Hispaniola and the adjacent islands were "Antillae insulae," meaning that
they were identical with the group surrounding the fabled Antillia
(Winsor's "Narrative and Critical History," I. p. 49); and Schöner, in the
dedicatory letter of his globe of 1523, says that the king of Castile,
through Columbus, has discovered _Antiglias Hispaniam Cubam quoque_.
It was thus that the name Antilles came to be applied to the islands
discovered by Columbus; just as the name Brazil was transferred from an
imaginary island to the new continent, and the name Seven Cities was
applied to the pueblos of New Mexico by those who discovered them. (See J.
H. Simpson, "Coronado's March in Search of the Seven Cities of Cibola,"
Smithsonian Institution, 1869, pp. 209-340.)
The sailor who re-discovered them said that the chief desire of the
people was to know whether the Moors still held Spain (Gaffarel, "Iles
Fantastiques," p. 3). In a copy of "Ptolemy" addressed to Pope Urban VI.
about 1380, before the alleged visit of the Portuguese, it was stated of
the people at Antillia that they lived in a Christian manner, and were
most prosperous, "Hie populus christianissime vivit, omnibus divitiis
seculi hujus plenus" (D'Avezac, "Nouvelles Annales des voyages," 1845, II.
p. 55).
It was afterwards held by some that the island of Antillia was identical
with St. Michael in the Azores, where a certain cluster of stone huts
still bears the name of Seven Cities, and the same name is associated with
a small lake by which they stand. (Humboldt's "Examen Critique," Paris,
1837, II. p. 203; Gaffarel, "Iles Fantastiques," p. 3.)
XVI. HARALD THE VIKING
The tales of the Norse explorations of America are now accessible in many
forms, the most convenient of these being in the edition of E. L. Slafter,
published by the Prince Society. As to the habits of the Vikings, the most
accessible authorities are "The Age of the Vikings," by Du Chaillu, and
"The Sea Kings of Norway," by Laing. The writings of the late Professor E.
N. Horsford are well known, but his opinions are not yet generally
accepted by students. His last work, "Leif's House in Vineland," with his
daughter's supplementary essay on "Graves of the Northmen," is probably
the most interesting of the series (Boston, 1893). In Longfellow's "Saga
of King Olaf" (II.), included in "Tales of a Wayside Inn," there is a
description of the athletic sports practised by the Vikings, which are
moreover described with the greatest minuteness by Du Chaillu.
XVII. NORUMBEGA
The narrative of Champlain's effort to find Norumbega in 1632 may be
found in Otis's "Voyages of Champlain" (II. p. 38), and there is another
version in the _Magazine of American History_ (I. p. 321). The whole
legend of the city is well analyzed in the same magazine (I. p. 14) by Dr.
De Costa under the title "The Lost City of New England." In another volume
he recurs to the subject (IX. p. 168), and gives (IX. p. 200) a printed
copy of David Ingram's narrative, from the original in the Bodleian
Library. He also discusses the subject in Winsor's "Narrative and Critical
History" (IV. p. 77, etc.), where he points out that "the insular
character of the Norumbega region is not purely imaginary, but is based on
the fact that the Penobscot region affords a continued watercourse to the
St. Lawrence, which was travelled by the Maine Indians." Ramusio's map of
1559 represents "Nurumbega" as a large island, well defined (Winsor, IV.
p. 91); and so does that of Ruscelli (Winsor, IV. p. 92), the latter
spelling it "Nurumberg." Some geographers supposed it to extend as far as
Florida. The name was also given to a river (probably the Penobscot) and
to a cape. The following is Longfellow's poem on the voyage of Sir
Humphrey Gilbert:--
SIR HUMPHREY GILBERT
Southward with fleet of ice
Sailed the corsair Death;
Wild and fast blew the blast,
And the east-wind was his breath.
His lordly ships of ice
Glisten in the sun;
On each side, like pennons wide,
Flashing crystal streamlets run.
His sails of white sea-mist
Dripped with silver rain;
But where he passed there were cast
Leaden shadows o'er the main.
Eastward from Campobello
Sir Humphrey Gilbert sailed;
Three days or more seaward he bore,
Then, alas! the land-wind failed.
Alas! the land-wind failed,
And ice-cold grew the night;
And nevermore, on sea or shore,
Should Sir Humphrey see the light.
He sat upon the deck,
The Book was in his hand;
"Do not fear! Heaven is as near,"
He said, "by water as by land!"
