Pioneer Spaniards in North America . on the Atlanticcoast must be mentioned, not because it had anypurpose of exploration, but because it resulted ina discovery. In the few years that had elapsedsince the coming of the Spaniards into the WestIndies, under their cruel exactions the nativeswere fast dying out. It was necessary to recruitlaborers for the mines from some quarter. In1520 Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon, a high officialof Santo Domingo, took two vessels to cruiseamong the Bahamas on a slave-catching expedi-tion. Easterly gales drove him out of his way,and he brought up on a strange coast. T
Pioneer Spaniards in North America . on the Atlanticcoast must be mentioned, not because it had anypurpose of exploration, but because it resulted ina discovery. In the few years that had elapsedsince the coming of the Spaniards into the WestIndies, under their cruel exactions the nativeswere fast dying out. It was necessary to recruitlaborers for the mines from some quarter. In1520 Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon, a high officialof Santo Domingo, took two vessels to cruiseamong the Bahamas on a slave-catching expedi-tion. Easterly gales drove him out of his way,and he brought up on a strange coast. Thecountry was enchanting and the natives called the region Chicora. The Spaniardsgave the name St. Helena to a headland, and itstill clings to an island and the adjacent sound. 84 JUAN PONCE DE LEON Entering the mouth of a river, probably theCombahee, they called it the Jordan. Thus, in1520, the seaboard of the future State of SouthCarolina was first visited by white men. It would have been well for the kindly natives. ST. HELENA, THE SCENE OF AYLLONS TREACHERY if they had known the character of these pale-faced strangers whom they held to be beings froma higher world. They lavished on them theirsimple hospitality. In return, the Spaniards in-vited them on board. The confiding savagescame without hesitation and explored every part 85 PIONEER SPANIARDS of the vessels. When the holds were full of cu-rious sight-seers, at a signal the slave-catchersclosed the hatches. Then they sailed away withtheir mournful freight. But their greed was pun-ished. One vessel was lost^ On the other thecaptives refused food, pined, and mostly diedbefore the end of the voyage. Retribution was in store for Ayllon. Hisdiscovery having been rewarded by his master,Charles V., with the governorship of Chicora, hesailed in 1526 to take possession of his the natives seemed friendly. But thistime they had a purpose. They had learneda lesson from the Spaniards. When the latterhad
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