"When he sails home, I will sail with him!" said the Admiral,
"My name is hurt, the truth is wounded!"
In the third week of Aguado's visit, arose out of far
ocean and rushed upon us one of those immense tempests
that we call here "hurricane". Not a few had we seen
since 1492, but none so great, so terrible as this one. Eight
ships rode in the harbor and six were sunk. Aguado's four
caravels and two others. Many seamen drowned; some got
ashore half-dead.
"How will I get away? I must to Spain!" cried Aguado.
The Admiral said, "There is the _Nina_."
The _Nina_ must be made seaworthy, and in the end we
built a smaller ship still which we called the _Santa Cruz_.
Aguado waited, fretting. Christopherus Columbus kept
toward him a great, calm courtesy.
It was at this moment that Don Bartholomew found,
through Miguel Diaz, the mines of Hayna, that was a great
river in a very rich country. The Adelantado brought to
Isabella ore in baskets. Pablo Belvis, our new essayer,
pronounced it true and most rich. Brought in smaller measures
were golden grains, knobs as large as filberts, golden
collars and arm rings from the Indians of Bonao where
flowed the Hayna.
"Ophir!" said the Admiral. "Mayhap it is Ophir!
Then have we passed somewhere the Gulf of Persia and
Trapoban!"
With that gold he sailed, he and Aguado and two small
crowded ships.
Pages:
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309