1492

by Mary Johnston

  CHAPTER XXX

  TWELVE of our ships went home to Spain.

  February wheeled by. March was here, and every day the sun sent us moreheat.

  The Indians around us still were friendly--women and all. From the firstthere was straying in the woods with Indian women. Doubtless now, in theSan Salvador islands, in Cuba and in Hispaniola, among those Guaricosfled from us to the mountains, would be infants born of Spanish fathers.Juan Lepe contemplated that filling in the sea between Asia and Europewith the very blood.

  Sickness broke out. It was not such as that first sickness at LaNavidad, but here were many more to lie ill. Besides Juan Lepe, we nowpossessed three physicians. They were skillful, they labored hard, weall labored. Men died of the malady, but no great number. But now amongthe idle of mind and soul and the factious arose the eternal murmur. Notheaven but hell, these new lands! Not wealth and happy ease, but povertyand miserable toil! Not forever new spectacle and greedy wonder, buttiresome river, forest and sea, tiresome blue heaven, tiresome delvingand building, tiresome rules, restrictions, commandments, yeas and nays!Parties arose, two main parties, and within each lesser differings.

  The Viceroy stiffly withstood the party that was not his, and upon someslur and insolence took from a man his office. Followed a week of glassysmoothness. Then suddenly, by chance, was discovered the plot of BernalDiaz de Pisa--the first of many Spanish conspiracies. It involvedseveral hundred men and was no less a thing than the seizure in the darknight of the ships and the setting sail for Spain, there to wreck thefame of Christopherus Columbus and if possible obtain the sending outof some prince over him, who would beam kindly on all hidalgos and neverput them to vulgar work. A letter was found in Bernal Diaz's hand, andif therein any ill was left unsaid of the Admiral and Viceroy, I knownot what it might be! The "Italian", the "Lowborn", the "madly arrogantand ambitious", the "cruel" and "violent", the "tyrant" acted. BernalDiaz was made and kept prisoner on Vicente Pinzon's ship. Of hisfollowing one out of ten lay in prison for a month. Of the seamenconcerned three were flogged and all had their pay estopped.

  One might say that Isabella was builded. Columbus himself stood andmoved in better health. Now he would go discovering on dry land, toAlonso de Ojeda's glee, glee indeed of many. The mountains of Cibao,where might be the gold,--and gold must be had!

  And we might find Caonabo, and what peoples were behind our ownmountains, and perhaps come upon Guacanagari. We went, four hundred menand more, an army with banners. We wished to impress, and we took anyand all things that might help in that wise. Drum and trumpet beatand sang. Father Buil was not with us. But three of his missionariesaccompanied us, and they carried a great crucifix. There were twentyhorses, and terrible were these to this land as the elephants of thePersians to the Greeks. And much we marveled that Cuba and Hayti had nomemory nor idea of elephants. A throng of Indians would go with us, andin much they carried our supplies. It was first seen clearly at thistime, I think, the uses that might be drawn from our heathen subjects.Alonso de Ojeda, Juan Ponce de Leon and Pedro Margarite rode with theAdmiral. Others followed on black and bay and white horses. Juan Lepemarched with the footmen. He was glad to find Luis Torres.

  Before setting out we went to mass in the new church. Candles burned,incense rose in clouds, the friars chanted, the bell rang, we took thewafer, the priest lifted the chalice.

  The sun rose, the trumpets rang, we were gone. South, before us, themountain line was broken by a deep notch. That would be our pass, afar,and set high, filled with an intense, a burning sapphire. We had Indianguides.

  Day, evening, camp and night. Dawn, trumpets, breakfast and goodunderstanding and jollity. After breakfast the march, and where wasany road up the heights? And being none we would make one and did, ourhidalgos toiling with the least. By eve we were in the high pass, levelground under our feet, above us magnificent trees. We called it the Passof the Hidalgos. We threw ourselves down and slept. At sunrise we pushedon, and presently saw what Juan Lepe once before had seen, the vastsouthward-lying plain and the golden mountains of Cibao.

  There rose a cry, it was so beautiful! The Admiral named it Vega Real,the Royal Plain.

  Sweating, panting, we came at last down that most difficult descentinto rolling forest and then to a small bright stream, beside it gardenpatches and fifty huts. The inhabitants fled madly, we heard theirfrightened shouts and the screaming of children. Thereafter we tried tokeep in advance a small body of Indians, so that they might tell thatthe gods were coming, but that they would not injure.

  Acclivity and declivity fell away. We were fully in an enormous, fertileand populous plain.

  The horses and the horsemen! At first they thought that these were one.When some cowering group was surrounded and kept from breaking away,when Alonso de Ojeda or another leaped from steed to earth, from earthagain to steed, they moaned with astonishment and some relief. But thehorses, the horses--never to have seen any great four-footed things,and now these that were proud and pawed the earth and neighed and--DeOjeda's black horse--reared, curvetted, bounded, appeared to threaten!The eyes, the mane, the great teeth!--There grew a legend that they werefed upon men's flesh, red men's flesh!

