THE LANDING ON THE TWELFTH OF OCTOBER--THENATIVES AND THEIR NEIGHBORS--SEARCH FOR GOLD-CUBA DISCOVERED--COLUMBUS COASTS ALONG ITSSHORES.
It was on Friday, the twelfth of October, that they saw this island,which was an island of the Lucayos group, called, says Las Casas, "in thetongue of the Indians, Guanahani." Soon they saw people naked, and theAdmiral went ashore in the armed boat, with Martin Alonzo Pinzon and,Vicente Yanez, his brother, who was captain of the Nina. The Admiralunfurled the Royal Standard, and the captain's two standards of the GreekCross, which the Admiral raised on all the ships as a sign, with an F. and aY.; over each letter a crown; one on one side of the {"iron cross symbol"}
and the other on the other. When they were ashore they saw very greentrees and much water, and fruits of different kinds.
"The Admiral called the two captains and the others who went ashore,and Rodrigo Descovedo, Notary of the whole fleet, and Rodrigo Sanchezof Segovia, and he said that they must give him their faith and witnesshow he took possession before all others, as in fact he did take possessionof the said island for the king and the queen, his lord and lady. . . . Soonmany people of the island assembled. These which follow are the verywords of the Admiral, in his book of his first navigation and discovery ofthese Indies."October 11-12. "So that they may feel great friendship for us, andbecause I knew that they were a people who would be better delivered andconverted to our Holy Faith by love than by force, I gave to some of themred caps and glass bells which they put round their necks, and many otherthings of little value, in which they took much pleasure, and they remainedso friendly to us that it was wonderful.
"Afterwards they came swimming to the ship's boats where we were.
And they brought us parrots and cotton-thread in skeins, and javelins andmany other things. And they bartered them with us for other things, whichwe gave them, such as little glass beads and little bells. In short, they took everything, and gave of what they had with good will. But it seemed to methat they were a people very destitute of everything.
"They all went as naked as their mothers bore them, and the women aswell, although I only saw one who was really young. And all the men Isaw were young, for I saw none more than thirty years of age; very wellmade, with very handsome persons, and very good faces; their hair thicklike the hairs of horses' tails, and cut short. They bring their hair abovetheir eyebrows, except a little behind, which they wear long, and never cut.
Some of them paint themselves blackish (and they are of the color of theinhabitants of the Canaries, neither black nor white), and some paintthemselves white, and some red, and some with whatever they can get.
And some of them paint their faces, and some all their bodies, and someonly the eyes, and some only the nose.
"They do not bear arms nor do they know them, for I showed themswords and they took them by the edge, and they cut themselves throughignorance. They have no iron at all; their javelins are rods without iron,and some of them have a fish's tooth at the end, and some of them otherthings. They are all of good stature, and good graceful appearance, wellmade. I saw some who had scars of wounds in their bodies, and I madesigns to them [to ask] what that was, and they showed me how peoplecame there from other islands which lay around, and tried to take themcaptive and they defended themselves. And I believed, and I [still] believe,that they came there from the mainland to take them for captives.
"They would be good servants, and of good disposition, for I see thatthey repeat very quickly everything which is said to them. And I believethat they could easily be made Christians, for it seems to me that they haveno belief. I, if it please our Lord, will take six of them to your Highnessesat the time of my departure, so that they may learn to talk. No wildcreature of any sort have I seen, except parrots, in this island."All these are the words of the Admiral, says Las Casas. The journal ofthe next day is in these words:
Saturday, October 13. "As soon as the day broke, many of these mencame to the beach, all young, as I have said, and all of good stature, a veryhandsome race. Their hair is not woolly, but straight and coarse, like horse hair, and all with much wider foreheads and heads than any other people Ihave seen up to this time. And their eyes are very fine and not small, andthey are not black at all, but of the color of the Canary Islanders. Andnothing else could be expected, since it is on one line of latitude with theIsland of Ferro, in the Canaries.
