1492-1493.
Sensibly impressed with the importance of his undertaking, Columbus
determined to keep a journal of such observations and incidents as were
most noteworthy during the voyage. Governed by this intention, he made
the following entry in his log-book, when he set sail for the remote
shores of Cathay:
“In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“Whereas the most Christian, high, excellent, and powerful rulers,
the king and the queen of Spain and of the islands of the sea, our
sovereigns, this present year, 1492, after your highnesses had ended
the war with the Moors ruling in Europe, the same having terminated in
the great city of Granada, where, on the second day of January, this
present year, I saw the royal banners of your highnesses planted by
force of arms upon the towers of the Alhambra, the fortress of that
city, and beheld the Moorish king come out at the gate of the city and
kiss the hands of your highnesses and of the prince, my sovereign, and
in the present month, on account of the information which I had given
your highnesses respecting the countries of India and of a sovereign
called the Grand Khan, signifying, in our language, king of kings; how,
at different times, he and his predecessors had sent to Rome soliciting
instructors to teach him our holy religion, and how the holy father
had never granted his request, whereby great numbers of people were
lost, believing in idolatry and doctrines of perdition; therefore your
highnesses, as catholic Christians and sovereigns, who love and promote
the holy Christian religion, and are enemies of the sect of Mahomet, and
of all idolatry and heresy, determined to send me, Christopher Columbus,
(Cristóbal Colon,) to the previously mentioned countries of India, to
see the said sovereigns, people, and territories, and to learn their
disposition and the proper way of converting them to our holy religion;
and furthermore, directed that I should not go by land to the East, as is
customary, but by a westerly route, in which direction we have hitherto
no certain evidence that any one has gone. Therefore, after having
expelled the Jews from your dominions, your highnesses, in the same month
of January, ordered me to proceed with a sufficient armament to the
said regions of India, and for that purpose granted me great favors and
ennobled me, that thereafter I might call myself Don and be high admiral
(_almirante mayor_) of the sea, and perpetual viceroy and governor of
all the islands and continent which I might discover and acquire, or
which may hereafter be discovered and acquired in the ocean; and that
this title should be inherited by my eldest son, and thus descend from
generation to generation forever. Thereupon I left the city of Granada,
on Saturday, the twelfth day of May, 1492, and proceeded to Palos, a
seaport, where I armed three vessels very fit for such an expedition,
and having provided myself with an abundance of stores and seamen, I set
sail from this port on Friday, the third of August, half an hour before
sunrise, and steered for the Canary Islands of your highnesses, which
are in the said ocean, thence to take my departure and proceed till I
arrived at the Indies, and perform the embassy of your highnesses to the
sovereigns there, and discharge the orders given. Consequently, I have
determined to write out daily a minute account of the voyage respecting
what I do and see, and the passage, as hereafter will appear. Moreover,
sovereign princes, besides recording each night my progress during the
day and the run made during the night, I intend to make a new nautical
chart (_carta nueva de navegar_), in which I shall delineate all the sea
and the lands of the Ocean in their proper places under their wind; and,
moreover, I shall compose a book and represent the whole like a picture
by latitude, from the equator, and by longitude, from the West, wherefore
it will cause me to abstain from sleep and to make many experiments in
navigation, for these things will require no little labor.”[136]
[Illustration: FIELD OF VOYAGES TO AMERICA.
ON MERCATOR’S PROJECTION.]
The vessels of the fleet were the ship (_la nao_), Santa Maria,[137]
commanded by Columbus, and two caravels, (_carabelas_,) La Pinta,
commanded by Martin Alonso Pinzon, and La Nina, by Vicente Yañes Pinzon,
his brother, both being natives and seamen of Palos. “Being furnished
with all necessaries and ninety men,”[138] says Ferdinand Columbus,
“they set sail on the third of August directly toward the Canaries, and
from that time forward the admiral was very careful to keep an accurate
journal of all that happened to him during the voyage, specifying the
wind that blew, how far he sailed with it, the currents he found, and
what he saw by the way, whether birds or fishes, or other things....
“The next day after the admiral’s departure for the Canary Islands, it
being Saturday, the fourth of August, the rudder of one of the caravels,
of the one called La Pinta, broke loose, and the caravel being compelled
to lie to, the admiral soon reached her side, but the wind blowing hard
he could render no assistance, as commanders at sea are obliged to do to
encourage those that are in distress. This he did more promptly, as he
conceived that the unshipping of the rudder had been brought about by
the contrivance of the master to avoid going on the voyage, as he had
attempted to do before they set sail.”[139]
At the Canary Islands, Columbus altered the sails of the caravel La Nina,
and made a new rudder for the Pinta. On Thursday morning, the sixth of
September, the three vessels set sail from the island Gomera, of the
Canary group, “and stood away to the west.” On the following Sunday,
at day-break, when the fleet was nine leagues west of the island of
Ferro,[140] the sailors “lost sight of land, and many, fearing that it
would be long before they should see it again, sighed and wept, but the
admiral, after comforting them with large promises of land and of wealth,
to raise their hopes and lessen their fears respecting the length of the
voyage, pretended that by his computation they had sailed only fifteen
leagues that day when they had really run eighteen, he having determined
to keep, during the voyage, his reckoning short, in order that the men
might not think that they were so far from Spain as they were, should he
openly set down the progress made which he privately recorded.[141]
“Continuing his voyage in this way, on Wednesday, the twelfth of
September, about sun-setting, being about one hundred and fifty leagues
west of the island of Ferro, he discovered a large piece of the trunk of
a tree of one hundred and twenty tons, which seemed to have been a long
time in the water. There and somewhat farther the current set strongly
toward the northeast. When he had run fifty leagues farther westward, on
the thirteenth of September he found at night-fall that the needle varied
half a point toward the northeast, and, at day-break, half a point more,
by which he understood that the needle did not point at the north star,
but at some other fixed and visible point. This variation no man had
observed before, and therefore he had occasion to be surprised at it; but
he was more amazed on the third day after this, when he was almost one
hundred leagues farther, for at night the needles varied about a point to
the northeast, and in the morning they pointed upon the star.”[142]
As they sailed on this westward course, they found “more weeds than they
had hitherto toward the north as far as they could see, which weeds were
sometimes a solace to them, believing that they might come from some land
that was near, and sometimes they caused dread, because they were so
thick that in some measure they impeded the ships, and fear making things
worse than they are, they apprehended that that might happen to them
which is fictitiously reported of Saint Amaro in the Frozen Sea, which it
is said does not suffer ships to stir backward or forward, and therefore
they steered away from the shoals of weeds as far as possible.[143]
“The wind at this time blew at southwest, sometimes more and sometimes
less west, which, though contrary to their voyage, the admiral said
he considered a very good wind and a help to them, because the men,
continually grumbling, said that among the things which increased their
fears this was one, for the wind being always astern, they should never
have a gale in those seas to carry them back; and though sometimes they
found the contrary, they alleged that it was no settled wind, and that
not being strong enough to swell the sea, it would never carry them back
as far as they had to sail. Although the admiral did whatever he could
to make them cheerful, telling them that the land being now so near did
not permit the waves to rise, and using the best argument he could,
nevertheless he affirms that he stood in need of God’s special help, as
Moses did when he led the Israelites out of Egypt, who forbore laying
violent hands upon him, because of the wonders God wrought through him.
