Diego, Columbus’ Son, Secures the Rights coming to him from his
Father—The Spaniards Extend their Authority in Central America and Rule
Cruelly—Ponce de Leon’s Discovery of Florida
Diego, Columbus’ eldest son, after the death of his great father, urged
the demand for the fulfilment of the contract made by the King, by
virtue of which the government of the West Indies was vested in his
family for all time, but it was all in vain. Ferdinand displayed the
same prejudice and injustice to the son that he had to the father. All
Diego’s representations and appeals for justice were disregarded. At
last he ventured to appeal from the King to the judge whose duty it was
to investigate and settle all questions pertaining to America. To the
everlasting glory of this tribunal be it said that the judge had the
courage to decide against the King and in favor of the heirs of
Columbus, and to declare that Diego must have the rights which were
denied his father. Notwithstanding this, in all likelihood the King
would have paid little attention to the decision had it not been that
Diego brought strong influence to bear upon him. Elevated in rank by the
decision of the highest court in the Spanish kingdom, he asked for the
hand of the daughter of one of the most distinguished men in the
country, niece of a Duke of Alva, and no objection was offered. This
powerful family urged the King so persistently and emphatically to carry
out his contract that he at last surrendered and conceded Diego’s
claims. Ovando was recalled and the Columbus family, victorious over
jealousy and injustice, embarked for Hispaniola.
Accompanied by his brother, his uncle, and his wife, Diego sailed for
Hispaniola with almost kingly pomp, and lived there in all the splendor
which was due to the great service his father had rendered Spain. A
great number of persons of rank followed him there. In a short time the
colony presented an entirely different aspect and many of the most
flourishing and distinguished families in Spanish America are
descendants of those who accompanied Diego.
During Ovando’s administration a certain Juan Ponce[20] sought
permission to establish a colony upon the island of Porto Rico,
discovered by Columbus, and his request was granted. He sailed thither,
accompanied by many adventurers, hoping to secure great treasures, as
the island was reported to be rich in gold. The natives resembled those
of Hispaniola in their good nature and faithfulness. They received the
whites in the most cordial manner, regarding them as celestial beings,
and one of their caciques, after the custom of the Indians, named
himself Juan Ponce Agueynaba, after the Spanish leader, as a mark of
eternal friendship. But these greatly honored celestial friends soon
threw off their masks and showed themselves so cruel and inhuman that
the natives discovered they were only men. To make sure that they were
really mortal, the leaders of these unfortunate people decided to make
the trial as thoroughly as possible with one individual. With this
purpose in view they waited an opportunity and soon found one.
A young Spaniard, wandering about the island and feeling himself
absolutely secure, came to the cabin of one of the headmen among the
natives to spend the night with him. He was graciously received and
hospitably entertained. The next morning his host assigned some Indians
to accompany him, partly to carry his bundles, and partly to act as
guides. They had been instructed in the meantime what to do. Coming to a
river, one of the Indians offered to carry the Spaniard across and took
him upon his back. When they were in the middle of the stream he
intentionally fell, managing to submerge the Spaniard. With the help of
his companions the Indian kept the victim under water until he was
drowned. Then they dragged his body ashore. But their conviction of the
immortality of the Spaniards was so strong that they were not even then
certain the young Spaniard was actually dead. Although the dead man gave
no sign of life they remained by him three days, unceasingly praying for
pardon, because they still feared that he might come to life again. At
last, when convinced he was actually dead, they hastened to bring the
joyful news to the cacique that the white men were mortal and could die.
He did not need to know more. He conveyed the news to the other caciques
and they at once courageously determined to get rid of their tyrants by
force. But what could a naked, unwarlike people accomplish against
trained warriors armed with swords and muskets and provided with horses
and hounds? They had a great advantage in point of numbers, for over a
hundred of them could surround and murder one Spaniard, but they paid
the penalty for it with the loss of their freedom and happiness, for
when the Spaniards discovered their plan of killing them individually,
Ponce massed his warriors, who were mostly veterans, hunted the Indians
in their hiding-places, slew them wherever he found them, and made
slaves of those who were not killed. While engaged in this murderous
business, reinforcements came from Hispaniola which impressed the
superstitious islanders with the belief that the dead Spaniards had come
to life again and that it was of no use longer to contend against those
who could not die. Victims of their own ignorance, they bowed their
necks under the hard yoke of slavery which was now mercilessly put upon
them.
