Santo Domingo | Page 5

Guacanagari was found at a village further inland and according to his
story and that of other Indians, a number of Spaniards had succumbed
to disease, others were killed in brawls among themselves and the
remainder died at the hands of the inland caciques Caonabo and
Guarionex and their warriors, who attacked and destroyed both the fort
and the village of Guacanagari. At the same time it was stated that the
Spaniards had made themselves hateful to the natives by their
domineering disposition and their lewdness and covetousness. The
finding in some of the native huts of objects that had belonged to the
colonists, as well as other suspicious circumstances, caused Father Boil
and other companions of Columbus to doubt the chief's story and insist
that sanguinary vengeance be taken. Columbus, however, affected to be
satisfied with the explanation given and determined to take no further
action, but to seek a new location for the colony. From this time
forward discord divided not only the Spaniards and Indians but also the
Spaniards themselves.
As the fleet was sailing east the weather obliged it to put into an
indentation of the coast fifty miles east of Monte Cristi. The place so
charmed the Spaniards that it was decided to found a town here. The
first city of the new world was therefore laid out and Columbus gave it
the name of Isabela, in honor of his royal patron. During the
construction of the city Columbus sent two expeditions to the Cibao

mountains, both of which succeeded in collecting a large amount of
gold.
It soon became evident that the neighborhood of Isabela was not a
healthy one. Fever invaded the colony; Columbus himself was not
exempt. Discontent came and an uprising among the soldiers was
nipped in the bud. On recovering from his illness Columbus resolved to
make an exploration of the interior; and with drums beating and flags
flying a brilliant expedition left Isabela. The beautiful Royal Plain was
soon reached and friendly relations established with its peaceful
inhabitants, whose wonder at the Spaniards and terror at their horses
knew no bounds. A fortress was founded on the banks of the Janico
river and called Santo Tomas. Columbus then returned to Isabela to
find the town in a state of excitement on account of petty quarrels and
the general sickness. Picking out the principal malcontents he sent them
to Santo Tomas, and ordered that another fortress be founded. On April
24, 1494, he left the island with three vessels for a voyage of
exploration to the west, entrusting the government of the colony to his
brother Diego and an executive council.
But a short time elapsed before new dissensions broke out, followed by
troubles with the Indians. A military expedition dispatched to the
interior committed numerous depredations and drove the natives into
the ranks of Caonabo, who was planning the expulsion of the strangers.
The commander of the expedition, Moisen Pedro de Margarite, was
called to account by Diego Columbus; but conspiring with Father Boil,
the religious head of the colony, the two contrived to excite a popular
insurrection against the governor, which may be regarded as the first
Dominican revolution. At this time Bartholomew Columbus, another
brother of the admiral, arrived with provisions, and the insurrectionists,
taking possession of the ships, returned in them to Spain where they
lost no opportunity to disparage the achievements of Columbus and to
slander him and his brothers.
The principal caciques of the island now formed an alliance and uniting
their forces laid siege to Santo Tomas. Only Guacanagari refused to
join them and hurried to Isabela to offer his services to the Spaniards.

At this juncture, on September 29, 1494, Columbus, sick and weary,
returned from his voyage, during which, after other discoveries, he had
explored a portion of the south coast of the island. As soon as he had
recovered sufficient strength he led an expedition into the interior,
relieved Santo Tomas, won numerous victories over the natives and
founded another fortress, La Concepcion, in the Vega Real, or Royal
Plain. Caonabo, however, assembled a vast number of warriors and
forced Columbus to renewed efforts. The Spaniards and Indians met
where the ruins of the old city of Concepcion de la Vega now are, and
the famous battle of the Royal Plain was fought on March 25, 1495.
The natives are alleged by the Spanish historians to have numbered
100,000, while the Spaniards had but 200 men and 20 horses, besides
the warriors of Guacanagari. In the battle, a bloody one, the Indians
were completely beaten, their discomfiture being due principally to the
superior arms of the Europeans and the fear inspired by the horses and
by twenty blood-hounds brought into the fight by the Spaniards. On the
occasion of this battle the