THE STORY OF SPANISH COLONY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10731, 20 February 1897, Page 6

THE STORY OF SPANISH COLONY.

that the romance of Florida begins, and there is so much that is horrible in its history that we may be pardoned for beginning it as pleasantly as we may. Ponce de Leon had his first experience of warfare with the Moors, and when Columbus was on the lookout for capable adventurers with a little useful military knowledge, he was only too glad to accept the services of Juan Ponce, who was soon put second in command in the lately discovered island of Cuba. Ponce was too restless to stay there long, and in search of gold he sailed for Boriquen, and found it lin the pebbles of nearly every mountain j stream. He took possession of the island, ; and organised a Spanish system of governj ment and exploitation. The Indians, as usual, j first deceived and then overawed, were only kept from very justifiable uprising by superstitions as to the immortality of their visitors. Bufc a very convincing experiment soon encouraged them in the belief that even a Spaniard, if held long enough under water, could not breathe better than an Indian. They planned a conspiracy at once. The chief secured the help of neighbouring Caribs, and they soon enlarged the field 01 their discoveries in natural physics by experimenting on the vile bodies cf the Spaniards with tomahawks and arrows. Pones himself, however, they found a harder nut to crack; and he only left the i*knd with all the " honours of war," as th:-y ware called in those days. The romance of Poncs's life be.^an ia this retreat to Porto Rico. Hia comrade aud second in command, Don Christo-?al de Sotomayor (a name familiar to Charles Kingsiey's readers), had left with the chief Agueybana's sister some papers for delivery to Ponce in case of accidents. These, afc great risk of her life, the Indian girl delivered after her lover's death; and Ponce found that among other i legacies he was entrusted with the care of a i certain Donna Inez, the ward of his dead i friend. He sailed at once for Spain, little I dreaming of the change in his aspirations ; that awaited him. The first day he saw the young countess the grim old warrior fell in love. That night neither of this strangelyassorted couple slept. Pence, after frequent applications to the brandy flask (for he was no prohibitioner), went for a stroll in the gardens, and in the summer-house of course he found the lovely heiress. But his strategy did not desert him even at this crisis; and he retired as soon as might be to his own apartments, very much more agitated than be would have cared to confess. Old traditions told him by the Carib Indians of the spring of life'and of the miraculous waters which a man might drink from this fabled Fountain of Youth came back to his mind with a strange persistence. They stayed in his memory through all the business ofthe following day, when he waa appointed formally the guardian of Donna Inez in the presence of her household and relations. That night he made bis will, with the brandy flask handy on his table, and left all his property in order. By daybreak he was on his way to see the King; for if he thought long over his plans he had a military habit of decisive quickness in his actjons.' He secured the royal permission and assistance, and' returned to see i that little summer-house again in Donna ; Inez's garden. The pleasing discovery that • their passion had been mutual at their first j meeting only confirmed the old adventurer in his determination, and he set sail for the Golden.AVest "with the last sweet farewells of his ladylove in his ears and her good wishes strengthening his heart." The contemporary Spanish chroniclers go on describing fche situation in language very much more glowing and poetical; but the feelings of my readers will see even between these fainter lines all tht, romantic fervour which modern editorc are obliged to take for granted. Out g-od Ponce got to Porto Rico in j^ spring in 1512, and by Palm Sunday he had christened the new country that he found further to the west and north Pascna Florida. He had to b**, ouutent with merely geographical renown; for the spring he sought for could not anywhere be found. So he sailed back to Spain again, only to tell Inez, in the usual summer-house, that he was confident of success next time, and to make even greater preparations for the search. But the lady was quite contented with him as he ! was, and very much objected, it appears, to long engagements, particularly when they involved such very distant and tedious separations. Ponce remained unmoved. The more he loved her the more he was determined only to marry her as a youth in strength and vigour with all the knowledge and experience of age. That ideal was a very common one early in the sixteenth century and for centuries before-; bnt it seldom led to more unfortunate results. The brave old visionary got to Florida again in 1515, and the Caribs beat him back to Porto Rico. T n 1521 he tried once more. This time the Indians surrounded tbe expedition, and while he guarded the retreat of his comrades ne received a deep arrow shot inside the thigh. They carried bim to Cuba, and as the marvellous fountain still remained a secret he died ,bravely, and was given a brave soldier's funeral.—From " The Settlement of Sfc. Augustine," in the Pall Mall Magazine. i j i i ! 1 1 i i i ( i i