se trajo por la mar ha seido la mas estrecha que nunca hombres pasaron,
é fue ansí necesario porque no sabiamos que tiempo nos haria, ó cuanto
permitiría Dios que estoviesemos en el camino; ansí que fue cordura
estrecharnos, porque cualquier tiempo que viniera pudieramos conservar
la vida. Rescatan el oro é mantenimientos é todo lo que traen por cabos
de agujetas, por cuentas, por alfileres, por pedasos de escudillas é de
plateles. A este _age_ llaman los de Caribi _nabi_, é los indios _hage_.
Toda esta gente, como dicho tengo, andan como nacieron, salvo las mugeres
de esta isla traen cubiertas sus verguenzas, dellos con ropa de algodon
que les ciñen las caderas, otras con yerbas é fojas de árboles. Sus galas
dellos é dellas es pintarse, unos de negro, otros de blanco é colorado,
de tantos visajes que en verlos es bien cosa de reir; las cabezas rapadas
en logares, é en logares con vedijas de tantas maneras que no se podria
escrebir. En conclusion, que todo lo que allá en nuestra España quieren
hacer en la cabeza de un loco; acá el mejor dellos vos lo terná en mucha
merced. Aquí estamos en comarca de muchas minas de ora, que segun lo que
ellos dicen no hay cada una dellas de veinte ó veinte é cinco leguas:
las unas dicen que son en Niti, en poder de Caonabó, aquel que mató los
cristianos; otras hay en otra parte que se llama Cibao, las cuales, si
place á nuestro Señor, sabremos é veremos con los ojos antes que pasen
muchos dias, porque agora se ficiera sino porque hay tantas cosas de
proveer que no bastamos para todo, porque la gente ha adolecido en cuatro
ó cinco dias el tercio della, creo la mayor causa dello ha seido el
trabajo é mala pasada del camino: allende de la diversidad de la tierra;
pero espero en nuestro Señor que todos se levantarán con salud. Lo que
parece desta gente es que si lengua toviesemos que todos se convertirian,
porque cuanto nos veen facer tanto facen, en hincar las rodillas á
los altares, é al Ave Maria, é á las otras devociones é santiguarse:
todos dicen que quieren ser cristianos, puesto que verdaderamente son
idólatras, porque en sus casas hay figuras de muchas maneras; yo les he
preguntado que es aquello, dicenme que es cosa de _Turey_, que quiere
decir del cielo. Yo acometi á querer echarselos en el fuego é haciaseles
de mal que querian llorar: pero ansi piensan que cuanto nosotros traemos
que es cosa del cielo, que á todo llaman _Turey_, que quiere decir cielo.
El dia que yo salí á dormir en tierra fue el primero dia del Señor: el
poco tiempo que habemos gastado en tierra ha seido mas en hacer donde
nos metamos, é buscar las cosas necessarias, que en saber las cosas que
hay en la tierra, pero aunque ha sido poco se han visto cosas bien de
maravillar, que se han visto árboles que llevan lana y harto fina, tal
que los que saben del arte dicen que podrán hacer buenos paños dellos.
Destos árboles hay tantos que se podrán cargar las carabelas de la lana,
aunque es trabajosa de coger, porque los árboles son muy espinosos;
pero bien se puede hallar ingenio para la coger. Hay infinito algodon
de árboles perpetuos tan grandes como duraznos. Hay árboles que llevan
cera en color y en sabor, é en arder tan buena como la de abejas, tal
que no hay diferencia mucha de la una á la otra. Hay infinitos árboles
de trementina muy singular é muy fina. Hay mucho alquitira, tambien
muy buena. Hay árboles que pienso que llevan nueces moscadas, salvo
que agora estan sin fruto, é digo que lo pienso porque el sabor y olor
de la corteza es como de nueces moscadas. Vi una raiz de gengibre que
la traía un indio colgada al cuello. Hay tambien linaloe, aunque no es
de la manera del que fasta agora se ha visto en nuestras partes; pero
no es de dudar que sea una de las especias de linaloes que los dotores
ponemos. Tambien se ha hallado una manera de canela, verdad es que no es
tan fina como la que allá se ha visto, no sabemos si por veutura lo hace
el defeto de saberla coger en sus tiempos como se ha de coger, ó si por
ventura la tierra no la lleva mejor. Tambien se ha hallado mirabolanos
cetrinos, salvo que agora no estan sino debajo del árbol, como la tierra
es muy humida estan podridos, tienen el sabor mucho amargo, yo creo sea
del podrimiento; pero todo lo otro, salvo el sabor que está corrompido,
es de mirabolanos verdaderos. Hay tambien almástica muy buena. Todas
estas gentes destas islas, que fasta agora se han visto, no poseen fierro
ninguno. Tienen muchas ferramientas, ansi como hachas é azuelas hechas de
piedra tan gentiles é tan labradas que es maravilla como sin fierro se
pueden hacer. El mantenimiento suyo es pan hecho de raices de una yerba
que es entre árbol é yerba, é el age, de que ya tengo dicho que es como
nabos, que es muy buen mantenimiento: tienen por especia, por lo adobar,
una especia que se llama _agi_, con la cual comen tambien el pescado,
como aves cuando las pueden haber, que hay infinitas de muchas maneras.
