Chapter III: Part 3

" ... We are not aware that these people have any laws.
Neither are they like Moors or Jews, but worse than Gentiles
or Pagans, because we have never seen them offer any
sacrifice, and they have no houses of prayer. From their
voluptuous manner of life, I consider them as Epicureans.
Their dwellings are in communities and their houses are in
the form of huts, but strongly built of large tree-trunks
and covered with palm leaves, secure from winds and storms.
In some places they are of such great length that in a
single house we saw six hundred people, and we found that
the population of thirteen houses only amounted to four
thousand. They change their location every seven or eight
years, and on being asked why they did so they said it was
on account of the intense heat of the sun upon the soil,
which by that time became infected and corrupted, and caused
pains in their bodies, which seemed to us reasonable.

"The riches of these people consist in birds' feathers of
beautiful colors, of beads, which they fabricate from
fish-bones or colored stones, with which they decorate their
cheeks, lips, and ears, and of many other things which are
held in little or no esteem by us. They carry on no
commerce, neither buying nor selling, and, in short, live
contentedly with what nature gives them. The riches which we
esteem so highly in Europe and other parts--such as gold,
jewels, pearls, and other wealth--they have no regard for at
all. They are liberal in giving, never denying one anything,
and, on the other hand, are just as free in asking....

"In case of death they make use of various funeral
obsequies. Some bury their dead with water and provisions
placed at their heads, thinking they may have occasion to
eat and drink, but they make no parade in the way of funeral
ceremonies. In some places they have a most barbarous mode
of interment, which is thus: When one is sick or infirm, and
nearly at the point of death, his relatives carry him into a
large forest, and there attaching one of their
sleeping-hammocks to two trees, they place the sick person
in it, and continue to swing him about for a whole day, and
when night comes, after placing at his head water and
provisions sufficient to sustain him for five or six days,
they return to their village. If the sick person can help
himself to eat and drink, and recovers sufficiently to be
able to return to the village, his people receive him again
with great ceremony; but few are they who escape this mode
of treatment, as most of them die without being visited, and
that is their only burial.

"They use in their diseases various kinds of medicines, so
different from any in vogue with us that we are astonished
that any escaped. I often saw, for instance, that when a
person was sick with a fever, which was increasing upon him,
they bathed him from head to foot with cold water, and
making a great fire around him, they made him turn round in
a circle for about an hour or two, until they fatigued him
and left him to sleep. Many were cured in this way. They
also observe a strict diet, eating nothing for three or four
days. They practise blood-letting; not on the arm, unless in
the arm-pit, but generally taking it from the thighs and
haunches. Their blood or phlegm is much disordered on
account of their food, which consists mainly of the roots of
herbs, of fruit, and fish. They have no wheat or other
grain, but instead make use of the root of a tree [shrub]
from which they manufacture flour, which is very good and
called _huca_ [yucca]; the flour from another root is called
_kazabi_, and from another _igname_.

"They eat little meat except human flesh, and you will
notice that in this particular they are more savage than
beasts, because all their enemies who are killed or taken
prisoners, whether male or female, are devoured with so much
fierceness that it seems disgusting to relate, much more to
see it done, as I, with my own eyes, have many times
witnessed this proof of their inhumanity. Indeed, they
marvelled much to hear us say that we did not eat our
enemies.

"And your Excellency may rest assured that their other
barbarous customs are so numerous that it is impossible
herein to describe them all. As in these voyages I have
witnessed so many things at variance with our own customs, I
prepared myself to write a collection, which I call _The
Four Voyages_, in which I have related the major part of the
things I saw as clearly as my feeble capacity would permit.
This work is not yet published, though many advise me to
publish it. In it everything will appear minutely, therefore
I shall not enlarge any more in this letter, because in the
course of it we shall see many things which are peculiar.
Let this suffice for matters in general.

"In this commencement of discoveries we did not see anything
of much profit in the country, owing as I think to our
ignorance of the language, except some few indications of
gold. We concluded to leave this place and go onward, and
coasted along the shore, making many stops, and holding
discourses with many people, until after some days we came
into a harbor, where we fell into a very great danger, from
which it pleased the Holy Spirit to deliver us. It happened
in this manner: We landed in a port where we found a village
built over the water, like Venice. There were about
forty-four houses, shaped like bells, built upon very large
piles, having entrances by means of draw-bridges, so that by
laying the bridges from house to house the inhabitants could
pass through the whole.

