BELIEF IX ASIA 71 



Of course, on his first voyage Columbus had not 

 seen the Behaim globe and probably not the Mar- 

 tellus mappemonde. But maps are rarely the origi- 

 nal compositions of map makers; they are made 

 from earlier maps and other data. Behaim and 

 Columbus drew their geographical ideas from the 

 same source. The map constructed by Ravenstein 

 to show Behaim's use of Marco Polo (Fig. 4) will go 

 far to justify a presumption that Columbus had 

 similar ideas. The hypothesis may be adopted; it 

 will be justified if the movements and writings of 

 Columbus harmonize with the hypothesis. This 

 study endeavors to show that his actions and his 

 writings cannot be made to harmonize with any 

 other cartographical hypothesis so far advanced. 



Movements of Columbus As Reflection of 

 His Views 



It has been contended that, if Columbus really 

 believed himself to be on the coast of Asia on his 

 fourth ^^oyage, he would have directed his efforts to 

 following the new lands either north or south to the 

 regions so well known in theory to all cosmog- 

 raphers.-^ That is exactly what he tried to do. He 

 had a choice of turning either north or south, and 

 he himself gives his reason for not turning north. 

 Let us briefly reconsider his experience. 



On his first voyage he had turned south, when on 

 the northeast coast of Cuba, because it was winter 



23 Harrisse, op. cil., p. 105. 



