without letting her know about it. Things were indeed beginning to look
bad for Columbus. The king and queen had promised that only members
of the Admiral's family should be sent to govern the island; they had
promised that no one but himself should have the right to trade in the
new lands. But now they began to go back on their promises. If Columbus
cannot find us gold and spices, they said, other men can. So they gave
permission to other captains to explore and trade in the western lands.
And as the complaints against the Admiral kept coming they began to talk
of sending over some one else to govern the islands.

More letters came from Columbus asking the king and queen to let him
keep up his slave-trade, and to send out some one to act as a judge of
his quarrel with Roldan. Then the king and queen decided that something
must be done at once. The queen ordered the return of the slaves
Columbus had sent over, and the king told one of his officers named
Bobadilla to go over to Hayti and set things straight. And he sent a
letter by him commanding Columbus to talk with him, to give up all the
forts and arms in the colony and to obey Bobadilla in all things.

Bobadilla sailed at once. But before he got across the sea matters, as
we know, had been straightened out by the Admiral; and when Bobadilla
reached Hayti he found everything quiet there. Columbus had made friends
with Roldan (or made believe that he had), and had got things into good
running order again.

This was not what Bobadilla had reckoned upon. He had expected to find
things in such a bad way that he would have to take matters into his own
hand at once, and become a greater man than the Admiral. If everything
was all right he would have his journey for nothing and everybody would
laugh at him. So he determined to go ahead, even though there was no