1492 Part 13

The sun was westering. We felt the exhaustion of a long holiday with novelties so many that at last the senses did not answer. Perhaps the Indians felt it too. Often and often have I seen great wisdom guide the Admiral. An hour before approaching night might have said "Go!" he took us one and all back to the s.h.i.+ps. "_Salve Regina_" was a sound that evening to hear, and afterwards it was to sleep, sleep,--tired as from the Fair at Seville!

CHAPTER XVI

AT first, the day before, we had not made out that the Indians had boats. Later, straying here and there, we had seen them drawn upon the sh.o.r.e and covered with boughs of trees. They called them "canoes", made them, large and small, out of trunks of trees, hollowed by fire, and with their stone knives. We had seen one copper knife. Asked about that, they pointed to the south and seemed to say that yonder dwelled men who had all they wished of most things.

From dark the east grew pale, from pallor put on roses. This day no mariner grumbled at the call to awake. Here still lay our Fortunate Isle, our San Salvador; here our ivory beach, our green wood. Up went the little curls of smoke.

We had breakfast. So great was now the deference to him who three days ago had been "madman" and "black magician", "dreaming fool" and "spinner without thread!" Now it was "Admiral", "Excellency", and "What shall we do next?" and "What is your opinion, sir?"

The immediate thing to do proved to be to come forth from cabin and mark the beach thronging with thrice the number of yesterday, and the canoes putting off to us. We counted eight. Only one was a long craft, holding twenty men; the others came in c.o.c.kle boats, with one or two or three.

Not only canoes, but they came swimming, men and boys, all a dark grace in the cerulean, lucid sea. They were so fearless--for we came from heaven and would not harm them. We were going to make them rich; we were going to "save" them.

A score perhaps were helped aboard the _Santa Maria_. The Pinta, the Nina, had others. They were like children, touching, staring, excitedly talking and gesturing among themselves, or gazing in a kind of fixed awe, asking of the least sailor with all reverence, bowing themselves before the Admiral, the over-G.o.d. The Admiral moved richly dressed, rapt and benignant, yet sparing a part of himself to keep all order, measure, rightness on the s.h.i.+p, and another part to find out with keen pains, "What of other lands? What of folk who must be your superiors?"

They had brought offerings. Half a dozen parrots perched around, very gorgeously colored, loquacious in a speech we did not know. We had stacks of the large round thin cakes baked on stones which afterwards we called ca.s.sava, and great gourds, "calabashes" filled with fruit, and b.a.l.l.s of cotton in a rude thread. We gave beads, bits of cloth, little purses, and the small bells that caused extravagant delight. But ever the Admiral looked for signs of gold, for he must find for princes and n.o.bles and merchants gold or silver, or precious stones or spice, or all together. If he found them not, half his fortunes fell; a half-wind only would henceforth fill his sails.

And at last came in a canoe with three a young Indian who wore in his ear a k.n.o.b of gold. Roderigo Sanchez saw this first and brought him to the Admiral. The latter, taking up an armlet of green gla.s.s and a hawk bell, touched the gold in the ear. "Do you trade?" Glad enough was the Indian to trade. It lay in the Admiral's palm, a piece of gold as great as a filbert.

Juan Lepe watched him make inquisition, Diego de Arana, Sanchez and Escobedo at his elbow. He did it to admiration, with look, gesture and tone ably translating his words. "Gold--gold?" The Indian said, or we put down in this wise what he said, "Harac."

Was there more harac on the island? We would give heavenly things for harac. The Indian was doubtful; he thought proudly that he had the only harac. "Where did he get it?" He indicated the south.

"Little island like this one?"

"No. Great land. Harac there in many ears. Much harac."

So we understood him. "c.i.p.ango!" breathed the Admiral. "Or neighbor to c.i.p.ango, increasingly rich and civilized as we go."

He took a case of small boxes, each box filled with merchandise of spice which he desired. Cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, saffron, cloves and others.

He made the islander smell and taste. "Had they aught like these?"

The Indian seemed to say they had not, but would like to have. He looked about for something with which to trade, a parrot, or heap of cakes, or ball of cotton. I thought that it was the box of boxes that he extremely wished, but the Admiral thought it was the spicery, and that he must have known them wherever he got the gold. "Were they found yonder?"

The Admiral stretched arm out over blue sea and the Indian followed his gesture. He shot out his own arm, "South--southwest--west," nodded the Admiral. "Many islands, or the mainland. Gates open before us!"

