Abundance of Pearl.
Columbus proceeding on his Journey came to Paria, where he found a Fishers Pink loaden with Oysters; which opening and taking out the Meat, were found full of Pearls, which because of their abundance were not regarded there; for a broken Dish and a rusty Knife, the Spaniards had four long Strings of Pearl.
Columbus is in great danger.
From thence anchoring in the River of Cumana, several naked Men came aboard, adorn’d with Golden Armlets, and Strings of Pearl, These inform’d him, that they gather’d their Gold from the Mountains and Rivers, and caught their Pearl-oysters in the adjacent Seas. Some of the Spaniards were nobly entertain’d by the King and his Son, who leading them into their Palace, placed them on Benches of Ebony-wood, curiously wrought, and on a sudden several Servants came in with variety of Dainties, and well-tasted Wine. But because Provisions grew scarce amongst the Sea-men, and their Meat tainted, Columbus thought it convenient to leave the Pearl-trade till some better opportunity. Then setting forward, the farther he went, the shallower he found the Sea, insomuch that his Ship scarce had Water enough to swim. This inconvenience was followed by a second; for the Sea being full of Weeds and Grass, scarce suffer’d any Passage. A River thirty Yards deep, and twenty Leagues broad, came rushing out betwixt two Shores into this Sea with such force, that the Waves went high like Mountains, which made Columbus judge himself in the greatest danger imaginable, and withall Tack about; so that he came on the eight and twentieth of August Anno 1498. to an Anchor before Hispaniola, where all things were still in a sad confusion, as we before related.
Roldanus Ximenes opposes Columbus.
Strange Indians.
Roldanus Ximenes refus’d to follow Christopher Columbus’s, order and writ Letters to the King of Spain, in which he exceedingly aspersed both the Admiral Columbus and his Brother; who were not backward in giving an account quite contrary by their Letters, of the horrid Villanies perpetrated by this Ximenes, and desir’d aid, that so great an Offender might receive condign punishment. Mean while the Ciquano’s came marching down with six thousand Men, which Bartholomew went to meet with eighty Foot and some few Horse: The Indians which he was to encounter with, rather seeming like Furies than Men, for all of them were daub’d over with black smuts on their bare Skins from Head to Foot, and their hard Hair pleited in terrible, not in Lovelocks, hung playing, or dangling over their Shoulders. When the Spaniards in their March drawing up to a River where it was best fordable, had no sooner left the Bank, and taken the Water, endeavoring to wade over, but the Salvages rush’d forth out of the Woods, and let flye a showre of Arrows, that had they not been provided with Shields and Targets, to keep off such a deadly Storm, so thick they flew, and so well aim’d, most of them had perish’d there: but having recover’d the opposite Bank, the Enemy play’d all hid, and in a thought shelter’d themselves under the protection of the Woods; where the Conqueror pursuing, found the Service very difficult and dangerous, for their Armes, especially their Shields, stopping and intangling them as in a Net, among the shrubby and twining Branches; which they passing, rigled themselves, and made their way, like questing Spaniels following their Game, and still gawling them with their Arrows: whereupon they left their vain pursuit, marching another way to intercept Mayobanexius, who with eight thousand Ciquano’s were then coming down against them; which prov’d a harder task than was expected: for e’re he could reduce him and his stubborn Party, he spent three Moneths in the Service.
Sect. III.
Hath very bad success in his fourth Expedition.
But the great and worthy Service of these two excellent Brothers deserving Fights with Poresius. rather Statues and Trophies of everlasting Honor, Monuments never to be Dies. demolish’d, in their due praise, who had found out after so many baffled Ages, a new World, richer, and not much less than the old, by the aspersing calumniations of one malicious Person, lost his whole Interest and Credit in the Spanish Court, quite out of favour with his Prince, who by his insinuations had hinted so much the matter of Gain among the Courtiers, that every one studied no less than to get a Commission, and so going a Commander to the Indies, make up his Mouth, and become suddenly rich. First Francisco Bombadilla prevailing, was sent with full Commission to succeed Columbus in Hispaniola; where no sooner Landing, but he exercis’d the extremity of his Authority, and seizing the Admiral and his Brother, fetter’d their Hands and Feet, and put them aboard on two several Ships for Spain: where no sooner arriv’d, but the King, not altogether forgetting former Services, commanded them to be unmanacled, and waited on, not as Prisoners, with a civil Retinue to his Court; where they were well entertain’d three years. But they being active Persons, weary of so long repose, got a second Grant to make farther discoveries, and set forth the ninth of May, Anno 1504. with four Sail well appointed from Cadiz, and had a fair Passage from thence to Hispaniola, where begun the Storm, for Bombadilla, who had by the Kings Commission so evil treated Columbus and his Brother, as aforemention’d, would not suffer him, though reconciled to the King, so much as to Land, and there refresh themselves and their Men; so he was forc’d to steer on to the Islands Guamixa and Veragua, where a Huricane, or sudden stress of Weather sunk two of his Vessels; the other two standing off to Sea escap’d bilging, but so shatter’d and leaky, having also shipp’d abundance of Water, they were resolv’d to put in at Jamaica; where weary with the long Voyage, and hatter’d with the Tempest, many of his Sea-men, spent with sickness, after their Landing, died. To these his sufferings from Wind and Weather, and his Enemies abroad, a greater and intestine mischief hapned: Francisco Poresio, one of his chief Commanders, absolutely rebell’d, and deserting him, with another Party of his Sea-men went into Hispaniola: which the Islanders observing, resolv’d to famish him, keeping from him both Water and all other Provisions; which had not Columbus stav’d off by a handsom Invention, they had compleated their Design, which was this: He told them that he was the offspring of the Moon, and if they refus’d to supply his want, the Moon, in vindication of her Son, would famish them, by spoiling what e’re they had planted or sow’d; and that this would prove true they should know by a sign, that on such a Night, she rising in her full glory, should first look red, and afterwards by degrees lose a great part of her light; which indeed so hapned, being Ecclips’d, as he could well prognosticate; and after that, they being ignorant of the cause, suppli’d him with all Necessaries. But Poresio, not able to endure the Sea with his small Boats, resolv’d to surprize one of the Ships that lay before Jamaica; but Columbus so much prevented him, that meeting him in his return, after a hot dispute made him his Prisoner. But thus ended not his misfortunes; for the Vessels which he fought in soon after sunk, and no ship to be found in Jamaica to transport him thence. Lastly, he agreed with some Indian Fishermen, to carry Didaco Mendoza to St. Dominica, that there he might hire two Vessels to carry him back to Spain: which Design taking effect, he arrived there in safety: where after he had refresh’d himself at the Spanish Court, after his so long and unfortunate a Voyage he fell sick, and died on the eighth of May 1506.