 
Diego, Columbus’ eldest son, after the death of his great father, urged the demand for the fulfilment of the contract made by the King, by virtue of which the government of the West Indies was vested in his family for all time, but it was all in vain. Ferdinand displayed the same prejudice and injustice to the son that he had to the father. All Diego’s representations and appeals for justice were disregarded. At last he ventured to appeal from the King to the judge whose duty it was to investigate and settle all questions pertaining to America. To the everlasting glory of this tribunal be it said that the judge had the courage to decide against the King and in favor of the heirs of Columbus, and to declare that Diego must have the rights which were denied his father. Notwithstanding this, in all likelihood the King would have paid little attention to the decision had it not been that Diego brought strong influence to bear upon him. Elevated in rank by the decision of the highest court in the Spanish kingdom, he asked for the hand of the daughter of one of the most distinguished men in the country, niece of a Duke of Alva, and no objection was offered. This powerful family urged the King so persistently and emphatically to carry out his contract that he at last surrendered and conceded Diego’s claims. Ovando was recalled and the Columbus family, victorious over jealousy and injustice, embarked for Hispaniola. Accompanied by his brother, his uncle, and his wife, Diego sailed for Hispaniola with almost kingly pomp, and lived there in all the splendor which was due to the great service his father had rendered Spain. A great number of persons of rank followed him there. In a short time the colony presented an entirely different aspect and many of the most flourishing and distinguished families in Spanish America are descendants of those who accompanied Diego. During Ovando’s administration a certain Juan Ponce A young Spaniard, wandering about the island and feeling himself absolutely secure, came to the cabin of one of the headmen among the natives to spend the night with him. He was graciously received and hospitably entertained. The next morning his host assigned some Indians to accompany him, partly to carry his bundles, and partly to act as guides. They had been instructed in the meantime what to do. Coming to a river, one of the Indians offered to carry the Spaniard across and took him upon his back. When they were in the middle of the stream he intentionally fell, managing to submerge the Spaniard. With the help of his companions the Indian kept the victim under water until he was drowned. Then they dragged his body ashore. But their conviction of the immortality of the Spaniards was so strong that they were not even then certain the young Spaniard was actually dead. Although the dead man gave no sign of life they remained by him three days, unceasingly praying for pardon, because they still feared that he might come to life again. At last, when convinced he was actually dead, they hastened to bring the joyful news to the cacique that the white men were mortal and could die. He did not need to know more. He conveyed the news to the other caciques and they at once courageously determined to get rid of their tyrants by force. But what could a naked, unwarlike people accomplish against trained warriors armed with swords and muskets and provided with horses and hounds? They had a great advantage in point of numbers, for over a hundred of them could surround and murder one Spaniard, but they paid the penalty for it with the loss of their freedom and happiness, for when the Spaniards discovered their plan of killing them individually, Ponce massed his warriors, who were mostly veterans, hunted the Indians in their hiding-places, slew them wherever he found them, and made slaves of those who were not killed. While engaged in this murderous business, reinforcements came from Hispaniola which impressed the superstitious islanders with the belief that the dead Spaniards had come to life again and that it was of no use longer to contend against those who could not die. Victims of their own ignorance, they bowed their necks under the hard yoke of slavery which was now mercilessly put upon them. In their accounts of the Porto Rico slaughtering the historians of the time cannot sufficiently praise the cunning and courage of a great hound, named Bezerillo, and the astonishing deeds he performed. He knew, they said, how to distinguish the Indian friends and enemies of his masters. The Indians were more afraid of ten Spaniards with this dog than of a hundred without him. Before the outbreak they used to give the Spaniards all the provisions, gold, and even slaves they asked for to save themselves from being harmed by the dog. The following story of his cunning is also told: Some inhuman Spaniards took delight in tormenting an old Indian woman whom they disliked. Upon one occasion they sent her off with a letter. She had hardly set out before Bezerillo was let loose to run her down. He fiercely pursued her but the woman threw herself upon her knees, showed the dog the letter, and said: “O, gracious Sir Hound! I pray your grace, spare me! I must deliver this letter to the Christians!” The dog, as if he clearly understood her, wagged his tail and trotted back to his masters without doing her any harm. The happiness of these poor natives was gone forever. The discoveries and conquests