westward
followed the Pearl Coast as far as the islands of Margarita and Cubagua.
The fine pearls which he found there in abundance confirmed him in the
good opinion he had formed of that country. By this time, the 15th of
August, he had so far put facts together as to become convinced of the
continental character of that coast, and would have been glad to pursue
it westward. But now his strength gave out. During most of the voyage he
had suffered acute torments with gout, his temperature had been very
feverish, and his eyes were at length so exhausted with perpetual
watching that he could no longer make observations. So he left the coast
a little beyond Cubagua, and steered straight for Hispaniola, aiming at
San Domingo, but hitting the island of Beata because he did not make
allowance for the westerly flow of the currents. He arrived at San
Domingo on the 30th of August, and found his brother Bartholomew, whom
he intended to send at once on a further cruise along the Pearl Coast,
while he himself should be resting and recovering strength.

[Sidenote: Roldan's rebellion.]

[Sidenote: Fonseca's machinations.]

But alas! there was to be no cruising now for the younger brother nor
rest for the elder. It was a sad story that Bartholomew had to tell. War
with the Indians had broken out afresh, and while the Adelantado was
engaged in this business a scoundrel named Roldan had taken advantage of
his absence to stir up civil strife. Roldan's rebellion was a result of
the ill-advised mission of Aguado. The malcontents in the colony
interpreted the Admiral's long stay in Spain as an indication that he
had lost favour with the sovereigns and was not coming back to the
island. Gathering together a strong body of rebels, Roldan retired to
Xaragua and formed an alliance with the brother of the late chieftain
Caonabo. By the time the Admiral arrived the combination of mutiny with
barbaric warfare had brought about a frightful state of things. A party
of soldiers, sent by him to suppress Roldan, straightway deserted and
joined that rebel. It thus became necessary to come to terms with
Roldan, and this revelation of the weakness of the government only made
matters worse. Two wretched years were passed in attempts to restore
order in Hispaniola, while the work of discovery and exploration was
postponed. Meanwhile the items of information that found their way to
Spain were skilfully employed by Fonseca in poisoning the minds of the
so