Explore "The Journal of Christopher Columbus" by Christopher Columbus on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
TUESDAY, JANUARY Ist: At midnight he dispatched the boat to the islet of Amiga to fetch the rhubarb. It returned at vespers with a basket of it. They did not bring more, because they had no spade to dig; he brought this as a specimen to the Sovereigns. The king of that land said that he had sent many canoes for gold. There returned the canoe, which went to get news of the Prnta, and the sailor, and they had not found her. The sailor said that twenty leagues from there they had seen a king who wore two large plates of gold on his head, and immediately the Indians in the canoe had spoken to him, he took them off. He also saw much gold on other persons. The admiral believed that king Guacanagari must have forbidden all to sell gold to the Christians, in order that all might pass through his hands. But he had learned the places, as he said the day before yester- day, where it was in such quantity that they held it to be of no account.
Moreover the spice, which they eat, says the admiral, is in large amount and more valuable than pepper or allspice. He left orders to those whom he wished to leave there that they should procure as much as they could.