New Discoveries—Columbus in Great Danger—Uprising of the Natives
During the building of the city of Isabella Columbus had to contend with
a thousand difficulties which only a spirit like his could overcome. The
Spaniards, who were naturally lazy, became still less inclined to put
forth unnecessary exertion in that hot climate, and loudly protested
against a manner of life the demands of which they had not foreseen.
They had gone there with glowing expectations of securing great
treasures and had been promised an easy, pleasant life, whereas they had
to toil day after day with hired men in the blazing sunshine. Again, the
unhealthy atmosphere induced sickness and little by little a deprivation
of those necessities of life which were indispensable to these European
weaklings. Where were the golden mountains which, it was promised them,
they should visit? They had no chance to go, for the Admiral was fully
determined to complete the work of building the city before he allowed
them to penetrate the interior of the island.
These were the causes of the discontent which increased day by day and
at last led to a conspiracy against the life of Columbus. Fortunately
the fire was discovered while it was still smouldering. The ringleaders
were overpowered, some of them were punished, and others were sent to
Spain to be made an example of. At the same time Columbus besought the
King to send him speedily reinforcements of men, besides fresh stocks of
provisions. In the meantime, to remove the dissatisfaction and quell the
mutinous spirit of his men, he allowed a part of them to make an inland
expedition under command of the chevalier Ojeda, and later he conducted
one himself, to impress the natives with the sight of a European
military force. With this end in view he marched his men in close ranks,
with banners flying and with field music playing, and also had his
cavalry execute manœuvres which astonished the natives who had never
seen horses before and thought horse and rider were one. The Indians
fled to their cabins when they beheld the Spaniards and imagined
themselves secure when they had fastened the entrances with fragile
bamboos. Their route lay through the gold region of Cibao. All that the
natives had said about this region was found correct. The mines were not
worked, for the natives would make no effort to find a metal for which
they had no use, but in every stream the Spaniards found gold grains
which the water had loosened from the mountains and washed down.
Delighted with their discovery the Spaniards returned to Isabella. The
city was in a wretched plight, the means of subsistence were fast
disappearing, for the work of building had left no time for cultivating
the land, and sickness was rapidly spreading in that hot, unhealthy
region. Fortunately this was not the first time Columbus had had to
struggle against difficulties. Previous experience had increased his
skill in overcoming them and the repeated dangers to which he had been
exposed had made him all the more resolute and steadfast in meeting each
new one. Once more he set about overcoming these and restoring quiet. As
soon as this was accomplished he decided to go in quest of new
discoveries. Appointing his second brother, Don Diego, regent, and
placing Pedro de Margrite in command of those remaining behind as
captain-general, he himself, with one large and two small vessels, or
caravels, put out to sea and sailed to the west. The first important
discovery on this voyage was the island of Jamaica. As soon as he had
come to anchor he sent a boat’s crew to ascertain whether there was
sufficient depth of water for him to enter the harbor. The crew soon
encountered a great number of canoes filled with armed natives who
strove to prevent a landing. As they could not effect it peaceably they
greeted them with such a shower of arrows that the crew had to retreat.
As the harbor eventually was found secure Columbus entered it, made some
repairs on his vessels, and spent the rest of the time in examining the
country. Its conditions seemed to him superior to those of Hispaniola.
He made no delay, therefore, in taking possession of it in the name of
the King of Spain. From there he sailed to Cuba to see whether that
country, previously discovered by him, was an island or part of the
mainland. In doing this he encountered a succession of dangerous
mishaps, compared with which his previous ones were insignificant. He
met with a terrible storm in the most dangerous part of a region
entirely unknown to him. He found himself in the midst of rocks and sand
bars which threatened the instant destruction of his vessels. He also
ran into shallows which made his vessels leak so badly that it required
the exertion of his entire crew at the pumps to keep them from sinking.
He also had to contend with the dangers of hunger and thirst, and, if by
chance they secured subsistence, he was the last to avail himself of it,
as he was more solicitous for his companions than for himself. He also
had to struggle against the dissatisfaction and despondency of his men,
who assailed him with reproaches though he had shared so courageously
all their deprivations and dangers.
At various landings which he made in Cuba he learned from the natives
that it was an island. In some places the air was so full of birds and
butterflies that the sun was obscured and the day was as dark as if
there were a storm. At the north side of the island they found the ocean
thickly filled with little, low islands, to which he gave the general
name of the Queen’s Garden. Among these islands they met a canoe filled
with fishermen who came on board the Admiral’s vessel to make him a
present of their catch. In return Columbus made them some little
presents to ensure their friendship.
The unceasing and almost superhuman wear of mind and body at last
seriously affected his health. Utterly exhausted and unable to sleep, he
fell into a lethargy which deprived him of sense and memory. Fearing
that he might not recover, they hastened to get back to Isabella as best
they could. There he found a remedy for his troubles more potent then
any physicians could provide. His favorite brother, Bartolomeo, who had
been sent by the King with more men and supplies, had arrived. Thus he
had double cause for joy. These two brothers, who were devotedly
attached to each other and had similar tastes, had been separated
thirteen long years. Bartolomeo’s arrival could not have been more
fortunate. The Admiral’s illness and the wretched condition of affairs
at Hispaniola required the services of just such an intelligent, brave,
and experienced man and, had he not come just when he did, there is
little doubt Columbus and the entire colony would have perished. This
unexpected good fortune not only worked Columbus’ recovery but placed
him in a position to prevent the destruction of the new colony. During
his absence everything had been thrown into confusion. Two-thirds of the
colony had fallen victims to the diseases common in that latitude.
Margrite, who had been made captain-general, had become a rebel, but as
he could not carry out his purposes, had escaped to Spain upon one of
the vessels with Buil, his fellow-conspirator. The soldiers under his
command were scattered over the island without a leader and had
committed all kinds of outrages. Because of this the natives had become
embittered toward the Spaniards and had murdered many of them.
Such were the conditions which threatened the destruction of the young
colony.
The worst of all was the fact that the natives, hitherto so peaceful and
friendly, at last began to realize the danger which menaced them. Made
wiser by their experiences, they looked into the future and saw, with a
shudder, that a longer stay of these strangers, whom they at first had
reverenced, meant famine and slavery for them. With the idle life to
which they were accustomed, and in that hot climate, very little food
was required for daily subsistence. A handful of maize and a little
roasted cassava[18] were all they needed. Now, they noticed with
surprise, that one Spaniard ate more at one meal than four of them would
eat in a whole day, from which they concluded that it would not be long
before everything on the island would be consumed and they would be left
victims of hunger.
These observations and the daily spectacle of deeds of violence
committed by the Spaniards, at last convinced the natives they must
either throw off the yoke or forever wear it. They had courage enough to
make the attempt. They took up arms and united themselves under their
caciques into a large army, numbering about one hundred thousand.
Columbus did not shrink before the danger confronting the colony though
he deeply deplored the bitterness which had been caused among the
natives by the outrages committed by his inferiors. His chief hope, that
these poor and ignorant heathen might be led to accept the Christian
religion, was now dissipated and he realized that blood must be shed
among those who might have lived together peaceably. In the midst of
these discouragements the faithful Guakanahari visited him and tendered
him his sympathy and help. This steadfast friend of the Europeans had
already incurred the enmity of the other caciques for protecting the
strangers; and hence, in self-defence, it became necessary for him to
side with the Spaniards. Columbus cordially thanked him and accepted the
service of his warriors.