The last of April fell the second sickness and it
was far worse than the first. Eleven men died,
and we buried them. When it passed we were twenty-five
Spaniards in Hispaniola, and we liked not the Indians
as well as we had done, and they liked not us.
Oh, the pity—pity—pity, the pity
and the blame!
Guacanagari came to visit the commandant, none with
him but the butio Guarin, and desiring to speak with
Arana out of the company. They talked beneath
the big tree, that being the most comfortable and
commodious council chamber. Don Diego was imperfect
yet in the tongue of Guarico, and he called Juan Lepe
to help him out.
It was a story of Caonabo, cacique of Maguana that
ran into the great mountains of Cibao, that cacique
of whom we had already heard as being like Caribs.
Caonabo had sent quite secretly two of his brothers
to Guacanagari. He had heard ill of the strangers
and thought they were demons, not gods! He advised
the cacique of Guarico to surprise them while they
slept and slay them. It was in his experience
that all who ate and slept could be slain. If
his brother Guacanagari needed help in the adventure,
Caonabo would give it. He would even come in
person.
Diego de Arana said, “What did you answer, O
Cacique.”
Guacanagari spoke at some length of our Great Cacique
and his longing that he might return. Everything
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.”
