The story of Columbus

Front matter

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PORTRAIT OF COLUMBUS From the Marine Museum at Madrid.

CHAPTER VI The Last Years of Columbus 160-168 MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

1. Portrait of Columbus Frontispiece

2. The Landing of Columbus 1

3. Map of World, Showing Parts Known Definitely to Europeans

at the Time of Columbus 2

4. Map Showing Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and North Africa . . 3

5. Map Showing Mediterranean 5

6. Map Showing Islands Discovered by the Portuguese 6

7. Map Showing Overland Routes to India 8

8. Toscanelh's Map 12

9. Toscanelli's Map, reduced 15

10. Map Showing Portuguese Explorations Along Coast of Africa 16

11. Map of Aragon, Castile and Moorish Spain 22

12. La Rabida 23

13. Columbus Before the Court at Salamanca 24

14. Ferdinand of Aragon 25

15. Isabella of Castile 27

17. Ship of Fifteenth Century 33

18. 19. Map Drawn from Behaim's Globe 34, 35

20. Portrait of Columbus 38

21. Portrait of Columbus 39

22. The Canaries 41

23. Outline Map of First Outward Voyage 42

24. Map Showing Deviation of the Compass 43

25. Map Showing Sargasso Sea 45

26. 27. Detailed Map of First Outward Journey 46, 47

28. Map of Drifting from September 19th to September 26th 48

29. Outline Map of First Voyage Showing Main Dates 49

30. Map Showing Island Where Columbus May Have Landed 53

31. Map of Watlings Island 54

32. Indian Bed or Hammock 56

33. Detailed Map of Journey Among Islands 61

34. Map of Haiti Showing La Navidad 62

35. Map of First Homeward Voyage 67

36. Map of Spain Showing Palos, Seville, and Barcelona 70

vii viii Maps and Illustrations

PAGE

37. Columbus Commemorative Medal 72

38. Columbus's Coat of Arms 73

39. Map Showing Course of Second Voyage 76

40. Map Showing Second Voyage Among Islands 77

41. Old Picture Showing Fight With Cannibals 79

42. Map of Haiti Showing Isabella, Vega Real, Fort St. Thomas. . . 88

43. Armor Used in Time of Columbus 92

44. Map Showing Voyage of Exploration Among Islands on Second

Voyage 93

45. Map Showing Where Columbus Thought the Coast of Cuba was 96

46. Map Showing Course Columbus Proposed to Follow to go Around

the World 97

47. Portrait of Bartholomew Columbus 100

48. Columbus in Chains 108

49. Map Showing Course of Third Voyage 109

50. Map Showing Third Voyage Among Islands 110

51. Columbus Along the Coast of Central and South America, Third

Voyage Ill

62. Old Picture Showing Columbus Trading for Pearls 114

63. Cathedral at Santo Domingo 1 16

64. Map of South America 122

55. Map Showing Course of Fourth Outward Voyage 138

66, Map Showing Course Along Central America on Fourth Voyage. 140

57. Weapons Used by Natives of Veragua 141

58. Map Showing Course of Voyage from Veragua to Haiti 147

59. Signature and Monogram of Columbus 160

60. Statue of Columbus in Genoa 163

61. Statue of Columbus at Santo Domingo 165

62. Map of Spain Showing ValladoUd 166

63. House Where Columbus Died 167

CHAPTER I Before the First Voyage

I. The Coming of Columbus. — In the early morning of October twelfth, in the year 1492, the Indians living

THE LANDING OF COLUMBUS

on a small island not far from Cuba saw three strange objects out on the ocean. These Indians had never seen any such objects before and did not have the slightest idea what they were. Soon they saw men get off from them into a boat and row toward the shore. When the boat came nearer, the men were seen to have white skins and to wear the most curious clothes which covered all their bodies except their hands and faces. The Indians had never before seen men with white skins, and they had never seen people wearing such clothes. The Indians themselves were almost naked. These strange white people were Christopher Columbus and his followers, who

MAP OF THE WORLD. THE PARTS KNOWN DEFINITELY TO EUROPEANS AT THE TIME OP COLUMBUS ARE SHADED. DOTTED LINE SHOWS COURSE OF COLUMBUS's FIRST VOYAGE

had come across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe in three small sailing vessels. No wonder the Indians were surprised, for up to that time not a single white person lived in all of what is now called America.

Why did Columbus go across a wide ocean on a journey as far as from Boston to San Francisco in these little vessels? He must have had good reasons for doing so, because in his small ships the journey was very dangerous. It was not the kind of a sailing trip that people would take for the fun of it. Did Columbus know about America, or was he trying to go to some other land about which he did know? If you read this book, you will find answers to these questions.