"They came to the ship with almadias,[*] which are made of the trunkof a tree, like a long boat, and all of one piece--and made in a verywonderful manner in the fashion of the country--and large enough forsome of them to hold forty or forty-five men. And others are smaller,down to such as hold one man alone. They row with a shovel like a baker's,and it goes wonderfully well. And if it overturns, immediately they all goto swimming and they right it, and bale it with calabashes which theycarry.
[*] Arabic word for raft or float; here it means canoes.
"They brought skeins of spun cotton, and parrots, and javelins, andother little things which it would be wearisome to write down, and theygave everything for whatever was given to them.
"And I strove attentively to learn whether there were gold. And I sawthat some of them had a little piece of gold hung in a hole which they havein their noses. And by signs I was able to understand that going to thesouth, or going round the island to the southward, there was a king therewho had great vessels of it, and had very much of it. I tried to persuadethem to go there; and afterward I saw that they did not understand aboutgoing.[*]
[*] To this first found land, called by the natives Guanahani, Columbusgave the name of San Salvador. There is, however, great doubt whetherthis is the island known by that name on the maps. Of late years theimpression has generally been that the island thus discovered is that nowknown as Watling's island. In 1860 Admiral Fox, of the United States navy,visited all these islands, and studied the whole question anew, visiting theislands himself and working backwards to the account of Columbus'ssubsequent voyage, so as to fix the spot from which that voyage began.
Admiral Fox decides that the island of discovery was neither San Salvadornor Watling's island, but the Samana island of the same group. The subject is so curious that we copy his results at more length in the appendix.
"I determined to wait till the next afternoon, and then to start for thesouthwest, for many of them told me that there was land to the south andsouthwest and northwest, and that those from the northwest came often tofight with them, and so to go on to the southwest to seek gold and preciousstones.
"This island is very large and very flat and with very green trees, andmany waters, and a very large lake in the midst, without any mountain.
And all of it is green, so that it is a pleasure to see it. And these people areso gentle, and desirous to have our articles and thinking that nothing canbe given them unless they give something and do not keep it back. Theytake what they can, and at once jump [into the water] and swim [away].
But all that they have they give for whatever is given them. For they bartereven for pieces of porringus, and of broken glass cups, so that I sawsixteen skeins of cotton given for three Portuguese centis, that is a blancaof Castile, and there was more than twenty-five pounds of spun cotton inthem. This I shall forbid, and not let anyone take [it]; but I shall have it alltaken for your Highnesses, if there is any quantity of it.
"It grows here in this island, but for a short time I could not believe itat all. And there is found here also the gold which they wear hanging totheir noses; but so as not to lose time I mean to go to see whether I canreach the island of Cipango.
"Now as it was night they all went ashore with their almadias."Sunday, October 14. "At daybreak I had the ship's boat and the boatsof the caravels made ready, and I sailed along the island, toward the north-northeast, to see the other port, * * * * what there was [there], and also tosee the towns, and I soon saw two or three, and the people, who all werecoming to the shore, calling us and giving thanks to God. Some brought uswater, others things to eat. Others, when they saw that I did not care to goashore, threw themselves into the sea and came swimming, and weunderstood that they asked us if we had come from heaven. And an oldman came into the boat, and others called all [the rest] men and women,with a loud voice: 'Come and see the men who have come from heaven;bring them food and drink.'
"There came many of them and many women, each one withsomething, giving thanks to God, casting themselves on the ground, andraising their heads toward heaven. And afterwards they called us withshouts to come ashore.
"But I feared [to do so], for I saw a great reef of rocks which encirclesall that island. And in it there is bottom and harbor for as many ships asthere are in all Christendom, and its entrance very narrow. It is true thatthere are some shallows inside this ring, but the sea is no rougher than in awell.
"And I was moved to see all this, this morning, so that I might be ableto give an account of it all to your Highnesses, and also [to find out] whereI might make a fortress. And I saw a piece of land formed like an island,although it is not one, in which there were six houses, which could be cutoff in two days so as to become an island; although I do not see that it isnecessary, as this people is very ignorant of arms, as your Highnesses willsee from seven whom I had taken, to carry them off to learn our speechand to bring them back again. But your Highnesses, when you direct, cantake them all to Castile, or keep them captives in this same island, for withfifty men you can keep them all subjected, and make them do whateveryou like.