Tienen otrosí unos granos como avellanas, muy buenos de comer. Comen
cuantas culebras é lagartos é arañas é cuantos gusanos se hallan por el
suelo; ansi que me parece es mayor su bestialidad que de ninguna bestia
del mundo. Despues de una vez haber determinado el Almirante de dejar
el descobrir las minas fasta primero enviar los navíos que se habian de
partir á Castilla, por la mucha enfermedad que habia seido en la gente,
acordó de enviar dos cuadrillas con dos Capitanes, el uno á Cibao y el
otro á Niti, donde está Caonobó, de que ya he dicho, las cuales fueron
é vinieron el uno á veinte dias de Enero, é el otro á veinte é uno: el
que fue á Cibao halló oro en tantas partes que no lo osa hombre decir,
que de verdad en mas de cincuenta arroyos é rios hallaban oro, é fuera
de los rios por tierra; de manera que en toda aquella provincia dice que
do quiera que lo quieran buscar lo hallarán. Trajo muestra de muchas
partes como en la arena de los rios é en las hontizuelas, que estan sobre
tierra, creese que cabando, como sabemos hacer, se hallará en mayores
pedazos, porque los indios no saben cabar ni tienen con que puedan cabar
de un palmo arriba. El otro que fue á Niti trajo tambien nueva de mucho
oro en tres ó cuatro partes; ansi mesmo trajo la muestra dello. Ansi
que de cierto los Reyes nuestros Señores desde agora se pueden tener
por los mas prósperos é mas ricos Príncipes del mundo, porque tal cosa
hasta agora no se ha visto ni leido de ninguno en el mundo, porque
verdaderamente á otro camino que los navíos vuelvan pueden llevar tanta
cantidad de oro que se puedan maravillar cualesquiera que lo supieren.
Aquí me parece sera bien cesar el cuento: creo los que no me conocen que
oyeren éstas cosas, me ternán por prolijo é por hombre que ha alargado
algo; pero Dios es testigo que yo no he traspasado una jota los términos
de la verdad.
Hasta aquí es el treslado de lo que conviene á nuevas de aquellas partes
é Indias. Lo demas que venia en la carta no hace al caso, porque son
cosas particulares que el dicho Dotor Chanca, como natural de Sevilla,
suplicaba y encomendaba á los del Cabildo de Sevilla que tocaba á su
hacienda y á los suyos, que en la dicha cibdad habia dejado, y llegó esta
á Sevilla en el mes de [150] año de mil é cuatrocientos énoventa y tres
años.
FOOTNOTES:
[108] Doctor Chanca was appointed physician to Columbus’s fleet by a
dispatch of the 23rd of May, 1493; and on the 24th, the chief accountants
were instructed to pay him salary and rations as scrivener in the Indies.
Señor de Navarrete, who saw the manuscript, “Historia de la Reyes
Católicos,” says that its author, Andres Bernaldez, Cura de los Palacios,
makes mention of Dr. Chanca, and had this same narration before him, as
may be seen in the one hundred and twentieth chapter of his history.
[109] A similar gap in the original: it should say _of the year 1493_.
[110] The island of Dominica, so called from having been discovered on a
Sunday.
[111] The island Marigalante, so called from the name of the ship in
which Columbus sailed.
[112] Dominica has no harbours, but there are several good roadsteads on
the western side.
