_A letter addressed to the Town Council of Seville by Dr. Chanca, a
native of that city, and physician to the fleet of Columbus, on his
second voyage to the Indies, describing the principal events which
occurred during that voyage_
_Most noble Lord_:--
Since the occurrences which I relate in private letters to other persons
are not of such general interest as those which are contained in this
epistle, I have resolved to give you a distinct narrative of the events
of our voyage, as well as to treat of the other matters which form the
subject of my petition to your Lordship. The news I have to communicate
are as follows: The expedition which their Catholic Majesties sent, by
Divine permission, from Spain to the Indies, under the command of
Christopher Columbus, Admiral of the Ocean, left Cadiz on the
twenty-fifth of September, of the year [1493, with seventeen ships well
equipped and with 1200 fighting men or a little less,][283-1] with wind
and weather favorable for the voyage. This weather lasted two days,
during which time we managed to make nearly fifty leagues; the weather
then changing, we made little or no progress for the next two days; it
pleased God, however, after this, to restore us fine weather, so that in
two days more we reached the Great Canary. Here we put into harbor, which
we were obliged to do, to repair one of the ships which made a great deal
of water; we remained all that day, and on the following set sail again,
but were several times becalmed, so that we were four or five days
before we reached Gomera. We had to remain at Gomera some days[284-1] to
lay in our stores of meat, wood, and as much water as we could stow,
preparatory to the long voyage which we expected to make without seeing
land: thus through the delay at these two ports, and being calmed one day
after leaving Gomera, we were nineteen or twenty days before we arrived
at the island of Ferro. After this we had, by the goodness of God, a
return of fine weather, more continuous than any fleet ever enjoyed
during so long a voyage, so that leaving Ferro on the thirteenth of
October, within twenty days we came in sight of land; and we should have
seen it in fourteen or fifteen days, if the ship _Capitana_[284-2] had
been as good a sailer as the other vessels; for many times the others had
to shorten sail, because they were leaving us much behind. During all
this time we had great good fortune, for throughout the voyage we
encountered no storm, with the exception of one on St. Simon's
eve,[284-3] which for four hours put us in considerable jeopardy.
On the first Sunday after All Saints, namely the third of November, about
dawn, a pilot of the flagship cried out, "The reward, I see the land!"
The joy of the people was so great, that it was wonderful to hear their
cries and exclamations of pleasure; and they had good reason to be
delighted; for they had become so wearied of bad living, and of working
the water out of the ships, that all sighed most anxiously for land. The
pilots of the fleet reckoned on that day, that between leaving Ferro and
first reaching land, we had made eight hundred leagues; others said seven
hundred and eighty (so that the difference was not great), and three
hundred more between Ferro and Cadiz, making in all eleven hundred
leagues; I do not therefore feel as one who had not seen enough of the
water. On the morning of the aforesaid Sunday, we saw lying before us an
island, and soon on the right hand another appeared: the first[285-1] was
high and mountainous, on the side nearest to us; the other[285-2] flat,
and very thickly wooded. As soon as it became lighter, other islands
began to appear on both sides; so that on that day, there were six
islands to be seen lying in different directions, and most of them of
considerable size. We directed our course towards that which we had first
seen, and reaching the coast, we proceeded more than a league in search
of a port where we might anchor, but without finding one; all that part
of the island which met our view, appeared mountainous, very beautiful,
and green even up to the water, which was delightful to see, for at that
season, there is scarcely any thing green in our own country. When we
found that there was no harbor there, the Admiral decided that we should
go to the other island, which appeared on the right, and which was at
four or five leagues distance; one vessel however still remained on the
first island all that day seeking for a harbor, in case it should be
necessary to return thither. At length, having found a good one, where
they saw both people and dwellings, they returned that night to the
fleet, which had put into harbor at the other island,[285-3] and there
the Admiral, accompanied by a great number of men, landed with the royal
banner in his hands, and took formal possession on behalf of their
Majesties. This island was filled with an astonishingly thick growth of
wood; the variety of unknown trees, some bearing fruit and some flowers,
was surprising, and indeed every spot was covered with verdure. We found
there a tree whose leaf had the finest smell of cloves that I have ever
met with; it was like a laurel leaf, but not so large: but I think it was
a species of laurel. There were wild fruits of various kinds, some of
which our men, not very prudently, tasted; and upon only touching them
with their tongues, their countenances became inflamed[286-1] and such
great heat and pain followed, that they seemed to be mad, and were
obliged to resort to refrigerants to cure themselves. We found no signs
of any people in this island, and concluded it was uninhabited; we
remained only two hours, for it was very late when we landed, and on the
following morning we left for another very large island,[286-2] situated
below this at the distance of seven or eight leagues. We approached it
under the side of a great mountain, that seemed almost to reach the
skies, in the middle of which rose a peak, higher than all the rest of
the mountain, whence many streams diverged into different channels,
especially towards the part at which we arrived. At three leagues
distance, we could see a fall of water as broad as an ox, which
discharged itself from such a height that it appeared to fall from the
sky; it was seen from so great a distance that it occasioned many wagers
to be laid on board the ships, some maintaining that it was but a series
of white rocks, and others that it was water. When we came nearer to it,
it showed itself distinctly, and it was the most beautiful thing in the
world to see from how great a height and from what a small space so large
a fall of water was discharged. As soon as we neared the island the
Admiral ordered a light caravel to run along the coast to search for a
harbor; the captain put into land in a boat, and seeing some houses,
leapt on shore and went up to them, the inhabitants fleeing at sight of
our men; he then went into the houses and there found various household
articles that had been left unremoved, from which he took two parrots,
very large and quite different from any we had before seen; he found a
great quantity of cotton, both spun and prepared for spinning, and
articles of food, of all of which he brought away a portion; besides
these, he also brought away four or five bones of human arms and legs. On
seeing these we suspected that we were amongst the Caribbee islands,
whose inhabitants eat human flesh; for the Admiral, guided by the
information respecting their situation which he had received from the