In their accounts of the Porto Rico slaughtering the historians of the
time cannot sufficiently praise the cunning and courage of a great
hound, named Bezerillo, and the astonishing deeds he performed. He knew,
they said, how to distinguish the Indian friends and enemies of his
masters. The Indians were more afraid of ten Spaniards with this dog
than of a hundred without him. Before the outbreak they used to give the
Spaniards all the provisions, gold, and even slaves they asked for to
save themselves from being harmed by the dog. The following story of his
cunning is also told: Some inhuman Spaniards took delight in tormenting
an old Indian woman whom they disliked. Upon one occasion they sent her
off with a letter. She had hardly set out before Bezerillo was let loose
to run her down. He fiercely pursued her but the woman threw herself
upon her knees, showed the dog the letter, and said: “O, gracious Sir
Hound! I pray your grace, spare me! I must deliver this letter to the
Christians!” The dog, as if he clearly understood her, wagged his tail
and trotted back to his masters without doing her any harm.
The happiness of these poor natives was gone forever. The discoveries
and conquests of the Spaniards rapidly increased. The first step which
Diego took for the extension of his sway and the increase of the royal
possessions was the founding of a colony on the island of Cubagua,
discovered by his father, to engage in pearl fisheries. These pearls
grow in certain mussels and oysters, not only in the sea but also in
rivers, and have to be taken from the bottom. Some think that they come
from a disease of the shellfish, but this much is certain, that the
material of the pearls at first is a juice which comes from the body of
the fish and gradually hardens. The pearl-fishers, who are mostly poor
men, dive into the water and bring them up. Diego conceived that the
work of these Indians, who were used to swimming and diving, could be
more profitably employed in this manner than in mining. He sent a number
of them with the necessary European overseers to Cubagua, where his
father had found that the waters abounded in pearls. The profits of the
fisheries both for the King and the governor were exceedingly large, but
the unfortunate natives employed in the fishing found the work so
unhealthy and dangerous that most of them were lost. The general
barrenness of the island soon compelled the colony to leave and settle
in the adjacent island of Margarita.
About this time Diego took possession of the island of Jamaica. A colony
was established and the natives soon found themselves destined to the
same fate which had overtaken their brethren in Hispaniola and Porto
Rico. Next in order came Cuba. Diego assigned its conquest to
Velasquez,[21] a man who had made himself famous on various occasions
during the lifetime of Columbus. A large number of people who hoped to
make their fortunes accompanied him and a landing was made at the
eastern point of the island. This region at that time was ruled by a
cacique named Hatuey who had escaped from slavery in Hispaniola and
settled there. A sworn enemy of the oppressors of his people, he had
long expected a visit from them and had arranged with spies in
Hispaniola to send him early news of their movements. He now saw the
dreaded calamity at his doors. He summoned his followers, announced the
danger which threatened them, and encouraged them to maintain their
liberty to the last drop of their blood. All courageously agreed to
follow him.
“This is well,” replied Hatuey, “but one thing more is necessary, my
good people, if our efforts to save ourselves from the tyrants are to be
successful. Do you know why they never come here to look for their God
among us? Do you know who their God is? See him here! This is he!”
As he said this he showed them a basket of gold, and assured them this
worthless metal was their God, for whom they were venturing everything
and seeking to hold possession of the island. “Let us hasten,” he said,
“to celebrate this deity of the Christians and secure His protection.”
Then in the Indian fashion they began singing and dancing around the
basket. The festivity was kept up until late into the night and did not
cease until the entire company had succumbed to weariness and
exhaustion. On the next day Hatuey summoned them together again and told
them that, notwithstanding the honors they had paid to this deity, he
was not sure they would be safe so long as He remained on the island.
“It is useless,” he exclaimed, “to hide Him. If you should swallow Him
they would cut you to pieces to find Him in your insides. So let us
throw Him into the sea so that He shall be no longer upon our island.”
His advice was promptly followed. They gathered all the gold they could
find and threw it into the ocean.
Notwithstanding this action the Spanish flags were soon waving on their
shores. Hatuey courageously hastened to meet the foe. A battle ensued.
The natives were soon beaten and put to flight. Hatuey himself was taken
prisoner and, as a terrible example to other caciques, was sentenced to
be burned alive. As he was standing at a pile of fagots, bound to a
stake, a Franciscan approached to describe heaven to him, the place of
the blessed after death.
“Do the Spaniards also go to this blessed place?” inquired Hatuey.
“Certainly,” replied the monk; “but only the good ones.”
“That is good for nothing,” answered Hatuey, “I will go to no place
where I shall be in danger of meeting one of them.”
This dreadful act of barbarity inspired the natives all over Cuba with
such fear that they no longer thought of resistance but willingly
subjected themselves to the Spanish yoke. Thus in a few days the
Spaniards conquered one of the greatest and most beautiful islands in
the world without losing a man. About this time various expeditions were
sent out to the mainland and preparations were made to establish
colonies and subject the natives.
Ponce, the conqueror of Porto Rico, heard from several natives a story
that was commonly believed by those simple people. According to this
story there was an island toward the north and a wonderful fountain upon
it whose water had the remarkable effect of making the person who drank
it young and strong again. Absurd as the story was, it so excited the
curiosity of the credulous Ponce that he determined to search for the
wonderful fountain.
