This Country of Ours

sleep, leaving a sailor to steer the ship. But this sailor thought

teer a ship, and being caught in a current it was cast upon a sand-bank and wrecked. By good luck every one was saved and landed upon the island of Haiti. But Columbus had now only one little vessel

hat when he came back from Spain - as he intended to do - he would find a ton of gold collected by them, and that they would have found a gold mine

he chose forty-four, appointing one of them, Diego de Arana, as Governor. He called the fort La Navida or The

s and slowly glided away, leaving in that far island amid the unk

little faith in his excuses. And now once more together, the two little vessels sailed homeward. But soon storms arose, the ships were battered by wind, tossed about hither and thither by waves, and at length separated again. More than once Columbus feared that his tiny vessel

ed in triumph, and that India had been reached, their joy knew no bounds. Shops were closed, bells were rung, and all the people in holiday attire thronged to the harbour, and with shouts and cheers they bore Columbus in triumph to the church,

olumbus, our Admiral of the Ocean Sea, Viceroy and Governor of the Islands discovered in the Indies. It bade him to come at once to court. It told him that a ne

ssed through the streets, riding on a splendid horse and surrounded by the greatest nobles of Spain, they cheered him again and again. They gazed in

y rose, and standing they welcomed back to their realm as a mighty prince he who had gone forth a simple sailor. And as Columbus would have knelt to kiss their hands

d and claimed for Spain. And when he had finished the King and Queen fell upon their knees, and clasping their hands they raised eyes filled with tears of joy to heaven, giving thanks t

tness of his discovery. He never realised that he had shown the way to a new world; he believed to the day of his death that he had indeed found new islands, but that his greatest feat was that of finding

n, the young Prince of Spain, on the other. Sometimes even the King himself would ride with him, and seeing him so high in royal favour all the greatest and proudest nobles of the land w

. "It is all very well," he said to Columbus, "but in a great country like Spain, where there are such numbers of daring sailors

When it was brought he placed it on the table saying, "Sirs, I will lay a wager with a

round to Columbus again. And he, taking it in his hand, struck it sharpl

y saw he was well answered. Columbus had shown that after a deed is once done it is simple, and every one knows how to do

the matter. And the Pope decided that all new lands discovered west of an imaginary line drawn through the Atlantic Ocean west of the Azores and from pole to pole should belong to Spain. All discoveries east of thi

er the Sea of Darkness: this time he had no difficulty in getting a company. For every one was eager to go with him, even ma

ll hoping, he ordered two cannon to be fired as a signal to the colonists. The cannon boomed through the still, warm darkness of the night, and slowly the echoes died away. But there was no

d broken vessels were strewn around, but as the Spaniards wandered sadly among the ruins t

er of gifts and other friendly signs, they came. They told how the Spaniards had quarreled amongst themselves, ho

All traces of it have vanished, and upon the spot where La Navi

the mouth of the Orinoco. But Columbus did not know that at last he had discovered the great double Continent of America. He thought that he had merely discovered another island, and he named it L

t for joy at the news of his discovery shed no tear over his grave. He died "unwept, unhonoured and unsung." Years passed before men recognised what a great man had dwelt among them: years passed before any monument

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