Indians of the islands discovered in his former voyage, had directed his
course with a view to their discovery, both because they were the nearest
to Spain, and because this was the direct track for the island of
Espanola, where he had left some of his people. Thither, by the goodness
of God and the wise management of the Admiral, we came in as straight a
track as if we had sailed by a well known and frequented route. This
island is very large, and on the side where we arrived it seemed to us to
be twenty-five leagues in length. We sailed more than two leagues along
the shore in search of a harbor; on the part towards which we moved
appeared very high mountains, and on that which we left extensive plains;
on the sea-coast there were a few small villages, whose inhabitants fled
as soon as they saw the sails: at length after proceeding two leagues we
found a port late in the evening. That night the Admiral resolved that
some of the men should land at break of day in order to confer with the
natives, and learn what sort of people they were; although it was
suspected, from the appearance of those who had fled at our approach,
that they were naked, like those whom the Admiral had seen in his former
voyage. That morning certain captains started out; one of them arrived at
the dinner hour, and brought away a boy of about fourteen years of age,
as it afterwards appeared, who said that he was one of the prisoners
taken by these people. The others divided themselves, and one party took
a little boy whom a man was leading by the hand, but who left him and
fled; this boy they sent on board immediately with some of our men;
others remained, and took certain women, natives of the island, together
with other women from among the captives who came of their own accord.
One captain of this last company, not knowing that any intelligence of
the people had been obtained, advanced farther into the island and lost
himself, with the six men who accompanied him: they could not find their
way back until after four days, when they lighted upon the sea-shore,
and following the line of coast returned to the fleet.[288-1] We had
already looked upon them as killed and eaten by the people that are
called Caribbees; for we could not account for their long absence in any
other way, since they had among them some pilots who by their knowledge
of the stars could navigate either to or from Spain, so that we imagined
that they could not lose themselves in so small a space. On this first
day of our landing several men and women came on the beach up to the
water's edge, and gazed at the ships in astonishment at so novel a sight;
and when a boat pushed on shore in order to speak with them, they cried
out, "tayno, tayno,"[288-2] which is as much as to say, "good, good," and
waited for the landing of the sailors, standing by the boat in such a
manner that they might escape when they pleased. The result was, that
none of the men could be persuaded to join us, and only two were taken by
force, who were secured and led away. More than twenty women of the
captives were taken with their own consent, and other women, natives of
the island, were surprised and carried off; several of the boys, who were
captives, came to us fleeing from the natives of the island who had taken
them prisoners. We remained eight days in this port in consequence of the
loss of the aforesaid captain, and went many times on shore, passing
amongst the dwellings and villages which were on the coast; we found a
vast number of human bones and skulls hung up about the houses, like
vessels intended for holding various things.[289-1] There were very few
men to be seen here, and the women informed us that this was in
consequence of ten canoes having gone to make an attack upon other
islands. These islanders appeared to us to be more civilized than those
that we had hitherto seen; for although all the Indians have houses of
straw, yet the houses of these people are constructed in a much superior
fashion, are better stocked with provisions, and exhibit more evidences
of industry, both on the part of the men and the women. They had a
considerable quantity of cotton, both spun and prepared for spinning, and
many cotton sheets, so well woven as to be no way inferior to those of
our country. We inquired of the women, who were prisoners in the island,
what people these islanders were; they replied that they were Caribbees.
As soon as they learned that we abhorred such people,[289-2] on account
of their evil practice of eating human flesh, they were much delighted;
and, after that, if they brought forward any woman or man of the
Caribbees, they informed us (but secretly) that they were such, still
evincing by their dread of their conquerors, that they belonged to a
vanquished nation, though they knew them all to be in our power.
We were enabled to distinguish which of the women were Caribbees, and
which were not, by the Caribbees wearing on each leg two bands of woven
cotton, the one fastened round the knee, and the other round the ankle;
by this means they make the calves of their legs large, and the
above-mentioned parts very small, which I imagine that they regard as a
mark of elegance: by this peculiarity we distinguished them.[289-3] The
habits of these Caribbees are brutal. There are three islands: this is
called Turuqueira; the other, which was the first that we saw, is called
Ceyre; the third is called Ayay:[290-1] all these are alike as if they
were of one race, who do no injury to each other; but each and all of
them wage war against the other neighboring islands, and for the purpose
of attacking them, make voyages of a hundred and fifty leagues at sea,
with their numerous canoes, which are a small kind of craft with one
mast. Their arms are arrows, in the place of iron weapons and as they
have no iron, some of them point their arrows with tortoise-shell, and
others make their arrow-heads of fish spines, which are naturally barbed
like coarse saws: these prove dangerous weapons to a naked people like
the Indians, and may cause death or severe injury, but to men of our
nation, are not very formidable. In their attacks upon the neighboring
islands, these people capture as many of the women as they can,
especially those who are young and beautiful, and keep them for servants
and to have as concubines; and so great a number do they carry off, that
in fifty houses no men were to be seen; and out of the number of the
captives, more than twenty were young girls. These women also say that
the Caribbees use them with such cruelty as would scarcely be believed;
and that they eat the children which they bear to them, and only bring up
those which they have by their native wives. Such of their male enemies
as they can take alive, they bring to their houses to slaughter them, and
those who are killed they devour at once. They say that man's flesh is so
good, that there is nothing like it in the world; and this is pretty
evident, for of the bones which we found in their houses, they had gnawed
everything that could be gnawed, so that nothing remained of them, but
what from its great hardness, could not be eaten: in one of the houses we
found the neck of a man, cooking in a pot. When they take any boys
prisoners, they cut off their member and make use of them as servants
until they grow up to manhood, and then when they wish to make a feast
they kill and eat them; for they say that the flesh of boys and women is
not good to eat. Three of these boys came fleeing to us thus mutilated.
