Part 46 (1/2)

Gold is not wanting, and it seemeth pa.s.sing singular that a people should possess gold, and not bethink them of the convenience of striking doblas, or some similar coin.”

Peter Martyr and his young pupils laughed at this sally, and then the subject was pushed in another form.

”Pa.s.sing by this question, which belongeth rather to the policy of states than to natural phenomena,” continued Peter Martyr, ”what most struck you as remarkable, in the way of human nature?”

”In that particular, Senor, I think the island of the women may be set down as the most extraordinary of all the phernomerthons we fell in with. I have known women shut themselves up in convents; and men, too; but never did I hear, before this voyage, of either shutting themselves up in islands!”

”And is this true?” inquired a dozen voices--”did you really meet with such an island, Senor!”

”I believe we saw it at a distance, Senores; and I hold it to be lucky that we went no nearer, for I find the gossips of Moguer troublesome enough, without meeting a whole island of them. Then there is the bread that grows like a root--what think _you_ of that, Senor Don Luis? Is it not a most curious dish to taste of?”

”Nay, Master Sancho, that is a question of your own putting, and it must be one of your own answering. What know I of the wonders of c.i.p.ango, since Candia lieth in an opposite course? Answer these matters for thyself, friend.”

”True, ill.u.s.trious Conde, and I humbly crave your pardon. It is, indeed, the duty of him that seeth to relate, as it is the duty of him that seeth not to believe. I hope all here will perform their several duties.”

”Do these Indians eat flesh as remarkable as their bread?” inquired a Cerda.

”That do they, n.o.ble sir, seeing that they eat each other. Neither I nor Don Christopher was invited to any of their feasts of this sort; for, I suppose, they were well convinced we would not go; but we had much information touching them, and by the nearest calculation I could make, the consumption of men in the island of Bohio must be about equal to that of beeves in Spain.”

The speaker was interrupted by twenty exclamations of disgust, and Peter Martyr shook his head like one who distrusted the truth of the account.

Still, as he had not expected any very profound philosophy or deep learning in one of Sancho's character, he pursued the conversation.

”Know you any thing of the rare birds the admiral exhibited to their Highnesses to-day?” he asked.

”Senor, I am well acquainted with several, more particularly with the parrots. They are sensible birds, and, I doubt not, might answer some of the questions that are put to me by many here, in Barcelona, to their perfect satisfaction.”

”Thou art a wag, I see, Senor Sancho, and lovest thy joke,” answered the man of learning, with a smile. ”Give way to thy fancy, and if thou canst not improve us with thy science, at least amuse us with thy conceits.”

”San Pedro knows that I would do any thing to oblige you, Senores; but I was born with such a love of truth in my heart, that I know not how to embellish. What I see I believe, and having been in the Indies, I cannot shut my eyes to their wonders. There was the sea of weeds, which was no every-day miracle, since I make no doubt that the devils piled all these plants on the water to prevent us from carrying the cross to the poor heathens who dwell on the other side of them. We got through that sea more by our prayers, than by means of the winds.”

The young men looked at Peter Martyr, to ascertain how he received this theory, and Peter Martyr, if tinctured with the superst.i.tion of the age, was not disposed to swallow all that it pleased Sancho to a.s.sert, even though the latter had made a voyage to the Indies.

”Since you manifest so much curiosity, Senores, on the subject of Colon, now Admiral of the Ocean Sea, by their Highnesses' honorable appointment, I will, in a measure, relieve your minds on the subject, by recounting what I know,” said Luis, speaking calmly, but with dignity.

”Ye know that I was much with Don Christopher before he sailed, and that I had some little connection with bringing him back to Santa Fe, even when he had left the place, as was supposed for the last time. This intimacy hath been renewed since the arrival of the great Genoese at Barcelona, and hours have we pa.s.sed together in private, discoursing on the events of the last few months. What I have thus learned I am ready to impart, if ye will do me the grace to listen.”

The whole company giving an eager a.s.sent, Luis now commenced a general narrative of the voyage, detailing all the leading circ.u.mstances of interest, and giving the reasons that were most in favor at the time, concerning the different phenomena that had perplexed the adventurers.

He spoke more than an hour; proceeding consecutively from island to island, and dilating on their productions, imaginary and real. Much that he related, proceeded from the misconceptions of the admiral, and misinterpretations of the signs and language of the Indians, as a matter of course; but it was all told clearly, in elegant, if not in eloquent language, and with a singular air of truth. In short, our hero palmed upon his audience the results of his own observation, as the narrative of the admiral, and more than once was he interrupted by bursts of admiration at the vividness and graphic beauties of his descriptions.

Even Sancho listened with delight, and when the young man concluded, he rose from his chair, and exclaimed heartily--

”Senores, you may take all this as so much gospel! Had the n.o.ble Senor witnessed, himself, that which he hath so well described, it could not have been truer, and I look on myself to be particularly fortunate to have heard this history of the voyage, which henceforth shall be my history, word for word; for as my patron saint shall remember me, naught else will I tell to the gossips of Moguer, when I get back to that blessed town of my childhood.”

Sancho's influence was much impaired by the effects of Luis' narrative, which Peter Martyr p.r.o.nounced to be one that would have done credit to a scholar who had accompanied the expedition. A few appeals were made to the old seaman, to see if he would corroborate the statements he had just heard, but his protestations became so much the louder in behalf of the accuracy of the account.

It was wonderful how much reputation the Conde de Llera obtained by this little deception. To be able to repeat, with accuracy and effect, language that was supposed to have fallen from the lips of Columbus, was a sort of ill.u.s.tration; and Peter Martyr, who justly enjoyed a high reputation for intelligence, was heard sounding the praises of our hero in all places, his young pupils echoing his words with the ardor and imitation of youth! Such, indeed, was the vast reputation obtained by the Genoese, that one gained a species of reflected renown by being thought to live in his confidence, and a thousand follies of the Count of Llera, real or imaginary, were forgotten in the fact that the admiral had deemed him worthy of being the repository of facts and feelings such as he had related. As Luis, moreover, was seen to be much in the company of Don Christopher, the world was very willing to give the young man credit for qualities, that, by some unexplained circ.u.mstance, had hitherto escaped its notice. In this manner did Luis de Bobadilla reap some advantages, of a public character, from his resolution and enterprise, although vastly less than would have attended an open admission of all that occurred. How far, and in what manner, these qualities availed him in his suit with Mercedes, will appear in our subsequent pages.

[Ill.u.s.tration]