CHARACTER OF COLUMBUS. 385 



colony upon his courage. But he completely thwarted 

 his mean rival. The latter had expected with some ex- 

 ultation to see him enraged or at least dispirited. He 

 endeavored, in fact, a few months afterwards, to obtain 

 from the public notaries present a prejudicial statement 

 of the interview ; but the good conduct of the admiral 

 had been too marked to be disputed, and the testi- 

 monials were all highly in his favor. 



During the absence of Columbus on his third voyage, 

 Bobadilla was sent out from Spain with an agency's! mi lar 

 to that of Aguado. He was a man of some rank, but 

 he was needy, passionate and ambitious : and he had 

 already made up his opinions violently against the admi- 

 ral. He considered his alleged cruelty entirely proved, 

 therefore, when he saw the body of a Spaniard hanging 

 upon a gibbet on either bank of the river San Domingo, 

 as he sailed up. This and a hundred other charges 

 were substantiated, during the day, by multitudes of people 

 who came off in boats to see him, and to pay court to 

 him, while they revenged themselves by some accusa- 

 tion against Columbus. On landing, he assumed supreme 

 authority at once, and called upon Don Diego, the 

 brother of Columbus, (himself absent,) to submit to him. 

 This he refused to do until he was satisfied of the right 

 of Bobadilla to exercise this command ; but the latter 

 declined showing it, and contented himself with a few 

 vulgar and blustering bravados. Not only Don Diego, 

 he said, but the admiral himself should know whom they 

 had to deal with. On the following day, as Diego still 

 refused to give up certain prisoners whom he held con- 

 fined by his brother's order, Bobadilla fell into a grievous 

 passion ; and having mustered a shouting and riotous mob 

 about him by reading his commission, he proceeded 

 forthwith to lead them against the prison. This was a 

 small slight building, wholly incapable of resisting so 

 tremendous a force, had there been any garrison in it 

 which there did not happen to be or had the garrison 

 been inclined to oppose this motley multitude with their 

 own weapons. This not being the case, Bobadilla fell 

 furiously upon the frail bolts and locks of the portal, and 

 they gave way at the first shock ; his zealous followers, 