At the end of four days arrived the captain who had lost himself with his
companions, of whose return we had by this time given up all hope; for
other parties had been twice sent out to seek him, one of which came back
on the same day that he rejoined us, without having gained any
information respecting the wanderers; we rejoiced at their arrival,
regarding it as a new accession to our numbers. The captain and the men
who accompanied him brought back some women and boys, ten in number.
Neither this party, nor those who went out to seek them, had seen any of
the men of the island, which must have arisen either from their having
fled, or possibly from there being but very few men in that locality;
for, as the women informed us, ten canoes had gone away to make an attack
upon the neighboring islands. The wanderers had returned from the
mountains in such an emaciated condition, that it was distressing to see
them; when we asked them how it was that they lost themselves, they said
that the trees were so thick and close that they could not see the sky;
some of them who were mariners had climbed the trees to get a sight of
the stars, but could never see them, and if they had not found their way
to the sea-coast, it would have been impossible to have returned to the
fleet. We left this island eight days after our arrival.[291-1] The next
day at noon we saw another island, not very large,[291-2] at about twelve
leagues distance from the one we were leaving; the greater part of the
first day of our departure we were kept close in to the coast of this
island by a calm, but as the Indian women whom we brought with us said
that it was not inhabited, but had been dispeopled by the Caribbees, we
made no stay in it. On that evening we saw another island;[291-3] and in
the night finding there were some sandbanks near, we dropped anchor, not
venturing to proceed until the morning. On the morrow another island
appeared, of considerable size, but we touched at none of these because
we were anxious to convey consolation to our people who had been left in
Espanola; but it did not please God to grant us our desire, as will
hereafter appear. Another day at the dinner hour we arrived at an island
which seemed to be worth the finding, for judging by the extent of
cultivation in it, it appeared very populous. We went thither and put
into harbor, when the Admiral immediately sent on shore a well manned
barge to hold speech with the Indians, in order to ascertain what race
they were, and also because we considered it necessary to gain some
information respecting our course; although it afterwards plainly
appeared that the Admiral, who had never made that passage before, had
taken a very correct route. But as matters of doubt should always be
brought to as great a certainty as possible by inquiry, he wished that
communication should be held with the natives at once, and some of the
men who went in the barge leapt on shore and went up to a village, whence
the inhabitants had already withdrawn and hidden themselves. They took in
this island five or six women and some boys, most of whom were captives,
like those in the other island; we learned from the women whom we had
brought with us, that the natives of this place also were Caribbees. As
this barge was about to return to the ships with the capture which they
had made, a canoe came along the coast containing four men, two women,
and a boy; and when they saw the fleet they were so stupefied with
amazement, that for a good hour they remained motionless at the distance
of nearly two cannon shots from the ships. In this position they were
seen by those who were in the barge and also by all the fleet. Meanwhile
those in the barge moved towards the canoe, but so close in shore, that
the Indians, in their perplexity and astonishment as to what all this
could mean, never saw them, until they were so near that escape was
impossible; for our men pressed on them so rapidly that they could not
get away, although they made considerable effort to do so.
When the Caribbees saw that all attempt at flight was useless, they most
courageously took to their bows, both women and men; I say most
courageously, because they were only four men and two women, and our
people were twenty-five in number. Two of our men were wounded by the
Indians, one with two arrow-shots in his breast, and another with one in
his side, and if it had not happened that they carried shields and wooden
bucklers, and that they soon got near them with the barge and upset their
canoe, most of them would have been killed with their arrows. After their
canoe was upset, they remained in the water swimming and occasionally
wading (for there were shallows in that part), still using their bows as
much as they could, so that our men had enough to do to take them; and
after all there was one of them whom they were unable to secure till he
had received a mortal wound with a lance, and whom thus wounded they took
to the ships. The difference between these Caribbees and the other
Indians, with respect to dress, consists in their wearing their hair very
long, while the latter have it clipt and paint their heads with crosses
and a hundred thousand different devices, each according to his fancy;
which they do with sharpened reeds. All of them, both the Caribbees and
the others, are beardless, so that it is a rare thing to find a man with
a beard: the Caribbees whom we took had their eyes and eyebrows stained,
which I imagine they do from ostentation and to give them a more
frightful appearance. One of these captives said, that in an island
belonging to them called Cayre[293-1] (which is the first we saw, though
we did not go to it), there is a great quantity of gold; and that if we
were to take them nails and tools with which to make their canoes, we
might bring away as much gold as we liked. On the same day we left that
island, having been there no more than six or seven hours; and steering
for another point of land[293-2] which appeared to lie in our intended
course, we reached it by night. On the morning of the following day we
coasted along it, and found it to be a large extent of country, but not
continuous for it was divided into more than forty islets.[294-1] The
land was very high and most of it barren, an appearance which we have
never observed in any of the islands visited by us before or since: the
surface of the ground seemed to suggest the probability of its containing
metals. None of us went on shore here, but a small latteen caravel went
up to one of the islets and found in it some fishermen's huts; the Indian
women whom we brought with us said they were not inhabited. We proceeded
along the coast the greater part of that day, and on the evening of the
next we discovered another island called Burenquen,[294-2] which we
judged to be thirty leagues in length, for we were coasting along it the
whole of one day. This island is very beautiful and apparently fertile;
hither the Caribbees come with the view of subduing the inhabitants, and
often carry away many of the people. These islanders have no boats nor
any knowledge of navigation; but, as our captives inform us, they use
bows as well as the Caribbees, and if by chance when they are attacked
they succeed in taking any of their invaders, they will eat them in like
manner as the Caribbees themselves in the contrary event would devour
them. We remained two days in this island, and a great number of our men
went on shore, but could never get speech of the natives, who had all
fled, from fear of the Caribbees. All the above-mentioned islands were
discovered in this voyage, the Admiral having seen nothing of them in his
former voyage; they are all very beautiful and possess a most luxuriant
soil, but this last island appeared to exceed all the others in beauty.