We will now tell the story of Columbus, where he was born, where he got his ships, why he started out over the great ocean, what he was trying to find, and what he really did find.

MAP SHOWING ITALY, PRANCE, SPAIN, PORTUGAL AND THE CITIES OF GENOA, SAVONA,

AND PALOS

2. Where Columbus Came From. — At the time of Columbus, nearly all the white people of the world lived in Europe. The parts of the world about which they knew are shown in the shaded portion of the map. We may be sure that there were many people who were curious to know about the lands beyond this area. Some were trying to work along the west coast of Africa, to see how far land extended in that direction. Others had made long journeys overland eastward to India and China, and while there had even learned something about Japan.

Columbus decided to go straight out into the ocean, and the path along which he sailed is shown by the dotted line in the map. Columbus was born in Italy, but it was in Spain that he got his ships and the people who sailed with him. Indeed, he had been in Spain less than ten years when he started on his great journey.

3. The Young Columbus. — It is more interesting to read about places when we know where they are. For this reason we give here a map which shows the countries of Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal. It shows also the cities of Genoa and Savona in Italy and the town of Palos in Spain. These countries and cities will be mentioned again in the story which follows.

It is surprising how little is known about the life of the young Columbus. He was born in Italy and very likely in the city of Genoa. The year of his birth is now generally beheved to have been 1446. If this is true, Columbus was forty-six years old when he started on his journey from Spain across the Atlantic. His father was a poor man who made his living by weaving cloth. It is known that Columbus worked with his father, combing wool and weaving, and that people called him a wool comber or weaver as long as he lived in Italy.

We do not know how long Columbus went to school, if indeed he went to school at all, but we do know that in later life he was one of the best educated men of his time. He read and wrote Latin with ease, as well as his own Italian language and also Portuguese and Spanish. He read all important books on geography and travel, and a great many other books that are interesting only to learned people. He was in the habit of writing in the margins of the books which he read, and several of these with marginal notes in his handwriting are still to be found in libraries of Spain. He was an expert penman and made many beautiful and accurate maps. He knew much about mathematics, astronomy, and the art of sailing.

The people of Genoa were much engaged in trading and their goods were carried in ships that sailed back and forth over the Mediterranean. A large part of this trade came from the eastern end of the Mediterranean, where

MAP SHOWING MEDITERRANEAN OVER WHICH MERCHANTS OF GENOA CARRIED THEIR GOODS TO AND FROM CONSTANTINOPLE AND THE EAST

they got silks, spices and other valuable goods that had been carried overland from the Far East.

There are stories that Columbus went to sea while very young, and that he even took part in some of the wars which were then going on. But whether he went to sea as a mere boy or not, it is certain that he heard many exciting tales from sailors who returned to Genoa. In those days there were many pirates, who attacked trading ships, killed the sailors, and stole the goods. For this reason, sea-going was very exciting and dangerous, and those who came back told thrilling stories to which the young Columbus must have listened with great interest. We may be sure that the exciting and adventurous life of the sailor had far greater attraction for him than the dull and quiet life of the weaver.

When Columbus was about twenty-seven years of age, he left Italy and went to Portugal.

4. Why Columbus Went to Portugal. — It was no wonder

that a young man interested in the sea should go to Portugal. The Portuguese were known as the best seamen in the world and had discovered more new lands than any other people of their time. They had sailed out into the Atlantic, which was then known as the Sea of Darkness, and had discovered all the islands which are shown on the small map.

They had also worked their way far down along the western coast of Africa.

When Columbus was still a boy the Turks conquered the eastern shores of the Mediterranean and destroyed the trade which the people of Genoa had carried on with the East. For this reason many of the sailors and map makers of Genoa had gone to Portugal to serve on her ships and help in her discoveries. Among these men was Bartholomew, a younger brother of Christopher Columbus,

MAP SHOWING ISLANDS DISCOVERED BY THE PORTUGUESE

The Azores, Madeiras and Canaries were known to tlie ancients and rediscovered early in the 14th century. Portuguese colonies were established in the Madeiras about 1418, in the Azores about 1431.

who had gone to Portugal to work as a map maker. It was but natural that Columbus should follow where many of his neighbors had gone before him. Some of them had, no doubt, come back to tell their stories, and we must remember that people who return from strange lands are very likely to make their stories more exciting than the adventures really were. The men who returned from these adventures were looked upon as great and wonderful and Columbus wanted very much to become like them.

