KRISTOPHER 
Columbus. 
Alligator, and aS they were going towards a Tov/n the 
Indians fled, carrying away what they had. But the Ad- 
miral having forbid meddling with any thing, they foon 
came to the Ships to baiter like the reft ; and the Ad- 
miral gave them feme Toys, and to try their Kindnefs afl<- 
ed for Water, which they carried to him in Caiabalhes 
or Gourds. He would not lofe Time at the Ifland of 
Ifahella or others ; but refolved to go in qiieft of another, 
which they told him was very large, and called Cuba^ 
pointing to the South ; he believing it had been Cipango^ 
by Reafon of the Signs they gave of it, and their extra- 
ordinary Reports concerning it. 
8. On the 28th he drew near the Coaftj gave it the 
Name of Juana or Johanna-, which feemed to be a better 
Country than the others, by Reafon of the Hills, rifmg 
Grounds, and Variety of Trees, Plains, and Shores that 
appeared. He anchored in a great River he called San 
Salvador. The Woods appeared very thick, the Trees 
tall with Bloflbms, and Fruits different from ours *, and 
there were abundance of Birds. The Admiral, defiring to 
have Information, fent to two Houfes, the People where- 
of fled, leaving Nets and filhing Tackle behind them, 
and a Dog that did not bark. He would not fuffer 
any thing to be touched, but failed to another great 
River, which he called de la Luna, i. e. of the Moon. 
Another he faw, v/hich he called de Mares, or of the Seas, 
the Banks of it were very well inhabited. 
The Indians fled to the Mountains, which were cover- 
ed with large and tall Trees of feveral Sorts. The In- 
dians he carried with him fignified to him that there 
was Gold and Pearls in Cuba ; and he thought it very pro- 
bable becaufe he faw Mufcles •, they alfo faid it was not 
ten Days Sail from tlience to the Continent, according to 
the Notion he had. Paul, a Phyfician of Florence, having 
writ about it ; however, though he was in the right, it 
was not the Land he imagined. Believing that if many 
Men went a-£hore, it would add to the Fear of the In- 
dians, he fent twm Spaniards, with one Indian of San 
Salvador, and one of Cuba, who came to the Ships in a 
Canoe. The Spaniards, being Roderigo de Xeres, an Inha- 
bitant of Ayamonte, and Lewes de Forres, who had been a 
Jew, and fpoke Hebrew and Chaldaic, and fome fay 
Arabic, He gave them things to exchange, and allow- 
ed them fix Days to return in j diredling them to go up 
into the Country, and enquire into all Affairs without do- 
ing harm to any body. In the mean Time he refitted 
the Ship, and they obferved, that from all the Wood 
they burnt, there came a Sort of Gum like Maftic, re- 
fembling in the Leaf and Fruit the Maftic Tree, but 
much bigger. In this River of Mares the Ship had 
room to wind: It has 7 or 8 Fathom Water at the Mouth, 
and five within, wdth two Ridges of high Ground on the 
South-eaft, and a fine Cape to the Weft North-weft, plain 
and running out-, and this w^as afterwards the Port of 
Bar ache a, which the Adalantado, or Lord Lieutenant 
JDtego V elafquez, called of the AJfumption. 
When the Ship was ready to fail, the Spaniards return- 
ed, on the 5th of November, with three of the Native 
Indians, reporting they had travelled 22 Leagues, and 
found a Village of fiity Houfes, built like them before 
mentioned, and that they contained about 1000 Perfons, 
becaufe a whole Generation lived in a Houfe, and that the 
prime Man came out to meet them, led them by the 
Arms, and lodged them in one of thefe new Houfes ; 
caufing them to fit down on Seats made of one folid Piece 
ol Wood, in the Shape of a Beaft, with very fliort Legs, 
and the Tail held up the Head before, with Eyes and 
Ears of Gold; and that all, the Indians fat about them on 
the Ground, and one after another went to kifs their Feet 
and Hands, believing they came from Heaven, and gave 
them boiled Roots to eat, which tafted like Chefnuts ; 
and intreated them to ftay there, or at leaft, to reft five 
or fix Days; becaufe tht Indians that went with them faid 
many kind things. That Abundance of Women foon 
after coming in to fee them, all the Men went out, and 
tiiey,^ with the fame Admiration, kiffed their Feet and‘ 
Hanas, touching them as if they had been fome holy 
, 1 hings, oitering what they brought ; and that many of 
VoL, IL Numb. 70. 
the Men would have come aw*ay with them, but that they 
V/ould admit of none but the Lord and his Son, with ond 
Servant. 
