The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus (Vol. II)

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The indefatigable Adelantado set forth again on the 16th of February, with
an armed band of fifty-nine men, marching along the coast westward, a boat
with fourteen men keeping pace with him. In this excursion he explored an
extensive tract of country, and visited the dominions of various caciques,
by whom he was hospitably entertained. He met continually with proofs of
abundance of gold; the natives generally wearing great plates of it
suspended round their necks by cotton cords. There were tracts of land,
also, cultivated with Indian corn,--one of which continued for the extent
of six leagues; and the country abounded with excellent fruits. He again
heard of a nation in the interior, advanced in arts and arms, wearing
clothing, and being armed like the Spaniards. Either these were vague and
exaggerated rumors concerning the great empire of Peru, or the Adelantado
had misunderstood the signs of his informants. He returned, after an
absence of several days, with a great quantity of gold, and with animating
accounts of the country. He had found no port, however, equal to the river
of Belen, and was convinced that gold was nowhere to be met with in such
abundance as in the district of Veragua [161].

Chapter VII.

Commencement of a Settlement on the River Belen.--Conspiracy of the
Natives.--Expedition of the Adelantado to Surprise Quiban.

[1503.]

The reports brought to Columbus, from every side, of the wealth of the
neighborhood; the golden tract of twenty days' journey in extent, shown to
his brother from the mountain; the rumors of a rich and civilized country
at no great distance, all convinced him that he had reached one of the
most favored parts of the Asiatic continent. Again his ardent mind kindled
up with glowing anticipations. He fancied himself arrived at a
fountain-head of riches, at one of the sources of the unbounded wealth of
King Solomon. Josephus, in his work on the antiquities of the Jews, had
expressed an opinion, that the gold for the building of the temple of
Jerusalem had been procured from the mines of the Aurea Chersonesus.
Columbus supposed the mines of Veragua to be the same. They lay, as he
observed, "within the same distance from the pole and from the line;" and
if the information which he fancied he had received from the Indians was
to be depended on, they were situated about the same distance from the
Ganges [162].

Here, then, it appeared to him, was a place at which to found a colony,
and establish a mart that should become the emporium of a vast tract of
mines. Within the two first days after his arrival in the country, as he
wrote to the sovereigns, he had seen more signs of gold than in Hispaniola
during four years. That island, so long the object of his pride and hopes,
had been taken from him, and was a scene of confusion; the pearl coast of
Paria was ravaged by mere adventurers; all his plans concerning both had
been defeated; but here was a far more wealthy region than either, and one
calculated to console him for all his wrongs and deprivations.

On consulting with his brother, therefore, he resolved immediately to
commence an establishment here, for the purpose of securing the possession
of the country, and exploring and working the mines. The Adelantado agreed
to remain with the greater part of the people, while the admiral should
return to Spain for reinforcements and supplies. The greatest dispatch was
employed in carrying this plan into immediate operation. Eighty men were
selected to remain. They were separated into parties of about ten each,
and commenced building houses on a small eminence, situated on the bank of
a creek, about a bow-shot within the mouth of the river Belen. The houses
were of wood, thatched with the leaves of palm-trees. One larger than the
rest was to serve as a magazine, to receive their ammunition, artillery,
and a part of their provisions. The principal part was stored, for greater
security, on board of one of the caravels, which was to be left for the
use of the colony. It was true they had but a scanty supply of European
stores remaining, consisting chiefly of biscuit, cheese, pulse, wine, oil,
and vinegar; but the country produced bananas, plantains, pine-apples,
cocoanuts, and other fruit. There was also maize in abundance, together
with various roots, such as were found in Hispaniola. The rivers and
sea-coast abounded with fish. The natives, too, made beverages of various
kinds. One from the juice of the pine-apple, having a vinous flavor;
another from maize, resembling beer; and another from the fruit of a
species of palm-tree. [163] There appeared to be no danger, therefore,
of suffering from famine. Columbus took pains to conciliate the good-will
of the Indians, that they might supply the wants of the colony during his
absence, and he made many presents to Quibian, by way of reconciling him
to this intrusion into his territories. [164]

The necessary arrangements being made for the colony, and a number of the
houses being roofed, and sufficiently finished for occupation, the admiral
prepared for his departure, when an unlooked-for obstacle presented
itself. The heavy rains which had so long distressed him during this
expedition had recently ceased. The torrents from the mountains were over;
and the river which had once put him to such peril by its sudden swelling,
had now become so shallow that there was not above half a fathom water on
the bar. Though his vessels were small, it was impossible to draw them
over the sands, which choked the mouth of the river, for there was a swell
rolling and tumbling upon them, enough to dash his worm-eaten barks to
pieces. He was obliged, therefore, to wait with patience, and pray for the
return of those rains which he had lately deplored.

