DISCOVERERS AND EXPLORERS

BY

EDWARD R. SHAW_Dean of the School of Pedagogy__New York University_

NEW YORK :: CINCINNATI :: CHICAGOAMERICAN BOOK COMPANY

Copyright 1900By EDWARD R. SHAW. 

PREFACE. 

The practice of beginning the study of geography with the localityin which the pupil lives, in order that his first ideas of geographicalconceptions may be gained from observation directed upon the realconditions existing about him, has been steadily gaining adherenceduring the past few years as a rational method of entering upon thestudy of geography. 

After the pupil has finished an elementary study of the locality, heis ready to pass to an elementary consideration of the world as a whole, to get his first conception of the planet on which he lives. Hisknowledge of the forms of land and water, his knowledge of rain andwind, of heat and cold, as agents, and of the easily traced effectsresulting from the interaction of these agents, have been acquiredby observation and inference upon conditions actually at hand; inother words, his knowledge has been gained in a presentative manner. 

His study of the world, however, must differ largely from this, andmust be effected principally by representation. The globe in relief, therefore, presents to him his basic idea, and all his future studyof the world will but expand and modify this idea, until at length, if the study is properly continued, the idea becomes exceedinglycomplex. 

In passing from the geography of the locality to that of the worldas a whole, the pupil is to deal broadly with the land masses and theirgeneral characteristics. The continents and oceans, their relativesituations, form, and size, are then to be treated, but the treatmentis always to be kept easily within the pupil's capabilities--the endbeing merely an elementary world-view. 

During the time the pupil is acquiring this elementary knowledge ofthe world as a whole, certain facts of history may be interrelatedwith the geographical study. 

According to the plan already suggested, it will be seen that the pupilis carried out from a study of the limited area of land and water abouthim to an idea of the world as a sphere, with its great distributionof land and water. In this transference he soon comes to perceive howsmall a part his hitherto known world forms of the great earth-sphereitself. 

Something analogous to this transition on the part of the pupil toa larger view seems to be found in the history of the western nationsof Europe. It is the gradual change in the conception of the worldheld during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries to the enlargedconception of the world as a sphere which the remarkable discoveriesand explorations of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries broughtabout. 

The analogy serves pedagogically to point out an interesting andvaluable _interrelation_ of certain facts of history with certainphases of geographical study. 

This book has been prepared for the purpose of affording material forsuch an interrelation. The plan of interrelation is simple. As thestudy of the world as a whole, in the manner already sketched, progresses, the appropriate chapters are read, discussed, andreproduced, and the routes of the various discoverers and explorerstraced. No further word seems to the writer necessary in regard tothe interrelation. 

DRESDEN, July 15, 1899. 

CONTENTS. 

 PAGEBELIEFS AS TO THE WORLD FOUR HUNDRED YEARS AGO . . 9MARCO POLO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16COLUMBUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24VASCO DA GAMA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40JOHN AND SEBASTIAN CABOT'S VOYAGES . . . . . . . . 44AMERIGO VESPUCCI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48PONCE DE LEON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54BALBOA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56MAGELLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62HERNANDO CORTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68FRANCISCO PIZARRO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78FERDINAND DE SOTO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84THE GREAT RIVER AMAZON, AND EL DORADO . . . . . . 92VERRAZZANO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102THE FAMOUS VOYAGE OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE--1577 . . . 108HENRY HUDSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

DISCOVERERS AND EXPLORERS. 

BELIEFS AS TO THE WORLD FOUR HUNDRED YEARS AGO. 

Four hundred years ago most of the people who lived in Europe thoughtthat the earth was flat. They knew only the land that was near them. They knew the continent of Europe, a small part of Asia, and a stripalong the northern shore of Africa. 

[Illustration: The World as Known Four Hundred Years ago. ]

They thought this known land was surrounded by a vast body of waterthat was like a broad river. Sailors were afraid to venture far uponthis water, for they feared they would fall over the edge of the earth. 

Other seafaring men believed that if they should sail too far out uponthis water their vessels would be lost in a fog, or that they wouldsuddenly begin to slide downhill, and would never be able to return. Wind gods and storm gods, too, were supposed to dwell upon thismysterious sea. Men believed that these wind and storm gods would bevery angry with any one who dared to enter their domain, and that intheir wrath they would hurl the ships over the edge of the earth, orkeep them wandering round and round in a circle, in the mist and fog. 

It is no wonder that the name "Sea of Darkness" was given to this greatbody of water, which we now know to be the Atlantic Ocean; nor is itsurprising that the sailors feared to venture far out upon it. 

These sailors had no dread at all of a sea called the Mediterranean, upon which they made voyages without fear of danger. This sea was namedthe Mediterranean because it was supposed to be in the middle of theland that was then known. On this body of water the sailors were verybold, fighting, robbing, and plundering strangers and foes, withoutany thought of fear. 

They sailed through this sea eastward to Constantinople, their shipsbeing loaded with metals, woods, and pitch. These they traded for silks, cashmeres, dyewoods, spices, perfumes, precious stones, ivory, andpearls. All of these things were brought by caravan from the farEastern countries, as India, China, and Japan, to the cities on theeast coast of the Mediterranean. 

This caravan journey was a very long and tiresome one. Worse than this, the Turks, through whose country the caravans passed, began to seehow valuable this trade was, and they sent bands of robbers to preventthe caravans from reaching the coast. 

[Illustration: A Caravan. ]

As time went on, these land journeys grew more difficult and moredangerous, until the traders saw that the day would soon come whenthey would be entirely cut off from traffic with India and the richEastern countries. The Turks would secure all their profitablebusiness. So the men of that time tried to think of some other wayof reaching the East. 

Among those who wished to find a short route to India was Prince Henryof Portugal, a bold navigator as well as a studious and thoughtfulman. He was desirous of securing the rich Indian trade for his owncountry. So he established a school for navigators at Lisbon, andgathered around him many men who wanted to study about the sea. 

Here they made maps and charts, and talked with one another about thestrange lands which they thought might be found far out in thatmysterious body of water which they so dreaded and feared. It isprobable that they had heard some accounts of the voyages of othernavigators on this wonderful sea, and the beliefs about land beyond. 

There was Eric the Red, a bold navigator of Iceland, who had sailedwest to Greenland, and planted there a colony that grew and thrived. There was also Eric's son Leif, a venturesome young viking who hadmade a voyage south from Greenland, and reached a strange country withwooded shores and fragrant vines. This country he called Vinlandbecause of the abundance of wild grapes. When he returned to Greenland, he took a load of timber back with him. 

[Illustration: Eric the Red in Vinland. ]

Some of the people of Greenland had tried to make a settlement alongthis shore which Leif discovered, but it is thought that the Indiansdrove them away. It may now be said of this settlement that no traceof it has ever been found, although the report that the Norsemen paidmany visits to the shore of North America is undoubtedly true. 

Another bold sea rover of Portugal sailed four hundred miles from land, where he picked up a strangely carved paddle and several pieces ofwood of a sort not to be found in Europe. 

St. Brandon, an Irish priest, was driven in a storm far, far to thewest, and landed upon the shore of a strange country, inhabited bya race of people different from any he had ever seen. 

All this time the bold Portuguese sailors were venturing farther andfarther down the coast of Africa. They hoped to be able to sail aroundthat continent and up the other side to India. But they dared not gobeyond the equator, because they did not know the stars in the southernhemisphere and therefore had no guide. They also believed that beyondthe equator there was a frightful region of intense heat, where thesun scorched the earth and where the waters boiled. 

Many marvelous stories were told about the islands which the sailorssaid they saw in the distance. Scarcely a vessel returned from a voyagewithout some new story of signs of land seen by the crew. 

The people who lived on the Canary Islands said that an island withhigh mountains on it could be seen to the west on clear days, but noone ever found it. 

Some thought these islands existed only in the imagination of thesailors. Others thought they were floating islands, as they were seenin many different places. Every one was anxious to find them, for theywere said to be rich in gold and spices. 

You can easily understand how excited many people were in regard tonew lands, and how they wished to find out whether the earth was roundor not. There was but one way to find out, and that was to try to sailaround it. 

For a long time no one was brave enough to venture to do so. To startout and sail away from land on this unknown water was to the peopleof that day as dangerous and foolhardy a journey as to try to crossthe ocean in a balloon is to us at the present time. 

MARCO POLO. 

In the middle of the thirteenth century, about two hundred years beforethe time of Columbus, a boy named Marco Polo lived in the city ofVenice. 

[Illustration: Marco Polo. ]

Marco Polo belonged to a rich and noble family, and had all theadvantages of study that the city afforded. He studied at one of thefinest schools in the city of Venice. This city was then famous forits schools, and was the seat of culture and learning for the knownworld. 

When Marco Polo started for school in the morning, he did not stepout into a street, as you do. Instead, he stepped from his frontdoorstep into a boat called a gondola; for Venice is built upon acluster of small islands, and the streets are water ways and are calledcanals. 

The gondolier, as the man who rows the gondola is called, took Marcowherever he wished to go. Sometimes, as they glided along, thegondolier would sing old Venetian songs; and as Marco Polo lay backagainst the soft cushions and listened and looked about him, hewondered if anywhere else on earth there was so beautiful a city asVenice. For the sky was very blue, and often its color was reflectedin the water; the buildings were graceful and beautiful, the sun waswarm and bright, and the air was balmy. 

[Illustration: A Scene in Venice. ]

In this delightful city Marco Polo lived until he was seventeen yearsof age. About this time, his father, who owned a large commercial housein Constantinople, told Marco that he might go with him on a longjourney to Eastern countries. The boy was very glad to go, and setout with his father and his uncle, who were anxious to trade and gainmore wealth in the East. This was in the year 1271. 

The three Polos traveled across Persia into China, and across theDesert of Gobi to the northwest, where they found the great ruler, Kublai Khan. This monarch was a kind-hearted and able man. He wantedto help his subjects to become civilized and learned, as the Europeanswere. So Kublai Khan assisted the two elder Polos in their businessof trading, and took Marco into his service. 

Soon Marco learned the languages of Asia, and then he was sent by thekhan on errands of state to different parts of the country. He visitedall the great cities in China, and traveled into the interior of Asiato places almost unknown at the present time. 

At length the three Polos expressed a desire to return to Venice. Thegreat khan did not wish to part with them, but he at last consented;for he found that by going they could do him a service. The servicerequired was their escort for a beautiful young princess who was tobe taken from Peking to Tabriz, where she was to marry the Khan ofPersia. 

It was difficult to find any one trustworthy enough to take chargeof so important a person on so long and dangerous a journey. But KublaiKhan had faith in the Polos. They had traveled more than any one elsehe knew, and were cautious and brave. 

So he gave them permission to return to their home, and requested themto take the princess to Tabriz on the way. It was decided that thejourney should be made by sea, as the land route was so beset by robbersas to be unsafe. Besides, the Polos were fine sailors. 

They started from the eastern coast of China, and continued theirvoyage for three years, around the peninsula of Cochin China, andthrough the Indian Ocean to the Persian Gulf. Here they went ashore, and then proceeded by land across Persia to Tabriz. They left theprincess in that city, and resumed their journey by way of the Bosporusto Venice. 

When they reached Venice they found that they had been forgotten bytheir friends. They had been away twenty-four years, and in that timeeverything had changed very much. They themselves had grown older, and their clothes differed from those worn by the Venetians; forfashions changed even in the thirteenth century, although not so oftenas they change at the present time. It is no wonder that the Poloswere not known until they recalled themselves to the memory of theirfriends. 

One evening they invited a few of their old friends to dinner, andduring the evening they brought out three old coats. These coats theyproceeded to rip apart, and out from the linings dropped all kindsof precious stones--diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, and rubies. Inthis way these wary travelers had hidden their wealth and treasurewhile on their perilous journey. The visitors were astonished at thesight of so great riches, and listened eagerly to the accounts of thecountries from which they came. 