  How many red men were in Quisquaya I do not know. In some regions theydwelled thickly, in others were few folk. In this wide, long, laughingplain dwelled many, in clean towns sunk among trees good to look at anddropping fruit; by river or smaller stream, with plantings of maize,batata, cassava, jucca, maguey, and I know not what beside. If thestream was a considerable one, canoes. They had parrots; they had thesmall silent dogs. In some places we saw clay pots and bowls. They wovetheir cotton, though not very skillfully. They crushed their maizein hand mills. We found caciques and butios, and heard of their maincacique, Gwarionex. But he did not come to meet us; they said he hadgone on a visit to Caonabo in Cibao. They brought us food and took ourgifts in exchange; they harangued us in answer to our harangues; theymade dances for us. The children thronged around, fearless now andcurious. The women were kind. Old men and women together, and sometimesmore women than men, sat in a council ring about some venerable tree.

  There was no quarrel and no oppression upon this adventure. I look backand I see that single journey in Hispaniola a flower and pattern of whatmight be.

  They gave us what gold they had--freely--and we gave in return thingsthat they prized. But always they said Cibao for gold.

  We rode and marched afoot, with many halts and turns aside, five leaguesacross plain. A large river barred our way,--the Yaqui they calledit. Here we spent two days in a village a bowshot from the water. Wesearched for gold, we sent from Indian to Indian rumor that it was thehighest magic, god-magic that of all things in the world we most desiredand took it from their hands, yet still we paid for it in goods forwhich they lusted, and we neither forced nor threatened force. Andthough we were four hundred, yet there might be in the Royal Plain fortythousand, and their hue and their economy was yet prince in the land,and the Spaniard a visitor. And there commanded the four hundred ahumane man, with something of the guilelessness of the child.

  We crossed the Yaqui in canoes and upon rafts. White, brown and black,the horses swam the stream. Again nigh impenetrable forest, againvillages, again clear singing and running waters. But ever the mountainscame closer. At last we entered hilly country and the streams pushedwith rapidity, flowing to the Yaqui, flowing to the sea. Now we began tofind gold. It glistened in the river sands. Sometimes we found nuts ofit, washed from the rocks far above. There came upon us the gold fever.Mines--we must open mines! Fermin Cedo, our essayer, would have it thatit was not Ophir, but at that time he was hardly believed. The Admiralwrote a letter about these golden mines.

  An Indian brought him a piece of amber; another, a lump of blue stone.We found jasper, we were sure of copper.

  We came to a natural rampart, wide at top, steeply descending on threesides, set in a loop of a little clear river named Yanique. "Ho!" criedAlonso de Ojeda. "Here is the cradle for the babe! Round to
wer, walls,barbican yonder, and Mother Nature has dug the moat!" He sent his voiceacross to the Viceroy. "A fort, senor, a fort!"

  Council was held by the Yanique. A fort,--a luckier than La Navidad!Men left here to collect gold, establish a road, keep communication withIsabella which in turn should forward supplies and men. The returningfleet might bring two thousand--nay, five thousand men! It wouldcertainly bring asses and mules as well as horses. We should haveburden-bearers. Moreover, a company of Indians might be trained tocome and go as carriers. Train them, set some sort of penalty formalfeasance.

  "They should be taught to mine for us," said Pedro Margarite. "Pay them?Of course--of course! But do not pay them too much. Do not we protectthem from Caribs and save their souls to boot? Take it as tribute!" Itwas the first time the word was said, in Spanish, here.

  We built a fort much after the model of La Navidad and named it St.Thomas. When after days it was done, and commandant must be chosen, theViceroy's choice fell upon Pedro Margarite. And that was great pity.But he could not know Margarite then as afterwards he came to know him.Fifty-six men he left with Margarite, and the rest of us marched homeacross the Vega and the northern mountains to Isabella.

  Sickness. Quarrels. Idleness, vanity, dissensions and accusations. Heat,more sickness, wild quarrels.

  Tidings from Margarite at St. Thomas. The Indians would no longer bringfood. Caonabo was threatening from the higher mountains. The Viceroywrote to Margarite. Compel the Indians to bring food, but as it were tocompel them gently!

  Quarrels--quarrels at Isabella. Two main parties and all the lesserones. Disease and scarcity. Fray Geronimo arrived from St. Thomas.He had stories. The Viceroy grew dark red, his eyes lightened. Yet hebelieved that what was told pertained to men of Margarite, not tothat cavalier himself. He wrote to Margarite--I do not know what. Butpresently a plan arose in his mind and was announced. Don Alonso deOjeda was to command St. Thomas. Don Pedro Margarite should have amoving force of several hundred Castilians, mainly for exploration, butat need for other things. Going here and there about the country, itmight impress upon Caonabo that the Spaniard though gentle by nature,was dangerous when aroused.

  Alonso de Ojeda, three hundred men behind him, went forth on his blackhorse, to trumpet and drum, very gay and ready to go. In a week hesent into Isabella six Indians in chains. These had set upon three ofMargarite's men coming with a letter to the Viceroy and had robbed them,though without doing them bodily injury. Alonso de Ojeda had cut offtheir ears and sent them all in heavily chained. The Viceroy condemnedthem to be beheaded, but when they were on their knees before the blockreprieved them, one by one. He kept them chained for a time for allvisiting Indians to see, then formally pardoned them and let them go.

  Matters quieted. Sickness again sank, a flood retiring, leaving pools.Alonso de Ojeda and Pedro Margarite reported peace in Hispaniola. TheAdmiral came forth from his house one day and said quietly to this oneand that one that now he meant again to take up Discovery.

  He gave authority in Isabella to Don Diego, and made him a council wheresat Father Buil, Caravajal, Coronel and Juan de Luxan. Then out of fiveships we took the _Cordera_, the _Santa Clara_ and the _San Juan_, andwe set sail on April the twenty-fourth.