"Had the Indian been to these lands?" No, it seemed, but one had come in a boat, wearing this k.n.o.b of gold, and he had told them. Was he living?

No, he was not living. What kind of a person was he? Such as us?

Emphatically no. Not such as us! Much, we gathered, as was the Indian himself. "Pearls have come from Queen's neck to Queen's neck," quoth the Admiral, "by a thousand rude hands and twisting ways!"

There was one woman among the visitors to the _Santa Maria_, a young woman, naked, freely moving and smiling. Eyes dwelled on her, eyes followed her. She was with an Indian who might be brother or husband.

The Admiral gave her a worked, Moorish scarf. She tied it about her head, and the bright ends fell down beside her long, black, braided hair. None touched her, but they were woman-starved, and they looked at her hungrily. She had beauty in her way, and a kind of innocence both frank and shy. She was like a doe in the green forest, come silently upon at dawn.

Fed full of marvel at last, these Indians left us. But no sooner had they reached land and told of great kindness on the part of the inhabitants of heaven than other canoes and other swimmers put forth.

This might go on all day, so we checked it by ourselves going ash.o.r.e.

This day we filled our water casks and took aboard much fruit and all the cakes that they brought us. Moreover we explored the island, finding two villages of a piece with the first, and in the middle land a fair pool of water. This day like yesterday was blissful wine.

All blessed Christopherus Columbus. No man now but, for a while, did his bidding with an open heart.

In the morning we sailed away, not without plentiful promises of return.

When we put up our white sails they cried out and pointed to the cloud sierra. No! We would not go back to heaven--or if we did so we would come again, loving so our gentle friends upon earth! We sailed, and in all our after wanderings we never came back to this island. And never again, I think, while Columbus voyaged, did there come to us just the bright, exquisite thrill of that first land after long doubt and no land. San Salvador--Holy Saviour Island!

CHAPTER XVII

WE were in a throng of islands. We might drop all for a little while, then from masthead "Land ho!" None were great islands, many far smaller than San Salvador. At night we lay to, not knowing currents and shoals; then broke the day and we flung out sail.

We had with us upon the _Santa Maria_ three San Salvador men. They had come willingly, two young, fearless men, and one old man with a wrinkled, wise, interested face. a.s.siduous to gain their tongue and impart our own, the Admiral, beside his own effort, told off for especial teachers and scholars Luis Torres and Juan Lepe. We did gain knowledge, but as yet everything was imperfect, without fine shading, and subject to all miscomprehension. But like the rest of us, the Admiral guessed in accordance with his wishes and his previous belief.

All these islands lay flat or almost flat upon the sea. All showed ivory beach, vivid wood, surrounding water, transparent and heavenly blue, inhabited by magically colored fish. When we dropped anchor, took boat and landed, it was to find the same astonished folk, naked, harmless, holding us for G.o.ds, bringing all they had, eager for our toys which were to them king's treasures and holy relics. Every island the Admiral named; he gave them goodly names! Over and over the Indians pointed south and west. We understood great lands, clothed men, much gold. But when we next came to anchor, like small island, like men, women and children. We traded for a few more k.n.o.bs of gold, but they were few.

Toscanelli's map and the Admiral's map lay on cabin table. "Islands in the Sea of Chin--Polo and Mandeville alike say thousands--all grades then of advance. Beyond any manner of doubt, persevering west or west by south, we shall come to main Asia." So long as he ruled, there would be perseverance!

At Santa Maria de la Concepcion a solitary large canoe crowded with Indians was rowing toward us. One of the San Salvador young men aboard us fancied some slight, experienced some fear, or may even,--who knows?--have wearied of the G.o.ds. Springing upon the rail he threw himself into sea and made off with great strokes toward the canoe. Pedro behind him shouted "Escape!" There was a rush to the side to observe.

Fernando bawled, "Come back! or we'll let fly an arrow."