The admiral said that he was similarly protected in this voyage. On the
following Sunday the wind began to blow from the west-northwest, with a
rolling sea as the men wished, and three hours before noon they saw a
turtle-dove fly over the ship, and in the evening they saw a pelican,
a river fowl, and other wild birds, and some crabs among the weeds;
and the next day they espied another pelican, and several small birds
which came from the west, and small fishes, some of which the men of the
other vessels stuck with harpoons, because they would not bite at the
hook.”[144]
“As often as the men were deceived by these signs of land, so often had
they occasion to be suspicious and to grumble and conspire together. They
said the admiral, for a foolish whim, intended to make himself a great
lord at the hazard of their lives, and since they had done their duty in
trying their fortune, and had gone farther from land and any succor than
others had done, that they ought not to destroy themselves, nor proceed
farther on the voyage, because if they did, they should have reason to
repent, for their provisions would fall short and the sails of the ships
would not last, which they knew were already so impaired that it would
be difficult to retrace their course from where they were; and that none
would condemn them for returning, but that they would be regarded as
very brave men for going upon such an expedition and venturing so far,
and that the admiral being a foreigner, and having nothing at stake, and
as many wise and learned men had condemned his opinion, there would be
nobody now to favor and defend him, and that they should get more credit
than he if they accused him of ignorance and mismanagement, whatever he
should say for himself. And there were some who said that to end all
dispute, in case he would not consent to return, that they could make
short work of it and throw him overboard, and report that while he was
making his observations he fell into the sea, and that no man would
trouble himself to inquire into the truth of the matter; which deed would
hasten their return home and preserve their lives. Thus they conducted
themselves from day to day, grumbling, complaining, and conspiring
together. The admiral was not without apprehensions of their inconstancy
and evil intentions toward him. Therefore, sometimes with fair words and
sometimes with a strong determination to expose his life, putting them
in mind of the punishment due them if they hindered the voyage, he, in
some measure, quelled their fears and suppressed their evil designs. To
confirm the hope with which he had inspired them, he reminded them of the
previous signs and indications, assuring them that they would soon find
land, which they were so eager to see that they thought every hour a year
until they beheld it....
“On Sunday morning [the thirtieth of September], four rush-tails came
to the ship, and as they flew there together, it was thought that land
was near, especially when, not long afterward, four pelicans flew by,
and an abundance of weeds was seen, lying in a line west-northwest
and east-southeast, and also a great number of those fishes they call
_emperadores_, which have a very hard skin and are not fit to eat.
However much the admiral regarded these signs, still he never forgot
those in the heavens and the course of the stars. He therefore observed
in this place, to his great astonishment, that the stars of Charles’s
wain, at night, appeared in the west, and in the morning they were
directly northeast, from which he inferred that their whole night’s
course was but three lines or nine hours—that is, so many parts of
twenty-four,—and this he did every night. He also perceived that at
night-fall the compass-needle varied a whole point to the northwest,
and at day-break it came right with the star. These things confounded
the pilots until he told them that the cause of it was the circuit the
star took about the pole, which was some satisfaction to them, for this
variation made them apprehend some danger at such an unknown distance
from home, and in such strange regions....
“On Monday, the first of October, at sunrise, a pelican came to the
ship, and two more about ten in the morning, and long beds of weeds
extended from east to west. That day, in the morning, the pilot of the
admiral’s ship said that they were five hundred and seventy-eight leagues
west of the island of Ferro. The admiral said, by his reckoning, they
were five hundred and eighty-four leagues; but in secret he concluded it
was seven hundred and seven, which is one hundred and twenty-nine leagues
more than the pilot reckoned. The other two vessels differed much in
their computations, for the pilot of the caravel Nina, on the following
Wednesday afternoon, said they had sailed five hundred and forty leagues,
and the other of the caravel Pinta said six hundred and thirty-four....
“On Thursday afternoon, the fourth of October, a flock of more than forty
sparrows and two pelicans flew so near the ship that a seaman killed one
of them with a stone; and before this they had seen another bird like a
rush-tail, and another like a swallow, and a great many flying-fish fell
into the vessels. The next day there came a rush-tail and a pelican from
the west, and great numbers of sparrows were seen.
“On Sunday, the seventh of October, about sunrise, some signs of land
appeared westward, but being undefined, no one said any thing, for fear
of the consequence of asserting what did not exist, and also for fear
of losing the thirty crowns which their catholic majesties had promised
as an annuity during the life of him who should first discover land.
In order to prevent the men from crying land, land, at every turn, as
they would likely have done without cause to secure the gift, it was
ordered that whoever said he saw land, if it were not ascertained to
exist in three days from that time, should lose the reward, even if
afterward he should be declared to be the first discoverer of land. All
on board of the admiral’s ship being thus forewarned, none dared to cry
out land, but those in the caravel Nina, which was a better sailer, and
kept ahead, once believing that they actually saw land, fired a gun, and
displayed their colors to indicate land. But the farther they sailed
the more their joyous expectations diminished and the indication of
land disappeared. However, it pleased God to give them soon after some
comforting assurances, for they saw great flocks of large fowl and others
of small birds flying from the west toward the southwest. Therefore, the
admiral, being now so far from Spain, and sure that such small birds
would not go far from land, altered his course, which until that time had
been westward, and stood to the southwest, saying, that his reason for
changing his course was that he would deviate but a little from his first
intention and that he would be following the example of the Portuguese,
who had discovered the greater number of their islands by means of such
birds, and more especially as the birds he saw flew generally in the same
direction. He also had always proposed to himself to find land according
to the place they were in; since, as they well knew, he had often told
them that he never expected to find land until he was seven hundred and
fifty leagues westward of the Canary Islands, within which distance, he
had further said, he should discover Española, which, at this time, he
called Cipango....
“On Monday, the eighth of October, there came to the ship twelve
singing-birds of several colors, and after flying about the vessel, they
held on their way. They also saw from the vessels many other birds flying
toward the southwest, and that same night great numbers of large fowls
were seen, and flocks of small birds coming from the north, and flying
after the others. Besides they saw a good number of tunny-fish. In the
morning they saw a jay, a pelican, some ducks, and small birds, flying
the same way as the others had done, and they perceived that the air was
fresh and odoriferous, as it is at Seville in April. But they were now
so eager to see land, that they had no faith in any signs; so that, on
Wednesday, the tenth of October, although they saw a great many birds
pass by during the day and at night, the men did not cease to complain,
or the admiral to censure them for their want of confidence, declaring to
them, that right or wrong they must go farther to discover the Indies for
which purpose their catholic majesties had sent them.
“The admiral being no longer able to withstand the number that opposed
him, it pleased God that on Thursday afternoon, the eleventh of October,
the men took heart and rejoiced, because they had unquestionable signs
that they were near land. Those on board the admiral’s ship saw a green
rush float by the ship, and then a large green fish of that class which
go not far from the rocks. Those on board the caravel Pinta saw a cane
and a staff, and picked up another staff curiously wrought, and a small
board, and an abundance of fresh weeds washed from the shore. Those in
the caravel Nina saw similar things, and a branch of a thorn full of red
berries, which seemed to be recently broken off. By these signs and by
his own consciousness, the admiral, being assured that he was near land,
made a speech to all the men in the evening, after prayers, reminding
them how merciful God had been in bringing them on so long a voyage with
such fair weather, and comforting them with indications which every day
were plainer and plainer. He begged them to be very watchful that night,
for they were aware that in the first article of the instructions he had
given each ship at the Canary Islands, that he had ordered that when
they had sailed seven hundred leagues to the west, without discovering
land, that they should lie to from midnight until daylight. Therefore,
since they had not yet obtained their desires in discovering land, they
should at least manifest their zeal by being watchful. And inasmuch as
he had the strongest assurances of finding land that night, each should
watch in his place; for besides the annuity of thirty crowns which their
highnesses had promised for a life-time to the one that first saw land,
to the same person he would give a velvet doublet.
“After this, about ten at night, as the admiral was in the great cabin,
he saw a light on shore, but said it was so obscure that he could not
affirm it to be land, though he called Pedro Gutierrez, and bid him
observe whether he saw the light, who said he did. Shortly afterward they
called Rodrigo Sanchez, of Segovia, to look that way, but he could not
see it, because he did not come in time to the place where it might have
been seen. They did not see it more than once or twice, which induced
them to think that it might have been a candle or a torch belonging to
some fisherman or traveller, who lifted it up and down; or, perhaps, that
it was in the hands of people going from one house to another, as the
light vanished and suddenly appeared again.... Being now very watchful,
they still held on their course, until about two in the morning, when the
caravel Pinta, which, being an excellent sailer, was far ahead, gave the
signal of land, which was first discovered by a sailor named Rodrigo de
Triana, when two leagues from the shore. But the annuity of thirty crowns
was not given to him by their catholic majesties, but to the admiral, who
had seen the light in the darkness, signifying the spiritual light that
he was then spreading in those dark regions. Being now near land, all the
ships lay to, those on board thinking it was a long time until morning,
when they might see what they had so long desired.”[145]
This island, says Bartolomé de las Casas, the Spanish historian,[146] was
“one of the Lucayos, called by the Indians Guanahani.[147] Presently they
descried people, naked, and the admiral landed in the boat, which was
armed, along with Martin Alonso Pinzon and Vicente Yañez, his brother,
captain of the Nina. The admiral bore the royal standard, and the two
captains each a banner of the green cross, which all the vessels had
carried. The banner was emblazoned with the initials of the names of
the king and queen[148] on each side of the cross, with a crown over
each letter. When they came on the beach, they saw trees very green, an
abundance of water, and fruit of different kinds. The admiral called
the two captains and the other men who had come on land, and Rodrigo de
Escovedo, notary of the fleet, and Rodrigo Sanchez de Segovia, and said
that he had summoned them to bear witness that he, before all other men,
took possession (as in act he did) of that island for the king and the
queen, his sovereigns, making the requisite declarations which are more
at large set down in the instrument which they made there in writing.”
