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Updated: June 25, 2025
Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here. Utias we had and iguana, fish, cassava bread, potato, many a delicious fruit, and that mild drink that they made.
"All old things and ways are broken," said Guacanagari. "All our life is broken. I do not know what we have done. The women sit and weep. And I, too, sometimes I weep!" The seventh day came in Alonso de Ojeda from St. Thomas. The Viceroy and the Adelantado and Ojeda talked alone together in the Viceroy's house. But next day was held a great council, all our principal men attending.
Guacanagari, it seemed, since the sighting of the ships, had made collection on his part. He gave enough gold to make lustful many an eye looking upon that scene. The women brought food and set before the Spaniards in the house.
Guacanagari was willing that a second fort should be built on the site of the first, but the admiral thought it better to seek a new locality, both because the position of the old fort had been unhealthy, and because the disgusting licentiousness of the settlers had offended the Indians to such an extent that whereas they had at first regarded the white men as angels from heaven, now they considered them as debased profligates and disturbers of the peace, against whom they had to defend their honour and their lives.
He made the admiral sit down, with much courtesy and respect, and taking the crown from his own head, put it on that of the admiral; who, in return, took a string of curious glass beads of many colours, and very showy, from his own neck, and put it round the neck of Guacanagari, and also put on him a loose coat of fine cloth which he then happened to wear.
We cannot help thinking of the hospitable and faithful Guacanagari, and imagining that, if his race had been like him, some one might already have reached the regions of the blessed.
It was in his experience that all who ate and slept could be slain. If his brother Guacanagari needed help in the adventure, Caonabo would give it. He would even come in person. Diego de Arana said, "What did you answer, O Cacique." Guacanagari spoke at some length of our Great Cacique and his longing that he might return. Everything had gone well while he was here! "He will return," said Arana.
Guacanagari made him a courteous answer, expressing much sorrow for his approaching departure; and one of his attendants said that several canoes had been sent along the coast to seek for gold.
De Arana looked doubtfully, and I saw him determine to keep watch and ward and to hold the men within or near to fort. But Guacanagari sat serene. He repeated that there were always preliminaries before wars, and that for a long time there had only been peace between Guarico and Maguana. "Caonabo is Carib," said the young copper priest. The cacique answered, "Carib long ago. Not now."
They came to a good harbor at the mouth of a river, where they saw a fine house, which they supposed might be the home of Guacanagari. They met an armed party of one hundred Indians; but these men put away their weapons when signals of peace were made, and brought presents in token of good-will. The house to which they went was round, with a hemispherical roof or dome.
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