5. Columbus in Portugal. — We have just seen that Bartholomew Columbus had gone to Portugal ahead of his older brother, and that he was engaged in making maps. When Christopher Columbus reached Portugal he too began making maps, possibly in partnership with his brother. Portugal was a good place for map makers because at that time stories about new discoveries traveled very slowly, and those who made maps wanted to show the most newly discovered lands, so as to make their maps as complete as possible. In those days maps were made by hand, one by one, and not printed as they are today. For this reason the making of maps was a great deal more of a trade than it is now. It is important to keep in mind that in Portugal, Columbus was always in touch with that spirit of adventure which goes with the sailing into unknown oceans and the search for new lands. As we shall see later, it is likely that he himself took part in some of the voyages of the Portuguese.

Soon after he came to Portugal, Columbus was married to a young lady of good family. They had a son, Diego, who was born a year or two later. If there were other children they died young, because the name of none of them has come down to us. Columbus said, however, in a letter written after he left Portugal, that he had left his wife and children. We know that he took his son Diego

MAP SHOWING OVERLAND ROUTES TO INDIA with him, so, according to that letter, there must have been other children.

In these earlier years of his life Columbus took a great deal of interest in geography and in the discoveries which were being made. It is unfortunate that later he seems to have lost this interest in geography itself and that his thoughts turned more and more to the discovery of gold and other riches.

6. Stories of the Far East. — When Columbus started westward across the Atlantic, he expected to reach the east coast of Asia. Why did he want to go to Asia? For many hundreds of years before the time of Columbus, the people of Italy, and especially of his own city of Genoa, had been carrying on a trade with eastern Asia, bringing the goods overland along the lines which are shown on this map. Columbus had seen the great wealth which the people of Genoa gained by this trade, and he had also seen how their wealth was rapidly being lost after the trade was stopped by the Turks who had conquered the eastern shores of the Mediterranean. He found that the Portuguese were trying to get this trade by sailing around the southern end of Africa. In time he came to believe, however, that by sailing westward he could reach Asia by a shorter route than by going around Africa, and after all it was not certain as yet that it was possible to sail around Africa at all.

Now and then a traveler would go to these eastern countries and come back with the most wonderful stories about the riches he had seen. The stories of the travels of three of these men are marvelous, indeed. Their names are, Marco Polo, Sir John Mandeville, and Nicolo di Conti. Many of their stories were, of course, not true. They told of cities with bridges built of costly stone; they told about more gold and silver and pearls than there really was at that time an3rvvhere in the world. All things, except men, they said, were finer in the East than elsewhere; the trees grew taller, the animals were larger. Only the people were small and weak, and not so brave as in

Europe. They had been fed so well and had lived in a climate where they needed to do so little work that they had become soft and puny.

The people of Europe were anxious to find an easy way to reach these very rich countries where they could trade — and, it must be said, not only trade, but even steal the riches and carry them away. We shall find later in this story that this is precisely what Columbus did with the Indians, and that is what a great many others did for years to come.

People like to tell wonderful stories and they also like to believe them, and so these stories of the riches of the Far East were not only beheved, but as they were told from time to time they were improved upon, and the East grew richer and richer as the stories were repeated. It is no wonder then that many people in Italy, Portugal, and Spain were trying to find some direct way to these untold treasures where they might easily make themselves rich. It is difficult for us, who live far from that time and from those places, to understand just how excited they got about it. We know how people now go ahnost mad when they hear about the finding of gold. Hundreds of thousands rush away from home and from their work, trying to get rich all of a sudden by digging gold. But in those days people could not rush to India as they do now to newly found gold fields. The only way they knew was to sail to the eastern end of the Mediterranean, and then to go overland on a long and difficult journey. But this route had been made impossible by the Turks, who refused to let Christians carry on trade over the lands which they had conquered. There were, too, many stories of savage beasts and other great dangers. So people began to think more and more about finding other ways to go to the Far East. The Portuguese were trying to sail around the south coast of Africa. A few were thinking about going around the world by sailing westward across the Atlantic. This last idea finally led Columbus to make his great journey.

7. How Columbus Came to Believe the Earth Round. — We now know that the earth is round, very nearly the shape of a true sphere. At the time of Columbus most people believed that it was flat. Some thought that it was flat and round, just like the top of. a dining table, and others thought that it was flat and square, or rectangular, like the top of a flat desk. Those who believed the earth flat said that if it were round like a ball, then there must be people or animals of some kind on the other side of it and that they would be walking with their feet pointed upward and their heads pointed downward. This, they said, could not be, because those on the other side would fall off the earth. In answer to the argument that if the earth were flat, the water of the ocean would run off the edge, they said that all around the edge of the earth there was land which kept it from running off.