The natives who collected around the Spaniards at their landing are
thus described by Columbus: “I perceived that if they should have much
friendship for us that it was a people that could be emancipated and
converted to our holy religion better by love than by force. I gave
a number of them some red caps and some beads of glass, which they
placed around their necks, and many other things of little value, with
which they were much pleased, and they became so friendly that their
attachment seemed strange to us. Afterward they came swimming to the
boats of the ships, where we were, bringing parrots and thread of cotton
in hanks, javelins, and many other things, which they exchanged for other
articles we gave them, such as glass beads and little bells. Finally
they took every thing and gave whatever they had with good-will. But
to me they seemed to be a very poor people. They were all naked, just
as they were born, and even the women, although I did not see but one
young girl. All the rest I saw were youths, but none more than thirty
years of age; very well made, of good shape, and very attractive faces;
their hair coarse as that of the tail of a horse, and short, brought
over the forehead to the eyebrows, except a little on the back of the
head, which is longer and never cut. Some paint themselves black, for
they are of the color of those of the Canary Islands—neither black nor
white; others paint themselves white or red, or with any color they
find. Some paint their faces, and some their bodies; others only their
eyes or their noses. They carry no weapons and they have no knowledge of
them; for when I showed them swords they took them by the edge and they
cut themselves through ignorance. They have no iron. Their javelins are
rods without iron, and some of these have at the end a fish-tooth, and
others have other things. All of them, as a class, are of a commanding
stature, and are good-looking, well formed. I saw some marks of wounds on
their bodies, and I asked by signs what had caused them. They answered
me in the same way, that people came from the other islands thereabout
to capture them, and they defended themselves. I thought then, and still
believe, that those people came from the continent, (_tierra firme_,)
to take them prisoners. They ought to be good servants and very capable,
because I perceived that they repeated very readily all that I told
them, and I believe that they would easily become Christians, for they
seemed to me as if they had no religion. If pleasing to our Lord, I shall
carry from this place, at the time of my departure, six of them to your
highnesses, in order that they may learn to talk in our language. I did
not see any animals of any kind on the island, except parrots....
“Soon after day-break [on Saturday, the thirteenth of October,] many of
these people came to the beach, as I have said, all youths and of good
stature, a very handsome people; their hair not curled, but straight
and coarse, like horse-hair, and all with faces and heads much broader
than any other race that I have seen; their eyes very beautiful and not
small; they were not black, but the color of those of the Canaries, nor
ought it to be expected otherwise, for it is east-west (_Lesteoueste_)
with the island Ferro of the Canary group, on the same parallel.[149] ...
They came to the ship in canoes, log-boats, made of the trunks of trees,
all of one piece, and fashioned in a wonderful manner, considering the
country. In some of the large ones were as many as forty or forty-five
men, and in others that were smaller there was only one person. They
rowed with an oar resembling the wooden shovel used by bakers, and went
wonderfully fast, and if the canoe upset, all swam and set it right
again, bailing it out with calabashes which they carried with them. They
brought balls of spun cotton, and parrots, and javelins, and other things
which it would be tedious to describe, and which they parted with for
any thing that was given them. And I was inquisitive and endeavored to
ascertain if they had gold, and I saw some who wore small pieces hanging
from holes in their noses, and I learned by signs that, by going to the
south, or by going around the island to the south, I would find a king
who had large vessels made of gold, and great quantities of the precious
metal.”[150]
Columbus describing this island, which he named San Salvador (the Holy
Saviour), under whose protection he had made the discovery, continues:
“This is a large and level island, with extremely flourishing trees, and
streams of water. There is a large lake in the middle of the island, but
no mountains. It is entirely covered with verdure and it is delightful to
behold. The natives are an inoffensive people, and so desirous to possess
any thing they saw with us that they kept swimming off to the ships with
whatever they could find, and readily bartered for any article we saw fit
to give them in return, even such things as broken platters and pieces of
glass. I saw in this manner sixteen balls of cotton thread, which weighed
about twenty-five pounds, exchanged for three Portuguese _ceutis_.[151]
This traffic I forbade, and permitted no one to take their cotton from
them, unless I should order it to be procured for your highnesses, if
sufficient quantities could be obtained. It grows on this island, but
from my short stay here I could not inform myself fully respecting it.
The gold they wear in their noses is also found here. But not to lose
time, I am determined to proceed and ascertain whether I can reach
Cipango (Japan)....
“In the morning, [Sunday, the fourteenth of October,] I ordered the
boats to be manned and furnished, and coasted along the island toward
the north-northeast, to examine that part of it, for we had landed first
on the eastern part. We soon discovered two or three villages, and the
people all came down to the shore, calling to us, and giving thanks to
God. Some brought us water, and others food. Others seeing that I was not
disposed to land plunged into the sea and swam to us, and we observed
that they interrogated us to know if we had come from heaven. An old
man came on board my boat. The others, both men and women, cried with
loud voices: ‘Come and see the men who have come from heaven! Bring them
food and drink!’ Thereupon many of both sexes came to the beach, every
one bringing something, giving thanks to God, prostrating themselves on
the ground, and lifting their hands to heaven. They called to us loudly
to come on land, but I was apprehensive on account of a reef of rocks,
which, except where there is a narrow entrance, surrounds the whole
island, although within there is depth of water and space sufficient for
all the ships of Christendom....
“After I had taken a survey of these parts, I returned to the ship.
Setting sail, I discovered so many islands that I knew not which to visit
first. The natives whom I had taken on board informed me by signs that
there were so many of them that they could not be numbered. They repeated
the names of more than a hundred. I determined to steer for the largest,
which is about five leagues from San Salvador; the others were at a
greater or less distance from this island....
“We stood off and on during the night [of Monday, the fifteenth of
October], determining not to come to anchor till morning, fearing to
meet with shoals. We continued our course in the morning, and as the
island was found to be six or seven leagues distant, and the tide was
against us, it was noon before we arrived there. I found that part of it,
toward San Salvador, extending from north to south to be five leagues,
and the other side, along which we coasted, running from east to west,
to be more than ten leagues. From this island, espying a still larger
one to the west, I set sail in that direction and kept on till night
without reaching the western extremity of the island, where I gave it
the name of Santa Maria de la Concepcion.... I now set sail for another
large island to the west.... This island is nine leagues distant from
Santa Maria, in a westerly direction. This part of it extends from
northwest to southeast, and it appears to be twenty-eight leagues long,
very level, without any mountains, as were San Salvador and Santa Maria,
having a good shore which was not rocky, except a few ledges under the
water, where it is necessary to anchor at some distance out, although
the water is clear and the bottom can be seen....” This island he called
Fernandina, in honor of the king of Spain.
On Friday, the nineteenth of October, he descried an island, “toward
which,” he remarks, “we directed our course, and before noon all three
of the vessels arrived at the northern extremity, where a rocky islet
and reef extend toward the north, with another between them and the
main island. The Indians on board the ships called this island Saomete.
I named it Isabela [in honor of the queen]. It lies westerly from the
island of Fernandina, and the coast extends from the islet twelve leagues
west to a cape I called Cabo Hermoso, for it was a beautiful, round
headland, with a bold shore free from shoals. Part of the shore is rocky,
but the remainder of it, like most of the coast here, a sandy beach....
