WE REACH THE NEW LAND.
After many days there came, one afternoon, loud and cheery from the
fore-mast head, the cry of “Land! Land!” Only one who has been three
months upon an ocean, unfathomable and limitless, can know the magic
of the word. The signals passed it to the other vessels of the fleet,
trumpets blared and cheer upon cheer and song upon song echoed and
re-echoed across the water. Crew and passengers upon the _Trinity_ came
tumbling up from below, jostling and crowding one another in their
madness to be among the first to get a glimpse of their home that was
to be. Even those sick with the scurvy and fever turned out of their
hammocks and, climbing to the deck, fell upon their knees to thank
God that the voyage was near ended. All thought of savage Carib or
more savage Spaniard was banished, for there to their gaze, shimmering
purple under the western sun, was their haven of refuge. They stretched
their limbs like people awaking from a long sleep; and, as the ship
glided onward, leaned forward upon the bulwarks as though they would
leap into the water. They strained to catch the first aromatic breath
of the pines in their nostrils and their tongues clove to their parched
and fevered mouths as they sighed for the fruits which hung there
beyond, luscious and ripe for their plucking.
By sundown we had sailed into a little river. Here was a fine sandy
bottom, and we cast anchor for the night. So impatient were the seamen
and passengers that some of them, not to be withheld, took one of the
pinnaces and went upon the shore. Ribault, after warning them against
the savages, consented to this, and soon the beach was aglow with fires
which they lighted to keep off wild beasts; and parties well armed went
searching among the uplands for fruit and game. Throughout the night
we upon ship-board could hear the seamen and cavaliers as they laughed
and shouted. At daybreak they came aboard again, torn and bleeding from
the thorns and brambles, but happy as urchins. They bore several large
panniers of luscious wild pomegranates of a small variety, and grapes
of great size and sweetness.
But the Admiral would not tarry here long. He did not know how soon the
Spaniards might be coming, and he wished to learn what had happened in
his absence to Laudonnière, the Commander at Fort Caroline. Many things
had been charged against that officer and Ribault desired to establish
the French Protestants firmly in their colony, and secure them speedily
from attack or molestation. Accordingly the ships weighed anchor again
and we sailed up the coast to the River of Dolphins. This had been so
called by Ribault because of the great number of fish of that name
which disported themselves in its waters.
Seeing no sign of living persons we sailed still further northward to
the River of May, which we reached on the 29th of August, 1565. The
channel of the river being narrow and the draught of the large ships
being great, we cast anchor at about half a league from shore.
Ribault, anxious to communicate at once with Laudonnière, immediately
fitted out all the large barges from the fleet and crowded crews into
them, fully armed and equipped. He knew not what might have happened.
I, being an officer upon the flagship, went with him in the pinnace,
and so we made our way up the river.
At last we sighted a small headland or bluff which rose abruptly from
the water where the river narrowed, and under its shadow we could just
make out the bastions of Fort Caroline. As we came near we saw a great
commotion upon the shore, officers running out of the Fort brandishing
their swords; and two of the soldiers began casting loose a gun. Then
we knew that they took us for enemies of France. A soldier ran down the
beach and fired an arquebus at us, but the ball went skipping along the
water and did us no damage. The Admiral, seeing that they did not know
us and thinking harm might ensue, hereupon stood up in the pinnace.
We saw one of the officers take off his morion and throw it into the
air with a shout of joy. Then there was cheering, and we knew they had
recognized the Admiral. In a few moments, under the sturdy sweep of the
oarsmen, the barges grated upon the pebbly beach and we tumbled out
among those assembled there. There was great joy among the young French
gentlemen, some of them running to the newcomers and kissing them with
great display of friendship upon both cheeks. The cannon, which but a
moment before were to have been turned upon us, were fired in salute
and the air resounded with glad cries and cheers.
There were many Indians of the tribe of the Chief Satouriona upon the
beach. Fine, straight-bodied savages they were, painted in bright
colors all over the body and wearing only a breech-clout, and a band
around the head. They were most grave of countenance and smiled little;
but very friendly, crowding around the Admiral, bowing and touching
their heads to the earth, marvelling at the great length of his beard.
I could see that the Fort was erected in a careful manner though sadly
out of repair. It was built in the form of a triangle and surrounded by
a trench, the side toward the river enclosed with a palisade of planks
of timber after the manner in which gabions are made. In the middle was
a great court eighteen paces long and upon one side of this, the “corps
de garde.” Opposite to it, the living house. Laudonnière, asked us to
his lodging-place and gave us a wine fermented from the grape of the
country, most soothing to the palate and livening to the vitals.
Under the close questioning of the Admiral, Laudonnière related the
events of the past few months, showing the sad straits into which his
people had fallen for lack of food and munitions. He told of the mutiny
of his men and how he had intended entering two of his smaller vessels
and returning to France. The Admiral found that the charges against him
were untrue, and offered him a high command. But Captain Laudonnière
was disconsolate, saying that his honor had been touched and that he
must soon return to France to defend himself against his enemies.
