On Sunday the 28th of October, the admiral drew near the coast of Cuba, which appeared much finer than any of the islands he had seen hitherto, there being hills, mountains, plains, and waters, with various sorts of trees; and he gave it the name of Juanna or Joanna, in honour of the princess of Spain. He anchored in a great river, to which he gave the name of San Salvador, for a good omen. The wood appeared very thick, and composed of tall trees, bearing blossoms and fruit quite different from those of Spain, and frequented by numberless birds. Wanting some information, the admiral sent to two houses in sight, but the inhabitants fled away, taking their nets and fishing tackle, and accompanied by a dog that did not bark. He would not allow any thing to be touched, but went on to another great river, which he named De la Luna, or Moon river; and thence to another which he called Mares, or Sea river, the banks of which were thickly peopled, but the inhabitants all fled to the mountains, which were thickly clothed with many kinds of tall trees. The Indians he had brought with him from Guanahani, said that there were gold and pearls to be found here; which last he thought likely, as muscles were seen. These Indians added that the continent was only ten days sail from this island; but, from a notion he had imbibed from the writings of Paul, a physician of Florence, and though he was in the right, it was not the land he imagined[5]. Believing that the Indians would be afraid if many men were to land, he sent only two Spaniards on shore, along with one of the Guanahani Indians, and one belonging to Cuba who had come on board in a canoe. The Spaniards were Roderick de Xeres, a native of Ayamonte, and Lewis de Torres, who had been a Jew, and spoke Hebrew and Chaldee, and some Arabic. These people were furnished with toys to barter, and were restricted to six days, having proper instructions of what they were to say in the name of their Catholic majesties, and were directed to penetrate into the country, informing themselves of every thing worth notice, and not to do any injury to any of the natives. In the mean time, the admiral refitted the ships, and found all the wood they used for fuel produced a kind of gum like mastic, the leaf and fruit much resembling the lentisc, but the tree was much larger. In this river of Mares, the ships had room to swing, having seven or eight fathoms water at the mouth, and five within. There were two small hills on the west side of the river, and a pleasant flat cape running out to the W.N.W. This was afterwards the port of Barocoa, which the adelantado Velasquez called Assumption.

[4] A small Portuguese coin worth less than twopence.--Churchill.

[5] This sentence is quite inexplicable, and is assuredly erroneously translated. It is possible the original meant, that Columbus was misled by the opinion of Paul, to disregard the indications of the Indians; and instead of sailing directly west, which would have led him to the coast of Mexico, induced him to coast eastwards along Cuba, which brought him to Hispaniola, always searching for Cipango or Japan.--E.

On the 5th of November, when the ships were ready to sail, the two Spaniards returned, accompanied by three natives of the island. They reported that they had penetrated twenty-two leagues, and found a town of 50 houses, built like those which had been seen already, and containing about 1000 inhabitants, as a whole race lived in one house. The prince and chief men came out to meet them, and led them by the arms to lodge in one of the houses, where they were seated on stools of an entire piece of wood, shaped like a living creature with short legs, the tail standing upright, and the head before, with gold eyes and ears. All the Indians sat about them on the ground, and came in succession to kiss their hands, believing they came from heaven, and gave them boiled roots to eat, which tasted like chesnuts. They were entreated to remain, or at least to stay for some days to rest themselves, as the Indians that went with them had said a great deal in their praise. The men afterwards went away, and many women came to see them, who were much amazed, kissed their hands and feet, and touched them fearfully as if holy, offering them what they had to give. On their return, many of the natives desired to accompany them; but they would only permit the lord of the town, with his son and a servant, whom the admiral treated with much respect. They added, that they met with several towns, both in going and returning, where they were courteously entertained; but none of them contained more than five or six houses. On the way, they met many people carrying lighted fire-brands to make fire with, to smoke themselves with certain herbs they carried along with them, and to roast roots, which were their chief food. They could easily light a fire, by rubbing pieces of a certain wood together, as if boring. They saw several sorts of trees differing from those on the sea coast, and an extraordinary variety of birds, quite different from those of Spain; but among these there were partridges and nightingales; and they found no quadrupeds, except the dogs formerly mentioned, that could not bark. The Indians had much land in cultivation, part in those roots before mentioned, and part sown with a grain named Maize, which was well tasted; either boiled whole, or made into flour. They saw vast quantities of spun cotton, made up into clews, and thought there was above 12,000 weight of it in one house. This cotton grows wild in the fields, and opens of itself when ripe, and there were some heads open and others shut on the same plants; and this was held in so little estimation by the natives, that they would give a basket full for a leather thong, a piece of glazed earthen ware, or a bit of mirror. Being all naked, the only use to which this cotton was applied, was for net hammocks, in which they slept, and for weaving into small clouts to cover their nakedness. Being asked for gold and pearls, they said there was plenty of them at Bohio, pointing to the east. The Spaniards made much inquiry among the natives on board, for gold, and were told it camp from Cubanocan; which some thought meant the country of the Chan of Cathay, and that it was not far off, as their signs indicated four days journey. Martin Alonzo Pinzon, thought Cubanocan must be some great city, only distant four days journey; but it was afterwards found to be a province in the middle of Cuba, nocan signifying the middle, in which there are gold mines.

