leave a vessel and crew behind to await their return was to run the risk of losing them by a thousand accidents on these wild and in these seas in this emergency de the same daring young whose on the tower of the cathedral of has been mentioned volunteered to penetrate with forty men into the interior of the island and to search all the forests for the his offer was accepted and the admiral commanded that during his absence the ships should take in a supply of water and gave permission for part of the to land to wash their clothes and themselves on shore de his followers beat up all the forests in the neighbourhood and marched far into the interior sounding trumpets in the hollow valleys and from the cliffs of mountains and but it was in vain no voice nor sound but their own echoes was heard in reply their was rendered excessively by the of the forests which flourished with the vigorous and wild of the saw every thing with the romantic eye of a young adventurer and brought back the most exaggerated accounts of the natural productions of the country the forests were filled with the of trees and shrubs in which he fancied he perceived the fragrance of many precious and life and voyages of he saw many tropical birds of unknown species also royal wood and he fancied also that he met with which in were only to be found in the island of and that he heard the song of the which is unknown in the new world the island however with fruits for according to peter martyr the being a wild and wandering people and all the neighbouring countries in their were accustomed to bring home the seeds and roots of all kinds of strange and profitable plants as a proof of its also he that honey was found in hollow trees and in the of the rocks so abundantly was it watered that declared he had through twenty six rivers within the distance of six though it is probable many of them were the and of the same stream now gave the up for lost several days had elapsed since their disappearance during which time if it seemed impossible that they should not have been found or have made their way back to the ships was just upon the point of sailing when to the universal joy of the fleet a signal was made by them from the shore when they came on board their haggard and exhausted looks what they had suffered having on their first entering the forests they had penetrated deeper and deeper into the island until they had become completely bewildered for several days they had been perplexed in the of a forest so dense as almost to the light of day they had rocks rivers and struggled through and some who were experienced climbed the trees in hopes of getting a sight of the stars by which they might govern their course but the wide spread i ing branches and thick foliage shut out all view of the heavens they were harassed with the most dismal apprehensions fearing that the admiral thinking them dead might set and leave them behind in this wilderness cut off for ever from their homes and the of civilized man at length when almost reduced to despair they had arrived at the and following its margin for some beheld to their great transport the fleet riding quietly at anchor they brought with them several indian women and boys bat in all wanderings they had not met with any men the greater of die warriors as has been said being fortunately absent on an expedition notwithstanding the hardships they had endured and his joy at their return thought it important in a service of so critical a nature to punish every breach of discipline the captain was therefore put under arrest and a part of the of the men were stopped for having thus strayed away without dr s letter t cap life and voyages of chapter iii among the islands weighing anchor on the of november co along the coast of towards the in which direction according to his own calculations and the information of the lay the women whom he had recently taken on board had given him intelligence of other islands to the south and had assured him that the main land extended in that quarter information which he afterwards found to be true but at present his impatience to arrive at the harbour of prevented his extending his discoveries continuing along this beautiful he gave names to its islands as they rose to view maria la maria la and san martin various other islands appeared to the north and extending and all very high with stately and magnificent forests but the admiral to visit them the weather proving boisterous they on the th november at an island called by the indians but to which the admiral gave the name of here the boat was sent on shore with five and twenty men to get water and procure information concerning their route they found a village deserted by the men but they secured a few women and boys most of whom were	48
brought hither from other islands for this was like wise an abode of the they had soon an instance of the courage and ferocity of this race while ihe boat was ou shore a with a few indians two of whom were females came from a distant part of the island and a point of land arrived suddenly in fill view of the ships astonished at what to them must have been so awful and supernatural an apparition they remained for a long time gazing in mute so completely were they in that the boat returning from the shore had stole close upon them before they perceived it seizing their they now attempted to escape but though their light the surface of the waves the steady sweep of the oar gained upon them and the boat being and the land cut off their retreat seeing flight was v n they caught their bows and arrows and turned fiercely upon their the women fought as well as the men one of them appeared to be treated with obedience and reverence as if she were their queen she was accompanied by her a young man martyr strongly made terrible and and a lion s face they plied their bows with vigour and rapidity the were covered with their two of them were quickly wounded and an arrow was sent with such force by one of the as to pass through and through a to avoid this fire which was rendered more formidable from an apprehension that tlie arrows might be poisoned the ran their boat violently upon the and it the fierce savages however con to fight while in the water gathering themselves oc p l life and voyages of sunken rocks and g their arrows as as though they had been upon firm land it was with the utmost difficulty they could be overcome and taken one of them was with a lance so that he died after being brought to the ships and the queen s son was wounded when on board the could not but admire their spirit and fierce their hair was long and coarse their eyes encircled with paint so as to give them a hideous expression they had bands of cotton bound firmly above and below the muscular parts of the arms and legs so as to cause them to swell to a size which was regarded by them as a great beauty a custom which prevailed among various tribes of the new world though in chains and in the power of their enemies they still retained a frowning brow and an air of defiance peter martyr who often went to see them when in spain declares from his own experience and that of others who accompanied him that it was impossible to look at them without a certain inward sensation of horror nature having endowed them with so menacing and terrible an aspect this sensation was doubtless caused in a great measure from the idea of their being in this according to the same writer the indians used poisoned arrows and one of the died within a few days of a he had received from a female warrior pursuing his voyage soon came in sight of a great cluster of islands of various