nsubordinate,
infuriating all who suffered penalties, teaching insolence, self-will
and license. They drew their own feather to them, promising evil knows
what freedom for rapine.

All the silver weather, golden weather, diamond weather since we had
left Gomera in the Canaries--how many ages since!--now was changed. We
had thought it would last always, but now we entered the long season of
great heat and daily rain. At first we thought these rains momentary,
but day after day, week after week, with stifling heat, the clouds
gathered, broke, and came mighty rain that at last ceased to be
refreshing, became only wearying and hateful. It did not cool us; we
lived in a sultry gloom. And the garrison of La Navidad became very
quarrelsome. La Navidad showed the Indians Europeans cursing one
another, giving blows, only held back by those around from rushing at
each other, stabbing and cutting. Finally they saw Tomaso Passamonte
kill one Jacamo. Diego de Arana hung Tomaso Passamonte. But what were
the Indians to think? Not what they thought when first we came from the
winged canoes to their beaches.

The last of April fell the second sickness and it was far worse than
the first. Eleven men died, and we buried them. When it passed we were
twenty-five Spaniards in Hispaniola, and we liked not the Indians as
well as we had done, and they liked not us. Oh, the pity--pity--pity,
the pity and the blame!

Guacanagari came to visit the commandant, none with him but the butio
Guarin, and desiring to speak with Arana out of the company. They talked
beneath the big tree, that being the most comfortable and commodious
council chamber. Don Diego was imperfect yet in the tongue of Guarico,
and he called Juan Lepe to help him out.

It was a story of Caonabo, cacique of Maguana that ran into the great
mountains of Cibao, that cacique of whom we had already heard as being
like Caribs. Caonabo had sent quite secretly two of his brothers to
Guacanagari. He had heard ill of the strangers and thought they were
demons, not gods! He advised the cacique of Guarico to surprise them
while they slept and slay them. It was in his experience that all who
ate and slept could be slain. If his brother Guacanagari needed help in
the adventure, Caonabo would give it. He would even come in person.

Diego de Arana said, "What did you answer, O Cacique."

Guacanagari spoke at some length of our Great Cacique and his longing
that he might return. Everything