1492

by Mary Johnston

  CHAPTER XX

  WE sailed for two days east by south. But the weather that had beenperfection for long and long again from Palos, now was changed. Deadwinds delayed us, the sea ridged, clouds blotted out the blue. We heldon. There was a great cape which we called Cape Cuba. Off this a stormmet us. We lived it out and made into one of those bottle harbors ofwhich, first and last, we were to find God knows how many in Cuba!

  The Admiral named it Puerto del Principe, and we raised on shore herea very great cross. We had done this on every considerable island sinceSan Salvador and now twice on this coast. There were behind us sevenor eight crosses. The banner planted was the sign of the Sovereignty ofSpain, the cross the sign of Holy Church, Sovereign over sovereigns,who gave these lands to Spain, as she gave Africa and the islands toPortugal. We came to a great number of islets, rivers of clear blue seabetween. The ships lay to and we took boat and went among these. TheKing's Gardens, the Admiral called them, and the calm sea between themand mainland the Sea of Our Lady. They were thickly wooded, and wethought we found cinnamon, aloes and mastic. Two lovely days we had inthis wilderness of isles and channels where was no man nor woman atall, then again we went east and south, the land trending that way.Very distant, out of eastern waste, rose what seemed a large island. TheAdmiral said that we should go discover, and we changed course towardit, but in three hours' time met furious weather. The sea rose, cloudslike night closed us in. Night came on without a star and a contrarywind blew always. When the dawn broke sullenly we were beaten back toCuba, and a great promontory against which truly we might have beendashed stood to our north and shut out coast of yesterday. Here we hunga day and night, and then the wind lulling and the sea running notso high, we made again for that island which might be Babeque. We hadIndians aboard, but the sea and the whipping and groaning of our mastsand rigging and sails and the pitching of the ship terrified them, andterror made them dull. They sat with knees drawn up and head buried inarms and shivered, and knew not Babeque from anything else.

  Christopherus Columbus could be very obstinate. Wishing strongly to gainthat island, through all this day he had us strive toward it. But thewind was directly ahead and strong as ten giants. The master and othersmade representations, and at last he nodded his gray head and orderedthe _Santa Maria_ put about and the Pinta and the Nina signaled. TheNina harkened and turned, but the Pinta at some distance seemed deafand blind. Night fell while still we signaled. We were now for Cuba, andthe wind directly behind us, but yet as long as we could see, the Pintachose not to turn. We set lights for signals, but her light fell fartherand farther astern. She was a swifter sailer than we; there was noreason for that increasing distance. We lay to, the _Nina_ beside us.Ere long we wholly lost the Pinta's light. Night passed. When morningbroke Captain Martin Alonso Pinzon and the Pinta were gone.

  The sea, though rough, was not too perilous, and never a signal ofdistress had been seen nor heard.

  "Lost? Is the Pinta lost?"

  "Lost! No!--But, yes. Willfully lost!"

  It was Roderigo Sanchez who knew not much of the sea who asked, and theAdmiral answered. But having spoken it that once, he closed his stronglips and coming down from deck said he would have breakfast. All thatday was guessing and talk enough upon the _Santa Maria_; silent orslurred talk at last, for toward noon the Admiral gave sharp order thatthe Pinta should be left out of conversation. Captain Martin Pinzon wasan able seaman. Perhaps something (he reminded us of the rudder beforethe Canaries) had gone wrong. Captain Pinzon may have thought the islandwas the nearer land, or he may have returned to Cuba, but more to thenorth than were we. He looked for the _Pinta_. again in a reasonabletime. In the meantime let it alone!

  So soon as the sea allowed, Vicente Pinzon came in his boat to the SantaMaria, but he seemed as perplexed as we. He did not know his brother'smind. But Martin Pinzon forever and always was a good sea captain anda Castilian of his word, knowing what was proper observance to hisAdmiral. If he did this or that, it would be for good reasons. SoVicente, and the Admiral was cordial with him, and saw him over railand down side with cheerful words. He was cheerful all that day in hisspeech, cheerful and suave and prophesying good in many directions. ButI knew the trouble behind that front.

  In some ways the _Pinta_ was the best of our ships. Martin Pinzon was abold and ready man, and those aboard with him devoted to his fortunes.He did not lack opinions of his own, and often they countered theAdmiral's. He was ambitious, and the Admiral's rights were so vast andinclusive that there seemed not much room to make name and fame. Muchthe same with riches! What Martin Pinzon had loaned would come backto him beyond doubt, back with high interest and a good deal more. Butstill it would seem to him that room was needed. In his mind he had saidperhaps many times to the Admiral, "Do not claim too much soil! Do notforget that other trees want to grow!"

  Martin Pinzon might have put back to Spain, but who knew the manwould not think that likely. Far more probable that he might be doingdiscovery of his own. Perhaps he would rejoin us later with somesplendid thing to his credit, claim that Spain could not deny!