This island is the most beautiful that I have yet seen, the trees in
great numbers, flourishing and tall; the land is higher than the other
islands, and exhibits an eminence, which, though it cannot be called
a mountain, yet it adds a charm to the appearance of the island, and
indicates the existence of streams of water in the interior. From this
part toward the northeast is an extensive bay, with many large and dense
groves.... I am not solicitous to examine particularly every thing here,
which, indeed, could not be done in fifty years, for it is my desire
to make all possible discoveries, and return to your highnesses, if it
please our Lord, in April. However, should I meet with gold or spices in
great quantity, I shall remain till I collect as much as possible, and
for this purpose I am only proceeding in search of them.” ...
Under the date of Sunday, the twenty-first of October, while at anchor
off the island of Isabela, Columbus writes: “I shall depart immediately,
if the weather serve, and sail round the island till I succeed in meeting
with the king, in order to see if I can acquire any of the gold which,
I hear, he possesses. Afterward I shall set sail for another very large
island, which I believe to be Cipango, according to the signs I receive
from the Indians on board. They call the island Colba [Cuba], and say
there are many large ships and sailors there. Another island they call
Bosio, and inform me that it is very large. The others that are on the
course I shall examine on the way, and accordingly as I find gold or
spices in abundance, I shall determine what to do. Nevertheless, I am
determined to proceed to the continent, and visit the city of Guisay [the
city of heaven, the residence of the Grand Khan], where I shall deliver
the letters of your highnesses to the Grand Khan, and demand an answer,
with which I shall return....
“Tuesday, the twenty-third of October.... It is now my determination
to depart for the island of Cuba, which I believe to be Cipango from
the accounts I have received here of the great number and riches of the
people. I have abandoned the intention of staying here and sailing round
the island in search of the king, as it would be a waste of time, and I
perceive there are no gold mines to be found.... And as we are going to
places where there is great commerce, I judge it inexpedient to linger on
the way, but to proceed and survey the countries we meet with, till we
arrive at that one most favorable for our business. It is my opinion that
we shall find much profit there in spices, but my want of knowledge in
these articles occasions me extreme regret, inasmuch as I see a thousand
kinds of trees, each kind with its particular fruit, and as flourishing
at this time as the fields in Spain during the months of May and June.
Likewise a thousand kinds of herbs and flowers, of the properties of
which I remain in ignorance, with the exception of the aloe, which I have
directed to-day to be taken on board in large quantities for the use of
your highnesses....
“Wednesday, the twenty-fourth of October.... At midnight weighed anchor
and set sail from Cabo del Isles of the island of Isabela, being in the
north part, where I had remained preparing to depart for the island of
Cuba, in which place the Indians tell me I shall find great commerce,
with abundance of gold and spices, and large ships, and merchants. They
direct me to steer toward the west-southwest, which is the course I am
holding. If the accounts which the natives of the islands and those on
board the ships have communicated to me by signs (for their language I
do not understand) are credible, this must be the island of Cipango,
of which we have heard so many wonderful things. According to my
geographical knowledge it must be somewhere in this neighborhood.”
On Sunday, the twenty-eighth of October, Columbus’s ships arrived off the
coast of Cuba and “entered an attractive river, free from shallows and
all other obstructions.... The mouth of the river had a depth of twelve
fathoms of water, and a breadth sufficient for ships to beat in. They
anchored within the river, and the admiral remarks that the scenery here
exceeded in beauty any thing he had ever seen, the river being bordered
with trees of the most beautiful and luxuriant foliage of a peculiar
appearance, and its banks covered with flowers and fruits of different
kinds. Birds were here in great number singing most charmingly. Numerous
palm trees were seen, different from those of Guinea and Spain, not
having the same kind of bark. They were of a moderate height and bore
very large leaves, which the natives used to cover their houses. The
land appeared quite level. The admiral went ashore in a boat, and found
two dwellings, which he supposed to be those of fishermen, and that the
owners had fled. He found in one of them a dog unable to bark. Both
houses contained nets of palm, lines, horn fish-hooks, harpoons of bone,
and other implements for fishing, as also many fire-places, and each
house seemed sufficiently large to shelter a great number of people. The
admiral gave orders that nothing should be touched.... They returned
on board the boat and ascended the river some distance.... The admiral
declares this to be the most beautiful island ever seen, abounding in
good harbors and deep rivers, with a shore upon which it appears the
sea never breaks high, as the grass grows down to the water’s edge, a
thing that never happens where the sea is rough. Indeed, a high sea they
had not yet had among these islands. This island, he says, is full of
attractive mountains, which are lofty, although not of great range. The
rest of the country is high, similar to Sicily, abounding in streams,
as they understood from the Indians of Guanahani that were on board the
ships, who informed them by signs that it contained ten large rivers,
and that the island was so large that with their canoes they could not
sail round it in twenty days.... The Indians told them there were mines
of gold here and pearls.... They further informed him that large vessels
came there from the Grand Khan, and that the main-land was distant a
voyage of ten days. The admiral named the river and port San Salvador.”
Farther westward, along the northern side of the island, Columbus
discovered the rivers which he called Rio de la Luna (River of the Moon),
and the Rio de Mares (River of Seas). The houses which were built on the
shores of the latter river, he says, were “the finest he had yet seen,
and thinks, the nearer he approaches the continent, they will continue
to improve. They were of a large size, built in the shape of a tent,
and each collection of them appeared like a camp, without any order of
streets, the houses scattered here and there. Their interiors were found
very clean and neat, well furnished and set in order. The houses were all
built of fine palm branches. They found here many statues shaped like
women, and numerous heads somewhat like masks, well made; whether these
were used as ornaments, or objects of worship, did not appear. Here,
about the houses, were small fowl originally wild, but now tame.”
On Tuesday, the thirtieth of October, “they sailed from the river which
they had named Rio de Mares, and standing to the northwest, discovered a
cape covered with palm trees, which the admiral called Cabo de Palmas;
it is fifteen leagues distant from the place of their departure. The
Indians on board the Pinta signified to the Spaniards, that beyond this
cape was a river, and from this river to Cuba was a distance of a voyage
or a journey of four days. The captain of the Pinta declared that he
understood Cuba to be a city, and that the land here was a continent of
great extent which stretched far to the north; also that the king of this
country was at war with the Grand Khan, whom the Indians called Cami,
and his country or city, Fava and other names. The admiral determined to
steer for this river, and to send a present and the letter of the Spanish
sovereigns to the king.... Seemingly the admiral was forty-two degrees
distant from the equator toward the north, if the manuscript is not
corrupted from which I [Las Casas] have taken this [information], and he
says that he had undertaken to go to the Grand Khan, who, he thinks, was
near there or in the city of Cathay of the Grand Khan, which city is very
large according to what was told before he departed from Spain.”
The vessels having returned on Wednesday to the Rio de Mares from a
short exploration of the coast, the admiral at sunrise, on Thursday,
sent some of his men ashore “to visit the houses they saw there. They
found the inhabitants had all fled, but after some time they espied a
man. The admiral then sent one of his Indians ashore, who called to
him from a distance and bade him not to fear any harm as the Spaniards
were a friendly people, not injuring any one nor belonging to the Grand
Khan, but on the contrary had made many presents of their goods to the
inhabitants of the islands. The natives, having ascertained that no
ill treatment was intended them, regained confidence, and came in more
than sixteen canoes to the vessels, bringing cotton yarn and other
things, which the admiral ordered should not be taken from them, as he
wished them to understand that he was in search of nothing but gold,
which they called _nucay_. All day the canoes passed between the ships
and the shore. The admiral saw no gold among them, but remarks that,
having observed an Indian with a piece of wrought silver in his nose, he
conceived it to be an indication of the existence of that metal in the
country. The Indians informed them by signs that within three days many
traders would come there from the interior to purchase the goods of the
Spaniards to whom the traders would communicate news of the king, who, as
far as could be learned from the signs of the natives, resided at a place
that was a journey of four days from there. They informed the Spaniards
also that many persons had been sent to tell the king respecting the
admiral. These people were found to be of the same race and manners
as those already seen, without any religion that could be discovered.
