Chapter XVIII.Itwas so plain to the Indians that Diego’s antics were caused by satisfaction that they were immediately reassured, and were presently gathered around him to discover what it was in the old man that caused their heaven-sent visitor such pleasure.“I believe ’tis gold,” said Juan.“I am certain of it, and I will see if I can get it from the old fellow,” answered Diego, and thereupon began to make signs.He took a hawk’s bell from his pocket and jingled it before the eyes of the dignified but, therewith, delighted savage. Then he tapped the ring of gold with his finger, tapped the bell, and offered it to the savage. The old man understood him in an instant, and it gave Diego and Juan—their greed for gold being very great—a mighty satisfaction to see with what trembling eagerness the old man took the ring from his nose and exchanged it for the hawk’s bell.“JINGLED IT BEFORE THE EYES OF THE SAVAGE.”“Say nothing to the others till we have our fill of it,” said Diego feverishly to Juan, not knowing that the more gold he had the more he would be likely to wish for, and that the time when he had his fill would be little likely ever to come.“Perhaps they have no more,” said Juan.“That we will speedily learn,” answered Diego.So he took from his pockets, Juan doing likewise, all the bells and beads he had. Then he made signs that he would exchange them only for rings of gold. Upon that the savages ran off and returned with a handful altogether of the rings, and Diego and Juan were soon rid of their trifles in exchange; though it must be said that the Indians gave every evidence of thinking they had made the better bargain.When they had procured all they could from the men, the boys, in great excitement, hurried out of the grove and shouted for Martin Alonzo, until he was pointed out to them.“Well,” said he, “what madness is on you now?”“Madness, indeed!” said Diego, his dark eyes sparkling like the precious stones his head was now full of; for he was as certain as if he had them in his pockets that he would soon be possessed of burdensome quantities of diamonds, rubies,sapphires, and the like. Martin Alonzo very quickly caught the expression, and demanded eagerly:“What then? What then? Speak, Diego!”“Look, cousin!” said Diego, softly, and drew several of the rings from his pocket and gave them to Martin Alonzo.“Gold!” said Martin Alonzo, in a tone that might fairly be called an adoring one.“I have twenty if I have one, and Juan has as many,” said Diego.“Ha, ha!” cried Martin Alonzo, rubbing his hands gleefully, “did I not say you should have it? Come! we must to the admiral with this.”“Why,” said Diego, “let us get more ourselves, first.”“Tut!” said Martin Alonzo, and laughed like a man drunk with expectation, “be not so grudging, boy; there will be enough to load thePintato the rail. Come! Ah, this looks well, indeed.”So he led the way to where the admiral sat, trying to extract some sort of information from the natives.“My lord admiral,” said he, joyously, “this boy here, or the two of them together, for they run in couples now, though they were for flyingat each other’s throats a while since—this boy, I say, has found the thing we have sought.”“And what is that?” asked the admiral, looking kindly at the flushed, eager faces of the two lads.“Show him, Diego. A shrewd lad and a cousin of mine, admiral,” said Martin Alonzo.Diego, for the better showing of his shrewdness and his good fortune, drew out all of the gold nose-rings he had obtained, and Juan turned all he had into the same pile, Diego holding his two hands together to accommodate them all.The admiral took some of them in his hand, eagerly, too, and examined them carefully before he spoke.“Gold; and without alloy. Pure,” he said. “This is well. How came you by them, my boy?”So Diego told the story, looking to Juan for confirmation now and again, and the latter responding loyally, giving Diego all the credit that was his.“I knew it would rejoice you,” said Martin Alonzo, very proud of Diego.“And so it does,” said the admiral.“And shall I issue bells and beads to the men, and let them barter for the yellow stuff?” askedMartin Alonzo, eagerly; for he was anxious to redeem his promises to his men.“Not so,” answered the admiral, gravely. “Gold is a monopoly of their majesties and can only be bartered for on their account. And ’tis the same with cotton. All things else the men may procure from the natives.”“Not barter for gold?” cried Martin Alonzo, in his quick, passionate way.“Not barter for gold,” repeated the admiral, with all the dignity of his authority.“And you will not return these rings to the boys?”“Assuredly not, Martin Alonzo,” said the admiral. “You must see that it would be impossible; though I would be glad to do it for the sake of rewarding their shrewdness.”“Then,” said Martin Alonzo, his bronzed face all aflame with wrath, “I say you shall yield it up to them. I say you shall,” and he stamped his foot on the hard sand of the beach where they stood.