Pieces of Eight

Nevis

Another island discovered by Columbus on his second voyage, the explorer mistook low cloud over the peaks for snow, and named the island “Nieves,” after the Spanish word for snow. Had he actually set foot on the island, he may have discovered his mistake.

The first European to actually set foot on Nevis was an English captain, who was searching for lignum vitae, a type of wood so hard it rivalled iron. According to his log, the island was home to many hundreds of turtles, which he and his crew found very tasty. The next casual visitor, also English, ran into an Indian hunting party, but both sides fled the encounter.

It was another 20 years before Nevis was settled, by the English from neighboring St. Kitts, but the following year the Spanish managed to conquer the island and drove off the English settlers. The Spanish were then in turn defeated by the English shortly afterward, and the island changed hands once more.

Nevis is still English, but both the Dutch and Spanish make regular attacks in a bid to claim the island. Although the Spanish fleets are currently engaged elsewhere in their war against the pirates, the Dutch are assembling another fleet for an attack.