shapes and appearances some and covered with forests but the greater part naked and rising into wild mountains many p martyr l a c ind c ms let of dr t t ii of the rocks of which were of a bright colour and others of a white these with his usual vivacity of imagination supposed to contain mines of rich and precious stones the islands lying close together with the sea beating and tossing roughly in the narrow channels which divided them rendered it dangerous to enter among them with the large ships keeping off therefore in the broad sea sent in a small with sails to which returned with the report that there were upwards of fifty islands but apparently to the largest of this group gave the name of and he called the others the eleven thousand the examination of them to some future time he continued his course until he arrived one evening in sight of a great island covered with beautiful forests and with fine it was called by the natives but he gave it the name of st and it is the game since known by the name of this was the native island of most of the who had fled to the ships for refuge from the according to their accounts it was fertile and and under the dominion of a single its inhabitants were not given to and possessed but few they were subject to frequent from the who were their enemies they had become warriors therefore in own defence using the bow and arrow and the war club and in their with their foes they retorted upon them their own devouring their prisoners in sheer revenge p martyr l letter of dr vol i life and voyages of after for a whole day along the of this island they in a bay at the west end which with fish on landing they found an indian village situated as usual round a common square like a market place with one large and well built house from hence a spacious road led to the sea side having fences on each side of fruitful gardens at the end of the road was a kind of terrace or look out neatly constructed with and overhanging the water the whole place had an air of neatness and ingenuity superior to the ordinary of the natives and appeared to be the abode of some important all however was silent and deserted not a human being was to be seen during the time that they remained at the place the natives had fled and concealed themselves at the sight of the after remaining here	48
in his preceding voyage had be with the natives here he set on shore e young indians of the place who had accompanied m to spain and had been com to he him finely and loaded with an favourable from his representing to his men ad the wonders that he had seen and the kind he had experienced the young indian made many of friendly exertions but he either forgot them all i his wild liberty and his native mountains or he ii a victim to the envy caused by his wealth and finery was seen or heard of him more only one indian of who had been to spain now remained in the fleet a native of the island of who had en at and had been named after the s brother or he always faithful and devoted to the on the th in the harbour of anxious to fix upon a place suitable for a settlement the neighbourhood of the stream to which in his first e he had given the name of the or the golden as several of the were the coast y found on the green and moist banks of a the die of a man and boy the former with a cord of spanish about his neck and his arms extended and tied by the ind c life and voyages of wrists to a stake in the form of a cross the bodies were in such a state of decay that it was impossible to ascertain whether they were indian or european sinister doubts however were entertained which were confirmed on the following day for on the shore tliey found at some distance from the former two other bodies one of which having a beard was evidently the corpse of a white man the pleasant of on his approach to la were now with gloomy the experience he had recently had of the ferocity of some of the inhabitants of these islands made him doubtful of the of others and he began to fear that some misfortune might have befallen and his garrison the frank and fearless manner however in which a number of the natives came off to the ships and their in some measure his suspicions had any violence been done to the white men they would not have ventured thus confidently among their companions on the he arrived in the evening opposite the harbour of la and cast anchor about a league from the land not daring to enter in the dark on account of the dangerous it was too late in the night to distinguish objects impatient to satisfy his doubts therefore he ordered two cannon to be fired the report echoed along the shore but there was no reply from the fort every eye was now directed to catch the gleam of some signal light every ear listened to hear some friendly shout but there was neither light nor shout nor any other sign of life all was darkness and death like silence several hours passed away in the most dismal suspense a thousand disastrous pictures presented themselves of the dr de t j fate of their and every one longed for the morning light to put an end to his uncertainty about midnight a was observed approaching the fleet when within a certain distance it paused and the indians who were in it one of the vessels asked for the admiral when directed to his ship they drew near to it but would not venture on board until they saw personally he showed himself at the side of his vessel and a light being his countenance and commanding person were not to be mistaken they now entered the ship without hesitation one of them was a cousin of the and brought a present from him of two ornamented with gold immediately inquired about the who had remained on the island the information which he gave was somewhat confused or perhaps was imperfectly understood as the only indian on board was the young an whose native language was different from that of he told that several of the had died of sickness others had fallen in a quarrel which had occurred among themselves and others had removed to a different the island where they had taken to themselves several indian wives that had been assailed by the fierce of the golden mountains of who had wounded him in battle and had burnt his village and that he remained ill of his wound in a neighbouring hamlet which had prevented his hastening in person to welcome the admiral on his return melancholy as were these tidings they relieved from a dark and dismal whatever bad dr a letter c ind cap vol i and voyages of overwhelmed his garrison it had not fallen a sacrifice to th of the natives his good opinion of the gentleness and kindness of these people had not been nor had their the admiration inspired by his benevolent thus the most care was plucked out of his mind for to a generous spirit there is nothing so as to discover treachery where it has its confidence and friendship it would seem also that some of the garrison were yet alive though scattered about the island they would doubtless soon hear of the arrival of the ships and would hasten to them well qualified to give information of the interior satisfied of the friendly disposition of the natives the of the people was in a great measure restored tho indians who had come on board were well entertained and departed in he night gratified with various presents promising to return in the morning with the the now awaited the dawn of day with reassured spirits when it was expected that the cordial intercourse and pleasant scenes of the first voyage would be the morning dawned and passed away and the day advanced and began to decline without the promised visit from the some apprehensions were	48

Subsets and Splits