Here terminated the islands, which on the side towards Spain had not been
seen before by the Admiral, although we regard it as a matter of
certainty that there is land more than forty leagues beyond the foremost
of these newly discovered islands, on the side nearest to Spain. We
believe this to be the case, because two days before we saw land we
observed some birds called rabihorcados,[295-1] marine birds of prey
which do not sit or sleep upon the water, making circumvolutions in the
air at the close of evening previous to taking their flight towards land
for the night. These birds could not be going to settle at more than
twelve or fifteen leagues distance, because it was late in the evening,
and this was on our right hand on the side towards Spain; from which we
all judged that there was land there still undiscovered; but we did not
go in search of it, because it would have taken us round out of our
intended route. I hope that in a few voyages it will be discovered. It
was at dawn that we left the before-mentioned island of Burenquen,[295-2]
and on that day before nightfall we caught sight of land, which though
not recognized by any of those who had come hither in the former voyage,
we believed to be Espanola, from the information given us by the Indian
women whom we had with us; and in this island we remain at
present.[295-3] Between this island and Burenquen another island appeared
at a distance, but of no great size. When we reached Espanola the land,
at the part where we approached it, was low and very flat,[295-4] on
seeing which, a general doubt arose as to its identity; for neither the
Admiral nor his companions, on the previous voyage, had seen it on this
side.
The island being large, is divided into provinces; the part which we
first touched at, is called Hayti; another province adjoining it, they
call Xamana;[295-5] and the next province is named Bohio,[295-6] where we
now are. These provinces are again subdivided, for they are of great
extent. Those who have seen the length of its coast, state that it is two
hundred leagues long, and I myself should judge it not to be less than a
hundred and fifty leagues: as to its breadth, nothing is hitherto known;
it is now forty days since a caravel left us with the view of
circumnavigating it,[296-1] and is not yet returned. The country is very
remarkable, and contains a vast number of large rivers, and extensive
chains of mountains, with broad open valleys, and the mountains are very
high; it does not appear that the grass is ever cut throughout the year.
I do not think they have any winter in this part, for at Christmas were
found many birds-nests, some containing the young birds, and others
containing eggs. No four-footed animal has ever been seen in this or any
of the other islands, except some dogs of various colors, as in our own
country, but in shape like large house-dogs;[296-2] and also some little
animals, in color and fur like a rabbit, and the size of a young rabbit,
with long tails, and feet like those of a rat; these animals climb up the
trees, and many who have tasted them, say they are very good to
eat:[296-3] there are not any wild beasts.
There are great numbers of small snakes, and some lizards, but not many;
for the Indians consider them as great a luxury as we do pheasants; they
are of the same size as ours, but different in shape. In a small adjacent
island[296-4] (close by a harbor called Monte Cristo, where we stayed
several days), our men saw an enormous kind of lizard, which they said
was as large round as a calf, with a tail as long as a lance, which they
often went out to kill: but bulky as it was, it got into the sea, so that
they could not catch it.[297-1] There are, both in this and the other
islands, an infinite number of birds like those in our own country, and
many others such as we had never seen. No kind of domestic fowl has been
seen here, with the exception of some ducks in the houses in Zuruquia;
these ducks were larger than those of Spain, though smaller than
geese,--very pretty, with flat crests on their heads, most of them as
white as snow, but some black.
