Argosy, Vol. 120, No. 1 — page 123: what you’re looking at

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

THE GREAT will not harm me. I have learned many secrets, and can speak their language. King Guacanagari is afraid to have me near him lest his enemy and mine, and most of alt? yours—Caonabo—should come to capture me and bring, as he did before, ruin in his train. >3 \ “‘Fhen it was he who destroyed La Navidad?’ Cotumbus cried. “T think so,” Arthur responded, “ but even I am not certam. Sit down here, for you are weak from ilfness, and I will tell you all I know.” Cotumbus seated himself on a falten log, and Arthur crouched beside him. “ After you left,” he began, “ things went from bad to worse. The natives came to hate our men more and more because of their cruetty, extortion, and revolting ex- cesses. I was living, at the commander’s orders, in the;home of the king, striving to learn the language. Poor Noanita was ever with me, serving and caring for me. “One night we were both taken bound into the woods by four of Guacanagari’s men. I betieve the plan was in this way to save us from the attack of Caonabo the setttement—an attack m which I believe Guacanagari was more or less a silent part- ner. ““We were bound, so that it would ap- pear that we were already captives in case we were met by any parties of the enemy. This is just what did occur. “We were stopped by a.band of five of Coanabo’s men. Our guides dectared that they had taken us captive, and were con- ducting us to Caonabo. They explained how they were forced to take Noanita lest she move her brqther by her prayers, and he send to rescue me. “The Caonabo braves doubted the truth of all this, because we were considerably out of the direct road. They suggested killing me at once, and one of them, armed with a knife which he had got by trading with those at the fort, came upon me! “Y thought my end had come, and it would have, except that the Princess Noan- ita, bound as she was, threw herself be- tween me and the descending knife. The steel was buried in her heart. She died almost instantly. 2 8 Arcosy DISCOVERY. 13 “* But her death so enraged her servitors that they set upon the Caonabo braves with great fury. They killed two and wounded another, but two of their number were badly mjured. Then, hearing another body of men coming, King Guacanagari’s men fled, and F was left bound in the forest. ““ This oncoming body of natives passed by without seeing me, and finally I man- aged to free my hands. Then I buried the poor woman who had given her life for mine, and hastened back to La Navidad; onty to fmd it in ruins. Alt about were the dead! “T found the body of my friend, Will Harris, and buried it. I also found the Jew doctor, and searched his cold carcass, but my missing miniature was not upon it. Then I went to Guacanagari., He told me that he could no longer protect me, and advised my fleeing to the forest. He told me the whereabouts of the country of Caonabo, so that EF could avoid it. He fairty drove me away. I think he could not forgive me for the death of his beloved sister. And, if it had not been for me, she would have been living stift—the beauti- fal, gentle woods-creature that she was.” - Arthur Lake paused, and gazed sadly out at the sea. Neither man spoke for some time. Finatty the admiral nines “* What do you intend to do now?” ““Go back to Spain as soon as possible,” Arthur cried. ““ Perhaps—perhaps—” and Columbus seemed to be pondering something ds he looked intently at the big, dark-skinned man beside him. ‘““T will speak with you again to-morrow. Meet me here at the same time. It is per- haps just as well that no one in the town knows that you have survived the massacre, and—’’ -“ But my letter?” Arthur cried. not wait until to-morrow for that.” “Tt will be brought here and put under “T will . this log by my brother to-night,’’ Cotumbus promised. “* See, I make a great cross here, in the sand, SO that he can aay find the spot. 73 As he spoke the admiral arose and marked the soft sand, and Arthur sadly noticed how much older the great discov- COMmiicloo S CO@