VOYAGE OF STRANGERS (23 page)

This reputation must have run before us, for on the far side of the valley, we found the Taino had barred their doors against us and fled when we approached. In fact, the sticks or canes that crossed the open doorways of their huts were less a barrier than a signal that any Taino would have known to respect. My heart was troubled at this sign, another among many, of the fragility of the Taino’s defenses against us, should we choose to overpower them completely.

Marching further into the mountains beyond the valley, we found a grassy tableland on a river bend. We stopped there to water the horses, which once having satisfied their thirst immediately began to graze. The men, too, bent to drink. First one, then another exclaimed as we spied grains of gleaming gold in the sandy river bottom we could see through the clear, rushing water. With a shout, one of the troopers held up a nugget as big as his thumb.

“Look at this! I didn’t believe it, but it must be true, for here is the proof.”

Admiral Columbus, who had remained ahorse while one of the boys refilled his water skin, held out his hand.

“We are but servants of the Crown, gentlemen, and to the Crown belongs all treasure that we find.” As the reluctant trooper laid the nugget in the Admiral’s palm, Columbus added, “Any man found keeping gold in secret for himself will be punished by whipping, and if the offense be repeated or the stolen amount substantial, by having his ears and nose slit.”

None dared grumble at this pronouncement. The Admiral set the interpreter Diego Columbus, who for all his faults I could not suspect of harboring a lust for gold, to collect the grains the men had gathered in their hats or kerchiefs, as well as a few small nuggets, most less than the size of a currant or seed. When the leather pouch was full, he hung it at his own saddle bow.

The Admiral looked about him with a nod of satisfaction.

“Gentlemen, here we will build a fort. And for the Doubting Thomases among you, whose doubts have been confounded on this spot, I name it Santo Tomas.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Santo Tomas – Ponton – Isabela, March 16 - April 12, 1494

When the Admiral returned to Isabela, leaving a Catalan soldier named Margarit as commander, I remained to work at the building of Santo Tomas. I would have worried about Rachel, had not Hutia come to assure me that she was well and happy among the Taino. He had no difficulty finding me. Our presence must have appeared to the Taino as a black and stinking scar on the landscape, for wherever we went, they quickly appeared—or ran away, as happened more frequently as they got to know us.

Hutia told me that Rachel kept all the women laughing as she insisted on learning to do everything they did, from making
yuca
bread to bouncing the
batu
off her forehead. I was afraid that the Admiral would insist that I accompany him back to the coast, where his concern for Rachel might interfere with our plans. I could not tell him she was living with the Taino. But he did not seek me out. He had other preoccupations than two young
marranos
whose father he had once known. As the lust for gold consumed him, he seemed to become a different man from the kind patron and protector I had known.

Since our number was small, discipline was relaxed at Santo Tomas. Hutia introduced me as his friend and b
rother at the Taino village of Ponton, near the river its residents had helped us cross. I spent my leisure hours there, playing
batey
and eating much better than my comrades who remained close to the half-built fort.

As can happen with sport, I quickly formed a bond with the young men on my side. I became especially fond of two of them. One was a handsome young man they called Iguana, for the ugliest creature in the islands, a lizard that must surely be closely related to the dragon. The other was a happy-go-lucky fellow with a more prominent nose than most of the Taino, whom they called Aguta, for a furry anim
al with a long snout. I didn’t understand the joke that made all of them, even Aguta, shout with laughter every time they referred to Aguta’s white teeth, until I learned that this animal’s teeth are venomous. The fellowship of sport must be universal, for these Indians constantly shouted insults at each other as the bouncing ball flew from one to the next around the
batey
court.

In short, I was happy. Constant sunshine and soft breezes made it hard to dwell on anger, fear, or sadness. Everywhere I looked, I saw the bright colors and flashing movement of abundant birds and butterflies. Flowers heavy with scent, lush vines and grasses, and towering trees that provided shade as we cut down the smaller ones to build a palisade made this place a true paradise. It rained every afternoon, but
the water was warm and didn’t fall for long. The brief downpour left every leaf sparkling like a jewel and the air suffused with rainbows.

This idyll soon came to an end. As I learned later, the Admiral and his company had had a terrible time making their way back to Isabela. The weather had been miserable once they crossed the mountains, and delays due to the flooded streams had caused their stores of wine and biscuit to give out. At Isabela, they found food enough, for the crops we had planted were growing well. But illness was still rife, and many of the men had died. Grumbling had increased, and Don Diego, whom the Admiral had left in charge, had not the force of character to quell what might become a mutiny. Some of the most discontented were the best armed, for the
caballeros
would do no work that they could not do on horseback. This naturally caused great resentment in the rest.

The Admiral, ever decisive, sent several hundred men under Captain Hojeda to join us at Santo Tomas, thus ridding Isabela of the loudest grumblers and giving them occupation and proximity to the source of gold. He hoped this last would stop them from demanding to go home to Spain. What happened before they reached the new fort was entirely Hojeda’s fault. I saw it all, for I happened to be in Ponton. I had stripped to a clout and painted my face like a Taino to play
batey
. My skin, never fair, had grown brown as an Indian’s from running about half naked. The Spanish soldiers who marched into the village did not recognize me.

Ho
jeda knew that the Taino didn’t regard property as we did. On his first visit to Ponton, scouting for the gold of Cibao, he had received many gifts from the people there, but reprimanded them for trying to take the Spaniards’ possessions in return. The Taino truly did not understand the Europeans’ lack of
matu’m
. Nor did they have a word for theft. So the tragedy that unfolded that day could not have been prevented.

