The Indians laughed with scorn at this threat, but when they saw
the moon gradually losing its light and fading into darkness, they fell
into a panic, and begged him to let it shine again, promising to bring him
all the food he wanted. At this the admiral feigned to relent, and after
retiring for a time to his cabin, came forth and told them that he would
consent to bring back the lost moonlight. After that the Indians saw that
the crew had abundance of food. The admiral and his crew were finally
rescued by an expedition sent from Hispaniola.
Jamaica, like Cuba and Hayti, has the honor of keeping its old Indian
name, signifying a land of springs, or of woods and waters. It is a land
of mountains also; if it had not been we would have had no story to tell,
for these mountains were the haunts and the strongholds of the Maroons.
The island was not settled till 1523, twenty years after the detention of
Columbus on its shores. Many years after that we find its Spanish settlers
oppressing all the English that fell into their hands. This was the case,
in fact, all through the West Indies, English seamen being put in the
stocks, sent to the galleys, or murdered outright.
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