Soon after the return of Marco Polo to Venice, he took part with hiscountrymen in a battle against the Genoese. The city of Genoa, likethe city of Venice, had a large trade with the East. These two citieswere rivals in trade, and were very jealous of each other. WheneverVenetian ships and those of the Genoese met on the Mediterranean Sea, the sailors found some way of starting a quarrel. The quarrel quicklyled to a sea fight, and it was in one of these combats that Marco Poloengaged. The Venetians were defeated, and Marco Polo was takenprisoner and cast into a dungeon. Here he spent his time in writingthe wonderful book in which he described his travels. 

[Illustration: A Sea Fight. ]

The descriptions Polo gave of the East were as wonderful as fairy tales. He told of countries rich in gold, silver, and precious stones, andof islands where diamonds sparkled on the shore. The rulers of thesecountries wore garments of rich silk covered with glittering gems, and dwelt in palaces, the roofs of which were made of gold. 

He described golden Cathay, with its vast cities rich in manufactures, and also Cipango, Hindustan, and Indo-China. He knew of the IndiesIslands, rich in spices, and he described Siberia, and told of thesledges drawn by dogs, and of the polar bears. The fact that an oceanwashed the eastern coast of Asia was proved by him, and this put atrest forever the theory that there was an impassable swamp east ofAsia. 

This book by Marco Polo was eagerly read, and the facts that it statedwere so remarkable that many people refused to believe them. It stirredothers with a desire to travel and see those lands for themselves. 

Traveling by land, however, was very dangerous, because of the bandsof robbers by which the country was occupied. These outlaws robbedevery one whom they suspected of having any money, and often murderedtravelers in order to gain their possessions. Sea travel, too, wasjust as dangerous, but in a different way. 

You will remember why sailors dared not venture far out upon the oceanand search for a water route to the Eastern countries and islands. The time was soon coming, however, when they would dare to do so, andtwo wonderful inventions helped navigators very much. 

One came from the finding of the loadstone, or natural magnet. Thisis a stone which has the power of attracting iron. A steel needle rubbedon it becomes magnetized, as we say, and, when suspended by the centerand allowed to move freely, always swings around until it points northand south. Hung on a pivot and inclosed in a box, this instrument iscalled the mariners' compass. It was of great importance to sailors, because it always told them which way was north. On cloudy days, andduring dark, stormy nights, when the sun and stars could not be seen, the sailors could now keep on their way, far from land, and still knowin which direction they were going. 

[Illustration: Mariners' Compass. ]

The other invention was that of the astrolabe. This was an instrumentby means of which sailors measured the height of the sun above thehorizon at noon, and could thus tell the distance of the ship fromthe equator. It is in use on all the ships at the present time, butit has been greatly improved, and is now called the quadrant. 

The compass and the astrolabe, together with improved maps and charts, made it possible for navigators to tell where their ship was when outof sight of land or in the midst of storm and darkness. This made themmore courageous, and they ventured a little farther from the coast, but still no one dared to sail far out upon the Sea of Darkness. 

COLUMBUS. 

One day a man appeared in Portugal, who said he was certain that theearth was round, and that he could reach India by sailing westward. Every one laughed at him and asked him how he would like to try. Heanswered that he would sail round the earth, if any one would providehim with ships. 

[Illustration: Christopher Columbus. ]

People jeered and scoffed. 

"If the earth is a sphere, " they said, "in order to sail round it youmust sail uphill! Who ever heard of a ship sailing uphill?"

But this man, whose name was Christopher Columbus, remained firm inhis belief. 

When a boy, Columbus had listened eagerly to the stories the sailorstold about strange lands and wonderful islands beyond the water. Hewas in the habit of sitting on the wharves and watching the ships. Often he would say, "I wish, oh, how I wish I could be a sailor!"

At last his father, who was a wool comber, said to him, "My son, ifyou really wish to become a sailor, I will send you to a school whereyou will be taught navigation. "

Columbus was delighted at this, and told his father that he would studydiligently. He was sent to the University of Pavia, where he learnedall the geography that was then known, as well as how to draw mapsand charts. He became a skillful penman, and also studied astronomy, geometry, and Latin. 

But he did not spend a long time at his studies, for at the age offourteen he went to sea. What he had learned, however, gave him anexcellent groundwork, and from this time forward he made use of everyopportunity to inform himself and to become a scholarly man. 

His first voyage was made with a distant relative, who was anadventurous and daring man, and who was ever ready to fight with anyone with whom he could pick a quarrel. In course of time Columbuscommanded a ship of his own, and became known as a bold and daringnavigator. He made a voyage along the coast of Africa as far southas Guinea, and afterwards sailed northward to Iceland. 

At an early day he became familiar with the wildest kind of adventure, for at this time sea life on the Mediterranean was little more thana series of fights with pirates. Some say that during one of theseconflicts Columbus's ship caught fire. In order to save his life, hejumped into the water and swam six miles to shore, reaching the coastof Portugal. Others say that he was attracted to that country by thegreat school of navigation which Prince Henry had established. Howeverthat may be, he appeared at Lisbon at the age of thirty-five, filledwith the idea of sailing westward to reach those rich Eastern countriesin which every one was so much interested. 

He was laughed at for expressing such an idea. It is not pleasant tobe laughed at, but Columbus was courageous and never wavered in hisbelief. 

"The earth is a sphere, " he said; "those foolish stories of its beingflat and supported on a turtle's back cannot be true. "

But those persons to whom he talked only laughed the more. 

"Is there anything more foolish, " they asked, "than to believe thatthere are people who walk with their heels up and with their headshanging down?" "Think of a place where the trees grow with theirbranches down, and where it snows, hails, and rains upward!"

Everybody thought him an idle dreamer. 

Columbus tried to persuade King John to furnish him with ships andallow him to test his belief. But King John cruelly deceived Columbus;for, after obtaining his maps and charts, he sent off an expeditionof his own. He hoped in this way to gain the glory of the discovery. The sailors whom he sent, however, were not brave enough to continuethe voyage, and returned, frightened by a severe storm. 

Columbus was so disgusted by the treachery of King John that he madeup his mind to leave Portugal and go to Spain. So, taking his littleson, Diego, with him, he started on his journey. He traveled from placeto place, trying to find some person who would help him make his ideasknown to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. He thought that if he couldtalk with them he could persuade them to furnish him with ships. 

[Illustration: Convent of La Rabida. ]

One day he came to a convent called La Rabida. Here Diego, who wasweary and thirsty, begged his father to stop and ask for a drink ofwater. Columbus knocked at the big iron gate, and while he wasconversing with the attendant a priest approached. 

This priest was attracted by the noble bearing and refined speech ofColumbus, and saw at once that he was not a beggar. He asked him whathe wished, and Columbus related his story. 

The good priest believed in him and said he would try to influencethe king and queen to furnish him with ships. The priest brought thematter before the king; but at this time Spain was at war with theMoors, and King Ferdinand had no time to attend to anything else. Columbus was patient and waited. But as year after year passed andbrought no prospect of obtaining the ships he wished, his hopes fell. After seven long, weary years of waiting, he was about to leave Spainin despair. 

Just as he was leaving, however, a message was brought to him fromthe queen, asking him to explain his plans to her once more. Columbusdid so, and the queen was so fully convinced that she exclaimed: "Iwill provide ships and men for you, if I have to pledge my jewels inorder to do so!"

[Illustration: Columbus before Ferdinand and Isabella. ]

Three ships were fitted out for the voyage. These ships were verydifferent from those we see to-day. They were light, frail barks calledcaravels, and two of them, the _Pinta_ and _Nina_, had no decks. Thethird, the _Santa Maria_, had a deck. It was upon this largest caravelthat Columbus placed his flag. 

On the 3d of August, 1492, the little fleet set sail from Palos, entering upon the most daring expedition ever undertaken by man. Thepeople of the town gathered on the wharf to see the departure of thevessels. Many of them had friends or relatives on board whom theyexpected never to look upon again. Sad indeed was the sight as thelittle caravels sailed out of the harbor and faded from view. 

After sailing a few days, the _Pinta_ broke her rudder. This accidentthe sailors took to be a sign of misfortune. They tried to persuadeColumbus to put back to Palos, but he would not listen to such asuggestion. Instead of sailing back, he pushed on to the Canary Islands. Here his ships were delayed three weeks, after which they continuedthe voyage into unknown waters. 

After they had sailed westward for many days, the sailors began toshow signs of alarm, and they implored Columbus to return. He triedto calm their fears. He described the rich lands he hoped to find, and reminded them of the wealth and fame this voyage would bring tothem. So they agreed to venture a little farther. 

[Illustration: The Pinta. ]

At last the compass began to point in a different direction, and thesailors became almost panic-stricken. They thought they were sailingstraight to destruction, and when they found that Columbus would notlisten to their entreaties they planned a mutiny. Though Columbus knewwhat the sailors were plotting, he kept steadily on his course. Fortunately, signs of land soon began to appear. A branch with berrieson it floated past, a rudely carved paddle was picked up, and landbirds were seen flying over the ships. 

A prize had been offered to the sailor who first saw land, and alleagerly watched for it night and day. At last, early one morning, agun was fired from the _Pinta_, and all knew that land had been sighted. The sailors were filled with the wildest joy, and crowded aroundColumbus with expressions of gratitude and admiration, in greatcontrast to the distrustful manner in which they had treated him afew days before. 

The land they were approaching was very beautiful. It was a green, sunny island with pleasant groves in which birds were singing. Beautiful flowers were blooming all around and the trees were ladenwith fruit. The island was inhabited, too, for groups ofstrange-looking men were seen running to the shore. 

At length the ships cast anchor, the boats were lowered, and Columbus, clad in rich scarlet and carrying in his hand the royal banner of Spain, was taken ashore. As soon as he stepped on the beach, Columbus kneltdown and gave thanks to God. He then planted the banner of Spain inthe ground and took possession of the country in the name of Ferdinandand Isabella. 

[Illustration: The Landing of Columbus. ]

This island he called San Salvador, because he and his crew had beensaved from a watery grave, and also because October 12 was so namedin the Spanish calendar. 

Columbus supposed San Salvador to be one of the islands near the coastof Asia, but it is one of the Bahamas. 

Thus was America discovered on the 12th of October, 1492. 

The natives of this island were different from any people the Spaniardshad ever seen. They were of a reddish-brown color, and had high cheekbones, small black eyes, and straight black hair. They were entirelynaked, and their bodies were greased and painted. Their hair wasdecorated with feathers, and many of them were adorned with curiousornaments. 

They were at first very much afraid of the white men and kept far away. But gradually they lost their fear and brought the Spaniards presentsof bananas and oranges. Some of them gathered courage enough to touchthe Spaniards and pass their hands over them, as if to make certainthat they were real beings. These men, whose skin was so white, theythought to be gods who had come down from the sky. 

When Columbus asked them where they found the gold of which many oftheir ornaments were made, they pointed toward the south. ThenColumbus took some of them with him to search for the land of gold. 

The next land he reached was the island of Cuba. Thinking that thiswas a part of India, he called the natives Indians. He then sailedto Haiti, which he called Hispaniola, or "Little Spain. " For more thanthree months Columbus cruised among these islands, where the air wasalways balmy, the sky clear, and the land beautiful. The sailorsbelieved these new lands were Paradise, and wanted to live therealways. 

At length, however, they thought of returning to their home and friends. So, taking several Indians with them, and many curious baskets andornaments, they set out on their return voyage. 

This voyage proved to be very stormy, and at one time it seemed certainthat the ships would go down; but after a time the sea grew quiet, and on the 15th of March they sailed again into the little harbor ofPalos. 

You can imagine the excitement. 

"What! has Columbus returned?" asked the people. "Has he really foundthe East by sailing westward?"

