Chap. III. 



A M E%\ C A. 



4? 



and other Trifles. The King of Ouaccanarillo gave teftimony of peculiar inclS- } 

 nation to the Spaniards), helping them to Fifh up the remaining Goods-of the 

 Wreck, and inform'd them, That fome Rivers flowing from the tops of high 

 Mountains, wafh'd down the Gold amongft the Sand : notwithstanding a 

 ftrange Prophecy had been told to thefe Iflanders, namely, Tl?at Bearded Men 

 out of remote Countries jhould dejlroy their Goods ,take their Ldndjmi majfacre their Chd- 

 dren. He alfo told them what made them fly, and betake them to their Heels 

 at the arrival of the Spaniards , becaufe they were oftentimes furpris'd by the 

 Qannibals, who fnatch'd up all they could lay hold on : Their Boys and Strip- 

 lings they gelded, cooping and cramming them up, as we our Capons, for 

 Feafts : The young and well-grown Men they chopp'd to pieces, falted, and 

 Barrel'd up : Young Women they preferv'd for breed, and old ones they made 

 Slaves. Thefe Cannibals were fo terrible to the Inhabitants of Haytin, that a 

 thoufand of them durft not venture to engage againft ten, but would run eve- 

 ry way, diipers'd like Flocks of Sheep before the Wolf. 



Laftly, Their King permitted the Spaniards to build a Lodge or Hovel, 

 wherein thirty or forty of them might (helter 5 but indeed fo taking pofleflion 

 in right of the King of Spain. 



Mean while Columbus returned in fafety to 'Spain, and was received with great Returns to sp*n. 

 joy, King Ferdinand making him Admiral of the Sea, and fending his Brother is highly hawM. 

 Bartholomew Governor to Haytin y | now call'd Hifpaniola.* The Gold, Parrots, 

 Maftick, Aloes, the ftrange Bread Jucca, whofe extracted Juyce is rank Poyfon, 

 but the Body makes good Meal, which kneaded and bak'd, yields a fine Man- 

 chet and wholefom Food, they look'd upon with gteat delight and admirati- 

 on j but two of the Natives being naked, with Gold Rings through their No- 

 fesand Ears, Ornaments with them of high efteem, and fignifying their no 

 mean Quality, the People old and young came in Throngs to wonder at, ne- 

 ver weary of gazing upon them. But the King, encourag'd by this Succefs, 

 took no dilatory Courfe, but fuddenly, and before any could expeft, built 

 fourteen ftout Carvels, and three Frigats, and as foon mann'd them with Go«withfcventeenSaii 

 twelve hundred Soldiers, befides a great number of Artificers of all forts, with afecon timcXoH, fe amot * 

 their Wives and Children, freighting them with Horfes, Swine, Goats, Cattel 

 for Breed, all forts of European Corn to fow, Fruit-Trees and Vines to plant, 

 and fome Priefts to inftrucl: and convert the Natives to their Religion* 



Thefecond of September, Anno 1493. tnc Y ^ et ^ from Cadi^ } and Anchored 

 before Ferreo, the laft and furtheft of the CanaryJflands , where they could get 

 no Water, but what dropped from the Dew hanging on Trees into Troughs. 

 After that, Columbus came oh the one and twentieth day amongft the Caribby 

 1/lands, where he dropp'd Anchor before one, which he call'd Dominico ; but TkeM*J»s t s$.cbh 

 finding it defolate, fet fail further, and difcover'd feveral other Coafts, where 

 he likewife found nothing but very great Porcupines or Hedg-hogs,and fweet- 

 fmelling Trees. Steering forward, he found the Coafts of the Cannibals, which 

 inhabited along the Shore in little Huts or Hovels, built round of Wood, The Huts of the a******/,; 

 and ftak'd about on the out*fide with long Poles, like Talifado's : They have 

 alfo Pofts within, which are fhorter, pleited and faftned together with Cot- 

 ton, or long Roots of Trees, plyant like our Ofiars, over which they hang 

 Cloths painted with horrible Figures and ftrange Reprefentations : The Roofs 

 rife like our Canopy'd Tents, higheft in the middle, cover'd with Palm-Tree 

 Leaves to keep off the Rain : At the Entrances hang two Hairy Images on 

 Poles, not for Religion fake, but Ornament : Their Bed=fteads being high 



from 



