The Beginners American History | Page 5

growing on it. That was his first sight of the New World.
13. Columbus lands on the island and names it; who lived on the island.--Attended by the captains of the other two vessels, and by their crews, Columbus set out in a boat for the island. When they landed, all fell on their knees, kissed the ground for joy, and gave thanks to God. Columbus named the island San Salvador[14] and took possession of it, by right of discovery, for the king and queen of Spain.
[Illustration: LANDING OF COLUMBUS.]
He found that it was inhabited by a copper-colored people who spoke a language he could not understand. These people had never seen a ship or a white man before. They wore no clothing, but painted their bodies with bright colors. The Spaniards made them presents of strings of glass beads and red caps. In return they gave the Spaniards skeins of cotton yarn, tame parrots, and small ornaments of gold.
After staying here a short time Columbus set sail toward the south, in search of more land and in the hope of finding out where these people got their gold.
[Footnote 14: San Salvador (San Sal-va-dor'): meaning the Holy Redeemer or Saviour.]
14. Columbus names the group of islands and their people.--As Columbus sailed on, he saw many islands in every direction. He thought that they must be a part of the Indies which he was seeking. Since he had reached them by coming west from Spain, he called them the West Indies, and to the red men who lived on them he gave the name of Indians.
15. Columbus discovers two very large islands; his vessel is wrecked, and he returns to Spain in another.--In the course of the next six weeks Columbus discovered the island of Cuba. At first he thought that it must be Japan, but afterward he came to the conclusion that it was not an island at all, but part of the mainland of Asia.
Next, he came to the island of Hayti,[15] or San Domingo.[16] Here his ship was wrecked. He took the timber of the wreck and built a fort on the shore. Leaving about forty of his crew in this fort, Columbus set sail for Palos in one of the two remaining vessels.
[Footnote 15: Hayti (Ha'ti).]
[Footnote 16: San Domingo (San Do-min'go); see map in paragraph 17.]
16. Columbus arrives at Palos; joy of the people; how Ferdinand and Isabella received him.--When the vessel of Columbus was seen entering the harbor of Palos, the whole village was wild with excitement. More than seven months had gone by since he sailed away from that port, and as nothing had been heard from him, many supposed that the vessels and all on board were lost. Now that they saw their friends and neighbors coming back, all was joy. The bells of the churches rang a merry peal of welcome; the people thronged the streets, shouting to each other that Columbus, the great navigator, had crossed the "Sea of Darkness" and had returned in safety.
The king and queen were then in the city of Barcelona,[17] a long distance from Palos. To that city Columbus now went. He entered it on horseback, attended by the proudest and richest noblemen of Spain. He brought with him six Indians from the West Indies. They were gaily painted and wore bright feathers in their hair. Then a number of men followed, carrying rare birds and plants, with gold and silver ornaments, all found in the New World. These were presents for the king and queen. Ferdinand and Isabella received Columbus with great honor. When he had told them the story of his wonderful voyage, they sank on their knees and gave praise to God; all who were present followed their example.
[Illustration: COLUMBUS RECEIVED BY THE KING AND QUEEN OF SPAIN.]
[Footnote 17: Barcelona (Bar-se-lo'na); see map in paragraph 12.]
17. The last voyages of Columbus.--Columbus made three more voyages across the Atlantic. He discovered more islands near the coast of America, and he touched the coast of Central America and of South America, but that was all. He never set foot on any part of what is now the United States, and he always thought that the land he had reached was part of Asia. He had found a new world, but he did not know it: all that he knew was how to get to it and how to show others the way.
[Illustration: The light parts of this map show how much of America Columbus discovered. (The long island is Cuba; the large one to the right is San Domingo.)]
18. Columbus in his old age.--The last days of this great man were very sorrowful. The king was disappointed because he brought back no gold to amount to anything. The Spanish governor of San Domingo hated Columbus, and when