"Yes, he has, " was the answer. "He has found India. "

Columbus was given a royal welcome. The king and queen held a greatcelebration in his honor at Barcelona; and when the Indians marchedinto court the astonishment of every person was great. The Indianswere half naked; their dark bodies were painted, and their heads wereadorned with feathers. They carried baskets of seed pearls, and worestrange ornaments of gold. Some carried the skins of wild animals, and others carried beautiful birds of brilliant plumage. Everyinhabitant of Barcelona rejoiced, and the bells were rung in honorof the great discoverer. 

It was a happy time for Columbus. He felt repaid for all his sufferingand trouble. 

[Illustration: The Return of Columbus. ]

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella now wished Columbus to go again tothese newly discovered islands and search for the gold that was thoughtto be there. You may be sure Columbus was willing to go. So they fittedout seventeen vessels, manned by fifteen hundred men, and placedColumbus in command of this fleet. It was no trouble to find men whowere willing to go on this voyage. All wanted to see the new worldthat had been found. 

During this second voyage, which was made in 1493, Columbus discoveredJamaica, Puerto Rico, and some small islands in the Caribbean Sea. 

On the island of Jamaica the Spaniards came upon the footprints ofsome strange animal which they thought to be a dragon. This dragonthey believed was guarding the gold which they supposed was on theisland. So they ran back to their ships in fear. Later on they becameused to seeing these footprints, and found that they were those ofalligators. At Puerto Rico they suffered from a savage attack madeby the natives, who shot poisoned arrows and threw javelins at them. But in most other places the natives were very friendly. 

Columbus thought this land was a part of the east coast of Asia, andhe could not understand why he did not find cities such as Marco Polohad described. 

Columbus then sailed to Hispaniola, where he planted a colony, of whichhe was made governor. It was not an easy matter to govern this island, because of the jealousies and quarrels of the Spaniards. At lengthColumbus returned to Spain, ill and discouraged. 

Columbus made a third voyage in 1498, during which he sailed alongthe coast of Brazil, and discovered Trinidad Island. Here his shipsencountered currents of fresh water which flowed with great force intothe ocean. This led Columbus to think that so large a river must flowacross a great continent, and strengthened his opinion that the landwas a part of the great continent of Asia. 

[Illustration: Map Showing how Columbus Discovered America. ]

After sailing farther north along the Pearl Coast, which was so calledbecause of the pearls found there, he returned to Hispaniola. Herehe found the Spaniards engaged in an Indian war, and quarreling amongthemselves. Some officials became jealous of him, bound him withchains, and sent him back to Spain a prisoner. Ferdinand and Isabellawere much displeased at this treatment of Columbus, and set him free. 

A fourth voyage was made by Columbus in 1502, during which he exploredthe coast of Honduras in search of a strait leading to the Indian Ocean. In this venture he was unsuccessful. On his return to Spain he foundhis friend Queen Isabella very ill, and nineteen days after his arrivalshe died. 

After Isabella's death the king treated Columbus cruelly andungratefully. The people had become jealous of him, and his last dayswere spent in poverty and distress. He never knew that he haddiscovered a new continent, but supposed that he had found India. 

Seven years after his death the king repented of his ingratitude, andcaused the remains of Columbus to be removed from the little monasteryin Valladolid to a monastery in Seville, where a magnificent monumentwas erected to his memory. In 1536 his bones were removed to theCathedral of San Domingo in Hispaniola, and later they were taken tothe cathedral in Havana. 

When the United States took possession of Cuba, the Spanishdisinterred the bones of Columbus again and carried them to Spain, placing them in the cathedral of Seville, where they now are. 

VASCO DA GAMA. 

Both the Spaniards and the Portuguese were cut off from trade withthe East, because the Turks had taken possession of Constantinople. In consequence of this, the navigators of both countries were makingearnest efforts to find a water route to India. 

[Illustration: Vasco da Gama. ]

Spain, as you know, had faith in Columbus, and helped him in his planof trying to reach India by sailing westward. But the Portuguese hada different idea. They spent their time and money in trying to sailround the African coast, in the belief that India could be reachedby means of a southeast passage. 

This southeast passage could be found only by crossing the "burningzone, " as the part of the earth near the equator was called; and allsailors feared to make the attempt. 

It was thought almost impossible to cross this burning zone, and thefew navigators who had ventured as far as the equator had turned backin fear of steaming whirlpools and of fiery belts of heat. 

In 1486, six years before Columbus discovered America, the King ofPortugal sent Bartholomew Diaz, a bold and daring navigator, to findthe end of the African coast. 

Bartholomew Diaz sailed through the fiery zone without meeting anyof the dreadful misfortunes which the sailors so feared. When he hadsailed beyond the tropic of Capricorn, a severe storm arose. The windblew his three vessels directly south for thirteen days, during whichtime he lost sight of land. When the sun shone again, Diaz headed hisvessels eastward, but as no land appeared, he again changed thedirection, this time heading them toward the north. After sailingnorthward a short time, land was reached about two hundred miles eastof the Cape of Good Hope. 

Diaz now pushed on four hundred miles farther along the coast of Africa, and saw the wide expanse of the Indian Ocean before him. Here thesailors refused to go any farther, and Diaz, although he wanted verymuch to go ahead and try to reach India, was obliged to return. 

On the way home, the vessels passed close to the cape which projectsfrom the south coast of Africa, and Diaz named it Stormy Cape, in memoryof the frightful storm which hid it from view on the way down. Whenthey reached Lisbon, however, King John said that it should be calledthe Cape of Good Hope, because they now had hope that the southernroute to India was found. 

Diaz won much praise for his bravery and patience in making this voyage. He had proved that the stories about the fiery zone were false, andthat the African coast had an end. 

[Illustration: Spanish and Portuguese Vessels. ]

It remained, however, for Vasco da Gama, then a young man of abouttwenty years of age, to prove that India could be reached in this way. 

In 1497 Da Gama sailed from Lisbon to the Cape of Good Hope, doubledthe cape, and proceeded across the Indian Ocean to Hindustan. 

He returned to Lisbon in 1499, his ships loaded with the rich productsof the East, including cloves, spices, pepper, ginger, and nutmeg. He also brought with him rich robes of silk and satin, costly gems, and many articles made of carved ivory, or of gold and of silver. 

The King of Portugal was greatly pleased with what Da Gama hadaccomplished, and his successful voyage was the wonder of the day. 

[Illustration: Costume of Explorers. ]

The same year that Da Gama returned from India by a route around thesouth end of Africa, with his ships loaded with rich produce, SebastianCabot returned from a fruitless voyage to the strange, barren coastof North America. 

It was no wonder that the voyages of Columbus and the Cabots werethought unsuccessful as compared with the voyage Da Gama had justfinished. 

No one then dreamed of a New World; all were searching for theOrient--for golden Cathay. 

JOHN AND SEBASTIAN CABOT'S VOYAGES. 

John Cabot was a Venetian merchant, and a bold seafaring man. Forpurposes of trade he had taken up his home in Bristol, England. Bristolat that time was the most important seaport of England, and carriedon a large fishing trade with Iceland. 

[Illustration: Sebastian Cabot. ]

When the news of the voyage of Columbus reached Bristol, Cabot beggedthe English king, Henry VII. , to let him go and see if he could finda shorter route to the Indies. The king gave his consent, and toldCabot to take possession of any land he might discover for England. 

Cabot fitted out his vessel and, taking his son Sebastian and a crewof eighteen men with him, set sail in 1497. He headed his ship westward, hoping to reach the Spice Islands and that part of Asia which was sorich in gold, and which Columbus had failed to find. At last, one sunnymorning in June, land was sighted in the distance. 

This land, which was probably a part of Nova Scotia, proved to be alonely shore with dense forests. Cabot called it "Land First Seen. "It was entirely deserted, not a human being nor a hut of any kind beingin sight. 

Here Cabot and his son Sebastian and some of his crew went ashore, and were the first white men, excepting the Norsemen, to step uponthe mainland of America. Up to this time, Columbus had discovered onlyislands of the West Indies. A year later than this he discovered thecontinent of South America. Cabot and his companions erected a largecross on the shore, and planted two flagpoles in the ground, from whichthey unfurled the English and Venetian flags. Then they returned totheir ships, and, after sailing about the Gulf of St. Lawrence, wentback to England. 

King Henry and the people received John Cabot with great honor. Everybody thought that Cabot had reached Asia, and he also believedthat he had. He was called the "Great Admiral, " and the people ofBristol ran after him on the street, shouting his name and trying inevery way to show him how much they admired and honored him. The kinggave him fifty dollars in money, which seems to us in these days asmall sum for so long and dangerous a voyage. Besides this, the kingurged him to undertake another voyage. 

About a year later Sebastian Cabot made the second voyage, and thistime the gloomy shore of Labrador was reached. 

Sebastian on his voyage sailed far north, passing many icebergs, andseeing many strange and wonderful sights. 

On great blocks of ice that floated past the ship he saw immense whitebears. These bears were fine swimmers, and would often leap into thewater and bring out fish, which they would devour greedily. The waterswere filled with fish, and, as the ship neared the shore, they grewso numerous as almost to retard the sailing of the vessel. 

"Now, " said Cabot, "the English will not have to go to Iceland anymore for fish. "

But Cabot knew that the lands he was seeking were warm lands. So heturned his vessel south, hoping to reach some opening which would leadto them. To his great surprise, he found the coast very long and withoutany opening, and he sailed on and on as far as Maryland, takingpossession of the land for England. 

At places along this shore were seen Indians, clad in skins and fursof wild animals, fishing from little canoes. Stags much larger thanany in England were seen in great numbers, and wild turkeys and gameof all sorts abounded. 

Then Sebastian Cabot began to think that this was a part of Asia neverknown before, and he set sail for home to tell the wonderful news. 

When he reached Bristol he found everybody still interested in India. It was a water route to India that was wanted, and not a new country. People cared more about reaching golden Cathay than about finding new, barren lands. 

So, although King Henry was proud to know that the new land belongedto England, it was eleven years before he made any further attemptto send ships there to take possession. 

AMERIGO VESPUCCI. 

Amerigo Vespucci was a native of Florence, Italy, and a friend ofColumbus. He was an educated man and very fond of study. 

[Illustration: Amerigo Vespucci. ]

At the time in which he lived it was difficult to find the latitudeand longitude of places, and few people were able to calculate eithercorrectly. Vespucci was skillful in the work of computing longitude, and he was also well versed in the history of all the voyages thathad been made. He was familiar with the facts of astronomy andgeography then known, and was well able to conduct the sailing of aship into strange waters. 

It is believed that Vespucci made six voyages. He did not command hisown vessels, as Columbus did, but he went with the expedition asassistant or adviser to the captain, keeping records of the voyageand making maps and charts. 

In his first voyage, made in 1497, Vespucci reached the coast ofHonduras, and sailed into the Gulf of Mexico. Here he found, probablyon the coast of Yucatan, a queer little sea village which remindedhim of the great city of Venice near his home. 

[Illustration: A Queer Little Sea Village. ]

The houses in this village were made of wood, and were built on pilesrunning out into the water. These houses were connected with the shoreby bridges, which were constructed in such a manner that they couldbe drawn up, thus cutting off all connection with the land. In onehouse Vespucci found six hundred people. A very large family, was itnot?

Continuing the voyage around the Gulf of Mexico, Vespucci saw manystrange and wonderful things. The natives roasted and ate frightfulanimals, which from the description given us we now know to have beenalligators. They also made cakes, or patties, out of fish, and bakedthem on red-hot coals. The Spaniards were invited to taste thesedainties, and those of the sailors who did so found the strange foodvery palatable. 

After sailing round the coast of Florida, the ships headed northeast, landing every now and then for the purpose of trading with the Indians. The Spaniards, finding but little gold and none of the rich spicesfor which they were looking, at last decided to return home. 