However, the belief that the earth is round had been held by many people for nearly two thousand years before the time of Columbus. Some stories told about Columbus would lead us to believe that this idea was new with him, but that is by no means true. There were the two beliefs that we have mentioned about the shape of the earth, and the credit that belongs to Columbus is, that he cliose the right one.

Columbus read all the books on geography that he could find, and we know from the remarks which he wrote in their margins that he was most interested in the shape of the earth and the possibihty of reaching the East by saihng westward. When still a young man, not far from thirty years of age, he wrote to one of the wisest men of that time, an Itahan by name ToscaneUi, asking him for his opinion about the shape of the earth, and telhng him of his idea of saihng westward to reach the East. In reply, ToscaneUi sent a copy of a letter which he had recently

TOSCANELLI S MAP

The original has been lost and this is from an early reproduction simplified

written to the King of Portugal on this same subject and also enclosed a copy of a map. This map has been lost, but the one shown here is part of an early reproduction of it. The island called Cipango was supposed to represent modern Japan, which is right off the coast of Asia. In the letter to Columbus, ToscaneUi said, among other things,

" I perceive your great and noble desire to go to the place where spices grow; wherefore in reply to a letter of yours, I send you a copy of another letter, which I wrote to a friend of mine a gentleman of the household of the most gracious king of Portugal."

Following is part of the letter to the gentleman in the King's household of which ToscaneUi enclosed a copy to Columbus:

"I was glad to hear of your intimacy and favor with your most noble and illustrious king, I have formerly spoken with you about a shorter route to the places of spices by ocean navigation than that which you are pursuing by Guinea. The most gracious king now desires from me some statement, or rather an exhibition to the eye, so that even the slightly educated can grasp and comprehend that route. Although I am well aware that this can be proved from the spherical shape of the earth, nevertheless, in order to make the point clearer and to facilitate the enterprise, I have decided to exhibit that route by means of a sailing chart. I therefore send to his majesty a chart made by my own hands, upon which are laid down your coasts, and the islands from which you must begin to shape your course steadily westward, and the places at which you are bound to arrive, and how far from the pole or from the equator you ought to keep away, and through how much space or through how many miles you are to arrive at places most fertile in all sorts of spices and gems; and do not wonder at my calhng west the parts where the spices are, whereas they are commonly called cast, because to persons sailing persistently westward those parts

will be found by courses on the under side of the earth

I have drawn upon the map various places upon which you may come, for the better information of the navigators, in case of their arriving, whether through accident of wind or what not, at some different place from what they had expected; but partly in order that they may show the inhabitants that they have some knowledge of their country, which is sure to be a pleasant thing. It is said that none but merchants dwell in the islands.' For so great there is the number of navigators with their merchandise that in all the rest of the world there are not so many as in one very splendid port called Zaiton. For they say that a hundred great ships of pepper unload in that port every year, besides other ships bringing other spices. That country is very popidous and very rich, with a multitude of provinces

and kingdoms and cities without number I had a long talk

with him about many things, about the great size of their royal palaces and the remarkable length and breadth of their rivers, and the multitudes of cities on the banks of the rivers, such that on one river there are about two hundred cities, with marble bridges very long and wide and everywhere adorned with columns

"From the city of Lisbon, due west there are 26 spaces marked on the map, each of which contains 250 miles, as far as the very great and splendid city of Quinsay. For it is a hundred miles in circumference and has ten bridges, and its name means City of Heaven, and many wonderful things are told about it and about the multitude of its arts and revenues. . . .

But from the island of Antilia, which you know, to the very splendid island of Cipango, there are ten spaces. For that island abounds in gold, pearls, and precious stones, and they cover the temples and palaces with soHd gold. So through the unknown parts of the route, the stretches of sea to be traversed are not great. Many things might perhaps have been stated more clearly, but one who duly considers what I have said will be able to work out the rest for himself. Farewell, most esteemed one."

