had many cares and anxieties on his mind from which they were exempt; for the whole responsibility of the expedition rested upon him, and the safety of the ships depended upon his vigilance. The constant watching both night and day, and the continued strain on his mind, were too much for him, and no sooner did he near Isabella, than, the necessity for exertion being at an end, he was struck with a sudden malady, which deprived him of memory, sight, and all his other faculties: he was brought back to the harbour in a state of insensibility, and his crew even feared death was at hand.

On his return to consciousness he was surprised and delighted to find his brother Bartholomew by his bed-side. Bartholomew had been sent out to the island by the Spanish sovereigns, to take supplies to the colony, and he had landed at Isabella a short time before Columbus's return. The arrival of his brother was a great relief to Columbus, and he immediately invested him with the office of Adelantado, or lieutenant-governor of the island; an office Bartholomew was well suited to perform, for he had a most fearless spirit, and was prompt and decided in action; and though possessed of less genius than Columbus, his strong sense and good judgment made him a better man of business.

And at no time did Columbus more need assistance. He found the colony in a state of faction and rebellion. During his absence the rebels,

headed by Don Pedro Margarite, the officer whom he had left in command of the army, had set the authority of Diego completely at defiance. They went marching about the island without control or discipline, indulging in the most riotous excesses, and, having done as much harm as they could, took possession of some ships that were lying at anchor in the harbour, and embarked for Spain. The soldiers, meanwhile, left quite uncontrolled, roamed about the country from village to village, ill-treating and oppressing the Indians, and taking possession of all the gold and provisions that they could lay their hands upon. Indignant at such treatment, the Indians were converted from hospitable hosts into vindictive enemies, and soon came to open hostilities with the Spaniards.

On Columbus's return, he soon restored tranquillity to the island, and, by his good management and conciliation, brought the caciques to their former friendly footing. It was not long, however, before the Indians were in arms again. The caciques formed a league against the Spaniards, and assembled with a large multitude of Indians, in the neighbourhood of Isabella, with the intention of attacking that city. Columbus had by this time recovered his health, and being informed of the league, he took the field with a small force of two hundred infantry and twenty horse, and marched against the Indians. His little army was more than a match for thousands of such enemies. At the first discharge of the Spanish

arquebuses the Indians were struck with terror, and fled in confusion. They were pursued by the Spanish cavalry, who bore down upon them and cut them to pieces, while, at the same time, twenty bloodhounds were let loose, and rushed with fury

upon the poor naked savages, throwing them to the ground and tearing them to pieces. These ferocious animals, which the Spaniards had brought with them from Spain, were constantly employed by them in their wars against the Indians, to the extreme terror of the latter, who had never seen any animals of the sort before. They were also much frightened at the sight of the horses, which they imagined to be as fierce and devouring as the dogs.

This victory completely subdued the Indians, and Columbus, anxious that the island should become a source of wealth to his sovereigns, imposed a tribute upon them of gold dust, in the regions where gold was to be found, or else of cotton. The payment of this tribute bore heavily upon the unfortunate Indians. Unaccustomed to labour, they were now obliged to toil in the fields under a burning sun, or to wander by the river banks sifting the sand for gold. They saw no hope of freeing themselves from the yoke of their oppressors, and despair seized upon them. They refused to cultivate those roots and plants which formed the principal articles of food, hoping, by this means to starve the Spaniards out of the island; and they themselves left their habitations

E

and fled to the mountains, hiding in forests and caverns from their pursuers, and scarcely daring to venture out in search of food. Thousands of them perished miserably of famine, terror, or fatigue; and those who survived, finding all resistance hopeless, at last returned to their habitations, and submitted humbly to the Spaniards.

While affairs were going on thus unhappily in the island, Margarite and his disaffected crew had arrived in Spain. They described to Ferdinand the wretched state of the island, which they said was entirely owing to the mismanagement of Columbus. They accused him of great cruelty and oppression; and, in short, so shamefully misrepresented his conduct, that not only was Ferdinand's confidence in him destroyed, but his severe displeasure was kindled against him.

Columbus, in the meanwhile, was well aware that his enemies were busy undermining his reputation. The news of his sovereign's dissatisfaction soon reached him, and he found that it was necessary for him to return to Spain without loss of time, in order to dispel the cloud of calumny that was gathering against him. He therefore appointed his brother the Adelantado governor of the island, and set sail for Spain. He took with him about thirty Indians, having previously sent over at different times more than five hundred, with the advice that they should be sold as slaves, to help to defray the expenses of the colony.

After a weary voyage of eight months Columbus

landed in the bay of Cadiz. His popularity in Spain had been gradually lessening, and his reception in his adopted country was a cold one. This,

and the belief that he was out of favour with his sovereigns, added to his general depression of spirits. He was, however, immediately invited to court, where he was kindly received by Ferdinand and Isabella, who made no allusion to the complaints which Margarite and others had brought against him.

Encouraged by the kindness of the king and queen, and by the interest they displayed in his recent discoveries, Columbus soon proposed to make a third expedition. To this, though with some unwillingness on the part of Ferdinand, the sovereigns gave their consent. But the charm with which the New World had once been invested was destroyed, and Columbus found great difficulty in procuring men for the expedition. At length six vessels were fitted out, and, in May 1498, Columbus set sail on his third voyage of discovery.

PART III.

Columbus, in this third voyage, took a more southerly course than in the two former ones. The first land that he discovered was the island of Trinidad, which lies on the north-eastern coast of South America. From thence he entered the Gulf of Paria, which separates Trinidad from the