t. 
48 V O Y A G E S of Book I. 
Sorcerer *, and afFiriiiing, that the Caravel his Men had 
leen had been only a Deiiifion, formed by Magic Art, 
or elfe he vroiild have gone in it himfelf, v/ith his Son 
and his Brother. By fiich Difcourfes he confirmed them 
in the Rebellion, and perfuaded them to go and, feize the 
Admiral, and take away what he had aboard the Ships : 
He accordingly marched v/ith his Followers towards 
the Ships •, and , being within a Quarter ot a League of 
them, halted in an Indian Town called Mayma. The 
Admiral being informed of it fent the Adelantado, his 
Brother, with fifty Men, to perfuade him to return to 
his Duty wdio, coming v/ithin a Crofs-bow-lliot of the 
Place, fent the two Mefiengers the Admiral had employ- 
ed before, to offer Peace ; but they, defpifing all Ac- 
commodations, would not fo much as hear them ; and, 
on the contrary, advanced in fighting order, crying, IQll 
him, kill him , fix of them having taken an Oath to de- 
ifroy the Adelantado, who bid his Men do as he did, 
and to fear nothing hut the Stain of being vanquilhed by 
Rebels. This faid, they engaged ; and, at the firft 
Attack, fix Men fell, moft of them Rebels. Francis 
dePbrras, who v/as a bold Man, fingled out the Adelan- 
tado, and at one Cut clove down his Target to theFIand, 
which he wounded, but could not recover his Sword as 
he would ; and the Adelantado, feeing his Men give 
way, clofed v/ith Porras ; Avhich done, others came in 
and feized him, much wounded. The Adelantado then 
fell in among the reft, fo that many were foon killed, and 
among the reft John Barla, who had been the firft that 
drew his Swbrd againft the Admiral when they began to 
rebel ; others being much wounded, the reft betook 
themfelves to Flight. 
The Adelantado would have purfued them, had not 
fome of the beft Men about him diffuaded him from it, 
faying. That was a fufficient Punifhment, and that it was 
not proper to carry Things to Extremity •, fo he returned 
to the Ships, carrying Francis de Porras, and other Prifon- 
ers, and was joyfully received by the Admiral and thofe 
about him. The Day after the Battle, being the 20th of 
May, thofe that efcaped fent a Petition, figned, to the 
Admiral, confeffing their Fault, and begging Pardon, 
and prcmifing to ferve him faithfully for the future •, all 
which they took folemnly an Oath to perform, renoun- 
cing any A bfolution in cafe of Failure from Prieft, Bifhop, 
or Pope himfelf, at the Flour of Death, and all Benefit 
of the Sacraments of the Church. 
The Admiral, on his Part, promifed to pardon them 
provided their Ringleader, Francis de Porras, fhould con- 
tinue a clofe Prifoner j and, to prevent any Controverfies 
between the R.ebels and the others, he fent them a Com- 
mander to keep them in the Ifiand till the Ship, arrived ; 
iucli was the Pofture of Affairs in Jamaica, and the Ad- 
miral had been there full a Year, when a Ship arrived 
freighted by James Mendez, and with it a Caravel com- 
manded by James de Salced.o, the Admiral’s Servant. 
• Columbus, his Followers, and the Rebels embarked, and 
they failed from thence the 28th of June 1 504, and arrived 
at Santo Domingo on the 13th of Augufi. The Governor 
with ail the City went outto meet him, andpaidhim much 
Refpedf, lodging him in his own Houfe, and paying 
abundance of Compliments, but all with a falfe Heart ; 
for he fet at Liberty Francis de Porras, the Ringleader 
of the Rebellion at Jamaica, who was a Prifoner aboard 
the Ship ; and threatened to punifh thofe that had ho- 
nourably flood by the Admiral in his greateft Danger. 
1 1 . The Admiral was a Perfon of too great Penetration 
not to difeern hov/ deceitfully he was treated, and the 
truh Motives of the Governor’s Behaviour. He knew 
very well that Obando hated him, and, at the fame time, 
feared his Credit and Reputation ; but he diffembled 
Things as v/ell as he could, till the Ships were ready 
that were preparing for carrying him back to Spain *, and 
as foon as he knew that they were fit to fail, and the 
proper Seafon was come, he difpofed every thing for his 
Departure , which was a Thing no lefs agreeable to the 
Governor Ohando than convenient for his own Affairs. 
