COLUMBUS, CIIRISTOI'IIKK. 



153 



inirul. He also asked for an umpire between 

 Knldim inul himself. Ferdinand united ttn.-e 

 (.Hires in din- pci-Miii, and so worded the order 

 that tin; umpire in passing upon the highest acts 

 of Columbus and his brother could supersede 

 them. Francisco de Bobadilla, the man select - 

 eel. wus furnished with letters of varying import. 

 The first mentioned the admiral's request, and 

 said: " We order you to inform yourself of the 

 truth of the foregoing, who and what persons 

 they were who rose against the said admiral; 

 .... and, the truth known, whomsoever you 

 find culpable, take their bodies and sequestrate 

 their effects, and, thus taken, proceed against 

 them, and against the absent, to the greatest 

 civil and criminal punishments that you find 

 they merit." To this end he was to call in the 

 ai-taiire of the admiral, and of all persons in 

 authority. 



Another letter said: "It is our will that if the 

 said commander should think it necessary to our 

 service, and the purposes of justice, that any 

 cavaliers or other persons who are at present in 

 those islands, or may arrive there, should leave 

 them and not return and abide in them, and 

 that they should come and present themselves 

 before us, ho may command it in our name, 

 and oblige them to depart." Still another let- 

 ter called upon Columbus and his brothers to 

 surrender all forts, ships, etc. And still anoth- 

 er ordered the admiral to give faith and obe- 

 dience to whatever Bobadilla might impart. 



These letters were held for in Spain a year, 

 but a rumor of their existence reached Columbus 

 through captains who were sailing under the 

 general orders which Columbus considered as 

 infringing upon the rights that had been sol- 

 emnly promised to him. 



I'.obadilhi arrived during the absence of Co- 

 lumbus and Bartholomew, and, finding only Don 

 Diego in charge, seized upon the office. The 

 events that followed are told in the simple 

 graphic style peculiar to Columbus, in a letter 

 written to Juana dc la Torres, a lady of the 

 Queen's household. A few extracts will reveal 

 the story of one of the most disgraceful acts 

 ever done or allowed to be done in Christendom, 

 better than it could be shown in any other lan- 

 guage : 



Although it is a novelty for me to complain of the 

 ill-usairc df the world, it is nevertheless no novel- 

 ty tor the world to practice ill-usage. I have now 

 Nfldied that point, that tin-re is no man BO vile but 

 thinks it his riirht to insult me. 



In the voyage which I made by way of Paria I 

 found nearly hall" tin- colonists of Lspanola in u state 

 (.!' revolt, and they have made war upon me until now 

 as if I hud been a Moor; while on the "(her side I 

 had to contend with no less cruel Indians. Then 

 arrived Oiedo, and lie attempted to put the seal to 

 nil these oborden. He siiid that their liL'hnesses had 

 sent him, with promises of present*, or immunities, 

 and treaties. He collected a numerous Laud, for in this 

 whole island of Espanola there were few men who 

 were not vagabonds, and there were none who had 

 either wife or children. This Ojeda troubled me 

 much, hut he was obliged to retreat, and at his depar- 

 ture ho said that he would return with more ship-* 

 and men. and re|xirtcd also that he had left the 

 .it the point of death. In the meanwhile, Yin- 

 eent Vane/, eanie with four caravels; and tin-re \\en- 

 some tumults and suspicions, but no further evil. The 

 Indians reported many other caravels to the cannibals 



and inl'uria. At this time one Adrian attempted a new 

 revolt, an he had done before. 1 had determined not 

 to intlict punishment on any per.-iii. but his ingrati- 

 tude olili^ed me, however regretfully, to abandon 

 this resolution. I should not have aetcd otherwise 

 with my own brother, if he had sought to assassinate 

 me, and to rob me of the lordship which my sover- 

 eigns had Driven to my keeping. 



Iictorc my departure I often entreated their high- 

 nesses to send to these parts, at my expense, some one 

 churned to administer justice ; and since, when 1 found 

 the alcalde in a stute of re \ olt, I have besought them 

 afresh to send at least one of their servants with letters, 

 because I myself have had so strange a character 

 given to me that if I were to build churches or hospi- 

 tals they would call them caves for robbers. Their 

 highnesses provided for this at last, but in a manner 

 quite unequal to the urgency of the circumstances. 

 However, let that point rest, since such is their good 

 pleasure. 



The commander Bobadilla arrived at Santa Do- 

 mingo, at which time 1 was at La Vega, and the ade- 

 lantado at Xaragua, where this Adrian had made his 

 attempt; but by that time everything was quiet, the 

 land was thriving, and the people at peace. The sec- 

 ond day of his arrival he declared himself governor, 

 created magistrates, ordered executions, published im- 

 munities from the collection of gold and from the pay- 

 ing of tithes; and, in fine, announced a general fran- 

 chise for twenty years. He also gave out that he was 

 going to pay every one, although they had not even 

 done the service which was due up to that day ; and 

 he further proclaimed, with respect to me, that he 

 would send me back loaded with chains, and my 

 brother also (this he has accomplished) ; and that 

 neither I, nor any of my family, should return forever 

 to these lands. And, in addition to this, he made in- 

 numerable unjust and disgraceful charges against me. 

 When I heuru this, I thought he must be like Ojeda, 

 or one of the other rebels ; but 1 held my peace, when 

 I learned for certain from the friars that he had been 

 sent by their highnesses. I wj-ote to. him, to salute 

 him on his arrival, to let him know that I was ready 

 to set out to goto court, and that I had put up to sale 

 all that I possessed. I entreated him not to be in 

 haste on the subject of immunities; and I assimd 

 him that I would shortly yield this, and even-thing 

 else connected with the government, implicitly into 

 his charge. I wrote the same thing to the ecclesias- 

 tics, but I received no answer either from the one or 

 the other. 



I never before heard of any one who was com- 

 missioned to make an inquiry, assembling the rebels 

 and taking as evidence against their governor 

 wretches without faith and who ore unworthy of 

 belief. Although I am an ignorant man, I do not 

 imagine that any one supposed me so stupid as not to 

 be aware that, even if the Indies had belonged t<> me, 

 I could not support myself without the distance of 

 some prince. Since it is thus, where should I find 

 better support, or more security against expulsion, 

 than in the King and Queen, our sovereigns, who, 

 from nothing, have raised me to so great on elevation, 

 and who ore the greatest princes of the world, on the 

 land and on the sea '. 'I hoc princes know how 1 

 have served them, and they uphold my privileges 

 anil rewards; and if any one violates them, their 

 highnesses augument them by ordering great fuvT to 

 be shown me, and ordain me manv honors, as was 

 shown in the affair of Juan Aguado. Their high- 

 nesses have taken my son into their household, which 

 would not have happened with another prince, be- 

 caiisc where there -is no attachment all other con- 

 siderations prove of little weight. If 1 have now 

 s|Mikeii severely of a malicious slander, it is against 

 my will, for it i's a subject 1 would not willingly recall 

 even in my dreams. I am judged in Spain us a gov- 

 ernor who had been sent t<> a province, or city, under 

 regular government. I ought to be judged as a cap- 

 tain, who for so many years lias borne anus, 

 quitting them for on instant: for under any other 



