between the
twenty-sixth of December and the second of January. On that day he
expected to sail eastward, but unfavorable winds prevented.

He landed his men again, and by the exhibition of a pretended battle
with European arms, he showed the natives the military force of their
new neighbors. He fired a shot from an arquebuse against the wreck
of the Santa Maria, so that the Indians might see the power of his
artillery. The Indian chief expressed his regret at the approaching
departure, and the Spaniards thought that one of his courtiers said that
the chief had ordered him to make a statue of pure gold as large as the
Admiral.

Columbus explained to the friendly chief that with such arms as the
sovereigns of Castile commanded they could readily destroy the dreaded
Caribs. And he thought he had made such an impression that the islanders
would be the firm friends of the colonists.

"I have bidden them build a solid tower and defense, over a vault. Not
that I think this necessary against the natives, for I am satisfied
that with a handful of people I could conquer the whole island, were it
necessary, although it is, as far as I can judge, larger than Portugal,
and twice as thickly peopled." In this cheerful estimate of the people
Columbus was wholly wrong, as the sad events proved before the year had
gone by.

He left thirty-nine men to be the garrison of this fort; and the colony
which was to discover the mine of gold. In command he placed Diego da
Arana, Pedro Gutierres and Rodrigo de Segovia. To us, who have more
experience of colonies and colonists than he had had, it does not seem
to promise well that Rodrigo was "the king's chamberlain and an officer
of the first lord of the household." Of these three, Diego da Arana was
to be the governor, and the other two his lieutenants. The rest were all
sailors, but among them there were Columbus's secretary, an alguazil, or
person commissioned in the civil service at home, an "arquebusier," who
was also a good engineer, a tailor, a ship carpenter, a cooper and a
physician. So the little colony had its share of artificers and men of
practical skill. They all staid willingly, delighted with the prospects
of their new home.

On the third of January Columbus sailed for Europe in the little Nina.
With her own crew and the addition she received from the Santa Maria,
she must have been badly crowded. Fortunately for all parties, on
Sunday, the third day of the voyage, while the