He shut them, and I sitting
near brought my will as best I could to the quieting
of all heavy and sorrowful waves.
But then the cacique came. So small was the _Nina_ that
we could hear well enough the word of his arrival. The
Admiral opened his eyes and sat stiffly up. He groaned
and took his head into his hands, then dropped these and
with a shake of his shoulders resumed command. So many
and grievous a sea had dashed over him and retreated and
he had stood! What he said now was, "The tide of the
spirit goes out; the tide comes back in. Let it come back a
spring tide!"
Guacanagari entered. This cacique, whose fortunes now
began to be intertwined with ours, had his likeness, so far
as went state and custom, to that Cuban chieftain whom Luis
Torres and I had visited. But this was an easier, less
strongly fibred person, a big, amiable, indolent man with
some quality of a great dog who, accepting you and
becoming your friend, may never be estranged. He was
brave after his fashion, gifted enough in simple things. In
Europe he would have been an. easy, well-liked prince or
duke of no great territory. He kept a simple state, wore
some slight apparel of cotton and a golden necklet. He
brought gifts and an unfeigned sympathy for that death
upon the sand bar.
He and the Admiral sat and talked together.
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