The armaments of the rival governors met in the port of St. Domingo. It
was not long before cause of collision arose between two men, both
possessed of such swelling spirits. They quarrelled about the boundaries
of their governments, and the province of Darien was boldly claimed by
each.--

"Their disputes on these points ran so high, that the whole
place resounded with them. In talking, however, Nicuesa had the
advantage; having been brought up in the court, he was more
polished and ceremonious, had greater self-command, and
probably perplexed his rival governor in argument. Ojeda was no
great casuist, but he was an excellent swordsman, and always
ready to fight his way through any question of right or dignity
which he could not clearly argue with the tongue; so he
proposed to settle the dispute by single combat. Nicuesa,
though equally brave, was more a man of the world, and saw the
folly of such arbitrament. Secretly smiling at the heat of his
antagonist, he proposed as a preliminary to the duel, and to
furnish something worth fighting for, that each should deposit
five thousand castillanos, to be the prize of the victor. This,
as he foresaw, was a temporary check upon the fiery valour of
his rival, who did not possess a pistole in his treasury; but
probably was too proud to confess it."

How long the poverty of Ojeda could have kept down his fiery spirit, we
may doubt. Fortunately he had in his companion, the brave Juan de la
Cosa, a friend who could control him, as well as follow and support him.
Juan reconciled, at least for a time, the quarrel of the rival
governors, and it was agreed that the river Darien should be the
boundary of their provinces. Things being thus arranged, Ojeda was
anxious to set sail; he still, however, wanted pecuniary assistance to
complete his equipment; though careless of money himself, he seems to
have had a facility in commanding the purses of his neighbours; and on
this occasion he found, in a quarter, where perhaps he could scarce have
expected it, both personal and pecuniary aid. There lived at San
Domingo, the bachelor _Martin Fernandez de Enciso,_ a shrewd lawyer, who
had contrived to accumulate a considerable fortune by the litigation
which already flourished in the New World. He was dazzled by the visions
of unbounded wealth, he was promised the lofty office and title of
Alcalde Mayor, and in