Accordingly, on the 12th of September, 1504, he 
embarked on board a Ship, provided by his Agents, 
and took v/ith him like wife the Veflel that had brought 
him and his People over from Jamaica \ but juft as they 
I 
were out of Port, the Main-maft of the leffer V effel came 
by the Board j upon which he ordered her back to 
Santo Domingo, and continued his Voyage in the other. 
He had not, however, been long at Sea before he met 
with a ir.oft violent Tempeft, in which, not the Men 
only, but the Pilot, expedted every Moment to be caft 
away ; and when the Vehemence of the Storm was over, 
and they began to congratulate each other on their narrow 
Efcape from fo great Danger, they were aftonifhed by a 
very unlooked for Accident ; their Main-maft flying to 
pieces on a fudden, and without any vifible Caufe. 
The Admiral was at that tiiPie confined to his Bed by 
the Gout, which, however, did not hinder his giving 
the neceflary Diredlions for m.aking a Jury-maft of the 
Yard, which was accordingly done ; and in this Con- 
dition they profecuted their Voyage. Soon after they 
encountered another Tempeft, in which they loft their 
Mizen-maft ; notwithftanding which Accident they fafely 
arrived at their intended Port of St. Lucar, having failed 
700 Leagues after they had loft their Main-maft. All 
the Dangers and Difficulties he had ftruggled with at Sea 
had not near fo much Effeft on the Admiral’s Mind, as 
the ill News he met with on Shore *, being informed, as 
foon as he landed, that his beft Friend and only Patronefs, 
the Queen, was dead, fo that he had now none but King 
Ferdinand to apply to, who, though he always treat- 
ed him refpeftfully, the Admiral well knew was far 
enough from having any Kindnefs for him, and even from 
inclining to do him Juftice. 
In this Situation of his Affairs, the Admiral refolved 
with himfelf to go to Seville, in order to take fome Re- 
pofe, and the Advice of his Phyficians for the Recovery of 
his Health, which he accordingly did, having his Son^ 
with him *, and employing himfelf wholly in fetting his 
Family- Affairs in order. When he had refted fome 
Months at Seville, in May 1505 he proceeded to the 
Court, which refided then at Segovia. He did not think 
the King received him as he deferved, yet he prefented 
feveral Petitions fetting forth the Services he had perform- 
ed, and his great Sufferings, and defiring the Perform- 
ance of what he had promifed him in return ; for which 
the King gave him many fair Words without any Effedt, 
having no Intention to fulfil his Engagements, and there; 
fore under-hand offered him a large Eftate in Spain, in 
exchange for what w'^as his due in the Indies, 
This much vexed the Admiral, who was then confined 
to his Bed, and he complained of it to the Archbifhop of 
Seville ; but at that Time King Ferdinand travelled from 
Valladolid to Laredo, to wait for his Son-in-law King 
Philip, and Qiieen Johanna his Daughter, who foon after 
arrived there from Flanders. The Admiral, not being 
able to go, fent his Brother the A-delantado, to compli- 
ment their Majefties and follicit his Affairs j where he 
was well received, and had fair Promifes of having his 
Bufinefs favourably difpatched. But notwithftanding all 
this, fuch Methods were made ufe of to poftpone his 
Demand, and protraft his Bufinefs in all Offices to which 
it was referred, that it was no difficult Matter for him to 
difeern, that very little good v/as intended him. 
13. While the Adelantado, Don Bartholomew Columbus, 
was folliciting, as has been faid, the Admiral’s Diftemper 
grew upon him, till, having made the neceffary Difpo- 
fitions, he departed this Life, with much Piety, at V al- 
ladolid, on Afcenf on-day, being the 20th of May, 1506. 
His Body was conveyed to the Monaftery of the Carthu- 
Jians at Seville, and from thence to the City of Sajifo Do- 
mingo in Hifpaniola, where it lies in the Chancel of the 
Cathedral. He left his Son James his foie Heir, and died 
before he knew whether Cuba was an Ifland. It may be 
expefiled that we fhould add here fome Charafter of this 
great Man, or at leaft a Defeription of his Perfon j but, 
having already fpoken largely of his Abilities in the Be- 
ginning of our former Volume, as well as in this, we 
fliall content ourfelves with barely tranferibing wffiat a 
Spanijh Hiftorian, juftly efteemed for hisFidelity andKnow- 
ledge, has difeourfed upon this Subject : 
His 'Words are thefe ; Columbus was tall of Stature, 
“ long Vifage, of a majeftic Afpeft, his Nofe aquiline, 
‘4 his 