With this purpose in view he set sail from Porto Rico, directing his
course northward toward the Lucayan Islands. After reaching the
twenty-sixth degree of north latitude he changed his course to the west
and found to his great delight a large, beautiful country, which we now
know to have been a part of North America, to which Ponce afterward gave
the name of Florida, either because it had such a blooming appearance or
because its discovery was made at the season which is known as Easter
day, or, as it is called in Spanish, “Pascua florida,” or “Flowery
Easter.” Thus a very silly story led to a most important discovery.
The attention of the Spaniards was shortly directed to another part of
the world, which had hitherto been entirely unknown to them. They
conjectured the existence of a country in the same latitude as that of
the great rich Mexico, but no one had yet tried to find it.
The famous man who opened up this country to Europeans was Cortes.
Footnotes
[1]The largest of the Canary Islands, traversed by mountains and
containing the famous peak. The capital of the group, Santa Cruz de
Santiago, is located there.
[2]The Guanches were a variety of the Berbers, and of Arab descent.
[3]Henry, surnamed “The Navigator,” was born March 4, 1394, and died
Nov. 13, 1460. He was distinguished for his encouragement and
patronage of discoverers.
[4]Dias, after sailing south in the open sea for thirteen days, sought
land to the eastward and, not finding it, turned northward along the
coast east of the Cape of Good Hope and reached a point beyond Algoa
Bay.
[5]Cabral was the successor of Vasco da Gama in Portuguese exploration.
[6]Columbus’ name in Italian was Cristoforo Colombo; in Spanish,
Cristoval Colon; in French, Christophe Colomb; in Latin,
Christophorus Columbus.
[7]Other authorities assigned 1446 as the year of his birth. Some place
it as early as 1436.
[8]Diego accompanied his brother on his second voyage. He became a
priest in 1500.
[9]These dukes were Medina Sidonia and Medina Celi, both of whom favored
the scheme at first, but eventually rejected it.
[10]A maritime town in Andalusia.
[11]The Monastery of La Rabida.
[12]Other authorities state that the crew of the _Santa Maria_,
commanded by Columbus, numbered fifty men; that of the _Pinta_, under
Martin Pinzon, thirty men; and that of the _Nina_, under Vicente
Pinzon, twenty-four; and that the total number of the adventurers was
one hundred and twenty.
[13]The astrolabe, an obsolete instrument, was used for taking the
altitude of the sun and stars. It was superseded by Hadley’s quadrant
and sextant.
[14]The Sea of Sargasso is so named for the sea-weed, _Sargassum
bacciferum_, which covers it. It is situated in the North Atlantic
Ocean and is similar in shape to an egg, the large end being toward
Florida. It reaches from longitude 70 to longitude 40, being about
600 miles southwest of the Azores. Its width lies between latitude 20
and latitude 35. The Bermuda Islands are the only body of land within
its area, they being near its northwest edge. It is estimated to be
about 130,000 square miles in extent.
[15]This island has been variously stated as Turk’s Island, Cat Island,
Mayaquanna, and Watling. The best authorities have decided in favor
of Watling.
[16]Cibao is a mountainous region in the central part of San Domingo.
Columbus supposed it to be the Japan of Marco Polo.
[17]The Caribs occupied Guiana and the region of the Orinoco and
conquered the Caribbean Islands. Their descendants live in Honduras
and Nicaragua. Our word “cannibal” is a corruption of “Carib.”
[18]The cassava is a plant about four feet high with broad leaves and a
thick stem. The root is shaped like a turnip and is about six inches
thick. Eaten raw it is insipid and unhealthy but when cooked is very
palatable.
[19]Other authorities say the tenth of March.
[20]Ponce de Leon, born in Arragon in 1460, a Spanish soldier, conqueror
of Porto Rico and discoverer of Florida.
[21]Velasquez accompanied Columbus to Española in 1493.
Appendix
The following is a chronological statement of the principal events
treated of in this volume:
(?)1436 Birth of Columbus.
1470 Columbus arrives at Lisbon.
1484 Columbus goes to Spain.
1490 His scheme rejected.
1492 Agreement signed with Ferdinand.
1492 Discovery of America.
1493 Columbus returns to Spain.
1493 Second voyage.
1495 Investigation of his administration.
1496 Returns to Spain.
1498 Third voyage.
1500 Bobadilla sent to the West Indies.
1500 Columbus sent to Spain in chains.
1502 Ovando appointed governor of Hispaniola.
1502 Fourth voyage.
1504 Returns to Spain.
1506 Death of Columbus.
LIFE STORIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
_Translated from the German by_
GEORGE P. UPTON
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Transcriber’s note:
--Silently corrected obvious typographical errors.
--Left non-standard spellings and dialect unchanged.
--The book cover image was created by the transcriber and is
placed in the public domain.