The Greatest Works of Charles Carleton Coffin. Charles Carleton Coffin
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What a commotion there is!
"Christopher Columbus has come!"
The cry runs over the town. Every boat is launched, and the rowers pull with all their might, to be the first to reach the ship.
"A new world is discovered!" The bells ring, cannon thunder, bonfires blaze. It is not a fiction, for there are the Indians — six of them — and parrots, flamingoes, rolls of Indian cloth, bananas, potatoes, gold I The news goes from house to house. Everybody rejoices over the wonderful intelligence.
It is a triumphal march which Columbus makes to Barcelona — six hundred miles — to pay his respects to Ferdinand and Isabella. He goes as a conqueror, noblemen accompanying him. People come from afar to see him, to gaze upon the Indians and the parrots.
The king and queen receive Columbus in great state, and take delight in honoring him. And why should they not? Has he not given them a new empire? But the doctors who ridiculed him at Salamanca are envious. It is not pleasant to have all their tine theories upset, and to feel that they have made fools of themselves. Besides, this adventurer is an Italian; and they do not like to think that an Italian, and not a Spaniard, is the discoverer of a new world. The Grand Cardinal invites Columbus to a dinner. The great doctors are there. One is so envious that he cannot restrain himself from giving Columbus a little stab.
"Do you think that there is no man in Spain capable of making the discovery?" he asks.
Columbus replies by asking a question:
"Is there any one at the table who can make an egg stand on end?"
They try, but all fail.
"Can you do it?"
"Certainly."
He breaks the shell at the end, and the egg stands.
"That is the way to do it."
"Anybody can do that."
"So anybody can go to the new land, now that I have discovered it"
Very soon Columbus is sailing west again, this time with twelve ships and twelve hundred men. Thousands want to go. They take horses, pigs, cattle, and dogs, for these animals are not found in the new world. Twelve priests go to convert the Indians to the Catholic faith. He comes lo the colony, but no one is there. They find skulls, bones, decayed bodies, ruins. Those whom he left quarrelled among themselves, then separated and lived with the Indians. A powerful tribe came down one day from the mountains and killed every Spaniard, and a great many of the coast Indians. lie leaves a second colony, and sails away to the west in search
of new lands, and discovers the island of Jamaica. He finds no mountains of gold, and the adventurers are disappointed. Sickness breaks out; their provisions fail. Some of the ships turn back to Spain. Many of those who are with him are young noblemen, who, because they do not find gold, denounce Columbus as a deceiver; but he sails on,discovers new lands, and then returns to Spain. The nobles are so jealous of him that two years pass before he can get ready for another voyage. He sails once more, steering farther south, and, after sailing thirty-eight days, discovers an island with three mountain peaks, which he calls "The Trinity;" and just beyond he beholds the main-land, South America, and sails many miles along the coast This is in 1498.
He is Governor of the New World. The only settlement is that in Hayti; but the grandees are so jealous that they cannot bear to have an Italian over them. They accuse him to the king falsely, invent lies, till the king is persuaded to supersede him, and send out a vain, pompous, cruel man — Bobadilla — to be governor, who arrests Columbus, puts him in prison, rivets fetters upon his ankles, and sends him to Spain.
The captain of the ship is indignant at such treatment of the noble-hearted sailor.
"I will strike off the irons," he says.
"No; the king commanded me to submit to whatever Bobadilla should order in his name. I will not remove them. I will wear them, and keep them as memorials of my reward!"
In irons he is taken to Cadiz.
"Shame! shame!"
The people shout it, and the king strikes off the fetters.
Once more Columbus sails. He is an old man now; his beard is white, and he is not so strong as he was. He stops at Hayti, and then sails west through the Caribbean Sea, skirting the main-land, seeking ever to find a passage to India. He lands at a place where there is a delicious spring of water, and which to this day is called Columbus's Spring. His vessels are driven ashore in a storm. He is taken sick. The Indians are hostile. He needs provisions, but cannot get them from the Indiana, who are planning to attack the strangers. He must make them supply him with food. He understands astronomy, and knows that the moon will Boon be eclipsed. The Indians are superstitious, and he sends this word to the chiefs:
"The Great Spirit is offended with you, because you will not supply me with provisions."
The Indians laugh at the message.
"You will see the moon fade away. The Great Spirit will cover it up and make it all dark."
They laugh again. Night comes, and the full noon rises, round and red; but soon the Indians see a shadow creeping over it, beginning at one side.
"A dragon is eating it up!" they cry, and throw themselves upon the ground in terror.
"The Great Spirit will pardon you, and give you back the moon, if yon bring me provisions."
"We will bring them."
They come with baskets filled with yams and potatoes and fruits. So he obtains provisions, but his vessels are driven ashore in a storm, and he must die there unless a vessel shall perchance sail along the coast.
One day the sailors see two specks far away, and soon discover that they are two vessels. A fire is kindled, and those on board the ships, attracted by the smoke, sail along the shore and discover those whom they are seeking. So Columbus and his fellow-sailors are rescued from death.
Twelve years have passed since Columbus discovered San Salvador. The islands which then were a paradise, the abode of simple-hearted people, are drenched in blood. The Spaniards have had but one thought — to get gold and to gratify passion. Thousands of the Indians have been killed, other thousands carried into slavery. the Indians had no rights which the cruel men felt bound to respect.
On the 20th of May, 1506, at Valladolid, Christopher Columbus, old, in poverty, begging his bread, lies down to die. No one cares for him, but he dies calmly and peacefully. So closes the life of the man who led the way for the discovery of the future home of Liberty.
CHAPTER VII
THE NEW HOME OF LIBERTY