These messengers had prevailed with fome of the natives to accompany them, who informed Columbus, that the gold of which they made their ornaments was found in Cubanacan. By this word they meant the middle or inland part of Cuba; but Columbus, being ignorant of their language, as well as unaccustomed to their pronunciation, and his thoughts running continually upon his own theory concerning the difcovery of the Eaft Indies, he was led, by the refemblance of found, to fuppofe that they spoke of the Great Khan, and imagined that the opulent kingdom of Cathay, defcribed by Marco Polo, was not very remote. This induced him to employ fome time in viewing the country. He vifited almoft every harbour, from Porto del Principe, on the north coaft of Cuba, to the castern extremity of the island; but though delighted with the beauty of the fcenes, which every where presented themíelves, and amazed at the luxuriant fertility of the toil, both which, from their novelty, made a more lively impreffion upon his imagination, he did not find gold in fuch quantity as was fufficient to fatisfy either the avarice of his followers, or the expectations of the court to which he was to return. The people of the country, as much astonished at his eagerness in quest of gold, as the Europeans were at their ignorance and fimplicity, pointed towards the east, where an ifland which they called Hayti was fituated, in which that metal was more abundint than among them. Columbus ordered his fquadron to bend its course thither; but Martin Alonfo Pinzon, impatient to be the first who should take possession of the treasures which this country was fuppofed to contain, quitted his companions, regardless of all the admiral's fignals to flacken fail until they should come up with him.

Columbus, retarded by contrary winds, did not reach Hayti till the fixth of December. He called the port where he first touched St. Nicholas, and the island itfelf Efpagnola, in honour of

In a letter of the Admiral's to Ferdinand and Isabella, he describes one of the harbours in Cuba, with all the enthufiaftic admiration of a discoverer." I difcovered a river which a galley might eafily enter; the beauty of it induced me to found, and I found from five to eight fathoms of water. Having proceeded a confiderable way up the river, every thing invited me to fettle there. The beauty of the river, the clearness of the water, thr which I could fossake sandy bottom,

the multitude of palm-trees of different kit... an infinite number of other large and flouris of the plains, are fo wonderfully beautiful far as the day furpaffes the night in brightnes that it would be in vain for me to attempt to

, for neither my tongue nor me am fo much amazed at the fig "Life of Columb. c. 30

the kingdom by which he was employed; and it is the only coun try, of those he had yet discovered, which has retained the name that he gave it. As he could neither meet with the Pinta, nor have any intercourle with the inhabitants, who fled in great confternation towards the woods, he foon quitted St. Nicholas, and failing along the northern coast of the island, he entered another harbour, which he called the Conception. Here he was more fortunate; his people overtook a woman who was flying from them, and after treating her with great gentlenefs, difmiffed her with a prefent of such toys as they knew were moft valued in those regions. The defcription which the gave to her countrymen of the humanity and wonderful qualities of the strangers; their admiration of the trinkets, which fhe fhewed with exultation; and their eagernefs to participate of the fame favours; removed all their fears, and induced many of them to repair to the harbour. The ftrange cbjects which they beheld, and the baubles which Columbus bestowed upon them, amply gratified their curiosity and their wishes. They nearly refembled the people of Guanahani and Cuba. They were naked like then, ignorant, and fimple; and feemed to be equally unacquainted with all the arts which appear moft neceffary in polifhed locieties; but they were gentle, credulous and timid, to a degree which rendered it easy to acquire the afcendant over them, efpecially as their exceffive admiration led them into the fame error with the people of the other islands, in believing the Spaniards to be more than mortals, and defcended immediately from Heaven. They polleffed gold in greater abundance than their neighbours, which they readily exchanged for bells, beads, and pins; and in this unequal traffic both parties were highly pleated, each confidering themfelves as gainers by the tranfaction. Here Columbus was vifited by a prince or cazique of the country. He appeared with all the pomp known among a fimple people, being carried in a fort of palanquin upon the fhoulders of four men, and attended by many of his fubjects, who ferved him with great refpect. His deportment was grave and ftately, very referved towards his own people, but with Columbus and the Spaniards extremely courteous. He gave the admiral fome thin plates of gold, and a girdle of curious workmanship, receiving in return prefents of Imall value, but highly acceptable to him.

