Heroic Adventures By Land And Sea - 2

Heroic Adventures By Land And Sea - 2

Their six days' sojourn amid the Queen's Gardens, then, was not a great success; and as

soon as they were able they set sail again, standing eastward when the wind permitted

them. But wind and current were against them and all through the month of May and the

early part of June they struggled along the south coast of Cuba, their ships as full of holes

as a honeycomb, pumps going incessantly, and in addition the worn-out seamen doing

heroic labour at baling with buckets and kettles. Lee helm! Down go the buckets and

kettles and out run the wretched scarecrows of seamen to the weary business of tacking

ship, letting go, brailing up, hauling in, and making fast for the thousandth time; and then

back to the pumps and kettles again. No human being could endure this for an indefinite

time; and though their diet of worms represented by the rotten biscuit was varied with

cassava bread supplied by friendly natives, the Admiral could not make his way eastward

further than Cape Cruz. Round that cape his leaking, strained vessels could not be made

to look against the wind and the tide. Could hardly indeed be made to float or swim upon

the water at all; and the Admiral had now to consider, not whether he could sail on a

particular point of the compass, but whether he could by any means avoid another course

which the fates now proposed to him—namely, a perpendicular course to the bottom of

the sea. It was a race between the water and the ships, and the only thing the Admiral

could think of was to turn southward across to Jamaica, which he did on June 23rd,

putting into Puerto Bueno, now called Dry Harbour. But there was no food there, and as

his ships were settling deeper and deeper in the water he had to make sail again and drive

eastwards as far as Puerto Santa Gloria, now called Don Christopher's Cove. He was just

in time. The ships were run ashore side by side on a sandy beach, the pumps were

abandoned, and in one tide the ships were full of water. The remaining anchor cables

were used to lash the two ships together so that they would not move; although there was

little fear of that, seeing the weight of water that was in them. Everything that could be

saved was brought up on deck, and a kind of cabin or platform which could be fortified

was rigged on the highest part of the ships. And so no doubt for some days, although their

food was almost finished, the wretched and exhausted voyagers could stretch their

cramped limbs, and rest in the warm sun, and listen, from their safe haven on the firm

sands, to the hated voice of the sea.

Thanks to careful regulations made by the Admiral, governing the intercourse between

the Spaniards and the natives ashore, friendly relations were soon established, and the

crews were supplied with cassava bread and fruit in abundance. Two officials

superintended every purchase of provisions to avoid the possibility of any dispute, for in

the event of even a momentary hostility the thatched-roof structures on the ships could

easily have been set on fire, and the position of the Spaniards, without shelter amid a

hostile population, would have been a desperate one. This disaster, however, was

avoided; but the Admiral soon began to be anxious about the supply of provisions from

the immediate neighbourhood, which after the first few days began to be irregular. There

were a large number of Spaniards to be fed, the natives never kept any great store of

provisions for themselves, and the Spaniards were entirely at their mercy for, provisions

from day to day. Diego Mendez, always ready for active and practical service, now

offered to take three men and make a journey through the island to arrange for the

purchase of provisions from different villages, so that the men on the ships would not be

dependent upon any one source. This offer was gratefully accepted; and Mendez, with his

lieutenants well supplied with toys and trinkets, started eastward along the north coast of

Jamaica. He made no mistakes; he was quick and clever at ingratiating himself with the

caciques, and he succeeded in arranging with three separate potentates to send regular

supplies of provisions to the men on the ships. At each place where he made this

arrangement he detached one of his assistants and sent him back with the first load of

provisions, so that the regular line of carriage might be the more quickly established; and

when they had all gone he borrowed a couple of natives and pushed on by himself until

he reached the eastern end of the island. He made friends here with a powerful cacique

named Amerro, from whom he bought a large canoe, and paid for it with some of the

clothing off his back. With the canoe were furnished six Indians to row it, and Mendez

made a triumphant journey back by sea, touching at the places where his depots had been

established and seeing that his commissariat arrangements were working properly. He

was warmly received on his return to the ships, and the result of his efforts was soon

visible in the daily supplies of food that now regularly arrived.

Thus was one difficulty overcome; but it was not likely that either Columbus himself or

any of his people would be content to remain for ever on the beach of Jamaica. It was

necessary to establish communication with Espanola, and thence with Spain; but how to

do it in the absence of ships or even boats? Columbus, pondering much upon this matter,

one day calls Diego Mendez aside; walks him off, most likely, under the great rustling

trees beyond the beach, and there tells him his difficulty. "My son," says he, "you and I

understand the difficulties and dangers of our position here better than any one else. We

are few; the Indians are many; we know how fickle and easily irritated they are, and how

a fire-brand thrown into our thatched cabins would set the whole thing ablaze. It is quite

true that you have very cleverly established a provision supply, but it is dependent

entirely upon the good nature of the natives and it might cease to-morrow. Here is my

plan: you have a good canoe; why should some one not go over to Espanola in it and send

back a ship for us?"

Diego Mendez, knowing very well what is meant, looks down upon the ground. His

spoken opinion is that such a journey is not merely difficult but impossible journey in a

frail native canoe across one hundred and fifty miles of open and rough sea; although his

private opinion is other than that. No, he cannot imagine such a thing being done; cannot

think who would be able to do it.

Long silence from the Admiral; eloquent silence, accompanied by looks no less eloquent.

"Admiral," says Mendez again, "you know very well that I have risked my life for you

and the people before and would do it again. But there are others who have at least as

good a right to this great honour and peril as I have; let me beg of you, therefore, to

summon all the company together, make this proposal to them, and see if any one will

undertake it. If not, I will once more risk my life."

The proposal being duly made to the assembled crews, every one, as cunning Mendez

had thought, declares it impossible; every one hangs back. Upon which Diego Mendez

with a fine gesture comes forward and volunteers; makes his little dramatic effect and has

his little ovation. Thoroughly Spanish this, significant of that mixture of vanity and

bravery, of swagger and fearlessness, which is characteristic of the best in Spain. It was a

desperately brave thing to venture upon, this voyage from Jamaica to Espanola in a native

canoe and across a sea visited by dreadful hurricanes; and the volunteer was entitled to

his little piece of heroic drama.