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

W >> Washington Irving >> The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus (Vol. II)

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44

The friars, as far as their poor means and scanty knowledge extended, were
disposed to do every thing to promote the object of my visit. They showed
us all parts of the convent, which, however, has little to boast of,
excepting the historical associations connected with it. The library was
reduced to a few volumes, chiefly on ecclesiastical subjects, piled
promiscuously in the corner of a vaulted chamber, and covered with dust.
The chamber itself was curious, being the most ancient part of the
edifice, and supposed to have formed part of a temple in the time of the
Romans.

We ascended to the roof of the convent to enjoy the extensive prospect it
commands. Immediately below the promontory on which it is situated, runs a
narrow but tolerably deep river, called the Domingo Rubio, which empties
itself into the Tinto. It is the opinion of Don Luis Fernandez Pinzon,
that the ships of Columbus were careened and fitted out in this river, as
it affords better shelter than the Tinto, and its shores are not so
shallow. A lonely bark of a fisherman was lying in this stream, and not
far off, on a sandy point, were the ruins of an ancient watchtower. From
the roof of the convent, all the windings of the Odiel and the Tinto were
to be seen, and their junction into the main stream, by which Columbus
sallied forth to sea. In fact the convent serves as a landmark, being,
from its lofty and solitary situation, visible for a considerable distance
to vessels coming on the coast. On the opposite side I looked down upon
the lonely road, through the wood of pine trees, by which the zealous
guardian of the convent, Fray Juan Perez, departed at midnight on his
mule, when he sought the camp of Ferdinand and Isabella in the Vega of
Granada, to plead the project of Columbus before the queen.

Having finished our inspection of the convent, we prepared to depart, and
were accompanied to the outward portal by the two friars. Our calasero
brought his rattling and rickety vehicle for us to mount; at sight of
which one of the monks exclaimed, with a smile, "Santa Maria! only to
think! A calesa before the gate of the convent of La Rabida!" And, indeed,
so solitary and remote is this ancient edifice, and so simple is the mode
of living of the people in this by-corner of Spain, that the appearance of
even a sorry calesa might well cause astonishment. It is only singular
that in such a by-corner the scheme of Columbus should have found
intelligent listeners and coadjutors, after it had been discarded, almost
with scoffing and contempt, from learned universities and splendid courts.

On our way back to the hacienda, we met Don Rafael, a younger son of Don
Juan Fernandez, a fine young man, about twenty-one years of age, and who,
his father informed me, was at present studying French and mathematics. He
was well mounted on a spirited gray horse, and dressed in the Andalusian
style, with the little round hat and jacket. He sat his horse gracefully,
and managed him well. I was pleased with the frank and easy terms on which
Don Juan appeared to live with his children. This I was inclined to think
his favorite son, as I understood he was the only one that partook of the
old gentleman's fondness for the chase, and that accompanied him in his
hunting excursions.

A dinner had been prepared for us at the hacienda, by the wife of the
capitaz, or overseer, who, with her husband, seemed to be well pleased
with this visit from Don Juan, and to be confident of receiving a pleasant
answer from the good-humored old gentleman whenever they addressed him.
The dinner was served up about two o'clock, and was a most agreeable meal.
The fruits and wines were from the estate, and were excellent; the rest of
the provisions were from Moguer, for the adjacent village of Palos is too
poor to furnish any thing. A gentle breeze from the sea played through the
hall, and tempered the summer heat. Indeed I do not know when I have seen
a more enviable spot than this country retreat of the Pinzons. Its
situation on a breezy hill, at no great distance from the sea, and in a
southern climate, produces a happy temperature, neither hot in summer nor
cold in winter. It commands a beautiful prospect, and is surrounded by
natural luxuries. The country abounds with game, the adjacent river
affords abundant sport in fishing, both by day and night, and delightful
excursions for those fond of sailing. During the busy seasons of rural
life, and especially at the joyous period of vintage, the family pass some
time here, accompanied by numerous guests, at which times, Don Juan
assured me, there was no lack of amusements, both by land and water.

When we had dined, and taken the siesta, or afternoon nap, according to
the Spanish custom in summer time, we set out on our return to Moguer,
visiting the village of Palos in the way. Don Gabriel had been sent in
advance to procure the keys of the village church, and to apprise the
curate of our wish to inspect the archives. The village consists
principally of two streets of low whitewashed houses. Many of the
inhabitants have very dark complexions, betraying a mixture of African
blood.

