used often to carry away his men to make slaves of or to eat them; and he
was greatly rejoiced when the admiral shewed him the superiority of the
European weapons, and promised to defend him and his people against the
Caribs. He was much astonished at our cannon, which so terrified the
natives that they fell down as if dead on hearing the report. Finding
therefore so much kindness among these people, and such strong indications
of gold, the admiral almost forgot his grief for the loss of his ship,
thinking that God had so ordered on purpose to fix a colony of Christians
in that place, where they might trade and acquire a thorough knowledge of
the country and people, by learning the language and conversing with the
natives; so that when he returned from Spain with succours and
reinforcements, he might have several persons qualified to assist and
direct him in subduing and peopling the country; and he was the more
inclined to this measure, that many of the people voluntarily offered to
remain and inhabit the place. For this reason he determined to build a
fort or blockhouse from the timber of the ship which had been wrecked, all
of which had been saved and was now put to that use.

While employed in this plan, he received intelligence on Thursday the 27th
December, that the missing caravel, the Pinta, was in a river towards the
east point of Hispaniola. To be assured of the truth of this report, the
cacique, whose name was Guacanagari, sent a canoe with some Indians and
one Spaniard to make inquiry. These people went twenty leagues along the
coast, and returned without being able to hear any thing of the Pinta; for
which reason no credit was given to another Indian, who reported that he
had seen that vessel a few days before. The admiral still persisted,
however, in his resolution of leaving some Christians in that place, being
still more sensible of the goodness and wealth of the country, as the
Indians frequently brought masks and other articles of gold, and told them
of several districts in the island where that metal was to be procured.