We talked far into the night, Vasseur, Verdier and De Brésac, three
lieutenants of the garrison with whom I had much talk, giving me a fair
good idea of the country and people. It seemed that Laudonnière had no
need to have given up so easily. It was hard to see how, in a country
abounding in animals good to eat, in fish and in fruit and corn, they
should have been reduced to such distress as they were in. There are
beasts of every kind, and Sir John Hawkins has said that there are
lions and tigers as well as unicorns, but I saw none of these, though
there were crocodiles in great abundance.
Vasseur told me a habit of the natives who when they travel have a kind
of herb dried, which they put in an earthen cup and set a-fire. Then
they suck the smoke of this through a cane or reed and it has a strange
and pleasing effect, satisfying their hunger so that they can live four
or five days without meat or drink. Some of the company had come to use
this herb and had grown to like it well, though at first it made them
much inward discomfort. All of these things are known in England now,
for Sir Walter Raleigh hath brought this custom of tobacco smoking into
the court.
In the morning the three smaller vessels of the fleet came up, bringing
the greater number of the colonists, among them the Sieur de la Notte
and his family, and by the end of the day the rest had landed. Rude
sheds of cedar stripping were built and a tolerable sheltered place was
thus made to house the men until better quarters should be provided.
During the first nights the women were given the barracks of the
company of Laudonnière, who, for the time being, shared the lot of the
newcomers. For Mistress Diane de la Notte nothing was too good, Réné de
Laudonnière himself turning over to her and to Madame two rooms of his
quarters. After seeing to their comfort I set about to aid in landing
the munitions of war. This was safely done by the end of the second
day and the new ordnance was mounted upon the battlements which thus
commanded the river for a great distance. The shed now gave place to a
stronger construction under the bastions and all worked with so great a
vigor that new life animated the poor fort which but a few days before
had come nigh to being deserted. Never had the prospects of the colony
been brighter, and it seemed as if at last Fortune was smiling upon
their efforts, which under careful management were about to be crowned
with success.
’Tis a strange thing how misfortune doth pursue even when all else
in nature seems to smile. It was, I think, at midnight of the fifth
day that the first great shadow fell upon the luckless settlement.
We were sitting around the council table in the barracks discussing
the plans of Laudonnière for the extension of the colony. Ribault sat
at the end of the table, his brows knit in deep thought, his hands
clasped upon the table and his beard falling down to his lap. He was
much perturbed over a report which had come to him that two sails had
been sighted far out to sea just as the night was falling. From time
to time he would nod to one or the other, but he spoke little. At his
right were Laudonnière, Vasseur, Verdier, the Swiss, Arlac, Ottigny,
and Satouriona the great Carib chief with whom the Admiral was bent
upon making a friendship. At his left were Saint Marie, Yonville and La
Grange. Yonville was speaking of the magic mine of gold and silver that
La Roquette had found which would yield ten thousand crowns apiece for
every colonist and fifteen hundred thousand crowns for the King. The
Admiral listened gravely, but he was a practical man and had no such
flighty notions as these young gentlemen.
I tired at last of listening to their vaporings and moved to one of
the casements where I sat listening and looking out into the night,
drinking in the perfumes of the forest which the breezes of the sea
were wafting toward me. Outside all was quiet save for the call
of a night bird or the cry of some beast of prey as it prowled on
its midnight hunt. The rain had fallen so that the odor was almost
overpowering, and it was damp out toward the sea, where the clouds hung
heavily with but a slight break overhead. There was a glimmer here and
there from the water under the bastions. Down near the river’s mouth I
fancied I could see the twinkling of the lanthorns upon the _Trinity_
as she swung to the tide; but the ships were almost too far away for
that. My thoughts turned to Diane and I wondered--
But as I looked into the distance toward where the ships should lay,
there came suddenly two flashes of light, one beside the other, like
lightning and yet not to be mistaken. I started, with an exclamation,
straining my eyes, my heart beating furiously. Then clear and distinct
as though but half a league away there came the sound of cannon shots!
Ribault and his officers sprang to where I stood, breathless, all
a-fever with the excitement of the moment. They had not long to wait.
For again the flashes came, by twos and threes, and then by broadsides,
the echoes coming up the river like the roaring of distant thunder.
There was commotion outside and the sentry opened the door crying “The
Spaniards! The Spaniards!”
The drums beat to arms and most of the soldiers and the women too
rushed out into the courtyard, where they ran hither and thither asking
questions which no one could answer. The Admiral commanding silence,
mounted with Ottigny and Laudonnière to the battlements where he
listened and watched intently for some minutes. He knew the serious
import of those sounds and what they might mean to the ships lying out
there, under-manned and unprepared for battle. He knew too that the
sentry had said the truth when he uttered the fear that was in his own
heart. The Spanish fleet had come to Florida!
Ribault came down from the battlements and without more ado ordered
all his seamen and officers to the four smaller ships at anchor in
the river. To the landing place we ran in great haste, stopping only
to seize armor and weapons. In half an hour our little vessels were
sailing down toward the mouth of the river. No one of us spoke, but we
stood along the bulwarks listening to the sound of the cannon. It was
more distant now, and from its direction we knew that the three larger
ships were making out to sea. Should we be in time?
