The men whom he had left in the West Indies needed a governor. The king looked around his court. At last he chose Ponce de Leon as the best man to send to the New World. The knight was quite willing, so he went to live in the island of Porto Rico, one of the West Indies.
His life was an easy one. He did very little himself but was a cruel master over the poor Indians who had to work hard at his bidding. Before the white men came among them they had easy times, swinging in their hammocks, bathing in the clear waters, and eating the wild fruits which were so plentiful.
Everything was changed after the arrival of the cruel Spaniards.
"These white men are great and wise," the Indians had thought at first. "We must serve them and give them all we can. They wish gold. We will show them where they can find it in the earth and the beds of the rivers."
These poor savages of Porto Rico were gentle creatures. They knew little about war. When they found the Spaniards had no love for them and cared for nothing except gold, it was too late to save themselves. They were forced to wait upon their white masters. They had to work in the gold mines as they had never worked before. They missed the pleasant sunlight. They became weak and sick. Great numbers of them died.
All this time Ponce de Leon was storing away great piles of the gold the Indians brought him. He made a poor governor. The king of Spain at last sent word he should no longer rule over the island of Porto Rico.
He was now growing old. He had been sick many times. He began to think of what the Indians had told him. They said:
"Much gold can be found in the land north of us. Something better than gold can also be found there. It is a wonderful fountain. If anyone tastes of its waters he shall never be sick again but shall be young forever."
The heart of the Spaniard leaped for joy. "That is what I want," he said. "Such a fountain is indeed better than all the gold in the world."