[113] Marigalante.
[114] The fruit of the manchineal, which apparently produces similar
effects.
[115] Guadaloupe.
[116] It was Diego Marquez, the caterer, who with eight other men went
on shore into the interior of the island, without permission from the
admiral, who caused him to be sought for by parties of men with trumpets,
but without success. One of those who were sent out with this object, was
Alonzo de Hojeda, who took with him forty men, and on their return they
reported that they had found many aromatic plants, a variety of birds,
and some considerable rivers. The wanderers were not able to find their
way to the ships until the eighth of November. (M. F. Navarrete’s note,
from Bartholomeo de las Casas’ Manuscript History, chap. 84.)
[117] This island, called further on Cayre, is most probably the “Charis”
or “Carib” referred to on page 14, which the log of the first voyage
makes to be next to and westward of Matenin, which latter all evidence
shows to be Martinique. Dominica, therefore, will be Charis or Ceyre.
Turuqueira and Ayay, probably the two islands which form Guadaloupe.
[118] Tuesday the 12th of November.
[119] The island Montserrat. See Herrera, Dec. 1. L. 2, c. vii.
[120] The admiral called it Santa Maria la Redonda. See _ibid._
[121] Santa Maria la Antigua. See _ibid._
[122] The island of St. Martin. See _ibid._
[123] Dominica, see note, p. 31.
[124] The island of _Santa Cruz_, where they anchored on Thursday the
fourteenth of November. See Herrera, Dec. 1. L. 2, cap. vii.
[125] The admiral named the largest of these islands _St. Ursula_, and
all the others _The eleven thousand Virgins_. See _ibid._
[126] The island of _Porto Rico_, to which the admiral gave the name of
_St. John the Baptist_. See Herrera, Dec. 1. L. 2, cap. vii.
[127] Porto Rico.
[128] On Friday, the twenty-second of November, the admiral first caught
sight of the island of Española. See Herrera, Dec. 1. L. 2, cap. vii.
[129] Mona Island.
[130] Apparently between Point Macao and Point Engaño, which is flat. The
higher land of the north coast commences at Point Macao.
[131] On the parallel of 18° 25′ the island has an extreme length of 400
miles, and its extreme breadth may be taken at 150 on the meridian of 71°
20′.
[132] In all probability a species of _capromys_.
[133] Cabras or Goat Island, close to “el Fraile” in the Bay of Monte
Cristi.
[134] An alligator.
[135] The river Yaque.
[136] The admiral anchored at the entrance of the harbour of Navidad, on
Wednesday, the twenty-seventh of November, towards midnight, and on the
following day put into the harbour. See Herrera, Dec. 1. L. 2, cap. viii
and ix.
[137] The Bay of Caracol, four leagues west of Fort Dauphin.
[138] This is the earliest mention of a hammock.
[139] Port Dauphin.
[140] Port Isabelique, or Isabella, ten leagues to the east of Monte
Christi.
[141] The river Isabella.
[142] The infant city of Isabella.
[143] Yams.
[144] A species of the natural order _Bombaceæ_; perhaps the _Eriodendron
anfractuosum_.
[145] These were probably trees of the laurel tribe, the bark of which is
generally spicy like cinnamon. The cinnamon mentioned below was probably
also one of these and not true cinnamon.
[146] Barbadoes aloes, still considered as of inferior quality to those
of Socotra.
[147] In fact he sent twelve vessels under the command of Antonio de
Torres, who set sail from the port of Navidad, on the second of February,
1494, charged with an account of all that had occurred. (Navarrete.)
[148] This was Alonzo de Ojeda, who went out with fifteen men, in the
month of January 1494, to seek the mines of Cibao, and returned a few
days after with good news, having been well received everywhere by the
natives. (Navarrete.)
[149] It is to be regretted, Navarrete here justly remarks, that
Dr. Chanca should not have described the subsequent occurrences in
Hispaniola, which are very important, and which have been related by
cotemporary historians.
[150] A similar gap in the original. The date of the year is a mistake.
This letter might have been brought by the ships commanded by Torres, and
consequently must have been written at the end of January, 1494, after
the expedition of Ojeda. (Navarrete.)
MEMORIAL.