"When the people saw us they appeared to be afraid of us,
and, to protect themselves, suddenly raised all their
bridges and shut themselves up in their houses. While we
were looking at them and wondering at this proceeding, we
saw, coming in from the sea, about two and twenty canoes,
which are the boats they make use of, and are carved out of
a single tree. They came directly towards our boats,
appearing to be astonished at our figures and dress, and
keeping at a little distance from us. This being the case,
we made signals of friendship to induce them to approach,
endeavoring to reassure them by every token of kindness; but
seeing that they did not come we went towards them. They
would not wait for us, however, but fled to the land, making
signs to us to wait, and giving us to understand that they
would return. They fled to a mountain, but did not tarry
long there, and when they returned brought with them sixteen
of their young maidens, and entering into their canoes came
near and put four of them into each boat, at which we were
very much astonished, as your Excellency may well imagine.
Then they mingled with their canoes among our boats, and we
considered their coming to us in this manner to be a token
of friendship. Taking this for granted, we saw a great crowd
of people swimming towards us from the houses without any
suspicion. At this juncture some old women showed themselves
at the doorways of the huts, wailing and tearing their hair,
as if in great distress. From this we began to be
suspicious, and had recourse to our weapons, when suddenly
the young girls, who were in our boats, threw themselves
into the sea, and the canoes at the same time moved away,
the people in them assailing us with their bows and arrows.

"Those who came swimming towards us brought each a lance,
concealed as much as possible under the water, and their
treachery being thus discovered, we began not only to defend
ourselves, but to act severely on the defensive. We
overturned many of the canoes with our boats, and making
considerable slaughter among them they soon abandoned the
canoes altogether and swam for the shore. Fifteen or twenty
were killed, and many wounded, on their side, while on ours
five were slightly wounded, all the rest escaping by divine
Providence, and these five being quickly cured. We took
prisoners two of their girls and three men, and on entering
their huts found one sick man and two old women. Returning
to our boats and thence to the ships, with the five
prisoners, we put irons upon the feet of each, excepting the
two young females; yet when night came the two girls and one
of the men escaped, in the most artful manner in the world.

"The next day we concluded to depart from this port, and at
length came to anchor at about eighty leagues distance, and
found another tribe of people whose customs and language
were very different from those we had last seen. We
determined to land, seeing there a great multitude numbering
about four thousand. They did not wait to receive us, but
fled precipitately to the woods, abandoning all their
things. We leaped ashore, and taking the path which led to
the wood, found their tents within the space of a bow-shot,
where they had made a great fire and two of them were
cooking their food, roasting many animals of various kinds.

"We noticed that they were roasting a certain animal that
looked like a serpent; it had no wings, and was so
disgusting in appearance that we were astonished at its
deformity. As we went through their huts or tents, we found
many of these serpents alive. Their feet were tied, and they
had a cord about their snouts so that they could not open
their mouths, as dogs are sometimes muzzled so they may not
bite. These animals had such a savage appearance that none
of us durst turn one over, thinking they might be
poisonous.[10] They are about the size of a kid, about the
length and a half of a man's arm, and have long, coarse feet
armed with large nails. Their skin is hard, and they are of
various colors. They have the snout and face of a serpent,
and from the nose there runs a crest, passing over the
middle of the back to the root of the tail. We finally
concluded that they were serpents, and poisonous; yet,
nevertheless, they were eaten by the natives.

" ... Finally these people became very friendly, told us
that this was not their place of dwelling, but that they had
come there only to carry on their fishery. They importuned
us so much to go to their village that, having taken
counsel, twenty-three of us Christians concluded to go with
them, well prepared, and with firm resolution to die
manfully if such was to be our fate. Three leagues from the
coast we arrived at a well-peopled village, where we were
received with so many and such barbarous ceremonies that no
pen is equal to the task of describing them. There was
dancing and singing, weeping mingled with rejoicing, and
great feasting. After having passed the night and half of
the next day, an immense number of people visiting us from
motives of curiosity, we determined to proceed still farther
inland, having been desired to visit other villages. And it
is impossible to tell how much honor they did us there. We
visited so many villages that we spent nine days in the
journey. On our return we were accompanied by a wonderful
number of both sexes, quite to the sea-shore; and when any
of us grew weary with walking, they carried us in their
hammocks, much at our ease. Many of them were laden with the
presents they made us, consisting of very rich plumage, many
bows and arrows, and an infinite variety of parrots,
beautiful and varied in colors. Others carried loads of
provisions and animals. For a greater wonder, I will tell
your Excellency that when we had to cross a river they
carried us on their backs.

"Having arrived at the sea and entered the boats, which had
come ashore for us, we are astonished at the crowd which
endeavored to get into the boats to go to see our ships, for
they were so overloaded that they were ofttimes on the point
of sinking. We carried as many as we could on board, and so
many more came by swimming that we were quite troubled at
the multitude, although they were all naked and unarmed.
They marvelled greatly at the size of our ships, our
equipments, and implements. Here quite a laughable
occurrence took place, at their expense. We concluded to try
the effect of discharging some of our artillery, and when
they heard the thunderous report the greater part of them
jumped into the sea from fright, acting like frogs sitting
on a bank, who plunge into the water on the approach of
anything that alarms them. Those who remained on the ship
were so timorous that we repented of having done this.
However, we reassured them by telling them that these were
our arms, with which we killed our enemies. After they had
amused themselves on the ship all day, we told them that
they must go, as we wished to depart in the night; so they
took leave of us with many demonstrations of friendship,
even affection, and went ashore.

