Argosy, Vol. 120, No. 1 — page 124: what you’re looking at

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

we %. 8 cin ‘the chieftain. 114 THE ARGOSY. erer seemed than when last he had seen him. ‘“‘' Why should I not accompany you back to Isabella?” Arthur demanded. “ It will bring me that much nearer to Spain.” Columbus smiled strangely: “I will tell you all that to-morrow,” he announced. ““ Now, good night. I am glad—more glad than I can tell you—that you are alive, my son. God has preserved you, and for a pur- pose! 5] That night Arthur received his precious letters, and the next day the admiral made known his wishes. CHAPTER NLIV. COLUMBUS'S ENVOY. OLUMBUS wanted to establish friendly relations with Caonabo and his people, or failing in this, to effect the capture of In these schemes, Arthur Lake would be of immense value to him, and so, on the island of Espanola, Arthur remained! Not without protest, however, for he was most anxious to return to his sweetheart. Judith had again written to him, having refused to believe De Torres’s sad tale of’ the extermination of all the garrison at La Navidad. It was a beautiful letter, and the young lover hastened to reply, sitting at the admiral’s own desk and writing with the admiral’s own quill. Columbus stood by, smiling somewhat sadly at the impetuous energy of this big brown man whom the Spaniards supposed to be a friendly native. _ Columbus took advantage of the presence of such an able scribe to dictate a long let- ter. to the sovereigns, who had sent: assur- ances by De Torres of their continued faith and high esteem, besides a general letter to the colonists, urging them to obey the ad- miral in all his wishes and to bow to his authority. Later on, Columbus entrusted to Arthur the writing of other and more important letters. These were sent to the sister of De Torres, the royal nurse, who had always been a firm supporter of Columbus. In these epistles, the Genoese revealed matters ~ ee concerning the colony which he wished con- veyed secretly to the queen. He told of his trials and troubles, and made accusa- tions against various men by name, begging the queen to aid him in diplomatically re- moving them. _ Shortly after, it became necessary for Columbus to send his brother, Diego, to protect his interests at court. For colonial matters were in a very bad way; many dis- contented men, some of them possessed of powerful influence, had returned to Spain with complaints. With Diego went the sorry showing df gold. Teeling how little he had to return, Columbus dared to ship five hundred cap- tive natives to be sold as slaves! This, despite the fact that De Torres had brought emphatic words from Isabella, begging that even the man-eating Caribs be converted to Christianity by some other means than force. Meanwhile things went from bad to worse in Espanola. It is true that through Arthur: Lake’s information, the chieftain, Caonabo, was captured, but the mines of his country proved to be less rich than had been supposed. The sovereigns were disappoint- ed. The priest, sent out by the Pope to take charge of the conversion of the natives, returned in disgust to Spain with bitter tales. Although the queen did not say that she believed all that was said against the ad- miral, she at least listened to his accusers. She was very angry about the slaves. And when Columbus created his brother, Bartholomew, adelantado, or governor of the island, Ferdinand, thinking that this was a presumption, added his insinuations to the luckless admiral’s detractors. Ships plied often between the two worlds. Arthur heard every time from Judith, and he never failed to send a-letter back to her. Nor did Columbus fail to receive infor- mation from Spain, and always these let- ters brought forth hints of his waning favor. Something must be done to increase the re- turns from the mines. The admiral firmly believed that gold would blind the monarchs to all his mismanagement and mistakes. He imposed a tribute upon the whole na- eee ee ll el el * a ot — ell cCoOmiclooks.cO