If Columbus was so cruel why didn’t he end up like General Custer? Ships back then had crews of only 40 or 50. His force would have been vastly outnumbered by the locals. They could have had Columbus for dinner, literally.
good point Steven
I’m thinking the people he met were as curious about him and his crew and their fascinating ship, as he was about them.
Among the people he brought was an expert in languages, Luis de Torres. The fellow knew many languages, but not the language of the natives. So, he interacted with the natives and learned their language.
There were some problems. When Columbus left a party of about forty on that island (to continue his explorations), the natives fell on them and killed all forty.
This attack is sometimes said to be justified as retribution for men of Columbus courting or simply buying girls and young women (a practice of the natives). Of course, any attack on whites is always o.k., and buying and selling girls and young women is o.k. for native people, even executing people in religious ceremonies; but, courting or buying a girl or a young woman is an unforgivable sin for a white man.