"I saw more of the manners and customs of these people while
in their country than I care to dwell on here. Your
Excellency will notice that in each of my voyages I have
noted the most extraordinary things which have occurred, and
have compiled the whole into one volume, in the style of a
geography, and entitled it _The Four Voyages_. In this work
will be found a minute description of the things which I
saw; but, as there is no copy of it yet published, owing to
my being obliged to examine it carefully and make
corrections, it becomes necessary for me to impart them to
you herein.

"This country is full of inhabitants and contains a great
many rivers. Very few of the animals are similar to ours,
excepting the lions, panthers, stags, hogs, goats, and deer,
and even these are a little different in form. They have
neither horses, mules, nor asses; neither cows, dogs, nor
any kind of domestic animals. Their other animals, however,
are so very numerous that it is impossible to count them,
and all of them so wild that they cannot be employed for
serviceable uses. But what shall I say of the birds, which
are so numerous and of so many species and varieties of
plumage that it is astounding to behold them? The country is
pleasant and fruitful, full of woods and forests which are
always green, as they never lose their foliage. The fruits
are numberless and totally different from ours. The land
lies within the torrid zone, under the parallel which
describes the Tropic of Cancer, where the pole is elevated
twenty-three degrees above the horizon.

"A great many people came to see us and were astonished at
our features and the whiteness of our skins. They asked us
where we came from, and we gave them to understand that we
came from heaven, with the view of visiting the world, and
they believed us. In this country we established a baptismal
font, and great numbers were baptized. They called us, in
their language, _Carabi_, which means men of great wisdom.
The natives call this province _Lariab_. We left the port
and sailed along the coast, in sight of land, until we had
run, calculating our advances and retrogressions, eight
hundred and seventy leagues towards the northwest, making
many stops by the way and having intercourse with many
people. In some places we found traces of gold, but in small
quantities, it being sufficient for us to have discovered
the country and to know that there was gold in it.

"We had now been thirteen months on the voyage, and the
ships and rigging were much worn, the men very weary. So by
common consent we agreed to careen our ships on the beach in
order to calk and pitch them anew, as they leaked badly, and
then to return to Spain. When we took this resolution we
were near one of the best harbors in the world, entering
which we found a vast number of people, who received us most
kindly. We made a breastwork on shore with our boats and
casks, and placed our artillery so it would play over them;
then, having unloaded and lightened our ships, we hauled
them to land and repaired them wherever they needed it. The
natives were of great assistance to us, continually
providing food, so that in this port we consumed very little
of our own. This served us a very good turn, for our
provisions were poor and the stock so much reduced at this
time that we feared it would hardly last us on our return to
Spain.

"Having stayed here thirty-seven days, visiting their
villages many times, where they paid us the highest honors,
we wished to depart on our voyage. Before we set sail the
natives complained to us that at certain times in the year
there came from the sea into their territory a very cruel
tribe, who, either by treachery or force, killed many of
them and captured others, whom they ate, for they were
man-eaters. They signified to us that this tribe were
islanders, and lived at about one hundred leagues distance
at sea. They narrated this to us with so much simplicity and
feeling that we credited their story and promised to avenge
their great injuries; whereat they were rejoiced, and many
offered to go with us. We did not wish to take them for
many reasons, and only carried seven, on the condition that
they should come back in their own canoes, for we could not
enter into obligations to return them to their own country.
With this they were content, and then we parted from these
gentle people, leaving them very well disposed towards us.

"Our ships having been repaired, we set sail on our return,
taking a northeasterly course, and at the end of seven days
fell in with some islands. There were a great many of them,
some peopled, others uninhabited. We landed at one of them,
where we saw many people, who called the island _Iti_.
Having filled our boats with good men, and put three rounds
of shot in each boat, we proceeded towards the land, where
we saw about four hundred men and many women, all naked,
like those we had seen before. They were of good stature and
appeared to be very warlike men, being armed with bows and
arrows and lances. The greater part of them carried staves
of a square form, attached to their persons in such a manner
that they were not prevented from drawing the bow. As we
approached within bow-shot of the shore, they all leaped
into the water and shot their arrows at us to prevent our
landing. They were painted with various colors and plumed
with feathers, and the interpreters with us said that when
they were thus painted and plumed they showed a wish to
fight. They persisted so much in their endeavors to deter us
from landing that we were at last compelled to fire on them
with our artillery. Hearing the thunder of our cannon and
seeing some of their people fall dead, they all retreated to
the shore. Having consulted together, forty of us resolved
to leap ashore and, if they waited for us, to fight them.
Proceeding thus, they attacked us and we fought about two
hours, with little advantage, except that our bow-men and
gunners killed some of their people and they wounded some of
ours. This was because we could not get a chance to use
lance or sword. We finally, by desperate exertion, were
enabled to flash our swords, and as soon as they had a taste
of our weapons they fled to the woods and mountains, leaving
us masters of the field, with many of their people killed or
wounded. This day we did not pursue them, because we were
much fatigued, but returned to our ships, the seven men who
had come with us being highly rejoiced.

