how peaceful, noble, benevolent, beneficent we were.

The canoes were heaped with fruit and cassava bread, and
they had cotton, not in balls, but woven in pieces. And
these Indians had about neck or in ear some bits of gold.
These they changed cheerfully, taking and valuing what
trifle was given. "Gold. Where do you get your gold?
Do you know of Cipango or Cathay or India? Have ever
you heard of Zaiton, or of Quinsai and Cublai Khan?"
They gave us answers which we could not fully understand,
and gestured inland and a little to the east. "Cibao! Cibao!"
They seemed to say that there was all the gold
there that a reasonable mortal might desire. "Cibao?--
Cipango?" said the Admiral. "They might be the same."

"Like Cuba and Cublai Khan," thought Juan Lepe.

Around a point of shore darted a long canoe with many
rowers. Other canoes gave way for it, and the Indians already
upon the _Santa Maria_ exclaimed that it was the
boat of the cacique, though not the cacique but his brother
sat in it. Guacanagari was the cacique. His town was
yonder! They pointed to a misty headland beyond St.
Thomas's bay.

The Indian from the great canoe came aboard, a handsome
fellow, and he brought presents not like any we had
seen. There was a width of cotton embroidered thick with
bits of gleaming shell and bone, but what was most welcome
was a huge wooden mask with eyes and tongue of gold.