of the Spaniards rapidly increased. The first step which Diego took for the extension of his sway and the increase of the royal possessions was the founding of a colony on the island of Cubagua, discovered by his father, to engage in pearl fisheries. These pearls grow in certain mussels and oysters, not only in the sea but also in rivers, and have to be taken from the bottom. Some think that they come from a disease of the shellfish, but this much is certain, that the material of the pearls at first is a juice which comes from the body of the fish and gradually hardens. The pearl-fishers, who are mostly poor men, dive into the water and bring them up. Diego conceived that the work of these Indians, who were used to swimming and diving, could be more profitably employed in this manner than in mining. He sent a number of them with the necessary European overseers to Cubagua, where his father had found that the waters abounded in pearls. The profits of the fisheries both for the King and the governor were exceedingly large, but the unfortunate natives employed in the fishing found the work so unhealthy and dangerous that most of them were lost. The general barrenness of the island soon compelled the colony to leave and settle in the adjacent island of Margarita. About this time Diego took possession of the island of Jamaica. A colony was established and the natives soon found themselves destined to the same fate which had overtaken their brethren in Hispaniola and Porto Rico. Next in order came Cuba. Diego assigned its conquest to Velasquez, “This is well,” replied Hatuey, “but one thing more is necessary, my good people, if our efforts to save ourselves from the tyrants are to be successful. Do you know why they never come here to look for their God among us? Do you know who their God is? See him here! This is he!” As he said this he showed them a basket of gold, and assured them this worthless metal was their God, for whom they were venturing everything and seeking to hold possession of the island. “Let us hasten,” he said, “to celebrate this deity of the Christians and secure His protection.” Then in the Indian fashion they began singing and dancing around the basket. The festivity was kept up until late into the night and did not cease until the entire company had succumbed to weariness and exhaustion. On the next day Hatuey summoned them together again and told them that, notwithstanding the honors they had paid to this deity, he was not sure they would be safe so long as He remained on the island. “It is useless,” he exclaimed, “to hide Him. If you should swallow Him they would cut you to pieces to find Him in your insides. So let us throw Him into the sea so that He shall be no longer upon our island.” His advice was promptly followed. They gathered all the gold they could find and threw it into the ocean. Notwithstanding this action the Spanish flags were soon waving on their shores. Hatuey courageously hastened to meet the foe. A battle ensued. The natives were soon beaten and put to flight. Hatuey himself was taken prisoner and, as a terrible example to other caciques, was sentenced to be burned alive. As he was standing at a pile of fagots, bound to a stake, a Franciscan approached to describe heaven to him, the place of the blessed after death. “Do the Spaniards also go to this blessed place?” inquired Hatuey. “Certainly,” replied the monk; “but only the good ones.” “That is good for nothing,” answered Hatuey, “I will go to no place where I shall be in danger of meeting one of them.” This dreadful act of barbarity inspired the natives all over Cuba with such fear that they no longer thought of resistance but willingly subjected themselves to the Spanish yoke. Thus in a few days the Spaniards conquered one of the greatest and most beautiful islands in the world without losing a man. About this time various expeditions were sent out to the mainland and preparations were made to establish colonies and subject the natives. Ponce, the conqueror of Porto Rico, heard from several natives a story that was commonly believed by those simple people. According to this story there was an island toward the north and a wonderful fountain upon it whose water had the remarkable effect of making the person who drank it young and strong again. Absurd as the story was, it so excited the curiosity of the credulous Ponce that he determined to search for the wonderful fountain. With this purpose in view he set sail from Porto Rico, directing his course northward toward the Lucayan Islands. After reaching the twenty-sixth degree of north latitude he changed his course to the west and found to his great delight a large, beautiful country, which we now know to have been a part of North America, to which Ponce afterward gave the name of Florida, either because it had such a blooming appearance or because its discovery was made at the season which is known as Easter day, or, as it is called in Spanish, “Pascua florida,” or “Flowery Easter.” Thus a very silly story led to a most important discovery. The attention of the Spaniards was shortly directed to another part of the world, which had hitherto been entirely unknown to them. They conjectured the existence of a country in the same latitude as that of the great rich Mexico, but no one had yet tried to find it. The famous man who opened up this country to Europeans was Cortes. |
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