ian--He succeeds--The cacique
escapes on his way down the river--Is supposed to be lost--Columbus
prepares to sail--Indians attack the settlement--Driven off--Tristan
goes up the river for water--He and his party destroyed by the Indians--
Settlement again attacked--The Spaniards entrench themselves--No
communication possible with the ships--Fearful tragedy on board--Gallant
conduct of Ledesma--The settlement abandoned--The ships, pierced by the
teredo, unseaworthy--One abandoned at Puerto Bello--Stands across to
Cuba--A tempest--Narrow escape--In vain endeavouring to get westward,
steers for Jamaica--The caravels run on shore and prepared for defence--
Diego Mendez obtains provisions--Crosses in a canoe to Hispaniola--
Mutiny of Porras and others--They put to sea in canoes--Driven back by a
storm--Misconduct on shore--Instigate the Indians to withhold
provisions--Columbus predicts an eclipse of the moon--A second mutiny--
Arrival of Escobar--Refuses to take Columbus away--Adventures of
Mendez--Porras persists in his rebellion--Porras captured by the
Adelantado--Vessels arrive--Columbus reaches San Domingo--Reaction in
his favour--Returns with his brother to Spain--His last illness and
death.

The vessels put into Puerto Bello, then once more stood westward; but
the wind, again heading them, began to blow with such terrible violence,
that they were obliged once more to run back towards the port they had
left; but before they could reach it, they were driven out to sea by a
terrific gale. Here for days they were tossed about, while the rain
poured down in a perfect deluge, and to add to the terror of the seamen
a waterspout was seen approaching, from which they narrowly escaped.
For a short time the tempest ceased, but again raged with greater fury
than before. No serious damage, however, having occurred, the vessels
at length, on the 3rd of February, 1503, came to an anchor off the river
Yebra, which was within a league of another river known as the Veragua,
running through the country said to abound in gold-mines.

Both rivers were sounded, and the Yebra, or Belen as Columbus called it,
being somewhat the deepest, the caravels entered it at high tide. At
first the natives assumed a menacing attitude, but assured by the guides
of the pacific intentions of the Spaniards, they received them in a
friendly way. Besides a quantity of fish and provisions, they brought
also numerous golden ornaments,--objects delighting t