190 Field Columbian Museum. 



trary, they will offer it. Their generosity is so great that they would 

 give anything, whether it is eostly or not, for anything of every kind 

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

 such worthless things being given them as pieces of broken basins, 

 broken glass, and bits of shoe-latchets, although when they obtained 

 them they esteemed them as if they had been the greatest of treas- 

 ures. One of the seamen for a latchet received a piece of gold weigh- 

 ing 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 doub- 

 loons 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 vSpanish nation, and help us 

 to obtain the things which we require and of which there is abun- 

 dance in their country. 



And these people appear to have neither religion nor idolatry, ex- 

 cept 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. 



And as soon as I arrived in the Indies, at the first island at 

 which I touched, I captured some of them, that we might learn from 

 them and obtain intelligence of what there was in those parts. And as 

 soon as we understood each other they were of great service to us; 

 but yet, from frequent conversation which I had with them, they still 

 believe we came from the skies. These were the first to express 

 that idea, and others ran from house to house, and to the neighboring 

 villages, crying out, "Come and see the people from the skies." And 

 thus all of them, men and women, after satisfying themselves of their 

 safety, came to us without reserve, great and small, bringing us 

 some thing to eat and drink, and which they gave to us most affec- 

 tionately. 



They have many canoes in those islands propelled by oars, some 

 of them large and others small, and many of them with eight or ten 

 paddles of a side, not very wide, but all of one trunk, and a boat 

 cannot keep way with them by oars, for they are incredibly fast ; and 

 with these they navigate all the islands, which are innumerable, and 

 obtain their articles of traffic. I have seen some of these canoes 

 with sixty or eighty men in them, and each with a paddle. 



Among the islands I did not find much diversity of formation in 

 the people, nor in their customs, nor their language. They all 

 understand each other, which is remarkable; and I trust Your High- 

 nesses will determine on their being converted to our faith, for which 

 they are very well disposed. 



