  During the building of the city of Isabella Columbus had to contend with a thousand difficulties which only a spirit like his could overcome. The Spaniards, who were naturally lazy, became still less inclined to put forth unnecessary exertion in that hot climate, and loudly protested against a manner of life the demands of which they had not foreseen. They had gone there with glowing expectations of securing great treasures and had been promised an easy, pleasant life, whereas they had to toil day after day with hired men in the blazing sunshine. Again, the unhealthy atmosphere induced sickness and little by little a deprivation of those necessities of life which were indispensable to these European weaklings. Where were the golden mountains which, it was promised them, they should visit? They had no chance to go, for the Admiral was fully determined to complete the work of building the city before he allowed them to penetrate the interior of the island. These were the causes of the discontent which increased day by day and at last led to a conspiracy against the life of Columbus. Fortunately the fire was discovered while it was still smouldering. The ringleaders were overpowered, some of them were punished, and others were sent to Spain to be made an example of. At the same time Columbus besought the King to send him speedily reinforcements of men, besides fresh stocks of provisions. In the meantime, to remove the dissatisfaction and quell the mutinous spirit of his men, he allowed a part of them to make an inland expedition under command of the chevalier Ojeda, and later he conducted one himself, to impress the natives with the sight of a European military force. With this end in view he marched his men in close ranks, with banners flying and with field music playing, and also had his cavalry execute manoeuvres which astonished the natives who had never seen horses before and thought horse and rider were one. The Indians fled to their cabins when they beheld the Spaniards and imagined themselves secure when they had fastened the entrances with fragile bamboos. Their route lay through the gold region of Cibao. All that the natives had said about this region was found correct. The mines were not worked, for the natives would make no effort to find a metal for which they had no use, but in every stream the Spaniards found gold grains which the water had loosened from the mountains and washed down. Delighted with their discovery the Spaniards returned to Isabella. The city was in a wretched plight, the means of subsistence were fast disappearing, for the work of building had left no time for cultivating the land, and sickness was rapidly spreading in that hot, unhealthy region. Fortunately this was not the first time Columbus had had to struggle against difficulties. Previous experience had increased his skill in overcoming them and the repeated dangers to which he had been exposed had made him all the more resolute and steadfast in meeting each new one. Once more he set about overcoming these and restoring quiet. As soon as this was accomplished he decided to go in quest of new discoveries. Appointing his second brother, Don Diego, regent, and placing Pedro de Margrite in command of those remaining behind as captain-general, he himself, with one large and two small vessels, or caravels, put out to sea and sailed to the west. The first important discovery on this voyage was the island of Jamaica. As soon as he had come to anchor he sent a boat’s crew to ascertain whether there was sufficient depth of water for him to enter the harbor. The crew soon encountered a great number of canoes filled with armed natives who strove to prevent a landing. As they could not effect it peaceably they greeted them with such a shower of arrows that the crew had to retreat. As the harbor eventually was found secure Columbus entered it, made some repairs on his vessels, and spent the rest of the time in examining the country. Its conditions seemed to him superior to those of Hispaniola. He made no delay, therefore, in taking possession of it in the name of the King of Spain. From there he sailed to Cuba to see whether that country, previously discovered by him, was an island or part of the mainland. In doing this he encountered a succession of dangerous mishaps, compared with which his previous ones were insignificant. He met with a terrible storm in the most dangerous part of a region entirely unknown to him. He found himself in the midst of rocks and sand bars which threatened the instant destruction of his vessels. He also ran into shallows which made his vessels leak so badly that it required the exertion of his entire crew at the pumps to keep them from sinking. He also had to contend with the dangers of hunger and thirst, and, if by chance they secured subsistence, he was the last to avail himself of it, as he was more solicitous for his companions than for himself. He also had to struggle against the dissatisfaction and despondency of his men, who assailed him with reproaches though he had shared so courageously all their deprivations and dangers. At various landings which he made in Cuba he learned from the natives that it was an island. In some places the air was so full of birds and butterflies that the sun was obscured and the day was as dark as if there were a storm. At the north side of the island they found the ocean thickly filled with little, low islands, to which he gave the general name of the Queen’s Garden. Among these islands they met a canoe filled with fishermen who came on board the Admiral’s vessel to make him a present of their catch. In return Columbus made them some little presents to ensure their friendship. The unceasing and almost superhuman wear of mind and body at last seriously affected his health. Utterly exhausted and unable to sleep, he fell into a lethargy which deprived him of sense and memory. Fearing that he might not recover, they hastened to get back to Isabella as best they could. There he found a remedy for his troubles more potent then any physicians could provide. His favorite brother, Bartolomeo, who had been sent by the King with more men and supplies, had arrived. Thus he had double cause for joy. These two brothers, who were devotedly attached to each other and had similar tastes, had been separated thirteen long years. Bartolomeo’s arrival could not have been more fortunate. The Admiral’s illness and the wretched condition of affairs at Hispaniola required the services of just such an intelligent, brave, and experienced man and, had he not come just when he did, there is little doubt Columbus and the entire colony would have perished. This unexpected good fortune not only worked Columbus’ recovery but placed him in a position to prevent the destruction of the new colony. During his absence everything had been thrown into confusion. Two-thirds of the colony had fallen victims to the diseases common in that latitude. Margrite, who had been made captain-general, had become a rebel, but as he could not carry out his purposes, had escaped to Spain upon one of the vessels with Buil, his fellow-conspirator. The soldiers under his command were scattered over the island without a leader and had committed all kinds of outrages. Because of this the natives had become embittered toward the Spaniards and had murdered many of them. Such were the conditions which threatened the destruction of the young colony. The worst of all was the fact that the natives, hitherto so peaceful and friendly, at last began to realize the danger which menaced them. Made wiser by their experiences, they looked into the future and saw, with a shudder, that a longer stay of these strangers, whom they at first had reverenced, meant famine and slavery for them. With the idle life to which they were accustomed, and in that hot climate, very little food was required for daily subsistence. A handful of maize and a little roasted cassava These observations and the daily spectacle of deeds of violence committed by the Spaniards, at last convinced the natives they must either throw off the yoke or forever wear it. They had courage enough to make the attempt. They took up arms and united themselves under their caciques into a large army, numbering about one hundred thousand. Columbus did not shrink before the danger confronting the colony though he deeply deplored the bitterness which had been caused among the natives by the outrages committed by his inferiors. His chief hope, that these poor and ignorant heathen might be led to accept the Christian religion, was now dissipated and he realized that blood must be shed among those who might have lived together peaceably. In the midst of these discouragements the faithful Guakanahari visited him and tendered him his sympathy and help. This steadfast friend of the Europeans had already incurred the enmity of the other caciques for protecting the strangers; and hence, in self-defence, it became necessary for him to side with the Spaniards. Columbus cordially thanked him and accepted the service of his warriors. |
|
