nce--Don Francisco de Bobadilla--and when it
was over and all were out and all San Domingo there in the square, he
had his letters loudly read. True enough! He is Governor, and everybody
else must obey him! _Even the Admiral!_

At dawn Juan Lepe walked and thought. And then he saw coming the
Franciscan, Juan de Trasiena and Francisco Velasquez the Treasurer. That
which Juan de Trasiena and Francisco Velasquez brought were attested
copies of the royal letters.

I saw them. "Wherefore we have named Don Francisco de Bobadilla Governor
of these islands and of the main land, and we command you, cavaliers
and all persons whatever, to give him that obedience which you do owe to
us." And to him, the new Governor: "Whomsoever you find guilty, arrest
their persons and take over their goods." And, "If you find it to our
service that any cavaliers or other persons who are at present in
these islands should leave them, and that they should come and present
themselves before us, you may command it in our names and oblige it."
And, "Whomsoever you thus command, we hereby order that immediately they
obey as though it were ourselves." "And if thus and thus is found to be
the case, the said Admiral of the Ocean-Sea shall give into your hands,
ships, fortresses, arms, houses and treasure, and he shall himself be
obedient to your command."

The Admiral said, "If it be found thus and thus! But how shall he find
it, seeing that it is not so?"

We rode to San Domingo, but not many rode. He would not have many. "No
show of force, no gaud of office!"

He rode unarmored, on his gray horse. The banner that was always borne
with him--"Yea, carry it still, until he demands it!"

We were a bare dozen, but when we entered San Domingo one might think
that Don Francisco de Bobadilla feared an army, for he had all his
soldiers drawn up to greet us! The rest of the population were in
coigns, gazing. We saw friends--Juan Ponce de Leon and others--but they
were helpless. For all the people in it, the place seemed to me dead
quiet, hot, sunny, dead quiet.

The Admiral rode to the square. Here was his house, and the royal banner
over it. He dismounted and spoke to men before the door. "Tell Don
Francisco de Bobadilla that Don Cristoval Colon is here."

There came an officer with a sword, behind him a dozen men. "Senor, in
the name of the Sovereigns, I arrest you!"

Christopherus Columbus gazed upon him. "For what, senor?"

The other, an arrogant,