It was on Friday, the twelfth of October, that they saw this island,
which was an island of the Lucayos group, called, says Las Casas, "in
the tongue of the Indians, Guanahani." Soon they saw people naked, and
the Admiral went ashore in the armed boat, with Martin Alonzo Pinzon
and, Vicente Yanez, his brother, who was captain of the Nina. The
Admiral unfurled the Royal Standard, and the captain's two standards of
the Greek Cross, which the Admiral raised on all the ships as a sign,
with an F. and a Y.; over each letter a crown; one on one side of the
{"iron cross symbol"} and the other on the other. When they were ashore
they saw very green trees and much water, and fruits of different kinds.

"The Admiral called the two captains and the others who went ashore,
and Rodrigo Descovedo, Notary of the whole fleet, and Rodrigo Sanchez of
Segovia, and he said that they must give him their faith and witness how
he took possession before all others, as in fact he did take possession
of the said island for the king and the queen, his lord and lady. . . .
Soon many people of the island assembled. These which follow are
the very words of the Admiral, in his book of his first navigation and
discovery of these Indies."

October 11-12. "So that they may feel great friendship for us, and
because I knew that they were a people who would be better delivered
and converted to our Holy Faith by love than by force, I gave to some of
them red caps and glass bells which they put round their necks, and many
other things of little value, in which they took much pleasure, and they
remained so friendly to us that it was wonderful.

"Afterwards they came swimming to the ship's boats where we were. And
they brought us parrots and cotton-thread in skeins, and javelins and