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COLUMBUS, CHRISTOPHER. 



judgment I receive great injury, because in the Indies 

 there is neither civil law nor judgment seat. 



The governor, on his arrival at Espanola, took up 

 his abode in my house, and appropriated to himself 

 all that was therein. Well and good ; perhaps he was 

 in want of ; t; but even a pirate does not behave in 

 this manner toward the merchants that he plunders. 

 That which grieved me most was the seizure of my 

 papers, of which I have never been able to recover 

 one ; and those that would have been most useful to 

 me in proving my innocence are precisely those which 

 he has kept most carefully concealed. Behold the 

 just and honest inquisitor! I am told that he does 

 not at all confine himself to the bounds of justice, but 

 that he acts in all things despotically. God our 

 Saviour retains his power and wisdom as of old ; and, 

 above all things, he punishes ingratitude. 



One day the gates of Colnmbus's prison opened, 

 and an officer entered with a guard. 

 " Villejo," said Columbus, " whither are you 

 taking me ? " 



" To the ship, your excellency, to embark." 



" To embark, Villejo ! Do you speak the 

 truth ? " 



" By the life of your excellency, it is true." 



Once on board the vessel and at sea, Villejo 

 and the master of the ship proposed to remove 

 his shackles. 



" No," replied Columbus, " their majesties 

 commanded me by letter to submit to whatever 

 Bobadilla should order in their name. By their 

 authority he has put upon me these chains ; I 

 will wear them until they shall order them to be 

 taken off, and I will preserve them afterward 

 as relics and memorials of the reward of my 

 services." 



The arrival of Columbus in chains produced 

 in Spain a tremendous reaction in his favor. 

 Indignation was felt through the whole country 

 as the news swept over it. The letter given 

 above was, through the thoughtfulness of the 

 ship's captain, Andreas Martin, sent by swift 

 messenger, so that it reached the court before 

 the packet containing the statements of Boba- 

 dilla. Isabella was enraged at the liberty taken 

 with the orders, and Ferdinand dared express 

 nothing else, however he might have felt. Vil- 

 lejo and the alcalde of Cadiz, into whose hands 

 Columbus and his brothers had been committed 

 for safe keeping, confirmed the statements of 

 Columbus, and the Queen ordered their instant 

 release, and wrote a kind letter asking Columbus 

 to come at once to the court. Happy once more 

 in the belief that he was exonerated and trusted 

 where he most desired to be, he hastened to the 

 presence of the princes. Tears came into Isa- 

 bella's eyes as she gazed on him, and he threw 

 himself on his knees and could not speak for 

 sobbing. The King and Queen expressed their 

 wrath at Bobadilla, said he had utterly mis- 

 construed their orders, and promised to remove 

 him immediately. Of this Columbus was very 

 desirous. He felt assured that their majesties, 

 who gave him such tokens of confidence and 

 esteem, would be eager to restore the rights and 

 honors which were proofs of vindication to him 

 and to the world, and for which he steadily con- 

 tended. He looked for a speedy return to Santo 

 Domingo in triumph. 



But, meantime, many expeditions had been 

 fitted out with all manner of privileges that con- 

 travened the rights given to Columbus. These 



had proved that the discoverer was no longer 

 necessary as a leader to the expected wealth, and 

 with these navigators terms could be made more 

 advantageous to the Crown. The discontent in 

 the colony formed a plausible excuse. Though 

 Bobadilla was to be removed, it was represented 

 to Columbus that the safer way for both himself 

 and the Crown would be to send some wise per- 

 son to supersede him for a time, and with this 

 Columbus was fain to rest content. Don Nicho- 

 las de Ovando was chosen. Before he sailed 

 several vessels had brought news of the havoc 

 wrought throughout the new colony by the mis- 

 rule of Bobadilla. Already the wretched Span- 

 iards were looking back with regret to the firm 

 but just severity of Columbus and Don Bartholo- 

 mew. The Indians were dying under the rule of 

 the taskmaster, and fled to mountain retreats, 

 refusing longer to give tribute or food to the idle 

 and worthless profligates who pursued them for 

 gain or for revenge. In arranging for the new 

 government, many of the suggestions which had 

 been urged by Columbus were acted upon. 

 Thirty vessels were fitted out, and with such aid 

 from the Crown that on board them were 73 

 married men with their families, and many arti- 

 sans and professional men of respectable social 

 standing. Ovando was furnished with rich rai- 

 ment in which to maintain his office, and the 

 sick, dissolute, and worthless members of the 

 colony were all to be returned to Spain. There 

 was also a fresh supply of live stock, and all 

 other things necessary for making successful this 

 venture of a native nobleman, a prime favorite 

 with Ferdinand. 



Columbus witnessed the departure of this ex- 

 pedition with sorrow, but apparently not with 

 repining. In the quiet of a monastery he pur- 

 sued his studies, and prepared a manuscript vol- 

 ume to submit to their majesties. It concerned 

 the accomplishment of the object that had long 

 lain near his heart, and to which he had vowed 

 to devote, within seven years of his discovery, at 

 his own expense, 50,000 foot soldiers and 5,000 

 horse. This was a new crusade to Palestine for 

 the recovery of the holy sepulchre. His volume 

 was composed of prophecies from many sources, 

 sacred and profane, which were set forth with 

 his usual ardor. 



While he was prosecuting this undertaking, 

 news came that Vasco de Gama had reached In- 

 dia by rounding the Cape of Good Hope, and the 

 wealth vainly hoped for Spain was pouring in up- 

 on Portugal. This turned Columbus's mind into 

 the old channel, where enthusiasm was tempered 

 by the most cogent common sense. He studied 

 the problem of his discoveries in the light of the 

 new knowledge gained from Portuguese naviga- 

 tion, and arrived at the conclusion that a more 

 southerly route than any yet taken must lead to 

 a shorter method of finding these same coveted 

 countries. This idea, fully worked out, he laid 

 before the sovereigns, his argument being that 

 there must be a strait opening into the Indian 

 Ocean, which, once found, would place the pos- 

 sessions now planted at the gate of the Orient. 

 This strait he located near the real Isthmus of 

 Darien. For such an expedition consent was 

 given, and Columbus set about the preparations. 

 In reply to a letter in regard to his rights and 

 titles, he received a document, dated March 14, 