_Memorial of the results of the Second Voyage of the Admiral, Christopher
Columbus, to the Indies, drawn up by him for their Highnesses King
Ferdinand and Queen Isabella; and addressed to Antonio de Torres, from
the City of Isabella, the 30th of January, 1494. The reply of their
Highnesses is affixed at the end of each chapter._[151]
The report which you, Antonio de Torres, captain of the ship
_Marigalante_, and Governor of the city of Isabella, have to make, on my
behalf, to the King and Queen our sovereigns, is as follows:
Imprimis: after having delivered the credentials which you bear from me
to their Highnesses, you will do homage in my name, and commend me to
them as to my natural sovereigns, in whose service I desire to continue
till death; and you will furthermore be able to lay before them all that
you have yourself seen and known respecting me.
_Their Highnesses accept and acknowledge the service._
Item: Although, by the letters which I have written to their Highnesses,
as well as to Father Buil and to the Treasurer, a clear and comprehensive
idea may be formed of all that has transpired since our arrival; you
will, notwithstanding, inform their Highnesses, on my behalf, that God
has been pleased to manifest such favour towards their service, that not
only has nothing hitherto occurred to diminish the importance of what I
have formerly written or said to their Highnesses; but on the contrary I
hope, by God’s grace, shortly to prove it more clearly by facts; because
we have found upon the sea shore, without penetrating into the interior
of the country, some spots showing so many indications of various spices,
as naturally to suggest the hope of the best results for the future. The
same holds good with respect to the gold mines; for two parties only,
who were sent, out in different directions to discover them, and who,
because they had few people with them, remained out but a short time,
found, nevertheless, a great number of rivers whose sands contained this
precious metal in such quantity, that each man took up a sample of it
in his hand; so that our two messengers returned so joyous, and boasted
so much of the abundance of gold, that I feel a hesitation in speaking
and writing of it to their Highnesses. But as Gorbalan, who was one of
the persons who went on the discovery, is returning to Spain, he will be
able to relate all that he has seen and observed; although there remains
here another individual,—named Hojeda, formerly servant of the Duke of
Medinaceli, and a very discreet and pains-taking youth,—who without doubt
discovered, beyond all comparison, more than the other, judging by the
account which he gave of the rivers he had seen; for he reported, that
each of them contained things that appeared incredible. It results from
all this, that their Highnesses ought to return thanks to God, for the
favour which He thus accords to all their Highnesses’ enterprises.
_Their Highnesses return thanks to God for all that is recorded, and
regard as a very signal service all that the Admiral has already done,
and is yet doing; for they are sensible that, under God, it is he who
has procured for them their present and future possessions in these
countries; and as they are about to write to him on this subject more at
length, they refer to their letter._
Item. You will repeat to their Highnesses what I have already written
to them, that I should have ardently desired to have been able to send
them, by this occasion, a larger quantity of gold than what they have
any hope of our being able to collect, but that the greater part of the
people we employed fell suddenly ill. Moreover, the departure of this
present expedition could not be delayed any longer, for two reasons:
namely, on account of the heavy expense which their stay here occasioned;
and because the weather was favourable for their departure, and for the
return of those who should bring back the articles of which we stand in
the most pressing need. If the former were to put off the time of their
starting, and the latter were to delay their departure, they would not
be able to reach here by the month of May. Besides, if I wished now to
undertake a journey to the rivers with those who are well,—whether with
those who are at sea, or those who are on land in the huts,—I should
experience great difficulties, and even dangers; because, in traversing
three or four-and-twenty leagues, where there are bays and rivers to
pass, we should be obliged to carry, as provision for so long a journey,
and for the time necessary for collecting the gold, many articles of
food, etc., which could not be carried on our backs, and there are
no beasts of burden to be found, to afford the necessary assistance.
Moreover, the roads and passes are not in such a condition as I should
wish for travelling over; but they have already begun to make them
passable. It would be also extremely inconvenient to leave the sick men
here in the open air, or in huts, with such food and defences as they
have on shore; although these Indians appear every day to be more simple
and harmless to those who land for the purpose of making investigations.
In short, although they come every day to visit us, it would nevertheless
be imprudent to risk the loss of our men and our provisions, which might
very easily happen, if an Indian were only, with a lighted coal, to set
fire to the huts, for they ramble about both night and day; for this
reason, we keep sentinels constantly on the watch while the dwellings are
exposed and undefended.
