Their capture.

The fugitive cacique, however, finding that Maiobanex’s people were ill-disposed towards him, quitted, of his own accord, their territory; but by so doing, he was not enabled to save his generous host, who, with his family, was surprized and taken; and Guarionex himself being shortly afterwards captured and put in chains at Fort Concepcion, the two caciques probably shared the same prison.  Thus concludes a story, which, if it had been written by some Indian Plutarch, and the names had been more easy to pronounce, might have taken its just place amongst the familiar and household stories which we tell our children, to make them see the beauty of great actions.

CHAPTER IX.

COLUMBUS’S THIRD VOYAGE.

A good starting-point for that important part of the narrative which comes next—­namely, the discovery of the American continent by Columbus—­will be a recital of the first clause in the instructions given by Ferdinand and Isabella to the admiral, in the year 1497, previously to his undertaking his third voyage—­a voyage which, though not to be compared to his first one, is still very memorable, on account of the discoveries he made, and the sufferings he experienced in the course of it.

The first clause of the instructions is to the effect, that the Indians of the islands are to be brought into peace and quietude, being reduced into subjection “benignantly;” and also, as the principal end of the conquest, that they be converted to the sacred Catholic Faith, and have the holy Sacraments administered to them.

It will be needless to recount the vexations of that “much-enduring man,” Columbus, before his embarkation.  Suffice it to say, that he set sail from the port of San Lucar on the 30th of May, 1498, with six vessels, and two hundred men, in addition to the sailors that were necessary to navigate the vessels.  In the course of his voyage he was obliged to avoid a French squadron which was cruizing in those seas, as France and Spain were then at war.  From Gomera, one of the Canary islands, he despatched three of his ships directly to Hispaniola, declaring in his instructions to their commanders, that he was going to the Cape Verde islands, and thence, “in the name of the Sacred Trinity,” intended to navigate to the south of those islands, until he should arrive under the equinoctial line, in the hope of being “guided by God to discover something which may be to His service, and to that of our Lords, the King and Queen, and to the honour of Christendom;” “for, I believe,” he adds, “that no one has ever traversed this way, and that this sea is nearly unknown.”

  Cape Verde islands.