He had one
piece that weighed, they said, five thousand castellanos.
Roldan too had gold. And the Governor was sending no
man knew how much. More than that--" He looked
at us, then, being a kindly soul, quoth, "Why shouldn't the
Admiral know? Alonso de Carvajal has put on board the
_Santa Clara_ for the Admiral's agent in Cadiz five thousand
pieces--fully due, as the Governor had allowed."
Door was opened. "His Excellency the Governor will
see you now."
Why tarry over a short story? Don Nicholas de Ovando
pleaded smoothly the Sovereign's most strict command
which _in any_ to disobey were plain malfeasance! As he
spoke he looked dreamily toward blue harbor and the
_Consolacion_. And as to a ship! Every ship, except two or
three, old and crippled and in the hands of the menders,
no whit better it was certain than the _Margarita_, was laded
and on the point of sailing. Literally he had none, absolutely
not one! He understood that Jamaica was expressly named
to the Admiral for resting and overhauling. Careen the
_Margarita_ there and rectify the wrong--which he trusted
was not great. If ships had been idle and plentiful--but
he could not splinter any from the fleet that was sailing
to-morrow. He was sorry--and trusted that the Admiral
was in health?
Terreros said, "His ship is worse off than you think,
Excellency.
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