With the exception of a circumstance to be presently referred to, nothing more was known of the island for eight years, when it was again visited by the great navigator under circumstances of the most painful character. Though basely used by the nation he had served with such fidelity, the fourth voyage of Columbus was marked by many brilliant discoveries. Great disasters, however, followed, and at length, with only two shattered, leaky vessels, he put into Puerto-Beuno (or Dry Harbour) on the 23rd of June, 1503. Finding no natives and no good water, he next day sailed to a sheltered spot since called Don Christopher's Cove. Here he ran his vessels ashore side by side, and having lashed them together, erected a thatched roof over all. In this pitiable condition the heroic discoverer remained for twelve months, his hardships aggravated by the ravages of a cruel disease, the misconduct of many of his men, and above all by the heartlessness of the governor of Hayti, who for a long time delayed to send succour, though early informed of his misfortunes.

Columbus endeavoured to establish friendly intercourse with the natives, and arranged to pay for all the provisions they brought. At the same time he endeavoured to maintain rigid discipline amongst his men. Diego Mendez explored the island as far as its eastern extremity, and made arrangements with the different caciques to send in ample supplies of food, for which payment was to be made in trinkets, and other articles of European manufacture. This valuable service performed, he volunteered to carry a letter to Ovando, the governor of Hayti, describing the circumstances in which Columbus was placed, and requesting that a ship might be immediately sent to his relief.

With one Spanish comrade and six Indians, Mendez set forth in a canoe on his perilous errand, but hostile Indians encountered him, and obliged him to return.

Nothing daunted he again started, but with six Spaniards and ten Indians, and after terrible hardships, and the death of an Indian from thirst, he reached Cape Tiburon. After a series of adventures he arrived in the presence of Ovando. This man delayed for months to send the required assistance, and it was not till the faithful Mendez, with great difficulty, procured a ship on his own responsi

bility, that Ovando sent another to accompany it, and thus enabled Columbus to leave the island.

The period which elapsed between the departure and the return of Mendez had been an eventful one. Sickness had broken out and intensified the feelings of despondency with which the crews regarded their wearisome detention. About the sixth month two brothers named Porras headed a mutiny. The kindly endeavours of Columbus to conciliate the infuriated mob having failed, his brother Bartholomew adopted sterner measures, and ultimately the brothers Porras and the greater portion of the crew seized ten canoes which had been bought from the Indians, and put to sea, intending to reach Hayti. The attempt failed, provisions fell short, and the Indians who had been forcibly impressed by the mutineers as rowers were cast overboard: some clung to the sides of the canoes, but their hands were cut off. The Spaniards returned to land, and subsequently made two other equally fruitless attempts to reach Hayti. For a long time after this they wandered about the east end of Jamaica, ill treating the Indians and seizing their provisions; and to add to their perfidy, told these poor people to go to Columbus for payment, and to kill him if he refused.

The supplies, which had hitherto been freely brought to the stranded vessels, now began to fail, and it was at this crisis that Columbus resorted to the often told expedient to work upon the fears of the Indians.

Knowing that an eclipse of the moon was at hand, he gave out that the great God he worshipped was angry with the people of the land for not supplying his wants, and that at a certain hour he would hide the moon in darkness. So it happened. In terror the Indians besought him to intercede on their behalf; this, after some reluctance, he promised to do, and as the darkness passed away they ascribed it to his prayers. From that day there was no scarcity of food, though the Indians could not understand how these strange foreigners could consume ten times as much as they were accustomed to do.

A heavy trial now arose from another quarter. Ovando had secretly sent a small ship under the command of Diego de Escobar, an avowed enemy of Columbus, to see in what position that great navigator was really placed.

This man delivered a piece of bacon and a barrel of wine to Columbus, waited a few hours for a letter, and then sailed away. A deep gloom now fell upon the minds of all, even the courage of the most faithful began to fail. About this time the great navigator addressed one of the most pathetic letters to be found on record to the Spanish sovereigns, in which he pourtrayed the accumulating horrors of his position. The letter is even more affecting from the fact that he had but little hope that it would ever reach its destination.

Though Columbus had sent to Porras a portion of the trifling present he had received at the hands of Escobar, that bad man was far from reciprocating this act of generosity, and endeavoured to excite the evil feelings of his companions still more by declaring that no vessel had arrived that what people thought they saw was only a phantom ship, caused by the magical arts of Columbus; and foolish as this may appear, it gained credence in that superstitious age. At length the mutineers returned to the neighbourhood of the ships, and took possession of Mayma, an Indian village situated near the spot where Seville was subsequently erected.

