Columbus had a very busy Monday, according to his son, 520 years ago. He has him say, picking up where I left off the other day,
" '... When I anchored on Monday morning I immediately learnt from the inhabitants that this island was Santa Maria in the Azores [a Portuguese possession]. They were all astonished at my escape from this tremendous storm which had been blowing for fifteen days continuously.'..." [p. 104*]
There was a cry of rejoicing, giving thanks to God, some came aboard offering food and word of "a hermit's chapel ... dedicated to the Virgin,"[p. 105] to which many men went ashore to give their thanks as they had promised they would during the great storm. Half of the entire crew went at first in one boat and upon landing were ambushed and taken prisoner. The boat was taken, too.
It was mid-day when Columbus began thinking some accident must have happened as their had been no word back from the first group to go ashore. He decided to sail closer to the site of the chapel to see if he could better tell what was happening. Within sight of the first boat he saw men on horseback dismount and shove out to sea to meet them. At first Columbus thought they might board and try to take his own ship but then saw they would only come within hailing distance. The son says the father complained and referred to the friendship between Spain and Portugal as well as the earlier gifts of food and compliments of earlier in the day. Further, Columbus lists his credentials as 'chief Admiral of the Ocean and Viceroy of the Indies' of the King and Queen of Spain and that to offend him would offend them and that he had the letters and seals to prove it. He even showed it, from a distance, he says. But the captain from the island was not impressed, as he did not acknowledge the King and Queen of Spain or their letters, that he was not afraid and would show them the might of Portugal. He had been instructed by his king and lord to say and do these things and that Columbus should at once pull into port and give themselves up.
This seems to have infuriated Columbus, who called on all his men to witness that he would not leave his own boat until a hundred Portuguese were captured and taken as prisoners. Then he sailed back to the previous harbor because of the wind. [pp 104-8]
-- * from The Life of the Admiral By His Son, Hernando Colon translated into English by JM Cohen in The Four Voyages of Christopher Columbus , ThePenguin Group 1969
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