In the first watch of the night,
Without a signal's sound,
Out of the sea, mysteriously,
The fleet of Death rose all around.
The moon and the evening star
Were hanging in the shrouds;
Every mast, as it passed,
Seemed to rake the passing clouds.
They grappled with their prize,
At midnight black and cold!
As of a rock was the shock;
Heavily the ground-swell rolled.
Southward through day and dark,
They drift in close embrace,
With mist and rain, o'er the open main;
Yet there seems no change of place.
Southward, forever southward,
They drift through dark and day;
And like a dream, in the Gulf-Stream
Sinking, vanish all away.
XVIII. GUARDIANS OF THE ST. LAWRENCE
For authorities for this tale see "Voyages of Samuel de Champlain,"
translated by Charles Pomeroy Otis, Ph.D., with memoir by the Rev. E. F.
Slafter, A.M., Boston, 1880 (I. pp. 116, 289, II. p. 52). The incident of
the disguised Indians occurred, however, to the earlier explorer, Jacques
Cartier. (See my "Larger History of the United States," p. 112.)
XIX. ISLAND OF DEMONS
The tale of the Isle of Demons is founded on a story told first by
Marguerite of Navarre in her "Heptameron" (LXVII. Nouvelle), and then
with much variation and amplification by the very untrustworthy traveller
Thevet in his "Cosmographie" (1571), Livre XXIII. c. vi. The only copy of
the latter work known to me is in the Carter-Brown Library at Providence,
R.I., and the passage has been transcribed for me through the kindness of
A. E. Winship, Esq., librarian, who has also sent me a photograph of a
woodcut representing the lonely woman shooting at a bear. A briefer
abstract of the story is in Winsor's "Narrative and Critical History" (IV.
p. 66, note), but it states, perhaps erroneously, that Thevet knew
Marguerite only through the Princess of Navarre, whereas that author
claims--though his claim is never worth much--that he had the story from
the poor woman herself, "_La pauvre femme estant arriuvee en France ...
et venue en la ville de Nautron, pays de Perigort lors que i'y estois, me
feit le discours de toutes ses fortunes passées_."
The Island of Demons appears on many old maps which may be found engraved
in Winsor, IV. pp. 91, 92, 93, 100, 373, etc.; also as "Isla de demonios"
in Sebastian Cabot's map (1544) reprinted in Dr. S. E. Dawson's valuable
"Voyages of the Cabots," in the Transactions of the Royal Society of
Canada for 1897. He also gives Ruysch's map (1508), in which a cluster of
islands appears in the same place, marked "Insulae daemonum." Harrisse,
in his "Notes sur la Nouvelle France" (p. 278), describes the three
sufferers as having been abandoned by Roberval _à trente six lieues des
côtes de Canada, dans une isle deserte qui fut depuis désignée sous le nom
de l'Isle de la Demoiselle, pres de l'embouchure de la Rivière St. Paul ou
des Saumons_. I have not, however, been able to identify this island.
Parkman also says ("Pioneers of France," p. 205) that Roberval's pilot, in
his _routier_, or logbook, speaks often of "Les Isles de la
Demoiselle," evidently referring to Marguerite. The brief account by the
Princess of Navarre follows:--
LXVII NOUVELLE
Une pauvre femme, pour sauver la vie de son mary, hasarda la sienne, et
ne l'abandonna jusqu'à la mort.