In a moment the lookout upon the fore-castle of the _Jesus_ came
running aft and reported that there were sounds ahead close inboard.
We listened intently and in a moment heard the sound of oars grinding
violently in their irons and the swash of a ship’s boat through the
water. A voice shouted hoarsely across the water the words “France!
France!” Our men stood crooked over the bulwarks, their weapons at
their shoulders, trying to pierce the darkness, and soon we could
just make out a gray shadow bearing directly upon us. There was great
tension as she drew nearer and the gunners blew their torches, ready
to blow her out of the water at the first sign the least suspicious.
Slowly she drew alongside and we saw that it was a barge of the
_Trinity_. An officer came hastily over the gangway. It was Bachasse, a
sub-lieutenant.
Ribault went to him, and the soldiers crowded around.
“Is it the Spaniards?” he asked.
“It is, your Excellency,” replied Bachasse shortly. He was stout and of
a brusque manner--as brave a seaman as ever stood his watch.
“They came upon us late this afternoon, in five ships,” he said.
“Captain Bourdelais wished me to report that we were not prepared for
battle. Half of our crews are at the Fort.” He paused.
“Go on,” said Ribault, sternly. “Tell me all and omit nothing.”
“It was dark before they came upon us in earnest, our men were waiting
at their guns. There was a trumpet from the Spanish flagship. Captain
Bourdelais answered from the _Trinity_. We saw lanthorns and a figure
upon the great vessel and we heard a strong voice say:
“‘Whence does this fleet come?’
“‘From France,’ Captain Bourdelais replied at once.
“‘What are you doing here?’
“‘We bring soldiers and supplies for a fort which the King of France
has built and for many others which he will soon build.’
“‘Are you Catholics or Lutherans?’ said the voice.
“‘We are Lutherans! we are Lutherans! Who are you?’
“‘I am Pedro Menendez, general of the fleet of the King of Spain. At
daybreak I will board your ships and every heretic shall die!’
“Then our men broke into laughter and jeering; ‘You are cowards,’ they
shouted, ‘come at once.’
“Then they came down upon us. Captain Bourdelais ordered the cables
cut, for we were at a disadvantage. All of the ships put to sea. My
Captain has sent me to you. They fired upon this boat but we escaped.
They are now fighting upon the sea--and this is my report.” When he had
finished he bowed and stood silent.
The Admiral stroked his beard. The worst had happened and he saw that
it would be war to the death. He told Bachasse to order his men upon
deck and to make his boat fast to the stern of the _Jesus_. Then they
came up carrying one who had been killed. So we sailed on down to the
mouth of the river.
We saw no more gun-flashes and only now and then could we hear a sound
far out to sea which told us where the ships were sailing. I doubted
not that it was wise of Captain Bourdelais to slip his cable and run
for the open; with a good wind he might escape. By and by we heard no
sounds at all.
The Admiral was for going in pursuit of the flying ships, but called
a consultation of his officers in the cabin and they advised against
it. Fort Caroline would be without vessels or men to protect it, and
the Spanish fleet might sail up within range and batter the bastions
down. Their counsel at last prevailed, and at dawn the soldiers were
landed upon the beach. The _Jesus_ and three other vessels cast anchor
in an arm of the sea behind the beach, broadside on, so that the
soldiers might be protected by a brave cannon fire. Then the bowmen and
arquebusiers dug into the sand, making trenches in which they might
find protection from arrows and small pieces.
These were moments of great anxiety. It was not until the sun had
mounted well into the sky that some sentinels who had been watching
down the beach, reported a sail coming up with the brisk wind. By ten
o’clock she was in plain sight and from her great bulk we made her out
to be the Spanish flag-ship _San Pelayo_. She could not have been less
than a thousand tons burthen; and came beautifully, sailing outside
the outer bar just beyond the range of our long pieces. She wore three
yellow streaks along her sides where her gun tiers were, and her sails,
crossed with great red stripes and bars, never spilled a cupful as
they bellied out into the wind and bore her onward, though she was
dipping and pitching in the chop as she went by. Her bulwarks gleamed
in the sunlight with the lines of polished helmets; and though I had no
spying-glass I fancied that high up near her lanthorns I could make out
the Adelantado and by his side the stalwart figure of Diego de Baçan. I
bit my lips and hoped they might try to make the entrance of the river.
But they threw the ship up into the wind, where she courtesied
disdainfully, and then a scornful puff of smoke came from her side and
a shot struck in the first line of surf. She hung there a minute and
then squared away down the beach again. The Adelantado was discreet as
well as valiant. Late in the afternoon three other sail were sighted,
and it was soon seen that they were French. At sunset they were near
enough and a boat put off from the _Gloire_, Captain Cosette himself
coming ashore through the surf to make his report. He had followed
the Spaniards to San Augustin and had seen that they had landed their
stores and negroes and were rapidly entrenching themselves.
Many of these facts have been set forth in the writings of the Captain
Laudonnière, and of Challeux the carpenter; and some stories have been
written by the Spaniard Barcia and by Mendoza, the priest. Yet it is
proper that everything bearing upon the events which are to follow
should be known to all Christians, that they may rightly judge between
these people and us.