  Cuba coast rose high and near. It is a shore of the fairest harbors! Wemade one of these into which emptied a little river. He named haven andriver Saint Catherine. In the bed of this stream, when we went ashore,we found no little gold. He took in his hand grains and flakes and oneor two pieces large as beans. It was royal monopoly, gold, and every manunder strict command--to bring to the Admiral all that was found. Seamenand companions gathered around him, Admiral, Viceroy and Governor, KingCroesus to be, a tenth of all gold and spoil filling his purse! Andthey, too, surely some way they would be largely paid! The dreamhovered, then descended upon us, as many a time it descended. Greatriches and happiness and all clothed in silk, and every man as he wouldbe and not as he was, a dim magnificence and a sense of trumpets in theair, acclaiming us! I remember that day that we all felt this mysticpower and wealth, the Admiral and all of us. For a short time, there bySaint Catherine's River, we were brought into harmony. Then it broke andeach little self went its way again. But for that while eighty men hadfelt as though we were a country and more than a country. The gold inthe Admiral's hand might have been gold of consciousness.

  After this day for days we sailed along Cuba strand, seeing many a fairhaven and entering two or three. There were villages, and those dusk,naked folk to whom by now we were well used, running to beach or cliffbrow, making signs, seeming to cry, "Heaven come down, heaven, heavenand the gods!" The notion of a sail had never come to them, though withtheir cotton they might have made them. They were slow to learn thatthe wind pushed us, acting like a thousand tireless rowers. We werethrillingly new to them and altogether magical. To any seeing eye a shipunder full sail is a beautiful, stately, thrilling thing! To these redmen there was a perilous joy in the vision. If to us in the ships therehung in this voyage something mystic, hidden, full of possibility,inch by inch to unroll, throbbing all with the future which is thesupernatural, be sure these, too, who were found and discovered, movedin a cloud of mystery torn by strange lightnings!

  Sometimes we came into haven, dropped anchor and lowered sails,whereupon those on the shore again cried out. When we took our boatsand went to land we met always the same reception, found much the samevillage, carried on much the same conversations. Little by little wecollected gold. By now, within the Admiral's chest, in canvas bags,rested not a little treasure for Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. Andthough it was forbidden, I knew that many of our seamen hid gold. Alltold we found enough to whet appetite. But still the Indians said south,and Babeque and Bohio!

  At last we had sailed to the very eastern end of Cuba and turned it aswe might turn the heel of Italy. A great spur that ran into the oceanthe Admiral dubbed Alpha and Omega, and we planted a cross.

  It fell to me here to save the Admiral's life.

  We had upon the _Santa Maria_ a man named Felipe who seemed a simple,God-fearing soul, very attentive to Fray Ignatio and all the offices ofreligion. H
e was rather a silent fellow and a slow, poor worker, oftenin trouble with boatswain and master. He said odd things and sometimeswept for his soul, and the forecastle laughed at him. This man became ina night mad.

  It was middle night. The _Santa Maria_ swung at anchor and the wholeworld seemed a just-breathing stillness. There was the watch, but allelse slept. The watch, looking at Cuba and the moon on the water, didnot observe Felipe when he crept from forecastle with a long, sharptwo-edged knife such as they sell in Toledo.

  Juan Lepe woke from first sleep and could not recover it. He foundBernardo Nunez's small, small cabin stifling, and at last he got up, puton garments, and slipped forth and through great cabin to outer air. Hemight have found the Admiral there before him, for he slept little andwas about the ship at all hours, but to-night he did sleep.

  I spoke to the watch, then set myself down at break of poop to breathethe splendor of the night. The moon bathed Alpha and Omega, and the twoships, the _Nina_ and the Santa Maria. It washed the Pinta but we sawit not, not knowing where rode the Pinta and Martin Alonzo Pinzon. Sobright, so pleasureable, was the night!

  An hour passed. My body was cooled and refreshed, my spirit quiet.Rising, I entered great cabin on my way to bed and sleep. I felt thatthe cabin was not empty, and then, there being moonlight enough, Isaw the figure by the Admiral's door. "Who is it?" I demanded, but theunbolted door gave to the man's push, and he disappeared. I knew it wasnot the Admiral and I followed at a bound. The cabin had a window andthe moonbeams came in. They showed Felipe and his knife and the greatGenoese asleep. The madman laughed and crooned, then lifted that Toledodagger and lunged downward with a sinewy arm. But I was upon him. Theblow fell, but a foot wide of mark. There was a struggle, a shout. TheAdmiral, opening eyes, sprang from bed.

  He was a powerful man, and I, too, had strength, but Felipe fought andstruggled like a desert lion. He kept crying, "I am the King! I willsend him to discover Heaven! I will send him to join the prophets!" Atlast we had him down and bound him. By now the noise had brought thewatch and others. A dozen men came crowding in, in the moonlight. Wetook the madman away and kept him fast, and Juan Lepe tried to curehim but could not. In three days he died and we buried him at sea. AndFernando, creeping to me, asked, "senor, don't you feel at times thatthere is madness over all this ship and this voyage and _him_--theAdmiral, I mean?"

  I answered him that it was a pity there were so few madmen, and thatFelipe must have been quite sane.

  "Then what do you think was the matter with Felipe, Senor?"

  I said, "Did it ever occur to you, Fernando, that you had too muchcourage and saw too far?" At which he looked frightened, and said thatat times he had felt those symptoms.