Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-10-29

tGnanCe. III Is supposed lndb UneSe must
have been manate or seacalves, seen in
distinctly aud at distance, and that
the Imagination of Columbus, disposed
to give wonderful character to every
thing in this New World, had identified
these nisshnpen animals with the sirens
of ancient story.
On the evening Of the 9th January
they again made sail, and on the follow
ing day arrived AZ the river where Pin
zon bad teen trading, to which Column
bus gave the name of Rio de Gracia
but it took the apbellation of its orig
inal discoverer and long continued TO
be known as tine river of Martin Alonzo
The natives Of this place complained
that Pinzon on his previous visit had
violently carried off four men and two
girls. The admiral, finding they were
retained on board of the Pinta to be
carried to Spain and sold as slaves, or
dered them to be Immediately restored
to their homes, with many presents and
well clothed, to atone for the wrong they
had experienced This restitution was
made with great unwillingness and
many high words on the part Of Pis.on.
The wind being favorable, for in THESE
regions the trade wind is often alternated
during autumn and winter by north
westerly breezes, they continued coast
ing the island until they came to high
and beautiful headland, to which they
gave the name Of Capo del Enamorado,
or the Lovers Cape, but which at
present is known as Cape Cabron. A
i,,
bay, or rather gulf, three leagues in
breadth and extending so far inland
that Columbus at first supposed it an
arm of the sea separating Hispanola
from some other land. On landing they
found the natives quite different from
the gentle and pacific people hitherto
met with on this island. They We're Of
a ferocious aspect and hideously painted.
Their hair was long, tied behind and
decorated with the feathers of parrots
and other birds of gaudy plumage.
Some were armed with war clubs. 9th
ers had bows of the length of those used
by the English archers, with arrows Of
slender reeds, pointed with hard wood,
or tipped with bone or the tooth of a
fish. Their swords were of palm wood,
as hard and heavy as iron; not sharp,
but broad, nearly of the thickness of two
fingers and capable, with one blow, of
cleaving through helmet to the very
brains Though thus prepared for com
bat, they made no attempt to modest the
Spanarls. On til" contrary, they sold
them two of their bows and several Of
their arrows, and one of them WAS pre-
vailed upon to go Oh BOARD or the adj
milnls snip
Columbus was persuaded, from the fe-
rocious looks and hardy, undaunted
manner of thi. wild warrior, that he
and his companions We're of the nation
of C:ribs SO much dreaded throughout
these seas. and that the gulf in which he
was anchored must be 4 strait separat-
ing their island from Hispaniola On
inquiring Of the Indian, however, he still
pointed to the east as the quarter where
lay the Caribbean islands He spoke
also of an island called Mantinino, which
Columbus tancied him to say was peo
pied merely by women, who received the
CaribS among them once a year for the
sake OF continuing the population OF
their island All the male progeny re-
sulting from such visits We're delivered
to the fathers, the female remained with
the mothers.
This Asuazonlan island is repeatedly
mentioned III the course Of the voyages
Of Columbus. and is another of his self
decisions, to be explained by the work
Of Marco Polo. That traveller described
two islands near the coast Of Asia one
inhabited solely by women, the other by
men, between which 4 similar inter-
course subsisted, and Columbus suppos-
ing himself in that vicinity, easily inter-
preted the signs of the Indians tocoincide
with the descriptions of the Venetian.
Having reSalcd the warrior and made
him various presents, the admiral sent
him on shore IN hopes, through his me-
diation, Of opening trade for gold with
his ct'>IpaniOus. As the ut approached
the land, upward Of fifty sayaSes armed
with bows and arrows, war clubs and
javelins, were seen lurking among the
trees. On word from the Indian who
was in the boat, they laid by their arms
and came forth to meet the Spaniards.
Tie latter, according to directions from
the admiral endeavJred to purchase seY-
eral OF Their weapons, to take as Culo5
i'lns TO Spin. they parted with two OF
their bows. bat suddenly conceiVina
some distrust or thinking to ovcrpowel
this handful Of strangers, they rush ID tC
the place whore they had left their
weapons, sn"tched them up and re-
turned wItI cords. as if to bind the
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