THE HOME OF THE INDIAN WEED 35 



people clad merely in nature's copper-coloured cuticle, and 

 adorned with ornaments of pure gold and rare and curious 

 shells intermingled with their braided locks. And yet still 

 more strange, these very simple-minded children of nature 

 looked up to the white men as visitors from the spirit-land 

 of their dreams, and with awe and wonder made offerings to 

 them of whatever things they esteemed most precious. The 

 ships in the offing with flapping wings had come from the 

 blue beyond their ken, and the white men were denizens of 

 the skies. This curious idea — so soon to be dispelled 

 by the rapacity and cruelty of the Spaniards — which the 

 natives had conceived of the strangers is alluded to by 

 many early writers who afterwards visited the new world. 

 Sir Francis Drake, in The World Encompassed (i^'j2-'j;^), 

 speaking of the North American Indians, says : ' They 

 brought to the ship a little basket made of rushes and filled 

 with a herb which they called tabah. . . . They came now 

 a second time bringing with them as before had been done, 

 feathers and bags of tabah for presents, or rather, indeed, 

 for sacrifice, upon this persuasion that we were gods.' 



The chief object Columbus had in view, that indeed which 

 had secured him the powerful influence of the Church, was 

 not merely the discovery of the marvellous country of the 

 East Indies, mentioned by Marco Polo, but the conversion 

 to Christianity of the Grand Khan who ruled over the land. 

 To this end, and to obtain for him friendly treatment, he 

 bore for the Khan a royal letter of introduction signed by 

 their Christian majesties of Spain. 



Meanwhile, Columbus had been busily occupied in 

 collecting the spoils of his easily acquired possessions in the 

 West India Islands, in readiness to return home and render 

 an account to his magnanimous friend and protectress, 

 Queen Isabel, of the perils of his voyage and the ultimate 