The Spaniards never saw the Indians who were kept on board the vessels
engaged in any act of worship, but they would, when directed, make the
sign of the cross, and repeat the _Salve_ and _Ave Maria_, with their
hands extended toward heaven. The language is the same throughout these
islands and the people friendly toward one another, which the admiral
says he believes to be the case in all the neighboring parts, and that
they are at war with the Grand Khan, whom they call Cavila, and his
country Bafan. These people go naked as the others.... It is certain,
says the admiral, that this is the continent, and that we are in the
neighborhood of Zayto and Guinsay, a hundred leagues more or less distant
from the one or the other.”[152]
With his thoughts all aglow with his seeming power to prove the
correctness of his geographical conjecture that he had reached the
eastern coast of Asia, Columbus sent from this place, on the second of
November, Rodrigo de Jerez of Ayamonte, and Luis de Torres, a Jew, (the
latter having lived with the adelantado of Murcia, and who knew Hebrew,
Chaldaic, and some Arabic,) and two Indians, into the interior of the
island, with letters to the Grand Khan of Cathay. “He gave them strings
of beads to purchase provisions, and directed them to return within six
days. Specimens of spicery were intrusted to them that they might know if
any thing similar existed in the country. He took care to instruct them
how they should inquire for the king, and what they were to say to inform
him that the king and queen of Castile had dispatched him with letters
and a present for his majesty. Furthermore, the envoys were instructed to
obtain some knowledge of the country, and observe the ports and rivers,
with their distances from the place where the ships lay. Here the admiral
took this night the altitude with a quadrant, and found that he was
forty-two degrees from the equator, and by his calculation eleven hundred
and forty-two leagues from Ferro, and he was confident that it was the
continent.”[153]
Among the noticeable things which the embassadors observed while
journeying into the interior of Cuba was the common use of tobacco by the
natives. “The two Spaniards,” says Las Casas, “met upon their journey
great numbers of people of both sexes: the men always with a firebrand in
their hands and certain herbs for smoking. These were dry and were placed
in a dry leaf, after the manner of those paper tubes which the boys
in Spain use at Whitsuntide. Lighting one end, they drew the smoke by
sucking at the other. This causes drowsiness and a kind of intoxication,
and according to the statement of the natives relieves them from the
feeling of fatigue. These tubes they call by the name of _tabacos_.”[154]
While waiting the return of the embassadors to the Grand Khan, Columbus
acquired some knowledge of the productions of Cuba. “The soil is very
fertile, producing _mames_, a root like a carrot, tasting like chestnuts.
Beans are also found here but very dissimilar to ours; also cotton,
growing spontaneously among the mountains. I am of the opinion that it is
gathered at all seasons of the year, for I observed upon a single plant
blossoms, buds, and open pods. A thousand other productions I have also
observed, which doubtless are of great value, but it is impossible for me
to describe them.”
On the fifth of November, the party sent to the Grand Khan returned,
and gave these particulars of their journey: “After having travelled a
dozen leagues they came to a town containing about fifty houses, where
there were probably a thousand inhabitants; each house containing a
large number of people. The houses were built after the manner of large
tents. The inhabitants received them, after their fashion, with great
ceremony. The men and women flocked to behold them, and they were lodged
in their best houses. They showed their admiration and reverence by
touching the strangers, kissing their hands and feet, and manifesting
astonishment. They imagined them to be from heaven, and signified as
much to them. They were feasted with such food as the natives had to
offer. Upon their arrival at the town the chief men of the place led
them by the arms to the principal building; here they gave them seats,
and the Indians sat upon the ground in a circle round them. The Indians
who had accompanied the Spaniards explained to the natives the manner in
which their strange guests lived, and gave a favorable account of their
character. The men then left the building, and the women entered, and sat
around the Spaniards as the men had done. They kissed their hands and
feet and examined them to see whether they were flesh and bone like their
own.... No village was seen upon the road of a larger size than five
houses.... Great numbers of birds were observed, all different from those
of Spain except the nightingales, which delighted them with their songs.
Partridges and geese were also found in great number. Of quadrupeds they
saw none except dogs that could not bark. The soil appeared fertile and
under good cultivation, producing the _mames_ already mentioned and
beans very dissimilar to ours, as well as the grain called _panic_. They
saw large quantities of cotton, spun and manufactured. A single house
contained more than five hundred _arrobas_[155] of it. Four thousand
quintals might be collected here yearly.... These people are inoffensive
and peaceable. They are unclothed, but the women wear a slight covering
about their loins. Their manners are very decent, and their complexion
not very dark, but lighter than the inhabitants of the Canary Islands. ‘I
have no doubt, most serene sovereigns,’ says the admiral, ‘that were some
proper, devout, and religious persons to come among them and learn their
language, it would be an easy matter to convert them all to Christianity,
and I hope in our Lord that your highnesses will devote yourselves with
much diligence to this object, and bring as great a multitude into the
church, inasmuch as you have exterminated those who refused to confess
the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.’
“I have observed that these people have no religion, neither are they
idolaters, but are a very gentle race, without the knowledge of any
iniquity. They neither kill, steal, nor carry weapons, and are so timid
that one of our men can put a hundred of them to flight, although they
readily sport and play tricks with them. They have the knowledge that
there is a God above, and are firmly persuaded that we have come from
heaven. They quickly learn such prayers as we repeat to them, and also to
make the sign of the cross.’ ...
“Along the Rio de Mares, which I left last evening, [Sunday, the eleventh
of November,] there is undoubtedly considerable mastic, and the quantity
might be increased, for the trees when transplanted easily take root.
They are of a lofty size, bearing leaves and fruit like the lentisk. The
tree, however, is taller and has a larger leaf than the lentisk, as is
mentioned by Pliny, and as I have myself observed in the island of Scio,
in the Archipelago. I ordered many of these trees to be tapped in order
to extract the resin, but as the weather was rainy all the time I was on
the river, I was unable to procure more than a very small quantity, which
I have preserved for your highnesses.... Great quantities of cotton might
be raised here, and sold profitably, as I think, without being carried
to Spain, but to the cities of the Grand Khan, which we shall doubtless
discover, as well as many others belonging to other sovereigns. These may
become a source of profit to your highnesses by trading there with the
productions of Spain and of the other countries of Europe. Here also is
to be found plenty of aloe, which, however, is not of very great value,
but the mastic assuredly is, as it is found nowhere else than in the
previously mentioned island of Scio, where, if I rightly remember, it is
produced to the amount of fifty thousand ducats annually.”
Columbus further remarks, that at this point, near the river which he had
called Rio del Sol, “he found the weather somewhat cold, and, as it was
in the winter, he thought it not prudent to prosecute his discoveries any
farther toward the north.”[156]
[Illustration: A copy of a part of the map of the New World (tabvla
terre nove) contained in the edition of Ptolemy’s Geography printed at
Strasburg in 1513. (This part of the original is 9½ inches long.)]
Speaking of his explorations along the coast of Cuba, in his letter
to Rafael Sanchez, the admiral says: “I sailed along its coast toward
the west, discovering so great an extent of territory that I could not
imagine it to be an island, but the continent of Cathay.... I continued
on my course, still expecting to meet with some town or city, but after
having gone a great distance, and not arriving at any, and finding myself
proceeding toward the north, which I was desirous to avoid on account of
the cold, and, moreover, meeting with a contrary wind, I determined to
return to the south, and therefore put about and sailed back to a harbor
that I had observed.”[157]
On Monday, the twelfth of November, they had sailed by sunset eighteen
leagues, east by south, to a cape which Columbus called Cabo de Cuba.
“On the following Wednesday he entered a spacious and deep harbor,”
containing so many islands that they could not be counted.... He declares
that it is his opinion these islands are the innumerable ones which, on
the maps, are placed at the extreme part of the East, and says that he
believes they contain great riches, precious stones, and spicery, and
extend far to the south, spreading out on each side. He named this place
La Mar de Nuestra Senora, and the port, near the strait that extends to
these islands, Puerto del Principe.
