joy and hope for the Admiral, were passed by the sailors and the friends
they were to leave on shore in terror and deep gloom. At last, on Friday,
August the 3rd, in the year 1492, the caravels sailed at daybreak from the
bar of Saltes, near Palos, having on board one hundred and twenty persons,
who before starting had all joined in fervent prayer that God would protect
them from danger, and grant them success. A favourable wind bore them in
the direction of the Canary Islands. The vessel Columbus sailed in was
called the _Santa Maria_; the second, the _Pinta_, was commanded by Martin
Alonzo Pinzon, and the third, the _Nina_, by his brother Vincent Yanez
Pinzon. When they had been out at sea three days the _Pinta_ made a sign of
distress; either by accident or through malice to Columbus her rudder had
been broken. Martin Pinzon repaired it as well as he could with cords, but
the next day the wind broke them, and all the vessels put in towards the
Canary Islands, and waited thereabouts three weeks whilst a new rudder was
made for the damaged bark. This occasioned much loss of time, and news
being brought that some Portuguese ships were sailing towards the Island of
Ferro, Columbus set sail again in a great hurry, fearing that the jealousy
of the King of Portugal might even now prevent him from finishing his
voyage. For three days the caravels were held in a deep calm, and all the
men on board felt very anxious until the winds arose, and carried them on
their way. The last land they saw was the Island of Ferro, and when they
lost sight of that, the spirits of most of the mariners began to droop, and
a wreck which they came upon a hundred and fifty leagues from Ferro, did
not tend to make them more hopeful.
On the 14th of September they saw a heron and a water wagtail, which very
much surprised them, as they were the first birds they had seen. The next
night there fell from the sky, only four or five leagues from the vessels,
a wonderful stream of fire, although the sea was calm, and the winds were
asleep, and the currents steady to the northward. This was probably one of
the meteors which are often seen in warm climates. After that, from day to
day, they perceived an abundance of grasses and herbs on the surface of the
water--which appeared to have been plucked only a short time before from
some island or rock--the green patches looked almost like floating islands
themselves. Then they saw many tunny and gold fish, and a white bird of the
tropics that never passes a night on the sea. They thought, too, that the
waves were less salt than those they had crossed at first. All these signs
made the mariners very desirous of going in search of islands, but Columbus
would not yield to their wishes, and pursued the steady course he had
planned towards the west. On the 18th of September the captain of the
swift-sailing caravel _Pinta_ told the Admiral that he had seen a number of
large birds flying towards the north, and that he thought there was land in
that direction. This time, however, Columbus felt sure that the supposed
land was nothing but a bank of clouds. The next morning a bird of the
tropics alighted on the Admiral's ship, and the day after two more came
with a black bird which had on its head a tuft of white feathers; besides
which, at dawn, three little singing birds had perched themselves on one of
the masts, and only flew away at dark. Their sweet song must have made some
of the forlorn mariners think of their homes and the pine forest of Palos
and the gardens of southern Spain, with their orange and pomegranate trees,
whilst to others it may have said, "God, in His infinite love, has sent the
little birds to cheer your hearts, and to tell you that land is near, and
that you need not fear to tread the shore of strange men, since He is the
father of all."
There came a time, indeed, when these things vanished, and as the wind
always blew from the east, the men despaired of ever being able to return
to their homes. They began to reproach Columbus bitterly for having led
them, as they supposed, on a lost track, and distrusted the signs of land
even when they were renewed by fresh patches of verdure appearing, and
whole flights of singing birds coming to the caravels early in the morning,
and flying away to their unseen nests at dusk. Some of the seamen in their
frenzy were so wicked as to make a plot to throw the Admiral overboard, and
they meant after that, to turn the vessel homeward, and to say, if they
ever got back to Spain, that he had fallen from the ship's side whilst
gazing at the stars. Columbus had enough to do to pacify the crews. To the
gentle he spoke kind words; those who were eager for riches he flattered
with hopes of gain, and the most violent of all he threatened with the
severest punishment if they should attempt to prevent the voyage from being
completed. At this time he was exposed to extreme danger, but he had a
brave heart, and trusted in God, and did not feel afraid even when he knew
that the plot had been made to take away his life. And although he was more
anxious than any man on board, and passed many a sleepless night, looking
vainly across the starlit sea for land, he never despaired of finding it at
last.
