As soon as I arrived in the Indies, in the first island which I found, I took some of the natives by force, in order that they might learn and might give me information of whatever there is in these parts. And so it was that they soon understood us, and we them, either by speech or by signs, and they have been very serviceable.

Summary

This quote is from Christopher Columbus, where he explains how he initially used force to take natives as a means of gaining knowledge and communication in the Indies. Columbus wanted to gather information about the land and its resources, and he believed that capturing and communicating with the natives would serve this purpose. He mentions that over time, they were able to understand each other through speech and gestures, and these interactions proved to be beneficial for him and his crew. However, the quote also raises concerns about the method Columbus employed to achieve his objectives.

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