In the meantime, Quibian beheld, with secret jealousy and indignation,
these strangers erecting habitations, and manifesting an intention of
establishing themselves in his territories. He was of a bold and warlike
spirit, and had a great force of warriors at his command; and being
ignorant of the vast superiority of the Europeans in the art of war,
thought it easy, by a well-concerted artifice, to overwhelm and destroy
them. He sent messengers round, and ordered all his fighting-men to
assemble at his residence on the river Veragua, under pretext of making
war upon a neighboring province. Numbers of the warriors, in repairing to
his headquarters, passed by the harbor. No suspicions of their real design
were entertained by Columbus or his officers; but their movements
attracted the attention of the chief notary, Diego Mendez, a man of a
shrewd and prying character, and zealously devoted to the admiral.
Doubting some treachery, he communicated his surmises to Columbus, and
offered to coast along in an armed boat to the river Veragua, and
reconnoitre the Indian camp. His offer was accepted, and he sallied from
the river accordingly, but had scarcely advanced a league, when he
descried a large force of Indians on the shore. Landing alone, and
ordering that the boat should be kept afloat, he entered among them. There
were about a thousand armed and supplied with provisions, as if for an
expedition. He offered to accompany them with his armed boat; his offer
was declined with evident signs of impatience. Returning to his boat, he
kept watch upon them all night, until, seeing they were vigilantly
observed, they returned to Veragua.

Mendez hastened back to the admiral, and gave it as his opinion that the
Indians had been on their way to surprise the Spaniards. The admiral was
loth to believe in such treachery, and was desirous of obtaining clearer
information, before he took any step that might interrupt the apparently
good understanding that existed with the natives. Mendez now undertook,
with a single companion, to penetrate by land to the headquarters of
Quibian, and endeavor to ascertain his intentions. Accompanied by one
Rodrigo de Escobar, he proceeded on foot along the seaboard, to avoid the
tangled forests, and arriving at the mouth of the Veragua, found two
canoes with Indians, whom he prevailed on, by presents, to convey him and
his companion to the village of the cacique. It was on the bank of the
river; the houses were detached and interspersed among trees. There was a
bustle of warlike preparation in the place, and the arrival of the two
Spaniards evidently excited surprise and uneasiness. The residence of the
cacique was larger than the others, and situated on a hill which rose from
the water's edge. Quibian was confined to the house by indisposition,
having been wounded in the leg by an arrow. Mendez gave himself out as a
surgeon come to cure the wound: with great difficulty and by force of
presents he obtained permission to proceed. On the crest of the hill and
in front of the cacique's dwelling, was a broad, level, open place, round
which, on posts, were the heads of three hundred enemies slain in battle.
Undismayed by this dismal array, Mendez and his companion crossed the
place towards the den of this grim warrior. A number of women and children
about the door fled into the house with piercing cries. A young and
powerful Indian, son of the cacique, sallied forth in a violent rage, and
struck Mendez a blow which made him recoil several paces. The latter
pacified him by presents and assurances that he came to cure his father's
wound, in proof of which he produced a box of ointment. It was impossible,
however, to gain access to the cacique, and Mendez returned with all haste
to the harbor to report to the admiral what he had seen and learnt. It was
evident there was a dangerous plot impending over the Spaniards, and as
far as Mendez could learn from the Indians who had taken him up the river
in their canoe, the body of a thousand warriors which he had seen on his
previous reconnoitring expedition, had actually been on a hostile
enterprise against the harbor, but had given it up on finding themselves
observed.

This information was confirmed by an Indian of the neighborhood, who had
become attached to the Spaniards and acted as interpreter. He revealed to
the admiral the designs of his countrymen, which he had overheard. Quibian
intended to surprise the harbor at night with a great force, burn the
ships and houses, and make a general massacre. Thus forewarned, Columbus
immediately set a double watch upon the harbor. The military spirit of the
Adelantado suggested a bolder expedient. The hostile plan of Quibian was
doubtless delayed by his wound, and in the meantime he would maintain the
semblance of friendship. The Adelantado determined to march at once to his
residence, capture him, his family, and principal warriors, send them
prisoners to Spain, and take possession of his village.

