others went to him and thought it a great wonder, and it
seemed to them that we were good people, and that the other man, who
had fled, had done us some harm, and that therefore we were carrying him
off. And this was why I treated the other man as I did, commanding him
to be released, and gave him the said things, so that they might have
this opinion of us, and so that another time, when your Highnesses send
here again, they may be well disposed. And all that I gave him was not
worth four maravedis."

Columbus had set sail at ten o'clock for a "large island" he mentions,
which he called Fernandina, where, from the tales of the Indian
captives, he expected to find gold. Half way between this island and
Santa Maria, he met with "a man alone in an almadia which was passing"
(from one island to the other), "and he was carrying a little of their
bread, as big as one's fist, and a calabash of water and a piece of red
earth made into dust, and then kneaded, and some dry leaves, which must
be a thing much valued among them, since at San Salvador they brought
them to me as a present.(*) And he had a little basket of their sort, in
which he had a string of little glass bells and two blancas, by which I
knew that he came from the Island of San Salvador. * * * He came to the
ship; I took him on board, for so he asked, and made him put his almadia
in the ship, and keep all he was carrying. And I commanded to give him
bread and honey to eat, and something to drink.

(*) Was this perhaps tobacco?

"And thus I will take him over to Fernandina, and I will give him all
his property so that he may give good accounts of us, so that, if it
please our Lord, when your Highnesses send there, those who come may
receive honor, and they may give us of all they have."

Columbus continued sailing for the island he named Fernandina, now
called Inagua Chica. There was a calm all day and he did not arrive in
time to anchor safely before dark. He therefore waited till morning, and
anchored near a town. Here the man had gone, who had been picked up the
day before, and he had given such good accounts that all night long the
ship had been boarded by almadias, bringing supplies. Columbus directed
some trifle to be given to each of the islanders, and that they should
be given "honey of sugar" to eat. He sent the ship's boat ashore for
water and the inhabitants not only pointed it out but helped to put the
water-casks on board.

"This people," he