AJ-062: Columbus, Journal of First Voyage (1492-93)

              


224    VOYAGES OF
COLUMBUS    [1493

very heavy,
carried instead of a sword.' As soon as they came
to the
boat the crew landed, and began to buy the bows
and
arrows and other arms, in accordance with an order of
the
Admiral. Having sold two bows, they did not want to
give
more, but began to attack the Spaniards, and to take
hold of
them. They were running back to pick up their
bows and
arrows where they had laid them aside, and took
cords in
their hands to bind the boat's crew. Seeing them
rushing
down, and being prepared - for the Admiral always
warned
them to be on their guard -the Spaniards attacked
the
Indians, and gave one a slash with a knife in the
buttocks,
wounding another in the breast with an arrow.
Seeing that
they could gain little, although the
Christians were only seven
and they numbered over fifty,
they fled, so that none were
left, throwing bows
and    arrows
away.2    The Christians
would have
killed many, if the pilot, who was in command,
had not
prevented them. The Spaniards presently returned
to the
caravel with the boat. The Admiral regretted the
affair
for one reason, and was pleased for another. They
would
have fear of the Christians, and they were no doubt
an ill-
conditioned people, probably Caribs, who eat men.
But the
Admiral felt alarm lest they should do some harm
to the 39
men left in the fortress and town of Navidad,
in the event
of their coming here in their boat. Even if
they are not
Caribs, they are a neighboring people, with
similar habits,
and fearless, unlike the other
inhabitants of the island, who are
timid, and without
arms. The Admiral says all this, and adds
that he would
have liked to have captured some of them.
He says that
they lighted many smoke signals, as is the custom
in this
island of Espaniola.
    Las Casas,
I. 435, has, ""and as word of a palm-tree board which is
very
hard and very heavy, not sharp but blunt, about two
fingers thick every-
where, with which as it is hard and
heavy like iron, although a man has a
helmet on his head
they will crush his skull to the brain with one
blow.""
    2 ""This was the first
fight that there was in all the Indies and when
the blood
of the Indians was shed."" Las Casas, I.
436.