"The next day we saw a great number of people coming through
the country, still offering us signs of battle, sounding
horns and shells, and all painted and plumed, which gave
them a strange and ferocious appearance.[11] Whereupon all
in the ships held a grand council, and it was determined
that, since these people were determined to be at enmity
with us, we should go to meet them and do everything to
engage their friendship; but in case they would not receive
it, resolved to treat them as enemies and to make slaves of
all we could capture. Having armed ourselves in the best
manner possible, we immediately rowed ashore, where they did
not resist our landing, from fear, as I think, of our
bombardment. We disembarked in four squares, being
fifty-seven men, each captain with his own men, and then
engaged them in battle. After a protracted fight, having
killed many, we put them to flight and pursued them to their
village, taking about two hundred and fifty prisoners. We
then burned the village and returned victorious to the ships
with our prisoners, leaving many killed and wounded on their
side, while on ours only one died and not more than
twenty-two were wounded. The rest all escaped unhurt, for
which God be thanked!

"We soon arranged for our departure, and the seven men, of
whom five were wounded, took a canoe from the island and,
with three male and four female prisoners that we gave them,
returned to their own country, very merry and greatly
astonished at our power. We also set sail for Spain, with
two hundred and twenty-three prisoners, and arrived at the
port of Cadiz on October 15, 1498, where we were well
received and found a market for our slaves. This is what
happened to me on this, my first voyage, that may be
considered worth relating."

FOOTNOTES:

[10] These "serpents" were iguanas, and were seen and described by Christopher and Bartholomew Columbus, long before Vespucci made his voyages.

[11] The fierce islanders, so accurately described by Vespucci, were doubtless the Caribs, and the numerous islands were probably Grenada and the Grenadines, perhaps including St. Vincent, in the north, where descendants of those Caribs live to-day.

VII

VESPUCCI'S "SECOND" VOYAGE

1499-1500

That letter from Vespucci to the friend of his youth, Soderini, purporting to narrate the events of his first voyage, has proved a prolific source of doubt and perplexity. Although it was written before Columbus died, and although it was published while most of the actors therein mentioned were yet living, its authenticity was unchallenged until nearly a century after its appearance. Herrera, it is believed, was the first to accuse Vespucci of "artfully and wilfully falsifying in his narrative, with a view to stealing from Columbus the honor of being the discoverer of America." This charge was made public in his work on the West Indies, published in 1601, and ever since Vespucci has been stigmatized as an impostor.

There is no official record of the voyage he claimed to have made in 1497-1498, and historians are silent as to his actions, in fact, during the period between 1496 and 1504. This signifies little, according to the historian Gomara, who says: "Learning that the territories which Columbus had discovered were very extensive, many persons proceeded to continue the exploration of them. Some went at their own expense, others at that of the king, all thinking to enrich themselves, to acquire honor, and to gain the royal approbation. But, as most of these persons did nothing but discover, memorials of them all have not come to my knowledge, especially of those who went in the direction of Paria, from the year 1495 to the year 1500."

Some writers have sought to "establish an alibi" by showing that Vespucci was in Spain throughout the period which, he says, was passed by him at sea, on this "first" voyage; but they have not been successful in doing so. Some, again, have declared that the narrative of the "four" voyages, beginning in May, 1497, was made up of that on which Vespucci certainly sailed with Ojeda, in May, 1499. "The points of resemblance"--as the reader may see for himself--"are so many and so striking as to seem not only conclusive, but to preclude any other theory," says Alexander Humboldt, who, in his _Examen Critique_, made an exhaustive research into the Vespucci letters. Humboldt completely vindicated the character of Vespucci, leaving no shade of doubt upon his integrity, but he did not unravel the mystery.

How happens it that Vespucci could make a voyage of which no record exists or was ever known to exist? Why did he not mention the names of the fleet's commander? Why do his descriptions of scenery and people so closely resemble those of scenery and people seen on the second voyage? He alludes several times to his forthcoming book, _The Four Voyages_ (_Quattro Giornate_); but no trace has ever been found of that book, while the fragmentary letters to his "patrons," Soderini and Francesco de Medici, have survived to the present day.

Men of the keenest acumen and perfectly equipped for historical research, such as Humboldt, Irving, and Navarrete, have devoted themselves to the solution of this problem, but without complete success. The first and the last named have cleared his name from the aspersions of centuries; the second and third, in their endeavors to magnify Columbus by belittling Vespucci, have not convinced posterity that the Florentine was a liar and a villain. He was neither one nor the other; and that he was far more humane than his friend Columbus has been amply shown in his treatment of the Indians. He and his companions made a few slaves; they attacked the cannibals in behalf of rival natives; but they did not, in their lust for gold, put Indians to the torture, enslave whole tribes and communities, and commit massacres.

Vespucci's character is comparatively free from the stain of blood-guiltiness; from his dealings with men at all times, we infer him upright and honorable; yet he rests under a cloud of suspicion, because that so-called first voyage, which he says he took in 1497-1498, cannot be explained. Suspicion also attaches to his name because it was chosen as an appellation for the New World, which Columbus was the means of revealing to Europe; but for this (as will be shown in a succeeding chapter) he was not accountable.

