314 THE SEA. 



religious care. But when he offered wishing- to obtain possession of the relic to 

 exchange it for an image of the Virgin, the chief made an evasive reply, and next 

 morning was missing, having fled with the picture in his possession. It was all in 

 vain that Las Casas sent messages after him, " assuring him that he should not be 

 deprived of the relic, but, on the contrary, that the image should likewise be pre- 

 sented to him." The cacique would not return to the village till he knew that the 

 Spaniards had departed. 



We find Ojeda next in Jamaica, and afterwards in San Domingo, where he inquired 

 earnestly after the Bachelor Enciso, who had, it will be remembered, promised to aid 

 him with reinforcements and supplies. He was assured that that ambitious lawyer had 

 sailed for the settlement, which was a fact. Next we find the sanguine Ojeda endeavouring 

 to set on foot another armament, but the failure of his colony was too well under- 

 stood, and there were no more volunteers, either as regards personal service or pecuniary 

 aid. The poor adventurer was destined never again to see his settlement, the subsequent 

 history of which is a series of intrigues and disasters. He died in abject poverty in 

 San Domingo, and "so broken in spirit that, with his last breath, he intreated his body 

 might be buried in the monastery of St. Francisco, just at the portal, in humble 

 expiation of his past pride, that every one who entered might tread upon his grave." Nicuesa, 

 after many vicissitudes, was lost at sea. The Bachelor Enciso was rather snubbed when 

 he arrived at Ojeda's colony, but made some fortunate ventures, and plundered a village 

 on the banks of a river named Darien, collecting great quantities of gold ornaments, 

 bracelets, anklets, plates, and what not, with food and cotton to the value of ten 

 thousand castillauos, or about ten thousand seven hundred pounds sterling. Among 

 the men who for a time served with Enciso was Vasco Nunez de Balbao, afterwards 

 the discoverer of the Pacific from the Isthmus of Darien, of whom these pages have 

 already furnished some account. He joined the expedition of Enciso in a very curious 

 manner. He had been a man of very loose and prodigal habits, but had settled down 

 on a farm in Hispaniola, where he soon became hopelessly involved in debt. The 

 proposed armament gave him the opportunity he sought of running away from his 

 creditors. He concealed himself in a cask, which was taken on board the vessel as 

 though containing provisions. When the vessel was fairly out at sea " Nunez emerged 

 like an apparition from his cask, to the great surprise of Enciso, who had been totally 

 ignorant of the stratagem. The Bachelor was indignant at being thus outwitted, even 

 though he gained a recruit by the deception, and, in the first ebullition of his wrath, 

 gave the fugitive debtor a veiy rough reception, threatening to put him on shore on 

 the first uninhabited island they should encounter. Vasco Nunez, however, succeeded 

 in pacifying him, ( for God/ says the venerable Las Casas, 'reserved him for greater 

 things/ " It was Nunez who afterwards directed Enciso to the village where he obtained 

 so much plunder. 



Another remarkable man of that age was Juan Ponce de Leon, the conqueror of Porto 

 Rico, and the discoverer of Florida. He had amassed a considerable amount of wealth in the 

 former place, and, like many of the active discoverers of that energetic age, was ambitious for 

 new triumphs. By accident he met with some Indians who assured him " that far to the 



