he exclaimed,
Paremos aqui en el nombre de Dios,
Let us stay here in the name of God. He immediately
landed and began to erect a fortress, which was named
Nombre de Dios, from the above mentioned expression.
He had not been long here till he found himself as
much straitened for provisions as at Bethlehem, on
which account he sent one of his ships to St Domingo
to request assistance from the governor. Scarcely
was this vessel out of the port, before that with Colmenares
arrived from the river Darien, with the invitation
to take the command of the Spanish colony at that
place. Colmenares and his men were so astonished
to see the miserable condition of Nicuessa and seventy
of his people, who were all that remained with him
at Nombre de Dios, that they shed tears. They
were lean, ragged, and barefooted, and excited pity
by the recital of the intolerable distresses they
had undergone, and the numbers of their companions
who had already died.
Colmenares did all he could to comfort Nicuessa, telling
him that the people of Darien wished him to come and
assume the government of that colony, which was situated
in a fine country abounding in provisions, and which
did not want gold. Nicuessa began to recover his
spirits, by the seasonable supply of provisions, and
the comfortable intelligence brought by Colmenares,
and gave thanks to God for this merciful relief.
But he soon forfeited the reputation for prudence
which he had formerly enjoyed among the colonists
of Hispaniola; as, forgetting the miserable condition
from which he was so recently relieved, and not considering
that the people of Darien had submitted to his authority
of their own free will, he foolishly declared in public
that he would take all their gold from them on his
arrival, and would even punish them for encroaching
on his province. This news soon spread abroad,
and heaven had the imprudence to send a caravel before
him to Darien, having a desire to examine some islands
which lay in the way thither. That same night,
Olano, who still remained a prisoner, conversed with
some of the people who came from Darien, to incense
them against Nicuessa; and when Nicuessa was embarking,
he said to some of those who were in his confidence,
“Nicuessa fancies he will be as well received
by Hojedas men, as by us after his shipwreck at Veragua,
but he will probably find a considerable difference.”
James Albetes and the bachelor Corral were in the
caravel which went before, and gave notice to the
colonists at Darien of the threats which Nicuessa had
made, of taking away their gold and punishing them;
saying that his misfortunes had rendered him peevish
and cruel, abusing all who were under his authority.
From the little islands which he had stopped to explore,
Nicuessa sent one Juan de Cayzedo to acquaint the
colony at Darien of his approach; and this man being
privately his enemy, still farther exasperated the
people against him, so that they came to a resolution
not to admit him into the colony. This resolution
was principally forwarded by Balboa, who secretly
advised all the principal people to exclude him, yet
declared in public that he was for receiving Nicuessa,
and even got the public notary to give him a certificate
to that effect[1].
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