So the days passed in alternate hope and fear. Once Martin Pinzon felt so
sure that he saw land, that the crews of each vessel knelt down and chanted
a solemn thanksgiving, "Glory to God in the highest," such were the words
that rose up in the calm evening air, but, alas! the land turned out to be
only a cloud.
When the mutiny was at its greatest height the heavenly Father let the men
who had murmured look on the blessed signs of land until their wicked
thoughts passed away, and hope and trust came back to their hearts instead.
For, on the 10th of October, there could be no doubt that they were near
some shore. Beside fresh herbs and grasses, they saw a green fish, which is
only found near rocks, a reed and a carved stick, a little plank, and a
branch of thorn covered with red berries, which looked as if it had only
just been plucked.
[Illustration: _Columbus pointing to the Land.--p. 159_]
After evening prayer on that day Columbus ordered a careful watch to be
made, and remained himself on the high stern of the _Santa Maria_ during
the night. Now and then he observed a glimmer of light, which he supposed
came from the shore, and at two o'clock in the morning the firing of a gun
from the _Pinta_ was the signal that land had really been seen. Not an eye
closed that night; the sails were taken in, and the whole company on board
the caravels waited in breathless suspense for the dawn. As the day broke,
Columbus perceived a level island stretching out before them covered with
trees; the natives were already coming out of the woods and rushing towards
the shore, evidently astonished at the sight of the strange vessels. The
boats were manned and armed, and Columbus, Martin Pinzon, and Vincente, his
brother, each got into a boat, Columbus bearing the royal standard of
Spain, and the others banners with green crosses upon them. The natives
stood around as they landed, and looked on, half fearful, in silence.
Columbus kissed the earth on which he first set foot, and planting the
cross upon it, called it by the name of St. Salvador.[13] Then the
Spaniards hailed him as Admiral, and swore obedience to him: those who had
rebelled were now thoroughly ashamed of their wicked conduct, and entreated
his pardon--a pardon he readily granted--for it was not in his noble nature
to resent an injury done to himself.
The Spanish government had decreed a reward of 10,000 maravedis[14] to him
who should first discover land; to this Columbus added a promise of a
doublet of silk or velvet. But although Rodrigo de Triana was the mariner
who first saw land from the _Pinta_, it was agreed by all that the Admiral
should have the prize, because it was he who had perceived the light,
probably of some torch the natives had carried, at intervals, during the
night.
The island Columbus first landed upon was one of the Lucayos or Bahamas; in
his delight he fancied he had really reached the eastern shores of India,
and hence it was that the natives of the New World were called Indians. He
stayed a day or two at the island, making friends with the
dark-complexioned men, who soon lost all fear of the strangers, and
regarded with great curiosity the cups, glass beads, and hawks' bells they
gave them in exchange for the parrots, the balls of spun-cotton, and the
cassava bread, made from a great root called "yuca," which they brought
down to the shore. They were simple in their manners, and evidently thought
the shining armour and weapons of the white man very strange. They did not
know the use of iron, and taking the swords by the blades they cut
themselves with them. Some of them wore little ornaments of gold in their
noses, and when the Spaniards asked them by signs whence they got the gold,
they answered by pointing to the south.
Columbus now resolved to go in search of the precious metal, and left the
island, taking with him seven Indians as interpreters. When he returned to
his ship the natives crowded around him in their canoes, each of which,
small or large, was made in one piece out of the trunk of a tree. After
finding some little islands, he came upon the lovely island of Cuba. Here
the caravels glided down a great shining river, with waters deep and clear,
and anchored not far from the sea. It seemed to the mariners a fairy
region, in which they forgot all the care and the terror of their voyage.
