had gone well while he was here! "He
will return," said Arana. "And he has your word."

Guacanagari stated that he meant to keep his word. He had returned
answer to Caonabo that there had been misfortunes but that the mighty
strangers were truly mighty, and almost wholly beneficent. At any rate,
he was not prepared to slay them, did not wish to slay them.

Arana spoke vigorously, pointing out to the cacique all the kindliness
that had attended our first intercourse. The unhappinesses of February,
March and April he attributed to real demons, not to our own fiend but
to small powers at large, maleficent and alarmed, heathen powers in
short, jealous of the introduction of the Holy Catholic religion.
Guacanagari seemed to understand about these powers. He looked relieved.
But Guarin who was with him regarded the sea and I saw his lip curl.

The commandant wished to know if there were any danger of Caonabo,
alone, descending upon us from the mountains. But no! Maguana and
Guarico were friends. They had not always been so, but now they were
friends. De Arana looked doubtfully, and I saw him determine to
keep watch and ward and to hold the men within or near to fort. But
Guacanagari sat serene. He repeated that there were always preliminaries
before wars, and that for a long time there had only been peace between
Guarico and Maguana. "Caonabo is Carib," said the young copper priest.
The cacique answered, "Carib long ago. Not now."

At sunset, the rain ceasing for a little, the earth smoking, the west
a low, vaporous yellow, the swollen river sounding, Diego de Arana
had summoned by the drum every man in La Navidad. He stood beneath our
banner and put his hand upon the staff and spoke earnestly to those
gathered before him, in their duty and out of their duty. He told of
Caonabo, and of his own sense that Guacanagari was too confident. He
told of Guacanagari's fidelity to the Admiral, and he appealed to every
Christian there to be at least as faithful. We were few and far from
Spain, and we had perhaps more than we could conceive in trust. "Far
from Spain, but no farther than we will from the blessed saints and the
true Christ. Let us put less distance there, being few in this land and
in danger!"

He knew that he had a dozen with him, and looked straight at Escobedo.

The latter said, "Live in the open and die there, if need be! To live in
this rat hole, breathing plague, is dying already! Caonabo is a fable!
These peop