ense risk on the ridge of waters
formed by the meeting of the sea and the Orinoco estuaries. For several
days he coasted the continent, esteeming as islands the various
projections he saw, and naming them accordingly, nor was it until he had
realized the volume poured out by the Orinoco that he began to perceive
the truly continental character of his last discovery. He was now
anxious to revisit the colony in Hispaniola; and after sighting Tobago,
Grenada, and Margarita, made for San Domingo, the new capital of the
settlement, where he arrived on the 31st of August. He found that
affairs had not prospered well in his absence. By the vigour and
activity of the _adelantado_, the whole island had been reduced under
Spanish sway; but under the leadership of Francisco Roldan the
malcontent settlers had risen in revolt, and Columbus had to compromise
matters in order to restore peace. Roldan retained his office of chief
justice; and such of his followers as chose to remain in the island were
gratified with _repartimientos_ of land and labour.

At home, however, court favour had turned against Columbus. For one
thing, the ex-colonists were often bitterly hostile to the admiral and
his brothers. They were wont to parade their grievances in the very
court-yards of the Alhambra, to surround the king when he came forth
with complaints and reclamations, to insult the discoverer's young sons
with shouts and jeers. Again, the queen began to criticize severely the
shipment of Indians from the new-found lands to Spain. And once more,
there was no doubt that the colony itself, whatever the cause, had not
prospered so well as might have been desired. Ferdinand's support of
Columbus had never been very hearty, and his inclination to supersede
the Genoese now prevailed over the queen's friendliness. Accordingly, on
the 21st of May 1499, Francisco Bobadilla was appointed governor and
judge of Hispaniola during royal pleasure, with authority to examine
into all complaints. Columbus was ordered to deliver up his charge to
Bobadilla, and to accept whatever the latter should deliver him from the
sovereigns. Bobadilla left Spain in June 1500, and landed in Hispaniola
on the 23rd of August.

Columbus, meanwhile, had restored such tranquillity as was possible in
his government. With Roldan's help he had beaten off an attempt on the
island of the adventurer Ojeda, his old lieutenant; the Indians were
being collected into villages and Christianized