PREPARING FOR A SECOND VOYAGE
Once the story of the first voyage had been digested, all thoughts were
turned toward preparations for the next. Indeed, while Columbus was
still in Sevilla on his way to Barcelona he had received a letter from
the monarchs asking him what they could do to help him accomplish a
second voyage, and he had sent them a list of his needs in the way of
men, ships, and supplies. This the royal officers now brought out and
the sovereigns went over it carefully with their new Admiral.
Now began the test of Don Cristobal Colon, _not_ as an intrepid
mariner, but as a business man cooperating with other business men in
the colonizing, Christianizing, and commercializing of the new
territories. In this matter he was to be associated with the powerful
Juan de Fonseca. This Bishop Fonseca was very keen and efficient, but
worldly, and vindictive toward those who opposed him in any way. To keep
his good will needed much tact. He was not long in deciding that the
great navigator had neither tact nor business ability; so he snubbed him
accordingly, and made his path a hard one.
Knowing, as we do, that to-day Spain possesses not an inch of territory
in the New World she discovered and opened up, that other nations have
reaped where she sowed, we are prone to conclude that it was all bad
management on her part. But this is not entirely true. So far as
colonizing could be managed from the home country, Spain faced her new
responsibility with great energy. Immediately a sort of board of trade,
or bureau of discovery, was organized, with the capable Bishop Fonseca
at its head. This was called the Casa de Contratacion and its
headquarters were at Sevilla; for Sevilla, though fifty miles up the
Guadalquivir River, is practically a seaport. Cadiz was appointed the
official harbor for vessels plying between Spain and the Indies. This
meant the decline of proud Barcelona, but naturally a port nearer the
Atlantic had to be chosen. Customhouses were established in Cadiz, and
special licenses were issued to intending traders. Botanists were called
upon to decide which Spanish fruits and vegetables might best be
transplanted to the new islands; arrangements were made for shipping
horses (which were lacking there), also sheep and cows.
Plans were soon drawn up for towns and cities--not mere log-cabin
villages such as the later English and Dutch colonists were content
with--and a handsome cathedral was to be begun in Haiti, and filled
with paintings and carvings and other works of art. In fact, no material
detail was overlooked to make the new settlements worthy of their mother
country. Where the effort failed was in selecting the men to be sent
out, not in the things sent. If only the proper individuals had been
sent to Columbus's islands, all these other details might have taken
care of themselves in the course of time.
The second expedition was to be on a very large scale. It had to be
assembled quickly lest other nations, learning of the discovery, or the
one nation that had already learned of it, might get there first;
wherefore Fonseca and Columbus were authorized to buy, at their own
price, any boat lying in any port of Andalusia that was suitable for the
long journey; if its owner protested against the price named, they had
authority to seize it. The same system applied to provisions and other
equipment for the voyage--these must be given at the government's price,
else the government, represented by Columbus and Fonseca, would seize
them. Lastly, these two could compel any mariner to embark on the fleet,
and could fix his wages, whether he wished to go or not.
The money for this second expedition came from a source which Spain has
no reason to be proud of today, but which she had small reason to be
ashamed of in the sixteenth century. It was the confiscated wealth of
the Jews who, as enemies of Christianity, had been banished from the
kingdom the year before. Columbus's "one eighth of the expense," which
by the contract of Santa Fe he was bound to supply, he had no means of
furnishing, since he had not yet reached lands rich enough to yield it.
It was at the end of May that Columbus left Barcelona, hoping soon to
embark again for his "Indies." There was indeed every reason for haste,
since King John of Portugal had lost no time in presenting his claims to
Rome.
We have already mentioned the important part which prelates played in
the affairs of their countries. Similarly, the Pope played an important
part in international affairs; and that is why a Pope had made the
Portuguese treaty of 1470, and why King John now sought its enforcement
by the present Pope. But Ferdinand and Isabella also were hurrying
messengers to Rome. The pontiff at this time happened to be not an
Italian but a Spaniard, Alexander Borgia, born a subject of Ferdinand's
own kingdom of Aragon. Ferdinand knew well how to judge this shrewd
Aragonese character, and what arguments were most likely to appeal to
it. He told the Spanish ambassadors to say that Spain would immediately
set to work to convert the vast new lands to Christianity; that the
Spanish explorers would take great care not to intrude into Portugal's
African Indies, which shows how confused geography still was in
everybody's mind; and that, whatever the Pope's decision, Spain would
defend her discoveries from any other claimant. This being made clear,
the ambassadors were to present Ferdinand and Isabella's supplication
that a papal bull, or decree, might be issued, granting them all lands
discovered in the past and future by their Admiral Don Cristobal Colon.