"And close to the said islet are groves of trees, the most beautiful Ihave seen, and as green and full of leaves as those of Castile in the monthsof April and May, and much water.
"I looked at all that harbor and then I returned to the ship and set sail,and I saw so many islands that I could not decide to which I should go first.
And those men whom I had taken said to me by signs that there were sovery many that they were without number, and they repeated by namemore than a hundred. At last I set sail for the largest one, and there Idetermined to go. And so I am doing, and it will be five leagues from theisland of San Salvador, and farther from some of the rest, nearer to others.
They all are very flat, without mountains and very fertile, and all inhabited.
And they make war upon each other although they are very simple, and[they are] very beautifully formed."Monday, October 15, Columbus, on arriving at the island for which he had set sail, went on to a cape, near which he anchored at about sunset. Hegave the island the name of Santa Maria de la Concepcion.[*]
[*] This is supposed to be Caico del Norte.
"At about sunset I anchored near the said cape to know if there weregold there, for the men whom I had taken at the Island of San Salvadortold me that there they wore very large rings of gold on their legs and arms.
I think that all they said was for a trick, in order to make their escape.
However, I did not wish to pass by any island without taking possession ofit. "And I anchored, and was there till today, Tuesday, when at the breakof day I went ashore with the armed boats, and landed.
"They [the inhabitants], who were many, as naked and in the samecondition as those of San Salvador, let us land on the island, and gave uswhat we asked of them.
* * * "I set out for the ship. And there was a large almadia which hadcome to board the caravel Nina, and one of the men from we Island of SanSalvador threw himself into the sea, took this boat, and made off; and thenight before, at midnight, another jumped out. And the almadia went backso fast that there never was a boat which could come up with her, althoughwe had a considerable advantage. It reached the shore, and they left thealmadia, and some of my company landed after them, and they all fled likehens.
"And the almadia, which they had left, we took to the caravel Nina, towhich from another headland there was coming another little almadia,with a man who came to barter a skein of cotton. And some of the sailorsthrew themselves into the sea, because he did not wish to enter the caravel,and took him. And I, who was on the stern of the ship, and saw it all, sentfor him and gave him a red cap and some little green glass beads which Iput on his arm, and two small bells which I put at his ears, and I had hisalmadia returned, * * * and sent him ashore.
And I set sail at once to go to the other large island which I saw at thewest, and commanded the other almadia to be set adrift, which the caravelNina was towing astern. And then I saw on land, when the man landed, towhom I had given the above mentioned things (and I had not consented totake the skein of cotton, though he wished to give it to me), all the others went to him and thought it a great wonder, and it seemed to them that wewere good people, and that the other man, who had fled, had done us someharm, and that therefore we were carrying him off. And this was why Itreated the other man as I did, commanding him to be released, and gavehim the said things, so that they might have this opinion of us, and so thatanother time, when your Highnesses send here again, they may be welldisposed. And all that I gave him was not worth four maravedis."Columbus had set sail at ten o'clock for a "large island" he mentions,which he called Fernandina, where, from the tales of the Indian captives,he expected to find gold. Half way between this island and Santa Maria,he met with "a man alone in an almadia which was passing" [from oneisland to the other], "and he was carrying a little of their bread, as big asone's fist, and a calabash of water and a piece of red earth made into dust,and then kneaded, and some dry leaves, which must be a thing muchvalued among them, since at San Salvador they brought them to me as apresent.[*] And he had a little basket of their sort, in which he had a stringof little glass bells and two blancas, by which I knew that he came fromthe Island of San Salvador. * * * He came to the ship; I took him on board,for so he asked, and made him put his almadia in the ship, and keep all hewas carrying. And I commanded to give him bread and honey to eat, andsomething to drink.
[*] Was this perhaps tobacco?
