had never met their eyes before.
No clothing hid their dusky, copper-colored skins, of a hue unknown to
their visitors, and they looked like the unclad tenants of some new
paradise. Their astonishment turned into fright when they saw boats leave
these strange monsters of the deep, in them men clad in shining steel or
raiment of varied color. Their white faces, their curling beards, their
splendid clothing, as it appeared to these simple denizens of the forest,
and especially the air of dignity of their leader, with his ample cloak of
scarlet, added to their amazement, and they viewed the strangers as divine
visitors, come to them from the skies.

Not less was their surprise when they saw the wonderful strangers kneel
and kiss the soil, and then uplift a great and gleaming banner, of rich
colors and designs that seemed magical to their untaught eyes. And deep
was their delight when these strange beings distributed among them
wonderful gifts,--glass beads, hawk's bells, and other trifles,--which
seemed precious gems to their untutored souls. They had nothing to offer
in return, except tame parrots, of which they had many, and balls of
cotton-yarn; but the eyes of the Spaniards sparkled with hope when they
saw small ornaments of gold, which some of them wore. Happy had it been
for all the natives of the New World if this yellow metal had not existed
among them, for it was to bring them untold suffering and despair.

Such was the island of San Salvador, as Columbus named this first-seen
land; but, leaving it, let us go with him in his voyage through that
island-sprinkled sea, and use his eyes in taking in the marvels with which
it was sown. Familiar as these islands have become to many of us, to him
they were all new, beautiful, and strange, a string of tropic pearls or
rare emeralds spread out along those shining waters of the South.

On leaving San Salvador, the Spaniards, their hearts elate with joy and
pride in their discovery, hardly knew whither to go. They seemed drawn to
the right and the left alike. They found themselves in an archipelago of
beautiful islands, green and level, rising on all sides and seemingly
numberless. To us they are the great green cluster of the Bahamas, but to
Columbus, who fancied that he had reached the shores of Asia, they were
that wonderful archipelago spoken of by Marco Polo, in which were seven
thousand four hundred and fifty-eight islands, abounding with spices and
rich in odoriferou