But The Governor Would Not Permit The
Admiral To Come Into The Harbour; Neither Did He Delay The Sailing Of The
Fleet Which Was Bound For Spain.
That fleet consisted of 18 sail, and was
to carry Bovadilla who had imprisoned the admiral and his brothers,
And
Francis Roldan with all those who had been in rebellion and done so much
harm; all of whom it pleased God so to infatuate that they would not
listen to the admirals good advice. I am satisfied that the hand of God
was in this; for had they arrived in Spain they would never have been
punished as their crimes deserved, as they enjoyed the protection of the
bishop Fonseca. This impunity was prevented by their setting out from St
Domingo for Spain, as no sooner were they come to the east point of
Hispaniola than there arose a terrible storm; the admiral of the fleet
went to the bottom, and in her perished Bovadilla with most of the rebels,
and so great was the havock among the rest, that only three or four
vessels escaped of the whole eighteen.
This event happened on Thursday the 30th of June; when the admiral, who
had foreseen the storm and had been refused admittance into the port, drew
up as close to the land as he could to shelter himself from its effects.
The people on board his vessels were exceedingly dissatisfied at being
denied that shelter which would have been given to strangers, much more to
them who were of the same nation, and they feared they might be so served
if any misfortune should afterwards befal them in the prosecution of their
voyage. The admiral was greatly concerned on the same account, and was yet
more vexed to experience such base ingratitude in a country which he had
given to the honour and benefit of Spain, where he was thus refused
shelter for his life. Yet by his prudence and judgment he secured his
ships for that day. But next night the tempest increasing, and the night
being extremely dark, three of the ships broke from their anchors and
drifted from him. All were in imminent danger, and the people on board of
each concluded that all the others were certainly lost. Those in the Santo
suffered greatly by endeavouring to save their boat, which had been ashore
with their captain Terreros, and now dragged astern where it overset, and
they were obliged to cast it loose to save themselves. The caravel Bermuda
was in infinite danger; for running out to sea it was almost covered and
overwhelmed by the waves, by which it appeared what good reason the
admiral had to endeavour to exchange that vessel, which all men concluded
was saved, under God, by the wisdom and resolution of the admirals brother,
than whom there was not at that time a more expert sailor. After all had
suffered extremely, except the admiral who rode out the gale, it pleased
God that they all met again on Sunday the 3d of July in the port of Azna
on the south side of Hispaniola, where every one gave an account of his
misfortunes. It appeared that Bartholomew Columbus had weathered this
great storm by standing out to sea like an able sailor; while the admiral
had avoided all danger by hugging close to the land like a wise astronomer,
who knew whence the peril was to come.
His enemies might well blame him, by saying that he had raised this storm
by magic art to be revenged on Bovadilla and the rest of his enemies who
perished with him, since none of his own four ships were lost; whereas of
the eighteen which had set out at the same time with Bovadilla, the
Ajuga, or Needle, only held on its course for Spain, where it arrived in
safety though the worst of the whole fleet, the other three that escaped
having returned to St Domingo in a shattered and distressed condition. In
the Ajuga there were 4000 pesos of gold belonging to the admiral, each
peso being worth eight shillings.
The admiral gave his men a breathing time in the port of Azua, to recover
from the fatigues which they had encountered in the storm; and as it is
one of the usual diversions of seamen to fish when they have nothing else
to do, I shall make mention of two sorts of fish in particular which I
remember to have seen taken at that place, one of which was pleasant, and
the other wonderful. The first was a fish called Saavina, as big as half
an ordinary bull, which lay asleep on the surface of the water, and was
struck by a harpoon from the boat of the ship Biscaina; being held fast by
a rope so that it could not break loose, it drew the boat after it with
the swiftness of an arrow in various directions, so that those who were in
the ship, seeing the boat scud about at a strange rate without knowing the
cause, could not imagine how it could do so without the help of oars. At
length it sunk, and being drawn to the ships side was hoisted on deck by
the tackle. The other fish is called Manati by the Indians, and there is
nothing of the kind seen in Europe. It is about as large as an ordinary
calf, nothing differing from it in the colour and taste of the flesh,
except that it is perhaps better and fatter. Those who affirm that there
are all sorts of creatures to be found in the sea, will have it that these
fishes are real calves, since they have nothing within them resembling a
fish, and feed only on the grass which they find along the banks[4].
Having refreshed his men and repaired his ships, the admiral went from
Azua to the port of Brazil called Yaquimo by the Indians, to shun another
storm of which he observed the approach.
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