They soon after proceeded to attack Columbus; but Bartholomew, with a few brave men, sallied forth, and failing in an attempt to make an amicable arrangement, he took Francisca de Porras prisoner, and slew several of his followers. Thus the rebellion was crushed, and soon after the ships sent by Diego Mendez and Ovando arrived. Columbus, in the joy of deliverance, was ready to forget past misconduct, and all save Francisca were freely pardoned. On the 28th of June, 1504, the island was left, and for a few years appears to have remained unvisited. But the quietude of Indian life was again to be disturbed; and a reign of cruelty, followed by the total annihilation of all the aboriginal inhabitants, was only too soon inaugurated.

CHAPTER II.

SPANISH OCCUPATION.

THE only authentic notice we have of Jamaica, between the first and second visit of Columbus to its shores, is of an incidental character.

The enterprising though unscrupulous navigator, Alonzo de Ojeda, during his explorations in these seas ran short of provisions, and despatched a caravel to Jamaica, under the command of Juan de Vergara, to see what could be obtained. An ample supply of food was procured from the natives, though on what terms does not appear. This was about the year 1502.

To this same Alonzo, in concert with Diego Nicuessa, the island was subsequently assigned by the court of Spain as a kind of common appanage to the government of Darien, which had been conferred upon them. These men soon quarrelled about the limits of their respective districts, but Diego Columbus, the son of the great discoverer, settled the difficulty so far as it related to Jamaica. The same dishonourable course of conduct pursued towards Christopher Columbus had been adopted in reference to Diego. But he was not disposed to submit quietly to the wrong, and instituted proceedings in the grand court of the Indies to obtain possession of all the privileges which belonged to him by right of inheritance from his father. The result was that he was declared to be hereditary viceroy and high admiral of all the lands Columbus had discovered; and that he was entitled to one-tenth of the gold and silver which should at any time be procured. In face of this verdict, the king refused to confirm him in anything beyond the government of Hayti, and it is questionable if he would have done even this had not Diego strengthened his position by marriage with a lady connected with several of the most powerful families in Spain.

He arrived at the seat of government in July, 1509, and with his wife, who was commonly addressed as the vice-queen, established a reign of splendour and refinement

wonderful in a new colony. Soon after he sent Juan de Esquivel with seventy men to take possession of Jamaica. Ojeda on hearing this declared that he would have the head of Esquivel if he found him in the island. The latter, however, proceeded on his errand in November, 1509, and succeeded in bringing the Indians under subjection without bloodshed. It is a remarkable fact that though this man had subdued an insurrection among the Indians in Hayti a few years before by the adoption of the most severe measures, he was the mildest governor the aborigines of Jamaica ever had. The nobility of his character was very strikingly illustrated a few months after his settlement in the island. Ojeda, after a series of extraordinary adventures, had been cast upon the shores of Cuba in great distress, so that notwithstanding his former threats of vengeance he was compelled to send to Esquivel for succour. A ship was immediately despatched to bring him to Jamaica. Esquivel received him into his dwelling, treated him with the greatest kindness, and when sufficiently refreshed, enabled him to proceed to Hayti. Ever after they were the best of friends.

The adventures of Columbus naturally rendered the neighbourhood of Santa Gloria a place of interest to all who had served under that great hero. Juan de Esquivel, probably assisted by Diego Columbus, accordingly laid the foundations of the first city, near the site of the deserted Indian village of Mayma. It was called Sevilla Neuva, and a few fragmentary remains may still be traced among the cane-fields of Seville estate. When Sir Hans Sloane visited the island, some of the ruins were in a tolerable state of preservation; and from his account, and from other sources of information, an idea may be formed of the original design of its founders.* One inscription bore the name of Peter Martyr, who is described as being the abbot. On this account he is often spoken of as having resided on the island, but of this there is no evidence. He was originally a soldier, then, after the fashion of many in those days, he became a priest, and was subsequently appointed a member of the council of the Indies, abbot of Seville in Jamaica, and prior of the church at Grenada in Spain. He died in 1526. Three years before his death he wrote a valuable * Sir Hans Sloane's "History of Jamaica," vol. i.