CHARACTER OF COLUMBUS. 399 



the number of his enemies, and others of them he knew 

 to be still disposed to do him harm rather than good. 



Nor ought we to omit the uniform benevolence with 

 which he treated the poor natives of the countries he 

 discovered. And it is interesting to observe the effect it 

 had upon them. On first landing upon the shores of 

 Hispaniola, for example, his sailors saw a crovyd of the 

 Indians flying from them in terror. They pursued, and 

 at last overtook a young and handsome female, and 

 brought her off to the ships. The admiral soon soothed 

 her terrors by his kindness. He had her clothed; made 

 her presents of beads, brass rings, hawks' bells, and 

 other trinkets ; and sent her .back safely to the shore, 

 so pleased with his finery and his kindness that she 

 would gladly have remained on board. On the following 

 day, the admiral despatched nine men to look for the 

 village to which this woman belonged. The natives met 

 these men, to the number of 2000, approaching them with 

 slow and trembling steps, and pausing often, their hands 

 upon their heads, in token of profound reverence. Another 

 multitude joined them soon afterwards at the head of 

 them was the husband of the female just mentioned. 

 They brought her in triumph on their shoulders, and the 

 husband was profuse in his gratitude for the civility with 

 which she had been treated, and the magnificent presents 

 bestowed upon her. The Indiane, on becoming more 

 familiar with the Spaniards, invited them to their houses, 

 on the bank of a fine river in a beautiful valley ; and set 

 before them cassava, bread, fish, roots, and fruits of va- 

 rious kinds. Having ascertained that their guests were 

 fond of parrots, they gave them great numbers of them 

 already domesticated, and indeed offered everything else 

 they possessed. These transactions were rumored over 

 the neighboring country ; and when Columbus was soon 

 after wrecked upon the same coast, he experienced the 

 benefit of his kindness. Well might Columbus say of such 

 a people, as he does with a manifest pleasure ' So loving 

 so tractable, so peaceable are they, that 1 swear to your 

 majesties there is not in the world a better nation, or a 

 better land.' On every future occasion, to the last days 

 of his life, he watched over the welfare of the Indians 

 with the anxiety of a father. His final exertions at court 



