II.

1492.

of reeds pointed with the bones of fishes, wooden BOOK fwords, and javelins hardened in the fire, wondered and trembled. Before this surprise or fear had time to abate, he ordered the great guns to be fired. The fudden explofion ftruck them with fuch terror, that they fell flat to the ground, covering their faces with their hands; and when they beheld the aftonishing effect of the bullets among the trees, towards which the cannon had been pointed, they concluded that it was impoffible to refift men, who had the command of fuch deftructive inftruments, and who came armed with thunder and lightning against their enemies.

tion's .td

in it.

AFTER giving fuch impreffions both of the His inftruc beneficence and power of the Spaniards, as might thofe he left have rendered it eafy to preferve an afcendant over the minds of the natives, Columbus appointed thirty-eight of his people to remain in the island. He entrusted, the command of these to Diego de Arado, a gentleman of Cordova, investing him with the fame powers which he himself had received from Ferdinand and Ifabella; and furnished him with every thing requifite for the fubfiftence or defence of this infant colony. He ftrictly enjoined them to maintain Concord among themfelves, to yield an unreferved obedience to their commander, to avoid giving

VOL. I.

L

BOOK giving offence to the natives by any violence or

II.

1492.

1493.

exaction, to cultivate the friendship of Guacanahari, but not to put themselves in his power, by ftraggling in small parties, or marching too far. from the fort. He promised to revifit them foon, with fuch a reinforcement of ftrength as might enable them to take full poffeffion of the country, and to reap all the fruits of their discoveries. In the mean time, he engaged to mention their names to the king and queen, and to place their merit and fervices in the most advantageous light'.

On

HAVING thus taken every precaution for the fecurity of the Colony, he left Navidad on the fourth of January, one thoufand four hundred and ninety-three, and fteering towards the east, discovered, and gave names to most of the harbours on the northern coaft of the island. the fixth, he defcried the Pinta, and foon came up with her, after a feparation of more than six weeks. Pinzon endeavoured to juftify his conduct, by pretending that he had been driven from his courfe by ftrefs of weather, and prevented from returning by contrary winds. The admiral, though he still suspected his perfidious intentions, and knew well what he urged in his own defence

Oviedo ap. Ramufio, iii. p. 82, E. Herrera, dec. 1. lib.i. c. 20. Life of Columbus, c. 34.

to

!

II.

.1493.

to be frivolous as well as falfe, was fo fenfible BOOK that this was not a proper time for venturing upon any high strain of authority, and felt fuch fatisfaction in this junction with his confort, which delivered him from many difquieting apprehensions, that, lame as Pinzon's apology was, he admitted of it without difficulty, and reftored him to favour. During his absence from the admiral, Pinzon had visited several harbours in the island, had acquired fome gold by traffick ing with the natives, but had made no discovery of any importance.

return to

Europe.

FROM the condition of his fhips, as well as Réfolves to the temper of his men, Columbus now found it neceffary to haften his return to Europe. The former, having fuffered much during a voyage of fuch an unusual length, were extremely leaky. The latter expreffed the utmost impatience to revisit their native country, from which they had been so long abfent, and where they had things fo wonderful and unheard-of to relate. Accordingly, on the fixteenth of January, he directed his course towards the northeaft, and foon loft fight of land. He had on board fome of the natives, whom he had taken from the different iflands which he discovered ; and befides the gold, which was the chief object of research, he had collected fpecimens of all the produc

L 2

11.

· 1493.

A violent

form arifes.

BOOK productions which were likely to become fubjects of commerce in the feveral countries, as well as many unknown birds, and other natural curiofities, which might attract the attention of the learned, or excite the wonder of the people. The voyage was profperous to the fourteenth of February, and he had advanced near five hundred leagues acrofs the Atlantic Ocean, when the wind began to rife, and continued to blow with increasing rage, which terminated in a furious hurricane. Every thing that the naval fkill and experience of Columbus could devife was employed, in order to fave the fhips. But it was impoffible to withstand the violence of the ftorm, and, as they were fill far from any land, deftruction feemed inevitable. The failors had recourfe to prayers to Almighty God, to the invocation of faints, to vows and charms, to every thing that religion dictates, or fuperftition fuggefts, to the affrighted mind of man. No prospect of deliverance appearing, they abandoned themfelves to defpair, and expected every moment to be swallowed up in the waves. Befides the paffions which naturally agitate and alarm the human mind in fuch awful fituations, when certain death, in one of his most terrible forms, is before it, Columbus had to endure feelings of diftrefs peculiar to himself. He dreaded that all knowledge of the amazing discoveries

The conAuct of Columbus.

II.

1493.

difcoveries which he had made was now to BOOK perish; mankind were to be deprived of every benefit that might have been derived from the happy fuccefs of his schemes, and his own name would defcend to pofterity as that of a rash deluded adventurer, instead of being transmitted with the honour due to the author and conductor of the most noble enterprise that had ever been undertaken. These reflections extinguished all fenfe of his own perfonal danger. Lefs affected with the lofs of life, than folicitous to preferve the memory of what he had attempted and atchieved, he retired to his cabin, and wrote, upon parchment, a fhort account of the voyage which he had made, of the course which he had taken, of the fituation and riches of the countries which he had discovered, and of the colony that he had left there. Having wrapped up this in an oiled cloth, which he inclofed, in a cake of wax, he put it into a cask carefully stopped up, and threw it into the sea, in hopes that fome fortunate accident might preferve a deposit of fo much importance to the world.

ter in the

AT length Providence interpofed, to fave a Takes fhellife referved for other fervices. The wind Azores.

C

Life of Columbus, c. 37. Herrera, dec. 1. lib. ii.

See NOTE XVI.

L3

C. 1, 2.

abated,