r. The people fled,
but the sailors captured a young female who was perfectly unclothed,--a
bad omen as to the civilisation of the island,--but an ornament of gold
in her nose gave hope that the precious metal might be found there.

The Admiral soothed her terror by presenting her with beads, brass
rings,--hawks' bells, and other trinkets, and sent her on shore clothed,
accompanied by several of the crew and three Indian interpreters. She
would, however, willingly have remained with the native women she found
on board. The party were afraid of venturing to the village, and,
having set her at liberty, returned to the ship.

The following morning nine well-armed men, with an interpreter from
Cuba, again landed and approached a village containing a thousand
houses, but the inhabitants had fled. The interpreter, however,
overtook them, and telling them that the strangers had descended from
the skies, and went about the world making beautiful presents, they
turned back to the number of a thousand, approaching the Spaniards with
slow and trembling steps, making signs of profound reverence.

While they were conversing another large party of Indians approached,
headed by the husband of the female captive, whom they brought in
triumph on their shoulders. The husband expressed his gratitude for the
magnificent presents bestowed on his wife.

The Indians, now conducting the Spaniards to their houses, set before
them a banquet of cassava bread, fish, roots, and fruits of various
kinds. They presented also numbers of tame parrots, freely offering,
indeed, whatever they possessed.

Delighted as they were with all they saw, the Spaniards still bitterly
complained that they found no signs of riches among the natives. Nature
abundantly supplying all they required, they were without even a
knowledge of artificial wants, and so unbounded was their hospitality,
that they were ready to bestow everything they possessed on their
guests. The fertile earth producing all they required, they preferred
to live in that Arcadian state of simplicity which poets have delighted
to picture. Their fields and gardens were without hedges or divisions
of any sort. They were kind to each other, and required no magistrates
nor laws to keep them in order. Alas! how soon was this happy state of
existence to be destroyed by the cruel, avaricious, and profligate
Spaniards. Unlike their pious, high-minded, and sagacious chief, they
resembled the b