Here Americo is convicted of a palpable falsehood, for he says that he
went to Castille from that island where he perpetrated such atrocities,
making no mention of having first gone to Espanola, as he did. He refers
the visit to Espanola to his second voyage, but this is not true, as has
already been proved in chap. 162. It is not the fact that they went to
Castille from the island where they made war and ill-treated the people:
as can be proved from the witnesses examined before the Royal Fiscal, in
the lawsuit between Don Diego Colon and the King respecting the granting
and observance of his privileges, of which I have often made mention
before. They deposed that Alonso de Hojeda, with whom Americo sailed in
his first voyage, went along the coast to Cuquibacoa, which is Venezuela,
and the Cabo de la Vela, and that thence they went to Espanola. Thus a
witness named Andres de Morales made oath, whom I knew well, a principal
pilot and a veteran of these Indies, citizen of Santo Domingo. He said
in his deposition, in answer to the fifth question, as follows: "that
he knew what happened during that voyage." Asked how he knew, he said:
"that he knew because he had often been with Juan de la Cosa and with
Alonso de Hojeda, and talked over this voyage, and that they went from
the island of Roquemes in the Canaries, and arrived at the mainland near
the province of Paria, passing on to the island of Margarita, thence to
Maracapana, discovering the coast as far as the Cacique Ayarayte, and
thence, from port to port, to the Island of the Giants, the province of
Cuquibacoa, and the Cabo de la Vela, which name was given to it by the
said Hojeda and Juan de la Cosa, and thence they went to the island of
Espanola." These are his words. Now they could not go from a place so
far to leeward, to the island where they committed their depredations,
because it must have been one of those towards the east, such as
Guadalupe, and the islands near it. It would be very difficult to work
to windward against wind and current, which are continuous. This is
confirmed by the fact that they reached Brazil in Espanola, which is
the port of Yaquimo,[151] and the proper and natural landfall from Cabo
de la Vela. If they had repaired the ships and taken in provisions in
that port of the mainland, how was it that it was found necessary to
repair and take in provisions again at Espanola? How was it that the
witnesses, and especially the pilot, Andres de Morales, who seems to
intimate that he went with them, do not mention that Hojeda had built a
brigantine and repaired his ships in some port of the mainland, that being
a remarkable event. It would strengthen the veracity of his statements
with reference to the discovery of that mainland having been made by him,
which was the object of the suit presided over by the Fiscal against the
Admiral. It is clear that Americo transferred things which happened in
the first voyage to the second, while events of the second are referred
to the first voyage, as we have demonstrated already in chap. 142, being
silent respecting many things, and adding others which never happened.
For example, the building of the brigantine and repairing of the ships
on the mainland certainly happened, and I know that it was so, being
notorious at that time; but it was during the second voyage, and not the
first; while the coming to the island Espanola, where certain scandals
were caused by Hojeda, to which I shall presently refer, took place in
the first voyage, and not in the second, as Americo represents. I further
say that Hojeda never came to discover, trade, or settle on the mainland,
without visiting Espanola. But his coming in the first voyage is denied
or concealed by Americo by silence. From the time that Hojeda left Spain
until he arrived at Espanola there was an interval of five months,
which does not leave time for all that he is said to have done during
that first voyage.
