The kindly Arawaks, having set aside some houses for 

 the homeless crew, spent the next few days ferrying the 

 Spaniards back and forth between the stranded Santa 

 Maria and shore, to salvage everything that would be of 

 use to them. Then the white men and their helpers re- 

 moved as many of the ship's timbers as possible, to build 

 a fort and a tower as Columbus ordered, for a good por- 

 tion of the crew must now stay behind when he returned 

 to Spain. These men were not unhappy, however, for they 

 looked forward to spending the intervening time until Co- 

 lumbus's return the following year in accumulating a rich 

 hoard to take back to Spain. 



The admiral, with only one ship left, desired only to 

 reach home safely, to report his discoveries and to return 

 with more ships and colonizers. He would carry enough 

 gold and other evidences of the wealth of this new world 

 to convince Queen Isabella that another expedition would 

 be worth her while. 



The two groups worked amicably together during the 

 succeeding days as Columbus prepared the Nina for her 

 journey, loading her with firewood and water and avail- 

 able foods. He planned to explore the coastline to the east 

 as he went along, so that he could make a full report as 

 to the size and geography of the island to his queen. It 

 was during this time that some itinerant Indians brought 

 word that the missing Pinta had been seen at anchor in a 

 river mouth far to the east. 



Two days before Niiia was to sail, Columbus demon- 

 strated the power of the guns he was leaving with his men. 

 A lombard was loaded and fired into the side of the stranded 

 Santa Maria where she lay in the harbor. The ball passed 

 through her hull and on across the water for some dis- 

 tance. Then the Spaniards, in full armor, staged a combat 

 on the beach. Although the admiral explained to Guacana- 

 gari that the artillery would be useful against his Carib 



182 Sea Diver 



