As

months, he had a trial of almost all the nume rous hardships to which perfons of his profeffion are expofed, without making any discovery of importance, except the ifland of Jamaica. he ranged along the fouthern coaft of Cuba y), he was entangled in a labyrinth formed by an incredible number of small iflands, to which he gave the name of the Queen's Garden. In this unknown courfe, among rocks and fhelves, he was retarded by contrary winds, affaulted with furious ftorms, and alarmed with the terrible thunder and lightning which is often almost inceffant between the tropics. At length his provifions fell fhort; his crew, exhaufted with fatigue as well as hunger, murmured and threatened, and were ready to proceed to the most defperate extremities against him. Befet with danger in fuch various forms, he was obliged to keep, continual watch, to obferve every occurrence with his own eyes, to iffue every order, and to fuperintend the execution of it. On no occafion was the extent of his skill and experience as a navigator fo much tried. To these the fquadron owed its fafety. But this unremitted fatigue of body and intenfe application of mind, overpowering his conftitution, though naturally vigorous and robuft, brought on a feverifh diforder, which terminated in a lethargy,

y) See NOTE XIX,

that deprived him of fenfe and memory, and had almoft proved fatal to his life z).

Sept. 27. On his return, finds his brother Bartholomew
at Ifabella.

But, on his return to Hifpaniola, the fudden emotion of joy which he felt upon meeting with his brother Bartholomew at Ifabella, occafioned fuch a flow of fpirits as contributed greatly to his recovery. It was now thirteen years fince the two brothers, whom fimilarity of talents united in clofe friendship, had feparated from each other, and during that long period there had been no intercourfe between them. Bartholomew, after finishing his negociation in the court of England, had fet out for Spain by the way of France. At Paris he received an account of the extraordinary difcoveries which his brother had made in his firft

voyage, and that he was then preparing to embark on a fecond expedition. Though this naturally induced him to pursue his journey with the utmost dispatch, the Admiral had failed for Hifpaniola before he reached Spain. Ferdinánd and Ifabella received him with the refpect due to the nearest kinfman of a perfon whofe merit and fervices rendered him fo confpicuous; and as they knew what confolation his prefence

2) Life of Columbus, c. 54. &c. Herrera, dec. I. lib. ii. c. 13. 14. P, Martyr, dec. p. 34. &c.

would afford to his brother, they perfuaded him to take the command of three ships, which they had appointed to carry provifions to the colony at Isabella *).

The Indians take arms againft the Spaniards.

He could not have arrived at any jun&ture when Columbus ftood more in need of a friend capable of affifting him with his counfels, or of dividing with him the cares and burden of government. For although the provifions now brought from Europe, afforded a temporary relief to the Spaniards from the calamities of famine, the fupply was not in fuch quantity as to fupport them long, and the ifland did not hitherto yield what was fufficient for their fuftenance. They were threatened with another danger, ftill more formidable than the return of fcarcity, and which demanded more immediate attention. No fooner did Columbus leave the if and on his voyage of discovery, than the foldiers under Margarita, as if they had been fet free from difcipline and fubordination, fcornet all restraint. Inftead of conforming to the prudent inftructions of Columbus, they difperfed in ftraggling parties over the ifland, lived at difcretion upon the natives, wafted their provifions, seized their women, and treated that

" Herrera, dec. 1. lib. i. 6, 15.

inoffenfive race of men with all the infolence of military oppreffion a).

As long as the Indians had any profpect that their fufferings might come to a period by the voluntary departure of the invaders, they fubmitted in filence, and diffembled their forrow; but they now perceived that the yoke would be as permanent as it was intolerable. The Spaniards had built a town, and furrounded it with ramparts. They had erected forts in different places. They had enclosed and fown feveral fields. It was apparent that they came not to vifit the country, but to fettle in it. Though the number of thofe ftrangers was inconfiderable, the ftate of cultivation among this rude people was fo imperfect, and in fuch exact proportion to their own confumption, that it was with difficulty they could afford fubfifence to their new guefts. Their own mode of life was fo indolent and inactive, the warmth of the climate fo enervating, the conftitution of their bodies naturally fc feeble, and fo unaccustomed to the laborious exertions of induftry, that they were fatisfied with a proportion of food amazingly small. A handful of maize, or a little of the infipid bread made of the caffada root, was fufficient to fupport men, whofe ftrength and fpirits were not exhausted by any vigorous efforts either of body or mind. The Spaniards, though the most abftemious of all the European nations, appeared to them excef

a) P. Martyr, dec. p. 47.

fively voracious,

One Spaniard confumed as much as feveral Indians. This keenness of appetite furprised them fo much, and feemed to them to be fo infatiable, that they fuppofed the Spaniards had left their own country, because it did not produce as much as was requifite to gratify their immoderate defire of food, and had come among them in queft of nourishment b). Self-prefervation prompted them to wifh for the departure of guefts who wafted fo faft their flender ftock of provifions. The injuries which they fuffered, added to their impatience for this event. They had long expected that the Spaniards would retire of their own accord. They now perceived that, in order to avert the deftruction with which they were threatened, either by the flow confumption of famine, or by the violence of their oppreffors, it was neceffary to affume courage, to attack thofe formidable invaders with united force, and drive them from the fettlements of which they had violently taken poffeffion.

War with them.

Such were the fentiments which univerfally prevailed among the Indians, when Columbus returned to Ifabella. Inflamed by the unpro-. voked outrages of the Spaniards, with a degree of race of which their gentle natures, formed to fuffer and submit, feemed hardly fufceptible,

b) Herrera, dec. 1. lib. ii. c. 17.