Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-10-02
SUPPLEMENT- OCT ODER 2

ter frequently proceeded to the south
west in quest Of gold and precious stones,
making i'll their way descents upon the
islands and carrying off the inhabitants.
Several of the natives showed him scars
of wounds received in battles with these
! invaders 1t is evident that great part
of his fancied intelligence was self de-
fusion on the part of Columbus, for he
was under spell of the imagination,
which gave its own shapes md colors to
every object. He was persuaded that he
had arrived among the islands described
/ by Marco Polo as lying opposite Cathay,
in the Chinese sea, and he construed
everything to accord with the account
/ given Of those opulent regions. Thus the
enemies which the natives spoke of as
coming from the northwest he concluded
| to be the people Of the mainland of Asia,
the subjects Of the great khan of Tar
| tary, who were represented by the Vene-
| tan traveller as accustomed to make war
upon tho islands and to enslave their in
| habitants The country TO the south,
! abounGing in gold, could be mono other
/ than the famous island Of Cipango; and
| the king who was served out Of vessels
! Of gold must be the monarch whose mag
nihcent city and gorgeous palace, COW
cred with plates of gold, had been ex-
tolled III such splendid terms by Marco
| Polo.
The island where Columbus had thus
! for the first time set his foot upon the
New World was called by the natives
! Guanahane 1t still retains the name Of
| San Salvador, which he gave to it,
though called by the English Cat island.
| The light which he had seen the evening
t,Iv,,vus W ms nIahing Iand may nave
been on Watling's island, which lies
/ few leagues to the east. San Salvador
is o2e OF the great cluster Of the Lucayos
or Bahama islands, which stretch south
| east and northwest from the coast of
Florida to Hispaniola, covering the
northern cost of Cuba.
On the morning of the 14th of October
the admiral set off at daybreak with the
boats Of the ships to reconnoiter the
island, directing his course to the north
east. The coast was surrounded by Il
reef of rocks, within which there was
depth of water and sufficient harbor TO
receive all the ships in Christendom-
The entrance was very narrow. Within
there We're many sand banks, but the
water was as still as in a pool
The island appeared throughout to be
well wooded, with streams of water and
largo lake in the center. As the boats
proceeded they passed two or three vii
/ ~, ,,,l, foI,
well as women, ran to the shores, throw
ing themselves on the ground, lifting up
their hands and eyes, either giving
thanks to heaven, or worshiping the
| Spaniards as supernatural beings, They
ran along parallel to the boats, calling
after the Spaniards and inviting them
by signs to land, offering them various
fruits and vessels Of water. Finding,
| however, that the boats continued on
their course, many threw themselves
| into the sea and swan after them, and
others followed in canoes. The admiral
received them all with kindness, giving
them glass beads and other trihes,
which We're received with transport as
celestial presents, for the invariable idea
of the savages was that the white men
| had come from the skies,
In this way they pursued their course
until they came to a small peninsula
which with two or three days labor
might be separated from the mainland
and surrounded with water, and WAS
therefore specified by Columbus as an
excellent situation for fortress. On
this We're six Indian cabins, surrounded
by groves and gardens as beautiful as
/ those Of CASTLE The sailors being
wearied with rowing and the island not
| appearing TO the admiral Of sufficient
| Importance to induce colonization, he re-
| turned to the ships taking seven of the
natives with him, that they might ac-
qujre the Spanish language and serve us
/ interpreters.
Having taken in n supply Of wood and
water, they left the island of San Saliva
dor the same evening, the admiral being
| impatient to arrive at the wealthy couu-
try TO the south, which he lattered him
self would prove the famous island Of
| Cipango,