Just before sailing, some friendly Indians helped the Spaniards tomake an attack upon a cannibal island. The attack was successful, andabout two hundred cannibals were taken prisoners and carried to Spain, where they were sold as slaves. 

Vespucci made a second voyage in 1499, in which he sailed down theAfrican coast to the Cape Verde Islands, and then headed his shipalmost directly west. He sighted land at Cape St. Roque, and thensailed northwest, exploring the north coast of South America, thencalled the Pearl Coast. After this he returned to Spain. 

Shortly after the return of Vespucci to Spain, he accepted an offerto take service under the Portuguese flag. 

In 1501 he set sail from Lisbon with three caravels, under this flag. He reached the coast of South America near Cape St. Roque, and sailedsouth as far as the South Georgia Islands. 

As he proceeded southward, he found the country was inhabited by fierceIndians, who ate their fellow-creatures. He did not like the natives, as you may suppose; but he thought the country was beautiful, withthe wonderful verdure and foliage of the tropics, and the queer animalsand bright-colored birds. 

Great was the joy of Vespucci when he discovered in the forests largequantities of a sort of red dyewood which was prized very highly byEuropeans. This wood, which had hitherto been found only in Easterncountries, was called brazil wood; and because of its abundance there, he gave the name Brazil to that part of the country. 

The expedition sailed slowly on and at length lost sight of land. Itis thought that Vespucci headed the ships southeast because he wishedto find out whether there was land or not in the Antarctic Ocean. 

As they sailed farther and farther south, the climate became verydisagreeable. The winds grew cold and forbidding, fields of floatingice hindered the progress of the vessel, and the nights became verylong. 

The sailors grew frightened, fearing that they were entering a landof constant darkness. Their fear became greater when a terrific stormarose. The sea grew rough, and the fog and sleet prevented the sailorsfrom seeing whether land was near or not. The land which they had hopedto find now became an added danger. 

One day, through the sleet and snow, the sailors saw with terror arocky, jagged coast in front of them. 

This land proved to be the South Georgia Islands, and was a wretchedand forlorn country composed of rocks and glaciers, and entirelydeserted. For a day and a half they sailed in sight of this frightfulshore, fearing each moment that their ship would be cast on the rocksand that they would all perish. As soon as the weather permitted, therefore, Vespucci signaled his fleet, and the ships were headed forhome, reaching Portugal in 1502. 

This voyage secured Brazil for Portugal, and added greatly to thegeographical knowledge of the day. 

The ancients had said that no continent existed south of the equator. But the great length of coast along which Vespucci had sailed provedthat the land was not an island. It was plainly a continent, and southof the equator. 

Vespucci called the land he found the New World. For a time it wasalso called the Fourth Part of the Earth, the other three parts beingEurope, Asia, and Africa. In 1507 a German writer published an accountof the discovery, in which he called the new country America, in honorof Americus Vespucius, [1] the discoverer. 

[Footnote 1: Americus Vespucius is the Latin form of AmerigoVespucci. ]

This land was not connected in any way with the discovery of Columbus, for he was supposed to have found Asia. 

The name America was at first applied only to that part of the countrywhich we now call Brazil, but little by little the name was extendeduntil it included the whole of the Western Continent. 

You will be glad to know that Vespucci, in the time of his success, did not forget his old friend Columbus, who was then poor and indisgrace. Vespucci visited him and did all he could to assist him. 

After Vespucci had made three other voyages to the New World, he wasgiven an important government position in Spain, which he held duringthe remainder of his life. 

PONCE DE LEON. 

You have heard many surprising things which the people of the fifteenthcentury believed. It seems almost impossible for us to think that thosepeople really had faith in a Fountain of Youth; yet such is the case. 

[Illustration: Ponce de Leon. ]

This fountain was supposed to exist somewhere in the New World, andit was thought that if any one should bathe in its waters, he wouldbecome young and would never grow old again. 

In 1513 Ponce de Leon, who was then governor of Puerto Rico, sailedfrom that island in search of this Fountain of Youth. De Leon was anold man, and he felt that his life was nearly over, unless he shouldsucceed in finding this fountain. At the same time De Leon wished togain gold, for, though he had already made a fortune in Puerto Rico, he was still very greedy. 

The expedition under his guidance sailed among the Bahamas and otherislands near them, and at length reached a land beautiful with flowers, balmy with warm breezes, and cheerful with the song of birds. Partlybecause this discovery was made on Easter Sunday, which the Spaniardscalled Pascua Florida, and partly because of the abundance of flowers, De Leon called the land Florida. 

He took possession of this delightful country for Spain, and then spentmany weeks exploring its coast. After sailing north as far as St. Augustine, and finding neither gold nor the fabled Fountain of Youth, De Leon turned his vessels and proceeded south, doubling the FloridaCape. Shortly afterwards he became discouraged and returned to PuertoRico. 

In 1521 De Leon went again to Florida, this time for the purpose ofplanting a colony. The Indians were very angry that the white menshould try to take their land, and they made a fierce attack upon DeLeon and his party. In this attack De Leon received a severe wound, which compelled him to go to Cuba for care and rest. There he diedafter much suffering. 

De Leon never found the Fountain of Youth, nor were the fabled watersdiscovered afterwards. 

BALBOA. 

The Spanish colonists on the island of Hispaniola made frequent visitsto the mainland, searching for the rich cities of which Marco Polohad written. 

Word reached the colonists that some of these gold hunters werestarving at a place called Darien, and a ship was immediately sentto their relief. The cargo of the ship consisted of barrels ofprovisions and ammunition. 

Imagine, if you can, the amazement of the commander of the expeditionwhen, after his ships were under sail, a young and handsome man steppedout of one of the barrels. The young man was Vasco Nunez Balboa. Hehad chosen this way to escape from Cuba, where he owed large sums ofmoney which he could not pay. The commander was angry, and threatenedto leave Balboa on a desert island; but at length he took pity on theyoung man, and allowed him to remain on board the ship. 

When the mainland was reached, the Spaniards who were already there, having heard of the cruelty of the commander, refused to let him land. He therefore put off to sea, and was never heard of again. Balboa thentook command of the men and began immediately to explore the country. 

He made a friendly alliance with an Indian chief, who presented himwith gold and slaves. The Spaniards were delighted at the sight ofso much riches. They began to melt and weigh the gold, and at lastfell to quarreling desperately about the division of it. 

This the Indians could not understand. They knew nothing of money, and valued the metal only because it could be made into beautifulornaments. 

An Indian boy who had heard the dispute told the Spaniards that ifthey cared so much about that yellow stuff, it would be wise for themto go to a country where there was enough of it for all. 

The Spaniards eagerly questioned him regarding this place. The boythen described a country across the mountains and to the south, onthe shores of a great sea, where the metal was so plentiful that thenatives used it for their ordinary drinking cups and bowls. 

Balboa immediately started southward across the mountains in searchof this rich country. On his way he came upon a tribe of hostile Indians, who attacked him, but who fled in alarm from the guns of the Spaniards. 

[Illustration: Balboa Crossing the Isthmus. ]

Taking some Indians as guides, Balboa pushed on through the mountains, and on September 25, 1513, from one of the highest peaks, looked downupon the Pacific Ocean. 

[Illustration: Balboa Discovering the Pacific. ]

With his Spaniards he descended the mountain, and in four days reachedthe shore of that magnificent body of water. Balboa waded out intoit with his sword in his hand, and formally took possession of it forthe King of Spain. He called it the South Sea, because he was lookingtoward the south when he first saw it; and the Pacific Ocean was knownby this name for many years afterward. 

On this shore he met an Indian who repeated to him the same story thatthe Indian boy had told about the rich country on the border of thissea and farther to the south. 

Balboa then made up his mind to find this country. Accordingly hereturned to Darien, and sent word to the Spanish king of his greatdiscovery of the South Sea. 

He then began to take his ships apart, and to send them, piece by piece, across the mountains to the Pacific coast. 

This was an enormous undertaking. The journey was a very difficultone, and hundreds of the poor Indians who carried the burdens droppeddead from exhaustion. 

At length, after long months of labor, four ships were thus carriedacross the mountains and rebuilt on the Pacific coast. These were thefirst European vessels ever launched on the great South Sea. Threehundred men were in readiness to go with Balboa on his voyage in searchof the rich country of the South. 

A little iron and a little pitch were still needed for the ships, andBalboa delayed his departure in order to get these articles. 

The delay gave his enemies, who were jealous because of his success, time to carry out a plot against him. They accused him of plottingto set up an independent government of his own, and caused him to bearrested for treason. In less than twenty-four hours this brave andhigh-spirited leader was tried, found guilty, and beheaded. So endedall his ambitious plans. 

MAGELLAN. 

One of the boldest and most determined of all the early explorers wasFerdinand Magellan, a young Portuguese nobleman. He felt sure thatsomewhere on that long coast which so many explorers had reached hewould find a strait through which he would be able to pass, and whichwould lead into the Indian Ocean; and so Magellan formed the idea ofcircumnavigating the globe. 

[Illustration: Ferdinand Magellan. ]

He applied to the King of Portugal for aid; but as the Portuguese kingwas not willing to help him, he went to Spain, where his plan foundfavor. 

The Spanish king gave him a fleet of five vessels, and on September20, 1519, he set sail for the Canary Islands. Continuing the voyagetoward Sierra Leone, the vessels were becalmed, and for a period ofthree weeks they advanced only nine miles. Then a terrific storm arose, and the sailors, who had grumbled and found fault with everythingduring the entire voyage, broke into open mutiny. This mutiny Magellanquickly quelled by causing the principal offender to be arrested andput in irons. 

The voyage was then continued, and land was at last sighted on theBrazilian coast, near Pernambuco. 

The fleet then proceeded down the coast as far as Patagonia, wherethe weather grew so very cold that it was decided to seek winterquarters and postpone the remainder of the journey until spring. Thiswas done, Magellan finding a sheltered spot at Port St. Julian, whereplenty of fish could be obtained and where the natives were friendly. 

These native Patagonians Magellan described as being very tall, likegiants, with long, flowing hair, and dressed scantily in skins. 

Great hardships had been endured by the crew. Food and water had beenscarce, the storms had been severe, and suffering from cold was intense. The sailors did not believe there was any strait, and they beggedMagellan to sail for home. It was useless to try to influence thisdetermined man. Danger made him only the more firm. Magellan told themthat he would not return until he had found the opening for which hewas looking. 

Then the mutiny broke out anew. But Magellan by his prompt and decisiveaction put it down in twenty-four hours. One offender was killed, andtwo others were put in irons and left to their fate on the shore whenthe ships sailed away. 

As soon as the weather grew warmer the ships started again southward. After nearly two months of sailing, most of the time through violentstorms, a narrow channel was found, in which the water was salt. Thisthe sailors knew must be the entrance to a strait. 

Food was scarce, and the men again begged Magellan to return; but hefirmly refused, saying: "I will go on, if I have to eat the leatheroff the ship's yards. "

So the ships entered and sailed through the winding passage, whichsometimes broadened out into a bay and then became narrow again. Amongthe twists and windings of this perilous strait, one of the vessels, being in charge of a mutinous commander, escaped and turned back. 

On both sides of the shore there were high mountains, the tops of whichwere covered with snow, and which cast gloomy shadows upon the waterbelow them. 

[Illustration: Strait of Magellan. ]

Think of the feelings of the crew when, after sailing five weeksthrough this winding channel, they came out into a calm expanse ofwater. Magellan was overcome by the sight, and shed tears of joy. Henamed the vast waters before him Pacific, which means "peaceful, "because of their contrast to the violent and stormy Atlantic. 

The fleet now sailed northwest into a warmer climate and over atranquil ocean, and as week after week passed and no land was seen, the sailors lost all hope. They began to think that this ocean hadno end, and that they might sail on and on forever. 