Ferdinand of Spain being now a much more powerful king than John of
Portugal, the Pope granted all that Spain asked, but was careful not to
admit that Columbus had discovered the real India; for the bull refers
only to "insulae et terra firma remota et incognita" or "islands and a
remote and unknown mainland."
Meanwhile, all sorts of intrigues were going on between the two
monarchs. John had spies at Ferdinand's court to discover the
negotiations with Rome, and others to find out how Columbus's
preparations were getting along; Ferdinand also sent spies to Portugal.
These reported a Portuguese plan for seizing the western lands before
Columbus could return to them. This came to nothing, however, through
John's fear of the Pope; and well for Spain that John did fear the power
of Rome, for it took Columbus so long to gather his second fleet that
there would have been ample time for the Portuguese mariners to cross
the Atlantic ahead of him.
The very measures that had been devised to help the second departure
retarded it. Shipowners and provision dealers, in spite of royal orders,
fought for fair prices and would not sell; and as for assembling crews
for the ships, the difficulty was _not_, as in the first
expedition, in getting men to go, but in keeping them back. If only
Columbus had not talked gold, gold, gold! If only he could have
refrained from exaggerating, and had simply stated that he had found
some wild islands whose people had not a glimmering of civilization and
who possessed but few golden trinkets! Had he not deceived the people
and himself, only those would have joined the expedition who had the
true, fine, adventurous spirit; or those who, seeking a new home, wished
to settle down in new territory and develop it; but instead, men thought
only of the vast wealth to be easily picked up--they would not even have
to dig for it! Thus the expedition attracted mainly men of doubtful
character who wanted to become rich quickly. Others offered themselves
who wanted nothing more than excitement and novelty; others had dark
schemes of breaking away from all restraint, once they reached the new
land, and carrying on any sort of robbery or traffic that might offer
profit; while still others were priests who thought only of converting
the heathen. If ever men engaged upon an undertaking that required
endurance, hard work, sound common sense, and a practical knowledge of
how to tackle any task that might present itself, this was the occasion.
Yet the men who came forward lacked exactly these indispensable
qualities.
No doubt Columbus and Fonseca picked the best of them; but the
misfortune was that Columbus, who should have known what the business
ahead of them required, did not know how to judge men; and the shrewd
archbishop, who _did_ know how to judge men, had no idea what the
occasion was going to demand of them; and thus they chose men for the
second trip to the new lands who were utterly unsuitable.
Nearly all the two thousand who applied for permission to sail were
personally interviewed by the Admiral, which must have taken much time;
besides, he was busy buying wheat and flour, hard biscuit, salt pork and
fish, cheese, peas, beans, lentils, wine, oil, and vinegar, as well as
honey, almonds, and raisins for Don Cristobal's own table. It was just
about the same food that a sailing vessel would carry to-day, with the
exception of tea and coffee; for Portugal had not then discovered the
lands from which these two beverages were to be introduced into Europe.
All these preparations were watched by two eager-faced boys who no doubt
often said to each other, "I hope father will think us old enough to go
with him on his next voyage!" For the Admiral had brought little Diego
and Fernando along to Sevilla and Cadiz, so that he might see them every
day before the long separation.
Finally, on September 25, 1493, all was ready and the anchors were
hoisted. How different it was from that first fearful sailing out of
Palos in 1492. This time the fleet was magnificent; seventeen vessels,
all newly calked and painted; about fifteen hundred men, all happy and
hopeful; and on shore, instead of a populace wringing its hands in
dismay, a populace cheering and making music and flying banners, and
actually envying the lucky ones who were starting off to the wonderful
new lands where they could pick up gold!