There remains the demonstrations, now proved in detail, of the industrious
contrivance of Americo Vespucio, not at first easily conceived, as I
believe, but thought out at some subsequent time, by which he attributed
to himself the discovery of the greater part of that Indian world, when God
had conceded that privilege to the Admiral. Now it is proper to continue
the history of what happened to Alonso de Hojeda, with whom Americo went
on his first voyage. He departed from the port of Cadiz with four ships,
in the month of May. Juan de la Cosa, with all the experience acquired in
his voyages with the Admiral, went as pilot, and there were other pilots
and persons who had served in the said voyages. Americo also embarked,
as has already been mentioned in chap. 140, either as a merchant, or as
one versed in cosmography and studies relating to the sea. They sailed in
May, according to Americo, but not, as he says, in the year 1497, the true
date being 1499, as has already been sufficiently proved. Their course was
directed towards the west, to the Canary Islands, then southward. After
twenty-seven days[150] (according to the said Americo) they came in
sight of land, which they believed to be continental, and they were not
deceived. Having come to the nearest land, they anchored at a distance
of about a league from the shore, from fear of striking on some sunken
rock. They got out the boats, put arms into them, and reached the beach,
where they saw an immense number of naked people. They received them with
great joy. But the Indians looked on with astonishment, and presently ran
away to the nearest forest. The Christians approached them with signs
of peace and friendship, but they would not trust the strangers. As the
Christians had anchored in an open roadstead, and not in a port, wishing
to be out of danger if bad weather came on, they weighed, and stood
along the coast to seek for a port, all the shore being crowded with
people. After two days they found a good port. (_Las Casas then quotes
the account of the natives given by Americo Vespucci, respecting which
he makes the following comments._) Americo relates all these things in
his first _Navigation_, many of which he could not have known in two,
nor three, nor in ten days that he may have been among the Indians,
not knowing a single word of their language, as he himself confesses.
Such are the statements, that owing to the heat of the sun they move from
place to place every eight years; that when the women are enraged with
their husbands they create abortions; that they have no rule or order
in their marriages; that they have neither king nor lord nor chief in
their wars; and others of the same kind. Therefore we can only believe
those statements which are based on what he actually saw or might see,
such as what the natives ate and drank, that they went naked, that they
were of such and such colour, were great swimmers, and other external
acts. The rest appears to be all fiction.
* * * * *