On entering the village, we repaired to the lowly mansion of the curate. I
had hoped to find him some such personage as the curate in Don Quixote,
possessed of shrewdness and information in his limited sphere, and that I
might gain some anecdotes from him concerning the parish, its worthies,
its antiquities, and its historical events. Perhaps I might have done so
at any other time, but, unfortunately, the curate was something of a
sportsman, and had heard of some game among the neighboring hills. We met
him just sallying forth from his house, and, I must confess, his
appearance was picturesque. He was a short, broad, sturdy little man, and
had doffed his cassock and broad clerical beaver, for a short jacket and a
little round Andalusian hat; he had his gun in hand, and was on the point
of mounting a donkey which had been led forth by an ancient withered
handmaid. Fearful of being detained from his foray, he accosted my
companion the moment he came in sight. "God preserve you, Senor Don Juan!
I have received your message, and have but one answer to make. The
archives have all been destroyed. We have no trace of any thing you seek
for--nothing--nothing. Don Rafael has the keys of the church. You can
examine it at your leisure--Adios, caballero!" With these words the
galliard little curate mounted his donkey, thumped his ribs with the butt
end of his gun, and trotted off to the hills.

In our way to the church we passed by the ruins of what had once been a
fair and spacious dwelling, greatly superior to the other houses of the
village. This, Don Juan informed me, was an old family possession, but
since they had removed from Palos it had fallen to decay for want of a
tenant. It was probably the family residence of Martin Alonzo or Vicente
Yafiez Pinzon, in the time of Columbus.

We now arrived at the Church of St. George, in the porch of which Columbus
first proclaimed to the inhabitants of Palos the order of the sovereigns,
that they should furnish him with ships for his great voyage of discovery.
This edifice has lately been thoroughly repaired, and, being of solid
mason-work, promises to stand for ages, a monument of the discoverers. It
stands outside of the village, on the brow of a hill, looking along a
little valley toward the river. The remains of a Moorish arch prove it to
have been a mosque in former times; just above it, on the crest of the
hill, is the ruin of a Moorish castle.

I paused in the porch, and endeavored to recall the interesting scene that
had taken place there, when Columbus, accompanied by the zealous friar
Juan Perez, caused the public notary to read the royal order in presence
of the astonished alcaldes, regidors, and alguazils; but it is difficult
to conceive the consternation that must have been struck into so remote a
little community, by this sudden apparition of an entire stranger among
them, bearing a command that they should put their persons and ships at
his disposal, and sail with him away into the unknown wilderness of the
ocean.

The interior of the church has nothing remarkable, excepting a wooden
image of St. George vanquishing the Dragon, which is erected over the high
altar, and is the admiration of the good people of Palos, who bear it
about the streets in grand procession on the anniversary of the saint.
This group existed in the time of Columbus, and now flourishes in
renovated youth and splendor, having been newly painted and gilded, and
the countenance of the saint rendered peculiarly blooming and lustrous.

Having finished the examination of the church, we resumed our seats in the
calesa and returned to Moguer. One thing only remained to fulfill the
object of my pilgrimage. This was to visit the chapel of the Convent of
Santa Clara. When Columbus was in danger of being lost in a tempest on his
way home from his great voyage of discovery, he made a vow, that, should
he be spared, he would watch and pray one whole night in this chapel; a
vow which he doubtless fulfilled immediately after his arrival.

My kind and attentive friend, Don Juan, conducted me to the convent. It is
the wealthiest in Moguer, and belongs to a sisterhood of Franciscan nuns.
The chapel is large, and ornamented with some degree of richness,
particularly the part about the high altar, which, is embellished by
magnificent monuments of the brave family of the Puerto Carreros, the
ancient lords of Moguer, and renowned in Moorish warfare. The alabaster
effigies of distinguished warriors of that house, and of their wives and
sisters, lie side by side, with folded hands, on tombs immediately before
the altar, while others recline in deep niches on either side. The night
had closed in by the time I entered the church, which made the scene more
impressive. A few votive lamps shed a dim light about the interior; their
beams were feebly reflected by the gilded work of the high altar, and the
frames of the surrounding paintings, and rested upon the marble figures of
the warriors and dames lying in the monumental repose of ages. The solemn
pile must have presented much the same appearance when the pious
discoverer performed his vigil, kneeling before this very altar, and
praying and watching throughout the night, and pouring forth heartfelt
praises for having been spared to accomplish his sublime discovery.

