by his time and his companions. Sometimes, in the future,
forced by the people we came among, but far oftener forced by greed and
lust and violence of our own. Alas, again! Alas, again and again!
After Santa Maria de la Concepcion, Fernandina, and after Fernandina
the most beautiful of islands, Isabella, where we lay three days. People
upon this island seemed to us more civilized than the Salvador folk.
The cotton was woven, loin cloths were worn, they had greater variety of
calabashes, the huts were larger, the villages more regular. They slept
in "hamacs" which are stout and wide cotton nets slung between posts,
two or three feet above earth. Light, space-giving, easy of removal,
these beds greatly took our fancy.
Here we sought determinedly for spice-giving trees and medicinal herbs
and roots. It was not a spicery such as Europe depended upon, but still
certain things seemed valuable! We gathered here and gathered there what
might be taken to Spain. There grew an emulation to find. The Admiral
offered prizes for such and such a commodity come upon.
We sailed from Isabella and after three days came to Cuba.
CHAPTER XVIII
CUBA! At first he called it Juana, but we came afterwards still to use
the Indian name. Cuba! We saw it after three days, and it was little
enough like Isabella, Fernandina, Concepcion, San Salvador and the
islets the Admiral called Isles de Arena. It covered all our south, no
level, shining thing that masthead could see around, but a mighty coast
line, mountainous, with headlands and bays and river mouths. Now after
long years, I who outlive the Admiral, know it for an island, but
how could he or I or any know that in November fourteen hundred and
ninety-two? He never believed it an island.
He stood on deck watching. "Cuba--Cuba! Have you not read of Cublai
Khan? The sounds chime!"
"Cublai Khan. He lives in Quinsai."
"Ay. His splendid, capital city. Buildings all wonderful, and gardens
like Mahound's paradise!"
"But if it is Cipango?"
"Ay. It may be Cipango. We have no angel here to tell us which. I would
one would fly down and take us by the hand! Being men, we must make
guesses."
Beautiful to us, splendid to us, was this coast of Cuba! We sailed by
headlands and deep, narrow-necked bays, river mouths and hanging forests
and bold cliffs. We sailed west and still headland followed headland,
and still the lookout cried, "It stretched forever like the main!"
We came to a
|