_He has done well._
Further, as we have remarked that the greatest part of those who have
gone out to make discoveries, have fallen sick on their return, and that
some have even been obliged to abandon the undertaking in the middle of
their journey, and return, it was equally to be feared that the same
would occur to those who were at the time enjoying good health, if
they were also to go. There were two evils to fear:—one, the chance of
falling ill in undertaking the same work, in a place where there were no
houses nor any kind of protection, and of being exposed to the attacks
of the cacique called Caonabo, who, by all accounts, is a badly-disposed
man, and extremely daring; who, if he were to find us in a dispirited
condition and sick, might venture upon what he would not dare to do if
we were well. The other evil consisted in the difficulty of carrying the
gold; for, either we should have to carry it in small quantities, and go
and return every day, and thus daily expose ourselves to the chance of
sickness; or we should have to send it under the escort of a party of
our people, and equally run the risk of losing them.
_He has done well._
These are the reasons, you will tell their Highnesses, why the departure
of the expedition has not been delayed, and why only a sample of the
gold is sent to them; but I trust in the mercy of God, who in all
things and in every place has guided us hitherto, that all our men will
be soon restored to health, as, indeed, they are already beginning to
be; for they have but to try this country for a little time and they
speedily recover their health. One thing is certain, that if they could
have fresh meat, they would very quickly, by the help of God, be up and
doing; and those who are most sickly, would speedily recover. I hope
that they may be restored. The small number of those who continue well,
are employed every day in barricading our dwelling, so as to put it in
a state of defence, and in taking necessary measures for the safety
of our ammunition; which will be finished now in a few days, for all
our fortifications will consist simply of stone walls.[152] These
precautions will be sufficient, as the Indians are not a people to be
much afraid of; and, unless they should find us asleep, they would not
dare to undertake any hostile movement against us, even if they should
entertain the idea of so doing. The misfortune which happened to those
who remained here, must be attributed to their want of vigilance; for
however few they were in number, and however favourable the opportunities
that the Indians may have had for doing what they did, they would never
have ventured to do them any injury, if they had only seen that they took
proper precautions against an attack. As soon as this object is gained, I
will undertake to go in search of these rivers; either proceeding hence
by land, and looking out for the best expedients that may offer, or else
by sea, rounding the island until we come to the place which is described
as being only six or seven leagues from where these rivers that I speak
of are situated; so that we may collect the gold in safety, and put it
in security against all attacks in some stronghold or tower, which may
be quickly built for that purpose: and thus, when the two caravels shall
return thither, the gold may be taken away and finally sent home in
safety at the first favourable season for making the voyage.
_This is well and exactly as he should do._
Item. You will inform their Highnesses (as indeed has been already
said), that the cause of the sickness so general among us, is the change
of air and water, for we find that all of us are affected, though few
dangerously; consequently, the preservation of the health of the people
will depend, under God, on their being provided with the same food
that they are accustomed to in Spain: neither those who are here now,
nor those that shall come, will be in a position to be of service to
their Highnesses, unless they enjoy good health. We ought to have fresh
supplies of provisions until the time that we may be able to gather a
sufficient crop from what we shall have sown or planted here: I speak
of wheat, barley, and grapes, towards the cultivation of which not
much has been done this year, from our being unable earlier to choose
a convenient settlement. When we had chosen it, the small number of
labourers that were with us fell sick; and, even when they recovered,
we had so few cattle, and those so lean and weak, that the utmost they
could do was very little; however, they have sown a few plots of ground,
for the sake of trying the soil, which seems excellent, in the hope of
thereby obtaining some relief in our necessities. We are very confident,
from what we can see, that wheat and grapes will grow very well in
this country. We must, however, wait for the fruit; and if it grows as
quickly and well as the corn, in proportion to the number of vines that
have been planted, we shall certainly not stand in need of Andalusia and
Sicily here. There are also sugar-canes, of which the small quantity
that we have planted has taken root. The beauty of the country in these
islands,—the mountains, the valleys, the streams, the fields watered by
broad rivers,—is such that there is no country on which the sun sheds his
beams that can present a more charming appearance.
_Since the land is so fertile, it is desirable to sow of all kinds as
much as possible; and Don Juan de Fonseca is instructed to send over
immediately everything requisite for that purpose._