We ran along the coast of this island nearly a hundred leagues,
concluding, that within this range we should find the spot where the
Admiral had left some of his men, and which we supposed to be about the
middle of the coast. As we passed by the province called Xamana, we sent
on shore one of the Indians, who had been taken in the previous voyage,
clothed, and carrying some trifles, which the Admiral had ordered to be
given him. On that day died one of our sailors, a Biscayan, who had been
wounded in the affray with the Caribbees, when they were captured, as I
have already described, through their want of caution. As we were
proceeding along the coast, an opportunity was afforded for a boat to go
on shore to bury him, the boat being accompanied by two caravels to
protect it. When they reached the shore, a great number of Indians came
out to the boat, some of them wearing necklaces and ear-rings of gold,
and expressed a wish to accompany the Spaniards to the ships; but our men
refused to take them, because they had not received permission from the
Admiral. When the Indians found that they would not take them, two of
them got into a small canoe, and went up to one of the caravels that had
put in to shore; they were received on board with great kindness, and
taken to the Admiral's ship, where, through the medium of an interpreter,
they related that a certain king had sent them to ascertain who we were,
and to invite us to land, adding that they had plenty of gold, and also
of provisions, to which we should be welcome. The Admiral desired that
shirts, and caps, and other trifles, should be given to each of them, and
said that as he was going to the place where Guacamari dwelt, he would
not stop then, but that another time there would be an opportunity of
seeing him, and with that they departed. We continued our route till we
came to an harbor called Monte Cristi, where we remained two days, in
order to observe the character of the land; for the Admiral had an
objection to the spot where his men had been left with the view of making
a settlement. We went on shore therefore to see the character of the
land: there was a large river of excellent water close by;[298-1] but the
ground was inundated, and very ill-calculated for habitation. As we went
on making our observations on the river and the land, some of our men
found two dead bodies by the river's side, one with a rope round his
neck, and the other with one round his foot; this was on the first day of
our landing. On the following day they found two other corpses farther
on, and one of these was observed to have a great quantity of beard; this
was regarded as a very suspicious circumstance by many of our people,
because, as I have already said, all the Indians are beardless. This
harbor is twelve leagues[298-2] from the place where the Spaniards had
been left under the protection of Guacamari,[298-3] the king of that
province, whom I suppose to be one of the chief men of the island. After
two days we set sail for that spot, but as it was late when we arrived
there,[298-4] and there were some shoals, where the Admiral's ship had
been lost, we did not venture to put in close to the shore, but remained
that night at a little less than a league from the coast, waiting until
the morning, when we might enter securely. On that evening, a canoe,
containing five or six Indians, came out at a considerable distance from
where we were, and approached us with great celerity. The Admiral
believing that he insured our safety by keeping the sails set, would not
wait for them; they, however, perseveringly rowed up to us within a
cannon shot[299-1] and then stopped to look at us; but when they saw that
we did not wait for them, they put back and went away. After we had
anchored that night at the spot in question,[299-2] the Admiral ordered
two cannons to be fired, to see if the Spaniards, who had remained with
Guacamari, would fire in return, for they also had cannons with them; but
when we received no reply, and could not perceive any fires, nor the
slightest symptom of habitations on the spot, the spirits of our people
became much depressed, and they began to entertain the suspicion which
the circumstances were naturally calculated to excite. While all were in
this desponding mood, and when four or five hours of the night had passed
away, the same canoe which we had seen in the evening, came up, and the
Indians with a loud voice addressed the captain of the caravel, which
they first approached, inquiring for the Admiral;[299-3] they were
conducted to the Admiral's vessel, but would not go on board till he had
spoken to them, and they had asked for a light, in order to assure
themselves that it was he who conversed with them. One of them was a
cousin of Guacamari, who had been sent by him once before: it appeared,
that after they had turned back the previous evening, they had been
charged by Guacamari with two masks of gold as a present; one for the
Admiral, the other for a captain who had accompanied him on the former
voyage. They remained on board for three hours, talking with the Admiral
in the presence of all of us, he showing much pleasure in their
conversation, and inquiring respecting the welfare of the Spaniards whom
he had left behind. Guacamari's cousin replied, that those who remained
were all well, but that some of them had died of disease, and others had
been killed in quarrels that had arisen amongst them; and that Guacamari
was at some distance, lying ill of a wound in his leg, which was the
occasion of his not appearing, but that he would come on the next day. He
said also that two kings named Caonabo and Mayreni, had come to fight
with him and that they had burned the village. The Indians then departed,
saying they would return on the following day with the said Guacamari,
and left us consoled for that night. On the morning of the next day, we
were expecting that Guacamari would come; and, in the meantime, some of
our men landed by command of the Admiral, and went to the spot where the
Spaniards had formerly been: they found the building which they had
inhabited, and which they had in some degree fortified with a palisade,
burnt and levelled with the ground; they found also some cloaks and
clothing which the Indians had brought to throw upon the house. They
observed too that the Indians who were seen near the spot, looked very
shy, and dared not approach, but, on the contrary, fled from them. This
appeared strange to us, for the Admiral had told us that in the former
voyage, when he arrived at this place, so many came in canoes to see us,
that there was no keeping them off; and as we now saw that they were
suspicious of us, it gave us a very unfavorable impression. We threw
trifles, such as hawk bells[300-1] and beads, towards them, in order to
conciliate them, but only four, a relation of Guacamari's and three
others, took courage to enter the boat, and were rowed on board. When
they were asked concerning the Spaniards, they replied that all of them
were dead; we had been told this already by one of the Indians whom we
had brought from Spain, and who had conversed with the two Indians that
on the former occasion came on board with their canoe, but we had not
believed it. Guacamari's kinsman was asked who had killed them; he
replied that the king of Caonabo and king Mayreni had made an attack upon
them, and burnt the buildings on the spot, that many were wounded in the
affray, and among them Guacamari, who had received a wound in his thigh,
and had retired to some distance. He also stated that he wished to go and
fetch him; upon which some trifles were given to him, and he took his
departure for the place of Guacamari's abode. All that day we remained in
expectation of them, and when we saw that they did not come, many
suspected that the Indians who had been on board the night before, had
been drowned; for they had had wine given them two or three times, and
