26 ' 7h V O Y 
When the Caravels were equipt and provided,, the Admi- 
ral appointed his Brother Don Bartholomevj Columbus his 
Lieutenant, a Perfon capable of a great Command j and, 
in cafe he died, his Brother James \ , earneftly charging 
the People to be obedient to him : He alfo appointed 
Francis Roldan^ a Man of good Underftanding, and who 
alfo had behaved himfelf well in his Office of Alcalde, and 
others he had employed him in, chief Alcalde of the whole 
Ifland, to adminifter Juftice ; for tho’ he was not a Law- 
yer, yet being his Servant, and a difcreet Man, he thought 
fit to entruft him in that Place. He went aboard one of 
the Caravels, and John Aguado went in the other *, and in 
regard tlaat their Catholic Majefliies had ordered that the 
’moft fickly, and others whole Wives and Kindred had 
complained that the Admiral would not permit them to 
return into Spain^ ffiould have Leave, he took on board 
to the Number of two hundred and twenty, or better. 
He failed on the loth of March 1496, and, going to 
take a View of Puerto de Plata^ carried his Brother Don 
Bartholomew along with him, becaufe he defigned to fet- 
tle a Colony there. 
Don Bartholomew returned by Land *, and the Admiral, 
by reafon of contrary Winds and Currents, failed to the 
Eafcward with much Difficulty, as far as Cape Eganno^ 
and on the 2 2d he loft fight of it. On the 9th of A-pril 
he came to an Anchor at Marigalante^ and the next Day 
at Guadalupe^ where many Women came with Bows and 
Arrows to hinder their Landing j and becaufe the Boats 
could not come near the Shore, as the Sea ran fo high, 
they fent out two Indians^ having thirty aboard, from Hif- 
paniola^ who told the Women that they would do them 
no Harm, but only take in Provifions. They anfwered, 
they ffiould go to the other Side of the Ifiand, where 
their Huffiands were ^ and when they came, a great 
Number of Men appeared, ffiooting Flights of Arrows ; 
but they fell fiiort j and the Boats firing fome fmall Guns, 
they all fled to the Mountains, leaving their Houfes and 
Goods, where the Chriftians took and deftroyed all they 
found. Being acquainted with the Way of making Bread, 
they fell to work, and made enough to fupply their W ant. 
Among other things they found in the Houfes, there were 
Parrots, Honey, Wax, and Iron, whereof they had 
Hatchets to cut Looms like thofe for Tapeftry-work, in 
which they wove their Tents. Their Houfes were fquare, 
and not round as is ufual in the other Iflands. While the 
Bread was making, the Admiral fent forty Men up the 
Country, to learn fomething of it ; who next Day return- 
ed with ten Women and three Boys, the reft of the People 
being fled. 
Among thefe Women was the Wife of a Cazique, 
whom a Man born in the Canaries^ that was very nimble, 
had much Difficulty to overtake and ffie had got from 
him, but, feeing him alone, ffie thought to take him, and 
clofing file got him down, and had ftifled him, but that 
others came to his Affiftance. Thefe Womens Legs were 
fwathed with Cotton from the Ancle to the Knee, that 
they might look thick ; which Ornament they called Coi- 
ro, and looked upon it as very genteel, and thofe they 
girded fo hard, that, if it happened to flip off the Leg, 
that Part appeared very thin. The fame both Men and 
Women ufed in Jamaica^ who fwathed their Arms up to 
their Armpits, that is, about the fmalleft Parts, like the 
old-faffiioned Sleeves among us. Thefe Women, as foon 
as their Children could ftand upon their Legs, gave them a 
Bow, that they might learn to ffioot ; and they all wore 
their Hair long and loofe upon their Shoulders •, nor did 
they cover any Part of the Body. That Lady they took 
faid, that the Hand was only inhabited by Women, and 
that thofe who would have oppofed them on landing were 
Women, except only four Men, who were there acci- 
dentally from another Hand ; for at a certain time of the 
Year they came to fport with them. The fame was ob- 
ferved by Women of another Ifland, called Matrimonio, 
of whom ffie gave the fame Account we read of the Ama- 
%ons \ and the Admiral believed it, by what he faw among 
thofe Women, becaufe of their Courage and Strength. 