Trees, higher than any they had seen in Europe, were covered with the most
tempting fruits and brilliant flowers, birds of gay-coloured plumage sang
on their branches or flitted about. The sunshine falling on the scales of
the fish made them look like precious stones, and at night, fireflies
flashed through the air, and moon and stars shone with a strange lustre
unknown in Europe. The cabins of the natives of Cuba were more elegant in
their construction than those of the other islands, and were all well
covered with branches of palm trees. That the people were accustomed to
fish was shown by the nets, made of the fibres of palm leaves, which were
found in some of the empty dwellings. Here was seen for the first time the
"batata," or potatoe plant, which has since proved such a blessing to
Europe, and some Spaniards, whom Columbus, believing that he had indeed
reached Cathay, sent on a mission to the Grand Khan, tell how, when they
came back from their fruitless journey, they met on the road numbers of
people, men and women, who held in one hand a lighted brand, and in the
other some leaves of a plant called "tabacas," rolled up in the form of a
little cylinder, one end of which they lighted and the other they put into
their mouths. It is needless to say that this was the origin of smoking
amongst the Europeans, and hence the city of Havannah in Cuba has always
been famous for the manufacture of cigars.
One night when the caravels were out at sea, not far from Cuba, on a voyage
of fresh discovery, the _Pinta_ suddenly disappeared. The merchant Martin
Alonzo Pinzon was greedy of gain, and wanted to go to some island in search
of gold by himself. One reason of his desertion is said also to have been
his dislike of serving under another, after having been his own master for
so many years. Columbus had now only the two caravels, but he was not
deterred from making fresh attempts, and he soon found the large island of
Haiti, or Saint Domingo, to which he gave the name of Hispaniola, because
it was like the fairest parts of Spain. The land here was mountainous and
rocky, but the rocks rose up out of forests. The harbour the caravels
entered was surrounded by great trees, most of them being covered with
fruit, which gleamed red, green, and golden in the bright sunshine of the
tropics. The natives were very timid at first, as those of Cuba had been,
and fled from the coast on the approach of the strange vessels; but an
Indian woman who was captured and carried on board the _Santa Maria_ was
treated so kindly that, when she went back to the shore, her own people
began to lose all fear, and brought the Spaniards many gifts of fish,
fruit, and roots, and their famed cassava bread. Another day, when Columbus
was cruising about the island, and a gale was blowing, he saved an Indian
from perishing as his fragile canoe, and the man thus rescued told the time
tale of the kindness of the Spaniards. Columbus became very friendly with a
chief, or cacique, named Guacanagari, which is a terribly long name, and
since he always remained true to the Spaniards I will only call him in
future the faithful chief, to distinguish him from others in the same
island. The Admiral had set out by sea to visit him in his own village,
when a great disaster happened. It was Christmas Eve; the ocean was calm
and smooth, and about an hour before midnight the caravel _Santa Maria_ was
only a league from the cacique's dwelling. Columbus, having passed many
sleepless nights, had gone to rest; soon after the steersman, giving the
helm in charge to one of the ship's boys, followed his example, and it was
not long before the whole of the crew were sound asleep also. The vessel,
thus left to a careless boy, was carried by currents on to a sandbank with
such force that great seams opened in her sides. Some of the mariners,
roused to a sense of their danger, got down into their boat, and in the
confusion rowed off to the caravel _Nina_, which took them all on board.
Soon the Admiral and the remainder of the crew had to take refuge there
also; the _Santa Maria_ was firmly fixed in the sands, and was of no
farther use as a ship. When the cacique heard of the misfortune he shed
tears, and kindly sent a number of men in canoes to the Admiral's
assistance, and he helped himself to keep guard round the wrecked vessel,
that none of the valuable stores it contained might be stolen.
Little boys who are safe at home at the merry Christmas-time with all whom
they love, may think of this first Christmas of the brave and patient
Admiral, passed amidst all the horrors of shipwreck, and remember that if a
simple and ignorant heathen could thus afford kindly help and sympathy to
the distressed, how much more love and charity ought not those to show who
call themselves the followers of Christ!
