Both were without any
capacity for their work, yet became more and more vain. I forgave them
many incivilities. They rebelled openly on Jamaica, at which I was as
much astonished as if the sun should go black."
Yet why, we ask, should Columbus have been so astonished? Had he ever
known much else from those under him but incivility and rebellion?
Ever since Mendez left in August the men had been looking in vain for
his return. Autumn and winter and spring wore away, and as the natives
had grown tired of feeding them, the shipwrecked crew were now mere
skeletons. Of course they blamed the pain-racked Admiral because Mendez
had not returned with succor; and of course they were constantly
quarreling among themselves. One day the captain who had commanded the
vessel that went to pieces near Darien came into the cabin where the
sick Admiral lay, and grumbled and quarreled and said he was going to
seize canoes from the Indians and make his way to Haiti. It was
Francisco Porras, one of the two brothers foisted on Columbus by their
relative, the king's treasurer, who wanted to get rid of them.
Porras and forty-one of the discontented voyagers actually started for
Haiti, but a short time on the rough sea sent them back ashore. They
next formed themselves into a raiding party and outraged the natives in
every possible way, falsely saying that they did so by order of the
Admiral.
Pages:
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201