Professor Fiske, following Vespucci's ardent defender, the Viscount Varnhagen, deduces from the vague generalizations in this letter that the voyage was made chiefly along the Honduras, Yucatan, Mexican, and Florida coasts, as far north, perhaps, as Chesapeake Bay. The cannibals attacked by the Spaniards were found, he says, in the Bermudas--where no Indians were ever seen, so far as known, and no cannibals inhabit, save, perhaps, the great Shakespeare's "Caliban." He accounts for the lost voyage by declaring that it may have been taken with Pinzon and Solis, who were said to have been on the coast of Honduras in 1506. There is no certainty as to that date, and the voyage may as well have been made in 1497-1498, as indirectly shown by a passage in Oviedo's history, as follows: "Some persons have attributed the discovery of the bay of Honduras to Don Christopher Columbus, the first admiral; but this is not true, for it was discovered by the pilots Vicente Yañez Pinzon, Juan Diaz de Solis, and Pedro de Ledesma, with three caravels; and that was before Vicente Yañez had discovered the river Amazon."

The Amazon and a portion of the Brazil coast were discovered by Pinzon in January, 1500; and as the historian has proved to his own satisfaction that the gallant Vicente Yañez was in Spain during the years 1505 and 1506, it is probable that Oviedo is right. It is also probable, or at least possible, that Vespucci was with Pinzon on that Honduras voyage as consulting navigator, having been sent by the king, as he says, to "assist," in his capacity of astronomer and cosmographer. In this capacity, in fact, he went on all his voyages, for he rarely, if ever, held command. Captains, commanders, chief mates, and admirals there might be in plenty, but such a pilot and navigator as Vespucci was hard to find.

It is not unreasonable to presume that they were together, for the one was a skilful sailor, the other a great navigator, and both renowned for their hardihood and daring. King Ferdinand had no more loyal servants than these two, and as they had served him faithfully in their respective professions, the one on land, the other at sea, and inasmuch as both were intimately acquainted with Columbus and his plans, it was like the crafty old king to send them off to scour the seas his exacting "Admiral" claimed to control. Thereafter--whether Pinzon and Vespucci sailed together or not--their voyages alternated along the coast of South America, first one and then the other, and in 1505-1506 an expedition was actually projected, in which the king intended both should share. It did not sail, because the Portuguese objected, as its object was the exploration of the Brazilian coast south of the Tropic of Capricorn, to all which the great rivals of the Spaniards then made claim.

A seeming confirmation of this voyage is found in the map Juan de la Cosa made, in the year 1500, after he had been in company with Ojeda and Vespucci to the coast of pearls. He was with Columbus, in 1494, when the Admiral forced all his men to swear that Cuba was, to the best of their belief, part of the Asian continent. Yet, within six years, La Cosa depicts it on his map as an island--and that was before Ocampo had proved it one, by sailing around it, in 1508. It is thought that La Cosa obtained his information as to the insular character of Cuba from Vespucci, when they voyaged together on the coast of Terra Firma, which we now know as the northern shores of South America.

Admitting, still, the critics say, that Vespucci made the voyage he claimed, with Pinzon or with some one else, in 1497-1498, how does that affect the claim of Columbus? It does not affect it at all, for, though Vespucci may have discovered the continent a few months previous to his rival--and he never put forth the claim that he did so--Columbus, by his voyages of 1492 and 1493, led the way thither. If Vespucci, as some have asserted, claimed to have sailed in 1497, in order to establish a priority of discovery, he did it in a very bungling manner, and at a time when it might easily have been refuted, so many of his companions were then living. Besides, though his name was bestowed upon the newly discovered continent--perhaps as a consequence of the writing of this very letter--it was done without his knowledge and without the remotest suggestion of such a thing from him. This should be made clear: that Amerigo Vespucci had no thought of depriving his friend, Christopher Columbus, of a single leaf of his laurels, hard-won and well-deserved as he knew them to be.

There is no doubt whatever that Vespucci made a voyage in 1499-1500, along with Alonzo de Ojeda and the great pilot Juan de la Cosa, but whether this may be styled his first or his second must be left to the intelligence of the reader, for the historians are at odds themselves, and it might seem presumptuous in the biographer to assume to decide. This voyage was narrated by him in the following letter, written within a month of his return, to Lorenzo di Pier Francesco de Medici, of Florence. It is dated, "Seville, July 18, 1500," and has been called by one of his countrymen "the oldest known writing of Amerigo relating to his voyages to the New World." Mr. John Fiske, in _The Discovery of America_, denounces this letter as a forgery; but why, and for what reason it should have been written by another, he does not state.

"MOST EXCELLENT AND DEAR LORD,--It is a long time since I
have written to your Excellency, and for no other reason
than that nothing has occurred to me worthy of being
commemorated. This present letter will inform you that about
a month ago I arrived from the Indies, by way of the great
ocean, brought by the grace of God safely to this city of
Seville. I think your Excellency will be gratified to learn
the results of my voyage, and the most surprising things
which have been presented to my observation. If I am
somewhat tedious, let my letter be read in your more idle
hours, as fruit is eaten after the cloth is removed from the
table.

