Christopher Columbus
Until about five hundred years ago, people did not know that our world was round. They thought that, if they sailed far enough across the sea, they would come to the end of the world and fall off. You can understand, therefore, that men did not sail very far in search of new lands.
A very famous Italian traveler, Marco Polo, had travelled east, by sea and land, in 1271, and had spent seventeen years in China and India. He brought back wonderful stories of the rich wealth to be found in these countries, but many people did not believe him. They lived in their own countries and had no knowledge of other parts of the world. In fact, nobody knew there were such countries as America and Australia, and they knew very little about the South of Africa. The people of Europe had traded with the Arabs for some years. The Arabs brought beautiful cottons and silks, and rare spices, from the distant land of India, and the Europeans decided that they must try to discover a way to India themselves. They began to realize that the world was not flat, but round; and they wondered whether it would be possible to find the Indies (as India was called) by sailing across the wide sea to the west. If the world was really round, they would be able to sail round it and finish up in the East Indies.
This was why Christopher Columbus, an Italian sailor, decided to try to reach the East Indies by sailing west.
Columbus, however, was only a poor man, and he had not enough money to buy a ship big enough to sail across the Great Atlantic Ocean. He loved the sea and had spent some years sailing in the quiet Mediterranean, trading with the different countries on the coast. He had also journeyed to England and France in his ship. But this ship was too small to sail across wide oceans, where there would be storms and rough seas, and where he would not see land for many days.
About 1477, Columbus's ship was wrecked off the coast of Portugal, and he had to swim to the land. He settled in Portugal and married the daughter of a sea captain. This captain had sailed on several voyages of discovery, and his stories of distant lands greatly interested his young son-in-law. Columbus made up his mind that he must get a ship and crew big enough to take him across the Atlantic. But who would help him? He was poor and unknown, and needed a lot of money for the voyage. He could find no one in Portugal to give him the money, and at last he went to Spain.
For many years he could get nobody to help him. The king and Queen of Spain were interested, but their country was at war and there was no money to spare for dangerous voyages in unknown seas. Columbus, however, was a determined young man. He would not give up hope, and after ten long years of waiting, he was given money and three small ships by the king of Spain. He had great difficulty in finding crews for his ships. Many sailors were afraid to sail across unknown and stormy seas, and most of the crew was made up of rough, wild men and criminals.
At last, he found eighty-eight men to sail with him, and the three little ships sailed from Spain on August 3rd, 1492. They sailed for two months without seeing land, and the uneducated sailors gave Columbus a lot of trouble. Many of them still believed that the earth was flat, and they were filled with fear that one day they would reach the end of this great ocean and their ships would fall off the world and disappear into space. They had never before sailed for so long without seeing land, and it is not surprising that they grew angry and afraid and begged Columbus to return to Spain. You must remember that, in those days, there were no steam ships; their little ships were at the mercy of the winds and stormy seas; and, in this unknown ocean, they saw strange sights. Unknown fish and Great animals swam in the sea, and bright stars fell from the sky. The sailors were filled with fear.
Christopher Columbus, however, was a strong-willed man. He was determined to reach India through the west, and nothing could turn him for his purpose. He kept two records for the voyage: one true one, which he kept for himself, and the other with false dates and numbers, which he showed to his crew. In this way he hid from them the real distance they were travelling west wards. But the days went by, and they found no land, and the men grew wild with fear. They told Columbus he must turn back, or they would throw him in to the sea. Columbus looks towards the west with fearless eyes. During the last few days, they had seen signs that land was not very far away. There had been many birds flying around the ship, and they could see law-lying clouds in the distance. A tree branch had floated past, with green leaves and red berries.
Columbus felt that they must reach the Indies soon. So, he turned his eyes from the west and said to the angry sailors: "Be patient with me for three more days. Today is Thursday. If we have not seen land by Sunday, I'll return to Spain."