With the Adelantado, to conceive a plan was to carry it into immediate
execution, and, in fact, the impending danger admitted of no delay. Taking
with him seventy-four men, well armed, among whom was Diego Mendez, and
being accompanied by the Indian interpreter who had revealed the plot, he
set off on the 30th of March, in boats, to the mouth of the Veragua,
ascended it rapidly, and before the Indians could have notice of his
movements, landed at the foot of the hill on which the house of Quibian
was situated.

Lest the cacique should take alarm and fly at the sight of a large force,
he ascended the hill, accompanied by only five men, among whom was Diego
Mendez; ordering the rest to come on, with great caution and secrecy, two
at a time, and at a distance from each other. On the discharge of an
arquebuse, they were to surround the dwelling and suffer no one to escape.

As the Adelantado drew near to the house, Quibian came forth, and seating
himself in the portal, desired the Adelantado to approach singly. Don
Bartholomew now ordered Diego Mendez and his four companions to remain at
a little distance, and when they should see him take the cacique by the
arm, to rush immediately to his assistance. He then advanced with his
Indian interpreter, through whom a short conversation took place, relative
to the surrounding country. The Adelantado then adverted to the wound of
the cacique, and pretending to examine it, took him by the arm. At the
concerted signal four of the Spaniards rushed forward, the fifth
discharged the arquebuse. The cacique attempted to get loose, but was
firmly held in the iron grasp of the Adelantado. Being both men of great
muscular power, a violent struggle ensued. Don Bartholomew, however,
maintained the mastery, and Diego Mendez and his companions coming to his
assistance, Quibian was bound hand and foot. At the report of the
arquebuse, the main body of the Spaniards surrounded the house, and seized
most of those who were within, consisting of fifty persons, old and young.
Among these were the wives and children of Quibian, and several of his
principal subjects. No one was wounded, for there was no resistance, and
the Adelantado never permitted wanton bloodshed. When the poor savages saw
their prince a captive, they filled the air with lamentations; imploring
his release, and offering for his ransom a great treasure, which they said
lay concealed in a neighboring forest.

The Adelantado was deaf to their supplications and their offers. Quibian
was too dangerous a foe to be set at liberty; as a prisoner, he would be a
hostage for the security of the settlement. Anxious to secure his prize,
he determined to send the cacique and the other prisoners on board of the
boats, while he remained on shore with a part of his men to pursue the
Indians who had escaped. Juan Sanchez, the principal pilot of the
squadron, a powerful and spirited man, volunteered to take charge of the
captives. On committing the chieftain to his care, the Adelantado warned
him to be on his guard against any attempt at rescue or escape. The sturdy
pilot replied that if the cacique got out of his hands, he would give them
leave to pluck out his beard, hair by hair; with this vaunt he departed,
bearing off Quibian bound hand and foot. On arriving at the boat, he
secured him by a strong cord to one of the benches. It was a dark night.
As the boat proceeded down the river, the cacique complained piteously of
the painfulness of his bonds. The rough heart of the pilot was touched
with compassion, and he loosened the cord by which Quibian was tied to the
bench, keeping the end of it in his hand. The wily Indian watched his
opportunity, and when Sanchez was looking another way, plunged into the
water and disappeared. So sudden and violent was his plunge, that the
pilot had to let go the cord, lest he should be drawn in after him. The
darkness of the night, and the bustle which took place, in preventing the
escape of the other prisoners, rendered it impossible to pursue the
cacique, or even to ascertain his fate. Juan Sanchez hastened to the ships
with the residue of the captives, deeply mortified at being thus outwitted
by a savage.

The Adelantado remained all night on shore. The following morning, when he
beheld the wild, broken, and mountainous nature of the country, and the
scattered situation of the habitations, perched on different heights, he
gave up the search after the Indians, and returned to the ships with the
spoils of the cacique's mansion. These consisted of bracelets, anklets,
and massive plates of gold, such as were worn round the neck, together
with two golden coronets. The whole amounted to the value of three hundred
ducats. [165] One fifth of the booty was set apart for the
crown. The residue was shared among those concerned in the enterprise. To
the Adelantado one of the coronets was assigned, as a trophy of his
exploit. [166]

Chapter VIII.

Disasters of the Settlement.

[1503.]

