Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1891-09-10

the earE0 ana making signs or alteration.
During the ceremonies of taking possess
sion they remained gazing in timid ad-
miration at the complexion, the boards,
the shining armor and splendid dress Of
the Spaniards.
The admiral particularly attracted
their attention from his commanding
height, his air Of authority, his dress Of
scarlet and the Difference which was
paid him by his companions, all which
! pointed him out to be the commander.
When they had still further recovered
from their fears they approached the
Spaniards, touched their boards and ex-
ainined their hands and faces, adnifiiiEagg
their whiteness. Columbus was pleased
with their gentleness and confiding sim
plicity, and suffered their scrutiny with
perfect acquiescence, winning them by
his benignity. They now supposed that
the ships had sailed out Of the crystal
armament which bounded their horizon,
or had descended from above on their
ample wings, and that these marvellous
beings were inhabitants Of the skies.
The natives of the island were no less
objects Of curiosity to the Spaniards, diff
fering, as they did, from any race Of men
they had ever seen. Their appearance
gave no promise Of either wealth or civ
ilization, for they were entirely naked,
and painted with variety Of colors
With some it was confined merely to q
part of the face, the nose or around tho
eyes; with others it extended to ths
whole body, aud gave them wild and
fantastic appearance. Their complexion
was of tawny or copper hue, and they
were entirely destitute Of boards Their
hair was not crisped, like the recently
discovered tribes of the African coast,
under the same latitude, but straight
and coarse, partly cut short above the
ears, butsome locks were left long behind
and falling upon their shoulders Their
features, though obscured and dis6gured
by paint, were agreeable; they had lofty
foreheads and remarkably fine eyes.
They were Of moderate stature and well
formed; most of them appeared to be
under thirty years of age: there was but
one female with them, quite young,
naked like her companions, and beauti-
fully formed
As Columbus supposed himself to have
landed on an island at the extremity
of India, he called the natives by the
general appellation Of Indians, which
was universally adopted before the true
nature Of his discovery was known, and
has since been extended to all the aborig-
inals Of the New World
The islanders were friendly and gen
tie. Their only arms were lances, hard
ened at the end by fire, or pointed with
a flint, or the teeth or bone Of fish.
There was no iron to be seen, nor did
they appear acquainted with its proper
ties; for, when a drawn sword was pre-
sented to them, they unguardedly took
it by the edge.
Columbus distributed among them
colored caps, glass beads, hawks bells
and other trihes, such as the Portuguese
were accustomed to trade with among
the nations Of the gold coast Of Africa.
They received them eagerly, hung the
beads round their necks, and were Won
derfu1ly pleased with their finery and
with the sound of the bells Tho Span
iards remained all day on shore refresh
ing themselves after their anxious voy-
age amid the beautiful groves of the
island, and returned ON board late in the
evening delighted with all they had seen.
On the following morning, at break Of
day, the shore was thronged with the
natives; some swan off to the ships,
others came in light barls which they
called canoes, formed Of single tree,
followed, and capable of holding from
one man to the number Of forty or fifty.
These they managed dexterously with
paddles, and, if overturned, swan about
in the water with perfect unconcern, as
if in their natural element, righting their
canoes with great facility, and bailing
them with calabashes.
They were eager to procure more toys
and trinkets, not apparently from any
idea Of their intrinsic value, but because
everything from tho hands Of the stran-
gers possessed supernatural virtue in
their eyes, as having been brought from
heaven; they even picked up fragments
of glass and earthenware as valuable
prizes. They had but few objects to
offer in return, except parrots, of which
greatnumbers were domesticated among
them, and cotton yarn, Of which they
had abundance, and would exchange
large balls of five and twenty pounds
weight for the merest trife.
They brought also cakes of kind Of
bread called cassava, which constituted
principal part of their food. and was
afterward an important article Of pro-
visions with the Spaniards. 1t was
formed from q great root called yuca,
which they cultivated in fields This
they cut into small morsels, which they
grated or scraped, and strained in a
press, making a broad, thin cake, which
was afterward dried hard and would
keep for long time, being stepped in
water when eaten. 1t was insipid, but
nourishing, though the water strained
from it in the preparation was a deadly
poison. There was another kind of yuca
destitute of this poisonous quality, which
was eaten in the root, either boiled or
roasted
The avarice Of the discoverers was
/ quickly excited by the sight Of small or
naments Of gold worn by some Of the
natives in their noses. These the latter
gladly exchanged for glass beads and
hawks bells, and both parties exulted
in the bargain, no doubt admiring each
others simplicity. AS gold, however,
was an object of royal monopoly in all
enterprises of discovery, Columbus for
bade any traffic in 1t without his express
/ sanction: and he put the same prohibi-
! ton on the traffic for cotton, reserying
to the crown all trade for it, wherever it
should be found in any quantity.
He inquired Of the natives where this
gold was procured. They answered him
by signs, pointing to the south where,
he understood them, dwelt king OF
Such wealth that he was served in vessels
of wrought gold. He understood also
that there was land to the south, the
southwest and the northwest. and that
the people from the last mentioned quar-
ter frequently proceeded to the south
west in quest of gold and precious stones,
making in 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
I invaders. 1t is evident that great part
of his fancied intelligence was self de-
fusion on the part of Columbus, for he
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