Chap. III. Christopher Columbus. 
they, and nine others, went away with their Women to a 
Cazique, whole Name w^as Caunalo^ who was Lord of 
the Mines, who killed them all •, then, many Days after 
came with a great many hden to Navtdizd-) where there 
was only James de Arana, with ten Men who had remain- 
ed with him to guard the Fort, all the^reft being difperf- 
ed about the Idand. The Cazique, Caunalo, coming up 
by Night, fired the Houfes where the Chriftians lived 
with their Vfomen, for fear whereof they fled to the 
Sea ; where eight of them were drowned, and three died 
on Shore •, that Guacanagari fighting with Caunabo in De- 
fence of the Chriftians, was wounded and fled. 
This Account agreed with that given by other Chriftians 
fent by the Admiral to learn more of the Country ; who 
went to a Town where Guacanagari lay ill of a VCound, 
which he faid had hindered him from waiting on the Ad- 
niiral, and giving him an Account of what was become 
of the Chriftians ; among whom, he faid, foon after the 
Admiral returned for Spain, there began to be Diflention, 
and every .one would barter Gold for himfelf, and take 
wfiiat Women he thought fit-, and not fatisfiedwith what 
Guacanagari gave, and allowed to be given them they di- 
vided into feveral Parties, and difperfed fome^ one Way 
and fome another ; And that fome Bifcayners joining to- 
gether, went were they v/ere all killed ; and this was the 
Truth of what had happened, which they might tell the 
Admiral defiring that he would come and fee him, be- 
caufe he was in fuch a Condition, that he could not leave 
the Houfe. The Admiral did fo, going the next Day to 
vifit liim, and he with great Signs of Sorrow, told him 
all that had happened, as has been related above ; and 
that he, and his Men, had been all wounded in Defence 
of the Chriftians ; as appeared by their Wounds, which 
were not given by Chriftian Arms, but with wooden 
Swords and Arrows, pointed with Fifli-bones. 
This Difcourfe being over, he prefented the Admiral 
with eight Strings of fmall Beads, made of white, green, 
and red Stones ; a String of Gold Beads ; a Crown of 
Gold, and three little Calabaflies full of Gold Sand ; All 
which might have been about four Marks weight in Gold, 
each Mark being eight Ounces. The Admiral, in return, 
gave him abundance of Baubles, which might be worth 
three Ryals, and were valued by him at above a Thoufand. 
Though he was very ill, he would needs go with the Ad- 
miral to fee the Fleet, where he was courteoufly enter- 
tained ; and much pleafed to fee the Horfes, of which 
the Chriftians had before given him an Account. And 
becaufe fome of thofe that were dead had mifinformed 
him concerning the Faith, the Admiral was forced to in- 
ftrufl him in it ; and afterwards would have him wear an 
Image of the Virgin Mary about his Neck, which, at 
firft, he had refufed to receive. 
4. The Admiral reflefling on the Difafter of thofe 
Chriftians, and his own Misfortune at Sea having loft the 
Men and Fort on Shore, and his Ship upon the Water; 
and that, not far off, there were better and more commo- 
dious Places, on the 7th of December he failed with the 
whole Fleet Eaftwards, and anchored not far from the 
Ifland of Monte Chrijio, and the next Day, at Monte 
Chrijto, among thofe feven low little Iflands ; which, tho’ 
they are without Trees, yet are neverthelefs very pleafant. 
Thence he went to anchor before a Town of Indians, 
where, refolved to plant a Colony, he landed with all the 
Men, Provifions, and Utenfils he brought aboard the 
Fleet, in a Plain near a Rock on which he built a Town, 
and called it Ifabella, in honour of Queen Ifabel, or Eli- 
zabeth-, this Place was judged very convenient, as the 
Port was very large, though expofed to the North-weft, 
and had a moft delicate River within a Bow Shot of it, 
from which Canals of Water might be drawn to run 
through the middle of the Town; and beyond was an 
open Plain, from which the Indians faid the Mines of Ci- 
hao were not very remote. For thefe Reafons the Ad- 
miral was fo eager upon fettling the faid Colony, that 
what with the Fatigue at Sea, and what he here went 
through, he not only wanted time to write, Day by Day, 
what happened, but fell fick, w^hich hindered his writing 
' from the nth of December to the 12th March, in 
19 
the Year 1494 ; during which time, having ordered tlih 
Affairs of the Town the beft he could, he fent one 
Alonfo de Hojeda with fifteen Men, to feek out the Mines 
of Cibao ; afterwards, on the 2d of February, twelve Ships 
of the Fleet returned to Cajlile, under the Command of 
one Captain Anthony de Forres, Brother to Prince John’s 
Nurfe, a Man of great Judgment and Honour, and irf 
whom their Catholic Majefties and the Admiral much 
confided. He carried in writing an Account at large 
of all that had happened, as alfo tile Nature of the Coun- 
try, and VvTat it required. 
