"Per

"Cheer up, my friend," said the good prior. severe, and you will yet succeed. I myself will help you. I will use my influence with the queen. She will listen to me, for I was once her confessor."

Perseverance. - Columbus did persevere. But it was yet a long time before he succeeded. Several years passed by, -years of disappointment and sore trials, — and then, just as he was getting ready to leave Spain, the queen was persuaded to favor his project. The king also agreed to

give him the help that he asked.

Three ships were made ready. Two of these, the Niña and the Pinta, were very small and had no decks. The other, the Santa Maria, was a little larger; it was chosen by Columbus as his flagship.

III. THE FIRST VOYAGE

One morning in midsummer the little fleet sailed away from the harbor of Palos. The sailors scarcely expected ever to return. They wept as the land faded from sight. Most of them had been forced to go. The smaller ships, too, had been seized upon by the king's orders and taken without the leave of their owners.

1492

The voyage was a long one. The sailors begged to be allowed to turn back. They even threatened the life of their commander. But Columbus was determined not to give up. He stood on the deck of the Santa Maria and watched for signs of land.

At length a green branch from a tree was seen floating in the water. Surely, land could not be far away. Then

some little birds, of a kind that live along the seashore, hovered around the ships. Surely, land was near at hand. At length, one night, a light was seen far over the water. It moved as if it were a torch being carried from place to

place. When morning broke, the ships were near a pleasant island, green with trees and grass. How glad the sailors must have been!

The landing. Columbus, dressed in scarlet and gold, went on shore with some of his men. All knelt upon the beach and thanked God for bringing them in safety across the dreaded sea. They planted a cross in the sand. They unfurled the banner of Spain. Columbus named the island "San Salvador," and took possession of it for

the king and queen, Ferdinand and Isabella. It was one of the group which we now know as the Bahamas.

Indians. Soon from among the trees strange men and women and children came shyly to look at the strangers. Columbus believed that he was on one of the islands of India, and so he called the people Indians. They were copper-colored; they had long, black hair and were finely formed; they seemed gentle and timid; they believed that the white men were beings come down from the sky to bless the earth.

It was on the 12th day of October, 1492, that Columbus landed on San Salvador. It was the first land seen on this side of the ocean; and it is common for us to say that America was discovered on that day. But Columbus thought that he was near the eastern coast of Asia.

Other discoveries. - Columbus sailed onward, hoping to reach the mainland, perhaps of India, perhaps of China, perhaps of Japan. He passed near many beautiful islands. He discovered Cuba and then sailed eastward, along its northern shore. Everywhere he was delighted with the pleasant land, the trees, the flowers, the fruits, the people. The natives- the Indians were peaceable and kind, the

Never was there a happier

air was mild, the sea was calm. voyage than that first cruise among the islands which we now call the West Indies.

But when the voyagers reached Haiti, misfortunes befell them. The Santa Maria was driven ashore in a storm and wrecked. The captain of the Pinta had already disobeyed orders and sailed away. Columbus was left with

only the little Niña. He decided then that it was best to return to Spain and tell the story of his discoveries.

The homeward voyage was a hard one. Fierce storms threatened to overwhelm the tiny vessel. Scarcely a man hoped to see Spain again. Columbus wrote on a piece of parchment an account of his discoveries. He put the

parchment in a cask, which he sealed and threw overboard. He thought that if the Niña should be lost, perhaps some day the cask would drift to shore and be picked up, the parchment would be found and read, and the world would know of what he had done.

But the ship weathered the storms, and, after many

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weeks, sailed proudly into the harbor of Palos. What rejoicing there was that day! The king and queen sent for Columbus. They had him sit beside them and tell all about his voyage. They looked at the strange things he had brought from the islands beyond the sea. They honored him in every way they could. A happy man was Columbus.

IV. THE SECOND VOYAGE

In a few months everything was ready for another voyage. Seventeen ships sailed from Spain with fifteen hundred men on board. This time there was no weeping as the land disappeared; but there were songs of joy and hope. All expected soon to reach the shores of India. They expected to visit the rich cities of the East; to load their vessels with gold and pearls and fine silks; and to return home carrying great wealth with them.

The voyage was a pleasant one. The first land seen was a mountainous island which Columbus called Dominica. Then he sailed northwesterly, cruising among what are now known as the Lesser Antilles. He discovered Porto Rico, which the natives called Boriquen, and finally reached Haiti, where he had stopped on his first voyage.

In Haiti the sky was as blue, the sea was as calm, the land was as beautiful as before. But the Spaniards with Columbus were dissatisfied and unhappy. They discovered no rich cities there. They saw no treasure houses filled with gold. The people whom they found were naked savages. Was this the India of their hopes?