These poor men suffered very much from lack of food and water, andmany died of famine. The boastful remark of Magellan was recalled whenthe sailors did really begin to eat the leather from the ship's yards, first soaking it in the water. 

Anxiously these worn and haggard men looked about for signs of land, and at length they were rewarded. The Ladrone Islands were reached, and supplies of fresh vegetables, meats, and fruits were obtained. From the Isles de Ladrones, or "Isles of Robbers, " the fleet proceededto the Philippines. 

Here Magellan knew that he was near the Indian Ocean, and realizedthat if he kept on in his course he would circumnavigate the globe. 

It was on one of the Philippine Islands that this "Prince ofNavigators" lost his life in a skirmish with the natives. He was, asusual, in the thickest of the fight, and while trying to shield oneof his men was struck down by the spear of a native. 

One of his ships, the _Victoria_, continued the voyage around Capeof Good Hope, and on September 6, 1522, with eighteen weary andhalf-starved men on board, succeeded in reaching Spain. 

Great hardships had been endured, but the wonderful news they broughtmade up in some measure for their suffering. 

This was the greatest voyage since the first voyage of Columbus, andthe strait still bears the name of the remarkable man whose courageand strength of purpose led to the accomplishment of one of thegreatest undertakings ever recorded in history. 

This wonderful voyage of Magellan's proved beyond doubt that the earthis round. It also proved that South America is a continent, and thatthere is no short southwest passage. 

After this voyage all the navigators turned their attention to thediscovery of a northwest passage. 

HERNANDO CORTES. 

The Spaniards who lived on the island of Hispaniola sent frequentexpeditions to the mainland in the hope of finding gold. 

Hernando Cortes, a dashing young Spaniard with a love of adventureand a reckless daring seldom seen, was given command of one of theseexpeditions. 

[Illustration: Hernando Cortes. ]

In March, 1519, he landed on the coast of Central America, with aboutsix hundred men, ten heavy guns, and sixteen horses. Here Cortes foundthe natives in large numbers arrayed against him. A fierce battle wasfought. But the firearms of the Spaniards frightened the barbarians, and when the cavalry arrived the Indians fled in terror. The Indians, who had never seen horses before, thought the man riding the horsewas a part of the animal, and that these strange creatures were sentby the gods. Fear made the Indians helpless, and it was easy for Cortesto gain a victory over them. 

After this victory Cortes sailed northward along the coast of San Juande Ulloa. The natives of that region had heard of the wonderfulwhite-skinned and bearded men who bore charmed lives, and they thoughtthat these men were gods. They, therefore, treated the Spaniards ina friendly manner, and brought gifts of flowers, fruits, andvegetables, and also ornaments of gold and silver to Cortes. 

Here Cortes landed and founded the city of Vera Cruz, which is to-dayan important seaport of Mexico. The native Indians in this place werecalled Aztecs. Some of their chiefs, who paid a visit to Cortes, toldhim of the great Emperor Montezuma, who was rich and powerful, andwho lived inland, in a wonderful city built in a lake. 

By these chiefs Cortes sent to Montezuma presents of collars, bracelets, and ornaments of glass, an armchair richly carved, and anembroidered crimson cap. In return, Montezuma sent shields, helmets, and plates of pure gold, sandals, fans, gold ornaments of exquisiteworkmanship, together with robes of fine cotton interwoven withfeather work, so skillfully done that it resembled painting. The capwhich Cortes had sent was returned filled with gold dust. 

The great Montezuma also sent a message to Cortes, saying that he wouldbe glad to meet so brave a general, but that the road to the Mexicancapital was too dangerous for an army to pass over. He also promisedto pay a yearly tribute to the Spanish king if Cortes and his followerswould depart and leave him in peace. 

[Illustration: Aztecs. ]

The Spaniards were jubilant when they saw the superb gifts. They feltcertain that this great emperor must have enormous wealth at hiscommand, and in spite of the warning message, most of them wished tostart immediately for the Mexican capital. Some, however, thought sucha course very unwise; Montezuma, they said, was so powerful a rulerthat it was absurd to attack him with their small force, and theyadvised returning to Cuba for a large number of soldiers. 

But Cortes had his own ideas on the subject. So he secretly orderedhis ships to be sunk, and then, all chance of retreat being cut off, the entire force proceeded toward Mexico, August 16, 1519. 

After a long march, the Spaniards began to ascend the plateau on whichthe city of Mexico is situated, and finally reached the top of it, seven thousand feet high. 

They found the climate on this plateau temperate and balmy. The fieldswere cultivated, and beautiful flowers grew wild in profusion. 

During the march the Spaniards passed many towns containing queerhouses and temples. They entered many of the temples, threw down theidols, and took possession of ornaments of value. At length they sawin the distance a city which was built in a salt lake. Three avenues, built of stone, led across the water to it. 

These avenues, which were four or five miles in length, were guardedon both sides by Indians in canoes. The avenues continued through thecity, meeting in the center, where the great temple was situated. 

The temple was inclosed by a huge stone wall, and contained twentypyramids, each a hundred feet in height. Nearly all of the houses weretwo stories high, and were built of red stone. The roofs were flat, with towers at the corners, and on top of the roofs there were beautifulflower gardens. 

Into this remarkable town Cortes and his followers marched. Montezumareceived his unwelcome guests with every mark of friendship, and withmuch pomp and ceremony. The great emperor was carried on a litter, which was richly decorated with gold and silver. The nobles of hiscourt surrounded him, and hundreds of his retainers were drawn up inline behind him. 

[Illustration: Meeting of Cortes and Montezuma. ]

The first thing, when Cortes and Montezuma met, was the customaryexchange of presents. Cortes presented Montezuma with a chain ofcolored glass beads, and in return the Aztec ruler gave Cortes a housewhich was large enough to accommodate all of the Spaniards. 

For ten days these two men met each other and exchanged civilities, Cortes pretending to be paying a friendly visit, and Montezuma feelingpuzzled and uncertain. 

At length Cortes induced Montezuma to go to the house where theSpaniards were living, and then, when he got him there, refused toallow him to leave, thus keeping him a prisoner in his own city. 

This daring act aroused the suspicions of the Aztecs. But Cortes usedall his cunning to deceive these simple-hearted people and to makethem continue to think that the Spaniards were gods. Still, the Aztecswere beginning to feel very bitter toward Cortes and his followersbecause of the disrespect with which they treated the Aztec templesand gods. The Spaniards were constantly throwing these gods out ofthe temples. Even their great god of war was not safe. 

Cortes openly derided this image, calling it trash, and proposing toerect the emblems of the Spanish religion in its place in the Aztectemples. 

Now, the Aztec god of war was a frightful image with golden serpentsentwined about the body. The face was hideous, and in its hand wascarried a plate upon which were placed human hearts as sacrifices. But to the Aztecs the image was sacred, and this insult, together withmany others which had been offered their gods, made the natives veryangry. 

One day the Aztecs discovered that some of the Spaniards had died. This knowledge dispelled the fear that their unbidden visitors weregods, and they attacked the Spaniards with great fury. 

The Aztec warriors wore quilted cotton doublets and headdressesadorned with feathers. They carried leather shields, and foughtfiercely with bows and arrows, copper-pointed lances, javelins, andslings. Though by comparison few in numbers, the Spaniards, who wereprotected by coats of mail, made great havoc with their guns andhorses. 

The battle between these unequal forces raged with great fury, andfor a time the result was uncertain. Cortes compelled Montezuma, hisprisoner, to show himself on the roof of his house and try to persuadethe Aztecs to stop fighting. 

The Indians, however, no longer feared their emperor, and instead ofobeying him, they made him a target for their arrows and stones. Inthe midst of the fight, the great Montezuma was finally knocked downand killed by one of his former subjects. 

After a desperate struggle, the Spaniards were forced to retreat. While making their escape over the bridges of the city they wereattacked by Indian warriors in canoes, and more than half of theirnumber were killed. 

[Illustration: Aztec Ruins. ]

Notwithstanding this defeat and the loss of so many men, Cortes didnot give up his design of conquering Mexico. He made an alliance withhostile tribes of Indians, and again attacked the city. 

The Aztecs had now a new king, named Gua-te-mot-zin, who was as braveand determined as Cortes himself. Guatemotzin made preparations tooppose Cortes, and during the terrible siege which followed never oncethought of surrendering or of asking for peace. 

The Spaniards made attack after attack, and terrible battles werefought, in which the loss on both sides was very great. During oneof these battles Cortes was nearly captured, and it seemed as thoughthe war god was to be avenged upon the man who had so insulted him. But a young Spaniard rushed to the assistance of Cortes, and with oneblow of his sword cut off the arms of the Indian who had dared to seizethe Spanish leader. 

After a time the Aztecs found themselves prisoners within their owncity. The Spaniards had cut off all means of escape, and the Indianswere starving to death. Their sufferings were terrible, and hundredsdropped down daily in the streets. Yet the proud king Guatemotzinrefused to submit, and Cortes ordered a final attack. After furiousfighting Guatemotzin was captured, and the Aztecs surrendered. Theircruel religion, with its strange gods and human sacrifices, was nowoverthrown. 

Cortes, with his few followers, never more than one thousand trainedsoldiers, had succeeded in conquering a country larger than Spain. Over a million Mexicans had perished, and those that remained leftthe city and fled to the mountains. 

In this way the magnificent civilization of the ancient Mexicans wasdestroyed. Shiploads of treasures were sent by Cortes to the Spanishking, Charles V. , who rejoiced at the glory gained for his country. 

FRANCISCO PIZARRO. 

Among the men who had been with Balboa, and who had heard of thewonderful country of the Incas, was Francisco Pizarro. He determinedto find this rich country and to conquer it. 

[Illustration: Francisco Pizarro. ]

Securing a band of about two hundred men, well armed and mounted onstrong horses, he led them, in spite of terrible hardships, overmountains, through valleys, and across plateaus to Cajamarca, the citywhere the Inca, or king, was then staying. 

The natives gazed at the Spaniards in wonder and dread. These simplepeople thought that the white-faced, bearded strangers, who carriedthunderbolts in their hands, and who rode such frightful-lookinganimals, were gods. In spite of their fear, the Indians received thestrangers kindly, and gave them food and shelter. 

That evening, Pizarro and De Soto, taking with them thirty-fivehorsemen, visited the Inca and arranged with him for a meeting nextday in the open square. It was a strange visit. The Inca was surroundedby his slaves and chieftains, and was very polite to the strangers. 

But the Spaniards began to feel very uneasy. An army composed ofthousands of Indians was encamped only two miles away; and comparedwith it, the two hundred men of Pizarro appeared powerless. Thesituation of the Spaniards, should the Inca decide to oppose them, seemed without hope. 

Pizarro scarcely slept that night. He lay awake planning how he mighttake the Inca prisoner. 

The next day, about noon, the Indian procession approached the marketplace. First came attendants who cleared the way; then followed noblesand men of high rank, richly dressed, and covered with ornaments ofgold and gems. Last came the Inca, carried on a throne of solid gold, which was gorgeously trimmed with the plumes of tropical birds. 

The Indian monarch wore rich garments adorned with gold ornaments, and around his neck was a collar of superb emeralds of great size andbrilliancy. He took his position near the center of the square, hisescort, numbering several thousand, gathered around him. 

Looking about, the Inca failed to see any of the Spaniards. 

"Where are the strangers?" he asked. 

Just then Pizarro's chaplain, with his Bible in his hand, approachedthe Inca. The chaplain said that he and his people had been sent bya mighty prince to beg the Inca to accept the true religion and consentto be tributary to the great emperor, Charles V. , who would thenprotect them. 

The Inca grew very angry at this, and declared that he would not changehis faith nor be any man's tributary. He then indignantly threw thesacred book upon the ground, and demanded satisfaction from theSpaniards for this insult to him. 