He swam, the dark, naked fellow, like a fish. Reaching the canoe, the Indians there took him in; he seemed to have a tale to tell, they all broke into talk, the canoe went round, they rowed fast back to land. The _Nina_, lying near us, had her boat filling to go ash.o.r.e. Her men had seen the leap overboard and the swimmer. Now they put after, rowing hard for the canoe, that having the start came first to beach. The Indians sprang out, the San Salvador man with them. Leaving canoe, they ran across sand into wood. The _Nina's_ men took the canoe and brought it to the _Santa Maria_. In it were b.a.l.l.s of cotton and calabashes filled with fruit and a chattering parrot. It was the first thing of this kind that had happened, and the Admiral's face was wrathful. He had a simple, kindly heart, and though he could be vexed or irritated, he rarely broke into furious anger. But first and last he desired peaceful absorption, if by any means that were possible, of these countries. We absorbing them, they absorbing us; both the gainers! And he had warm feeling of romance-love for all this that he was finding. He saw all his enterprise milk-white, rose-bright. And his pride was touched that the Indian who had seemed contented had not truly been so, and that the _Nina_'s men had disobeyed strict commands for friendliness. He would restore that content if possible, and he would have no more unordered chasing of canoes. The Nina's men got anger and rebuke, Captain Cristoforo Colombo mounting up in the Admiral.

He would let nothing in the canoe be touched. Instead he had placed aboard a pot of honey and a flask of wine and three pieces of cloth, then with a strong shove it was sent landward, and the tide making in, it came to sh.o.r.e. We saw two venture from the wood and draw it up on beach.

In a little while came around a point of sh.o.r.e a canoe with one Indian who made toward us, using his oar very dexterously, and when he entered our shadow holding up cotton and fruit. It was to be seen that he had had no communication with the men of the large canoe.

The Admiral himself called out encouragingly and s.n.a.t.c.hing the first small thing at hand held it up. The Indian scrambled on board. He stood, as fine a piece of bronze as any might see, before the Genoese, as great a figure as might be found in all Italy--all Spain--all Europe.

The elder touched the younger, the white man the red man, as a king, a father, might have touched a prince, a son. He himself took the youth over our s.h.i.+p, showing him this, showing him that, had the music play for him, brought him to Fray Ignatio who talked of Christ, pointing oft to heaven. (To my thinking this action, often repeated, was one of the things that for so long made them certain we had come from the skies.) In the cabin he gave the Indian a cup of wine and a biscuit dipped in honey. He gave him a silken cap with a ta.s.sel and himself put round his throat one of our best strings of beads, and into his hand not one but three of the much-coveted hawk bells. He was kinder than rain after drought. First and last, he could well lend himself to the policy of kindness, for it was not lending. Kindness was his nature.

In an hour this Indian, returned to his canoe, was rowing toward sh.o.r.e with a swelling heart and a determined loyalty. He touched the island, and we could trust him to be missionary, preaching with all fervor of heaven and the G.o.ds.

Ay, me!

Whatever the other's defection, he more than covered it, the return of the canoe aiding. Santa Maria de la Concepcion became again friendly.

But the Admiral that evening gave emphatic instruction to Martin and Vicente Pinzon and all the gathered Spaniards. Just here, I think, began the rift between him and many. Many would have by prompt taking, as they take in war. Were not all these heathen and given? But he would have another way round, though often he compromised with war; never wanting war but forced by his time and his companions. Sometimes, in the future, forced by the people we came among, but far oftener forced by greed and l.u.s.t and violence of our own. Alas, again! Alas, again and again!

After Santa Maria de la Concepcion, Fernandina, and after Fernandina the most beautiful of islands, Isabella, where we lay three days. People upon this island seemed to us more civilized than the Salvador folk.

The cotton was woven, loin cloths were worn, they had greater variety of calabashes, the huts were larger, the villages more regular. They slept in "hamacs" which are stout and wide cotton nets slung between posts, two or three feet above earth. Light, s.p.a.ce-giving, easy of removal, these beds greatly took our fancy.

Here we sought determinedly for spice-giving trees and medicinal herbs and roots. It was not a spicery such as Europe depended upon, but still certain things seemed valuable! We gathered here and gathered there what might be taken to Spain. There grew an emulation to find. The Admiral offered prizes for such and such a commodity come upon.

We sailed from Isabella and after three days came to Cuba.

CHAPTER XVIII

CUBA! At first he called it Juana, but we came afterwards still to use the Indian name. Cuba! We saw it after three days, and it was little enough like Isabella, Fernandina, Concepcion, San Salvador and the islets the Admiral called Isles de Arena. It covered all our south, no level, s.h.i.+ning thing that masthead could see around, but a mighty coast line, mountainous, with headlands and bays and river mouths. Now after long years, I who outlive the Admiral, know it for an island, but how could he or I or any know that in November fourteen hundred and ninety-two? He never believed it an island.