they had come in a small canoe that might be easily upset. The next
morning the Admiral went on shore, taking some of us with him; we went to
the spot where the settlement had been, and found it utterly destroyed by
fire, and the clothes of the Spaniards lying about upon the grass, but on
that occasion we saw no dead body. There were many different opinions
amongst us; some suspecting that Guacamari himself was concerned in the
betrayal and death of the Christians; others thought not, because his own
residence was burnt: so that it remained a very doubtful question. The
Admiral ordered all the ground which had been occupied by the
fortifications of the Spaniards to be searched, for he had left orders
with them to bury all the gold that they might get. While this was being
done, the Admiral wished to examine a spot at about a league's distance,
which seemed to be suitable for building a town, for it was already time
to do so;--and some of us went thither with him, making our observations
of the land as we went along the coast, until we reached a village of
seven or eight houses, which the Indians forsook when they saw us
approach, carrying away what they could, and leaving the things which
they could not remove, hidden amongst the grass, around the houses. These
people are so like beasts that they have not even the sense to select a
fitting place to live in; those who dwell on the shore, build for
themselves the most miserable hovels that can be imagined, and all the
houses are so covered with grass and dampness, that I am amazed at the
way they live. In these houses we found many things belonging to the
Spaniards, which it could not be supposed they would have bartered; such
as a very handsome Moorish mantle which had not been unfolded since it
was brought from Spain, stockings and pieces of cloth, also an anchor
belonging to the ship which the Admiral had lost here on the previous
voyage; with other articles, which the more confirmed our suspicions. On
examining some things which had been put away to keep in a basket,
closely woven and very secure, we found a man's head kept with great
care; this we judged might be the head of a father, or mother, or of some
person whom they much regarded:[302-1] I have since heard that many were
found in the same state, which makes me believe that our first impression
was the true one. After this we returned. We went on the same day to the
site of the settlement; and when we arrived, we found many Indians, who
had regained their courage, bartering gold with our men: they had
bartered to the extent of a mark;[302-2] we also learned that they had
shown where the bodies of eleven of the dead Spaniards were laid, which
were already covered with the grass that had grown over them; and they
all with one voice asserted that Caonabo and Mayreni had killed them; but
notwithstanding all this, we began to hear complaints that one of the
Spaniards had taken three women to himself, and another four; from whence
we drew the inference that jealousy was the cause of the misfortune that
had occurred. On the next morning, as no spot in that vicinity appeared
suitable for our making a settlement, the Admiral ordered a caravel to go
in one direction to look for a convenient locality, while some of us went
with him another way. In the course of our explorations, we discovered a
harbor, of great security, and a very favorable situation for a
settlement; but as it was far from where we wanted to have the gold mine,
the Admiral decided to settle only in some spot which would give us
greater certainty of attaining that object, provided the position of the
land should prove equally convenient. On our return, we found the other
caravel arrived, in which Melchior[303-1] and four or five other
trustworthy men had been exploring with a similar object. They reported
that as they went along the coast, a canoe came out to them in which were
two Indians, one of whom was the brother of Guacamari, and was recognized
by a pilot who was in the caravel. When he asked them "who goes there,"
they replied that Guacamari sent to beg the Spaniards to come on shore,
as he had his settlement near, with nearly fifty houses. The chief men of
the party then went on shore in the boat, proceeded to the place where
Guacamari was, and found him stretched on his bed, complaining of a
severe wound. They conferred with him, and inquired respecting the
Spaniards; his reply was, in accordance with the account already given by
the others, viz.--that they had been killed by Caonabo and Mayreni, who
also had wounded him in the thigh; which he showed to them bandaged up:
on seeing which, they concluded that his statement was correct. At their
departure he gave to each of them a jewel of gold, according to his
estimation of their respective merits. The Indians beat the gold into
very thin plates, in order to make masks of it, and to be able to set it
in bitumen; if it were not so prepared it could not be mounted; other
ornaments they make of it, to wear on the head and to hang in the ears
and nostrils, for these also they require it to be thin; since they set
no store by it as wealth but only for adornment. Guacamari desired them
by signs and as well as he was able, to tell the Admiral that as he was
thus wounded, he prayed him to have the goodness to come to see him. The
sailors told this to the Admiral when he arrived. The next morning he
resolved to go thither, for the spot could be reached in three hours,
being scarcely three leagues distance from the place where we were; but
as it would be the dinner-hour when we arrived, we dined before we went
on shore. After dinner, the Admiral gave orders that all the captains
should come with their barges to proceed to the shore, for already on
that morning, previous to our departure, the aforesaid brother of
Guacamari had come to speak with the Admiral to urge him to come to the
place where Guacamari was. Then the Admiral went on shore accompanied by
all the principal officers, so richly dressed that they would have made a
fine appearance even in any of our chief cities. He took with him some
articles as presents, having already received from Guacamari a certain
quantity of gold, and it was reasonable that he should make a
commensurate response to his acts and expressions of good-will: Guacamari
had also provided himself with a present. When we arrived, we found him
stretched upon his bed, which was made of cotton network, and, according
to their custom, suspended.[304-1] He did not arise, but made from his
bed the best gesture of courtesy of which he was capable. He showed much
feeling with tears in his eyes for the death of the Spaniards, and began
speaking on the subject, with explaining to the best of his power, how
some died of disease, others had gone to Caonabo in search of the mine of
gold, and had there been killed, and that the rest had been attacked and
slain in their own town. According to the appearance of the dead bodies,
it was not two months since this had happened. Then he presented the
Admiral with eight marks and a half of gold and five or six belts worked
with stones[304-2] of various colors, and a cap of similar jewel-work,
which I think they must value very highly, because in it was a jewel,
which was presented to him with great reverence. It appears to me that
these people put more value upon copper than gold. The surgeon of the
fleet and myself being present, the Admiral told Guacamari that we were
skilled in the treatment of human disorders, and wished that he would
shew us his wound; he replied that he was willing; upon which I said it
would be necessary that he should, if possible, go out of the house,
because we could not see well on account of the place being darkened by
the crowd of people; to this he consented, I think more from timidity
than inclination, and left the house leaning on the arm of the Admiral.