When Hojeda and his men arrived in Ponton, the
cacique
of the village came out to greet him. As always, the Taino bore gifts of gold and food. But Hojeda didn’t even look at these offerings. What caught his eye and aroused his ire was the fact that the
cacique
was garbed in Spanish clothing. This had been a gift from villagers who had taken a fancy to these garments when they had helped the Admiral’s men cross the river on their way back to Isabela. Out of
matu’m
, they had not kept these treasures for themselves, but bestowed them on their chief.

At first, Hojeda dissembled, smiling as he asked the
cacique
who had given him these splendid garments. The Taino were deceived, and to my dismay, my friends Aguta and Iguana stepped forward. Perhaps they thought they were to be commended in some way. Nor did the chief see any secret to be guarded in this act of generosity. Hojeda then became enraged. Roaring about ingratitude and thievery, he ordered soldiers to seize and shackle not only my friends but the
cacique
himself as well. He demanded to know the principal offender in stealing the garments. Aguta, now realizing that the Spanish captain meant them harm, stepped forward to spare Iguana, who was the younger. Hojeda then ordered the soldiers to cut off Aguta’s ears.

As the rest of the villagers and I looked on in horror, the sentence was carried out on the spot. Aguta wept with the pain but stood as straight as he could out of pride. Nor did he scream, for his mother and sisters were among those who witness
ed this cruelty, and he did not want to make their distress even greater than it was. When it was done, Hojeda told off a well-armed guard to escort the prisoners back to Isabela to submit to the Admiral’s justice, while he and the rest continued on to Santo Tomas.

I could do nothing, dressed as I was. As soon as the Spaniards had quitted the square, I was beseiged by the
cacique
’s family and advisers as well as Aguta’s and Iguana’s families, all begging me to do something. I assured them I would do whatever I could and shook off their clutching hands so I could hurry into my European clothes and make for Isabela. I hoped I could persuade the Admiral not to punish these poor souls further for what they could not even now understand we considered a crime.

The prisoners’ guard had horses and mul
es, and I had only my two feet. Strengthened as they were by the months of working, marching, and playing
batey
, they  carried me to Isabela in time to learn that the Admiral had condemned all three of the Taino to be beheaded. I was sick with horror, but I swallowed my feelings, squared my shoulders, and went immediately to see the Admiral.

I found him in his hut, quill in hand. He greeted me as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

“Ah, Diego, my boy,” he said, laying down the quill. “You see me my own scribe, for I have sorely missed your services and those of, er, Rafael.”

“I have been at Santo Tomas, Excellency,” I said, “and young Rafael is safe with me. Do you wish his return, sir?”

I felt obliged to ask this, though I hardly knew whether I would prefer to see Rachel under his direct protection or in the Taino village. In neither place would I have wished her to behold such a pitiful spectacle as I had at Ponton. Even the more remote villages might not be safe, if things went on in this way. I dreaded to hear what Hutia thought of the business.

The Admiral paused as he considered it.

“Better not, perhaps,” he said finally. “Matters are volatile here in Isabela. And I must shortly sail on with as many as can be spared. Many islands must remain to be discovered, and we have yet to reach the mainland. Why, there might even be greater deposits of gold than those we have already found. I must press on, and it would be inadvisable for your, er, Rafael to be close quartered on shipboard. He must soon reach an age when young men have their growth spurt, you know.”

“Indeed, Excellency,” I said, “I am aware of that and deeply grateful for your concern.”

In truth, I was dismayed to hear he was departing and relieved that we were not to sail with him for the dangers of unknown shores. The dangers at hand were bad enough.

“How can I help you today, my dear lad?” He gazed at me with benevolence as I stood before him. With one hand, he caressed a lump of gold, a nugget no doubt given him by the Taino. “You look in the very bloom of health. The airs of Santo Tomas must agree with you. We are in bad case here in Isabela, I must tell you, for many continue to fall ill and die, and the hotheads never tire of complaining. But I have put a spike in their treasonous plans, as I must if I am to leave them at my back.”

I took a deep breath. His benevolent mood might change in an instant when he heard my petition. But I must speak up.

“Excellency,” I said, keeping my voice firm when it wanted to quake, “I beg of you to allow me to speak my mind and not become angry at me. There is a matter of great concern to me, and I believe it affects our whole expedition as well.”

“What is that, my boy?” His expression was one of mild surprise and bafflement. “Don’t fear to speak. I know you have my interests and those of our great work at heart, and you have shown yourself loyal and diligent.”

“I thank you greatly, Excellency.” I bowed low, feeling even more intimidated. As I straightened, I spoke quickly, before I could change my mind. “It is the matter of these unfortunate Taino who have been condemned for appropriating a few garments.”

“You have a kind heart, Diego,” the Admiral said, “and I don’t fault you for wishing to spare them. But the Indians must learn we will not tolerate theft. We must make an example of these wretches. Others will not repeat the offense, once they know how it will be punished.”

“I don’t believe their execution will have that effect, Excellency,” I said. “Sir, they don’t understand our notion of property. They cannot comprehend that we—” I bit back my true sentiment: “that we are not as generous as themselves.” Instead, I said, “that we set such great store by our personal possessions, as they hold all in common. Please, Excellency, I beg of you, don’t let them die. The Taino—” Here again, I had to be careful what I said. I would not betray the Taino by revealing how easily they communicated with their fellows throughout the island. I tried again.

“I believe that the Taino who know of this will conclude that we are cruel and arbitrary. They will not understand the justice of it, no matter how many times it is explained to them. Rather, they will conclude that we plan to kill them all. Thus, having nothing to lose, in their opinion, they will likely turn hostile. So far, they have been our friends. But should they suddenly become our enemies, we are not in fit condition to make a quick end to any conflict that ensues.”