 
Hardly had the news of Columbus’ approach reached Palos before the people rushed to the harbor to see with their own eyes whether it was true. As the vessel drew near and they recognized upon its deck, one his son, another his brother, a third his friend, and a fourth her husband, a universal outburst of joy rent the air, thousands of arms were outstretched in welcome to the loved strangers, and thousands more shed tears of joy. As Columbus stepped ashore he was greeted by the roar of cannon, the jubilant clang of bells, and the enthusiastic shouts of the multitude. Unmoved by what would have turned the heads of ordinary men, he made it his first duty to declare that the fortunate outcome of his great undertaking was due not to himself but to God. He went immediately to the church in which he had implored the divine favor before his departure, accompanied by his sailors and all the people. After publicly acknowledging his obligations to the Almighty, he proceeded to Barcelona, a city in Catalonia, where the King and Queen of Spain were holding Court. Pinzon had arrived at another Spanish port several days before Columbus, with the intention of being the first to announce the news to the Court, but the King had ordered him not to appear except in the company of Columbus. Thereupon the conceited Pinzon was so disappointed that he fell ill and died in a few days. At every place along his route Columbus was welcomed by extraordinary multitudes from the neighboring regions and heard his name pass admiringly from mouth to mouth. At last he reached Barcelona, where the King and Queen impatiently awaited him. The whole Court household went out to pay him honor. The streets were so densely crowded that it was almost impossible for him to make his way. The procession moved in the following order: Several Indians, in their native costumes, whom Columbus had taken with him, were in the advance; behind them, men carried the gold plates, gold-dust, and gold ornaments which he had brought; then followed others with samples of the products of the newly discovered region, such as balls of cotton yarn, chests of pepper, parrots carried upon long reeds, stuffed animals, and a multitude of other objects which had never been seen in Europe before; at last came Columbus himself, the cynosure of all eyes. THE RETURN OF COLUMBUS FROM HIS FIRST VOYAGE To pay especial honor to Columbus Their Majesties had caused a magnificent throne to be erected in the public square where they awaited him. As he approached them with the intention of kneeling as usual at the foot of the throne, the King extended his hand to him to be kissed and requested him to sit by his side upon a chair placed there for him. Thereupon he modestly told the story of his discoveries and displayed the proofs of them in the objects he had brought. When he had finished his story, both Their Majesties and the multitude of assembled spectators knelt and thanked God that these great discoveries, so rich in advantage to Spain, had been made in their day. Thereupon all the honors which Columbus had asked as reward were granted. He and his whole family were ennobled, and whenever the King rode out, the much-loved Admiral rode at his bridle, an honor which up to that time had been enjoyed only by princes and the royal family. But what pleased him most was the royal order that an entire fleet for a second expedition should be equipped. In the meantime the King sent an ambassador to Rome praying the Pope that he would confirm the Spaniards in possession of the newly discovered regions and all that might yet be discovered by them in the ocean. The Pope, Alexander VI, drew upon a globe a line of demarcation from one pole to another, at a distance of a hundred miles from the Azores, and issued a bull declaring that all land discovered beyond that line should belong to Spain. At that time it was the rule that a prince could hold possession of a newly discovered country only when the Pope, as the divine representative upon earth, had confirmed it. The fleet was fitted out so rapidly that in a short time seventeen excellent vessels waited at Cadiz in readiness to sail. The desire to secure possessions and honor induced an incredible number of men of all classes to apply for participation in the expedition, but Columbus, not being able to accommodate all of them, selected fifteen hundred and paid special attention to the provisioning of the fleet and the procuring of all articles necessary to colonization. All sorts of implements were provided, besides animals unknown in the new world, such as horses, mules, and cows, all the European species of corn, and seeds of many herbs and plants which he believed would grow in that latitude. As he still labored under the delusion that the region discovered by him was a part of India, he gave it the name of West Indies to distinguish it from the real India, because to reach it he had to sail west from Europe. The Indies lying to the eastward were at that time called the East Indies. Everything being ready, the fleet set sail from Cadiz September 25, 1493. Columbus at first directed his course toward the Canary Islands and arrived there October 5. There he took aboard fresh water, wood, and cattle, besides some swine, and set sail again from Ferro, October 13. In twenty days, aided by favoring winds, the fleet had covered a distance of eight hundred miles. On the second of November, thirty-six days after their departure from Spain, the fleet came to anchor off an island