C'est que faisant le diet Robertval un voiage sur la mer, duquel il
estoit chef par le commandement du Roy son maistre, en l'isle de Canadas;
auquel lieu avoit délibéré, si l'air du païs euste esté commode, de
demourer et faire villes et chasteaulx; en quoy il fit tel commencement,
que chacun peut sçavoir. Et, pour habituer le pays de Chrestiens, mena
avecq luy de toutes sortes d'artisans, entre lesquelz y avoit un homme,
qui fut si malheureux, qu'il trahit son maistre et le mist en dangier
d'estre prins des gens du pays. Mais Dieu voulut que son entreprinse fut
si tost congneue, qu'elle ne peut nuyre au cappitaine Robertval, lequel
feit prendre ce meschant traistre, le voulant pugnir comme il l'avoit
mérité; ce qui eust esté faict, sans sa femme qui avoit suivy son mary par
les périlz de la mer; et ne le voulut abandonner à la mort, mais avecq
force larmes feit tant, avecq le cappitaine et toute la compaignye, que,
tant pour la pitié d'icelle que pour le service qu'elle leur avoit faict,
luy accorda sa requeste qui fut telle, que le mary et la femme furent
laissez en une petite isle, sur la mer, où il n'habitoit que bestes
saulvaiges; et leur fut permis de porter avecq eulx ce dont ilz avoient
nécessité. Les pauvres gens, se trouvans tous seulz en la compaignye des
bestes saulvaiges et cruelles, n'eurent recours que à Dieu seul, qui avoit
esté toujours le ferme espoir de ceste pauvre femme. Et, comme celle qui
avoit toute consolation en Dieu, porta pour sa saulve garde, nourriture et
consolation le Nouveau Testament, lequel elle lisoit incessamment. Et, au
demourant, avecq son mary, mettoit peine d'accoustrer un petit logis le
mieulx qui'l leur estoit possible; et, quand les lyons et aultres bestes
en aprochoient pour les dévorer, le mary avecq sa harquebuze, et elle,
avecq les pierres, se défendoient si bien, que, non suellement les bestes
ne les osoient approcher, mais bien souvent en tuèrent de très-bonnes à
manger; ainsy, avecq telles chairs et les herbes du païs, vesquirent
quelque temps, quand le pain leur fut failly. A la longue, le mary ne peut
porter telle nourriture; et, à cause des eaues qu'ilz buvoient, devint si
enflé, que en peu de temps il mourut, n'aiant service ne consolation que
sa femme, laquelle le servoit de médecin et de confesseur; en sorte qu'il
passa joieusement de ce désert en la céleste patrie. Et la pauvre femme,
demourée seulle, l'enterra le plus profond en terre qu'il fut possible; si
est-ce que les bestes en eurent incontinent le sentyment, qui vindrent
pour manger la charogne. Mais la pauvre femme, en sa petite
maisonnette, de coups de harquebuze défendoit que la chair de son mary
n'eust tel sépulchre. Ainsy vivant, quant au corps, de vie bestiale, et
quant à l'esperit, de vie angélicque, passoit son temps en lectures,
contemplations, prières et oraisons ayant un esperit joieux et content,
dedans un corps emmaigry et demy mort. Mais Celluy qui n'abandonne jamais
les siens, et qui, au désespoir des autres, monstre sa puissance, ne
permist que la vertu qu'il avoit myse en ceste femme fust ignorée des
hommes, mais voulut qu'elle fust congneue à sa gloire; et fiet que, au
bout de quelque temps, un des navires de ceste armée passant devant ceste
isle, les gens qui estoient dedans advisèrent, quelque fumée qui leur feit
souvenir de ceulx qui y avoient esté laissez, et délibérèrent d'aller
veoir ce que Dieu en avoit faict. La pauvre femme, voiant approcher el
navire, se tira au bort de la mer, auquel lieu la trouvèrent à leur
arrivée. Et, après en avoir rendu louange à Dieu, les mena en sa pauvre
maisonnette, et leur monstra de quoy elle vivoit durant sa demeure; ce que
leur eust esté incroiable, sans la congnoissance qu'ilz avoient que Dieu
est puissant de nourrir en un désert ses serviteurs, comme au plus grandz
festins du monde. Et, ne pouvant demeurer en tel lieu, emmenèrent la
pauvre femme avecq eulx droict à la Rochelle, où, après un navigage, ilz
arrivèrent. Et quand ilz eurent faict entendre aux habitans la fidélité et
persévérance de ceste femme, elle fut receue à grand honneur de toutes les
Dames, qui voluntiers luy baillèrent leurs filles pour aprendre à lire et
à escripre. Et, à cest honneste mestier-là, gaigna le surplus de sa vie,
n'aiant autre désîr que d'exhorter un chaucun à l'amour et confiance de
Nostre Seigneur, se proposant pour exemple la grande miséricorde dont il
avoit usé envers elle.
XX. BIMINI
Parkman says expressly that "Ponce de Léon found the Island of Bimini,"
but it is generally mentioned as having been imaginary, and is not clearly
identified among the three thousand islands and rocks of the Bahamas.
Peter Martyr placed the Fountain of Youth in Florida, which he may have
easily supposed to be an island. Some of the features of my description
are taken from the strange voyage of Cabeza da Vaca, which may be read in
Buckingham Smith's translation of his narrative (Washington, D.C., 1851),
or in a more condensed form in Henry Kingsley's "Tales of Old Travel," or
in my own "Book of American Explorers" (N.Y., Longmans, 1894).