After he was seated, the surgeon approached him and began to untie the
bandage; then he told the Admiral that the wound was made with a _ciba_,
by which he meant with a stone. When the wound was uncovered, we went up
to examine it: it is certain that there was no more wound on that leg
than on the other, although he cunningly pretended that it pained him
much. Ignorant as we were of the facts, it was impossible to come to a
definite conclusion. There were certainly many proofs of an invasion by a
hostile people, so that the Admiral was at a loss what to do; he with
many others thought, however, that for the present, and until they could
ascertain the truth, they ought to conceal their distrust; for after
ascertaining it, they would be able to claim whatever indemnity they
thought proper. That evening Guacamari accompanied the Admiral to the
ships, and when they showed him the horses and other objects of interest,
their novelty struck him with the greatest amazement;[305-1] he took
supper on board, and returned that evening to his house. The Admiral
told him that he wished to settle there and to build houses; to which he
assented but said that the place was not wholesome, because it was very
damp: and so it most certainly was.
All this passed through the interpretation of two of the Indians who had
gone to Spain in the last voyage, and who were the sole survivors of
seven who had embarked with us; five died on the voyage, and these but
narrowly escaped. The next day we anchored in that port: Guacamari sent
to know when the Admiral intended leaving, and was told that he would do
so on the morrow. The same day Guacamari's brother, and others with him,
came on board, bringing gold to barter: on the day of our departure also
they bartered a great quantity of gold. There were ten women on board, of
those who had been taken in the Caribbee islands, principally from
Boriquen, and it was observed that the brother of Guacamari spoke with
them; we think that he told them to make an effort to escape that night;
for certainly during our first sleep they dropped themselves quietly into
the water, and went on shore, so that by the time they were missed they
had reached such a distance that only four could be taken by the boats
which went in pursuit, and these were secured when just leaving the
water: they had to swim considerably more than half a league. The next
morning the Admiral sent to desire that Guacamari would cause search to
be made for the women who had escaped in the night, and that he would
send them back to the ships. When the messengers arrived they found the
place forsaken and not a soul there; this made many openly declare their
suspicions, but others said they might have removed to another village,
as was their custom. That day we remained quiet, because the weather was
unfavorable for our departure. On the next morning the Admiral resolved
that as the wind was adverse, it would be well to go with the boats to
inspect a harbor on the coast at two leagues distance further up,[306-1]
to see if the formation of the land was favorable for a settlement; and
we went thither with all the ship's boats, leaving the ships in the
harbor. As we moved along the coast the people manifested a sense of
insecurity, and when we reached the spot to which we were bound all the
natives had fled. While we were walking about this place we found an
Indian stretched on the hill-side, close by the houses, with a gaping
wound in his shoulder caused by a dart, so that he had been disabled from
fleeing any further. The natives of this island fight with sharp darts,
which they shoot with straps in the same manner as boys in Spain shoot
their little darts, and with these they shoot with considerable skill to
a great distance; and certainly upon an unarmed people these weapons are
calculated to do serious injury. The man told us that Caonabo and his
people had wounded him and burnt the houses of Guacamari. Thus we are
still kept in uncertainty respecting the death of our people, on account
of the paucity of information on which to form an opinion, and the
conflicting and equivocal character of the evidence we have obtained. We
did not find the position of the land in this port favorable for healthy
habitation, and the Admiral resolved upon returning along the upper coast
by which we had come from Spain, because we had had tidings of gold in
that direction. But the weather was so adverse that it cost more labor to
sail thirty leagues in a backward direction than the whole voyage from
Spain; so that, what with the contrary wind and the length of the
passage, three months had elapsed when we landed.[307-1] It pleased God,
however, that through the check upon our progress caused by contrary
winds, we succeeded in finding the best and most suitable spot that we
could have selected for a settlement, where there was an excellent
harbor[307-2] and abundance of fish, an article of which we stand in
great need from the scarcity of meat. The fish caught here are very
singular and more wholesome than those of Spain. The climate does not
allow the fish to be kept from one day to another, for it is hot and
moist, so that all animal food[308-1] spoils very quickly. The land is
very rich for all purposes; near the harbor there are two rivers: one
large,[308-2] and another of moderate breadth somewhat near it; the water
is of a very remarkable quality. On the bank of it is being built a city
called Marta,[308-3] one side of which is bounded by the water with a
ravine of cleft rock so that at that part there is no need of
fortification; the other half is girt with a plantation of trees so thick
that a rabbit could scarcely pass through it; and so green that fire will
never be able to burn it. A channel has been commenced for a branch of
the river, which the managers say they will lead through the middle of
the settlement, and will place on it grist-mills and saw-mills and mills
of other kinds requiring to be worked by water. Great quantities of
vegetables have been planted, which certainly attain a more luxuriant
growth here in eight days than they would in Spain in twenty. We are
frequently visited by numbers of Indians, among whom are some of their
_caciques_ or chiefs, and many women. They all come loaded with
_ages_,[308-4] which are like turnips, very excellent for food, which we
dressed in various ways. This food was so nutritious as to prove a great
support to all of us after the privations we endured when at sea, which
were more severe than ever were suffered by man; for as we could not tell
what weather it would please God to send us on our voyage, we were
obliged to limit ourselves most rigorously with regard to food, in order
that, at all events, we might at least have the means of supporting life.
This _age_ the Caribbees call _nabi_, and the Indians _hage_.[326-1] The
Indians barter gold, provisions, and everything they bring with them, for
tips of lacings, beads, and pins, and pieces of porringers and dishes.
