The Voyage Home - 5

The Voyage Home - 5

"Sir: As I am sure you will be pleased at the great victory which the Lord has given me in

my voyage, I write this to inform you that in twenty' days I arrived in the Indies with the

squadron which their Majesties had placed under my command. There I discovered many

islands, inhabited by a numerous population, and took possession of them for their

Highnesses, with public ceremony and the royal flag displayed, without molestation.

"The first that I discovered I named San Salvador, in remembrance of that Almighty

Power which had so miraculously bestowed them. The Indians call it Guanahani. To the

second I assigned the name of Santa Marie de Conception; to the third that of Fernandina;

to the fourth that of Isabella; to the fifth Juana; and so on, to every one a new name.

"When I arrived at Juana, I followed the coast to the westward, and found it so extensive

that I considered it must be a continent and a province of Cathay. And as I found no

towns or villages by the seaside, excepting some small settlements, with the people of

which I could not communicate because they all ran away, I continued my course to the

westward, thinking I should not fail to find some large town and cities. After having

coasted many leagues without finding any signs of them, and seeing that the coast took

me to the northward, where I did not wish to go, as the winter was already set in, I

considered it best to follow the coast to the south and the wind being also scant, I

determined to lose no more time, and therefore returned to a certain port, from whence I

sent two messengers into the country to ascertain whether there was any king there or any

large city.

"They travelled for three days, finding an infinite number of small settlements and an

innumerable population, but nothing like a city: on which account—they returned. I had

tolerably well ascertained from some Indians whom I had taken that this land was only an

island, so I followed the coast of it to the east 107 leagues, to its termination. And about

eighteen leagues from this cape, to the east, there was another island, to which I shortly

gave the name of Espanola. I went to it, and followed the north coast of it, as I had done

that of Juana, for 178—[should be 188]—long leagues due east.

"This island is very fertile, as well, indeed, as all the rest. It possesses numerous

harbours, far superior to any I know in Europe, and what is remarkable, plenty of large

inlets. The land is high, and contains many lofty ridges and some very high mountains,

without comparison of the island of Centrefrey;—[Tenerife]—all of them very handsome

and of different forms; all of them accessible and abounding in trees of a thousand kinds,

high, and appearing as if they would reach the skies. And I am assured that the latter

never lose their fresh foliage, as far as I can understand, for I saw them as fresh and

flourishing as those of Spain in the month of May. Some were in blossom, some bearing

fruit, and others in other states, according to their nature.

"The nightingale and a thousand kinds of birds enliven the woods with their song, in the

month of November, wherever I went. There are seven or eight kinds of palms, of various

elegant forms, besides various other trees, fruits, and herbs. The pines of this island are

magnificent. It has also extensive plains, honey, and a great variety of birds and fruits. It

has many metal mines, and a population innumerable.

"Espanola is a wonderful island, with mountains, groves, plains, and the country

generally beautiful and rich for planting and sowing, for rearing sheep and cattle of all

kinds, and ready for towns and cities. The harbours must be seen to be appreciated; rivers

are plentiful and large and of excellent water; the greater part of them contain gold. There

is a great difference between the trees, fruits, and herbs of this island and those of Juana.

In this island there are many spices, and large mines of gold and other metals.

"The people of this island and of all the others which I have discovered or heard of, both

men and women, go naked as they were born, although some of the women wear leaves

of herbs or a cotton covering made on purpose. They have no iron or steel, nor any

weapons; not that they are not a well-disposed people and of fine stature, but they are

timid to a degree. They have no other arms excepting spears made of cane, to which they

fix at the end a sharp piece of wood, and then dare not use even these. Frequently I had

occasion to send two or three of my men onshore to some settlement for information,

where there would be multitudes of them; and as soon as they saw our people they would

run away every soul, the father leaving his child; and this was not because any one had

done them harm, for rather at every cape where I had landed and been able to

communicate with them I have made them presents of cloth and many other things

without receiving anything in return; but because they are so timid. Certainly, where they

have confidence and forget their fears, they are so open-hearted and liberal with all they

possess that it is scarcely to be believed without seeing it. If anything that they have is

asked of them they never deny it; on the contrary, they will offer it. Their generosity is so

great that they would give anything, whether it is costly or not, for anything of every kind

that is offered them and be contented with it. I was obliged to prevent such worth less

things being given them as pieces of broken basins, broken glass, and bits of shoelatchets,

although when they obtained them they esteemed them as if they had been the

greatest of treasures. One of the seamen for a latchet received a piece of gold weighing

two dollars and a half, and others, for other things of much less value, obtained more.

Again, for new silver coin they would give everything they possessed, whether it was

worth two or three doubloons or one or two balls of cotton. Even for pieces of broken

pipe-tubes they would take them and give anything for them, until, when I thought it

wrong, I prevented it. And I made them presents of thousands of things which I had, that

I might win their esteem, and also that they might be made good Christians and be

disposed to the service of Your Majesties and the whole Spanish nation, and help us to

obtain the things which we require and of which there is abundance in their country.

"And these people appear to have neither religion nor idolatry, except that they believe

that good and evil come from the skies; and they firmly believed that our ships and their

crews, with myself, came from the skies, and with this persuasion,—after having lost

their fears, they always received us. And yet this does not proceed from ignorance, for

they are very ingenious, and some of them navigate their seas in a wonderful manner and

give good account of things, but because they never saw people dressed or ships like

ours.