had stopped in the road and seen all the things given by the
Admiral. A man carried each one before the king, and these men appeared
to be among those who were most respected. His son came a good distance
behind the king, with a similar number of attendants, and the same with a
brother of the king, except that the brother went on foot, supported
under the arms by two honored attendants. This brother came to the ship
after the king, and the Admiral presented him with some of the things
used for barter. It was then that the Admiral learnt that a king was
called Cacique in their language. This day little gold was got by barter,
but the Admiral heard from an old man that there were many neighboring
islands, at a distance of a hundred leagues or more, as he understood, in
which much gold is found; and there is even one island that was all gold.
In the others there was so much that it was said they gather it with
sieves, and they fuse it and make bars, and work it in a thousand ways.
They explained the work by signs. This old man pointed out to the Admiral
the direction and position, and he determined to go there, saying that if
the old man had not been a principal councillor of the king he would
detain him, and make him go, too; or if he knew the language he would ask
him, and he believed, as the old man was friendly with him and the other
Christians, that he would go of his own accord. But as these people were
now subjects of the King of Castile, and it would not be right to injure
them, he decided upon leaving him. The Admiral set up a very large cross
in the centre of the square of that village, the Indians giving much
help; they made prayers and worshipped it, and, from the feeling they
show, the Admiral trusted in our Lord that all the people of those
islands would become Christians.

_Wednesday, 19th of December_

This night the Admiral got under way to leave the gulf formed between the
islands of Tortuga and Espanola, but at dawn of day a breeze sprang up
from the east, against which he was unable to get clear of the strait
between the two islands during the whole day. At night he was unable to
reach a port which was in sight.[187-1] He made out four points of land,
and a great bay with a river, and beyond he saw a large bay,[187-2] where
there was a village, with a valley behind it among high mountains covered
with trees, which appeared to be pines. Over the Two Brothers there is a
very high mountain-range running