rever he went, and was fully satisfied that the region was
prolific in gold. To secure it he built a fortress called Saint Thomas,
to the command of which he appointed Pedro Margarite, and garrisoned it
with fifty-six men.

Delighted with all he had seen, Columbus returned to Isabella on the
29th of March. Great progress had been made, and many of the seeds had
already sprung up, bearing fruit. Unfortunately, however, bread had
become scarce, and there was no means of grinding wheat. Disease also
had attacked the settlers, and many persons of all ranks had died. He
was, however, anxious to proceed on his voyage of discovery, and
supposing that he could trust his subordinates, he left ample
instructions for their conduct. He directed Margarite, with a strong
force, to explore the province of Cibao, while Ojeda was to assume the
command of Saint Thomas. One of the objects of the expedition was to
secure the persons of any chiefs who had exhibited hostile feelings
towards the Spaniards. Several were thus captured and sent in chains to
Isabella. At length Columbus, satisfied that the colony would go on
well, set sail, intending to visit the coast of Cuba at the point where
he had abandoned it, and thence to explore it on the south side. He, it
must be remembered, supposed it to be the extreme end of Asia, and that
by following its shores he must at length arrive at Cathay, and those
other rich countries described by Mandeville and Marco Polo.

Having visited La Navidad, where Guacanagari kept out of the way, he
continued his course westward, until he reached the port of Saint
Nicholas, whence he beheld the extreme point of Cuba. Having crossed
the channel, he sailed along the southern coast of that island for a
distance of twenty leagues, until he entered a harbour, which from its
size he called Puerto Grande. Going on shore, he arrived at some
cottages, where, although the inhabitants had fled, great quantities of
fish, utias, and iguanas were found, some hung up, others roasting
before the fires. The Spaniards, who had long been fasting, satisfied
their appetites on the food, and then set out to explore the country.
On their way they saw a party of Indians, collected on the top of a
rock, looking down upon them with astonishment.

Though most of the natives ran off, one remained, whose apprehensions
were quickly dispelled by the friendly way the young Lucayan interpreter
spoke to him. Going after his compa