Christopher Columbus, however, was a strong-willed man. He was determined to reach India through the west, and nothing could turn him for his purpose. He kept two records for the voyage: one true one, which he kept for himself, and the other with false dates and numbers, which he showed to his crew. In this way he hid from them the real distance they were travelling west wards. But the days went by, and they found no land, and the men grew wild with fear. They told Columbus he must turn back, or they would throw him in to the sea. Columbus looks towards the west with fearless eyes. During the last few days, they had seen signs that land was not very far away. There had been many birds flying around the ship, and they could see law-lying clouds in the distance. A tree branch had floated past, with green leaves and red berries.
Columbus felt that they must reach the Indies soon. So, he turned his eyes from the west and said to the angry sailors: "Be patient with me for three more days. Today is Thursday. If we have not seen land by Sunday, I'll return to Spain."
Christopher Columbus
He seemed so certain that the men lost some of their fear.
Think! Columbus went on. "Think of all the riches you will be able to take back to Spain from these wonderful Indies! We should be fools to turn back now, when we have already come so far."
So the men agreed to sail on for three more days. All Saturday night Columbus could not sleep. He stood looking ahead into the darkness and praying that they would reach land the next day. It would break his heart to have to turn back now. When he was so near his goal. Suddenly he saw a light shining a long way ahead. It seemed to be moving. Surely it must be someone on land, carrying a light! He called a sailor and asked him if he could see anything.
" A light! A light!" the sailor cried, but Columbus told him to say nothing to the others.
"Let us wait until the morning," he said. " We may be wrong."
But they were right. Land was sighted the next day. The crew was filled with joy, but no one was as happy and proud as Columbus. Here was proof that his idea was right: the Indies could be reached by going west, and the world was round!
He did not realize, of course, that he had sailed less than half way to India. He had really reached the islands near America-that grate country which no one had yet discovered-and it was many years before people knew that Columbus's Indies were not part of India at all. When they realize this, the islands were named the West Indies, and the people who lived there were called 'Red Indians.'
The joyful sailors landed on the island. Columbus wrote his richest clothes and carried the flag of Spain. They all knelt on the ground and thanked God for bringing them safely across the great Ocean, and Columbus named the island San Salvador. (IT IS NOW CALLED WATLING ISLAND) The date was October 12th, 1492,more than two months after they had set sail from Spain.
During the next few months Columbus discovered other islands in the West Indian group, but his ship, the Santa Maria, was wrecked on an island which he had named Hispaniola, and decided that it was time to return to Spain. The sailors built a Fort from the wood of the wreaked ship, and forty four men stayed on the island. Christopher Columbus returned to Spain with the other two ships, taking with him many gifts for the king and Queen. He took strange birds and animals, gold and cotton, native weapons and rare plants. He also took two 'Red Indians' with him, to prove that he had really reached the Indies.
The king and Queen of Spain welcomed him with great honor, and gave him everything he asked for. They ordered new and bigger ships to be made ready for him, and Columbus set out on his second voyage across the Atlantic. This time he had fifteen hundred men with him, and they sailed in the three big ships and fourteen smaller ones. Christopher Columbus was a famous man now. He had bravely crossed the unknown ocean and proved that there was land on the other side. Many sailors were willing to travel with him now. This time the voyage took less than six weeks.
They discovered many new islands on this journey, but when they reached Hispaniola they found the Fort was burned and all the Spaniards had disappeared. They had treated the Red Indians badly, and made enemies of them, and they had all been killed.
Columbus built a new Fort in Hispaniola, but troubled years followed. The Spaniards fought among themselves and with the Red Indians, and many of them were jealous of Columbus and would not obey him. He himself fell ill, and at last he had to return to Spain.
He made another voyage to the West, and this time he sailed along the North Coast of South America, but ill-health forced him to return again to Spain, and he died without realizing that he had discovered a great new continent. This discovery was made by another Italian, Amerigo Vespucci, and America was named after him.
Christopher Columbus's great work was the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. His bravery and determination had shown that it was possible to sail across wide unknown seas and return safely. He showed the way and others followed.