The Voyage Home - 1

The Voyage Home - 1

Columbus did not stand out to sea on his homeward course immediately, but still coasted

along the shores of the island as though he were loth to leave it, and as though he might

still at some bend of a bay or beyond some verdant headland come upon the mines and

jewels that he longed for. The mountain that he passed soon after starting he called Monte

Christi, which name it bears to this day; and he saw many other mountains and capes and

bays, to all of which he gave names. And it was a fortunate chance which led him thus to

stand along the coast of the island; for on January 6th the sailor who was at the masthead,

looking into the clear water for shoals and rocks, reported that he saw the caravel Pinta

right ahead. When she came up with him, as they were in very shallow water not suitable

for anchorage, Columbus returned to the bay of Monte Christi to anchor there. Presently

Martin Alonso Pinzon came on board to report himself—a somewhat crestfallen Martin,

we may be sure, for he had failed to find the gold the hope of which had led him to break

his honour as a seaman. But the Martin Alonsos of this world, however sorry their

position may be, will always find some kind of justification for it. It must have been a

trying moment for Martin Alonso as his boat from the Pinta drew near the Nina, and he

saw the stalwart commanding figure of the white-haired Admiral walking the poop. He

knew very well that according to the law and custom of the sea Columbus would have

been well within his right in shooting him or hanging him on the spot; but Martin puts on

a bold face as, with a cold dread at his heart and (as likely as not) an ingratiating smile

upon his face he comes up over the side. Perhaps, being in some ways a cleverer man

than Christopher, he knew the Admiral's weak points; knew that he was kind-hearted, and

would remember those days of preparation at Palos when Martin Alonso had been his

principal stay and help. Martin's story was that he had been separated from the Admiral

against his will; that the crew insisted upon it, and that in any case they had only meant to

go and find some gold and bring it back to the Admiral. Columbus did not believe him

for a moment, but either his wisdom or his weakness prevented him from saying so. He

reproached Martin Alonso for acting with pride and covetousness "that night when he

went away and left him"; and Columbus could not think "from whence had come the

haughty actions and dishonesty Martin had shown towards him on that voyage." Martin

had done a good trade and had got a certain amount of gold; and no doubt he knew well

in what direction to turn the conversation when it was becoming unpleasant to himself.

He told Columbus of an island to the south of Juana—[Cuba]—called Yamaye,—

[Jamaica]—where pieces of gold were taken from the mines as large as kernels of wheat,

and of another island towards the east which was inhabited only by women.

The unpleasantness was passed over as soon as possible, although the Admiral felt that

the sooner he got home the better, since he was practically at the mercy of the Pinzon

brothers and their following from Palos. He therefore had the Pinta beached and

recaulked and took in wood and water, and continued his voyage on Tuesday, January

8th. He says that "this night in the name of our Lord he will start on his journey without

delaying himself further for any matter, since he had found what he had sought, and he

did not wish to have more trouble with that Martin Alonso until their Highnesses learned

the news of the voyage and what he has done." After that it will be another matter, and

his turn will come; for then, he says, "I will not suffer the bad deeds of persons without

virtue, who, with little respect, presume to carry out their own wills in opposition to those

who did them honour." Indeed, for several days, the name of "that Martin Alonso" takes

the place of gold in Columbus's Journal. There were all kinds of gossip about the ill deeds

of Martin Alonso, who had taken four Indian men and two young girls by force; the

Admiral releasing them immediately and sending them back to their homes. Martin

Alonso, moreover, had made a rule that half the gold that was found was to be kept by

himself; and he tried to get all the people of his ship to swear that he had been trading for

only six days, but "his wickedness was so public that he could not hide it." It was a good

thing that Columbus had his journal to talk to, for he worked off a deal of bitterness in it.

On Sunday, January 13th, when he had sent a boat ashore to collect some "ajes" or

potatoes, a party of natives with their faces painted and with the plumes of parrots in their

hair came and attacked the party from the boat; but on getting a slash or two with a

cutlass they took to flight and escaped from the anger of the Spaniards. Columbus

thought that they were cannibals or caribs, and would like to have taken some of them,

but they did not come back, although afterwards he collected four youths who came out

to the caravel with cotton and arrows.