Days of the Discoverers

nd. His own ship, the Gallego before the Admiral re-christened her and made her his flagship, was riding trim as a mallard w

toval Quintero, had been left behind in Palos. But what can you do when you have seized a ship for the service of the Crown, and turned her over to a capta

d urchin with not much on but a pair of ragged breeches stared up at him boldly, hands behind h

arily he would have cuffed the speaker heels over head for impudence, but the dial

he growled, "and anyway, w

ore she left port. I'd like to sail in her if she were properly looked after. But

d Bojador? And who may you call y

he way home, and my mother died of grief, so that I get my bread where the saints put it. People say

w as well the loyalty that went with it. "Son," he said seriously, "what do

in a Cadiz galley manned with plotters. When they hauled this fine ship up on the beach I asked for a job, and the lazy fellows were glad enough of help. I never minded doing their work if they hadn't kicke

map is true. If the Admiral refuse to turn back in case land is not found they will pitch him into the sea and tell the world that

she might be able to keep up with the others. Another week must pass before they could sail. If they returned to Palos it was doubtful whether they could get any men at all to replace the disloyal ones. Too much delay might cause the withdrawal of Martin Pin

"have you told thi

a s

like to sai

Why do you suppose

until I have seen the Admiral. Whe

here lets me sleep

-now, off

paniards who made up his three crews had been collected as with a rake from the unwilling Andalusian seaports. It was decided that the mutinous sa

Queen Ysabel had indeed been so rash as to pledge her jewels to meet the cost of this expedition; but the royal treasurers, looking over their accounts, noted that Palos owed a fine to the Crown which had never been paid. Very good; l

s enlisted as captains, with their own ship the Nina, they could not get men enough to go on so doubtful a venture. The royal officers finally took to the reckless course of par

nt of wind and tide; but on the other hand she was cheaper to build and to sail than a Genoese galley. The Admiral believed that in the end the smallness of the ships would be no disadvantage. Among the estuaries, bays and groups of islands which he expected to find, they could go anywhere. Including sh

he door had closed upon the Admiral of the Indies. "Since all enlist

under his command might be emboldened to cut his throat, seize the ships and become pirates. The men whom he could trust were altogether too few to control those he could not, if it came to an open fight,-but

into a state of discipline. The quarter-deck is perhaps the severest test of character known. Despit

e information. He told of the gilded temples of Cipangu, the porcelain towers of Cathay, rajahs' elephants in gilded and jeweled trappings, golden idols with eyes of great glowing gems, thrones of ebony inlaid with patterns of diamonds, emeralds and rubies, rich cargoes of spices, dyewood, fine cotton and silk, pearl fisheries, the White Feast of Cambalu and the Khan's great hall where six thousand courtiers gathered. Portuga

been moved simply by a boy's desire to go where he had not been before. Now he served a demigod, who led men where none had

drifting mast, to which nobody would have given two thoughts anywhere else, w

sked the Admiral, somewhat amused. He h

saw ill omens a dozen times a week, all sure death; and she is ninety years old. A mast dri

h blood to endure inaction and suspense together. Day after day a soft strong wind wafted them westward. Ruiz, one of the pilots, b

Admiral quietly, "

rd," he answered boldly, "if we cannot

assured and rather ashamed of his fears, told the other grumblers if they had

was not then known that the action of the magnetic pole upon the needle varies in different parts of the earth, but the quick mind of the Admiral found an explanation which quieted their fears. He told them that the real north pole was a fixed

expanse of green like an ocean meadow. Tuna fish played in the waters; on one of the patches of floating weed rested a live crab. A white tropical bird of a kind never known to sleep upon the sea came flying toward them, alighting for a moment in the rigging. The owners of the Pinta predicted that

all to see. He took the actual figures of each day's run as set down in his private record, subtracted from them a certain percentage and gave out this revised reckoning to the fleet. He, and he alone, knew that they were nearly seven hundred leagues from Palos already, instead of five hundred and fifty. According to To

d carried them on so smoothly that they could talk from one ship to another. Martin Pinzon borrowed the Admiral's chart, and it seemed to him that according to this they must be near Cipangu. He tossed the chart back to the flagship on the end of a cord, and gave himself to scanning the horizon. Ten thousand maravedis had been promised by the sovereigns to the first m

emy the bonito (mackerel), rose from the water in rainbow argosies, and fell sometimes inside the caravels. A heron, a pelican and a duck passed, flying southwest. By the true reckoning the fleet had sailed seven hundred and fifty leagues. Colón wondered whether

delegation of anxious officers came to explain to the Admiral that they could not hold the panic-stricken crews. If no land appeared within a week their provisions would not last until they reached home; they had not eno

legible hand to his log, put it aside, put the pen in the case which hung at his

God's blessing we shall continue to look for them until we find them. Say to the

master's steel corslet and casque, while near

like Fray Agostino's donkey, that went over the mountain at a trot, try

cker, and one of the men poi

aker. "You heard,

," sai

el

the Abbot charged the old friar with deceiving the dumb beast

he turned to go, "You need not be afraid that I shall tell the Admiral what

lagship, and after service the Admiral briefly addressed the men. He reminded them of the singular favor of God in granting them so quiet and safe a voyage, and recalled his statement made on leaving the

m the top of the castle built up on the poop of the Santa Maria, t

here? Yes? Call Se?or Gutierrez and we will see what he makes o

o as if it were a torch in a fishing-boat or in the hand of some one walking. But at two in the mornin

. No one had been able to imagine with any certainty what morning would show. But this was no seaport, or coast of any civilized land. People were com

crowned initials of the sovereigns, Fernando and Ysabel. The air was clear and soft, the sea was almost transparent, and strange and beautiful fruits could be seen among the rich foliage of the trees along the shore. The Admiral landed, knelt and kissed the earth, offering thanks to God, wit

them innocently took hold of a sword by the edge. They were delighted with the colored caps, glass beads, hawk-bells and other trifles which were given to them, and brought the strangers great balls of spun cotton, cakes of cassava bread, fruits, and tame

long the shore of this island and there is no diff

o had been kind to him, ready to answer his questions regarding navigation, and loyal to the Admiral. Moreover it was not quite the first time that Pe

th the fearful odds, but before the half-awakened sailors heard his call the Santa Maria was past repair. No lives were lost, but the Admiral decided that it would be necessary to leave a part of the men on shore as the beginning of a settlement. He would not have chosen to do this

be helped. The wild people are friendly, the land is kind, and when we have sailed back to Spain with our news there will be no difficul

o

d be Cristobal Colombo, and in Spanish Christoval or Cristobal Colón. In Latin, which was the common language of all learned men until comparatively recent times, the name took the form Chris

nte

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