"You will please to note that, commissioned by his highness
the King of Spain, I set out with two small ships, the 18th
of May, 1499, on a voyage of discovery to the southwest, by
way of the Fortunate Isles, which are now called the
Canaries. After having provided ourselves there with all
things necessary, first offering our prayers to God, we set
sail from an island which is called Gomera, and, turning our
prows southwardly, sailed twenty-four days with a fresh
wind, without seeing any land. At the end of that time we
came within sight of land, and found that we had sailed
about thirteen hundred leagues, and were at that distance
from the city of Cadiz, in a southwesterly direction. When
we saw the land we gave thanks to God, and then launched our
boats and, with sixteen men, went to the shore, which we
found thickly covered with trees, astonishing both on
account of their size and their verdure, for they never lose
their foliage. The sweet odors which they exhaled (for they
were all aromatic) highly delighted us, and we were rejoiced
in regaling our senses.

"We rowed along the shore in the boats to see if we could
find any suitable place for landing; but, after toiling from
morning till night, we found no way of passage, the land
being low and densely covered with trees. We concluded,
therefore, to return to the ships and make an attempt to
land at some other spot.

"One very remarkable circumstance we observed in these seas,
which was that, at fifteen leagues distance from the land,
we found the water fresh, like that of a river, and we
filled all our empty casks with it. Sailing in a southerly
direction, still along the coast, we saw two larger rivers
issuing from the land; and I think that these two rivers, by
reason of their magnitude, caused the freshness of the water
in the sea adjoining. Seeing that the coast was invariably
low, we determined to enter one of these rivers with the
boats, and did so, after furnishing them with provisions for
four days, and twenty men well armed. We entered the river
and rowed up it nearly two days, making a distance of about
eighteen leagues; but we found the low land still continuing
and so thickly covered with trees that a bird could scarcely
fly through them.

"We saw signs that the inland parts of the country were
inhabited; nevertheless, as our vessels were anchored in a
dangerous place, in case an adverse wind should arise, at
the end of two days we concluded to return. Here we saw an
immense number of birds, including parrots in great variety,
some crimson in color, others green and lemon, others
entirely green, and others again that were black and
flesh-colored [these last were probably toucans]. And oh!
the songs of other species of birds, so sweet and so
melodious, as we heard them among the trees, that we often
lingered, listening to their charming music. The trees, too,
were so beautiful and smelled so sweetly that we almost
imagined ourselves in a terrestrial paradise; yet none of
those trees, or the fruit of them, were similar to anything
in our part of the world.

"On our way back we saw many people of various descriptions
fishing in the river. Having arrived at our ships, we raised
anchor and set sail in a southerly direction, standing off
to sea about forty leagues. While sailing on this course, we
encountered a current running from southeast to northwest,
so strong and furious that we were put into great fear and
were exposed to imminent peril. This current was so strong
that the Strait of Gibraltar and that of the Faro of Messina
appeared to us like mere stagnant water in comparison with
it. We could scarcely make headway against it, though we had
the wind fresh and fair; so, seeing that we made no
progress, or but very little, we determined to turn our
prows to the northwest.[12]

"As, if I remember aright, your Excellency understands
something of cosmography, I intend to describe to you our
progress in our navigation by the latitude and longitude. We
sailed so far to the south that we entered the torrid zone
and penetrated the circle of Cancer.... Having passed the
equinoctial line and sailed six degrees to the south of it,
we lost sight of the north star altogether, and even the
stars of Ursa Major--or, to speak better, the guardians
which revolve about the firmament--were scarcely seen. Very
desirous of being the author who should designate the other
polar star of the firmament, I lost, many a time, my night's
sleep, while contemplating the movement of the stars about
the southern pole. I desired to ascertain which had the
least motion, and which might be nearest to the firmament;
but I was not able to accomplish it with such poor
instruments as I used, which were the quadrant and
astrolabe. I could not distinguish a star which had less
than ten degrees of motion; so that I was not satisfied,
within myself, to name any particular one for the pole of
the meridian, on account of the large revolution which they
all made around the firmament.

"While I was arriving at this conclusion, I recollected a
verse of our poet Dante, which may be found in the first
chapter of his "Purgatory," where he imagines he is leaving
this hemisphere to repair to the other and attempting to
describe the antarctic pole, and says:

"'To the right hand I turned, and fixed my mind
On the other pole attentive, where I saw
Four stars ne'er seen before, save by the ken
Of our first parents. Heaven of their rays
Seemed joyous. O! thou northern site, bereft
Indeed, and widowed, since of these deprived!'

