ited for a night, and then sent a party of men ashore, "well
prepared with arms and adapted for such an affair," to have some
conversation with the people. The innocent harvest was duly reaped; the
natives met the Spaniards with gifts of food and drink, and understanding
that the Admiral would like to have a parrot, they sent as many parrots
as were wanted. The husband of the girl who had been captured and
clothed came back with her to the shore with a large body of natives,
in order to thank the Admiral for his kindness and clemency; and their
confidence was not misplaced, as the Admiral did not at that moment wish
to do any more kidnapping. The Spaniards were more and more amazed and
impressed with the beauty and fertility of these islands. The lands were
more lovely than the finest land in Castile; the rivers were large and
wide, the trees green and full of fruit, the grasses knee-deep and
starred with flowers; the birds sang sweetly all night; there were mastic
trees and aloes and plantations of cotton. There was fishing in plenty;
and if there were not any gold mines immediately at hand, they here sure
to be round the next headland or, at the farthest, in the next island.
The people, too, charmed and delighted the Admiral, who saw in them a
future glorious army of souls converted to the Christian religion. They
were taller and handsomer than the inhabitants of the other islands, and
the women much fairer; indeed, if they had not been so much exposed to
the sun, and if they could only be clothed in the decent garments of
civilisation, the Admiral thought that their skins would be as white as
those of the women of Spain--which was only another argument for bringing
them within the fold of the Holy Catholic Church. The men were powerful
and apparently harmless; they showed no truculent or suspicious spirit;
they had no knowledge of arms; a thousand of them would not face three
Christians; and

"so they are suitable to be governed and made to work and sow and do
everything else that shall be necessary, and to build villages and
be taught to wear clothing and observe our customs."

At present, you see, they are but poor happy heathens, living in a
paradise of their own, where the little birds sing all through the warm
nights, and the rivers murmur through flowery meadows, and no one has any
knowledge of arms or desire of such knowledge, and every one goes naked
and unashamed. High time, indeed, th