Columbus, ftill intent on difcovering the mines which yielded gold, continued to interrogate all the natives with whom he had any intercourfe concerning their fituation. They concurred in pointing out a mountainous country, which they called Ciboa, at fome diftance from the fea, and farther towards the eaft. Struck with this found, which appeared to him the fame

with Cipango, the name by which Marco Polo, and other travellers to the east, diftinguished the iflands of Japan, he no longer doubted with refpect to the vicinity of the countries which he had dilcovered to the remote parts of Afia; and, in full expectation of reaching foon thofe regions which had been. the object of his voyage, he directed his course towards the east. He put into a commodious harbour, which he called St. Thomas, and found that district to be under the government of a powerful cazique, named Guacanahari, who, as he afterwards learned, was one of the five fovereigns among whom the whole island was divided. He immediately fent metfengers to Columbus, who, in his name, delivered to him the prefent of a mask, curiously fashioned, with the ears, nole, and mouth of beaten gold, and invited him to the place of his refidence, near the harbour now called Cape Francois, fome leagues towards the aft. Columbus difpatched fome of his officers to visit this prince, who, as he behaved himlelf with greater dignity, feemed to claim more attention. They returned, with fuch favourable accounts both of the country and of the people, as made Columbus impatient for that interview with Guacanahari to which he had been invited.

He failed for this purpose from St. Thomas, on the twentyfourth of December with a fair wind, and the fea perfectly calm; and as, amidst the multiplicity of his occupations, he had not shut his eyes for two days, he retired at midnight in order to take some repofe, having committed the helm to the pilot, with ftrict injunctions not to qut it for a moment. The pilot, dreading no danger, carelessly left the helm to an unexperienced cabin boy, and the ship, carried away by a current, was dashed against a rock. The violence of the fhock awakened Columbus. He ran up to the deck. There, all was confufion and despair. He alone retained prefence of mind. He ordered fome of the failors to take a boat, and carry out an anchor aftern; but, inftead of obeying, they made off towards the Nigna, which was about half a league diftant. He then commanded the mafts to be cut down, in order to lighten the fhip; but all his endeavours were too late; the veifel opened near the keel, and filled fo faft with water that its lofs was inevitable. The fmoothness of the fea, and the timely affiftance of boats from the Nigna, enabled the crew to fave their lives. As foon as the iflanders heard of this difafter, they crowded to the fhore, with their prince Guacanahari at their head. Instead of taking advantage of the distress in which they beheld the Spaniards, to attempt any thing to their detriment, they lamented their misfortune with tears of fincere condoler Not fatisfied with this unavailing expreffion of their fymp

they put to fea a number of canoes, and, under the direction of the Spaniards, affifted in faving whatever could be got out of the wreck; and by the united labour of fo many hands, almost every thing of value was carried afhore. As fait as the goods were landed, Guacanahari in perfon took charge of them. By his orders they were all depofited in one place, and armed centinels were pofted, who kept the multitude at a distance, in order to prevent them not only from embezzling, but from infpecting too curioufly what belonged to their guests. Next morning this prince vifited Columbus, who was now on board the Nigna, and endeavoured to confole him for his lofs, by offering all that he poffeffed to repair it.

