Use the following excerpt from Christopher Columbus's journal for October 1, 1492, the day he first landed in America, to answer the question:

"As I saw that they were very friendly to us, and perceived that they could be much more easily converted to our holy faith by gentle means than by force, I presented them with some red caps, and strings of beads to wear upon the neck, and many other trifles of small value, wherewith they were much delighted...--"

Christopher Columbus's journal, October 1, 1492

What inference about Columbus does the excerpt support?