At this the priest gave the signal, and the Spaniards rushed from theirhiding-places and attacked the panic-stricken Indians. The Inca andhis attendants were wholly unprepared, being unarmed and utterlydefenseless. 

The Spaniards charged through them, showing no mercy, their swordsslashing right and left, and their prancing horses trampling thenatives under foot. The guns and firearms of the Spaniards made suchhavoc and confusion that the terrified Indians offered no resistance. Indeed, they could not offer any. 

In the vicinity of the Inca the struggle was fierce. The Indians, faithful to the last to their beloved monarch, threw themselves beforehim, shielding him with their naked bodies from the swords of theSpaniards. At last, as night drew near, the Spaniards, fearing thatthe Inca might escape, attempted to kill him. 

[Illustration: The Spaniards Attacking the Inca's Escort. ]

But Pizarro desired that he should be taken alive, and in a loud voiceordered his followers, as they valued their own lives, not to strikethe Inca. Stretching out his arm to save the monarch, Pizarro receiveda wound on his hand, This was the only wound received by a Spaniardduring the attack. 

At length the Inca was cast from his throne, and, falling to the ground, was caught by Pizarro. He was then imprisoned and placed under a strongguard. As soon as the news of the capture of the Inca spread, allresistance ceased. Many of the Indians fled to the mountains, leavinguntold wealth at the disposal of their conquerors, while othersremained, hoping to be able to assist their fallen ruler. 

As soon as the Inca had an opportunity, he tried to think of some wayof obtaining his freedom. 

The room in which he was confined was twenty-two feet in length byseventeen feet in width. Raising his hand as high as he could, theInca made a mark upon the wall, and told Pizarro that gold enough tofill the room to that mark would be given as a ransom for his release. 

Pizarro agreed to this bargain, and the natives began to send goldto the Inca to secure his release. Some of the treasures in the templeswere buried and hidden by the priests; but ornaments of all kinds, vases, and plate were collected, and in a few months gold amountingto fifteen millions of dollars in our money was divided among theSpaniards. 

Millions of dollars' worth of gold and silver were shipped to Spain, and the Spanish nation grew very wealthy. Pizarro himself returnedto Spain to take Charles V. His share of the plunder. During Pizarro'sabsence the Spaniards caused the Inca to be killed, notwithstandingthe large ransom which they had accepted. 

The richer the Spanish people grew, the more careless they became intheir treatment of other nations and of those under their rule. Theygrew more cruel and more merciless and more greedy for gold. Theyflocked in great numbers to South America, a reckless, adventurous, unprincipled horde, ready to commit any crime in order to secure gold. 

FERDINAND DE SOTO. 

Among the men who had been with Pizarro in Peru was Ferdinand de Soto, a bold and dashing Spanish cavalier. 

[Illustration: Ferdinand de Soto. ]

De Soto was appointed governor of Cuba in 1537, and at the same timereceived permission from the Spanish king to conquer Florida. Thispermission to conquer Florida was received by De Soto with greatdelight. He felt certain that in the interior of Florida there werecities as large and as wealthy as those of Peru. To conquer these cities, obtain their treasure, and win for himself riches and fame, was thedream of De Soto. 

Strange as it may seem to you, De Soto was also anxious to convertthe natives to his own religion. He intended to take from them alltheir possessions, but he meant to save their souls, if possible. 

So, leaving his young and beautiful wife Isabella to rule over Cubain his absence, De Soto, in May, 1539, started from Havana with ninevessels, about six hundred men, and two hundred and twenty-threehorses. 

After a safe voyage, the expedition landed on the coast of Florida, at Tampa Bay. Before starting on the march to the interior of thecountry, De Soto sent all the vessels back to Cuba. In this way hecut off all hope of retreat, in case the men should become discouraged. But no one thought of wanting to return now. Everybody was in highspirits. 

The soldiers wore brilliant uniforms, their caps were adorned withwaving plumes, and their polished armor glistened and sparkled in thesunshine. 

In the company were twelve priests, who were expected to convert theprisoners which De Soto meant to capture. The Spaniards carried withthem chains to secure these prisoners, and bloodhounds to track themin case any escaped. 

It was a gay company which marched off into the interior of Floridawith prancing horses, waving flags and banners, and beating drums. 

At first De Soto marched directly north, plunging into a wildernesswhich proved to be almost impassable. The country was full of swamps, through which the horses could scarcely travel. The large trees werebound together by tangled vines; and their roots, which protruded fromthe earth, were like traps, catching the feet of the travelers andthrowing them to the ground. 

Besides all this, the heavy baggage which the men and horses carriedweighed them down and made the journey almost impossible. 

De Soto, however, kept bravely on, encouraging his men as best he could, and at last reached the Savannah River. Here he changed his courseto westward, hoping to find gold in that direction. 

Week after week, month after month, the Spaniards traveled on througha dense wilderness, enduring great hardships and finding nothing buttribes of hostile Indians. 

De Soto asked one of these Indian chiefs to give him slaves enoughto carry his baggage through the forest. The chief refused; whereuponDe Soto and his men attacked the tribe and took many prisoners. Theseprisoners De Soto caused to be chained together and placed in frontof the expedition, where they were made to act as guides as well asslaves. 

Then De Soto asked the Indians where the great cities with gold andsilver treasures were. One Indian said he did not know of any. At thisreply De Soto caused the Indian to be put to death with frightfultorture. This made the Indians untruthful, and they told De Soto manydifferent stories of places where they thought gold might be found. 

So the expedition wandered on, searching for the gold which they neverfound; and the men grew discouraged and heartsick, and longed for home. 

[Illustration: De Soto Marching through the Forest. ]

The Indian tribes, angry at the cruel treatment of the Spaniards, attacked them frequently, and De Soto and his men scarcely ever enjoyeda peaceful rest at night. The Spaniards were unused to Indian warfare, and were no match for the quick, nimble savages, who glided throughthe forests silently and swiftly. These Indians never came to openbattle, but hid themselves behind rocks and trees, and were scarcelyever seen. Two or three would suddenly appear, send a shower of arrowsat the Spaniards, and then dart away again into the woods. The Indiansscarcely ever missed their aim, and the Spaniards never knew when theywere near. 

One day De Soto captured some Indians who said that they knew wheregold was to be found and that they would show the way to the place. De Soto only half trusted them, but he allowed them to lead the way. The cunning savages led the Spaniards into an ambush, where otherIndians attacked them fiercely, killing their horses and many of theirmen. 

As punishment for this act, De Soto ordered that these Indians shouldbe torn to pieces by the bloodhounds. 

Sometimes the Spaniards, in their wanderings, passed camps where theIndians were gathered round huge bonfires, singing, dancing, yelling, and shouting the terrible Indian war whoop. Under shelter of this noisethe Spaniards would steal quietly away and avoid the Indians for atime. 

At length, after wandering for two years, De Soto came, in 1541, tothe shore of a large river. This river was wide and muddy, and hada strong current which carried much driftwood along with it. De Sotolearned from the Indians that it was called Mississippi, or the "Fatherof Waters. "

[Illustration: De Soto Discovers the Mississippi River. ]

He had reached it near the spot where the city of Memphis now stands, and here his company halted and camped. 

At this place the Spaniards built rafts, striking the fetters fromtheir captives in order to use the iron for nails, and so crossed theriver. They hoped in this way to escape from their savage foes; buton the other side of the river they found Indians who were just asfierce. 

So the Spaniards traveled south, hoping by following the course ofthe river to reach the sea. This De Soto soon found to be impossible, as the country was a wilderness of tangled vines and roots, and hisfollowers could not cross the many creeks and small rivers which flowedinto the Mississippi. The horses traveled through this country withdifficulty, often being up to their girths in water. Each day saw thelittle band grow less in numbers. 

At length they returned to the banks of the river, being guided backby their horses. The men lost their way in the dreadful forest, butthe instinct of the noble animals directed them aright. 

Food was growing scarce, and De Soto himself was taken ill. He knewthat unless something should be done soon to make the Indians helpthem, all would perish. So he sent word to an Indian chief saying thathe was the child of the sun, and that all men obeyed him. He thendeclared that he wanted the chief's friendship, and ordered him tobring him food. 

The chief sent back word that if De Soto would cause the river to dryup he would believe him. This, of course, De Soto could not do. 

He was disappointed and discouraged at not being able to get food. The illness from which he was suffering grew worse, and he died soonafterwards. 

His followers were anxious to hide his death from the natives, whowere very much afraid of him. So they placed his body in the hollowof a scooped out tree, and sunk it at midnight in the water. 

Those of his followers who were left decided to try to reach home byfollowing the river to its mouth. These men were in a wretchedcondition. Their clothing was nearly all gone. Few of them had shoes, and many had only the skins of animals and mats made of wild vinesto keep them warm. They built seven frail barks and sailed down theMississippi, avoiding Indians all the way, and in seventeen days theycame to the Gulf of Mexico. 

In fifty days more they succeeded in reaching a Spanish settlementon the coast of Mexico, where they were received with much joy. 

Of the gay company of six hundred and twenty who had set out with suchhigh hopes, only three hundred and eleven men returned. 

THE GREAT RIVER AMAZON, AND EL DORADO. 

As you may imagine, there was great excitement and curiosity in Spain, after the voyages of Columbus, about the new lands beyond the WesternOcean. 

Several of the men who had sailed with Columbus were ready to undertakenew voyages of discovery. Among them was Yanez Pinzon. 

You will remember that when Columbus made his first voyage he set outwith three vessels. One of these was the _Nina_. It was commanded byYanez Pinzon. 

[Illustration: The Nina. ]

After Columbus had returned from his second voyage, Yanez Pinzonsucceeded in fitting out a fleet to go to the New World. 

In 1499 he sailed with four caravels from Palos, the same port fromwhich Columbus had sailed. Pinzon took with him some of the sailorswho had been with Columbus, and also his three principal pilots. Thesepilots were men who understood how to use the astrolabe and to tellthe course of the ship at sea. 

Pinzon's fleet sailed toward the Canary and Cape Verde Islands, andafter passing them its course was southwest across the Atlantic. Atlength the fleet crossed the equator, and Pinzon was the first explorerto cross the line in the western Atlantic. 

The fleet sailed on for nearly five hundred miles to the southward. Here Pinzon met a terrific storm, which came very near sending hiswhole fleet to the bottom. He was now not far from the coast, and afterthe storm was over he discovered land. The land proved to be the mosteastern point of South America. This was in the month of January, inthe year 1500. 

Pinzon and a company of his men went ashore. They did not remain long, however, as they found the Indians very hostile. The Indians attackedthe Spaniards and killed several of their number. They were so furiousthat, after chasing the Spaniards to their boats, they waded into thesea and fought to get the oars. The Indians captured one of the rowboats, but the Spaniards at last got off to their vessels. 

Pinzon then set sail and steered northward along the coast. 

When his fleet came near the equator, he noticed that the water wasvery fresh. Accordingly he gave orders to fill the water casks of hisfleet. The freshness of the water of the sea led him to sail in towardthe shore. 

At length he discovered whence the large volume of fresh water came. It flowed out of the mouth of a great river. 

It was the mouth of the river Amazon, and so great is the volume ofwater which it pours into the sea that its current is noticed in theocean two hundred miles from the shore. 

This fact is not so surprising when we learn that the main mouth ofthis great river is fifty miles wide, that the river is four thousandmiles long, including its windings, and that, besides many smallerbranches, it has five tributaries, each over a thousand miles long, and one over two thousand miles long, flowing into it. 

Pinzon anchored in the mouth of the river, and found the nativespeaceful. In this respect they were unlike those he had met farthersouth. They came out to his ships in a friendly way in their canoes. But when Pinzon, a short time later, left the river, he cruelly carriedoff thirty-six of the Indians who had been friendly to him. 

