PARLEY TELLS HOW COLUMBUS DISCOVERS THE CONTINENT OF AMERICA.
Columbus, having been furnished with six vessels of no great burden,
departed on his third voyage. He touched at the Canaries and at the Cape
de Verd islands; from the former he despatched three ships with a supply
of provisions for the colony of Hispaniola; with the other three he
continued his voyage to the south.
Nothing remarkable occurred till they were within five degrees of the
line; then they were becalmed, and the heat became so excessive, that
the wine casks burst and their provisions were spoiled.
The Spaniards, who had never ventured so far to the south, were afraid
the ships would take fire, but they were relieved in some measure from
their fear by a seasonable fall of rain.
This, however, though so heavy and incessant that the men could hardly
keep the deck, did not greatly mitigate the heat, and Columbus was at
last constrained to yield to the importunities of his crew, and to alter
his course to the north-west, in order to reach some of the Caribbee
islands, where he might refit and be supplied with provisions.
On the 1st of August, 1498, the man stationed at the round-top surprised
them with the joyful cry of "Land!" They stood towards it, and
discovered a considerable island, which the admiral called Trinidad, a
name it still retains, and near it the mouth of a river, rolling towards
the ocean such a vast body of water, and rushing into it with such
impetuous force, that when it meets the tide, which on that coast rises
to an uncommon height, their meeting occasions an extraordinary and
dangerous swell of the waves.
In this conflict, the irresistable torrent of the river so far
prevails, that it freshens the ocean many leagues with its flood.
Columbus, before he could perceive the danger, was entangled among these
adverse currents and tempestuous waves; and it was with the utmost
difficulty that he escaped through a narrow strait, which appeared so
tremendous, that he called it "The Dragon's Mouth."
As soon as his consternation permitted him to reflect on an appearance
so extraordinary, he justly concluded that the land must be a part of
some mighty continent, and not of an island, because all the springs
that could rise, and all the rain that could fall on an island, could
never, as he calculated, supply water enough to feed so prodigiously
broad and deep a river; and he was right, the river was the Oronoko.
Filled with this idea, he stood to the west, along the coast of those
provinces which are now known by the name of Paria and Cumana. He landed
in several places, and found the people to resemble those of Hispaniola
in their appearance and manner of life.
They wore as ornaments small plates of gold and pearls of considerable
value, which they willingly exchanged for European toys. They seemed to
possess greater courage and better understandings than the inhabitants
of the islands.
The country produced four-footed animals of several kinds, as well as a
great variety of fowls and fruits.
The admiral was so much delighted with its beauty and fertility, that,
with the warm enthusiasm of a discoverer, he imagined it to be the
Paradise described in Scripture.
Thus Columbus had the glory of discovering the new world, and of
conducting the Spaniards to that vast continent which has been the seat
of their empire and the source of their treasure, in that quarter of the
globe. The shattered condition of his ships and the scarcity of
provisions, made it now necessary to bear away for Hispaniola, where he
arrived wasted to an extreme degree with fatigue and sickness.
Many revolutions had happened in that country during his absence, which
had lasted more than two years.
His brother, whom he had left in command, had, in compliance with advice
which he had given him before his departure, removed the colony from
Isabella to a more commodious station on the opposite side of the
island, and laid the foundation of St. Domingo, which long continued to
be the most considerable town in the new world.
Such was the cruelty and oppression with which the Spaniards treated the
Indians, and so intolerable the burden imposed upon them, that they at
last took arms against their oppressors; but these insurrections were
not formidable. In a conflict with timid and naked Indians, there was
neither danger nor doubt of victory.
A mutiny which broke out among the Spaniards, was of a more dangerous
nature, the ringleader in which was Francisco Roldan, whom Columbus,
when he sailed for Spain, had appointed chief judge, and whose duty it
was to have maintained the laws, instead of breaking them.
This rebellion of Roldan, which threatened the whole country with ruin,
was only subdued by the most wise and prudent conduct on the part of
Columbus; but order and tranquillity were at length apparently restored.
As soon as his affairs would permit, he sent some of his ships to Spain,
with a journal of the voyage which he had made, and a description of the
new continent which he had discovered, and also a chart of the coast
along which he had sailed, and of which I shall have something more to
tell you presently.
He at the same time sent specimens of the gold, the pearls, and other
curious and valuable productions which he had acquired by trafficking
with the natives.
He also transmitted an account of the insurrection in Hispaniola, and
accused the mutineers of having, by their unprovoked rebellion, almost
ruined the colony.
Roldan and his associates took care to send to Spain, by the same
ships, apologies for their mutinous conduct, and unfortunately for the
happiness of Columbus, their story gained most credit in the court of
Ferdinand and Isabella.
By these ships Columbus granted the liberty of returning to Spain to all
those, who, from sickness or disappointment, were disgusted with the
country. A good number of such as were most dissatisfied, embraced this
opportunity of returning to Europe. The disappointment of their
unreasonable hopes inflamed their rage against Columbus to the utmost
pitch, and their distress made their accusations be believed.
A gang of these disorderly ruffians, who had been shipped off to free
the island from their seditions, found their way to the court at
Grenada. Whenever the king or queen appeared in public, they surrounded
them, insisting, with importunate clamours, on the payment of arrears
due to them, and demanding vengeance on the author of their sufferings.
