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be called St. Thomas, and found that district to be under the government of a powerful cazique, Guacanahari, who, as he afterwards learned, was one of the five sovereigns among whom the whole island was divided. He immediately sent messengers to Columbus, who, in his name, delivered to him the present of a mask curiously fashioned, with the ears, nose, and mouth of beaten gold, and invited him to the place of his residence, near the harbour now called Cape Francois, some leagues towards the east. Columbus dispatched some of his officers to visit this prince, who, as he behaved himself with greater dignity, seemed to claim more attention. They returned with such favourable accounts, both of the country and of the people, as made Columbus impatient for that interview with Guacanahari to which he had been invited.

He sailed for this purpose from St. Thomas, on the 24th of December, with a fair wind, and the sea perfectly calm; and as, amidst the multiplicity of his occupations, he had not shut his eyes for two days, he retired at midnight, in order to take some repose, having committed the helm to the pilot, with strict injunctions not to quit it for a moment. The pilot, dreading no danger, carelessly left the helm to an unexperienced cabin-boy, and the ship, carried away by a current, was dashed against a rock. The violence of the shock awakened Columbus. He ran up to the deck. There, all was confusion and despair. He alone retained presence of mind. He ordered some of the sailors to take a boat, and carry out an anchor astern; but, instead of obeying, they made off towards the Nina, which was about half a league distant. He then commanded the masts to be cut down, in order to lighten the ship; but all his endeavours were too late; the vessel opened near the keel, and filled so fast with water that its loss was inevitable. The smoothness of the sea, and the timely assistance of boats from the Nina, enabled the crew to save their lives. As soon as the islanders heard of this disaster, they crowded to the shore, with their prince Guacanahari at their head. Instead of taking advantage of the distress in which they beheld the Spaniards, to attempt any thing to their detriment, they lamented their misfortune with tears of

sincere condolence. Not satisfied with this unavailing expression of their sympathy, they put to sea a number of canoes, and, under the direction of the Spaniards, assisted in saving whatever could be got out of the wreck; and by the united labour of so many hands, almost every thing of value was carried ashore. As fast as the goods were landed, Guacanahari in person took charge of them. By his orders they were all deposited in one place, and armed sentinels were posted, who kept the multitude at a distance, in order to prevent them not only from embezzling, but from inspecting too curiously what belonged to their guests. Next morning this prince visited Columbus, who was now on board the Nina, and endeavoured to console him for his loss, by offering all that he possessed to repair it.

The manners of the inhabitants and the productions of the country were so agreeable to the admiral, that he resolved to settle a colony here; which, by maintaining a friendly intercourse with the Indians, and learning their language, might be of future benefit to the nation he served. To pursue this resolution, he was encouraged by the voluntary offers of some of his men who fell into his views; and the cazique was not a little pleased at the prospect of having such valuable allies to protect him from the invasions of the Caribbee Indians, a race of inhuman cannibals, who frequently molested his shores. The sagacity of Columbus knew how to give importance to this idea he ordered a great gun to be fired against the side of the wreck; and the Indians, seeing the bullet penetrate the sides, and then fall into the sea, regarded their guests with the same awe, and the belief that they possessed the thunder of heaven.

A tower was now constructed from the timber of the wreck, seemingly in compliance with the cazique's desire; and having furnished it with provisions, ammunition, and arms, he left a garrison of 36 men, under the joint command of three of his most trusty dependants, whom he warmly recommended to the favour and protection of the king and his people.

This business settled, he caused a few huts to be erected, and named the place of Nativity. He then turned his thoughts

towards Spain, lest some misfortune befalling the only ship he had left, he might for ever be prevented from publishing the discoveries he had made. Accordingly, having left the most benevolent and judicious directions for the regulation of the colony's conduct, he set sail from the port of Nativity on Friday the 4th of January, 1493, at sun-rising; and made such observations as might enable him to distinguish the harbour in any future expedition. The wind being adverse, he made but little way to the eastward. On Sunday morning he fell in with the Pinta, captain Martin Alonzo Pinzon, who, as we have previously mentioned, had deserted the admiral.--Pinzon going on board, strove to excuse his desertion by pretending that he had lost sight of his consorts during the night. Columbus was sensible of the fallacy of his pretences; but rather than prejudice the common cause, disguised his sentiments, and listened to the excuses that were made.