“Martin Alonzo Pinzon!” said the admiral, in a stern tone, “you do forget yourself.”For a second it seemed as if he had, indeed, forgotten himself, and would continue to do so, ere he would yield his point. But a better judgment prevailed and he held his peace; though it was impossible for him to quite control his temper. He caught Diego’s hand in his and emptied the rings out of it upon the sand, and then swept both of the boys along with him as he walked sternly away.“‘NOT BARTER FOR GOLD?’ CRIED MARTIN ALONZO.”He said nothing to either of the boys, but stalked along in a towering rage, and, when he had come to his boats, gave the order that the men should be collected, so that they might go aboard for the night.As for Diego and Juan, they were divided between indignation at the manner in which their cherished gold had been taken from them and dismay at the attitude Martin Alonzo had assumed towards Christoval Colon, whose lofty manners as well as whose dignities awed them.“I wish,” said Diego, who could never be wholly repressed, “that that old man had not thrust his nose into my face.”“Or that you had wrung it off, as I supposed you intended to do,” said Juan.“Hush! Martin Alonzo is looking this way. If he should see us smile now, I think he would make but one bite of our two heads. But, say, Juan, if we may not traffic in gold—cotton I would not have as a gift—what is to become of us?”“There are the precious stones.”“Oh, ay!” said Diego, doubtfully; “but where are they? I saw no semblance of any this day.”“That’s because you saw nothing but noses,” said Juan, and both the boys, easily recovered from the loss of their gold, laughed behind their hands.
Chapter XVIII.Itwas so plain to the Indians that Diego’s antics were caused by satisfaction that they were immediately reassured, and were presently gathered around him to discover what it was in the old man that caused their heaven-sent visitor such pleasure.“I believe ’tis gold,” said Juan.“I am certain of it, and I will see if I can get it from the old fellow,” answered Diego, and thereupon began to make signs.He took a hawk’s bell from his pocket and jingled it before the eyes of the dignified but, therewith, delighted savage. Then he tapped the ring of gold with his finger, tapped the bell, and offered it to the savage. The old man understood him in an instant, and it gave Diego and Juan—their greed for gold being very great—a mighty satisfaction to see with what trembling eagerness the old man took the ring from his nose and exchanged it for the hawk’s bell.“JINGLED IT BEFORE THE EYES OF THE SAVAGE.”“Say nothing to the others till we have our fill of it,” said Diego feverishly to Juan, not knowing that the more gold he had the more he would be likely to wish for, and that the time when he had his fill would be little likely ever to come.“Perhaps they have no more,” said Juan.“That we will speedily learn,” answered Diego.So he took from his pockets, Juan doing likewise, all the bells and beads he had. Then he made signs that he would exchange them only for rings of gold. Upon that the savages ran off and returned with a handful altogether of the rings, and Diego and Juan were soon rid of their trifles in exchange; though it must be said that the Indians gave every evidence of thinking they had made the better bargain.When they had procured all they could from the men, the boys, in great excitement, hurried out of the grove and shouted for Martin Alonzo, until he was pointed out to them.“Well,” said he, “what madness is on you now?”“Madness, indeed!” said Diego, his dark eyes sparkling like the precious stones his head was now full of; for he was as certain as if he had them in his pockets that he would soon be possessed of burdensome quantities of diamonds, rubies,sapphires, and the like. Martin Alonzo very quickly caught the expression, and demanded eagerly:“What then? What then? Speak, Diego!”“Look, cousin!” said Diego, softly, and drew several of the rings from his pocket and gave them to Martin Alonzo.“Gold!” said Martin Alonzo, in a tone that might fairly be called an adoring one.“I have twenty if I have one, and Juan has as many,” said Diego.“Ha, ha!” cried Martin Alonzo, rubbing his hands gleefully, “did I not say you should have it? Come! we must to the admiral with this.”“Why,” said Diego, “let us get more ourselves, first.”“Tut!” said Martin Alonzo, and laughed like a man drunk with expectation, “be not so grudging, boy; there will be enough to load thePintato the rail. Come! Ah, this looks well, indeed.”So he led the way to where the admiral sat, trying to extract some sort of information from the natives.“My lord admiral,” said he, joyously, “this boy here, or the two of them together, for they run in couples now, though they were for flyingat each other’s throats a while since—this boy, I say, has found the thing we have sought.”“And what is that?” asked the admiral, looking kindly at the flushed, eager faces of the two lads.“Show him, Diego. A shrewd lad and a cousin of mine, admiral,” said Martin Alonzo.Diego, for the better showing of his shrewdness and his good fortune, drew out all of the gold nose-rings he had obtained, and Juan turned all he had into the same pile, Diego holding his two hands together to accommodate them all.The admiral took some of them in his hand, eagerly, too, and examined them carefully before he spoke.