they waited only for a fignal from their leaders to fall upon the colony. Some of the caziques had already furprised and cut off feveral fragglers. The dread of this impending danger united the Spaniards, and reeftablifhed the authority of Columbus, as they faw no profpect of fafety but in committing themfelves to his prudent guidance. It was now neceflary to have recourfe to arms, the employing of which against the Indians, Columbus had hitherto avoided with the greateft folicitude. Unequal as the conflict may feem, between the naked inhabitants of the New World, armed with clubs, fticks hardened in the fire, wooden fwords, and arrows pointed with bones or flints; and troops accuftomed to the difcipline, and provided with the inftruments of deftruction known in the European art of war, the fituation of the Spaniards was far from being exempt from danger. The vaft fuperiority of the natives in number, compenfated many defects. An handful of men was about to encounter a whole nation. One adverse event, or even any unforeseen delay in determining the fate of the war, might prove fatal to the Spaniards. Confcious that fuccefs depended on the vigour and rapidity of his operations, Columbus inftantly affembled his forces. They were reduced to a very fmall number. Diseases, engendered by the warmth and humidity of the country, had raged among them with much violence; expe

rience had not yet taught them the art either of curing thefe, or the precautions requifite for guarding against them; two-thirds of the original adventurers were dead, and many of those who furvived were incapable of fervice c).

1495. March. 24.

The body which took the field confifted only of two hundred foot, twenty horfes, and twenty large dogs; and how ftrange foever it may feem, to mention the laft as compofing part of a military force, they were not perhaps the leaft formidable and deftructive of the whole, when employed against naked and timid Indians. All the caziques of the island, Guacanahari excepted, who retained an inviolable attachment to the Spaniards, were in arms to oppofe Columbus, with forces amounting, if we may believe the Spanish hiftorians, to a hundred thousand men. Inftead of attempting to draw the Spaniards into the faftneffes of the woods and mountains, they were fo imprudent as to take their station in the Vega Real, the moft open plain in the country. Columbus did not allow the time to perceive their error, or to alter their pofition. He attacked them during the night, when undifciplined troops are leaft capable of acting with union and concert, and obtained an eafy and bloodlefs victory. The confternation with which the Indians were file) Life of Columbus, c. 61.

led by the noife and havoc made by the firearms, by the impetuous force of the cavalry, and the fierce onfet of the dogs, was fo great, that they threw down their weapons, and fled without attempting refiftance. Many were flain; more were taken prifoners, and reduced to fervitude d); and fo thoroughly were the reft intimidated, that from that moment they abandoned themselves to defpair, relinquishing all thoughts of contending with aggreffors whom they deemed invicible.

A tax impofed upon them.

Columbus employed feveral months in marching through the ifland, and in fubjecting it to the Spanish government, without meeting with any oppofition. He impofed a tribute upon all the inhabitants above the age of fourteen. Each person who lived in those diftricts where gold was found, was obliged to pay quarterly as much gold duft as filled a hawk's bell; from thofe in other parts of the country, twenty-five pounds of cotton were demanded. This was the first regular taxation of the Indians, and ferved as a precedent for exactions ftill more intolerable. Such an impofition was extremely contrary to thofe maxims which Columbus had hitherto inculcated with refpect to the mode of treating them. But intrigues were carrying on in the court of Spain at this jun&tu

d) See NOTE XX.

re, in order to undermine his power and difcredit his operations, which conftrained him to depart from his own fyftem of adminiftration. Several unfavourable accounts of his conduct, as well as of the countries difcovered by him, had been tranfmitted to Spain. Margarita and Father Boyl were now at court; and in order to juftify their own conduct, or to gratify their refentment, watched with malevolent attention. for every opportunity of fpreading infinuations to his detriment. Many of the courtiers viewed his growing reputation and power with envious eyes. Fonfeca, the archdeacon of Seville, who was intrufted with the chief direction of Indian affairs, had conceived fuch an unfavourable opinion of Columbus, for fome reafon which the contemporary writers have not mentioned, that he liftened with partiality to every invective against him. It was not easy for an unfriended ftranger, unpractifed in courtly arts, to counteract the machinations of fo many enemies. Columbus faw that there was but one method of fupporting his own credit, and of filencing all his adverfaries. He must produce fuch a quantity of gold, as would not only justify what he had reported with respect to the richness of the country, but encourage Ferdinand and Ifabella to perfevere in profecuting his plans. The neceffity of obtaining it; forced him not only to impofe this heavy tax upon the Indians, but to exact payment of it with extreme rigour; and

may be pleaded in excufe for his deviating on this occafion from the mildnefs and humanity with which he uniformly treated that unhappy people e).

Fatal effects of that meafure,

The labour, attention, and forefight which the Indians were obliged to employ in procuring the tribute demanded of them, appeared the moft intolerable of all evils, to men acruftomed to pass their days in a carelefs, improvident indolence. They were incapable of fuch a regular and perfevering exertion of industry, and felt it fuch a grievous restraint upon their liberty, that they had recourfe to an expedient for obtaining deliverance from this yoke, which demonftrates the excefs of their impatience and defpair. They formed a scheme of flarving those oppreffors whom they durft not attempt to expel; and from the opinion which they entertained with respect to the voracious appetite of the Spaniards, they concluded the execution of it to be very practicable. With this view, they fufpended all the operations of agriculture; they fowed no maize, they pulled up the roots of the manioc which were planted, and retiring to the moft inacceffible parts of the mountains, left the uncultivated plains to their enemies. This defperate refolution produced in fome degree the effects which they expected. The Spaniards

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