Pinzon, it seems, had sailed to a river 15 leagues eastward of the port of Nativity, where he had spent 16 days in bartering for gold with the natives, and in this traffic he had been pretty successful; but having distributed one half among his crew, and retained the other himself, he wished to conceal the amount. He afterwards anchored near a conical hill, which they called Monte Christo, about 18 leagues east of cape Santo; but the weather impeding his farther progress, he went up a river in his boat, where he discovered gold-dust in the sand, and from hence gave it the appellation of the Gold-river. On the 13th of January, Columbus being near cape Enamorado, he sent his boat ashore, where some Indians, armed with bows and arrows, and with fierce aspects, seemed disposed to make resistance. They were, however, brought to a kind of conference by means of the Salvador linguist; and one of them venturing to go on board the admiral, appeared so savage in manners and address, that the Spaniards reasonably concluded he was one of the Caribbee cannibals. This man having answered the interrogations that were put to him by signs and words, was entertained; and dismissed with such insignificant presents as seemed best suited to his taste.

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At the place where he landed, 50 men with long hair, adorned with plumes of parrot feathers, and armed, formed a kind of ambuscade; and notwithstanding the exhortations of their countryman, refused to have any commerce with the Spaniards; and even began to commence hostilities. Though the Europeans were only seven in number, they met the savages with great intrepidity, cut one with a sword in the buttock, and shot another with an arrow in the breast, on which the whole party fled with precipitation. The admiral was not displeased at this skirmish, as he imagined its event might increase the security of the colony left on the coast.

Columbus, continuing his course with a fair wind, made such progress that, on the 9th of February, according to the pilot's reckoning, they were south of the Azores; but by the admiral's account, which proved to be right, they were 150 leagues to the west. The favourable weather which had hitherto attended them, now began to change; the wind increased to a hurricane, and the billows ran mountains high. For some days, the vessels were tossed at the mercy of the storm, during which the two ships separated; and each supposing that the other had perished, the crews betook themselves to acts of devotion, and the admiral vowed to go on a pilgrimage to our lady of Gaudaloupe; but the crew went farther; they swore to walk barefoot in their shirts, to the first church dedicated to the virgin, they could find. In tempests and distress, the Spaniards are still known to seek refuge in such kind of superstition; it is the strong hold of ignorance and the last which it quits.

A scarcity of provisions increased their calamity; and the ship wanting ballast, was in danger of being overset. For this last defect, the ingenuity of Columbus discovered an expedient. He ordered his casks to be filled with sea-water; and with a view to immortality, even when on the brink of destruction, he wrote a brief account of his discoveries on two skins of parchment, which he wrapped in oil-cloths covered with wax; and having inclosed them in two different casks, committed them to the sea.

The storm continued till the 15th of February, when one of the sailors discovered land from the round-top, which proved to be St. Mary, one of the Azores, where, after four days. spent in incessant labour, they came to an anchor. The inhabitants of this island humanely sent fresh provisions on board, and many compliments from their governor, who expressed his astonishment at the success of the expedition, and seemed to rejoice at the discoveries that had been made. Nor were the natives less surprised, that the ship had been able to weather a storm of 15 days continuance: these gave the admiral and his crew intimation of a hermitage, in the vicinity, dedicated to the blessed virgin, and at this they resolved to perform their vows.

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No sooner, however, had the boat and one half of the company come on shore to fulfil this penance, and had begun their naked procession, than they were made prisoners by the governor, who had planted men in ambush on purpose. Columbus having waited in vain for the return of the boat, from daybreak till noon, began to suspect some treachery; and sailing round a point to gain a view of the hermitage, perceived a number of Portuguese enter the boat, with a view, as he apprehended, of attacking the caraval. prudence of Columbus was on its guard. He hoped to be able to secure the Portuguese commander as a hostage, by inviting him on board; but finding he kept aloof, the admiral demanded the reason of such an outrage on the Spanish nation, and threatened the consequences. The Portuguese captain declared that what had been done was by the express order of the king; on which Columbus supposed a rupture had taken place between the two crowns, and swore he would never quit his ship, till he had taken 100 prisoners, and destroyed the whole island.

He now returned to the port he had left; but next day the wind increasing, he lost his anchors, and was forced out to sea, with no more than three able sailors on board. The weather afterwards becoming mild, he endeavoured to recover the island of St. Mary, which he reached on the 21st. Soon after a boat was dispatched to him in the governor's name with

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