1

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 aftonished at his eagernefs in queft of gold, as the Europeans were at their ignorance and fimplicity, pointed towards the eaft, where an ifland which they called Hayti was fituated, in which that metal was more abundant than among them. Columbus ordered his fquadron to bend its courfe thither; but Martin Alonfo Pinzon, impatient to be the first who fhould take poffeffion 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.

Difcovers the ifland Hifpaniola.

Columbus, retarded by contrary winds, did. not reach Hayti till the fixth of December. He called the port where he firft touched St. Nicholas, and the ifland itfelf Efpagnola, in honour of the kingdom by which he was employed; and it is the only country, of those he had yet difcovered, which has retained the name that

he

gave it. As he could neither meet with the Pinta, nor have any intercourfe with the inhabitants, who fled in great confternation towards the woods, he foon quitted St. Nicholas and failing along the northern coaft of the if and, he entered another harbour, which he called

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 fuch toys, as they knew were moft valued in those regions. The defcription which fhe gave to her countrymen of the humanity and wonderful qualities of the strangers; their admiration of the trinkets, which fhe fhewed with exaltation; and their eagerness to participate of the fame favours; removed all their fears, and induced many of them to repair to the harbour. The ftrange objects which they beheld, and the baubles which Columbus bestowed upon them, amply gratified their curiofity and their wifhes. They nearly

refembled the people of Guanahani and Cuba. They were naked like them, ignorant, and fimple, and feemed to be equally unacquainted with all the arts which appear most neceffary in polifhed focieties; but they were gentle, credulous, and timid, to a degree which rendered it eafy to acquire the afcendant over them efpecially as their excessive admiration led them into the fame error with the people of the other iflands, in believing the Spaniards to be more than mortals, and defcended immediately from Heaven. They poffeffed gold in greater abundance than their neighbours, which they readely exchanged for bells, beads, or pins; and, in this unequal traffic, both parties were highly pleased, each confidering themselves as gainers

by

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 respect. His deportment was grave and stately, 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 fmall value, but highly acceptable to him y).

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 Cibao, at fome diftance from the fea, and farther towards the east. Struck with this found, which appeared to him the fame with Cipango, the name by which Marco Polo, and other travellers to the eaft, diftinguifhed the islands of Japan, he no longer doubted with respect to the vicinity of the countries which he had discovered 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 courfe towards the east,

y) Life of Columbus, c. 32. Herrera, dec. 1. lib. i. c. 15. &, ROBERTSON Vol. I. I

He put into a commodious harbour, which he called St. Thomas, and found that diftrict 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 ifland was divided. He immediately fent meffengers to Columbus, who, in his name, delivered to him the prefent of a mask curiously fashioned, with the ears, nofe, and mouth of beaten gold, and invited him to the place of his refidence, near the harbour now called Cape François, fome leagues towards the eaft.

Columbus difpatched fome of his officers to vifit this prince, who, as he behaved himself 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.

One of his fhips loft.

He failed for this purpofe from St. Thomas, on the twenty-fourth of December, with a fair wind, and the fea perfectly calm; and as, amidst the multiplicity of his occupations, he had not fhut his eyes for two days, he retired at midnight, in order to take fome repofe, having committed the helm to the pilot, with ftrict injunctions not to quit it for a moment. The pilot, dreading no danger, carelessly left the helm to an unexperienced cabin-boy, and the ship,

a rock.

earried away by a current, was dafhed against The violence of the fhock awakened Columbus. He ran up to the deck. There, all was confufion and defpair. He alone retained presence of mind. He ordered fome of the fai

lors to take a boat, and carry out an anchor aftern; but, instead of obeying, they made off towards the Nigna, which was about half a league dikant.

He then commanded the mafts to be cut down, in order to lighten the fhip, but all his endeavours were too late; the veffel opened near the keel, and filled fo faft with water, that its lofs was inevitable. The fmoothness of the sea, 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. Inftead of taking advantage of the diftrefs in which they beheld the Spaniards, to attempt any thing to their detriment, they lamented their misfortune with tears of fincere condolance. Not fatisfied with this unavailing expreffion of their fympathy, they put to fea a vaft number of canoes, and, under direction of the Spaniards, affifted in faving whatever could be got out of the wreck, and, by the united labour of fo many hand, almost every thing of value was carried afnore. As faft as the goods were landed, Guacanahari, in perfon took charge of them. By his orders, they were all depofited in one place, and armed