"It seems to me that the poet wished to describe in these
verses, by the four stars, the pole of the other firmament,
and I have little doubt, even now, that what he says may be
true. I observed four stars in the figure of an almond which
had but little motion; and if God gives me life and health I
hope to go again into that hemisphere and not to return
without observing the pole. In conclusion I would remark
that we extended our navigation so far south that our
difference in latitude from the city of Cadiz was sixty
degrees and a half, because, at that city, the pole is
elevated thirty-five degrees and a half, and we had passed
six degrees beyond the equinoctial line. Let this suffice as
to our latitude. You must observe that this our navigation
was in the months of July, August, and September, when, as
you know, the sun is longest above the horizon in our
hemisphere and describes the greatest arch in the day and
the least in the night. On the contrary, while we were at
the equinoctial line, or near it, the difference between the
day and night was not perceptible. They were of equal
length, or very nearly so....

"It appears to me, most excellent Lorenzo, that by this
voyage most of the philosophers are controverted who say
that the torrid zone cannot be inhabited on account of the
great heat. I have found the case to be quite the contrary.
The air is fresher and more temperate in that region than
beyond it, and the inhabitants are more numerous here than
they are in the other zones, for reasons which will be given
below. Thus, it is certain, that practice is more valuable
than theory.

"Thus far I have related the navigation I accomplished in
the South and West. It now remains for me to inform you of
the appearance of the country we discovered, the nature of
the inhabitants and their customs, the animals we saw, and
of many other things worthy of remembrance which fell under
my observation. After we turned our course to the north, the
first land we found inhabited was an island at ten degrees
distant from the equinoctial line [island of Trinidad]. When
we arrived at it we saw on the sea-shore a great many
people, who stood looking at us with astonishment.

"We anchored within about a mile of land, fitted out the
boats, and twenty-two men, well armed, made for the land.
The people, when they saw us landing and perceived that we
were different from themselves (because they have no beards
and wear no clothing of any description, being also of a
different color--brown, while we were white), began to be
afraid of us and all ran into the woods. With great
exertion, by means of signs, we reassured them and found
that they were a race called cannibals, the greater part, or
all of whom, live on human flesh. Your Excellency may be
assured of this fact. They do not eat one another, but,
navigating with certain barks which they call canoes, they
bring their prey from the neighboring islands or countries
inhabited by those who are their enemies, or of a different
tribe from their own. They never eat any women, unless they
consider them as outcasts. These things we verified in many
places where we found similar people. We often saw the bones
and heads of those who had been eaten, and they who had made
the repast admitted the fact and said that their enemies
stood in greater fear of them on that account.

"Still, they are a people of gentle disposition and fine
stature, of great activity and much courage. They go
entirely naked, and the arms which they carry are rare bows,
arrows, and spears, with which they are excellent marksmen.
In fine, we held much intercourse with them, and they took
us to one of their villages, about two leagues inland, and
gave us our breakfast. They gave whatever was asked of them,
though I think more through fear than affection; and after
having been with them all one day we returned to the ships,
sailing along the coasts, and finding another large village
of the same tribe. We landed in the boats and found they
were waiting for us, all loaded with provisions, and they
gave us enough to make a very good breakfast, according to
their ideas.

"Seeing they were such kind people and treated us so well,
we did not take anything from them, but made sail until we
arrived at a body of water which is called the Gulf of
Paria. We anchored off the mouth of a great river, which
causes the gulf to be fresh, and saw a large village close
to the sea. We were surprised at the great number of people
to be seen there, though they were without weapons and
peaceably disposed. We went ashore with the boats, and they
received us with great friendship and took us to their
houses, where they had made good preparations for a feast.
Here they gave us three sorts of wine to drink; not the
juice of the grape, but made of fruits, like beer, and they
were excellent. Here, also, we ate many fresh acorns, a most
royal fruit, and also others, all different from ours, and
all of aromatic flavor.

"What was more, they gave us some small pearls and eleven
large ones, telling us that if we would wait some days they
would go and fish for them and bring us many of the kind. We
did not wish to be detained, so, with many parrots of
different colors, and in good friendship, we parted from
them. From these people it was we learned that those of the
before-mentioned island were cannibals and ate human flesh.
We issued from the gulf and sailed along the coast, seeing
continually great numbers of people; and when we were so
disposed we treated with them, and they gave us everything
we desired. They all go as naked as they were born, without
being ashamed, and if all were related concerning the little
shame they have it would be bordering on impropriety,
therefore it is better to suppress it.

"After having sailed about four hundred leagues, continually
along the coast, we concluded that this land was a
continent, which might be bounded by the eastern parts of
Asia, this being the commencement of the western parts of
the continent, because it happened that we saw divers
animals, such as lions, stags, goats, wild hogs, rabbits,
and other land animals which are not found in islands, but
only on the main-land. Going inland one day with twenty men,
we saw a serpent all of twenty-four feet in length and as
large in girth as myself. We were very much afraid, and the
sight of it caused us to return immediately to the sea.
Ofttimes, indeed, I saw many ferocious animals and enormous
serpents. When we had navigated four hundred leagues along
the coast, we began to find people who did not wish for our
friendship, but stood waiting for us with their bows and
arrows. When we went ashore they disputed our landing in
such a manner that we were obliged to fight them, and at the
end of the battle they found they had the worst of it, for,
as they were naked, we always made great slaughter. Many
times not more than sixteen of us fought with no less than
two thousand, in the end defeating them, killing many, and
plundering their houses.