“Gold; and without alloy. Pure,” he said. “This is well. How came you by them, my boy?”So Diego told the story, looking to Juan for confirmation now and again, and the latter responding loyally, giving Diego all the credit that was his.“I knew it would rejoice you,” said Martin Alonzo, very proud of Diego.“And so it does,” said the admiral.“And shall I issue bells and beads to the men, and let them barter for the yellow stuff?” askedMartin Alonzo, eagerly; for he was anxious to redeem his promises to his men.“Not so,” answered the admiral, gravely. “Gold is a monopoly of their majesties and can only be bartered for on their account. And ’tis the same with cotton. All things else the men may procure from the natives.”“Not barter for gold?” cried Martin Alonzo, in his quick, passionate way.“Not barter for gold,” repeated the admiral, with all the dignity of his authority.“And you will not return these rings to the boys?”“Assuredly not, Martin Alonzo,” said the admiral. “You must see that it would be impossible; though I would be glad to do it for the sake of rewarding their shrewdness.”“Then,” said Martin Alonzo, his bronzed face all aflame with wrath, “I say you shall yield it up to them. I say you shall,” and he stamped his foot on the hard sand of the beach where they stood.“Martin Alonzo Pinzon!” said the admiral, in a stern tone, “you do forget yourself.”For a second it seemed as if he had, indeed, forgotten himself, and would continue to do so, ere he would yield his point. But a better judgment prevailed and he held his peace; though it was impossible for him to quite control his temper. He caught Diego’s hand in his and emptied the rings out of it upon the sand, and then swept both of the boys along with him as he walked sternly away.“‘NOT BARTER FOR GOLD?’ CRIED MARTIN ALONZO.”He said nothing to either of the boys, but stalked along in a towering rage, and, when he had come to his boats, gave the order that the men should be collected, so that they might go aboard for the night.As for Diego and Juan, they were divided between indignation at the manner in which their cherished gold had been taken from them and dismay at the attitude Martin Alonzo had assumed towards Christoval Colon, whose lofty manners as well as whose dignities awed them.“I wish,” said Diego, who could never be wholly repressed, “that that old man had not thrust his nose into my face.”“Or that you had wrung it off, as I supposed you intended to do,” said Juan.“Hush! Martin Alonzo is looking this way. If he should see us smile now, I think he would make but one bite of our two heads. But, say, Juan, if we may not traffic in gold—cotton I would not have as a gift—what is to become of us?”“There are the precious stones.”“Oh, ay!” said Diego, doubtfully; “but where are they? I saw no semblance of any this day.”“That’s because you saw nothing but noses,” said Juan, and both the boys, easily recovered from the loss of their gold, laughed behind their hands.
Itwas so plain to the Indians that Diego’s antics were caused by satisfaction that they were immediately reassured, and were presently gathered around him to discover what it was in the old man that caused their heaven-sent visitor such pleasure.
“I believe ’tis gold,” said Juan.
“I am certain of it, and I will see if I can get it from the old fellow,” answered Diego, and thereupon began to make signs.
He took a hawk’s bell from his pocket and jingled it before the eyes of the dignified but, therewith, delighted savage. Then he tapped the ring of gold with his finger, tapped the bell, and offered it to the savage. The old man understood him in an instant, and it gave Diego and Juan—their greed for gold being very great—a mighty satisfaction to see with what trembling eagerness the old man took the ring from his nose and exchanged it for the hawk’s bell.
“JINGLED IT BEFORE THE EYES OF THE SAVAGE.”
“JINGLED IT BEFORE THE EYES OF THE SAVAGE.”
“JINGLED IT BEFORE THE EYES OF THE SAVAGE.”
“Say nothing to the others till we have our fill of it,” said Diego feverishly to Juan, not knowing that the more gold he had the more he would be likely to wish for, and that the time when he had his fill would be little likely ever to come.
“Perhaps they have no more,” said Juan.
“That we will speedily learn,” answered Diego.
So he took from his pockets, Juan doing likewise, all the bells and beads he had. Then he made signs that he would exchange them only for rings of gold. Upon that the savages ran off and returned with a handful altogether of the rings, and Diego and Juan were soon rid of their trifles in exchange; though it must be said that the Indians gave every evidence of thinking they had made the better bargain.
When they had procured all they could from the men, the boys, in great excitement, hurried out of the grove and shouted for Martin Alonzo, until he was pointed out to them.
“Well,” said he, “what madness is on you now?”