The condition of Columbus was fuch, that he flood in need of confolation. He had hitherto procured no intelligence of the Pinta, and no longer doubted but that his treacherous affociate had fet fail for Europe, in order to have the merit of currying the firft tidings of the extraordinary difcoveries which had been made, and to pre-occupy fo far the ear of their fovereign, as to rob him of the glory and reward to which he was justly entitled. There remained but one veffel, and that the fmalleft and moft crazy of the fquadron, to traverle fuch a vaft ocean, and carry so many men back to Europe. Each of thofe circumftances was alarming, and filled the mind of Columbus with the utmost folicitude. The defire of overtaking Pinzon, and of effacing the unfavourable impreffions which his mifreprefentations might

The account which Columbus gives of the humanity and orderly behaviour of the natives on this occafion is very striking. "The king (fays he, in a letter to Ferdinand and Isabella) having been informed of our misfortune, expreffed great grief for our lofs, and immediately fent aboard all the people in the place in many large canoes; we foon unloaded the ship of every thing that was upon deck, as the king gave us great afliitance: he himself, with his brothers and relations, took all poffible care that every thing fhould be properly done both aboard and on fhore. And, from time to time, he fent fome of his relations weeping, to beg of me not to be dejected, for he would give me all that he had. I can affure your highneffes, that fo much care would not have been taken in fecuring our effects in any part of Spain, as all our property was put together in one place near his palace, until the houfes which he wanted to prepare for the cuftody of it, were emptied. He immediately placed a guard of armed men, who watched during the whole night, and those on shore lamented as if they had been much interested in our lois. The people are fo affectionate, so tractable, and fo peaceable, that I fwear to your highneffes, that there is not a better race of men, nor a better country in the world. They love their neighbour as themfelves; their converfation is the fweeteft and mildest in the world, cheerful, and always accompanied with a mile. And aithough it is true that they go naked, yet your highneffes may be assured that they have many very commendable cuftoms; the king is ferved with great state, and his behaviour is fo decent, that it is pleasant to fee him, as it is likewife to obferve the wonderful memory which these people have, and their defire of knowing every thing, which leads them to inquire into its caufes and effects." Life of Columbus, c. 32. It is probable that the Spaniards were indebted for this officious attention, to the opinion which the Indians entertained of them as a superior order of beings

make in Spain, made it neceffary to return thither without delay. The difficulty of taking faich a number of perfons aboard the Nigna, confirmed him in an opinion, which the fertility of the country, and the gentle temper of the people, had already induced him to form. He refolved to leave a part of his crew in the land, that, by reliding there, they might learn the language of the natives, study their difpofition, examine the nature of the country, fearch for mines, prepare for the commodious fettlement of the colony, with which he purposed to return, and thus fecure and facilitate the acquifition of thofe advantages which he expected from his discoveries. When he mentioned this to his men, all approved of the defign; and from impatience under the fatigue of a long voyage, from the levity natural to failors, or from the hopes of amaffing wealth in a country which afforded fuch promifing fpecimens of its riches, many offered voluntarily to be among the number of those who should remain.

Nothing was now wanting towards the execution of this fcheme, but to obtain the consent of Guacanahari; and his unfufpicious fimplicity foon prefented to the admiral a favourable opportunity of propofing it. Columbus having, in the best manner he could, by broken words and figns, expreffed fome euriofity to know the caufe which had moved the islanders to fly with fuch precipitation upon the approach of his fhips, the cazique informed him that the country was much infested by the incurfions of certain people, whom he called Carribeans, who inhabited several iflands to the fouth-east. These he described as a fierce and war-like race of men, who delighted in blood, and devoured the flesh of the prisoners who were fo unhappy as to fall into their hands; and as the Spaniards, at their first appearance, were supposed to be Carribeans, whom the natives, however numerous, durft not face in battle, they had recourse to their ufual method of securing their fafety, by flying into the thickeft and moft impenetrable woods. Guacanahari, while fpeaking of thofe dreadful invaders, difcovered fuch fymptoms of terror, as well as fuch consciousness of the inability of his own people to refift them, as led Columbus to conclude that he would not be alarmed at the propofition of any scheme which afforded him the profpect of an additional fecurity against their attacks. He inftantly offered him the affiftance of the Spaniards to repel his enemies; he engaged to take him and his people under the protection of the powerful monarch whom he served, and offered to leave in the island fuch a number of his men as fhould be fufficient, not only to defend the inhabitants from future incurfions, but to avenge their paft wrongs.