The Nina swung at anchor just under the land and the now receding3 tide uncovered more and more those sands where the Santa Maria lay huddled4 and dying. The Admiral gazed, and the tears ran down his face. He was so great that he never thought to hide just emotion. He spoke5 as though to himself. "Many sins have I, many, many! But thou wilt6 not, O God, cast me utterly7 away because of them! I will not doubt Thee, nor my calling!"
There was little space about him. The Nina seemed to quiver, packed and dark with men. His deep voice went on, and they could hear him, but he did not seem to know that they were there. "As though upon a raft, here a thousand leagues in Ocean-Sea! Yet wilt Thou care for thy Good News. I will come to Spain, and I will tell it. Chosen, and almost by very name pointed8 out in Thy Book! The first Christian9 shore that I touch I will walk barefoot and in my shirt at the head of twelve to the first shrine10. And, O my Lord, never more will I forget that that tomb in which thou didst rest, still, still is held by the infidel!" He beat his breast. "Mea culpa! mea culpa!"
His voice sank, he looked at the sky, then with a turn of the wrist at the wheel he put that by and became again the vigilant11 Admiral of a fleet of one. "She will hold together yet a while! When the tide is out, we can get to her and empty her. Take all ashore12 that can be carried or floated and may be of use. Up and down—down and up!"
The inhabitants of Hispaniola were now about us in canoes or swimming. They seemed to cry out in distress13 and sympathy, gazing at the Santa Maria as though it were a god dying there. Their own canoes were living things to them as is any ship to a mariner14, and by analogy our great canoe was a Being dying, more of a Being than theirs, because it had wings and could open and fold them. And then back came our boat with Diego de Arana and the others, and they had with them that same brother of the cacique who had come to us in St. Thomas Harbor. And had we been wrecked16 off Palos, not Palos could have showed more concern or been more ready to help than were these men.
We had three boats and the Indian canoes and hands enough, white and copper-hued. Now at low tide, we could approach and enter the Santa Maria. A great breach17 had been made and water was deep in her hold, but we could get at much of casks and chests, and could take away sails and cordage, even her two cannon18. Eventually, as she broke up, we might float away to shore much of her timber. When I looked from the wreck15 to the little Nina, I could see, limned19 as it were in air, the Viceroy's first colony, set in Hispaniola, beside Guacanagari's town. All Christmas day we toiled20 and the Indians at our side. We found them ready, not without skill, gay and biddable.
Toward sunset came Guacanagari. All the little shore was strewn and heaped with our matters. And here I will say that no Indian stole that day though he might have stolen, and though our possessions seemed to him great wonders and treasure beyond estimation. What was brought from the Santa Maria lay in heaps and our men came and went. The most of our force was ashore or in the boats; only so many on the Nina. The Admiral, just returned to the ship, stretched himself upon the bench in her small cabin. Powerful was his frame and constitution, and powerfully tried all his life with a thousand strains and buffetings! It seemed still to hold; he looked a muscular, sinewy21, strong and ruddy man. But there were signs that a careful eye might find. He lay upon the bench in the cabin and I, who was his physician, brought him wine and biscuit and made him eat and drink who, I knew, had not touched food since the evening before; after which I told him to close eyes and go away to Genoa and boyhood. He shut them, and I sitting near brought my will as best I could to the quieting of all heavy and sorrowful waves.
But then the cacique came. So small was the Nina that we could hear well enough the word of his arrival. The Admiral opened his eyes and sat stiffly up. He groaned22 and took his head into his hands, then dropped these and with a shake of his shoulders resumed command. So many and grievous a sea had dashed over him and retreated and he had stood! What he said now was, "The tide of the spirit goes out; the tide comes back in. Let it come back a spring tide!"
Guacanagari entered. This cacique, whose fortunes now began to be intertwined with ours, had his likeness23, so far as went state and custom, to that Cuban chieftain whom Luis Torres and I had visited. But this was an easier, less strongly fibred person, a big, amiable24, indolent man with some quality of a great dog who, accepting you and becoming your friend, may never be estranged25. He was brave after his fashion, gifted enough in simple things. In Europe he would have been an easy, well-liked prince or duke of no great territory. He kept a simple state, wore some slight apparel of cotton and a golden necklet. He brought gifts and an unfeigned sympathy for that death upon the sand bar.
