After Santa Maria de la Concepcion, Fernandina, and
after Fernandina the most beautiful of islands, Isabella,
where we lay three days. People upon this island
seemed to us more civilized than the Salvador folk.
The cotton was woven, loin cloths were worn, they
had greater variety of calabashes, the huts were larger,
the villages more regular. They slept in “hamacs”
which are stout and wide cotton nets slung between
posts, two or three feet above earth. Light,
space-giving, easy of removal, these beds greatly
took our fancy.
Here we sought determinedly for spice-giving trees
and medicinal herbs and roots. It was not a spicery
such as Europe depended upon, but still certain things
seemed valuable! We gathered here and gathered
there what might be taken to Spain. There grew
an emulation to find. The Admiral offered prizes
for such and such a commodity come upon.
We sailed from Isabella and after three days came
to
Cuba.
CUBA! At first he called it Juana, but we came
afterwards still to use the Indian name. Cuba!
We saw it after three days, and it was little enough
like Isabella, Fernandina, Concepcion, San Salvador
and the islets the Admiral called Isles de Arena.
It covered all our south, no level, shining thing
that masthead could see around, but a mighty coast
line, mountainous, with headlands and bays and river
mouths. Now after long years, I who outlive the
Admiral, know it for an island, but how could he or
I or any know that in November fourteen hundred and
ninety-two? He never believed it an island.
He stood on deck watching. “Cuba—Cuba!
Have you not read of Cublai Khan? The sounds
chime!”
“Cublai Khan. He lives in Quinsai.”
“Ay. His splendid, capital city. Buildings
all wonderful, and gardens like Mahound’s paradise!”
“But if it is Cipango?”
“Ay. It may be Cipango. We have no
angel here to tell us which. I would one would
fly down and take us by the hand! Being men,
we must make guesses.”
Beautiful to us, splendid to us, was this coast of
Cuba! We sailed by headlands and deep, narrow-necked
bays, river mouths and hanging forests and bold cliffs.
We sailed west and still headland followed headland,
and still the lookout cried, “It stretched forever
like the main!”
We came to a river where ships might ride. Sounding,
we found deep water, entered river mouth and dropped
anchor, then went ashore in the boats. Palms and
their water doubles, and in the grove a small abandoned
village. We had seen the people flee before us,
and they were no more nor other kind of people than
had showed in Concepcion or Fernandina. Yet were
they a little wealthier. We found parrots on
their perches, and two dogs, small and wolf-like that
never barked. In one hut lay a harpoon tipped
with bone, and a net for fishing. In another we
found a wrought block of wood which Fray Ignatio pronounced
their idol.
