But The Thirty Crowns A-Year Were Afterwards
Granted To The Admiral, Who Had Seen The Light In The Midst Of Darkness, A
Type Of The Spiritual Light Which He Was The Happy Means Of Spreading In
These Dark Regions Of Error.
Being now so near land, all the ships lay to;
every one thinking it long till daylight, that they might enjoy the sight
they had so long and anxiously desired[3].
When day light appeared, the newly discovered land was perceived to
consist of a flat island fifteen leagues in length, without any hills, all
covered with trees, and having a great lake in the middle. The island was
inhabited by great abundance of people, who ran down to the shore filled
with wonder and admiration at the sight of the ships, which they conceived
to be some unknown animals. The Christians were not less curious to know
what kind of people they had fallen in with, and the curiosity on both
sides was soon satisfied, as the ships soon came to anchor. The admiral
went on shore with his boat well armed, and having the royal standard of
Castile and Leon displayed, accompanied by the commanders of the other two
vessels, each in his own boat, carrying the particular colours which had
been allotted for the enterprize, which were white with a green cross and
the letter F. on one side, and on the other the names of Ferdinand and
Isabella crowned.
The whole company kneeled on the shore and kissed the ground for joy,
returning God thanks for the great mercy they had experienced during their
long voyage through seas hitherto unpassed, and their now happy discovery
of an unknown land. The admiral then stood up, and took formal possession
in the usual words for their Catholic majesties of this inland, to which
he gave the name of St Salvador. All the Christians present admitted
Columbus to the authority and dignity of admiral and viceroy, pursuant to
the commission which he had received to that effect, and all made oath to
obey him as the legitimate representative of their Catholic majesties,
with such expressions of joy and acknowledgment as became their mighty
success; and they all implored his forgiveness of the many affronts he had
received from them through their fears and want of confidence. Numbers of
the Indians or natives of the island were present at these ceremonies; and
perceiving them to be peaceable, quiet, and simple people, the admiral
distributed several presents among them. To some he gave red caps, and to
others strings of glass beads, which they hung about their necks, and
various other things of small value, which they valued as if they had been
jewels of high price.
After the ceremonies, the admiral went off in his boat, and the Indians
followed him even to the ships, some by swimming and others in their
canoes, carrying parrots, clews of spun cotton yarn, javelins, and other
such trifling articles, to barter for glass beads, bells, and other things
of small value. Like people in the original simplicity of nature, they
were all naked, and even a woman who was among them was entirely destitute
of clothing. Most of them were young, seemingly not above thirty years of
age; of a good stature, with very thick black lank hair, mostly cut short
above their ears, though some had it down to their shoulders, tied up with
a string about their head like womens tresses. Their countenances were
mild and agreeable and their features good; but their foreheads were too
high, which gave them rather a wild appearance. They were of a middle
stature, plump, and well shaped, but of an olive complexion, like the
inhabitants of the Canaries, or sunburnt peasants. Some were painted with
black, others with white, and others again with red: In some the whole
body was painted, in others only the face, and some only the nose and eyes.
They had no weapons like those of Europe, neither had they any knowledge
of such; for when our people shewed them a naked sword, they ignorantly
grasped it by the edge. Neither had they any knowledge of iron; as their
javelins were merely constructed of wood, having their points hardened in
the fire, and armed with a piece of fish-bone. Some of them had scars of
wounds on different parts, and being asked by signs how these had been got,
they answered by signs that people from other islands came to take them
away, and that they had been wounded in their own defence. They seemed
ingenious and of a voluble tongue; as they readily repeated such words as
they once heard. There were no kind of animals among them excepting
parrots, which they carried to barter with the Christians among the
articles already mentioned, and in this trade they continued on board the
ships till night, when they all returned to the shore.
In the morning of the next day, being the 13th of October, many of the
natives returned on board the ships in their boats or canoes, which were
all of one piece hollowed like a tray from the trunk of a tree; some of
these were so large as to contain forty or forty-five men, while others
were so small as only to hold one person, with many intermediate sizes
between these extremes. These they worked along with paddles formed like a
bakers peel or the implement which is used in dressing hemp. These oars or
paddles were not fixed by pins to the sides of the canoes like ours; but
were dipped into the water and pulled backwards as if digging. Their
canoes are so light and artfully constructed, that if overset they soon
turn them right again by swimming; and they empty out the water by
throwing them from side to side like a weavers shuttle, and when half
emptied they lade out the rest with dried calabashes cut in two, which
they carry for that purpose.
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