He and the Admiral sat and talked together. "Gods from heaven?"—"Christian men and from Europe," and we could not make him, at this time, understand that that was not the same thing. We began to comprehend that "heaven" was a word of many levels, and that they ascribed to it everything that they chose to consider good and that was manifestly out of the range of their experience.
In his turn the Admiral was ready for all that Guacanagari could tell him. "Gold?" His eyes were upon the Indian's necklet. Removing it, the cacique laid it in the god's hand. All Indians now understood that we made high magic with gold, getting out of it virtues26 beyond their comprehension. In return the Admiral gave him a small brazen27 gong and hammer. "Where did they get the gold?" Again like the Cuban chief this cacique waved his hand to the mountains. "Cibao!" and then turning he too pointed to the south. "Much gold there," said Diego Colon. "Inland, in the mountains," quoth the Admiral, "and evidently, in very great quantity, in some land to the south! This is not Cipango, but I think that Cipango lies to the south." He asked who ruled Hayti that we called Hispaniola. We understood that there were a number of caciques, but that for a day's journey every way it was Guacanagari's country.
"A cacique who ruled them all?" No, there was no such thing.
"Had ships like ours and clothed men ever before come to them?"
No, never! But then he seemed to say that there was undoubtedly28 a tradition. Gods had come, and would come again, and when they did so great things would follow! But no cacique nor priest nor any knew when the gods had come.
The Admiral made some question of Caribs. Again there was gesture southward, though it seemed to us that something was said of folk within this great island who were at least like Caribs. And where was the most gold and the greatest other wealth that they knew of? Again south, though this time we thought it rather south by west. The Admiral sighed, and spoke of Cuba. Yes, Guacanagari knew of Cuba. Had it end far yonder to the westward29, or no end? Had any one ever come to its end? The cacique thought not, or knew not and assumed deliberation. Luis and I agreed that we had not met among these Indians any true notion of a continent. To them Hayti was vast, Cuba was vast, the lands of the Caribs, wherever they were, were vast, and vast whatever other islands there might be. To them this was the OEcumene, the inhabited and inhabitable world, Europe—Asia—Africa? Their faces stayed blank. Were these divisions of heaven?
Guacanagari would entertain and succor30 us. This canoe—oh, the huge marvel31!—was too crowded! Yonder lay his town. All the houses that we might want were ours, all the hammocks, all the food. And he would feast the gods. That had been preparing since yesterday, A feast with dancing. He hoped the great cacique and his people from far nearer heaven than was Guacanagari would live as long as might be in his town. Guarico was his town. A big, easy, amiable, likeable man, he sat in nakedness only not utter, save for that much like a big hidalgo offering sympathy and shelter to some fire-ousted or foe-ousted prince! As for the part of prince it was not hard for the Admiral to play it. He was one naturally.
He thanked the cacique to whom, I could see, he had taken liking32. Seven houses would be enough. To-night some of us would sleep upon the beach beside the heaped goods. To-morrow we would visit Guacanapri. The big, lazy, peaceable man expressed his pleasure, then with a wide and dignified33 gesture dismissing all that, asked to be shown marvels34.
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1
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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colon
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| n.冒号，结肠，直肠 | |
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3
receding
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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6
wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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7
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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10
shrine
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| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
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11
vigilant
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| adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的 | |
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12
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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13
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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14
mariner
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| n.水手号不载人航天探测器，海员，航海者 | |
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15
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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17
breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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18
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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limned
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| v.画( limn的过去式和过去分词 )；勾画；描写；描述 | |
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20
toiled
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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21
sinewy
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| adj.多腱的，强壮有力的 | |
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groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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likeness
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| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
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amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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estranged
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| adj.疏远的，分离的 | |
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virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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brazen
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| adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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29
westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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30
succor
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| n.援助，帮助；v.给予帮助 | |
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31
marvel
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| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
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32
liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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33
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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34
marvels
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| n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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