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TAINO
By Donald Sullivan
The two men strolled along the shore, watching the waves rolling in from the open sea and crashing on the white, sandy beach with a constant roar. Pablo Menendez, formerly the cabin boy of the Santa Maria, was now out of his teens and the armorer's helper at La Navidad. Luis de Torres, a linguist, was the interpreter for the settlement. Luis had many friends among the Taino people, who greatly respected him. Pablo and Luis strolled without speaking for a long while.
Luis spotted something half buried in the sand. He stooped and picked up the object. "A lantern from the Santa Maria," he muttered. "This is near the spot where she ran aground."
"A tragic end for a good ship," said Pablo. "But we were lucky it didn't sink and we were able to salvage the cargo and timbers. If the helmsman hadn't been groggy from drink, the tragedy wouldn't have happened. The Santa Maria would now be with the Pinta and the Nina on the return voyage to Spain."
"And we would be aboard," said Luis, "instead of waiting here for the return of the Captain-general."
Pablo noted that the sun was directly overhead. "We'd better get back to La Navidad. It's almost time for the meeting. I wonder what Diego wants to tell us."
Diego de Arana, commander of La Navidad, stood facing the thirty-eight men making up the settlement. "I have called this meeting because I have it that four of you are plotting to desert the settlement." He looked directly at Pablo. "Desertion is punishable by death. But I am a fair man, and am willing to hear you out if you have a complaint. Does anyone wish to speak?"
Pablo stood up. "Some of us object to the way we are treating the Taino. The Taino are expected to find gold for us, and if they do not, we punish them. Some have died from beatings. Some of our men get drunk and terrorize the village. There have been cases of rape."
"We must do whatever is necessary to find gold," Diego countered. "The Captain-general himself ordered us to seek gold during his absence. That is why we are here."
"Yes, but he also ordered us to treat the Taino with respect. He became good friends with Guacanagari, the Taino chief. He will not be happy with the way we have been conducting ourselves."
Diego was annoyed. "He will not be unhappy if we have gold awaiting him on his return."
"I think we will find little gold on the island of Hispaniola. The Taino have told us that most of their gold trinkets were acquired by trading with people from other lands."
"They lie. They do not want to reveal the location of their mines. But we will find them eventually."
"Maybe. But here is something you should know. Luis has learned that some among the Taino are growing restless. There is talk of an uprising by renegades, and even Guacanagari may not be able to stop it."
Diego snorted. "You expect me to believe that? The Taino are cowards. We are well-armed and well-trained fighters. They would not dare attack us."
"We are but thirty-nine," Pablo said. "Guacanagari's people number in the thousands. They are a gentle people, but if they become outraged enough to attack, we would have no chance."
"Pablo Menendez, I hear that you have become entangled with a Taino whore..."
"Havani is no whore! She is a cousin of Guacanagari. He would not be pleased to hear her called a whore."
"Do you think I care if he is displeased?" Diego raised his voice. "I want all of you to hear this. Starting now, there will be no more relationships with these women." He smiled. "By that, I don't mean I forbid a little romp in the grass now and then." There were chuckles, hoots, and scattered applause among the men.
Diego continued. "We are normal, healthy men. These Taino women run around naked, and they are attractive. But I repeat--do not get involved in an intimate relationship. Is that understood?"
Pablo was stunned. "But I don't understand your objection. What is the harm? Even if some of us chose to marry, what harm is done? I don't believe the captain-general would object."
"I have had enough of your insolence. It is you who have instigated desertion. You are under arrest and charged with desertion."
Pablo was placed under guard and escorted to a small hut normally used for locking up unruly drunks. At least they hadn't put him in irons--yet. The guard, Rodrigo Perez, secured the lock and seated himself just outside the door. Pablo tried to strike up a conversation with the normally friendly, easygoing man.
"Rodrigo, what do you think of Diego's new policy?"
"Be quiet. I'm not allowed to talk with you."
"Suppose you met a Taino girl you really liked. I've never met a girl like Havani..."
"Shut up. You want to get me in trouble?"
Rodrigo was right. He was under orders not to talk. Pablo sat down on the floor and began to think about the gravity of his situation. Diego would probably arrange a speedy trial and execution to set an example. Pablo would die here, never to see Spain again.
And there was Havani. Now, more than ever, he realized how much he loved her. He had to do something; he couldn't just sit here and wait to die.
He inspected the hut. It was without windows and devoid of furnishings. The walls and roof were of stout bamboo poles lashed together. They had taken his knife, and he could find no weakness in the walls. The floor, however, consisted of sandy soil covered with palm fronds. He should have no trouble digging his way out. He sat down to await the cover of darkness.
When darkness fell, he began digging with his hands. The soil was soft, and he made good progress. He emerged on the outside of the rear wall, and as he pulled himself out, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Pablo, it's me," Luis whispered. "Rodrigo is asleep. Let's get out of here before he wakes up. Follow me."
Luis ran toward the beach with Pablo on his heels. When they were out of earshot of the settlement, Luis slowed to a walk.
"I was coming to help you escape," said Luis, "but when I arrived I saw that you were already coming out."
"What of the other two? Did they come with you?"