The cacique came on board the _Nina_ to visit Columbus, and a little while
after, the Admiral went to his village in return. When he was there he had
a cannon and a harquebuss fired to show the might of the European arms. The
Indians were so terrified at the sound that they fell flat to the ground,
but their spirits revived when they were told that such weapons would
deliver them from the Caribs, who were constantly threatening and
tormenting their chief.
The cacique gave Columbus many extraordinary presents; one was a mask of
wood, with eyes, ears, and mouth gilded: the Indians were very fond of
carving such masks. They were delighted with the gifts they received from
the Spaniards, and most of all with the hawks' bells, dancing merrily to
the tinkling they made. They had so little idea of the real value of things
that a string of the commonest glass beads had far greater worth in their
eyes than a coronet of solid gold.
Columbus now began to think of returning to Europe, but first of all he
constructed a fort with the remains of the stranded vessel, to which he
gave the name of Navidad,[15] in memory of the Christmas morning when his
own life and the lives of his men had been so mercifully spared. Some of
the Spaniards were to be left to guard the fort, and they were very glad to
remain in the island; they had food in plenty, the natives were kindly
disposed towards them, and to live at ease in a beautiful climate was far
preferable to being tossed about on the stormy sea. When the moment of
parting came, however, all were sorrowful, and they took a kindly leave of
one another, wondering whether they would ever meet again.
Some time after Columbus had set out on his journey home, he came in sight
of the _Pinta_. The merchant made many excuses for his desertion, but
Columbus passed them over with few words, and the vessels kept company
until the _Pinta_ again disappeared one dark night during a terrific storm,
which surprised the caravels far out in the open sea. When it was at its
greatest height Columbus retired to his cabin, and wrote two copies of a
description of the lands he had seen, then he wrapped them in wax, and put
them into two casks, one of which he threw into the sea, and the other he
placed on the poop of his vessel, that it might float if she sank.
The storm abated, but Columbus was not yet destined to return to Europe in
peace. He had touched at the Island of St. Mary, one of the Azores, and
half the crew had landed to return thanks to God for their escape from the
tempest. As they were praying in a chapel they were seized by order of John
of Portugal, to whom the islands belonged. The King had watched the
movements of Columbus, and could not get over his jealousy of the Spaniards
for having succeeded in their attempt.
After some trouble the seamen were set free, but even then another storm
drove Columbus to seek shelter in the river Tagus, near the Rock of Cintra.
Whilst he was there, King John invited him to his court, which he was
holding in a lovely spot, called the Vale of Paradise, a few leagues from
Lisbon. Certain it is, that however unkind he had been hitherto, he
received Columbus as a friend, and treated him with honour, and would not
listen to some wicked men around him, who advised him to put him to death.
When Columbus did arrive at Palos on the 15th of March, 1493, the people
flocked in crowds to welcome him, and he journeyed like a prince to
Barcelona, where the Spanish court had taken up its residence for a time.
But his greatest triumph was when he had entered the gates of the city, and
went slowly along the crowded streets, surrounded by the noblest knights of
Spain, to the palace where Ferdinand and Isabella were seated under a
golden canopy in readiness to receive him. And surely the people of
Barcelona had never looked upon so strange a procession before. Six Indians
in their wild costume marched on in front; the animals belonging to the
islands, live parrots, and other gaily plumed birds, till then unknown in
Europe, the golden ornaments and the weapons of the natives, strange
plants, valuable resins and gums, all had their part in the show. When
Columbus arrived at the palace the King and Queen would not suffer him to
stand or kneel in their presence, but they knelt down themselves in the
sight of all the people, and thanked God fervently for the wondrous
spectacle before them, and the new world that the courage and constancy of
a good man had given to Leon and Castille. Whilst Columbus remained in
Spain he was treated with the highest esteem and honour, and his sons,
Diego and Fernando were appointed pages to Prince Juan, the heir to the
Spanish throne.
Martin Alonzo Pinzon arrived at the port of Palos on the evening of the day
Columbus had landed amid crowds of welcoming faces. He was so jealous of
his rival's glory, and so deeply mortified besides when he remembered his
own mean conduct towards one who had always been kind to him, that he went
on shore privately, and instead of taking part in the public rejoicings,
repaired to his home, where he fell ill, and died soon after, as it is
said, of grief.
