the beholding islanders. Their
attention, however, was soon turned to the Spaniards themselves; and they
approached the strangers, wondering at their whiteness and at their
beards. Columbus, as being the noblest looking personage there present,
and also from wearing a crimson scarf over his armour, attracted especial
attention, and justly seemed, as he was, the principal figure in this
great spectacle.

Columbus is for the present moment radiant with success. Our interest
passes now from him to the new people he was amongst. And what were they
like? Were they worthy of the efforts which the Old World had made to find
them? Was there mind and soul enough in them for them to become good
Christians? What says the greatest of the men who first saw them? What
impression did they make on him? Let him answer for himself:--

"Because they had much friendship for us, and because I knew they were
people that would deliver themselves better to the Christian faith, and
be converted more through love than by force, I gave to some of them
some coloured caps and some strings of glass beads for their necks, and
many other things of little value, with which they were delighted, and
were so entirely ours that it was a marvel to see. The same afterwards
came swimming to the ship's boats where we were, and brought us parrots,
cotton threads in balls, darts and many other things, and bartered them
with us for things which we gave them, such as bells and small glass
beads. In fine, they took and gave all of whatever they had with good
will. But it appeared to me they were a people very poor in everything.
They went totally naked, as naked as their mothers brought them into the
world."

CHARACTER OF THE INDIANS.

Then Columbus goes on to say that these Indians were well made, with very
good countenances, but hair like horsehair, their colour yellow; and that
they painted themselves. They neither carried arms, nor understood such
things, for when he showed them swords, they took hold of them by the
blade, and hurt themselves. Their darts were without iron; but some had a
fish's tooth at the end. In concluding his description, he says, "they
ought to make faithful servants, and of good understanding, for I see that
very quickly they repeat all that is said to them, and I believe they
would easily be converted to Christianity, for it appeared to me that they
had no creed."

THEIR HOUSES AND IMPLEMENTS.