I had now completed the main purpose of my journey, having visited the
various places connected with the story of Columbus. It was highly
gratifying to find some of them so little changed though so great a space
of time had intervened; but in this quiet nook of Spain, so far removed
from the main thoroughfares, the lapse of time produces but few violent
revolutions. Nothing, however, had surprised and gratified me more than
the contiuued stability of the Pinzon family. On the morning after my
excursion to Palos, chance gave me an opportunity of seeing something of
the interior of most of their households. Having a curiosity to visit the
remains of a Moorish castle, once the citadel of Moguer, Don Fernandez
undertook to show me a tower which served as a magazine of wine to one of
the Pinzon family. In seeking for the key we were sent from house to house
of nearly the whole connection. All appeared to be living in that golden
mean equally removed from the wants and superfluities of life, and all to
be happily interwoven by kind and cordial habits of intimacy. We found the
females of the family generally seated in the patios, or central courts of
their dwellings, beneath the shade of awnings and among shrubs and
flowers. Here the Andalusian ladies are accustomed to pass their mornings
at work, surrounded by their handmaids, in the primitive, or rather
oriental style. In the porches of some of the houses I observed the
coat-of-arms granted to the family by Charles V, hung up like a picture in
a frame. Over the door of Don Luis, the naval officer, it was carved on an
escutcheon of stone, and colored. I had gathered many particulars of the
family also from conversation with Don Juan, and from the family legend
lent me by Don Luis. From all that I could learn, it would appear that the
lapse of nearly three centuries and a half has made but little change in
the condition of the Pinzons. From generation to generation they have
retained the same fair standing and reputable name throughout the
neighborhood, filling offices of public trust and dignity, and possessing
great influence over their fellow-citizens by their good sense and good
conduct. How rare is it to see such an instance of stability of fortune in
this fluctuating world, and how truly honorable is this hereditary
respectability, which has been secured by no titles nor entails, but
perpetuated merely by the innate worth of the race! I declare to you that
the most illustrious descents of mere titled rank could never command the
sincere respect and cordial regard with which I contemplated this stanch
and enduring family, which for three centuries and a half has stood merely
upon its virtues.

As I was to set off on my return to Seville before two o'clock, I partook
of a farewell repast at the house of Don Juan, between twelve and one, and
then took leave of his household with sincere regret. The good old
gentleman, with the courtesy, or rather the cordiality, of a true
Spaniard, accompanied me to the posada, to see me off. I had dispensed but
little money in the posada--thanks to the hospitality of the Pinzons--yet
the Spanish pride of my host and hostess seemed pleased that I had
preferred their humble chamber, and the scanty bed they had provided me,
to the spacious mansion of Don Juan; and when I expressed my thanks for
their kindness and attention, and regaled mine host with a few choice
segars, the heart of the poor man was overcome. He seized me by both hands
and gave me a parting benediction, and then ran after the calasero, to
enjoin him to take particular care of me during my journey.

Taking a hearty leave of my excellent friend Don Juan, who had been
unremitting in his attentions to me to the last moment, I now set off on
my wayfaring, gratified to the utmost with my visit, and full of kind and
grateful feelings towards Moguer and its hospitable inhabitants.

Index.

A.

Acuna, Don Alonzo de, summons Columbus to give an account of himself, on
his return from the New World.

Address of an Indian of Cuba to Columbus.

Adelantado, title of, given to Christopher Columbus, confirmed by the
king.

Adrian de Moxica.

Admiral, the, a title granted to Columbus and his descendants.

Africa, essay on the navigation of, by the ancients.

Aguado, Juan, recommended to the Spanish Government by Columbus; appointed
commissioner to inquire into the conduct of Columbus; arrives at Isabella;
his insolent behavior; his interview with Columbus: the Caciques having
preferred complaints against Columbus, he determines on returning to
Spain.

Alexander VI., pope, character of; famous bulls of, relative to the New
World; letter of Columbus to.

Aliaco, Pedro, work of, referred to, note.

Alligators, found in great numbers at Puerto Bello.

All Saints, discovery of the bay of.

Alonzo, Don, heir-apparent of Portugal, his marriage with the princess
Isabella.

Alpha and Omega, the extreme point of Cuba.

Alva, duke of, Don Diego Columbus marries his daughter; he assists in
obtaining justice for his son-in-law.

Alvaro, Don, de Portugal, attack upon, in the royal tent.

Amazons, an island of supposed; warlike women of the Caribbee islands.
Amazons, river of, discovered by Vicente Pinzon.

Amber, specimens of, among the mountains of Cibao.