These endeavours to ruin Columbus were seconded by Fonseca, who was now
made bishop of Badajos, and who was entrusted with the chief direction
of Indian affairs. This man had always been an implacable enemy of
Columbus, and with others of his enemies who were about the court,
having continual access to the sovereign, they were enabled to aggravate
all the complaints that were urged against him, while they carefully
suppressed his vindications of himself.
By these means Ferdinand was at last induced to send out Bobadilla, an
officer of the royal household, to inquire into the conduct of Columbus,
and if he should think the charges against him proved, to supersede him
in his command, that is, to send him home, and make himself governor in
his stead; so that it was the interest of the judge to pronounce the
person guilty whom he was sent to try.
On his arrival he found Columbus absent in the interior of the island;
and as he had, before he landed, made up his mind to treat him as a
criminal, he proceeded at once, without any inquiry, to supersede him
in his command.
He took up his residence in Columbus' house, from which the owner was
absent, seized upon his arms, gold, plate, jewels, books, and even his
letters and most secret manuscripts, giving no account of the property
thus seized, but disposing of it as if already confiscated to the crown;
at the same time he used the most unqualified language when speaking of
Columbus, and hinted that he was empowered to send him home in chains;
thus acting as if he had been sent out to degrade the admiral, not to
inquire into his conduct.
As soon as Columbus arrived from the interior, Bobadilla gave orders to
put him in irons and confine him in the fortress, and so far from
hearing him in his defence, he would not even admit him to his presence;
but having collected from his enemies what he thought sufficient
evidence, he determined to send both him and his brother home in chains.
The charge of conducting the prisoners to Spain was committed to Alonzo
Villejo, a man of honourable conduct and generous feelings. When Villejo
entered with the guard to conduct him on board the caravel, Columbus
thought it was to conduct him to the scaffold. "Villejo" said he,
"whither are you taking me?" "To the ship, your excellency, to embark,"
replied the other. "To embark!" repeated the admiral, earnestly,
"Villejo, do you speak the truth?" "By the life of your excellency,"
replied the honest officer, "it is true."
With these words the admiral was comforted, and felt as restored from
death to life, for he now knew he should have an opportunity of
vindicating his conduct. The caravel set sail in October, bearing off
Columbus shackled like the vilest criminal.
The worthy Villejo, as well as Andries Martin, the master of the
caravel, would have taken off his irons, but to this he would not
consent. "No," said he proudly, "their majesties commanded me, by
letter, to submit to whatever Bobadilla should order in their name; by
their authority he has put upon me these chains; I will wear them till
they shall order them to be taken off, and I will afterwards preserve
them as relics and memorials of the reward of my services."
[Illustration]
The arrival of Columbus, a prisoner and in chains, produced almost as
great a sensation as his triumphant return on his first voyage.
A general burst of indignation arose in Cadiz and in Seville, which was
echoed through all Spain, that Columbus was brought home in chains from
the world he had discovered.
The tidings reached the court of Grenada, and filled the halls of the
Alhambra with murmurs of astonishment.
On the arrival of the ships at Cadiz, Columbus, full of his wrongs, but
not knowing how far they had been authorized by his sovereigns, forbare
to write to them; but he sent a long letter to a lady of the court, high
in favour with the queen, containing, in eloquent and touching language,
an ample vindication of his conduct.
When it was read to the noble-minded Isabella, and she found how grossly
Columbus had been wronged, and the royal authority abused, her heart was
filled with sympathy and indignation.
Without waiting for any documents that might arrive from Bobadilla,
Ferdinand and Isabella sent orders to Cadiz, that he should be instantly
set at liberty, and treated with all distinction, and sent him two
thousand ducats to defray his expenses to court. They wrote him a
letter at the same time, expressing their grief at all that had
happened, and inviting him to Grenada.
He was received by their majesties with the greatest favour and
distinction. When the queen beheld this venerable man approach, and
thought on all he had deserved and all he had suffered, she was moved to
tears.
Columbus had borne up firmly against the injuries and wrongs of the
world, but when he found himself thus kindly treated, and beheld tears
in the benign eyes of Isabella, his long suppressed feelings burst
forth, he threw himself upon his knees, and for some time could not
utter a word for the violence of his tears and sobbings.
Ferdinand and Isabella raised him from the ground and endeavoured to
encourage him by the most gracious expressions.
As soon as he had recovered his self-possession, he entered into an
eloquent and high-minded vindication of his conduct, and his zeal for
the glory and advantage of the Spanish crown.
The king and queen expressed their indignation at the proceedings of
Bobadilla, and promised he should be immediately dismissed from his
command.
The person chosen to supersede Bobadilla was Nicholas de Ovando. While
his departure was delayed by various circumstances, every arrival
brought intelligence of the disasterous state of the island under the
administration of Bobadilla.
He encouraged the Spaniards in the exercise of the most wanton cruelties
towards the natives, to obtain from them large quantities of gold. "Make
the most of your time," he would say, "there is no knowing how long it
will last;" and the colonists were not backward in following his advice.
In the meantime the poor Indians sunk under the toils imposed upon them,
and the severities with which they were enforced.
These accounts hastened the departure of Ovando, and a person sailed
with him, in order to secure what he could of the wreck of Columbus'
property.