They alfo fay thefe Women feem to be endowed v/ith 
clearer Underftandings than thofe of the other Iflands for 
ill ether Places they reckon the Day by the Sun, and the 
A 
AGES of Book L 
Night by the Moon, whereas thefe Women reckon by 
Stars, faying, when fuch a Star is North, then it is time 
to do fo and fo. 
Wffien they had made Provifion of Bread for twenty 
Days, befides v/hat they had aboard, the Admiral refolved 
to continue his Voyage towards Spain •, but perceiving 
this Ifland was an Inlet to the others, he thought fit firft 
to fatisfy thofe Women with fome Gifts for the Lofs they 
had fuftained, and then fent them all affiore, except the 
chief Lady, who chofe to go into Spain with her Daugh- 
ter, among the other Indians of the Ifland Hifpaniola^ one 
of whom was Caunaho^ who, it has been faid, was the 
chief Man in all thd Ifland, and that becaufe he was not 
a Native of it, but of the Caribes •, and therefore the 
Lady was content to go into Spain with the Admiral, who 
having furniffied himfelf with Bread, Wood and Water, 
fet fail on the 20th of April from Guadalupe, with the 
Wind very leant, keeping near the Latitude of 22 ; for 
at that time they had not found out the Method of tun- 
ing away North, to meet the South-weft Winds. 
Having made but little Way, and the Ships full of 
People, on the 20th of May they all began to be much 
afflided for want of Provifions, which was fo great, that 
they had but fix Ounces a Day for each Perfon, and lefs 
than a Pint of Water, without any thing elfe. And tho’ 
there were eight or nine Pilots in thofe two Sloops, yet 
none of them knew where they were : But the Admiral 
was confident they were but a little Weft of the Azores. 
Thus continuing their Voyage, tho’ all the Pilots were at a 
lofs, on the 8 th of June they were in fight of Odemira, be- 
tween Lijhon and Cape St. Vincent, all the Pilots for feveral 
Days having ftill made for' the Land, except the Admi- 
ral, who the Night before flacked his Sails for fear of 
Land, faying, he did fo becaufe they were near Cape St. 
Vincent, which all laughed at, fome of them affirming 
they were near the Englijh Channel ; and even thofe that 
erred leaft faid they were on the Coaft of Galicia, and 
therefore ought not to take in any Sail, it being better 
to dye on Shore than ftarve miferably a Sea •, the Scarci- 
ty being fo great, that there were many, who like the 
Canibals, were for eating the Indians they had a-board : 
And others, to fave the little Provifion there was left, 
were for throwing them over-board ; which they would 
have done, had not the Admiral ufed all his Authority to 
prevent it, confidering they were human Creatures ; and 
therefore it fo pleafed God to reward him with the Sight 
of Land next Morning, as he had promifed them all j for 
which reafon he was afterwards looked upon by the Sea- 
men as moft expert, and almoft prophetical in Sea Af- 
fairs. 
I o. The Admiral being landed in Spain, began to pre- 
pare for his Journey to Burgos, "wh-tet he was favourably 
received by their Catholic Majefties, who were there cele- 
brating the Nuptials of Prince John, who married Mar- 
garet of Aujlria, a Daughter of Maximilians^ the Emperor, 
who was conduced into Spain. The Admiral being come 
to Burgos, he prefented their Majefties with feveral things 
he brought from the Indies, as well Birds and Beafts, as 
Trees, Plants, Inftruments, and other things the Indians 
life for their Service and Diverfion *, alfo feveral Girdles 
and Mafks, with Eyes and Ears of Gold ; befides much 
Gold Sand, grofs and fmall, as Nature produced it, fome 
Grains as big as Vetches, fome as Beans, and as Pigeons 
Eggs. This was not always fo much valued, becaufe in 
Procefs of time there were Pieces of Gold found that 
weighed above thirty Pounds : Yet at this time what 
he brought was much efteemed, in Hopes of what was 
afterwards found : And accordingly their Majefties re- 
ceived it in good part. When the Admiral had given 
them an Account of all that related to the improving and 
peopling the Indies, he was defiroiis to return with Speed, 
for fear fome Difafter ffiould happen in his Abfence, ef- 
pecially becaufe he had left the People there in great 
want of all Neceffaries. 
Though he preffed hard on this Account, yet the Af- 
fairs of that Court being fubjedl to Delays, he could not 
be fo foon difpatched, but that ten or twelve Months 
elapfed before he obtained two Ships •, which were fent 
with Succours under the Command of Peter Fernandez 
T Colonel. 
c 