The admiral was not inclined to lose time in this uncertain inquiry, but ordered some Indians of several different parts to be seized, to carry them into Spain, that they might each give an account of their country, and serve as witnesses of his discovery. Twelve persons, men, women, and children, were secured; and when about to sail, the husband of one of the women, who had two children, came and solicited to go along with his wife and children; and the admiral ordered him to be received and treated kindly. The wind changing northerly, they were constrained to put into a port called Del Principe, which he only viewed from without, in a road-stead protected by a great number of islands, about a musket-shot asunder, and he called this place Mar de Nuestra Sennora, or Our Lady's Sea. The channels between the islands were deep, and the shores beautifully adorned with trees and green herbage. Some of the trees resembled mastic, and others lignum aloes, some like palms with smooth green stems, and many other kinds. Landing on these islands, they found no inhabitants, but there were the appearances of many fires having been made in them, by fishers; as the inhabitants of Cuba go there for fish and fowl, which are got in profusion. The Indians eat several filthy things; as great spiders, worms bred in rotten wood, fish half raw, from which they scoop out the eyes as soon as taken, and devour them; besides many other things quite disgusting to the Spaniards. In this employment of fishing, the Indians occupy themselves during several seasons of the year; going sometimes to one island and sometimes to another, as people who tire of one diet change to another. In one of these islands the Spaniards killed an animal resembling a wild boar, and among many kinds of fish which they drew up in their nets, one was like a swine, with a very hard skin, the tail being the only soft part. They found likewise some mother-of-pearl. The sea was observed to ebb and flow much more here than in any other part, which the admiral attributed to the numbers of islands; and low water was noticed to be when the moon was S.S.W, contrary to what it is in Spain.

On Sunday the 18th November, the admiral returned to Puerto del Principe, and erected a large wooden cross at its mouth. On Monday the 19th, he resumed his voyage for the island, afterwards named Hispaniola, which some of the Indians called Bohio, and others Babeque; yet it afterwards appeared that Babeque was not Hispaniola, but the continent, for they called it Caribana[6]. The Indian word Bohio signifies a house or habitation; and as that term was applied to the island of Hispaniola, it seemed to denote that it was full of Bohios or houses. On account of contrary winds, the admiral spent three or four days cruising about the island of Isabella, but did not go very near, lest the Indians he had on board might escape; at this place they found many of the weeds they had before met with on the ocean, and perceived that they were drifted by the currents. Martin Alonzo Pinzon, learning from the Indians that there was much gold at Bohio, and eager to enrich himself, left the admiral on Wednesday the 21st November, without any stress of weather or other legitimate cause; his ship being always foremost, as the best sailer, he slipped off at night unperceived. On the admiral perceiving his absence, and that he did not return after many signals, he bore away for the island of Cuba, as the wind was contrary, and put into a large and safe harbour, to which he gave the name of Puerto de Santa Catalina, or St Catherines, because discovered on the eve of that saint. While taking in wood and water here, some stones were found which had veins resembling gold; and there grew fine tall pines on the shore, fit for masts. The Indians still directing him for Bohio or Hispaniola, as a country abounding in gold, he sailed along the coast twelve leagues farther, where he found many spacious harbours, and among these a river which might conveniently admit a galley, yet the entrance could not be seen till close at hand. Invited by the convenient appearance of the place, he went up the river in a boat, finding eight fathom water at the entrance. He proceeded some way up the river, the banks of which were pleasantly embellished with fine trees swarming with a variety of birds. At length he came to some houses, where a boat was found under an arbour, having twelve thwarts, or seats for rowers, and in one of the houses they found a mass of wax, and a mans head hanging in a basket. This wax was carried to their majesties, but as no more was ever found in Cuba, it was afterwards supposed to have been brought from Yucatan. They found no people in this place, as they had all fled, but they saw another canoe ninety-five spans long, capable of holding fifty persons, made all of one piece of wood like the rest, and hollowed out with tools of flint.

[6] The author seems here not clear or well informed, as Haiti was the real Indian name of the island now called Hispaniola or St Domingo.--E.

After sailing 107 leagues eastwards along the coast of Cuba, the admiral arrived at its eastern end, and departed thence on the 5th December for Hispaniola, which is only 18 leagues distant; yet he could not reach it till next day, on account of the currents. On the 6th he came to a harbour which he called St Nicholas, at the western extremity of Hispaniola, having discovered it on the day of that Saint. This port is safe, spacious, and deep, surrounded by thick groves and a mountainous land; the trees, however, were not large, and resembled those of Spain; among others, there were found pine and myrtle. A pleasant river discharged itself into this harbour, and on its banks were many canoes, as large as brigantines, of 25 benches. Finding no people, he went on to the north-east, to a harbour which he named Conception, south from a small island called Tortuga, 10 leagues north of Hispaniola. Observing this island of Bohio to be very large, that its land and trees resembled Spain, that his people caught, among other fish, many skates, soles, and other fishes like those in Spain, and that nightingales and other European birds were heard to sing in the month of December, at which they much admired; the admiral named this land La Espannola, which we now corruptly write Hispaniola. Some thought it ought to have been named Castellana, as the crown of Castile alone was concerned in this expedition of discovery. As he had received a favourable account of this island from the Indians, he was desirous of learning whether it were really so wealthy as they represented; and, as the natives all fled, communicating the alarm from place to place by fires, he sent six well armed Spaniards into the interior to explore the country. These people returned, after having proceeded a considerable way without finding any inhabitants; but they reported wonders of the deliciousness of the country. One day three of the seamen having gone into a wood, saw many naked people, who fled as soon as they saw our men into the thickest parts of the wood; but the sailors pursued and took a woman, who had a small plate of gold hanging at her nose. The admiral gave her some hawks-bells and glass beads, and ordered her to have a shirt, and sent her away with three Spaniards, and three of the Indian captives, to accompany her to her dwelling.

SECTION VIII.

Farther Discovery of Hispaniola: Simplicity of the Natives: Kind reception from the Cacique Guacanagari. The Admiral loses his ship, and resolves to settle a Colony in the Island.