"One day we saw a great crowd of savages, all posted in
battle array, to prevent our landing. We fitted out
twenty-six men, well armed, and covered the boats on account
of the arrows which were shot at us and which always
wounded some before we landed. After they had hindered us as
long as they could, we leaped on shore and fought a hard
battle with them. The reason why they had so much courage
and made such great exertion against us was that they did
not know what kind of a weapon the sword was, or how it
cuts! So great was the multitude of people who charged upon
us, discharging at us such a cloud of arrows that we could
not withstand the assault, and, nearly abandoning the hope
of life, we turned our backs and ran for the boats. While
thus disheartened and flying, one of our sailors, a
Portuguese, who had remained to guard the boats, seeing the
danger we were in, leaped on shore and with a loud voice
called out to us: 'Face to the enemy, sons, and God will
give you the victory!' Throwing himself upon his knees, he
made a prayer, then rushed furiously upon the savages, and
we all joined him, wounded as we were. On that they turned
their backs and began to flee; and finally we routed them,
killing more than a hundred and fifty. We burned their
houses also--at least one hundred and eighty in number.
Then, as we were badly wounded and weary, we went into a
harbor to recruit, where we stayed twenty days, solely that
the physician might cure us. All escaped save one, who was
wounded in the left breast and died.

"After we were cured we recommenced our navigation; and
through the same cause we were often obliged to fight with a
great many people, and always had the victory over them.
Thus continuing our voyage, we came to an island fifteen
leagues distant from the main-land. As at our arrival we
saw no collection of people, eleven of us landed. Finding a
path inland, we walked nearly two leagues and came to a
village of about twelve houses, in which were seven women
who were so large that there was not one among them who was
not a span and a half taller than myself. When they saw us
they were very much frightened, and the principal one among
them, who seemed certainly a discreet woman, led us by signs
into a house and had refreshments prepared for us. They were
such large women that we were about determining to carry off
two of the younger ones as a present to our king; but while
we were debating this subject, thirty-six men entered the
hut where we were drinking. They were of such great stature
that each one was taller when upon his knees than I when
standing erect. In fact, they were giants; each of the women
appeared a Penthesilia, and the men Antei. When they came
in, some of our number were so frightened that they did not
consider themselves safe, for they were armed with very
large bows and arrows, besides immense clubs made in the
form of swords. Seeing that we were small of stature they
began to converse with us, in order to learn who we were and
from what parts we came. We gave them fair words, and
answered them, by signs, that we were men of peace and
intent only upon seeing the world. Finally, we held it our
wisest course to part from them without questioning in our
turn; so we returned by the same path in which we had
come--they accompanying us quite to the sea-shore, till we
went aboard the ships.

"Nearly half the trees on this island are of dye-woods, as
good as any from the East. Going from this island to another
in the vicinity, at ten leagues distance, we found a very
large village, the houses of which were built over the sea,
like those of Venice, with much ingenuity. While we were
struck with admiration at this circumstance, we determined
to go to see them; and as we went into their houses the
people owning them attempted to prevent us. They found out
at last the sharpness of our swords, and thought it best to
let us enter. Then we found these houses filled with the
finest cotton, and the beams of their dwellings are made of
dye-woods. In all the parts where we landed we found a great
quantity of cotton, and the country filled with
cotton-trees. All the vessels of the world, in fact, might
be laden in these parts with cotton and dye-wood.

"We sailed three hundred leagues farther along this coast,
constantly finding savage but brave people, and very often
fighting with and vanquishing them. We found seven different
languages among them, each of which was not understood by
those who spoke the others. It is said that there are not
more than seventy-seven languages in the world; but I say
that there are _more than a thousand_, as there are more
than forty which I have heard myself. After having sailed
seven hundred leagues or more our ships became leaky, so
that we could hardly keep them free, with two pumps going.
The men also were much fatigued, and the provisions growing
short. We were then within a hundred and twenty leagues of
the island called Hispaniola, discovered by the Admiral
Columbus six [eight] years before. So we determined to
proceed to it and, as it was inhabited by Christians, to
repair our ships there, allow our men a little repose, and
recruit our stock of provisions; because, from this island
to Castile there are three hundred leagues of ocean, without
any land intervening. In seven days we arrived at this
island, where we stayed two months, refitted our ships, and
obtained a supply of provisions.

"We afterwards sailed through a shoal of islands, more than
a thousand in number. We sailed in this sea nearly two
hundred leagues, directly north, until our people had become
worn with fatigue, through having been already nearly a year
at sea. Their allowance per diem was only six ounces of
bread for eating, and three small measures of water for
drinking. Whereupon we concluded to take some prisoners as
slaves, and loading the ships with them to return at once to
Spain. Going, therefore, to certain islands, we possessed
ourselves by force of two hundred and thirty-two, and then
steered our course for Castile. In sixty-seven days we
crossed the ocean, arriving at the Azores, thence sailed by
way of the Canary Islands and the Madeiras to Cadiz.