They all, as I have said, go naked as they were born, except the women of
this island, who have their private parts covered, some with a covering
of cotton, which they bind round their hips, while others use grass and
leaves of trees.[326-2] When they wish to adorn themselves, both men and
women paint themselves, some black, others white, and various colors, in
so many devices that the effect is very laughable;[326-3] they shave some
parts of their heads, and in others wear long tufts of matted hair, which
have an indescribably ridiculous appearance: in short, whatever would be
looked upon in our country as characteristic of a madman, is here
regarded by the highest of the Indians as a mark of distinction.
In our present position, we are in the neighborhood of many mines of
gold, not one of which, we are told, is more than twenty or twenty-five
leagues off: the Indians say that some of them are in Niti, in the
possession of Caonabo, who killed the Christians; the others are in
another place called Cibao, which, if it please God, we shall see with
our eyes before many days are over; indeed we should go there at once,
but that we have so many things to provide that we are not equal to it at
present. One third of our people have fallen sick within the last four or
five days, which I think has principally arisen from the toil and
privations of the journey; another cause has been the variableness of the
climate; but I hope in our Lord that all will be restored to health. My
idea of this people is, that if we could converse with them, they would
all become converted, for they do whatever they see us do, making
genuflections before the altars at the _Ave Maria_ and the other parts of
the devotional service, and making the sign of the cross. They all say
that they wish to be Christians, although in truth they are idolaters,
for in their houses they have many kinds of figures; when asked what such
a figure was, they would reply it is a thing of _Turey_, by which they
meant "of Heaven." I made a pretence of throwing them on the fire, which
grieved them so that they began to weep: they believe that everything we
bring comes from Heaven, and therefore call it _Turey_, which, as I have
already said, means heaven in their language. The first day that I went
on shore to sleep, was the Lord's day. The little time that we have spent
on land, has been so much occupied in seeking for a fitting spot for the
settlement, and in providing necessaries, that we have had little
opportunity of becoming acquainted with the products of the soil, yet
although the time has been so short, many marvellous things have been
seen. We have met with trees bearing wool, of a sufficiently fine quality
(according to the opinion of those who are acquainted with the art) to be
woven into good cloth; there are so many of these trees that we might
load the caravels with wool, although it is troublesome to collect, for
the trees are very thorny,[310-1] but some means may be easily found of
overcoming this difficulty. There are also cotton trees, perennials, as
large as peach trees, which produce cotton in the greatest
abundance.[310-2] We found trees producing wax as good both in color and
smell as bees-wax and equally useful for burning; indeed there is no
great difference between them.[310-3] There are vast numbers of trees
which yield surprisingly fine turpentine; and there is also a great
abundance of tragacanth, also very good. We found other trees which I
think bear nutmegs, because the bark tastes and smells like that spice,
but at present there is no fruit on them; I saw one root of ginger, which
an Indian wore hanging round his neck. There are also aloes; not like
those which we have hitherto seen in Spain, but no doubt they are one of
the species used by us doctors.[311-1] A sort of cinnamon also has been
found; but, to tell the truth, it is not so fine as that with which we
are already acquainted in Spain. I do not know whether this arises from
ignorance of the proper season to gather it, or whether the soil does not
produce better. We have also seen some lemon-colored myrobolans; at this
season they are all lying under the trees, and have a bitter flavor,
arising, I think, from the rottenness occasioned by the moisture of the
ground; but the taste of such parts as have remained sound, is that of
the genuine myrobolan.[311-2] There is also very good mastic.[311-3] None
of the natives of these islands, as far as we have yet seen, possess any
iron; they have, however, many tools, such as axes and adzes, made of
stone, which are so handsome and well finished, that it is wonderful how
they contrive to make them without the use of iron. Their food consists
of bread, made of the roots of a vegetable which is between a tree and a
vegetable, and the _age_,[311-4] which I have already described as being
like the turnip, and very good food; they use, to season it, a spice
called _agi_,[311-5] which they also eat with fish, and such birds as
they can catch of the many kinds which abound in the island. They have,
besides, a kind of grain like hazel-nuts very good to eat. They eat all
the snakes, and lizards, and spiders, and worms, that they find upon the
ground;[312-1] so that, to my fancy, their bestiality is greater than
that of any beast upon the face of the earth. The Admiral had at one time
determined to leave the search for the mines until he had first
despatched the ships which were to return to Spain, on account of the
great sickness which had prevailed among the men,[312-2] but afterwards
he resolved upon sending two bands under the command of two captains, the
one to Cibao, and the other to Niti, where, as I have already said,
Caonabo lived. These parties went, one of them returning on the
twentieth, and the other on the twenty-first of January. The party that
went to Cibao saw gold in so many places as to seem almost incredible,
for in truth they found it in more than fifty streamlets and rivers, as
well as upon their banks; so that, the captain said they had only to seek
throughout that province, and they would find as much as they wished. He
brought specimens from the different parts, namely, from the sand of the
rivers and small springs. It is thought, that by digging, it will be
found in greater pieces, for the Indians neither know how to dig nor have
the means of digging more than a hand's depth. The other captain, who
went to Niti, returned also with news of a great quantity of gold in
three or four places; of which he likewise brought specimens.[313-1]
Thus, surely, their Highnesses the King and Queen may henceforth regard
themselves as the most prosperous and wealthy sovereigns in the world;
never yet, since the creation, has such a thing been seen or read of; for
on the return of the ships from their next voyage, they will be able to
carry back such a quantity of gold as will fill with amazement all who
hear of it. Here I think I shall do well to break off my narrative. I
think those who do not know me, who hear these things, may consider me
prolix, and a man who has exaggerated somewhat, but God is my witness,
that I have not exceeded, by one tittle, the bounds of truth.[313-2]