"Those vermin! It was they who told Diego of our plans. Diego granted me amnesty on the condition that I behave myself, then released me. Later, I managed to sneak out and meet with Havani and Maiya. Lucky that I did, too. I learned from them that the renegade Tainos plan to attack La Navidad tomorrow morning, just before dawn."
"Dios mio!" We tried to warn the fools, but they wouldn't
listen. But what about us? Are we in danger?"
"The renegades will kill every Spaniard they see. We'd better hide until things calm down."
"What about Havani and Maiya?"
"They are in no danger. I promised Havani that I would help you escape. Maiya worried that I would be caught, but she knew that it had to be done. They know of a place where we can hide."
"That will be almost impossible," Pablo observed. "The Taino know every rock on this island."
"The girls thought of that. They arranged for a canoe with a cache of provisions to be hidden on the beach. They told me where it is hidden, and suggested we row out to a small offshore island called Nahia. The island can be seen from the point where the canoe is hidden."
"How long do they expect us to stay there?"
"When things calm down, they will send word to us. They'll send a lone messenger so we'll know it's not a war party."
The two men walked along the beach until they spotted the canoe. It was a clear, moonlit night, and they could see Nahia from where they stood.
They pushed the canoe into the surf and set out for the island. After reaching the island, the exhausted men stretched out on the beach and slept.
On the morning of the third day, they finished the last of their provisions.
"Three days and still no messenger," said Pablo. "Surely things have calmed down by now."
"The renegades may have discovered that two Spaniards are missing and are looking for us. Don't be impatient."
"It occurs to me that Guacanagari may not be too anxious to have us back on Hispaniola," said Pablo. "He knew of the attack, but did not stop them. He may be plotting to have us murdered."
"Not likely. He didn't interfere with the attack for fear that he himself might be murdered. He is a man who opposes violence."
"Even if that is so, there is still something else to consider. When the Captain-general returns, he'll probably suspect us as deserters and have us arrested. I have a plan to bargain with Guacanagari to hide us."
"I never thought of it that way. What is your plan?"
"We can offer to teach the Taino many things. They fear the Carib, who frequently attack and plunder their villages." I can show them how to make crossbows, catapults, and other weapons to fight the Carib. In return, they can keep our existence secret from the Captain-general."
"But how can we approach Guacanagari? The renegade Tainos may kill us before we can reach him."
"That is a chance we'll have to take," said Pablo.
They left the small island and set course for Hispaniola. They landed, beached the canoe, and set out for the Taino Chief's village. As they approached the village, they suddenly found themselves surrounded by renegades.
Most of the renegades were armed with wooden spears, but some carried Spanish swords: evidence that the Spanish settlement had indeed been wiped out.
There was nowhere to run; they were encircled. The Taino began kicking and pummeling them. Pablo went down, and one of the renegades stood over him, holding a sword to his throat.
He heard Luis shouting, apparently trying to reason with the attackers. One of the Taino stepped forward and said something to the man standing over Pablo. The man raised his sword and stepped back.
"Thank God," said Luis. "One of them recognized me."
Guacanagari listened intently to Pablo's proposal. "There is much you can teach us," said the chief, "but I cannot accept your offer. The Taino disdain violence. In spite of being surrounded by savage tribes like the Carib, we have survived. The recent violence shown by some of my people has sickened me, even though they were provoked by the misdeeds of your people.
"But now I fear the vengeance of my friend, Cristobal Colon. He will be outraged when he returns to find his village destroyed."
"I suggest you tell him that the Carib attacked the settlement," said Pablo. "He will have no reason to disbelieve you. He knows the Carib are savages."
"Your suggestion has merit. I will give it some thought. As for you two, I have decided what to do with you."
"He's going to execute us," Pablo whispered to Luis.
The chief continued. "My cousin Havani has made a suggestion that has my wholehearted approval. As you have said, you do not wish your chief to learn of your survival." He smiled, a rarity for the Great Chief. "Nor do I. I would rather you were not on this island when your chief returns.
"Havani proposes that we send you to the great land to the northwest. Havani and Maiya have agreed to go with you."
Pablo and Luis were amazed. Neither they nor any of the other Spaniards had been told of any large land mass in the vicinity. Could this be Asia, they wondered, the land that the Captain-general had been seeking?
"But how can we get there?" asked Pablo. "We have no ship."
"It is near enough to travel by canoe," the chief told them. "Our traders have traded with the people there."
Three large dugouts were outfitted for the trip. Traders who had gone there before would be their guides.
Havani was excited about the trip and saw it as a great adventure. Pablo was amused as she talked excitedly of the coming journey.
"The traders say we will stop at several islands on the way. We will see other tribes, but they all speak Arawak, our language. Only a few in the great land speak Arawak, but the tribes there use sign language known by all.
"The people there wear coverings over their bodies, as the Spaniards do." She giggled. "But Maiya and I don't mind. Some of the coverings are very pretty."
"You will be pretty enough with or without the coverings," said Pablo.
She laughed, playfully kicking sand at him. "Do you know what the traders say? They say that there is a fountain up there that keeps people young. If you drink from it you will never grow old."
"A fountain of youth," said Pablo. "Let's hope the Spaniards never hear of it."
A month later Columbus returned to the New World on his second voyage and learned that his settlement, La Navidad, had been destroyed by Caonabo, chief of the Carib.
***THE END***
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