192 F. A. Oher—In the Wake of Columbus. 



iirely examining the various beautiful harbors encountered and 

 trafficking with the natives, that the fleet of Columbus first met 

 Avitli disaster. On Christmas eve the Santa Maria ran on a reef 

 and was wrecked, proving a total loss. The first Christmas in 

 the New World was a sad one for Columbus and his sailors, but 

 their distress was somewhat alleviated by the good offices of the 

 Indian cacique, Guacanagari, whom they were seeking at the 

 time of the Avreck. He sent out canoes to assist them and took 

 them to his village, Guarico. where they were hospitably enter- 

 tained. Near this place Columbus erected a fort, which he called 

 Navidad, or the nativity, in commemoration of the day of dis- 

 aster, and then, leaving here a garrison of forty men, sailed be- 

 yond, as fjir as the bay of Samana, whence he took his departure 

 for Spain. 



The places discovered by him after the first landfall are easily 

 identified, as are all the important settlements made during 

 subsequent voyages. 



Returning to America on his second voyage, Columbus found 

 land at a point farther south than on the first, sighting the 

 mountains of Dominica and landing at Guadeloupe. I was at 

 the landing-place in Guadeloupe a little. over a year ago, and 

 saw the bay in which the vessels lay while their crews were ex- 

 ploring the woods, when they made their first acquaintance with 

 the cannibals. 



The second landfall is a quiet and peaceful country, now the 

 center of the sugar industry of Guadeloupe, but the general 

 features of the country are unchanged, and the great waterfall, 

 so grand and impressive, and which was described by Colum- 

 bus, may still be seen (to use his own expressive language) 

 "dropping from the clouds that drift around the brow of the 

 volcano." 



In Dominica, across the channel, still live the descendants of 

 the veritable Caribs found by Columbus, and who for many 

 years held the Spaniards at a distance. In this island, and in 

 that of Saint Vincent, reside the only Indians remaining in the 

 West indies, of the. estimated millions found here at the coming 

 of the Spaniards. 



I. myself have lived with them, have hunted with them for 

 months, have studied and photographed them, and willingly 

 testify to their many admirable qualities. Now reduced to a few 

 hundred in number, yet the Caribs formerly occupied all the 