It was hoped by Columbus that the vigorous measure of the Adelantado would
strike terror into the Indians of the neighborhood, and prevent any
further designs upon the settlement. Quibian had probably perished. If he
survived, he must be disheartened by the captivity of his family, and
several of his principal subjects, and fearful of their being made
responsible for any act of violence on his part. The heavy rains,
therefore, which fall so frequently among the mountains of this isthmus,
having again swelled the river, Columbus made his final arrangements for
the management of the colony, and having given much wholesome counsel to
the Spaniards who were to remain, and taken an affectionate leave of his
brother, got under weigh with three of the caravels, leaving the fourth
for the use of the settlement. As the water was still shallow at the bar,
the ships were lightened of a great part of their cargoes, and towed out
by the boats in calm weather, grounding repeatedly. When fairly released
from the river, and their cargoes re-shipped, they anchored within a
league of the shore, to await a favorable wind. It was the intention of
the admiral to touch at Hispaniola, on his way to Spain, and send thence
supplies and reinforcements. The wind continuing adverse, he sent a boat
on shore on the 6th of April, under the command of Diego Tristan, captain
of one of the caravels, to procure wood and water, and make some
communications to the Adelantado. The expedition of this boat proved fatal
to its crew, but was providential to the settlement.

The cacique Quibian had not perished as some had supposed. Though both
hands and feet were bound, yet in the water he was as in his natural
element. Plunging to the bottom, he swam below the surface until
sufficiently distant to be out of view in the darkness of the night, and
then emerging made his way to shore. The desolation of his home, and the
capture of his wives and children, filled him with anguish; but when he
saw the vessels in which they were confined leaving the river, and bearing
them off, he was transported with fury and despair. Determined on a signal
vengeance, he assembled a great number of his warriors, and came secretly
upon the settlement. The thick woods by which it was surrounded enabled
the Indians to approach unseen within ten paces. The Spaniards, thinking
the enemy completely discomfited and dispersed, were perfectly off their
guard. Some had strayed to the sea-shore, to take a farewell look at the
ships; some were on board of the caravel in the river; others were
scattered about the houses: on a sudden, the Indians rushed from their
concealment with yells and howlings, launched their javelins through the
roofs of palm-leaves, hurled them in at the windows, or thrust them
through the crevices of the logs which composed the walls. As the houses
were small, several of the inhabitants were wounded. On the first alarm,
the Adelantado seized a lance, and sallied forth with seven or eight of
his men. He was joined by Diego Mendez and several of his companions, and
they drove the enemy into the forest, killing and wounding several of
them. The Indians kept up a brisk fire of darts and arrows from among the
trees, and made furious sallies with their war-clubs; but there was no
withstanding the keen edge of the Spanish weapons, and a fierce blood-hound
being let loose upon them, completed their terror. They fled howling
through the forest, leaving a number dead on the field, having killed one
Spaniard, and wounded eight. Among the latter was the Adelantado, who
received a slight thrust of a javelin in the breast.

Diego Tristan arrived in his boat during the contest, but feared to
approach the land, lest the Spaniards should rush on board in such numbers
as to sink him. When the Indians had been put to flight, he proceeded up
the river in quest of fresh water, disregarding the warnings of those on
shore, that he might be cut off by the enemy in their canoes.

The river was deep and narrow, shut in by high banks, and overhanging
trees. The forests on each side were thick and impenetrable; so that there
was no landing-place, excepting here and there where a footpath wound down
to some fishing-ground, or some place where the natives kept their canoes.

The boat had ascended about a league above the village, to a part of the
river where it was completely overshadowed by lofty banks and spreading
trees. Suddenly, yells and war-whoops and blasts of conch shells rose on
every side. Light canoes darted forth in every direction from dark
hollows, and overhanging thickets, each dextrously managed by a single
savage, while others stood up brandishing and hurling their lances.
Missiles were launched also from the banks of the river, and the branches
of the trees. There were eight sailors in the boat, and three soldiers.
Galled and wounded by darts and arrows, confounded by the yells and blasts
of conchs, and the assaults which thickened from every side, they lost all
presence of mind, neglected to use either oars or fire-arms, and only
sought to shelter themselves with their bucklers. Diego Tristan had
received several wounds; but still displayed great intrepidity, and was
endeavoring to animate his men, when a javelin pierced his right eye; and
struck him dead. The canoes now closed upon the boat, and a general
massacre ensued. But one Spaniard escaped, Juan de Noya, a cooper of
Seville. Having fallen overboard in the midst of the action, he dived to
the bottom, swam under water, gained the bank of the river unperceived,
and made his way down to the settlement, bringing tidings of the massacre
of his captain and comrades.