They added, that, both cbming and going, they found 
many Villages where the fame Refpedl was paid them, 
but, that none of them had above five or fix Houfes ; and 
that, by the Way, they met many People, each of them 
carrying a Fire-brand in his Hand to light Fire, and per- 
fume themfelve's with fome Herbs they carried along with 
them, and to roaft their Roots, that being their principal 
Food; and the Fire was eafily kindled, becaufe they had 
a Sort of Wood,, which, if they worked one Piece againft 
another, as if piercing a Hole, took fire ; they alfo favv 
a Multitude of feveral Sorts of Trees, fuch as they had 
not feen on the Sea-coaft, and great Variety of Birds, dif- 
ferent from ours, and among them Partridges and Night- 
ingales ; but that they had met with no four footed Crea- 
tures, befides thofe little Cur-Dogs that cannot bark. They 
had much Ground fowed with their Roots, and that fort 
of Corn called Maize, well tafted, either boiled or ground 
into Flower. They faw a vaft Quantity of Ipun Cotton 
in Bottoms, and in one Houfe they believed there was 
above 12,000 Pound Weight of it; the fame growing in 
the Fields without being planted ; and as the Rofes blow 
of themfelves, fo does that, when ripe, though not all 
at the fame Time ; for, upon the fame Plant, fome were 
Open and others ftill clofed; and for a Leathern Thong, 
or a Piece of glazed Ware, or a Bit of a Looking-Glafs, 
they would give a little Baficet full of Cotton, which they 
did not make ufe of to cloath themfelves, for they all 
went naked, but in making Nets for their Beds, and lit- 
tle Cloths to cover their Privities ; and that being afleed 
about Gold and Pearls, they faid there was Abundance 
at Bohio, pointing Eaftward. 
9. The Spaniards ftill enquiring of the Indians for Gold, 
they anfwered, Cubanacan, which they thought had meant 
the great Cha?n, and that the Country of Cathay was not fat 
off, becaufe they alfo pointed out four Days Journey. 
Martin Alo 7 ifo Pinzon faid it muft be fome great City, 
that was four Days Journey from thence; but it was not 
long before they underftood that Cubanacan was a Pro- 
vince in the Midft of the Ifland of Cuba, for Nacan fig- 
nifies in the Middle, and that there were Mines of Gold. 
Having heard thus much, the Admiral would not lofe any 
more time, but ordered fome Indians to be taken, to be 
carried into Spain, from feveral Parts, that every one 
might give an Account of his own Country, as Witneffes 
of the Difeovery: Twelve were taken. Men, Women, 
and Children, without giving Offence. As they were 
ready to fail, an Indian, who was one of the Womens 
Hufband, and Father to two Boys that were aboard; came 
to the Ship; and defired they would take him along with 
his Wife and Children; the Admiral ordered hilTi to be 
taken aboard, and all of them to be well ufed ; and, be- 
caufe of the North Winds, he was obliged to return to a 
Port, which he called de/ or, xh^ Princes, where 
he arrived on the 1 3 th, and eredled a Crofs at the Mouth 
of it, made of two large pieces of Timber. 
The next Day he flood to the Eaftward; in queft of the 
Ifland Ilifpaniola, which the Indians called Bohio, arid fome 
of them Babeque-, but it afterwards appeared Babeque sna% 
not the Ifland of Ilifpaniola, but the Continent, for they 
called it by another Name, Carabina. Martin Alonjb 
Pinzon underftanding now, that the Indians faid there was 
much Gold in Bohio, being Covetous to enrich himfelff 
he left the Admiral on the 21ft, without any ftrefs of 
Weather, or any other lawful Calife; and, his Ship being a 
very good Sailer, made the beft of his W ay thither. By the 
Name ofTcAk, w hich was the Land of Ilifpaniola, it feenl- 
ed the Indians would fignify that it was a Land full of Bo- 
hios, that is, Cottages ; the Admiral feeing; that; nOtwith- 
ftanding all the Signals he made, Martin Alonfd was not 
to be found with the two Ships, and the Wind being ftill 
contrary, he returned to Cuba, to a large arid fafe Har- 
bour, which he called St. Catherines ; there he wooded and 
watered, and faw foriie Stones withTokens of Gold in thenii 
On the Land there were tall Firr-trees, fit to make Mafts, 
and perceiving that all the Indians directed him to Hifpa- 
. D niola. 
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