fruits, and holding such
communication as he was able with the natives. He was up every morning
at dawn, at one time directing the work of his men, at another going
ashore after some birds that he had seen; and as dawn comes early in
those islands his day was probably a long one, and it is likely that he
was in bed soon after dark. On the day that he went shooting, Martin
Alonso Pinzon was waiting for him on his return; this time not to make
any difficulties or independent proposals, but to show him two pieces of
cinnamon that one of his men had got from an Indian who was carrying a
quantity of it. "Why did the man not get it all from him?" says greedy
Columbus. "Because of the prohibition of the Admiral's that no one
should do any trading," says Martin Alonso, and conceives himself to have
scored; for truly these two men do not love one another. The boatswain
of the Pinta, adds Martin Alonso, has found whole trees of it. "The
Admiral then went there and found that it was not cinnamon." The Admiral
was omnipotent; if he had said that it was manna they would have had to
make it so, and as he chose to say that it was not cinnamon, we must take
his word for it, as Martin Alonso certainly had to do; so that it was the
Admiral who scored this time. Columbus, however, now on the track of
spices, showed some cinnamon and pepper to the natives; and the obliging
creatures "said by signs that there was a great deal of it towards the
south-east." Columbus then showed them some gold and pearls; and
"certain old men" replied that in a place they called Bo-No there was any
amount of gold; the people wore it in their ears and on their arms and
legs, and there were pearls also, and large ships and merchandise--all to
the south-east. Finding this information, which was probably entirely
untrue and merely a polite effort to do what was expected of them, well
received, the natives added that "a long distance from there, there were
men with one eye, and other men with dogs' snouts who ate men, and that
when they caught a man they beheaded him and drank his blood." . . .
Soon after this the Admiral went on board again and began to write up his
Journal, solemnly entering all these facts in it. It is the most
childish nonsense; but after all, how interesting and credible it must
have been! To live thus smelling the most heavenly perfumes, breathing
the most balmy air, viewing the most lovely scenes, and to be always hot
upon the