Chapter L: Section IX

_The Strange Expedition of Juan Ponce de Leon to Discover the Fountain of Youth, in which he Discovered Florida and the Bahama Channel_.

We have already seen that Juan Ponce de Leon had been restored to the government of Porto Rico by the interest of his friend Obando, and had sent his predecessors, Cerron and Diaz, prisoners into Spain. This circumstance, which he thought a bold stroke in politics, turned much against himself; for these men presented a petition against him to the court of Spain, and being strongly supported by the interest of the admiral, they were sent back to resume their former employments. By this reverse, De Leon was reduced to a private condition; but he had made good use of his time, and had acquired a large fortune, which induced him to attempt recovering his power and credit by means of discoveries. He accordingly sailed from the port of St German on the 1st of March 1512, with two stout ships which he had fitted out at his own expence; and steering through among the Lucayos islands, he discovered land on the 2d April, in lat. 30° 8' N. till then unknown to the Spaniards. Elated by this good fortune, he ran along the coast in search of some good harbour, and anchored at night near the shore in eight fathoms water. Believing this land to be an island, and because it appeared beautiful, being all level, with many pleasant groves, he named it the island of _Florida_, also because discovered at Easter, which the Spaniards call _Pascha de Flores_. De Leon went on shore at this place to take formal possession of the country. He sailed thence on the 8th of April, and came to a place on the 20th, where some Indians were seen on the shore. He here anchored and went ashore, when the Indians endeavoured to get possession of the boat, with the oars and arms. This was not at first resented, till one of the natives knocked down a sailor with a blow on the head, on which the Spaniards were obliged to fight in their own defence, and had two men wounded by arrows or darts pointed with sharp bones. The Indians were repulsed with some difficulty, and received little damage; and at night De Leon got his men on board and sailed to the mouth of a river, where he took in wood and water. They were here ineffectually opposed by sixty natives, one of whom was made prisoner to give them some information of the country, and to learn Spanish. They called this river _Rio de la Cruz_, as they left in this place a stone cross with an inscription. On the 8th of May they doubled Cape Florida, which was named _Cabo de las Corrientes_, or the Cape of Currents, because they found the currents here stronger than the winds; and they came to an anchor near a town called _Abacoa_. All this coast, from Cape _Arracaifes_ to Cape _Corrientes,_ or Cape Florida, lies north and south, one point east, and is all quite free of shoals and rocks, with six fathoms water. They found Cape Florida to be in lat. 18° 15' N. Sailing on to the southward, till in lat. 27°, they met with two islands, one of which, about a league in circuit, they named Santa Monta[1].

On the 15th of May, they proceeded 10 leagues along a line of small islands, as far as two white ones, and called the whole group _los Martyres_, or the Martyrs, because the high rocks at a distance had the appearance of men upon crosses. This name has been since considered as prophetic, on account of the great numbers of seamen who have been lost on these rocks. They held on their course, sometimes north, and sometimes north-east, and on the 24th were as far to the southwards as some small islands lying out to sea, yet never perceived that they were going along the continent. Finding a convenient place for wood and water, they remained here to the 3d of June, careening one of their ships called the St Christopher. Here the Indians came out in canoes to see the Christians, as the Spaniards declined going on shore, though often invited by signs. One day, being about to weigh an anchor, only to remove it to fresh ground, the Indians supposing the Christians were going away, came off in their canoes and laid hold of the cable, meaning to draw the ship away; on which some men were sent in the long-boat to drive them away, and following the Indians to the shore, took four women, and destroyed two old canoes. At times while here, they bartered with the Indians for some skins, and a small quantity of indifferent gold. On the 4th of June, while waiting for a wind to go in search of a cacique named Carlos, who was said to have gold, by some Indians on board, a canoe came off having an Indian on board who understood Spanish, and was supposed to be a native of Hispaniola, or some of the islands inhabited by Christians. This man desired them to wait, as the cacique would send gold to barter. They accordingly waited, and soon saw twenty canoes coming towards them, some of which were made fast two and two together. A part of these went to the anchors, and others to the ships, and began to fight. As those at the anchors were unable to weigh them, they attempted to cut the cables; but a long-boat was sent out against them, which obliged them to fly, taking four men and killing several others. De Leon sent two of his prisoners to the cacique, saying that although he had killed a Spaniard, he was willing to treat of peace and friendship. Next day the boats went to sound the harbour, and some of the men landed. Some Indians brought a message from the cacique, saying that he would come next day on purpose to trade: But this was merely a feint to gain time, that they might collect their power; as at eleven o'clock, eighty canoes full of armed men attacked the nearest ship, and fought till night without doing the Spaniards any harm, all their arrows falling short, as they durst not come near, for fear of the cross-bows and artillery. At night the Indians retired. Having remained here nine days, they began to think of returning to Hispaniola and Porto Rico, and discovered some islands by the way, of which they received intelligence from the Indian prisoners they had on board. They sailed among islands till the 21st, when they arrived at some small islands which they called _las Tortugas_, or the Tortoises, as they took 170 of these creatures in a very short time in one of these islands, and might have had many more if they would. On the 28th, seeing land, they came to an anchor to overhaul their sails and tackle, but could not tell whereabout they were. Most of them thought it was the island of Cuba, because they found canoes and dogs, with some knives and other tools of iron. On the 25th of July they were among a parcel of low islands, still ignorant of their situation, till De Leon sent to examine an island which he believed to be Bahama, in which he was confirmed by an old woman who was found alone in another island. They were likewise confirmed in this circumstance by James Miruelo, a pilot, who happened to be there with a boat from Hispaniola. Having ranged backwards and forewards to the 23d of September, and refitted their ships, Juan Ponce de Leon sent one of his ships, commanded by Juan Perez de Ortubia, with Antonio de Alaminos as pilot, with orders to examine the island of Bimini, in which the Indians reported there was a spring which made old people young again. Twenty days afterwards, Juan Ponce returned to Porto Rico, and not long afterwards the ship returned there which he had sent to Bimini, but without discovering the famous spring. Ortubia reported that the island was large, and pleasantly diversified with hills, plains, and meadows, having many rivers and delightful groves[2].

