Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 4.djvu/183

 COLUMBUS

143

COLUMBUS

since he gives thcin almost from day to day. This precautionary measure indicates that Columbus feared insubordination and even revolt on the part of the crews, but there is no evidence that any mutiny really broke out. Finally, at ten o'clock, p. m., 11 Oc- tober, Columbus himself descried a light which indi- cated land and wa.s so recognized by the crew of his vessel. It reappeared several times, and Columbus felt sure that the shores so eagerly expected were near. At 2 a. m. on 12 October the land was seen plainly by one of the Pinta's crew, and in the forenoon Columbus landed, on what is now called Watling's Island in the Bahama group. West Indies. The discoverers named the island San Salvador. The Indians inhabiting it belonged to the widespread Arawak stock (q. v.) and are said to have called the island Guanahani. Imme- diately after landing Columbus took possession of the island for the Spanish sovereigns.

The results of the first voyage, aside from the dis- covery of what the admiral regarded as being ap- proaches to India and China, may be summed up as follows: partial recognition of the Bahamas; the dis- covery and exploration of a part of Cuba, and the es- tablishment of a Spanish settlement on the coast of what is now the Island of Haiti or Santo Domingo. Cuba Columbus named Juana, and Santo Domingo, Hispaniola.

It was on the northern coast of the large island of Santo Domingo that Columbus met with the only seri- ous mishap of his first voyage. Having established the nucleus of the first permanent Spanish settlement in the Indies, he left about three score men to hold it. The vicinity was comparatively well peopled by na- tives, Arawaks like those of the Bahamas, but slightly more advanced in culture. A few days previous to the foundation Martin .\lonso Pinzon disappeared with the caravel Pinta which he commanded antl only rejoined the admiral on 6 January, 1493, an act, to say the least, of disobedience, if not of treachery. The first settlement was officially established on Christmas Day, 1492, and hence christened "La Navidad". On the same day the admiral's ship ran aground. It was a total loss, and Columbus was reduced for the time be- ing to the Niiia, as the Pinta had temporarily deserted. Happily the natives were friendly. After ensuring, as well as he might, the safety of the little colony by the establishment of friendly relations with the Indians, Columbus left for Spain, where, after weathering a frightful storm during which he was again separated from the Pinta, he arrived at Palos, 15 March, 1493.

From the journal mentioned we also gather (what is not stated in the letters of Columbus) that while on the northern shores of Santo Domingo (Hispaniola) the admiral "learned that behind the Island Juana [Cuba] towards the South, there is another large island in which there is much more gold. They call that island Yamaye. . . . And that the island Espafiola or the other island Yamaye was near the mainland, ten days distant by canoe, which might be sixty or seventy leagues, and that there the people were clothed [dressed]". Yamaye is Jamaica, and the mainland alluded to as sixty or seventy leagues distant to the south (by south the west is meant), or 150 to 175 Eng- lish miles (the league, at that time, being counted at four millns of 3000 Spanish feet), was either Yucatan or Honduras. Hence the admiral brought the news of the existence of the American continent to Europe as early as 1493. That he believed the continent to be Eastern Asia does not diminish the importance of his information.

Columbus had been careful to load his ships with all manner of products of the newly discovered countries and he also took some of the natives. ^\Tiether, among the samples of the vegetable kingdom, tobacco was included, is not yet satisfactorily ascertaineil. Nor is it certain that, when upon his return he i)r(!- sented himself to the monarchs at Barcelona, an impos-

ing public demonstration took place in his honour. That he was received with due distinction at court and that he displayed the proofs of his discovery can not be doubted. The best evidence of the high apprecia- tion of the King and Queen of Spain is the fact, that the prerogatives granted to him were confirmed, and everything possible was done to enable him to con- tinue his explorations. The fact that Columbus had found a country that appeared to be rich in precious metals was of the utmost importance. Spain was poor, having been robbed, ages before, of its metallic wealth by the Romans. As gold was needed the dis- covery of a new source of that precious metal made a strong impression on the people of Spain, and a rush to the new regions was inevitable.

Columbus started on his second voyage to the Indies from Cadiz, 25 September, 1493, with three large ves- sels and thirteen caravels, carrying in all about 1500 men. On his first trip he had heard about other, smaller islands lying some distance south of Hispani- ola, and said to be inliabited by ferocious tribes who had the advantage over the Arawaks of being intrepid seafarers, and who made constant war upon the in- habitants of the Greater .\ntilles and the Bahamas, carrying off' women and children into captivity. They were believed to practise cannibalism. These were the Caribs (q. v.) and the reports about them were true, outside of some exaggerations and fables like the story of the Amazons. Previous to the arrival of Col- umbus the Caribs had driven the Arawaks steadily north, depopulated some of the smaller islands, and were sorely pressing the people of Hispaniola, parts of Cuba, Porto Rico, and even Jamaica. Columbus wished to learn more about these people. The help- less condition of the Arawaks made him eager to pro- tect them against their enemies. The first land sighted, 3 November, was the island now known as Dominica, and almost at the same time that of Marie Galante was descried. Geographically the second voyage resulted in the discovery of the Caribbean Is- lands (including the French Antilles), Jamaica, and minor groups. Columbus having obtained conclusive evidence of the ferocious customs of the Caribs, re- garded them as dangerous to the settlements he pro- posed to make among the Arawaks and as obstacles to the Christianization and civilization of these Indians. The latter he uitended to make use of as labourers, as he soon perceived that for some time to come Euro- pean settlers would be too few in numbers and too new to the climate to take advantage of the resources of the island. The Caribs he purposed to convert eventually, but for the time being they must be con- sidered as enemies, and according to the customs of the age, their captors had the right to reduce them to slavery. The Arawaks were to be treated in a concili- atory manner, as long as they did not show open hos- tility. Before long, however, there was a change in these relations.

,\fter a rapid survey of Jamaica, Columbus hastened to the northern coast of Haiti, where he had planted the colony of La Navidad. To his surprise the little fort had disappeared. There were to be seen only smouldering ruins and some corpses which were identi- fied as Spanish. The natives, previously so friendly, were shy, and upon being questioned were either mute or contradictory in their replies. It was finally ascer- tained that another tribe, living farther inland and hostile to those on the coast, had fallen upon the fort, killed most of the inmates, and burnt the buildings. Those who escaped had perished in their flight. But it also transpired that the coast-people themselves had taken part in the massacre. Columbus, while out- wardly on good terms with them, was on his guard and, in consequence of the aversion of his people to a site where only disaster had befallen them, moveil some distance farther east and established on the coast the larger settlement of Isabella. This stood ten