Yet, even after consenting to court-martial Columbus, as it were, the
queen delayed the proceeding as long as possible, as if trying to give
her viceroy time to straighten out his situation. But sad tales of
misrule still kept coming from Espanola, and finally, after more than a
year of waiting, the monarchs sent out Don Francisco de Bobadilla (Boba-
deel'ya) with a letter that began:--

* * * * *

Don Cristobal Colon, our Admiral of the Ocean:

We have ordered the Comendador Francisco de Bobadilla, the bearer of
this, that he speak to you on our part certain things which he will tell
you. We pray you give him faith and credence, and act accordingly.

* * * * *

Christopher, however, was not permitted to give the royal commissioner
faith and credence, for the simple reason that Bobadilla did not show
him the letter. We have already read of the high-handed manner in which
Juan de Agnado acted some years before when sent out to investigate;
but, by comparison with Bobadilla, Agnado had been gentleness itself.
Bobadilla was a stern and rigorous churchman, comendador, or commander,
of one of the famous religious-military orders in Spain. He could
tolerate nothing short of the strictest and most unquestioning obedience
to authority. He also had a great respect for high birth, and he, like
Bishop Fonseca, could never forget that Christopher Columbus was of
humble origin. Both Fonseca and Bobadilla would have been astounded had
they dreamed that their principal claim to remembrance by coming ages
would be from their reluctant association with a certain illustrious man