Argosy, Vol. 120, No. 1 — page 120: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

110 own voice, speaking out of the darkness, was not sufficient, and they were only con- vinced when 2 lantern was: held up to the face of the admiral. Columbus found him- self wondering how it was possible that these suspicious, doubting natives could be of the same stock as those loving, trusting people he had Jeft at La Navidad. The natives came aboard and brought presents which had been sent, they declared, by Guacanagari. The admiral impatiently received the gifts and demanded to know about the garrison. The interpreter seemed to bave great difficulty in making himself clear, but at last it appeared certain that there had been muck trouble in the settlement—sickness, and the men bad fought among themselves, and some of them bad wandered away and been lost or captured by unfriendly tribes. Then there had been an attack upon the set- tiement, and also upom Guacanagari, by a mountain chieftain, Caonabo. Guacanagari was now suffering from a wound in the leg received in this encounter; otherwise, he would have come to welcome the admiral; but he would come the next day. _“ And Arthur Lake?” Columbus cried. _ At first this question seemed to meet with no response from the natives. They seemed never to have heard of Arthur. Columbus explained to the interpreter, and the interpreter explained to the natives, and among themselves they conferred. | _ Finally the admiral was assured that he was weil. “But where is he?” the Genoese per- sisted. More conferring followed this, and the in- terpreter began again a recital of the tribu- Jations of La Navidad and of Guacana- gari, during which he contradicted most of the things which had just been related. _ The admiral lost his temper, but it was of mo avail. Hé strove by all possible means to get a connected story, and failed. That mention of Arthur Lake seemed to have wrought a mental pandemonium among the natives. Finally, there was nothing for it but to wait as patiently as possible for the dawn. And when that came, Columbus discovered that the little fortress was no longer there! THE ARGOSY, What had once been La Navidad was a heap ef charred ruins. The admiral did not go ashore, as he was expecting Guacanagari would come to risit him, as had been promised. However, many of the sailors landed. These no- ticed that the natives were very sby, and nated curicsity at the Spamianis grabbling They found fragments of clothing and odd bits of thimgs among the blackened Fuins, which seemed te indicate that the place had been sacked before it was fired. All that day Columbus waited mn vain for the coming of his old friend, the cacique. The next morning he went ashore and dis- covered that the dwelling of Guacanagari had also been burnied. He directed that the well and ditch of La Navidad be cleaned out, as be had mstructed the colonists to hide their valuables there in case of dis- aster. . Nothing was revealed by these excava- belief that the garrison had perished in a sudden attack. But attacked by whem? And why? And what had become of Arthur Lake? The admiral went farther miand, and found a native village. But all the mhabi- tants fled at his approach. However, here be found many European articles of such value that he was certain that the colonists bad never bartered them: Upon returning to the site of La Navi- dad, his worst fears were realized. The investigators. had discovered a grave in which were huddied the bodies of eleven Spaniards. A doctor who examined the bodies declared that these poor men had not been dead two months! If he had come directly to La Navidad could he have saved them? This and many another sorry question presented themselves to the dismayed admiral. Having discovered the whereabouts of the king, Columbus, with a magnificent esoort, went to see Guacanagari. He found him lying in his netted bed or hammock. _ There followed the usual] presentation of belis and beads and such like. The king received these with graciousness, but his COIN (-) lNOOKS. EO