The Spaniards would do nothing to make the little fortress safer, and were bent only on escaping from the place of horror.
Some of them were preparing canoes in which to come out to the ships when the sea should go down, as their one small boat was insufficient; and they swore that if the Admiral would not take them they would seize their own caravel and sail out themselves into the unknown sea as soon as they could get her floated over the bar, rather than remain in such a dreadful situation.

Columbus was in a very bad way.

He could not desert Bartholomew, as that would expose him to the treachery of his own men and the hostility of the savages.

He could not reinforce him, except by remaining himself with the whole of his company; and in that case there would be no means of sending the news of his rich discovery to Spain.
There was nothing for it, therefore, but to break up the settlement and return some other time with a stronger force sufficient to occupy the country.

And even this course had its difficulties; for the weather continued bad, the wind was blowing on to the shore, the sea was--so rough as to make the passage of the bar impossible, and any change for the worse in the weather would probably drive his own crazy ships ashore and cut off all hope of escape.
The Admiral, whose health was now permanently broken, and who only had respite from his sufferings in fine weather and when he was relieved from a burden of anxieties such as had been continually pressing on him now for three months, fell into his old state of sleeplessness, feverishness, and consequent depression; and it, these circumstances it is not wonderful that the firm ground of fact began to give a little beneath him and that his feet began to sink again into the mire or quag of stupor.
Of these further flounderings in the quag he himself wrote an account to the King and Queen, so we may as well have it in his own words.
"I mounted to the top of the ship crying out with a weak voice, weeping bitterly, to the commanders of your Majesties' army, and calling again to the four winds to help; but they did not answer me.
Tired out, I fell asleep and sighing I heard a voice very full of pity which spoke these words: O fool! and slow to believe and to serve Him, thy God and the God of all.