8 Gardiner G. Hubbard — Discoverers of America. 



fident, less in earnest, would have succumbed before the many 

 difficulties and delays he encountered. Again he applied to 

 Isabella, and she agreed to equip a fleet. Columbus demanded 

 that he should be made high admiral of the western seas and 

 viceroy and governor of all the continents and islands which 

 might lie therein, and that he should receive one-eighth of the 

 net profits from all trade with such countries. Isabella refused, 

 but Columbus, knowing that the discovery of a new and shorter 

 route to the Spice islands would give Spain the control of their 

 trade, and realizing the power and wealth that would accrue to 

 the Spanish throne through such discovery, insisted on his de- 

 mands, and for this great constancy and loftiness of soul Las 

 Casas commends him. 



After this refusal Columbus mounted his mule and started for 

 France, but was soon recalled ; he returned to the court, which 

 agreed to his demands. A patent was granted appointing " Chris- 

 topher Colon, as soon as he shall have discovered said islands 

 or mainlands in the ocean sea, or an}^ one of them, to be our ad- 

 miral of the ocean sea, viceroy and governor, in the said islands 

 or mainland : I the Queen ; I the King." 



The fleet of Columbus was three small vessels; the largest" 

 a single-decked ship 90 feet long, the others with decks only 

 in the stern gtnd prow. His crew was 90 men. On August 6, 

 1492, they sailed from Palos, and on October 21 discovered the 

 Indies. Columbus returned to Spain and appeared at the court 

 of Isabella with his train of Indians bearing gold, silver, precious 

 stones, and other products of the islands he had discovered. It 

 was Cathay and the shorter route to the Indies he supposed he 

 had found, though he did not find the cities and rich countries, 

 the gold and silver, the pearls and jewels, that he sought. He 

 thought these treasures lay further westward, and that he must 

 find the straits of Malacca, and through them sail to the S^^ice 

 islands and India, and for that purpose he sailed on his second 

 voyage, and after following the coast of Cuba 1,000 miles, believ- 

 ing he had found the continent of Asia, returned to Spain. 



Ferdinand and Isabella gave many persons the right to visit 

 the new-discovered lands, as was their prerogative, but they 

 also appointed governors over the land and water, contrary to 

 thei* agreement with Columbus. 



On his third voyage, in 1498, he reached South America, the 

 first European to discover that continent. He found a large bay 

 and thought he had reached the straits ; but, alas, the waters 



