good food and plenty of spices and hot
nutriment. Thus I have found no monsters nor heard of any, except
at an island which is the second in going to the Indies, and which
is inhabited by a people who are considered in all the islands as
ferocious, and who devour human flesh. These people have many
canoes, which scour all the islands of India, and plunder all they
can. They are not worse formed than the others, but they wear the
hair long like women, and use bows and arrows of the same kind of
cane, pointed with a piece of hard wood instead of iron, of which
they have none. They are fierce compared with the other people, who
are in general but sad cowards; but I do not consider them in any
other way superior to them. These are they who trade in women, who
inhabit the first island met with in going from Spain to the Indies,
in which there are no men whatever. They have no effeminate
exercise, but bows and arrows, as before said, of cane, with which
they arm themselves, and use shields of copper, of which they have
plenty.

"There is another island, I am told, larger than Espanola, the
natives of which have no hair. In this there is gold without limit,
and of this and the others I have Indians with me to witness.

"In conclusion, referring only to what has been effected by this
voyage, which was made with so much haste, Your Highnesses may see
that I shall find as much gold as desired with the very little
assistance afforded to me; there is as much spice and cotton as can
be wished for, and also gum, which hitherto has only been found in
Greece, in the island of Chios, and they may sell it as they please,
and the mastich, as much as may be desired, and slaves, also, who
will be idolators. And I believe that I have rhubarb, and cinnamon,
and a thousand other things I shall find, which will be discovered
by those whom I have left behind, for I did not stop at any cape
when the wind enabled me to navigate, except at the town of Navidad,
where I was very safe and well taken care of. And in truth much
more I should have done if the ships had served me as might have
been expected. This is certain, that the Eternal God our Lord gives
all things to those who obey Him, and the victory when it seems
impossible, and this, evidently, is an instance of