Besides his main design of making discoveries, which all Spaniards then aspired to, Ponce was eager to find out the spring of Bimini, and a certain river in Florida, both of which were affirmed by the Indians of Cuba to have the property of turning old people young by bathing in their waters. Some time before the arrival of the Spaniards, many Indians were so thoroughly convinced of the reality of such a river, that they went over to Florida, where they built a town, and their descendants still continue there. This report prevailed so universally among the caciques in these parts, that there was not a brook in all Florida, nay scarcely a lake or puddle, that they had not bathed in; and some still ignorantly persist in believing that this virtue resides in the river now called _Jordan_, at Cape _Santa Helena_, forgetting that the Spaniards first gave it this name in 1520, when they discovered the country of _Chicora_.

Though this voyage of Ponce de Leon turned out to no account to him, it gave him encouragement to go to court to seek a reward for the countries he had discovered, which he believed to be all islands, and not the continent, as it afterwards turned out. Yet his voyage was beneficial, on account of the route soon afterwards found out, by which the ships returned to Spain through the Bahama channel, which was first accomplished by the pilot Antonio de Alaminos, formerly mentioned. For the better understanding this voyage of Juan Ponce, it must be understood that there are three different groups in the archipelago of the Lucayos. The first is composed of the _Bahama_ islands, giving name to the channel where the currents are most impetuous. The second is called _los Organos_; and the third _los Martyres_, which are next the shore of _los Tortugas_ to the westwards; which last being all sand, cannot be seen at any distance, wherefore many ships have perished on them, and all along the coasts of the Bahama channel and the Tortugas islands. Havanna in the island of Cuba is to the southwards, and Florida to the northward, and between these are all the before mentioned islands, of Organos, Bahamas, Martyres, and Tortugas. Between Havanna and los Martyres, there is a channel with a violent current, twenty leagues over at the narrowest; and it is fourteen leagues from los Martyres to Florida. Between certain islands to the eastwards, and the widest part of this passage to the westwards, is forty leagues, with many shoals and deep channels; but there is no way in this direction for ships or brigantines, only for canoes. The passage from the Havanna, for Spain is along the Bahama channel, between the Havanna the Martyres, the Lucayos, and Cape Canaveral; and the giving occasion to this discovery was the great merit of Ponce de Leon, for which he was well rewarded in Spain.

[1] The account of this voyage is often contradictory, and almost always
unintelligible. In this instance, De Leon is made, with a southern
course, to increase his latitude almost nine degrees to the north.--E.

[2] This account of the island of Bimini is perfectly ridiculous, as its
whole extent does not exceed twenty miles in length, and not exceeding
one mile broad; it is one of the smallest of the Bahama or Lucayo
islands, and the largest of them cannot possibly contain any stream of
water beyond the size of a brook.--E.