2 Columbus’ Discovery (1492)
Christopher Columbus’ diary of his first voyage. The original diary was lost, but Bartolomé de Las Casas claimed that his account contained lengthy quotes he had transcribed directly from Columbus. The account describes the determination of the “Admiral” to justify the trust placed in him by the Spanish monarchs as well as his first impressions of the people he met in the Caribbean. He describes the welcome he received and the gift exchanges that he mistakes for barter. The passage quoted here also includes Columbus’ statement that with fifty men he could dominate the natives, although the language is less aggressively translated than in other accounts.
Wednesday October 10th.
He sailed west-southwest at the rate of ten miles an hour and occasionally twelve, and at other times seven, running between day and night fifty-nine leagues [a league is about 3 miles]. He told the men only forty-four. Here the crew could stand it no longer; they complained of the long voyage but the Admiral encouraged them as best he could, giving them hopes of the profits that they might have. And he added that it was useless to murmur because he had come to [in quest of] the Indies and was going to continue until he found them.
Thursday October 11th.
He sailed to the west-southwest, had a high sea, higher than hitherto. The men of the Pinta saw a reed and a stick. Those of the Caravel Niña also saw other indications of land and a little stick loaded with dog roses. In view of such signs they breathed more freely and grew cheerful. They ran until sunset of that day twenty-seven leagues. After sunset he sailed on his first course to the west. They went about twelve miles an hour and two hours after midnight they had run about ninety miles, that is twenty-two and a half leagues. As the Caravel Pinta was a better sailer and had the lead, she made land and showed the signals ordered by the Admiral. The land was first seen by a sailor called Rodrigo de Triana, as the Admiral at ten o’clock at night standing on the castle of the poop saw a light but so indistinct that he did not dare to affirm that it was land. The Admiral however was quite convinced of the proximity of land. In consequence of that when they said the Salve, which they used to say and sing it in their way, all the sailors and all being present, the Admiral requested and admonished them to keep a sharp lookout at the castle of the bow and to look well for land. And said that he would give to him who first saw land a silk doublet besides the other rewards that the King and Queen had promised, namely an annual pension of ten thousand maravedis to him who should see it first.
Two hours after midnight the land appeared, about two leagues off. They lowered all the sails, leaving only a storm square sail, which is the mainsail without bonnets, and lay to until Friday when they reached a small island of the Lucayos called Guanahani by the natives. They soon saw people naked and the Admiral went on shore in the armed boat. The Admiral called the two captains and the rest who had come on shore as witnesses to certify that he in the presence of them all took possession of said island for the King and Queen his masters, making the declarations that were required as they will be found more fully in the attestations then taken down in writing. Soon after a large crowd of natives congregated there. What follows are the Admiral’s own words in his book on the first voyage and discovery of these Indies.
“In order to win the friendship and affection of that people and because I was convinced that their conversion to our Holy Faith would be better promoted through love than through force; I presented some of them with red caps and some strings of glass beads which they placed around their necks, and with other trifles of insignificant worth that delighted them and by which we have got a wonderful hold on their affections. They afterwards came to the boats of the vessels swimming, bringing us parrots, cotton thread in balls, and spears, and many other things which they bartered for others we gave them, as glass beads and little bells. Finally they received everything and gave whatever they had with good will. But I thought them to be a very poor people. I saw but one very young girl, all the rest being young men, none of them being over thirty years of age. Their forms being very well proportioned; their bodies graceful and their features handsome; their hair is as coarse as the hair of a horse’s tail and cut short. They wear their hair over their eye brows except a little behind which they wear long and which they never cut. Some of them paint themselves black and they are of the color of the Canary Islanders, neither black nor white. And some paint themselves white and some red and some with whatever they find. And some paint their faces and some the whole body and some their eyes only and some their noses only. They do not carry arms and have no knowledge of them, for when I showed them the swords they took them by the edge and through ignorance cut themselves. They have no iron; their spears consist of staffs without iron, some of them having a fish’s tooth at the end and the others other things. As a body they are of good size, good demeanor and well formed. I saw some with scars on their bodies and to my signs asking them what these meant, they answered in the same manner that people from neighboring islands wanted to capture them and they had defended themselves. And I did believe and do believe that they came from the mainland to take them prisoners. They must be good servants and very intelligent, because I see that they repeat very quickly what I told them and it is my conviction that they would easily become Christians, for they seem not to have any sect. If it please our Lord, I will take six of them from here to your Highnesses on my departure, that they may learn to speak. I have seen here no beasts whatever, but parrots only.” All these are the words of the Admiral.
Saturday October 13th.
“At dawn many of these men came down to the shore. All are, as already said, youths of good size and very handsome. All without exception have very straight limbs and no bellies, and very well formed. They came to the ship in canoes made out of trunks of trees all in one piece and wonderfully built according to the locality. In some of them forty or forty-five men came, others were smaller, and in some but a single man came. They paddled with a peel like that of a baker and make wonderful speed. And if it capsizes all begin to swim and set it right again and bail out the water with calabashes which they carry. They brought balls of spun cotton, parrots, spears, and other little things which would be tedious to describe, and gave them away for anything that was given to them. I determined to wait until tomorrow evening and then to sail for the southwest, for many of them told me that there was a land to the south and to the southwest and to the northwest. And that those from the northwest came frequently to fight with them and so go to the southwest to get gold and precious stones. This island is very large and very level and has very green trees, and abundance of water, and a very large lagoon in the middle without any mountain, and all is covered with verdure, most pleasing to the eye. In order to lose no time I am now going to try if I can find the island of Cipango [Japan]. At this moment it is dark and all went on shore in their canoes.”
Sunday October 14.
“At dawn I ordered the boat of the ship and the boats of the Caravels to be got ready and went along the island in a north-northeasterly direction to see the other side, which was on the other side of the east and also to see the villages. And soon saw two or three and their inhabitants, coming to the shore calling us and praising God. Some brought us water, some eatables. With fifty men all can be kept in subjection and made to do whatever you desire. Afterwards I returned to the ship and set sail and saw so many islands that I could not decide to which one I should go first, and the men I had taken told me by signs that they were innumerable and named more than one hundred of them. In consequence I looked for the largest one and determined to make for it, and I am so doing.”
Source: “Discovery of America” (1492), Christopher Columbus, Abridged by Las Casas (translated by H. L. Thomas, 1880), American History Told By Contemporaries, Albert Bushnell Hart, ed. (1897). 35-40. https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.45493/page/n55/mode/2up
