to the middle, brandishing lances, blowing horns, and showing every mark of aversion and defiance. The peaceable demeanour of the Spaniards soon appeased these hostile menaces; and for a few horse-bells, the natives exchanged gold plates to the value of 150 ducats. Next day, however, they lay in ambuscade, and perceiving that no one would venture to land without security, they rushed into the water, and repeated the same insults as on the preceding day. The Spaniards being exasperated at their insolence, wounded one of them with an arrow; and, at the same time, a cannon being fired, they fled in the greatest consternation. Then four men landing, invited them by signs to return; on which they laid down their arms, and entered into peaceable traffic.

Columbus having procured specimens of the produce of this part of the country, proceeded to Catiba; and casting anchor in the mouth of a large river, saw the natives preparing for defence. However, they sent two deputies alongside in a canoe; and these having discoursed with the interpreters, came on board the admiral, and presented him with their plates, for which he made them a satisfactory return. Amity being thus established, the Spaniards went ashore, and found the king surrounded by a number of his subjects, from whom he was in no respect distinguished, but by a single leaf of a tree, which in some degree protected him from the rain. The sovereign having first exchanged his gold plate, his people speedily followed his example. At this place was seen a considerable mass of wall, apparently constructed of stone and lime; the first trace that had been discovered of architectural skill in the new world. Passing to the eastward, the admiral passed Cobravo, and several towns of great trade, among which was Veragua, where the Indians said the gold was collected, and the plates made. On the 2d of November, he entered a harbour, to which he gave the appellation of Porto Bello, from its beautiful situation. The weather proving unfavourable for proceeding, he continued here for seven days, during which space, a constant communication and commerce was kept up with the natives.

Leaving Porto Bello, the admiral directed his course to the eastward; but next day was forced back; and running in among the islands near the continent, where the town of Nombre de Dios now stands, called the place Puerto de Bastimentos, from the quantity of provisions. A boat, well manned, being sent in pursuit of a canoe, the Indians on board it were so terrified, that they leaped into the sea, and in spite of all the efforts of the Spaniards, escaped by dint of diving and swimming. Here Columbus remained for a fortnight, when he sailed for Guiga, where a body of 300 Indians appeared ready to open a trade with the Spaniards. Without making any delay here, he put into a small confined port, which he named Retrete, capable of containing no more than six ships, with an entrance not more than twenty paces wide. In this place he lay nine days, at first trading very familiarly with the Indians, till the insolence of one of the sailors provoked them to open hostility. Their courage encreasing daily with their numbers, and the admiral having in vain endeavoured to allay the commotion, found it absolutely necessary to alter his deportment, to prevent their aggression. He therefore ordered his men to fire some pieces of cannon, which they answered with noise and vociferation, as if they despised the explosion, which they believed to be the effect of thunder. On this, one of the great guns was loaded with shot, and the ball falling in the midst of a party assembled on a hillock, convinced them that they had something more than noise to apprehend. Ever after they kept out of sight. These people were tall and well shaped. In the harbour, alligators were numerous. These animals slept ashore, and emitted a musky scent. They ap peared ravenous when they could take advantage; but cowardly when attacked.

The admiral perceiving that the winds continued to blow with violence from the eastern quarter, and that he was precluded from trading with the inhabitants of this coast, resolved to satisfy himself in regard to the authenticity of the report, concerning the mines of Veragua, and accordingly sailed back to Porto Bello.

Next day, the wind shifted; and for some time the weather was so boisterous, that a man could scarcely stand on the deck. The clouds seemed to be melting into a deluge; the whole air appeared like a sheet of lightning; and the thunder rolled incessantly over their heads. The mariners, worn out with fatigue, and terrified with the unusual commotion of the elements, were driven to despair. Amidst this danger and distraction, they were in the utmost peril of being overwhelmed by a dreadful water-spout, which rising from the sea, about the thickness of a butt, seemed to reach the clouds, and burst with a tremendous roar. To darken their prospect, they lost sight of one of the ships; and it was not till the end of three days, that they found she was safe.

