in Biscay, as I sailed 138 long leagues in a direct line from west to east.  Once known it must be desired, and once seen one desires never to leave it; and which, being taken possession of for their Highnesses, and the people being at present in a condition lower than I can possibly describe, the Sovereigns of Castile may dispose of it in any manner they please in the most convenient places.  In this Espanola, and in the best district, where are gold mines, and, on the other side, from thence to terra firma, as well as from thence to the Great Khan, where everything is on a splendid scale—­I have taken possession of a large town, to which I gave the name of La Navidad, and have built a fort in it, in every respect complete.  And I have left sufficient people in it to take care of it, with artillery and provisions for more than a year; also a boat and coxswain with the equipments, in complete friendship with the King of the islands, to that degree that he delighted to call me and look on me as his brother.  And should they fall out with these people, neither he nor his subjects know anything of weapons, and go naked, as I have said, and they are the most timorous people in the world.  The few people left there are sufficient to conquer the country, and the island would thus remain without danger to them, they keeping order among themselves.

“In all these islands it appeared to me the men are contented with one wife, but to their governor or king they allow twenty.  The women seem to work more than the men.  I have not been able to discover whether they respect personal property, for it appeared to me things were common to all, especially in the particular of provisions.  Hitherto I have not seen in any of these islands any monsters, as there were supposed to be; the people, on the contrary, are generally well formed, nor are they black like those of the Guinea, saving their hair, and they do not reside in places exposed to the sun’s rays.  It is true that the sun is most powerful there, and it is only twenty-six degrees from the equator.  In this last winter those islands which were mountainous were cold, but they were accustomed to it, with good food and plenty of spices and hot nutriment.  Thus I have found no monsters nor heard of any, except at an island which is the second in going to the Indies, and which is inhabited by a people who are considered in all the islands as ferocious, and who devour human flesh.  These people have many canoes, which scour all the islands of India, and plunder all they can.  They are not worse formed than the others, but they wear the hair long like women, and use bows and arrows of the same kind of cane, pointed with a piece of hard wood instead of iron, of which they have none.  They are fierce compared with the other people, who are in general but sad cowards; but I do not consider them in any other way superior to them.  These are they who trade in women, who inhabit the first island met with in going from Spain to the