In the autumn of the same year Columbus set out on his second voyage with a
fleet of seventeen ships, and fifteen hundred men, amongst whom were
_hidalgos_, merchants and adventurers, and several priests, intended to
convert the Indians to the Christian faith.
On his way to Hispaniola he found some islands belonging to the group of
the Antilles. The first one he saw he called Domenica, because he
discovered it on a Sunday. After that he came to a large and fertile
island, to which he gave the name of Guadaloupe, and there the Spaniards
saw for the first time the pine-apple. But although they found plenty of
luscious fruits and sweet water, which refreshed them after their voyage,
they were not at all happy there because they perceived from the remains of
human bodies hanging about the dwellings that the natives of the island
were cannibals, or Caribs, who feasted on the flesh of their fellow
creatures. Columbus was in great alarm for fear some of his crew who had
strayed into the forests should fall victims to this horrible practice; but
happily, most of the men were absent on some warlike expedition, and had
left their women to guard the island, and the missing mariners found their
way back to the sea-shore. Another of the larger islands discovered at this
time now bears the name of Porto Rico.
When the fleet arrived about a league from the settlement of Navidad, all
objects around were hidden in the darkness of night. Columbus felt very
anxious to know if the men whom he had left to guard the fort were alive
and in safety, and he had two guns fired off to announce his arrival. The
echo died away in silence, no answer came, and a terrible fear filled his
heart. About midnight some Indians came in a boat to the principal caravel,
and asked to see the Admiral. They had brought him a present of gilded
masks from the faithful chief, and told how he lay sick in a little village
near, having been wounded in an affray with another chief named Caonabo,
who dwelt on the mountains of Cibao, and was called "The Lord of the House
of Gold," because of the abundance of gold in that region. These Indians
gave very confused accounts of the Spaniards who had been left in the fort.
Some of them were dead, they said, having been killed in a skirmish; others
were dispersed. Columbus did not know what to think. Even when the day
broke, the place seemed strangely silent and deserted, and at last he sent
some of his people in a boat to the shore to gain tidings. Alas! the
fortress was a heap of ruins, the comrades of other days had all
disappeared without leaving a trace behind. Columbus soon learned that
several of the Spaniards had been faithless to the trust reposed in them,
and after quarrelling amongst themselves had gone off to the mountains of
Cibao, tempted by the prospect of finding gold. The few who remained in
the fort had been surprised by Caonabo. He had rushed down upon them with
his warriors, and had burnt all the dwellings of the white men, although
the faithful chief had done his best to help to defend them: Columbus heard
from him that the reports of the fate of the Spaniards were true.
When the cacique visited Columbus on board his ship he was greatly
astonished at the sight of the animals which had been brought out to the
west, such as cattle, pigs and calves, but most of all the Indians wondered
at the power and size of the horse, which was to tread their shores for the
first time. Besides these, Columbus had brought to the island many domestic
fowls, also vegetables and fruits which he hoped would flourish in the new
soil; among the latter were oranges, lemons, and citrons, supposed to have
grown originally in India and Persia, and to have been introduced into
Europe by the Arabs and Moors.
Immediately on his arrival Columbus founded the city of Isabella on the
north of the island. For a little time the work went on bravely, and then
troubles arose. The provisions conveyed in the vessels were nearly all
gone; the climate was found to be sultry and damp, and unhealthy for those
who had lived in the drier air of Spain. The young _hidalgos_, who had come
out in the hope of gaining riches and fame, were angry and disappointed
that they did not find gold at once in abundance. To appease their murmurs,
Columbus sent a very bold cavalier named Alonso de Ojeda to explore the
famed mountains of Cibao, with a band of men, of whom most were of noble
birth. When they came back from their dangerous expedition, they told the
Admiral that they had seen gold in plenty glittering in particles amongst
the sands of the mountain streams, and in the beds of the torrents. Several
ships returned about this time to Spain, bearing samples of the gold thus
discovered, besides various fruits and plants unknown in Europe.