placed about the field, to make sure that
nobody should meddle with the experiment.

At midnight, says Enciso, Cemi came to unbind his follower. But before
he could reach him or touch his bonds, the Holy Virgin appeared, clad in
white and bearing a wand. At her approach, Cemi incontinently fled. At a
touch of her wand the bonds fell from the limbs of the Christian
champion, and were added to those already on the limbs of the other man.
Despite the presence of the guards, the Caciques insisted that there had
been trickery, and demanded another trial, to which Comendador,
confident in his faith, agreed. The result was the same as before. Still
they were unconvinced, and demanded a third trial, at which they
themselves would be present as watchers and guards. This also was
granted, and once more the same miracle was wrought. At that the
Caciques all confessed their defeat and the defeat of Cemi, and declared
that the Virgin was worthy to be worshipped.

This auspicious implanting of Christianity and of good relations between
the natives and the Spaniards did not, unfortunately, endure. It was
interfered with by the too common cause of trouble in those days, the
_auri sacra fames_, the accursed lust for gold. We have seen that King
Ferdinand was unwilling, in his niggardliness, for money to be spent
from his treasury for the exploration of Cuba. But after that work had
been done at Ovando's personal cost, Ferdinand desired to reap the
gains, if any there were. The suggestion was revived that Cuba might be
rich in gold. The King suspected that Ovando and others were deceiving
him concerning the island, and were secretly planning to secure its
riches for themselves. These suspicions were materially increased by the
course of Diego Columbus which, while probably quite honest, was lacking
in tact and worldly wisdom. For when Diego succeeded Ovando as
Governor-General or Viceroy of the Indies, at Hispaniola, one of his
first acts was to commission his uncle, Bartholomew Columbus, to lead an
expedition for the exploration and settlement of Cuba. That was a
legitimate and indeed praiseworthy enterprise. But unfortunately Diego
did not secure in advance the King's authority for it, nor did he
acquaint the King with his intentions. His enemies, however, of whom he
had many, were quick to report the matter to the King, putting it in the
light most unfavorable to both Diego and Bartholomew; and the result was
that Ferdinand at once