In reply to a letter from Columbus, Toscanelli wrote:

"I have received your letters, with the things which you sent me, for which I thank you very much. I regard as noble and grand your project of sailing from east to west according to the indications furnished by the map which I sent you, and which would appear still more plainly upon a sphere. I am much pleased to see that I have been well understood, and that the voyage has become not only possible but certain, fraught with honor as it must be, and inestimable gain, and most lofty fame among all Christian people

"When that voyage shall be accomplished, it will be a voyage to powerful kingdoms, and to cities and provinces most wealthy and noble, abounding in all sorts of thingsmostdesired by us; I mean, with all kinds of spices and jewels

in great abundance For these reasons, and many others that

might be mentioned, I do not wonder that you, who are of great courage, and the whole Portuguese nation, which has always had men distinguished in all such enterprises, are now inflamed with desire to execute the said voyage."

We do not know just when Columbus received these letters, but it was certainly more than ten years before he sailed on his first voyage. No doubt his belief that the earth was round grew stronger as the years went on.

It was very important, indeed, for Columbus to be certain in his belief that the earth was round, for when he tried to get kings and queens and others to help him, he first had to tell them the wonderful stories about the riches of the Far East, and then show them that this Far East could be reached by going west. Much of the trouble which Columbus had in securing help came from the fact that those who might help him would not do so because they thought the earth flat and, of course, if the earth was flat, the East could not be reached by saihng west. 8. Stories of Islands in the West. — If we look at this map we will see that the Portuguese sailors had already gone a long distance out into the Atlantic. The island of Flores, the most westerly of the Azores, is more than one-third the distance from Spain to the place where Columbus finally found the New World. Columbus, however, believed that there were many islands scattered all over the ocean. For centuries stories had been told about a wonderful island called Antilia that was supposed to be out in the Atlantic far beyond any of the islands yet discovered.

Columbus believed that this island was far on the way toward Asia, and he

'^ ^ TOSCANELLI S MAP REDUCED, SHOWING THE

was confirmed in this belief ^«^^^« ^^ ^^^ Atlantic

by the letter and the map of Toscanelh. It was his idea that if he got into trouble out in the open ocean, he could run up to this island to repair his ships or to seek shelter from dangerous storms.

Many other wonderful stories were told. Sailors who came back from trips far out into the ocean told of lands that they thought they had seen ; but when others went in search of them, they had somehow disappeared. This led to the belief that there were floating islands scattered all over the ocean. It was also believed that there were many islands along the eastern coast of Asia, and it was expected that these would be found long before the mainland would be reached. One of these islands was actually known from the stories of Marco Polo. It was called Cipango, and

MAP SHOWING PORTUGUESE EXPLORATIONS ALONG THE COAST OP AFRICA was the island of Japan, about which Marco Polo had learned on his trip to China.

9. Voyages and Discoveries of the Portuguese. — To

understand conditions at the time we must now tell briefly about the voyages and discoveries of the Portuguese.

For a century before the coming of Columbus, they had sailed westward into the Atlantic and south along the west coast of Africa. They had discovered the Azores, the Madeiras, and the Canaries, and, in their efforts to reach Asia by sea, they were gradually working their way down the west coast of Africa. Just before reaching Guinea, the coast of Africa turned towards the east and for a time they hoped they had reached the southern end of the continent. But about the time that Columbus came to Portugal they were discouraged by fuiding that the coast again turned southward. It was not until 1487, five years before the first voyage of Columbus, that they finally reached the Cape of Good Hope, the most southerly point of Africa. Even then they did not go on to sail completely around the continent, and it was ten years later that Da Gama finally went on across the Indian Ocean to India. It is known that Bartholomew, the younger brother of Columbus, took part in the voyage that first reached the Cape of Good Hope, and it is beheved that Columbus himself took part in some of the earlier voyages.

10. The Voyages of the Norsemen. — Sailors from Norway and Denmark, who are usually called Norsemen, had crossed the northern end of the Atlantic and found America nearly five hundred years before the time of Columbus. Some time during the years when he lived in Portugal, Columbus made a voyage to the north, visiting England, and possibly going as far north as Iceland. Some writers of history have believed that in talking with the people of England or Iceland, Columbus heard stories about the land that these Norsemen had found far to the west. If he heard such stories, it is certain that they did not lead him to try to find the land that the Norsemen had found. It was believed at that time that all the lands found by the Norsemen in going westward across the northern part of the Atlantic were connected in the north with Europe. Columbus wanted to go to the Indies and he believed that they lay far to the south of the lands which the Norsemen had discovered. As we shall find, when Columbus left Spain he sailed to the southwest instead of to the northwest. We may be certain, therefore, that he did not get any ideas from the stories of the Norse voyages which helped him to decide to reach Asia by sailing westward. Indeed, it is very doubtful whether he ever heard of these voyages at all, for he never mentions them in any of his writings which have come down to us.