Part 26 (1/2)
”Stop it!” Pedro screamed.
The men looked at him like a bug on their bed, to be flicked away.
”She's a child!” he shouted at them.
”She's a woman now,” said Moger. Then he and the others burst out laughing again.
Chipa was already heading for the girl. Pedro tried to stop her. ”No, Chipa.”
But Chipa seemed oblivious to her own danger. She tried to get around one of the men to see to Parrot Feather. He shoved her out of the way - and into the hands of Rodrigo de Triana. ”Let me see if she's alive,” Chipa insisted.
”Leave her alone,” said Pedro. But now he wasn't shouting.
”Looks like this one's a volunteer,” said Clavijo, running his fingers along Chipa's cheek.
Pedro reached for his sword, knowing that there was no hope of him prevailing against any of these men, but knowing also that he had to try.
”Put the sword away,” said Pinzn, behind him.
Pedro turned. Pinzn was at the head of a group of officers. The Captain-General was not far behind.
”Let go of the girl, Rodrigo,” said Pinzn.
He complied. But instead of heading back toward safety, Chipa made for the girl, still lying motionless on the ground, putting her head to the girl's chest to listen for a heartbeat.
”Now let's get back to the stockade and get to work,” said Pinzn.
”Who is responsible for this?” demanded Coln.
”I've taken care of it,” said Pinzn.
”Have you?” asked Coln. ”The gifl is obviously just a child. This was a monstrous crime. And it was stupid, too. How much help do you think we'll get from the Indians now?”
”If they don't help us willingly,” said Rodrigo de Triana, ”then we'll go get them and make them help.”
”And while you're at it, you'll take their women and rape them all, is that the plan, Rodrigo? Is that what you think it means to be a Christian?” asked Coln.
”Are you a Captain-General, or a bishop?” asked Rodrigo. The other men laughed.
”I said I've taken care of it, Captain-General,” said Pinzn.
”By telling them to get back to work? What kind of work will we get done if we have to defend ourselves against the Taino?”
”These Indians aren't fighters,” said Moger, laughing. ”I could fight off every man in the village with one hand while I was taking a s.h.i.+t and whistling.”
”She's dead,” said Chipa. She arose from the body of the girl and started back toward Pedro. But Rodrigo de Triana caught her by the shoulder.
”What happened here shouldn't have happened,” said Rodrigo to Coln. ”But it's not that important, either. Like Pinzn said, let's get back to work.”
For a few moments, Pedro thought that the Captain-General was going to let this pa.s.s, just as he had let so many other slights and contemptuous acts go by unremarked. Keeping the peace, Pedro understood that. But this was different. The men started to disperse, heading back toward the stockade.
”You killed a girl!” Pedro shouted.
Chipa was heading for Pedro, but once again Rodrigo reached out his hand to catch her. I should have waited a little longer, thought Pedro. I should have held my tongue.
”Enough,” said Pinzn. ”Let's have no more of this.”
But Rodrigo couldn't let the accusation go unanswered. ”n.o.body meant her to die,” said Rodrigo.
”If she was a girl of Palos,” said Pedro, ”you would kill the men who did this to her. The law would demand it!”
”Girls of Palos,” said Rodrigo, ”don't go around naked.”
”You are not civilized!” shouted Pedro. ”Even now, by holding Chipa that way, you are threatening to murder again!”
Pedro felt the Captain-General's hand on his shoulder. ”Come here, Chipa,” said Coln. ”I will need you to help me explain this to Guacanagari.”
Chipa immediately tried to obey him. For a moment, Rodrigo restrained her. But he could see that no one was behind him on this, and he let her go. At once Chipa returned to Pedro and Coln.
But Rodrigo could not resist a parting shot. ”So, Pedro, apparently you're the only one who gets to go rutting on Indian girls.”
Pedro was livid. Pulling at his sword, he stepped forward. ”I've never touched her!”
Rodrigo immediately began to laugh. ”Look, he intends to defend her honor! He thinks this little brown b.i.t.c.h is a lady!” Other men began to laugh.
”Put the sword away, Pedro,” said Coln.
Pedro obeyed, stepping back to rejoin Chipa and Coln.
Again the men began moving toward the stockade. But Rodrigo couldn't leave well enough alone. He was making comments, parts of them clearly audible. ”Happy little family there,” he said, and other men laughed. And then, a phrase, ”Probably plowing his own furrow in her, too.”
But the Captain-General seemed to be ignoring them. Pedro knew that this was the wisest course, but he couldn't stop thinking about the dead girl lying back there in the clearing. Was there no justice? Could white men do anything to Indians, and no one would punish them?
The officers were first through the stockade gate. Other men had gathered there, too. The men who had been involved in the rape - whether doing it or merely watching - were the last. And as they reached the gate and it closed behind them, Coln turned to Arana, the constable of the fleet, and said, ”Arrest those men, sir. I charge Moger and Clavijo with rape and murder. I charge Triana, Vallejos, and Franco with disobedience to orders.”
Perhaps if Arana had not hesitated, the sheer force of Coln's voice would have carried the day. But he did hesitate, and then spent a few moments looking to see which of the men would be likely to obey his orders.
That gave Rodrigo de Triana time enough to collect himself. ”Don't do it!” he shouted. ”Don't obey him! Pinzn already told us to go back to work. Are we going to let this Genovese flog us because of a little accident?”
”Arrest them,” said Coln.
”You, you, and you,” said Arana. ”Put Moger and Clavijo under-”
”Don't do it!” shouted Rodrigo de Triana.
”If Rodrigo de Triana advocates mutiny again,” said Coln, ”I order you to shoot him dead.”
”Wouldn't you like that, Coln! Then there'd be n.o.body to argue over who saw land that night!”