of flagrant "rebellion" and found guilty should be sent to Spain. There
was but one fate awaiting them so that, if not formally approved, the
enslaving of Indians, accused of rebellion, was by this edict tolerated.

Another piece of colonial legislation was effected in 1497 by the issue of
a royal patent to the Admiral, authorising him to grant parcels of land in
the islands to the Spanish colonists; there is no mention in this grant of
repartimientos of Indians to work on the lands. The affairs of the colony
were not prospering, complaints against the Admiral were numerous, and the
situation was much complicated by the open rebellion of the chief justice,
Roldan, in which the unfortunate Indians found themselves, whether they
would or no, involved on one side or the other and, no matter which way
victory went, upon them it fell to pay the costs. Regular raids were
organised upon tribes and villages, on the pretext that a chief had not
performed the services required in lieu of tribute and had fled with his
people to the forests; pursuit followed and all who were captured were
considered rebels taken in open fight and were immediately dispatched in
the vessels of Columbus's fleet, which had reached Hispaniola in August,
1498, to be sold as slaves in Spain. Still invoking the name of the Holy
Trinity, Columbus explained to the sovereigns that he could supply as many
slaves as the Spanish market required, estimating, according to his
information, that four thousand could be disposed of, the value of whom,
together with that of a shipment of logwood, would amount to 40,000,000
maravedis. The consignment mentioned consisted of six hundred slaves, of
whom one third was given to the masters of the ships to cover the carrying
charges.

In the same letter, Columbus asked that the colonists should be allowed to
use Indian labour for a year or two until their affairs should become more
settled and prosperous, and so satisfied was he with the equity of this
arrangement that he set it at once in operation without waiting for the
royal sanction of his plan. After two years of dissensions, Roldan and his
rebellious supporters were pacified and Columbus partitioned lands and
slaves among them with unstinted generosity. Those of Roldan's adherents
who elected to remain in the colony received from the Admiral
repartimientos, consisting of a certain number of hillocks of cazabi (the
plant from which flour for cassava bread was made), whic