Returning to the first voyage of Hojeda, with whom Americo went by the
correct route, and not by the interpolated and confused way alleged
by Americo, we say that from the province of Cuquibacoa, now called
Venezuela, and the Cabo de la Vela, he came to this island of Espanola,
and anchored on the 5th of September, as I have already said in chap. 164,
at Brazil, which is in the province of Yaquimo,[152] and I even believe
further down, near that which is now called Cabana, the land and dominion
of a king named Haniguayaba. The Spaniards, who were in that province
of Yaquimo, presently knew of the arrival, either from the Indians,
or because they saw the vessels come in from the sea. They knew that it
was Hojeda, and word was presently sent to the Admiral, who was at San
Domingo, having recently made peace with Roldan and his companions. The
Admiral ordered two or three caravels to be got ready, and sent Roldan
with a force to prohibit the cutting of brasil wood, suspecting that
Hojeda would load with it. Roldan was also ordered to prevent the newcomer
from doing any other mischief, as Hojeda was known to be most audacious
in doing what he chose, it being a word and a deed with him, as they
say. Roldan arrived at the port of Yaquimo, or near it, with his caravels,
and landed on the 29th of that month of September. He then learnt from
the Indians that Hojeda was close by. Roldan, with twenty-six of his men,
came within a league and a half, and sent five men by night, as spies,
to see what force was with Hojeda. They found that he was coming to
reconnoitre Roldan, for the Indians had told him that Roldan had arrived
with a large force in three caravels. Roldan was known and feared in all
that land, and the natives told Hojeda that Roldan had sent for him to
come where he was; but this was not the case. Hojeda only had fifteen men
with him, having left the rest in his four ships, which were in a port
at a distance of eight leagues. He had come to get bread in the village
of the cacique Haniguayaba, and they were making it, not venturing to
do anything else, fearing that Roldan would come to seize them. Hojeda,
with five or six men, came to where Roldan was, and entered into general
conversation, Roldan inquiring how Hojeda had come to that island, and
especially to that part of it, without leave from the Admiral, and why
he had not first gone to where the Admiral was. Hojeda answered that he
was on a voyage of discovery, and that he was in great need of provisions
and his ships of repairs, so that he had no other alternative, and that he
could not reach any nearer place. Roldan then asked him by what right he
was making discoveries, and whether he had a royal licence that he could
show to entitle him to get supplies without asking the permission of the
governor. He answered that he had such a licence, but that it was on board
his ship, eight leagues distant. Roldan said that it must be shown to him,
otherwise he would be unable to give an account to the Admiral concerning
the business on which he had been sent. Hojeda complied as far as he was
able, saying that when he was despatched from that port he would go to make
his reverence to the Admiral, and to tell him many things, some of which
he mentioned to Roldan. These were, I have no doubt, the questions then
spoken of at Court, touching the deprivation of the Admiral, for, as Roldan
wrote, they were things which were not fit to be discussed in letters.
Roldan left Hojeda there and went with his caravels to the place where
the caravels of Hojeda were at anchor, and found some persons on board
who had been in Espanola with the Admiral, and had served with him in
the discovery of Paria, having returned in the five ships, especially
one Juan Velasquez and Juan Vizcaino,[153] who showed him the concession
signed by the Bishop Don Juan de Fonseca, which I have already mentioned
in chap. 164. They informed him of the events of the voyage, and how
much of the mainland they had discovered, and how they had lost one
man killed, and twenty or more wounded, in a fight, as was stated in
the said chap. 164, in which it is proved that this happened during
the first voyage of Hojeda. Francisco Roldan also learnt from them that
they had found gold, and brought it in the form of _guaninas_, which are
certain trinkets, well and artificially worked, such as they know how
to make in Castille, but the gold was below the standard. They brought
antlers, and said they had seen deer, rabbits, and the skin of a tiger
cat; also a collar made of the nails of animals, all which was news to
those who lived in Espanola. Roldan, knowing this, and believing that
Hojeda would do what he had promised; that is, that when he had got his
supply of bread in that village he would go to the port of San Domingo
to visit the Admiral by land, ordered the caravels to do what they had
to do, and I believe this was to get a cargo of brasil wood. Roldan went
from Yaquimo to Xaragua, a distance of eighteen leagues, and visited
the Christians who were allotted to the villages of the Indians, doing
what seemed best to him, and then returned to report the things that had
been said to him by Hojeda to the Admiral, which could not have been the
best news in the world; for when the five ships came with intelligence
of the rebellion of Roldan, they discussed at court the deposition of
the Admiral, a thing which Hojeda would not be the last to know, being
favoured by the Bishop Don Juan de Fonseca, and neither being friendly
to the Admiral and his affairs. As regards the Bishop this was quite
notorious, and I saw it with my eyes, felt it with my feeling, and
understood it with my understanding. As to Hojeda, it appeared afterwards
that he must have left Espanola, discontented with the Admiral.
* * * * *