At this crisis, when hope was almost lost, a calm ensued of two days' continuance, during which they were surrounded by sharks so voracious, that they were caught with any bait. In the belly of one, an entire turtle was found alive. Though these fishes were regarded as ominous, and their flesh but indifferent food, the sailors beginning to be pressed with famine, ate them with great eagerness. Indeed, all their sea stores were consumed, except their biscuit; and this was so full of maggots, from the heat and moisture of the climate, that they generally ate it in the dark, to conceal the disgust of the vermin with which it was filled.

On the 17th of December, Columbus reposed his crews for three days in a harbour east of Pennon, called Huiva by the natives. Here they observed, that the natives lived in huts erected in the tops of trees, to secure them from wild beasts and land floods, or enemies of their own species; for war frequently raged along the coast. On quitting this harbour, a new storm arose, and they were obliged to take shelter in another port. The 3d of next month, the weather became more moderate; but as if providence had resolved to thwart the expedition, no sooner were they again under sail, than the wind freshened and became contrary; and they were buffeted about by the waves, till they were driven back to one of their former ports.

After some repairs, and laying in a fresh stock of such provisions as the country supplied, Columbus once more set out; but he was so perplexed with currents, and fatigued with tempests and contrary winds, that he gave this coast the appropriate name of De Contrastes, or the Coast of Contention.

At last he reached the river of Veragua, whose waters were very shallow; but the boats proceeded up to the town, near which the gold mines were said to lie. At first the Indians stood on their guard, and menaced opposition; but our Indian interpreter giving a favourable representation of the views and conduct of the strangers, they were appeased; and bartered away twenty plates of gold, and some grains of the same metal in their native state, which they said had been collected in desolate mountains, at a very great distance.

Two of the ships, with the admiral on board, went up a river in the vicinity, to which he had given the appellation of Bethlem; and here they found the Indians ready to exchange their commodities, particularly fish, which at certain seasons of the year swam up the rivers in incredible shoals. The other ships having joined, Bartholomew, the lieutenant, went up the river with the boats to the city of Quibio; and the king hearing of his design, in token of friendship, met him in his canoe. Next day he visited the admiral, and after an hour's conversation, and an interchange of presents, he departed extremely gratified.

Soon after, the river swelled by the floods so suddenly and so high, that the admiral's ship parted her cable, and ran foul of another vessel, by which accident both were in imminent danger of being lost. This prodigious rise was supposed to be occasioned by some cloud having burst on the lofty mountains of Veragua.

On the 6th of February, 1503, the lieutenant and 68 men ascended the river to the cazique's town, on purpose to enquire the nearest road to the mines. In consequence of the intelligence received, they travelled several leagues, and arriving at the place where they were directed, gathered some gold about the roots of large and lofty trees. As the sole aim

of the journey was to obtain information respecting the mines, the party returned well pleased with their adventure; though it afterwards appeared, that the mines of Veragua lay much nearer, and that they had been purposely sent to the mines of Urira, a nation at war with Quibio.

A few days having elapsed, the lieutenant with 50 men set out again for the river Urira, seven leagues westward of Bethlem; and next day had an interview with the cazique, when some plates of gold were exchanged. The Spaniards were then conducted to the town, where they were hospitably entertained and lodged. Soon after their arrival at this place, the neighbouring cazique of Dururi waited on them: he had a numerous retinue, and several plates of gold were bartered by his people. The news of gold being found most grateful to the ears of the Spaniards, this cazique pleased the lieutenant, by informing him, that in the interior parts there were caziques who possessed abundance of gold, and maintained armed men like the Spaniards.

Bartholomew sending back a part of his men to the ships, proceeded with the remainder to Zobarba, where he saw about six leagues of ground full of maize, in good cultivation. Here the natives were kindly attentive; and furnished him with some plates of gold; but having advanced a great way from the ships, and found out no place more convenient for a colony, which it was intended to settle, than Bethlem, he returned with a good quantity of gold, and a resolution was now taken to leave a colony here of 80 men under his command. The necessary dispositions being made, they began to erect timber houses, covered with palm leaves, in the vicinity of Bethlem river; and several pieces of cannon, ammunition, and provisions were lodged in the magazine apart; while other stores were placed on board one of the ships, the Gallega, for the use of the colony. As fish abounded on the coast, they had an ample supply of nets and other fishing tackle. The Indian mode of catching fish here was with hooks made of tortoise shell. Pilchards were their usual prey. In the middle of their canoes, from stem to stern, they had a partition of palm leaves VOL. I.

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