On Wednesday, the twenty-first of November, when the vessels were about
eighty miles southeast of Puerto del Principe, “the admiral” says Las
Casas, “found they were forty-two degrees north of the equator as at
Puerto de Mares,[158] but he says here that he has stopped using the
quadrant until he should go on land that he might mend it. From this
statement it would seem that he doubted that he was so far from the
equator, and he had reason, for it was not likely since these islands
are in ⸺ degrees.[159] To know whether the quadrant was in good working
order, it is said that he took an observation to see if he was north as
high as Castile; and if this be true, and he was as high as Florida, what
is the situation of the islands already mentioned?[160] Moreover, it is
said that the heat was great. It is evident that if he were along the
coast of Florida, it should not have been hot, but cold.[161] And it is
also manifest that in no part of the world in the latitude of forty-two
degrees is great heat experienced except by some accidental cause, and
even this exception I [Las Casas] believe has never been known.”
A number of other places were sailed to by the inquisitive navigator,
which, in the chronological order of their discovery, he named Puerto de
Santa Catalina, Cabo del Pico, Cabo de Campana, and Puerto Santo. At
this last-named harbor, on Saturday, the first of December, “they planted
a cross in the solid rock.” Thence he sailed to Cabo Lindo, and thence to
Cabo del Monte. On Wednesday, the fifth of December, “he determined to
leave Cuba or Juana,[162] which hitherto he had taken for a continent on
account of its size, having sailed along the coast a hundred and twenty
leagues. He therefore left the shore and steered southeast by east, as
the land last discovered appeared in that direction. He took this course
because the wind always came round from the north to northeast, and from
there to east and southeast. It blew hard and they carried all sail,
having a smooth sea and a current favoring them, so that from morning to
one in the afternoon they had sailed eight miles an hour for nearly six
hours. The nights here are said to be nearly fifteen hours long. After
this they went ten miles an hour, and by sunset had sailed toward the
southeast eighty-eight miles, which are twenty-two leagues.”
On Thursday, the sixth of December, Columbus “found himself four leagues
from the harbor named Puerto Maria.” From this place he descried several
headlands to which he respectively gave the names of Cabo del Estrella,
Cabo del Elefante, and Cabo de Cinquin. “There appeared to be between
the two last-mentioned capes a very wide channel, which the sailors said
separated an island from the mainland. This island he named Tortuga. The
land here appeared high, and not mountainous, but even and level, like
the finest arable tracts. The whole or the great part of it seemed to be
cultivated, and the plantations resembled the wheat fields in the plain
of Cordova in the month of May.”
In the evening the ships entered the harbor “which he named Puerto de San
Nicolas, for it was the day of that saint.” On Friday he found the harbor
which he named Puerto de la Concepcion. This harbor “is about a thousand
paces or a quarter of a league wide at the mouth, without a bank or a
shoal, but exceedingly deep to the edge of the beach. It extends almost
three thousand paces, with a fine clear bottom. Any ship may enter it and
anchor without the least hazard. Here are two small streams, and opposite
the mouth of the harbor several plains, the most beautiful in the world,
resembling those of Castile, except that they surpass them. On this
account the admiral named the island Española.”[163]
On Wednesday, the twelfth of December, “a large cross was set up at the
entrance of the harbor upon a beautiful spot upon the western side,
‘as an indication,’ in the words of the admiral, ‘that your highnesses
possess the country, and particularly for a memorial of Jesus Christ, our
Lord, and the mark of Christianity.’ ... The admiral here ascertained
the length of the day and night, and found that from sunrise to sunset
there passed twenty glasses of half an hour each, although he says there
may be some error in the calculation, as the glass may not have been
turned quickly enough, or the contrary. He states further, that he took
an observation with the astrolabe and found the latitude to be seventeen
degrees....
“The people here were all naked, king as well as subjects, the females
showing no evidences of bashfulness. Both sexes were more handsome than
those they had hitherto seen. Their color was light, and if they were
clothed and protected from the sun and air they would almost be as fair
as the inhabitants of Spain. The temperature of the air was cool and
exceedingly pleasant. The land is high, covered with plains and valleys,
and the highest mountains are arable. No part of Castile could produce a
territory comparable to this in beauty and fertility. The whole island
and that of Tortuga are covered with cultivated fields, like the plain of
Cordova. In these they raise _ajes_, which are slips set in the ground,
at the end of which roots grow like carrots. They grate these to powder,
knead it, and make it into bread of a very pleasant taste, like that of
chestnuts. The stalk is set out anew and produces another root, and this
is repeated four or five times. The largest and most excellent that had
been met with anywhere (the admiral says they are also found in Guinea)
were those of this island, being of the size of a man’s leg. The natives
here, according to the statement of the admiral, were stoutly built and
courageous, very different from the timid islanders of the other parts;
agreeable in their intercourse and without any religion.... They saw a
native whom the admiral took to be the governor of the district, and whom
the Indians called the cacique. He had a plate of gold as large as one’s
hand, with which he seemed desirous of bartering. He carried it to his
house and had it cut into pieces, which he traded away one by one.”
One of the caciques of the island sent a messenger to Columbus bearing as
a present to him “a girdle, to which was attached, instead of a pouch, a
mask having the nose, tongue, and ears of beaten gold.”
“I think,” Columbus writes, “no one who has seen these parts can say
less in their praise than I have said. I repeat that it is a matter of
wonder to see the things we have beheld, and the multitudes of people in
this island, which I call Española, and the Indians Bohio. The natives
are singularly agreeable in their intercourse and conversation with
us, and are not like the others, who, when they speak, appear to be
uttering menaces. The figures of the men and women are fine, and their
color is not black, although they paint themselves. The most of them
paint themselves red, others a dark hue, and others different colors,
which, I understand, is done to keep the sun from injuring them. The
houses and towns are very attractive, and the inhabitants live in each
settlement under the rule of a sovereign or judge, to whom they pay
implicit obedience. These magistrates are persons of excellent manners
and great reserve, and give their orders by a sign with the hand, which
is understood by all the people with surprising quickness.”
On Monday, the twenty-fourth of December, as Columbus’s ship, the Santa
Maria, was running along the north side of Española, off the headland
named Punta Santa, “at the end of the first watch, about eleven at night,
when the vessel was about a league distant from the point of land, the
admiral lay down to sleep, having taken no rest for two days and a night.
As the sea was calm, the man at the helm left his post to a boy, and
also went off to sleep, contrary to the explicit orders of the admiral,
who had throughout the voyage forbidden, in calm or storm, the helm to
be intrusted to a boy. The admiral was free from any dread of rocks or
shoals, for the Sunday before, when he sent the sailors in boats to the
king who had invited him to visit him, they had passed three and a half
leagues to the east of Punta Santa, and had surveyed the whole coast for
three leagues beyond that point, and ascertained where the vessels might
pass, a thing never done before in the whole voyage. But as it pleased
our Lord, at midnight there being a dead calm and the sea perfectly
motionless, as in a cup, the whole crew, seeing the admiral had retired,
went off to sleep, leaving the ship in the care of the boy already
mentioned. The current carried her imperceptibly toward the shoals in the
neighborhood, upon which she struck with a noise that could have been
heard a league off.”
Although every thing was done to keep the damaged vessel afloat by
Columbus and the few men who remained on board, “she opened between her
ribs and slowly settled down on the shoal.” On the morning of Christmas
the ship was unloaded with the assistance of the natives, who with their
canoes conveyed the goods in her to the beach. These were afterward
stowed in some houses which the cacique of the region had offered to
Columbus for that purpose. The same ruler afterward gave the admiral a
large mask, with pieces of gold at the ears, eyes, and other parts of it,
and also some jewels of the same metal. “All these things had a great
effect upon the admiral in assuaging his grief for the loss of his ship,
and he became convinced that our Lord had permitted the shipwreck in
order that he might select this place for a settlement.
“‘And to this end,’ he says, ‘so many favorable things conspired, that
it cannot be called a disaster, but a great turn of good fortune, for
if we had not run aground, we should have kept off without anchoring
here, the place being in a large bay inside of two or three shoals.