While Pinzon's fleet was in the mouth of the river, it came a secondtime near being wrecked. 

Pinzon was, of course, in strange waters. He did not know that twiceeach month the tide does not rise in the usual way, but rushes up themouth of the Amazon with great force. The tide, as a rule, is aboutsix hours in rising and six hours in falling. In the mouth of the Amazon, however, at new moon and at full moon the tide swells to its limitin two or three minutes. It comes as a wall of water, twelve or fifteenfeet high, followed by another wall of the same height. Often thereis a third wall of water, and at some seasons of the year there isa fourth wall. 

This peculiar rising of the tide is called the _bore_. The noise ofthis rushing flood can be heard five or six miles off. It comes withtremendous force, and sometimes uproots great trees along the banks. During the few days when the tide rushes up the river in this wayvessels do not remain in the main channel, but anchor in coves andprotected places. 

Pinzon, as we have said, did not know about the sudden rising of thetide. His fleet was anchored in the main channel when the bore came, and it dashed his vessels about like toy boats and almost wrecked them. 

After repairing the damage done to his fleet, he made up his mind thatthere was little gold to be found in those parts, and so he sailedout of the mouth of the great river, and then turned northward alongthe coast. 

It may be of interest to know what befell Pinzon after he left themouth of the Amazon. We will tell you briefly. 

He sailed along the coast to the northwest, and passed the mouth ofthe Orinoco, another large river of South America. About a hundredand fifty miles beyond the Orinoco, he entered a gulf and landed. Herehe cut a large quantity of brazil wood to take back to Spain. 

[Illustration: Scene on the Orinoco River. ]

Then he sailed for the island of Hispaniola, now called Haiti. Fromthis island he sailed to the Bahama Islands. 

It was July when he reached the Bahamas. Misfortune again came to hisfleet. While anchored in the Bahamas a hurricane came up, and two ofhis vessels were sunk. A third was blown out to sea. The fourth vesselrode out the storm, but the crew, thinking all the while she wouldsink, took to their small boats and at length reached the shore. TheIndians came to them when they landed, and proved friendly. 

After the hurricane was over, the vessel that had been carried outto sea drifted back. As soon as the sea was smooth enough Pinzon andhis men went on board the two remaining vessels and set sail forHispaniola. 

At Hispaniola he repaired his vessels, and then sailed back to Spain. He reached Palos in September. 

About three months after Pinzon sailed away from the mouth of theAmazon it was visited by a Portuguese navigator named Cabral. Althoughthe Portuguese were not so fortunate as to discover America, yet theyhad been very active in making discoveries for seventy years and morebefore Columbus's first voyage. 

In 1420 they discovered the Madeira Islands. In 1432 they discoveredthe Azore Islands, which lie eight hundred miles west of Portugal inthe Atlantic Ocean. Their vessels, from time to time, had been pushingfarther and farther down the west coast of Africa. In the middle ofthe century as many as fifty-one of their caravels had been to theGuinea coast, or the Gold Coast, as it was more often called. In 1484, eight years before Columbus discovered America, they had discoveredthe mouth of the Kongo River on the African coast. 

It is not surprising, then, that their navigators were pushing outacross the Atlantic soon after Columbus had led the way. 

But though Cabral sailed along the whole coast of Brazil, and tookpossession of it in the name of the King of Portugal, he did not learnany more about the great river at the mouth of which he anchored thandid Pinzon. Had he waited a few months, or had he returned to the river, he might easily have explored its course. For from July to Decemberof each year the east wind blows steadily up the Amazon, and Cabralcould have spread his sails and kept them spread as he sailed up theriver for two thousand miles or more to the eastern foot of the greatmountains of South America, the Andes. 

The exploration of the Amazon, however, fell to the lot of anotherman, Francisco Orellana by name. Orellana did not sail up the riverfrom its mouth, but came down it from one of its sources. This wasin 1540, many years, as you see, after Pinzon and Cabral had anchoredat the mouth. 

Orellana was one of Pizarro's men, and had been with him when the Incaof Peru was taken and afterwards put to death. It was Francisco Pizarro, as you well know, who conquered Peru. After Francisco Pizarro hadconquered the country, he made his brother, Gonzalo Pizarro, governorof Quito. 

This brother, while at Quito, made up his mind to cross the AndesMountains and explore the country beyond. So he got ready an expedition, and made Orellana his lieutenant; Orellana was, therefore, second incommand of the expedition. 

The army was made up of three hundred and fifty Spaniards, fourthousand Indians, and one thousand bloodhounds for hunting down thenatives. 

They had a hard march over the Andes, and suffered very much in crossing. When they were over the mountains, they discovered a river flowingtoward the southeast. This was the river Napo. 

Pizarro had had so hard a march across the Andes that he felt his mencould not stand it to go back by the same way. He therefore encampedby the Napo River, and spent seven months in building a vessel to holdhis baggage and those of his men who were ill. 

He put Orellana in charge of the vessel, and ordered him to float slowlydown the river while the other part of the army marched along the shore. The march was very slow and toilsome, and after a few weeks the foodbegan to get low. 

At this time Pizarro heard of a rich country farther down the stream, where the Napo flowed into a larger river. This country he wished toreach. So he sent Orellana in the vessel, with fifty soldiers, downthe Napo to the larger river. There Orellana was to get food andsupplies for the army and then return. 

Pizarro waited and waited in vain for Orellana to return, and at lasthe and his men had to find their way back across the Andes with scantyfood and undergo great hardships. 

Orellana and the soldiers with him were carried by the current swiftlydown the Napo, and in three days they came into the great river. Itwas indeed a great river, for the Amazon at the place where the Napoflows into it is a mile in width. 

Orellana expected to find here many people and plenty of food. He found, however, only a wilderness. It was about like the country where Pizarroand his army were encamped. 

Orellana could barely get food for himself and the men with him, muchless enough for Pizarro and his army. To return against the swiftcurrent would be a heavy task. After thinking the matter over, hedecided to follow the great river to the sea. But he must first winthe soldiers who were with him over to his plan. This he soon succeededin doing, and they started down the Amazon. 

It was no easy journey. He and the soldiers suffered greatly. But inAugust, 1541, after seven months of hardships, they reached the ocean, and a short time after this they sailed to Spain. 

When Orellana reached Spain, he gave a glowing account of a wonderfulcountry, rich in precious metals, through which he had passed. According to his story, it was far richer in gold than Peru. 

The name El Dorado, "The Golden, " was given to this fabled country;and for a score or more of years after Orellana had told his story, efforts were made to find it. Expedition after expedition set out insearch of El Dorado. An explorer named Philip von Hutten, who led aparty southward into the country from the northern part of SouthAmerica, believed he caught sight of a city whose golden wallsglistened far away in the distance. But he never reached the shiningcity which he thought he saw, nor was the fabled El Dorado ever found. 

VERRAZZANO. 

Verrazzano was a native of Florence, Italy, and a pirate like manyother sailors of that time. Being known as a daring seaman, he wasasked by Francis I. , King of France, to take command of a fleet offour vessels and try to find a western passage to rich Cathay. ForFrancis had become very jealous of the Spaniards, and felt that hiscountry ought to have a share in the riches of the New World. 

[Illustration: Verrazzano. ]

Verrazzano sailed from France full of hope and joy; but he had goneonly a short distance when a severe storm arose, and two of his vesselswere lost sight of forever. The two remaining vessels were obligedto return to France. 

After some delay Verrazzano started again, with one vessel called the_Dauphine_. With this vessel he reached the island of Madeira, andfrom this island he sailed, January 17, 1524, for the unknown world. 

The voyage lasted forty-nine days, after which time a long, low coastwas sighted in the distance. This coast, which was probably NorthCarolina, afforded no landing place, and for some time Verrazzanosailed north and then south, searching for one. The search provedunsuccessful, and as the crew were in need of fresh water, Verrazzanodecided to send a boat ashore. 

So a small boat was manned, and the sailors tried very hard to reachthe shore, but the surf was so high that they were unable to do this. At last one brave sailor jumped from the boat into the foaming breakersand swam toward the shore. He carried in one hand presents for theIndians, who were standing at the water's edge watching the strangesight. At length the sailor succeeded in swimming so close to the shorethat he was able to throw the presents to the Indians. 

His courage then deserted him, and in terror he tried to swim backto his vessel. The surf, however, dashed him on the sandy beach, andhe would have been drowned had not some of the Indians waded in anddragged him ashore. These Indians quickly stripped him of all hisclothing and began to build an immense bonfire. The poor sailor thoughthis end had come, and his former companions looked on from their shipin horror at the preparations. 

[Illustration: Indians Rescuing the Sailor. ]

All of them thought that the Indians meant to burn him alive or elseto cook and eat him. To their great relief, the Indians treated himvery gently and kindly; they dried his clothes by the fire and warmedhim. 

These kind Indians looked very savage. Their skin was copper colored, their long, straight hair was tied and worn in a braid, and their faceswere very stern; for, you know, an Indian never laughs or smiles. 

In spite of their fierce looks, however, they were very good to thepale-faced stranger, and when he was strong again they led him backto the shore, and he swam out to his ship. 

Verrazzano was glad to see his sailor return in safety from thisdangerous trip. The man had risked his life, but no water had beenobtained for the crew. So Verrazzano started northward, and along thecoast of Maryland he made a landing and secured the much-needed freshwater. 

At this place the Frenchmen had an opportunity to return the kindnessthat the Indians had shown their companion, but I am sorry to haveto tell you that they did not do so. While searching for the water, Verrazzano and his followers came suddenly upon a little Indian boy, whom they seized and carried off to their ship. The mother of the boycame quickly from some bushes to rescue her son, and they would alsohave stolen her, but she made so much noise that they were obligedto run in order to escape from the rest of the tribe, who came to helpher. The Frenchmen reached their ship in safety with the poor littleIndian boy, and quickly set sail. 

Verrazzano proceeded northward, following the shore, and at lengthcame to a very narrow neck of water, with rising land on both sides. Through this strait Verrazzano sailed, and, to his surprise, came outinto a broad and beautiful bay which was surrounded on all sides byforests, and was dotted here and there with the canoes of Indians whowere coming out from the land to meet him. 

You have, of course, guessed that this strait was the Narrows, whichseparates Staten Island from Long Island, and that the bay was thebeautiful New York Bay. 

Verrazzano followed the shore of Long Island to a small island, whichwas likely Block Island. From this island he sailed into a harbor onthe mainland, probably Newport, where he remained fifteen days. Herethe Indians received their pale-faced visitors with great dignity andpomp. Two of the Indian chiefs, arrayed in painted deer skins andraccoon and lynx skins, and decorated with copper ornaments, paidVerrazzano a visit of state. 

Soon after this Verrazzano sailed away, again northward. The climategrew cooler and the country more rugged, and the vegetation changed. Instead of the sweet-scented cypress and bay trees which the sailorshad admired along the Carolina coast, there were dark forests ofstately pines, which were grand but gloomy. 

Great cliffs of rock extended along the shores, and from these heightsthe natives looked down upon the lonely little ship in fear, anger, and amazement. At length they consented to trade with the pale-faces;but they lowered a cord from the rocks and drew up the knives, fishhooks, and pieces of steel which they demanded in exchange for furs and skins. Once Verrazzano and a few of his men tried to land. But the Indiansfiercely attacked them, and a shower of arrows and the sound of thedreaded war whoop caused the Europeans to fly to their ship for safety. 

So Verrazzano gave up the plan of landing among these fierce Indians, and continued his voyage northward as far as Newfoundland. Hereprovisions grew scarce, and Verrazzano decided to sail for home. 

The return voyage was a safe one, and Verrazzano was greeted with joywhen he arrived in France. Upon his discoveries the French based theirclaim to all the country in the New World between Carolina andNewfoundland, extending westward as far as land continued. 