Anacaona, wife to Caonabo, retires with her brother Behechio, after the
great battle of the Vega; composes legendary ballads; her admiration of
the Spaniards; counsels her brother to conciliate the friendship of the
Spaniards; her reception of the Adelantado; her wonder and delight at
seeing a Spanish ship; her grief at the departure of the Adelantado; her
conduct in respect to her daughter and Guevara; her admiration of the
Spaniards turned into detestation; receives a visit from Ovando; is
seized; carried in chains to St. Domingo; and ignominiously hanged; her
fine character.

Anana, or the pine-apple, first met with.

Angel, Luis de St., his remonstrance with the queen relative to the
project of Columbus; succeeds.

Antigua, island of, discovered.

Antilles, the, discovered; taken possession of.

Apparitions, ideas of the Haytiens in respect to.

Appendix, containing illustrations and documents.

Arana, Diego de, left in charge of Hispaniola, during the first absence of
Columbus, history of the disaster which occurred to him after the
departure of Columbus.

Arano, Pedro de, commander of one of Columbus's ships on his third voyage.

Areytos, or ballads, of the Haytiens.

Aristizabal, Don Gabriel de, solicits the removal of the remains of
Columbus.

Arriaga, Luis de, is shut up within the walls of Magdalena.

Astrolabe, the, applied to navigation.

Atalantis, Plato's observations on.

Audience, royal, court of, established.

Augustine, St., his arguments against the existence of Antipodes.

Augustine, St., Cape of, discovered by Pinzon.

Aurea Cheraonesus, the place whence Solomon is supposed to have had gold.

Azores, the, when discovered; arrival at by Columbus on his return from
his first voyage.

B.

Babeque, a supposed island, Columbus goes in search of.

Bahama Islands, discovery of; cruise among the.

Ballads of the Haytiens.

Ballester, Miguel, his conduct during the conspiracy of Roldan; receives a
letter from Columbus; his character; interview with Roman; second
interview: sends advice to the admiral; is besieged in the fortress of
Conception; sails for Spain.

Barbas, Las, islands of, discovered.

Barrantes, Garcia de, sails for Spain.

Barros, Joam de, his account of Columbus's proposition to John II. king of
Portugal.

Basil, St., his description of Paradise.

Bastides, Rodrigo, of Seville, explores the coast of Terra Firma.

Baza, surrender of.

Beata, Cape, sailors of Columbus climb the rock of.

Behem, Martin, his planisphere; an account of; the assertion relative to
his having discovered the western world previous to Columbus considered.

Behechio assists Caonabo, and kills one of the wives of Guacanagari; the
only Cacique who does not sue for peace; receives a visit from Bartholomew
Columbus; his reception of him; consents to pay tribute; invites the
Adelantado to come and receive it; his astonishment at visiting a Spanish
ship.

Bolen, river of, discovered; abounds in fish; Columbus commences a
settlement on its banks.

Bell of Isabella, the superstitious ideas of the Haytiens in respect to
it.

Belvis, Pablo, sent to Hayti in the place of Fermin Cedo.

Berahoma, condemned to death for having violated the wife of the Cacique
of the Vega; is pardoned.

Bernaldez, Andres, a short account of his life and writings.

Bernardo of Valentia, his conspiracy at Jamaica.

Bloodhounds, first use of in the New World; employed by Columbus in his
wars with the Haytiens.

Bobadilla, Don Francisco de, charged with a commission to Hispaniola to
inquire into the conduct of Columbus; his character; instructions with
which he is charged; sails; arrives at St. Domingo; his judgment formed
before he leaves his ship; assumes power on landing; storms the fortress
of St. Domingo; assumes the government before he investigates the conduct
of Columbus; seizes his arms, gold, secret papers, etc.; summons Columbus
to appear before him; his baseness in collecting evidence; puts Don Diego
in chains; also Columbus; his fears in respect to the Adelantado; puts him
in irons; his mal-administration; a saying of his; superseded in his
government by Ovando; sails for Spain and is lost, with all his crew, in a
violent hurricane.

Boca del Sierpe.

Borgonon, Juan, labors to convert the Haytiens.

Boyle, Bernardo, friar, appointed apostolical vicar for the New World; his
advice to Columbus in respect to Guacanagari; confirms the accounts sent
home by Columbus; consecrates the first church at Isabella; his character
and conduct; his hatred of Columbus; encourages the misconduct of
Margarite; forms the plan of seizing Bartholomew Columbus's ships and
returning to Spain; sees sail; his accusations of Columbus at the court of
Madrid.

Brandan, St., imaginary island of.