"And thus I will take him over to Fernandina, and I will give him allhis property so that he may give good accounts of us, so that, if it pleaseour Lord, when your Highnesses send there, those who come may receivehonor, and they may give us of all they have."Columbus continued sailing for the island he named Fernandina, nowcalled Inagua Chica. There was a calm all day and he did not arrive in timeto anchor safely before dark. He therefore waited till morning, andanchored near a town. Here the man had gone, who had been picked upthe day before, and he had given such good accounts that all night long theship had been boarded by almadias, bringing supplies. Columbus directedsome trifle to be given to each of the islanders, and that they should begiven "honey of sugar" to eat. He sent the ship's boat ashore for water and the inhabitants not only pointed it out but helped to put the water-casks onboard.
"This people," he says, "is like those of the aforesaid islands, and hasthe same speech and the same customs, except that these seem to me asomewhat more domestic race, and more intelligent. * * * And I saw alsoin this island cotton cloths made like mantles. * * *"It is a very green island and flat and very fertile, and I have no doubtthat all the year through they sow panizo (panic-grass) and harvest it, andso with everything else. And I saw many trees, of very different form fromours, and many of them which had branches of many sorts, and all on onetrunk. And one branch is of one sort and one of another, and so differentthat it is the greatest wonder in the world. * * * One branch has its leaveslike canes, and another like the lentisk; and so on one tree five or six ofthese kinds; and all so different. Nor are they grafted, for it might be saidthat grafting does it, but they grow on the mountains, nor do these peoplecare for them. * * *"Here the fishes are so different from ours that it is wonderful. Thereare some like cocks of the finest colors in the world, blue, yellow, red andof all colors, and others painted in a thousand ways. And the colors are sofine that there is no man who does not wonder at them and take greatpleasure in seeing them. Also, there are whales. As for wild creatures onshore, I saw none of any sort, except parrots and lizards; a boy told methat he saw a great snake. Neither sheep nor goats nor any other animaldid I see; although I have been here a very short time, that is, half a day,but if there had been any I could not have failed to see some of them." * **Wednesday, October 17. He left the town at noon and prepared to sailround the island. He had meant to go by the south and southeast. But asMartin Alonzo Pinzon, captain of the Pinta, had heard, from one of theIndians he had on board, that it would be quicker to start by the northwest,and as the wind was favorable for this course, Columbus took it. He founda fine harbor two leagues further on, where he found some friendlyIndians, and sent a party ashore for water. "During this time," he says, "Iwent [to look at] these trees, which were the most beautiful things to see which have been seen; there was as much verdure in the same degree as inthe month of May in Andalusia, and all the trees were as different fromours as the day from the night. And so [were] the fruits, and the herbs, andthe stones and everything. The truth is that some trees had a resemblanceto others which there are in Castile, but there was a very great difference.
And other trees of other sorts were such that there is no one who could * ** liken them to others of Castile. * * *"The others who went for water told me how they had been in theirhouses, and that they were very well swept and clean, and their beds andfurniture [made] of things which are like nets of cotton.[*] Their housesare all like pavilions, and very high and good chimneys.[**] [*] They arecalled Hamacas.
[**] Las Casas says they were not meant for smoke but as a crown, forthey have no opening below for the smoke.
"But I did not see, among many towns which I saw, any of more thantwelve or fifteen houses. * * * And there they had dogs. * * * And therethey found one man who had on his nose a piece of gold which was likehalf a castellano, on which there were cut letters.[*] I blamed them for notbargaining for it, and giving as much as was asked, to see what it was, andwhose coin it was; and they answered me that they did not dare to barterit."[*] A castellano was a piece of gold, money, weighing about one-sixthof an ounce.
He continued towards the northwest, then turned his course to theeast-southeast, east and southeast. The weather being thick and heavy, and"threatening immediate rain. So all these days since I have been in theseIndies it has rained little or much."Friday, October 19. Columbus, who had not landed the day before,now sent two caravels, one to the east and southeast and the other to thesouth-southeast, while he himself, with the Santa Maria, the SHIP, as hecalls it, went to the southeast. He ordered the caravels to keep theircourses till noon, and then join him. This they did, at an island to the east,which he named Isabella, the Indians whom he had with him calling itSaomete. It has been supposed to be the island now called Inagua Grande.
