At sunset, the rain ceasing for a little, the earth
smoking, the west a low, vaporous yellow, the swollen
river sounding, Diego de Arana had summoned by the
drum every man in La Navidad. He stood beneath
our banner and put his hand upon the staff and spoke
earnestly to those gathered before him, in their duty
and out of their duty. He told of Caonabo, and
of his own sense that Guacanagari was too confident.
He told of Guacanagari’s fidelity to the Admiral,
and he appealed to every Christian there to be at
least as faithful. We were few and far from Spain,
and we had perhaps more than we could conceive in
trust. “Far from Spain, but no farther
than we will from the blessed saints and the true
Christ. Let us put less distance there, being
few in this land and in danger!”
He knew that he had a dozen with him, and looked straight
at Escobedo.
The latter said, “Live in the open and die there,
if need be! To live in this rat hole, breathing
plague, is dying already! Caonabo is a fable!
These people! Spaniards have but to lift voice
and they flee!”
He received from his following acquiescent sound.
Spoke Pedro Gutierrez. “Guacanagari wishes
to bottle us here; that is the whole of it. Why
play his game? I never saw a safer land!
Only La Navidad is not safe!”
Those two had half and perhaps more than half of the
garrison. Arana cried, “Don Roderigo de
Escobedo and Don Pedro Gutierrez, you serve the Queen
ill!”
“You, Senor,” answered Gutierrez, “serve
my Lady Idle Fear and my Lord Incapacity!”
Whereupon Arana put him in arrest and he lay that
night in prison. The cloud was black over La
Navidad.
IT did not lighten. Escobedo waited two days,
then in the dark night, corrupting the watch, broke
gaol for Pedro Gutierrez and with him and nine men
quitted La Navidad. Beltran the cook it was who
heard and procured a great smoking torch, and sent
out against them a voice like a bull of Bashan’s.
Arana sprang up, and the rest of us who slept.
They were eleven men, armed and alert. There
were shouts, blows, a clutching and a throwing off,
a detaining and repelling. In the east showed
long ghost fingers, the rain held away. They
were at the gate when we ran upon them; they burst
it open and went forth, leaving one of their own number
dead, and two of them who stayed with Arana desperately
hurt. We followed them down the path, through
the wood, but they had the start. They did not
go to Guarico, but they seized the boat of the Santa
Maria which the Admiral had left with us and went
up the river. We heard the dash of their oars,
then the rain came down, with a weeping of every cloud.
The dead man they left behind was Fernando. I
had seen Pedro in the gate, going forth.
Fourteen men, two of whom were ill and two wounded,
stayed at La Navidad. Arana said with passion,
“Honest men and a garrison at one! There
is some gain!”