Brazils, the, discovered by Vicente Pinzon; a part discovered and taken
possession of for the Portuguese crown by Cabral.

Breviesca, Ximeno de, a worthless hireling; his conduct and punishment.

Bucklers, used by the natives of Trinidad. Bull of Partition issued by
Pope Martin V.; relative to the New World, issued by Pope Alexander VI..

---- of Demarcation.

Burgos, the court held at.

Butios, the priests of the Haytiens.

Butterflies, clouds of, seen on the southern coast of Cuba.

C.

Cabot, Sebastian, discovers Labrador, supposed to be the first that
visited the main-land of the New World.

Cabral, Pedro Alvarez de, discovers part of the Brazils, and takes
possession of it in the name of the king of Portugal. Cabron, Cape, or
Capo del Enamorado.

Cacao, first known to the Spaniards.

Caciques, seizure of fourteen, in the night, by Bartholomew Columbus and
his officers.

Canaries, an optical delusion seen by the people of the; arrival of
Columbus at, in his first voyage.

Canoes, capable of containing 150 persons, seen at Puerto Santo; large
size of those at Jamaica.

Caonabo, character and conduct of; takes the fortress at La Navidad; and
massacres the Spaniards; assembles his warriors; Columbus leaves
directions with Margarite to surprise; besieges Ojeda; gives up the siege
and retires; forms a plan of exterminating the Spaniards; invades the
territories of Guacanagari; character of; is visited by Ojeda, with a
design to entrap him; agrees to wait upon Columbus, and sets forward; is
taken by stratagem; is chained; his conduct when in the presence of
Columbus; embarks for Spain; a Guadaloupe woman falls in love with him;
dies on the voyage.

Carocol, Island of.

Cariari, transactions at.

Caribbee Islands, discovered.

Caribs, character of the; origin of; cruelty to.

Caravajal, Don Garcia Lopez de, his embassy to Portugal.

Carvajal, Alonzo de, commander of one of Columbus's ships, on his third
voyage; arrives at Hispaniola; volunteers to endeavor to bring the rebels
of Xavagua to obedience; his ship strikes on a sand-bank; arrives at St.
Domingo by land; suspicions entertained against him; takes a letter from
the admiral to Roldan; takes propositions from Roldan to the admiral;
another interview with Boldan; appointed factor to Columbus; his evidence
relative to the discovery of the coast of Paria by Columbus.

Carracks, description of.

Casas, Las, his character of Don Diego Columbus; his observations
relative to Hayti; his account of two Spaniards; his picture of the
consequences of the administration of Ovando; his account of a combat
between one Indian and two mounted cavaliers; is present at a battle in
Higuey; his remark on the cold reception of Columbus by the king; his
remark in respect to the injustice of Ferdinand; an account of; his zeal
in behalf of the slaves; his dubious expedient to lessen the quantum of
human misery; character of his General History of the Indies.

Castaneda, Juan de, his disgraceful reception of Columbus on his return
from the New World; cause of his conduct.

Catalina, a Carib, her admiration of Guacanagari; proposes to her
captive companions an attempt to regain their liberty; escapes by
swimming.

Catalina, a female Cacique, falls in love with Miguel Diaz; imparts to
him a knowledge of the gold mines of Hayna.

Cathay, accounts of Marco Polo in respect to; of Sir John Mandeville.

Catherine, St., discovery of.

Cavern, near Cape Francois, description of.

Caymans, islands of.

Cedo, Fermin, his opinion in respect to the gold found in Hispaniola;
Belvis sent in Ms place.

Ceuta, the bishop of, his arguments against the proposition of Columbus;
proposes to the council to keep Columbus in suspense, and in the mean time
to send a ship in the route proposed; this advice acted upon; and fails.

Chanca, Dr., confirms the accounts sent home by Columbus.

Charles VIII., king of France, his kindness to Bartholomew Columbus.

Charles V. succeeds his grandfather, Ferdinand; recognizes the innocence
of Don Diego Columbus; acknowledges the right of Don Diego to exercise the
office of viceroy; his orders in respect to the claims of Don Diego's
widow; his ordinances relative to the slave trade.

Charlevoix, his description of the sea of the Antilles, Chaufepic, Jacques
George, a passage from, in respect to the Coloinbos.

Chvistoval, St., fortress of, erected by Bartholomew Columbus;
mountains of.

Cibao, Columbus's expedition to the mountains of; meaning of the word
Cibao; Luxan's description of the mountains of.

Ciguayens, a warlike Indian tribe, account of.