"All this coast," says the Admiral, "and the part of the island which Isaw, is all nearly flat, and the island the most beautiful thing I ever saw,for if the others are very beautiful this one is more so." He anchored at acape which was so beautiful that he named it Cabo Fermoso, the BeautifulCape, "so green and so beautiful," he says, "like all the other things andlands of these islands, that I do not know where to go first, nor can I wearymy eyes with seeing such beautiful verdure and so different from ours.
And I believe that there are in them many herbs and many trees, which areof great value in Spain for dyes [or tinctures] and for medicines of spicery.
But I do not know them, which I greatly regret. And as I came here to thiscape there came such a good and sweet odor of flowers or trees from theland that it was the sweetest thing in the world."He heard that there was a king in the interior who wore clothes andmuch gold, and though, as he says, the Indians had so little gold thatwhatever small quantity of it the king wore it would appear large to them,he decided to visit him the next day. He did not do so, however, as hefound the water too shallow in his immediate neighborhood, and then hadnot enough wind to go on, except at night.
Sunday morning, October 21, he anchored, apparently more to thewest, and after having dined, landed. He found but one house, from whichthe inhabitants were absent; he directed that nothing in it should betouched. He speaks again of the great beauty of the island, even greaterthan that of the others he had seen. "The singing of the birds," he says,"seems as if a man would never seek to leave this place, and the flocks ofparrots which darken the sun, and fowls and birds of so many kinds and sodifferent from ours that it is wonderful. And then there are trees of athousand sorts, and all with fruit of their kinds. And all have such an odorthat it is wonderful, so that I am the most afflicted man in the world not toknow them."They killed a serpent in one of the lakes upon this island, which LasCasas says is the Guana, or what we call the Iguana.
In seeking for good water, the Spaniards found a town, from which theinhabitants were going to fly. But some of them rallied, and one of themapproached the visitors. Columbus gave him some little bells and glass beads, with which he was much pleased. The Admiral asked him for water,and they brought it gladly to the shore in calabashes.
He still wished to see the king of whom the Indians had spoken, butmeant afterward to go to "another very great island, which I believe mustbe Cipango, which they call Colba." This is probably a mistake in themanuscript for Cuba, which is what is meant. It continues, "and to thatother island which they call Bosio" (probably Bohio) "and the otherswhich are on the way, I will see these in passing. * * * But still, I amdetermined to go to the mainland and to the city of Quisay and to giveyour Highnesses' letters to the Grand Khan, and seek a reply and comeback with it."He remained at this island during the twenty-second and twenty-thirdof October, waiting first for the king, who did not appear, and then for afavorable wind. "To sail round these islands," he says, "one needs manysorts of wind, and it does not blow as men would like." At midnight,between the twenty-third and twenty-fourth, he weighed anchor in order tostart for Cuba.
"I have heard these people say that it was very large and of greattraffic," he says, "and that there were in it gold and spices, and great shipsand merchants. And they showed me that I should go to it by the west-southwest, and I think so. For I think that if I may trust the signs which allthe Indians of these islands have made me, and those whom I am carryingin the ships, for by the tongue I do not understand them, it (Cuba) is theIsland of Cipango,[*] of which wonderful things are told, and on theglobes which I have seen and in the painted maps, it is in this district."[*] This was the name the old geographers gave to Japan.
The next day they saw seven or eight islands, which are supposed tobe the eastern and southern keys of the Grand Bank of Bahama. Heanchored to the south of them on the twenty-sixth of October, and on thenext day sailed once more for Cuba.
On Sunday, October 28, he arrived there, in what is now called thePuerto de Nipe; he named it the Puerto de San Salvador. Here, as he wenton, he was again charmed by the beautiful country. He found palms "ofanother sort," says Las Casas, "from those of Guinea, and from ours." He found the island the "most beautiful which eyes have seen, full of verygood ports and deep rivers," and that apparently the sea is never roughthere, as the grass grows down to the water's edge. This greenness to thesea's edge is still observed there. "Up till that time," says Las Casas, ,hehad not experienced in all these islands that the sea was rough." He hadoccasion to learn about it later. He mentions also that the island ismountainous.