The Spaniards were completely dismayed, were few in number, several of
them were wounded, and they were in the midst of tribes of exasperated
savages, far more fierce and warlike than those to whom they had been
accustomed. The admiral, being ignorant of their misfortunes, would sail
away without yielding them assistance, and they would be left to sink
beneath the overwhelming force of barbarous foes, or to perish with hunger
on this inhospitable coast. In their despair they determined to take the
caravel which had been left with them, and abandon the place altogether.
The Adelantado remonstrated with them in vain; nothing would content them
but to put to sea immediately. Here a new alarm awaited them. The torrents
having subsided, the river was again shallow, and it was impossible for
the caravel to pass over the bar. They now took the boat of the caravel,
to bear tidings of their danger to the admiral, and implore him not to
abandon them; but the wind was boisterous, a high sea was rolling, and a
heavy surf, tumbling and breaking at the mouth of the river, prevented the
boat from getting out. Horrors increased upon them. The mangled bodies of
Diego Tristan and his men came floating down the stream, and drifting
about the harbor, with flights of crows, and other carrion birds, feeding
on them, and hovering, and screaming, and fighting about their prey. The
forlorn Spaniards contemplated this scene with shuddering; it appeared
ominous of their own fate.

In the meantime the Indians, elated by their triumph over the crew of the
boat, renewed their hostilities. Whoops and yells answered each other from
various parts of the neighborhood. The dismal sound of conchs and
war-drums in the deep bosom of the woods showed that the number of the
enemy was continually augmenting. They would rush forth occasionally upon
straggling parties of Spaniards, and make partial attacks upon the houses.
It was considered no longer safe to remain in the settlement, the close
forest which surrounded it being a covert for the approaches of the enemy.
The Adelantado chose, therefore, an open place on the shore at some
distance from the wood. Here he caused a kind of bulwark to be made of the
boat of the caravel, and of chests, casks, and similar articles. Two
places were left open as embrasures, in which were placed a couple of
falconets, or small pieces of artillery, in such a manner as to command
the neighborhood. In this little fortress the Spaniards shut themselves
up; its walls were sufficient to screen them from the darts and arrows of
the Indians, but mostly they depended upon their firearms, the sound of
which struck dismay into the savages, especially when they saw the effect
of the balls, splintering and rending the trees around them, and carrying
havoc to such a distance. The Indians were thus kept in check for the
present, and deterred from venturing from the forest; but the Spaniards,
exhausted by constant watching and incessant alarms, anticipated all kinds
of evil when their ammunition should be exhausted, or they should be
driven forth by hunger to seek for food. [167]

Chapter IX.

Distress of the Admiral on Board of His Ship.--Ultimate Relief of the
Settlement.

[1503.]

While the Adelantado and his men were exposed to such imminent peril on
shore, great anxiety prevailed on board of the ships. Day after day
elapsed without the return of Diego Tristan and his party, and it was
feared some disaster had befallen them. Columbus would have sent on shore
to make inquiries; but there was only one boat remaining for the service
of the squadron, and he dared not risk it in the rough sea and heavy surf.
A dismal circumstance occurred to increase the gloom and uneasiness of the
crews. On hoard of one of the caravels were confined the family and
household of the cacique Quibian. It was the intention of Columbus to
carry them to Spain, trusting that as long as they remained in the power
of the Spaniards, their tribe would be deterred from further hostilities.
They were shut up at night in the forecastle of the caravel, the hatchway
of which was secured by a strong chain and padlock. As several of the crew
slept upon the hatch, and it was so high as to be considered out of reach
of the prisoners, they neglected to fasten the chain. The Indians
discovered their negligence. Collecting a quantity of stones from the
ballast of the vessel, they made a great heap directly under the hatchway.
Several of the most powerful warriors mounted upon the top, and, bending
their backs, by a sudden and simultaneous effort forced up the hatch,
flinging the seamen who slept upon it to the opposite side of the ship. In
an instant the greater part of the Indians sprang forth, plunged into the
sea, and swam for shore. Several, however, were prevented from sallying
forth; others were seized on the deck, and forced back into the
forecastle; the hatchway was carefully chained down, and a guard was set
for the rest of the night. In the morning, when the Spaniards went to
examine the captives, they were all found dead. Some had hanged themselves
with the ends of ropes, their knees touching the floor; others had
strangled themselves by straining the cords tight with their feet. Such
was the fierce, unconquerable spirit of these people, and their horror of
the white men. [168]