Verrazzano wished very much to go again to this new land and try toplant a colony and to convert the Indians to the Christian religion. But France at this time was plunged into war at home, and all traceof Verrazzano is lost. Some say that he made a second voyage, and thatwhile exploring a wild country he was taken prisoner and killed bya savage tribe of Indians. The story that is most likely true is thathe did return to the New World, and that while there he was takenprisoner by the Spaniards and hanged as a pirate. 

THE FAMOUS VOYAGE OF SIR FRANCIS DRAKE--1577. 

Under the rule of Queen Elizabeth England became noted for her boldand daring seamen. These seamen were really pirates, or sea robbers;but their occupation in those days was looked upon as a lawful oneby all except the people whom they plundered. 

[Illustration: Sir Francis Drake. ]

Queen Elizabeth encouraged the seafaring men to make voyages to theNew World, and also to attack the Spanish ships, because she wasdispleased at the way the Spaniards were behaving. 

The Spaniards had grown very rich and powerful by means of the wealththey had obtained in America, and in their pride they did not treatthe other nations properly. They had no idea of fairness. They wereselfish and wanted everything for Spain. 

The English people thought that the best place to attack the Spaniardswas in the New World. They well knew that if they could cut off thesupply of gold and silver which the Spanish nation was receiving fromSouth America and the Indies, that nation would suffer. 

Sir Francis Drake, a brave young knight of Elizabeth's court, formeda plan to teach the Spaniards a lesson. This plan was approved by thequeen, and Drake was promised glory and riches if he should succeedin carrying it out. 

In November, 1577, Drake sailed from Plymouth, England, with a fleetof five vessels and one hundred and sixty-four men. He told every onethat he was going to make a voyage to Alexandria, as he did not wishthe Spaniards to know that he intended to cross the Atlantic. 

After a voyage of about five months, as they were sailing quietly alongone evening, the crew saw strange fires in the distance. At first thesailors were alarmed; but on sailing nearer they saw that the fireswere on the shore of a strange country, which Drake knew to be SouthAmerica. 

The natives had built these immense bonfires near the water and werepreparing for some religious rites. 

These natives were friendly, and Drake, after procuring some freshsupplies, sailed on, as he was in haste to reach Peru. The fleet soonentered the Strait of Magellan, and sailed through without any mishap. 

On an island in the strait they found a great number of fowl of thesize of geese, which could not fly. The crew shot about three thousandof these birds, and now, having plenty of provisions, they began thejourney up the west coast of South America. 

The Spaniards, never dreaming that any one would have the courage totry to reach their lands by way of the Strait of Magellan, had madeno attempt to defend themselves from attack from the south. They fearedthat their enemies might come down upon them by way of the isthmus, and strong forces had been placed there to prevent any one fromcrossing; but all the southern ports were defenseless. 

So Drake and his men sailed up the coast, dropping in at differentharbors, boldly taking everything of value that they saw, and thengayly sailing away, laughing at the surprise they left behind them. 

At one place Drake found a Spanish ship laden with spoils, ready tosail to Spain. The English quickly took possession of her, set hercrew ashore, and carried her out to sea. There they found that shehad on board pure gold amounting to thirty-seven thousand Spanishducats, stores of good wine, and other treasure. 

At one place where they landed Drake himself found a Spaniard lyingasleep near the shore, with thirteen bars of silver by his side. TheEnglishmen took the silver and went quietly away, leaving the man tofinish his nap. 

[Illustration: Drake and the Sleeping Spaniard. ]

Farther on they met a Spaniard and an Indian boy driving eight llamas, as the sheep of that country are called, toward Peru. Each llama hadon its back two bags of leather, and in each bag was fifty pounds ofsilver. This silver Drake ordered to be placed on his ship, and thenhe sailed away. 

Many other places were visited in this manner, and much treasure wascollected; but it was not until Drake reached Lima that the Englishunderstood the great wealth of that country. About twelve ships werein the harbor, some fully laden, and all unprotected, as the Spaniardsnever dreamed of attack. These ships Drake proceeded to lighten oftheir cargo by removing it to his own ships. 

He then gave chase to another vessel, which he heard was laden withstill greater treasure. This vessel he soon found, and the cargo provedto be very valuable. Thirteen chests of plate, many tons of gold andsilver, jewels, precious stones, and quantities of silk and linen weretaken. 

As you may suppose, after continuing this work for some time Drake'sships were very well loaded, and he and his companions began to thinkabout returning to England. Drake felt that it would not be safe forhim to return through the Strait of Magellan, as he knew the Spaniardswould be expecting him. So he decided to sail across the Pacific Oceanto the Molucca Islands, and complete his journey by circumnavigatingthe globe. 

He was at this time becalmed in the tropics, and therefore headed hisships north, hoping to find the trade wind, which would carry himacross the Pacific. After proceeding north along a strange coast fornearly a month, during which time the weather gradually became colderand colder, Drake decided to enter a harbor and anchor his vessels. 

The people of the country were friendly, and as the English treatedthem well, they remained so. They admired the brave Sir Francis Drakeso much that they begged him to stay with them and be their king. 

But Drake had no desire to be king over an Indian tribe. He wantedto get back to his own good Queen Elizabeth and tell her of all thewonderful things that had happened to him. So he took possession ofthis country for England, and called it New Albion. 

New Albion was the land which is at present known as California, andthe bay in which Drake anchored is just north of San Francisco Bay. 

Then Drake prepared his ships for the voyage home, hoisted anchor, and was soon sailing away in the direction of the Moluccas. Theseislands he reached after a long voyage, and after visiting severalof the Indies he proceeded across the Indian Ocean to the Cape of GoodHope and thence northward to England. He reached home in September, 1580, after an absence of three years. 

How glad Queen Elizabeth was to see him! She granted him the honorof knighthood, and in other ways showed her pride in her brave subject. 

Drake's ship, the _Golden Hind_, was placed in a dock at Deptford, where it stood for many years. People used to take their children tosee it, and they would tell them about the _Golden Hind_, the goodship in which sailed the brave general, Sir Francis Drake, when hetaught the Spaniards a lesson. 

When the timber of the ship began to decay, a chair was made of someof it and given to Oxford University, where it may be seen to thisday. 

HENRY HUDSON. 

Henry Hudson was one of the best sea captains in all England. He lovedthe ocean, and he did not know the word "fear. "

[Illustration: Henry Hudson. ]

In 1607 a company of London merchants sent him to look for a northwestpassage to China. These merchants knew that if such a passage couldbe found, the journey to China would be much shorter than by theoverland route then used. It would take less time to sail around theearth near the pole than to sail around the earth near the equator. Besides, every one who had attempted to reach China by sailing westhad reached, instead, that long coast of the New World, through whichbut one opening had ever been found. The route through this opening, the Strait of Magellan, had been proved by its discoverer, FerdinandMagellan, to be too long for use in commerce, so traders were tryinghard to find a northwest passage. 

Captain Hudson proceeded northwest from England, and tried to passbetween Greenland and Spitzbergen and sail across the north pole intothe Pacific. Failing in this attempt, he made a second voyage, duringwhich he tried to pass between Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla. This voyagealso was unsuccessful, and Hudson returned to England. He had foundno northwest passage, but he had sailed past mountains of snow andice and had been nearer the north pole than any man had ever beenbefore. 

Captain Hudson was not discouraged by his two failures. He stillbelieved a northwest passage could be found; and when the Dutch peopleasked him to make a voyage for them in search of a passage to the PacificOcean, he was quite willing to accept the offer. 

In 1609 Hudson sailed from Amsterdam in a small craft of eighty tons, called the _Half Moon_. After sailing many days through fog and ice, the sailors refused to go farther in that direction, and then Hudsonheaded his ship across the Atlantic toward America. You may think itstrange that Hudson should change his plans so quickly, but he knewwhat he was about. He had received a letter from his friend CaptainJohn Smith, who was then in Virginia, telling him that a northwestpassage was to be found along the coast of North America, north ofChesapeake Bay. This letter Hudson had in mind when he started on hisvoyage. 

He reached Chesapeake Bay, but did not enter it, as the weather wasstormy. Instead, he proceeded up the coast, looking for an opening. At length, in September, he entered a beautiful bay. Into this baya wide river flowed which Hudson thought might be a strait that wouldlead into the Pacific Ocean. The water in this opening was salt, andthis strengthened Hudson in the belief that it was the strait for whichhe had been searching so long. At the mouth of the river there wasa beautiful island, long and narrow, and wooded to the shore. 

At first the island seemed deserted, but soon the sailors saw hereand there slender curling columns of smoke rising from among the trees. This smoke showed them that the island was inhabited, and presentlyan Indian appeared on the shore. 

[Illustration: The Half Moon on the Hudson River. ]

This Indian looked for a moment in astonishment at the ship, and then, shouting the war whoop, bounded back into the forest. In a few minuteshe reappeared, bringing other Indians with him. All were amazed atthe sight of the strange ship, and they gazed in wonder and fear atit and at the white-faced, bearded strangers. Little by little, however, they lost their fear and talked with Captain Hudson. TheseIndians told Hudson that the name of the beautiful island was Manhattan, and that the stream led far, far to the north. 

So Hudson entered the river and sailed slowly north, enjoying thecharming scenery, and stopping now and then to trade and to talk withthe Indians. 

For twenty miles he sailed along a great wall of rock about five hundredfeet high, which we now know as the Palisades. This name was givento the rocky wall because it looks like a palisade, or high fence ofstakes set close together and upright in the ground. 

Soon after this the river became very winding, and high mountains aroseon all sides. The _Half Moon_ now entered the beautiful Highlands, and her crew were the first white men to see this enchanting spot. The vessel sailed on, and at length it came to the place where thecity of Hudson now stands. Here an Indian chief invited the captainto go ashore. Hudson did so, and the Indians prepared a great feastin his honor. 

They gave him roast pigeons and a roast dog to eat. Hudson did notlike the dog meat very much, but the Indians insisted upon cookingit for him. 

[Illustration: Hudson Feasting with the Indians. ]

The Indians wanted him to stay overnight with them, and one Indianarose, and gathering together all the arrows, broke them and threwthem into the fire. By this act he meant to show Hudson that he andhis tribe would do him no harm. 

Hudson felt that he had no time to lose, but must go on and find outwhether this wonderful body of water would lead him into the Pacific. So he bade the Indians good-by and sailed away. 

He went on up the river until the place was reached where Albany nowstands. Here the little _Half Moon_ was anchored. Indians came runningdown to the shore in wonder at the sight of the strange vessel. Theybrought with them strings of beaver skins, which they gave Hudson inexchange for pieces of gold lace, glass beads, and other trinkets. Hudson was quick to see the importance of this fur trade, and tookback with him many valuable furs. Here the stream had become narrow, and was so shallow that the captain feared his vessel might run aground. He knew at last that the water was a river and not a strait, and thathe was not likely to find here a passage to China. So Hudson, turningback, started down the river. 

On the way down, an Indian who was in a canoe stole something fromthe ship. One of the crew saw the Indian commit the theft, and, pickingup a gun, shot and killed him. This made the other Indians very angry, and Hudson had several fights with them. 

Nevertheless the expedition reached the mouth of the river in safety, and early in October Hudson returned to Amsterdam. He had not founda northwest passage, but he had secured a large tract of country inthe New World for Holland. 

He told the Dutch about the rich furs to be found there, and theyimmediately began to build trading posts where the cities of New Yorkand Albany now stand. 

The next year Hudson made another voyage in search of a passage toAsia. This time he sailed far north into Hudson Bay. Here his crewmutinied and refused to obey him. They seized him and put him, togetherwith his son, into an open boat, and set them adrift in the icy water. 

As Hudson was never heard of again, it is supposed that he perishedin the waters of the great bay which he discovered, and which stillbears his name.