chap. III. Christopher C o L u m P u & 
5 
delivered to theAdmlral a Petition from all his Followers, 
being one hundred and two Men ftill adhering to him, 
wherein they defired to have Lands affigned them in 
the Province of Xaragua. But becaufe it was not conve- 
nient they fhould be all togethetj fome were fettled at 
Bonaoy others on the Plain on the Bank of the great Ri- 
ver, others at Santiago j at which Places the Admiral 
gave them Lands. And this was the firft Diftribution 
made in the Indies ; which fet an Example to all the, 
others that followed, that is, of affigning fuch a Number 
of Indians to fuch a Perfon, it being exprelTed in the 
Grants, that fuch a Cazique, or his People, fhould till 
the Ground for the Spaniard to whom it was given, 
8. The Admiral having adjufted Matters with Roldan^ 
appointed an Officer, with a Detachment, to patrol 
about the Eland, to reduce the Indians to pay Tribute, 
and to be in Readinefs, that upon any Mutiny among 
the Chriftians, or Sign of Rebellion among the Indians^ 
he might fupprefs them ; which he did with a Defign to 
go over to Spain, and carry with him his Brother the 
Lieutenant, becaufe he judged it would be difficult, if 
he were left behind, to forget old Grudges. As he was 
preparing for his Voyage, Alonfo de Hojeda, who had 
been out on Difcovery with four Ships, arrived in the 
Ifland. This Man was a Creature and Dependant upon 
theBiffiop of Burgos, who perceiving this Prelate had 
entirely changed his Affedtion towards the Admiral, 
ftruck in with him, and procured a Licence to go and 
make Difeoveries, but without the Knowledge of their 
Catholic Majefties •, and fome Perfons at Seville having 
equipped, on the Credit of this Licence, four Ships, he 
failed with them from Port St. Mary's, on the 20th of 
May 1499, and went diredfly in fearch of the Continent, 
purfuant to the Schemes the Admiral had delivered to 
their Catholic Majeffies before his Departure, and which, 
before this Time, he had adluaily carried into Exe- 
cution. 
With this MxiwAmericus Vefpucius made hisfirftVoyage, 
and though they never faw any other Part of the Conti- 
nent than what the Admiral had difeovered failing from the 
Ifland of Hrinity, along the Coaft to Venezuela, yet he im- 
pudently pretended to have firft difeovered the Continent ; 
and by confounding this with a fubfequentVoyage which 
he made into thofe Parts, he dreffed up a fine Story to his 
own Advantage; and being an excellent Geographer, and 
the beft Draftfman of his Time, impofed upon the greateft 
Part of Europe. But, in Spain, the Falffiood and In- 
juftice of his Pretences were foon detedted ; for whereas 
he pretended that, after a Voyage of thirteen Months 
fpent in Difeoveries, he returned diredfly to Spain ; 
Alonfo de Hojeda pofitively made Oath, that he fpent 
but five Months in the Voyage, and that finding them- 
felves fliort of Provifions, they ftood over, as indeed 
was the Truth, to the Ifland of Hifpaniola, for a Sup- 
ply. ^ When he came upon the Coaft of that Ifland, at 
the time of which we are now writing, he gave out, 
that he did not do it willingly, but purely to obtain Re- 
lief, and that he had juft Reafons to expedl it in a Coun- 
try under the Dominion of his Sovereigns ; but his 
real Defign of creating Difturbances there, being ftrongly 
fufpedled, he was advifed to take what he wanted, and 
to continue his Voyage. 
This he pretended to call a great Hardffiip, and threw 
out many Refiedlions upon the Admiral and his Family. 
Upon which Ground she began to write to fome that were 
deep in the late Troubles, and to hold Correfpondence 
with them : But Roldan being informed of his Pro- 
ceedings, by the Admiral’s Order, went againft him to 
prevent his doing the Flarm he intended. Being come 
within a League and a Half of him, he underftood he 
was at a Caziques’, baking Bread and Bifleets, and there- 
fore he travelled that Night to furprife him. Hojeda 
underftanding that Roldan was coming upon him, to 
make the beft of a bad Cafe, went to meet him ; al- 
ledging, Want of Provifions had brought him thither, 
to fupply himfelf in the King his Matter’s Dominions, 
and that he meant no fort of Harm. 
