shouting distance of the two rotting hulks on the beach, and yelled out
that Governor Ovando was very sorry to learn from Mendez that the
Admiral and his party were in trouble, and regretted that he had no ship
large enough to send to their rescue. And then the villain sailed back
to his villainous master.

Imagine this studied, impudent message to a group of men whose eyes had
been straining for months to see a relief ship head their way! Imagine
sending such a message to the most illustrious discoverer the world has
ever known! A more dastardly bit of cruelty hardly exists in history!

This expedition was kept secret from Diego Mendez, however; and Diego,
still storming about because nothing was being done, went among the
populace of San Domingo and declared that it was a base, shameful
business to leave a sick old man to perish on a savage island,
especially when that old man had discovered all these lands for Spain.
The people, though many of them had been the sick old man's enemies in
bygone days, and though they never suspected the greatness of Columbus,
agreed. They even began to clamor that Columbus should be rescued; but
it was not until they had clamored long and urgently that their knightly
governor sent a ship.

On June 25, 1504, exactly one year after Columbus had beached his two
remaining caravels, the relief ship came in sight. "Never in my life,"
wrote Christopher, "did I experience so joyful a day!" and we may well
believe it.

On the 15th of August the party reached San Domingo after their long
suffering and hardships. Ovando, seeing how popular sympathy had turned
towards the sick Admiral, decided to secure a little popular favor