which Columbus named Dominica, because he discovered it on the Sunday which in the later Latin was called “Dies Dominica,” or the “Day of the Lord.” Dominica is one of the Lesser Antilles or Caribbean Islands. As he could not find good anchorage there he sailed farther on and shortly discovered several other islands, some of them of considerable size, such as Marie Galante, Guadeloupe, Antigua, Porto Rico, and St. Martin. Upon Guadeloupe they observed a magnificent waterfall plunging over a lofty and jagged cliff with a roar that could be heard three miles away. At first no natives were visible, as they had deserted their huts and fled to the mountains. At last some of the Spaniards who had been sent out brought in two boys who asserted they were not born on the island but had been forcibly carried away, by these natives, from a neighboring island. Soon six women were found who piteously implored help, saying that they had been seized and condemned to slavery. The dreadful news was learned from them that the natives of this island were in the habit of roasting and eating male prisoners taken in their battles, and that the women were carried off by them notwithstanding their piteous appeals. Columbus found that what these women and the cacique, Guakanahari, had told him previously of the barbarous practices of these islanders, was true. Almost everywhere that he landed he met with a hostile reception and everywhere he found traces of the inhuman practice of cannibalism. With horror they saw the bones and skulls of slaughtered human beings lying around almost every dwelling. This and his desire as soon as possible to gladden the Spaniards who had been left at Hispaniola, induced Columbus not to remain longer at these newly discovered islands, especially as it was useless to try to communicate with the natives. He resumed his voyage therefore and, on the twenty-first of the same month, safely arrived at a spot which was only a day’s journey from Fort Navidad. Some of the crew sent ashore returned with the alarming news that they had found the dead bodies of two men on the beach fastened to a piece of wood in the shape of a cross. They could not decide whether they were Europeans or natives as decomposition had made them unrecognizable. This news made Columbus anxious as to what might be disclosed on the following day. He passed a restless night and as soon as the morning broke hastened to discover whether his fears were groundless or not. As he approached the heights of La Navidad he sprang into a boat and was rowed to the shore. How great was his astonishment not to find the Spaniards he had left there nor the fort they had erected, only some fragments of it, torn clothes, broken weapons, and utensils! The sight told him all and, as further evidence of the dreadful fate of the vanished colonists, eleven corpses were found a little distance away, showing the signs of murder. As they were deploring the fate of these unfortunates and considering plans of revenge, the brother of Guakanahari met them and gave them a detailed account of the calamity. It was substantially as follows: Hardly had Columbus sailed when the men left behind disregarded the excellent advice and the instructions he had given them. Instead of treating the natives in a kindly manner they became so unjust and practised so many excesses that the natives, who had regarded these white men as celestial visitors, found that they not only were not better but were much worse than the dark-skinned men. The white commander attempted to restrain them but they paid no heed to his orders or his warnings, refused to obey him, and overran the island, committing robberies and deeds of violence. At last they began to ravage the territory of the cacique of Cibao, where the gold was found. Infuriated by their atrocities, he and his people at last took up arms and overpowered them, then surrounded the fort and fired it. Some of the Spaniards were killed in its defence, others took to their boats but were soon drowned. He further stated that his brother, who had remained faithful, notwithstanding all these outrages, took up arms for the Spaniards but received a wound in a battle with the cacique of Cibao and was still suffering from it. Columbus’ men were eager to take a bloody revenge but he was too wise and humane to consent to any such scheme. He tried to convince them how necessary it was to the safety of this island and the new colony to conciliate and secure the good-will of the natives. He visited Guakanahari and found him still suffering from a wound made not with European but native weapons. The loyal, steadfast conduct of the cacique confirmed the truth of his story. He also sought to convince Columbus in every possible way of his unswerving loyalty and presented him with eight hundred little shells upon which the natives set a high value, besides a hundred gold plates, and three gourds filled with grains of gold, for all of which Columbus gave him several European trifles. After this, Columbus conducted his people to a more comfortable and healthier region where, near the mouth of a little stream, he decided to establish a regularly fortified city in which those remaining would have a safe and convenient dwelling-place. No one was allowed to be an idle spectator. By the united efforts of so many hands the first little city built by Europeans in the New World arose and was named Isabella by Columbus, in honor of his Queen. |
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