Not long after, Hojeda returned, giving an Account,; 
that the 2d Day after he fet out from Ifabella, he lay at the 
Pafs of a Mountain, which w^as very diflicult of Accefs ; 
that afterwards, at every League’s Diftance, he found Ca- 
ziques, who had been very kind to him ; and continu- 
ing his Journey, the 6th Day he came to the Mines of 
Cibao, where the Indians immediately took up Gold in a 
fmall River, as they had done in many others, in the 
fame Province, where he affirmed there was great plenty 
of Gold. This News much rejoiced the Admiral, who 
was recovered of his Sickneis, and he refolved to obferve 
this Difpofltion of the Country, that he might the better 
know what was to be done. Accordingly, on the 12th 
of March, he fet out from Ifabella, for Cibao, to fee the 
Mines, with all the People that were in Health, both Foot 
and Horfe ; leaving a good Guard in the two Ships, and 
three Caravels, the remainder of the Fleet; and caufing 
all the Ammunition and Tackle belonging to the other 
Ships to be put aboard his own, that none might rebel 
and feize them, as they had attempted to do whilft he was 
fick; becaufe they having gone that Voyage upon the 
Belief, that as foon as they landed they might load them- 
felves with Gold, and fo return rich home, the thing 
not- happening as they expefted, they grew diffatisfied 
and offended ; as alfo, becaufe of building the new Town, 
and weary of Difeafes that the Climate, and Change of 
Diet caufed among them ; they confpired to revolt from 
the Admiral ; and taking the Ships that remained, by 
Force, to return in them to Spain. One Barnard de Pifa, 
who had been an Officer of Juftice at Court, and went 
that Voyage in the Quality of Comptroller, was the 
Ring-leader, and Head of the Mutineers ; therefore, the 
Admiral, when informed of it, would not punifli him any 
otherwife, than by fecuring him on board a-fhip,- with 
a Defign to fend him afterwards to Spain, with his Procefs 
drawn up, as well for mutinying, as for having writ a falfe 
Information againft the Admiral, which he had hid. 
Having therefore ordered all thefe Affairs; and having 
left fome Perfons, together with his Brother Don James 
Columbus, to look to and fecure the Fleet, he fet for- 
ward towards Cibao, carrying with him all the Neceffaries 
to build a Fort, to keep that Province under, and fecure' 
the Chriftians left there to gather Gold, againft any At- 
tempts or Defigns of the Indians ; and the more to ter- 
rify them, and to take away all Hopes, that they might 
do in the Admiral’s Prefence as they had done in his Ab- 
fence with Arana, and the Thirty-eight Chrifldans left 
among them, he carried with him all the Men fie could, 
that they might, in their own Towns, fee the Power of 
the Chriftians, and be fenfible that whenever any Wrong 
was doqe to a Angle Man travelling through the Country,, 
there was a Force of Men to chaftife it ; and to appear the 
more formidable when he fet out for Ifabella ahd other 
Towns, he made his Men march with their Arms in Rank 
and File, as is ufual in time of War, with Trumpets: 
founding, and Colours flying. In this way he marched 
to the Side of that River which lay about a Muflcet-fliot 
from Ifabella ; and a League beyond he croffed another 
River, and went to lie that Night three Leagues off; in a 
Plain divided into pleafant Fields,- reaching to the Foot of 
a craggy Hill, and about two Bow-fhots high : This he 
called Puerto de los Hidalgos, or the Gentleman’s Pafs ; 
becaufe fome Gentlemen went before, to order the Road 
to be made. And this was the firft Road made in the' 
Indies ; for the Indians make their W ays but for one Man- 
to pafs at a time. Beyond this Pafs he came into a large 
Plain, on which he travelled five Leagues the next Dayy. 
and 
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