Neither should I otherwise have been induced to leave any men in these
parts during the voyage; even if I had, I could not have spared them the
needful provisions and materials for their fortification. Many of my crew
have solicited me for permission to remain, and I have to-day [Wednesday,
the twenty-sixth of December] ordered the construction of a fort, with
a tower and a ditch, all to be well built, not that I think such a
fortification necessary as a defence against the inhabitants, for I have
already stated that with my present crew I could subjugate the whole
island, which I believe to be larger than the kingdom of Portugal, and
twice as populous, but that I think it prudent, since the territory is
at such a distance from our country, and that the natives may understand
the genius of the people of your highnesses and what they are able to
perform, so that they may be held in obedience by fear as well as by
love. For this purpose I have directed that a quantity of timber for
the construction of the fort shall be provided, also bread and wine be
left to suffice for more than a year, seed for planting, the long-boat
of the ship, a calker, a carpenter, a gunner, a cooper, and many other
persons of the number of those who have earnestly desired to serve your
highnesses, and oblige me by remaining here and searching for the gold
mine.’”
The admiral further remarks “that every piece of the ship was saved, for
not even so much as a thong, board, or nail was lost, for she was as
complete as when she first sailed, except that which was lost by cutting
her to get out the casks and merchandise. These were carried on shore and
well secured, as has already been mentioned. He adds that he hopes to
find, on his return from Castile, a ton of gold collected by those who
remained, by trading with the natives, and that they will have succeeded
in discovering the mine and the spices, and all these in such quantities
that before three years the king and queen may undertake the recovery of
the holy sepulchre. ‘For I have before proposed to your highnesses,’ he
writes, ‘that the profits of this undertaking should be employed in the
conquest of Jerusalem, at which your highnesses smiled and said you were
pleased, and had the same inclination.’”
“He left on the island of Española, which the Indians called Bohio, a
fort and thirty-nine men, whom he states to have been great friends
of King Guacanagari. Over these he placed Diego de Arana, a native of
Cordova, Pedro Gutierrez, groom of the king’s wardrobe, and Rodrigo de
Escovedo, a native of Seville and nephew of Fray Rodrigo Perez, with all
the powers the king and queen had delegated to him. He left them all the
goods which had been sent for trafficking, a great quantity, and every
thing belonging to the ship which had been wrecked. The goods he directed
should be traded away for gold.”
In commemoration of the day of Christ’s nativity, on which his ship was
wrecked at this place, he called the settlement Villa de la Navidad (city
of the Nativity). He further writes in his journal that “he had heard of
another island behind that of Juana, toward the south, in which there was
a still greater quantity of gold, and where it was found in grains of the
size of a bean.... This island was called by the Indians Yamaye.”[164]
“It was the admiral’s intention to coast farther along the island of
Española, which he might have done upon his homeward course, but as
he considered that the captains of the two caravels were brothers,
namely, Martin Alonso Pinzon and Vicente Yañez, and that they had a
party attached to them, and that they and their partisans had manifested
considerable haughtiness and avarice, disobeying his commands regardless
of the honors he had conferred upon them, which misdemeanors, as well as
the treachery of Martin Alonso, in deserting him,[165] he had winked at,
without complaining, in order not to throw impediments in the way of the
voyage—he thought it best to return home as quickly as possible. He adds
that he had many faithful men among his crews, but resolved to overlook
for the time the behavior of the refractory ones, and not at such an
unfavorable season undertake to punish them.”
On Tuesday, the fifteenth of January, while the caravels were anchored in
the bay which he called the Golfo de las Flechas (the Gulf of Arrows),
he describes the weapons of the natives. “The bows,” he says, “are equal
in size to those of France and England, and the arrows like the javelins
used by the inhabitants of the other islands, which are made of the
stalks of the cane while it is in seed. They are very straight, about
a yard and a half in length, and doubled, with a sharp piece of wood,
a span and a half long, at the end. At the point of this some attach a
fish’s tooth, but the most of them grass.... The bows of the Indians
appear to be made of yew.” The quantity of sea-weed which he found
growing in this bay led Columbus to infer that the Indies were near the
Canary Islands, not more than four hundred leagues distant.
On Wednesday morning, the sixteenth of January, they set sail from
the Golfo de las Flechas, to go to the island of Carib. “After sailing
sixty-four miles, as they estimated, the Indians on board signified that
the island was to the southeast, when they altered their course, and
proceeded in that direction, and after sailing several leagues the wind
freshened and blew very favorably for their return to Spain. The crews
began to grow despondent at leaving their homeward course, on account of
the leaky condition of the vessels, (for there was no remedy for it but
the help of God,) and the admiral found himself constrained to change his
course again, and steer directly for Spain.”[166]
Columbus, afterward writing to Rafael Sanchez respecting his explorations
along the coast of Española, remarks that the island of Española is
“greater in circuit than all of Spain, from Colibre in Catalonia, near
Perpignan, round the coast of the sea of Spain, along Granada, Portugal,
Galicia, and Biscay, to Fuenterabia, at the cape of Biscay.... Each
native, as far as I can understand, has one wife, with the exception of
the king and princes, who are permitted to have as many as twenty. The
women appear to do more work than the men. Whether there exist any such
thing here as private property, I have not been able to ascertain. I have
seen an individual appointed to distribute to the others, especially food
and such things.
“People of an extraordinary description I did not see, neither did I hear
of any, except those of the island Caris, which is the second island on
the way from Española to India. This island is inhabited by a people who
are regarded by their neighbors as exceedingly ferocious. They feed upon
human flesh. These people have many kinds of canoes with which they make
incursions upon all the islands of India, robbing and plundering wherever
they go. Their difference from the others consists in their wearing long
hair like that of women, and in using bows and arrows of cane; these last
constructed, as I have already related, by fixing a piece of sharpened
wood at the larger end. On this account they are considered very
ferocious by the other Indians, and are much feared by them.”[167]
Speaking of the pecuniary profits of the voyage Columbus wrote: “I am
enabled to promise the acquisition, by a trifling assistance from their
majesties, of any quantity of gold, drugs, cotton, and mastic, which
last article is found in the island of Scio; also, any quantity of aloe,
and as many slaves for the service of the marine as their majesties may
need. The same may be said of rhubarb and a great variety of other things
which, I have no doubt, will be discovered by those I have left at the
fort, as I did not stop at any single place, unless obliged to do so by
the weather with the exception of Villa de la Navidad, where we remained
some time to build the fort and provide the necessary means for the
defence of the place.
“Although the discoveries actually accomplished appear great and
surprising, yet I should have achieved much more had I been furnished
with a suitable fleet. Nevertheless the great success of this undertaking
is not to be ascribed to my own merits, but to the holy catholic faith
and to the piety of our sovereigns, the Lord often granting to men what
they never imagine themselves capable of accomplishing, even that which
appears impracticable, for he is accustomed to hear the prayers of his
servants and those who love his commandments. In this way has it happened
to me that I have succeeded in an undertaking never before accomplished
by man.”[168]
On Thursday night, the fourteenth of February, a violent tempest arose,
“the waves crossing and dashing against one another so that the vessel
[the Nina] was overwhelmed, and not able to get out from between them.
The foresail was set very low, in order to carry her somewhat out of her
dangerous situation. They stood under it for three hours, going twenty
miles, when the wind and sea increasing, they began to drive before it,
not having any other deliverance. At the same time the Pinta, in which
was Martin Alonso Pinzon, began to scud likewise, and they soon lost
sight of her, although the two caravels made signals to each other with
lights, until from the fury of the storm they were no longer visible.”
The fear of being lost now overcame Columbus and his men. They prayed and
made many vows. “The admiral ordered that lots should be cast for one of
them [if they safely reached land] to go on a pilgrimage to Santa Maria
of Guadalupe and carry a wax taper of five pounds’ weight. He made them
all to take an oath that the one on whom the lot fell should perform the
pilgrimage. For this purpose as many peas were selected as there were
persons on board. One of the peas was marked with a cross, and all were
shaken together in a cap. The first who put his hand into the cap was the
admiral, and he drew out the crossed pea. So the lot fell on him, and he
considered himself as bound to accomplish the pilgrimage. Another lot
was taken for a pilgrimage to Santa Maria of Loretto, in the province of
Ancona, the territory of the pope, where is the house in which Our Lady
has performed so many miracles. This lot fell on a sailor of Puerto de
Santa Maria, called Pedro de Villa. The admiral promised to furnish him
with the money for his expenses. A third lot was determined upon for
the selection of a person who should watch a whole night in Santa Clara
de Moguer, and have a mass said there. This lot fell on the admiral.
