e been touching here? Of need now it will be
oftener and oftener!"

But still many pined with hope deferred.--And then, out of the blue,
arose first Diego de Escobar's small ship, and later the two good ships
sent by Don Nicholas de Ovando.

The Admiral of the Ocean-Sea lodged in the Governor's house in San
Domingo. Who so courteous as Don Nicholas, saving only Don Cristoval?

Juan Lepe found certain ones and his own eyes to tell him of island
fortunes. Here was Sancho, a bearded man, and yet looked out the youth
who had walked from Fishertown to Palos strand. "Oh, aye! San Domingo's
growing! It's to be as great as Seville, with cathedral and fortress and
palace. White men build fast, though not so fast as the Lord!"

"The Governor?"

"Oh, he makes things spin! He's hard on the Indians--but then they've
surely given us trouble!"

He told of new forts and projected towns and an increasing stream
of ships, from Spain to Spain again. "We're here to stay--as long as
there's a rock of gold or anything that can be turned into gold! The old
bad times are over--and that old, first simple joy, too, Doctor!--Maybe
we'll all ship for Ciguarre."

But no. The colony now was firm, with thousands of Spaniards where once
had stood fivescore. Luis Torres sat with me and he told me of Indian
war,--of Anacaona hanged and Cotubanama hanged, of eighty caciques
burned or hanged, of _peace_ at last. Now the Indians worked the mines,
and scraped the sands of every stream, and likewise planted cotton
and maize for the conquerors. They were gathered in _repartimentios,
encomiendas_, parceled out, so many to every Spaniard with power. The
old word "gods" had gone out of use. "Master" was now the plain and
accurate term.

The Governor was a shrewd, political, strong man,--not without his
generosities to white men. But no dreamer! He put down faction, but
there was now less faction to put down. All had been united in mastering
the Indian, and now with peace the getting of wealth was regularized. He
had absolutely the ear of King Ferdinand, and help from Spain whenever
he called for it. Yes, he was fairly liked by the generality. And had
I noticed the growth in cowls and processions? Mother Church was moving
in.

The next day I met again Bartolome de Las Casas.

September now--and a ship from Spain, bringing the news that the Queen
was ill. There was another who was ill, and that was the Admiral of the
Ocean-Sea:

"I must go--and we