But holding his wicked Purpofe, and taking leave of 
Roldan, he went with his Ships to Xaragua, where a 
great many of thofe People lived who had before rebelled 
With Roldan \ and Betaufe the Shew of Gain is the moll 
ready way to promote any Mifchief, he began to give 
out that their Catholic Majefties had appointed him 
and Carvajal the Admiral’s Counfellors ; and that, among 
many other Things they had advifed him tO; one was, 
That they ftiould pfey in ready Money all in their Service, 
and fince the Admiral was not fo juft as to do it, he 
was ready to go with them to Santo Dommgo, to oblige 
him to pay out of hand ; and that done, to turn him out 
of the Ifland, dead or alive, for they ought not to rely 
upon the Word he had given them, for he would keep 
it no longer than Neceflity obliged him to it. Upon thde 
Promifes, many refolved to follow him ; and being 
affifted by them, he fell upon others who oppofed him, 
and there were fome killed and others wounded, on both 
Sides. And being fatisfied that Roldan would not join 
with them, they refolved to furprize him ; but he 
being informed of their Defign, went where Hojeda was, 
to put a Stop to his Diforders. Hojeda, for fear of him, 
retired to his Ships, and Roldan continuing affiore, they 
treated, each of them fearing to put himfelf into the 
Power of the other. Roldan perceiving xMedHojeda was un- 
willing to come affiore, he pretended to treat with him 
aboard, to which Purpofe he fent for his Boat, which, he 
lent him well manned ; and having taken in Roldan and 
fix or feven of his Followers, when they leaft fufpedled 
it, Roldan and his People fell upon Hojeda' s Men, and, 
killing fome and wounding others, made themfelves 
Matters of the Boat, returning with it to Land. Hojeda, 
wffio had only a fmall Ship left, refolved to come peace- 
ably to treat with Roldan. He agreed to reftore fome 
Men he had taken by force, that his Boat and Men might 
be returned, alledging, if it was not reftored it would be 
the Ruin of them all and their Ships, becaufe he had no 
other. Roldan readily granted it, that he might have no 
caufe to fay he was loft through his Means ; yet he made 
him give Security that he would depart the Ifland by a 
Time appointed, as he was obliged to do, by the good 
Guard Roldan kept on Shore. 
A few Days after Hojeda was gone, one Don Ferdinand 
de Guevara being in Difgrace with the Admiral, as a fe- 
ditious Perfon ; and having takbn part with Hojeda 
through Spite to Roldan, becaufe he would not permit 
him to take to Wife the Daughter of Anacaona Queen of 
Xaragua, began to gather many Confpirators defigning 
to feize Roldan, and fucceed him ; particularly he gained 
to his Party Adrian de Moxica, a chief Man among the 
late Rebels, and other wicked Men ; who, about the 
Month of July, contrived to murder Roldan. Fie having 
Intelligence of the Defign ftood upon his Guard, and 
ordered his Bufinefs fo well that he feized Y)onFerdinand, 
Adrian, and the chief Men of their Party ; and fending 
the Admiral an Account of what had happened, de- 
manded what he fliould do with them. The Anfwer 
was. That fince they had endeavoured, without any Pro- 
vocation, to difturb the Country, he ffiould puniffi them 
according to their Demerit, and as the Law diredled : 
The Judge did it accordingly, and proceeded , legally 
againft them, hanged Adrian, as chief Author of the 
Confpiracy ; baniffied others, and kept Don Ferdinand in 
Prifon, till, on the 1 3th of June, he delivered hirn with 
other Prifoners to Gonfalo Blanco, to carry them to the 
Plain, where the Admiral then was. 
This Example quieted the Country, and the Indians 
again fubmitted themfelves to the Chriftians. Such rich 
Gold Mines were now difeovered, that every Man left the 
King’s Pay, and went to dig Gold at his own Expence, 
allowing the King the Third Part of all they found. 
This profpered fo well that a Man has gathered five 
Marks, or forty Ounces of Goldin a Day. The Indians 
were alfo become fubrniffive, dreading the Admiral, and 
fo defirous to pleafe him that they readily became 
Chriftians only to oblige him ; and therefore, to fettle 
all Things the better, the Admiral refolved to take a 
Progrefs through the Ifland, and accordingly he and his 
Brother, the Lieutenant, fet out on the 20th of February 
1499, and came to IJ'abella tht 19th of March. From 
Ifahella they fet out, the 5th of Auguji, for the Conception. 
From the Conception the Admiral defigned to go to Santo 
Domingo, on the 3d February, in order to return into 
Spain, 
* 
