The natives, instead of coming to greet them, lurked guiltily behind trees, and when they were seen fled away into the woods.

All this was very disquieting indeed, and in significant contrast to their behaviour of the year before.

The party from the ship threw buttons and beads and bells to the retiring natives in order to try and induce them to come forward, but only four approached, one of whom was a relation of Guacanagari.

These four consented to go into the boat and to be rowed out to the ship.
Columbus then spoke to them through his interpreter; and they admitted what had been only too obvious to the party that went ashore--that the Spaniards were all dead, and that not one of the garrison remained.

It seemed that two neighbouring kings, Caonabo and Mayreni, had made an attack upon the fort, burned the buildings, and killed and wounded most of the defenders; and that Guacanagari, who had been fighting on their behalf, had also been wounded and been obliged to retire.