After this he and all the crew made a vow to go in procession, clothed
in penitential garments, to the first church dedicated to Our Lady which
they should meet with on arriving on land, and there pay their devotions.
Besides these general vows, every individual made a private one, all
expecting to be lost, so terrible was the violence of the hurricane.
Their danger was increased by the want of ballast in the vessel, ...
which the admiral had neglected to supply among the islands, because he
wished to husband his time in making discoveries, and expected to take in
ballast at the island of Matinino, which he intended to visit. The only
thing that they could do in this emergency was to fill with sea-water
such empty casks as they could find, and by doing this they obtained some
relief.
“Here the admiral speaks of the circumstances which caused him to fear
that our Lord would suffer them to perish, and of some which made him
hope that he would bring them safe to land, and not allow the important
information they were carrying to the king and queen to be lost. He seems
to have felt the greatest anxiety to have his wonderful discovery known,
so that the world might be convinced that his assertions had been correct
and that he had accomplished what he had professed himself able to do.
The thought of this not being done gave him the greatest disquietude,
and he was constantly apprehending that the most trifling thing might
defeat his whole intention. He ascribes this to his want of faith and
confidence in a divine providence, but comforts himself by reflecting
upon the many mercies God had shown him in having enabled him to succeed
in his project, when so many adversities and hindrances opposed him in
Castile, and afterward to accomplish his great discovery. And as he had
made the service of God the aim and business of his undertaking, and as
he had hitherto favored him by granting all his desires, he indulges in
the hope that he will continue to favor him, and will give him a safe
return. He also remembered that God had delivered him on the outward
voyage, when he had much greater reason to fear; that the eternal God
gave him resolution and courage to withstand his men when they conspired
against him and with a unanimous and menacing determination resolved to
turn back. With these thoughts, and the consideration of other wonderful
favors he had enjoyed, he says he ought not to be in fear of the tempest;
but he adds that his apprehensions and the anguish of his mind would not
allow him to rest. Besides, he continues, his anxiety was increased by
reflecting upon the condition of his two sons whom he had left at their
studies in Cordova,—these would be left orphans in a foreign land, and
the king and queen being ignorant of the services he had rendered them
by the voyage, would not feel any inclination to provide for them. On
this account, and that their highnesses might be informed that our Lord
had granted success to the undertaking in the discovery of the Indies,
and might know that storms did not prevail in those regions (which was
apparent from the plants and trees growing down to the brink of the
sea), he devised the means of acquainting them with the circumstances
of the voyage in case they should perish in the storm. This he did by
writing an account of it on parchment, as full as possible, and earnestly
entreated the finder to carry it to the king and queen of Spain. The
parchment was rolled up in a waxed cloth and well tied. A large wooden
cask being brought, he placed the roll inside of it, and threw the cask
into the sea, none of the crew knowing what it was, but all thinking that
it was some act of devotion.”[169]
On the sixteenth of February the Nina reached the Azores, and two days
afterward was riding at anchor at the island of Santa Maria. Departing
from the Azores on the twenty-fourth of February, the Nina again
encountered another storm, which caused Columbus to take refuge in the
mouth of the river Tagus, on the fourth of March. From this roadstead he
sent a courier overland to Spain bearing the intelligence of his arrival
at this haven on the coast of Portugal, and another to the king of
Portugal to ask permission to anchor in the harbor of Lisbon.
When, on the sixth of March, it became known in Lisbon, says Ferdinand
Columbus, “that the ship came from the Indies, such throngs of people
went aboard to see the Indians and to hear the news, that the vessel
could not contain them, and the water was covered with boats, some of
the people praising God for the success of so great an undertaking, and
others storming because the Portuguese had lost the discovery through
the king’s incredulity.... The next day the king wrote to the admiral
congratulating him on his safe return, and expressing the desire, since
the admiral was in his dominions, that he would visit him [at Valparaiso,
nine leagues from Lisbon].... The king ordered all the nobility of his
court to go out to meet him, and when the admiral came into the presence
of the king, he honored him by commanding him to put on his cap and to
sit down. The king, having heard the particulars of his fortunate voyage,
offered him all he stood in need of for the service of their catholic
majesties, although he thought that as the admiral had been a captain in
the service of Portugal, that the discovery belonged to him. To which the
admiral answered that he knew of no agreement by which he could obtain
it, and that he had strictly obeyed his orders, which were that he should
not go to the mines of Portugal or to Guinea. The king said that it was
all well, and he did not doubt but justice would be done. Having spent
considerable time in this conversation, the king commanded the prior of
Crato, the greatest man then about him, to entertain the admiral, and
show him all civility and respect, which was done accordingly. Having
remained there all Sunday, and all Monday until after mass, the admiral
took leave of the king.... As he was on his way to Lisbon, he passed a
monastery, where the queen was, who sent him an earnest entreaty that
he would not pass by without seeing her. She was much pleased to see
him, and bestowed upon him all the favor and honor that were due to the
greatest lord. That night a messenger came from the king to the admiral,
to inform him that if he wished to go by land to Spain he would attend
him, provide lodgings on the way, and furnish him all that he might
require, as far as the borders of Portugal.
“On Wednesday, the thirteenth of March, two hours after daylight, the
admiral set sail for Seville, and, on Friday following, at noon, arrived
at Saltes, and came to anchor in the port of Palos,[170] from which
he had departed on the third of August, the previous year, 1492, seven
months and eleven days preceding his return.”[171]
Desiring as early as possible to make known his return and his remarkable
discoveries, Columbus, as soon as his vessel came to anchor, sent
letters to several of his friends, in which he gave brief descriptions
of the people and of the islands which he had found, as he believed, in
the eastern part of Asia. One of these letters, that addressed on the
fourteenth of March to Rafael or Gabriel Sanchez, treasurer of Spain, was
shortly afterward translated into Latin and printed at Rome. The title
given to the letter expresses the popular belief respecting the situation
of the discovered islands: “A letter of Christopher Columbus, to whom our
age is greatly indebted, respecting the islands of India lately found
beyond the Ganges.”[172]
Conscious of the greatness of his discovery, Columbus enthusiastically
closes his letter with these words: “And now the king, the queen, the
princes, and all their dominions, as well as the whole of Christendom,
ought to give thanks to our Saviour, Jesus Christ, who has granted us
such an achievement and success. Let processions be ordered, let solemn
festivals be celebrated, let the churches be filled with boughs and
flowers.”
When his father landed at Palos, “he was received there,” says Ferdinand
Columbus, “by all the people in procession, giving thanks to God for
his fortunate success, which, it was hoped, would contribute greatly to
propagate the Christian religion and enlarge their majesties’ dominions.
All the inhabitants of the place considered it a matter of no little fame
that the admiral had sailed from that port, and that most of the men he
had with him belonged to it, though many of them, through [Martin Alonso]
Pinzon’s fault, had been mutinous and disobedient.... The admiral then
proceeded toward Seville, intending to go from there to Barcelona where
their catholic majesties were. He was compelled to tarry a little along
the way thither, though it were ever so little, to satisfy the curiosity
of the people where he went, who came from the neighboring towns to the
road along which he journeyed to see him, the Indians, and the other
things he brought. Proceeding in this manner, he reached Barcelona about
the middle of April, having previously sent their highnesses an account
of the good fortune attending his voyage, which exceedingly pleased
them, and they appointed him a most impressive reception as a man that
had performed for them an extraordinary commission. All the court and
city went out to meet him. Their catholic majesties sat in public in
great state, on costly chairs, under a canopy of gold-cloth; and when he
approached to kiss their hands they arose as to a great lord, and were
unwilling to give him their hands, and caused him to sit down by them.
When he had given them a brief account of his voyage, they permitted him
to retire to his apartment, to which he was attended by all the court.
And he was so highly honored and favored by their highnesses, that when
the king rode about Barcelona, the admiral was on one side of him, and
the Infante Fortuna on the other, for before this, no one rode by the
side of his majesty but the Infante, who was his near kinsman.”[173]
Galvano, speaking of the enthusiasm created by Columbus’s return, says:
“Hereupon there arose so extraordinary a desire to travel among the
Spaniards that they were ready to leap into the sea to swim, if it had
been possible, unto these new lands.”[174]