“Madness, indeed!” said Diego, his dark eyes sparkling like the precious stones his head was now full of; for he was as certain as if he had them in his pockets that he would soon be possessed of burdensome quantities of diamonds, rubies,sapphires, and the like. Martin Alonzo very quickly caught the expression, and demanded eagerly:
“What then? What then? Speak, Diego!”
“Look, cousin!” said Diego, softly, and drew several of the rings from his pocket and gave them to Martin Alonzo.
“Gold!” said Martin Alonzo, in a tone that might fairly be called an adoring one.
“I have twenty if I have one, and Juan has as many,” said Diego.
“Ha, ha!” cried Martin Alonzo, rubbing his hands gleefully, “did I not say you should have it? Come! we must to the admiral with this.”
“Why,” said Diego, “let us get more ourselves, first.”
“Tut!” said Martin Alonzo, and laughed like a man drunk with expectation, “be not so grudging, boy; there will be enough to load thePintato the rail. Come! Ah, this looks well, indeed.”
So he led the way to where the admiral sat, trying to extract some sort of information from the natives.
“My lord admiral,” said he, joyously, “this boy here, or the two of them together, for they run in couples now, though they were for flyingat each other’s throats a while since—this boy, I say, has found the thing we have sought.”
“And what is that?” asked the admiral, looking kindly at the flushed, eager faces of the two lads.
“Show him, Diego. A shrewd lad and a cousin of mine, admiral,” said Martin Alonzo.
Diego, for the better showing of his shrewdness and his good fortune, drew out all of the gold nose-rings he had obtained, and Juan turned all he had into the same pile, Diego holding his two hands together to accommodate them all.
The admiral took some of them in his hand, eagerly, too, and examined them carefully before he spoke.
“Gold; and without alloy. Pure,” he said. “This is well. How came you by them, my boy?”
So Diego told the story, looking to Juan for confirmation now and again, and the latter responding loyally, giving Diego all the credit that was his.
“I knew it would rejoice you,” said Martin Alonzo, very proud of Diego.
“And so it does,” said the admiral.
“And shall I issue bells and beads to the men, and let them barter for the yellow stuff?” askedMartin Alonzo, eagerly; for he was anxious to redeem his promises to his men.
“Not so,” answered the admiral, gravely. “Gold is a monopoly of their majesties and can only be bartered for on their account. And ’tis the same with cotton. All things else the men may procure from the natives.”
“Not barter for gold?” cried Martin Alonzo, in his quick, passionate way.
“Not barter for gold,” repeated the admiral, with all the dignity of his authority.
“And you will not return these rings to the boys?”
“Assuredly not, Martin Alonzo,” said the admiral. “You must see that it would be impossible; though I would be glad to do it for the sake of rewarding their shrewdness.”
“Then,” said Martin Alonzo, his bronzed face all aflame with wrath, “I say you shall yield it up to them. I say you shall,” and he stamped his foot on the hard sand of the beach where they stood.
“Martin Alonzo Pinzon!” said the admiral, in a stern tone, “you do forget yourself.”
For a second it seemed as if he had, indeed, forgotten himself, and would continue to do so, ere he would yield his point. But a better judgment prevailed and he held his peace; though it was impossible for him to quite control his temper. He caught Diego’s hand in his and emptied the rings out of it upon the sand, and then swept both of the boys along with him as he walked sternly away.
“‘NOT BARTER FOR GOLD?’ CRIED MARTIN ALONZO.”
“‘NOT BARTER FOR GOLD?’ CRIED MARTIN ALONZO.”
“‘NOT BARTER FOR GOLD?’ CRIED MARTIN ALONZO.”
He said nothing to either of the boys, but stalked along in a towering rage, and, when he had come to his boats, gave the order that the men should be collected, so that they might go aboard for the night.
As for Diego and Juan, they were divided between indignation at the manner in which their cherished gold had been taken from them and dismay at the attitude Martin Alonzo had assumed towards Christoval Colon, whose lofty manners as well as whose dignities awed them.
“I wish,” said Diego, who could never be wholly repressed, “that that old man had not thrust his nose into my face.”
“Or that you had wrung it off, as I supposed you intended to do,” said Juan.
“Hush! Martin Alonzo is looking this way. If he should see us smile now, I think he would make but one bite of our two heads. But, say, Juan, if we may not traffic in gold—cotton I would not have as a gift—what is to become of us?”
“There are the precious stones.”
“Oh, ay!” said Diego, doubtfully; “but where are they? I saw no semblance of any this day.”
“That’s because you saw nothing but noses,” said Juan, and both the boys, easily recovered from the loss of their gold, laughed behind their hands.