Young folks' history of the United States . the expedition was ready to sail, his sailors were unwilling to go; and Columbus hadto drive some of them by force into the service, as hehad authority to do. There were three ships, — theSanta Maria, the Pinta, and the Nina. The Santa Maria was a good-sized vessel, ninety feetlong, and carrying sixty-six seamen. It ^vas deckedall over, and had four masts, — two with square sails,and two with lateen-sails. The other vessels weresmaller, and without decks: and they were all provis-ioned for a year. There were, in all, one hundred andtwenty
Young folks' history of the United States . the expedition was ready to sail, his sailors were unwilling to go; and Columbus hadto drive some of them by force into the service, as hehad authority to do. There were three ships, — theSanta Maria, the Pinta, and the Nina. The Santa Maria was a good-sized vessel, ninety feetlong, and carrying sixty-six seamen. It ^vas deckedall over, and had four masts, — two with square sails,and two with lateen-sails. The other vessels weresmaller, and without decks: and they were all provis-ioned for a year. There were, in all, one hundred andtwenty persons on this bold expedition. They sailed from Palos Aug. 3, 1492. It took his firstthem a month to reach the Canary Islands ; but after ^°y*^®* 36 YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. they had passed those, and found themselves on thelonely ocean at night, many of the sailors wept, anddeclared they never should return. Columbus quietedthem, and they sailed on, day by day; sometimes hope-ful, and sometimes mutinous. Once the sailors plotted. FLEET OF COLUMBUS SAILING FROM PALOS. Signs thatland wasnear athand. to throw Columbus overboard. Often they thoughtthey saw signs of land : once they were sure of it, andit proved only a cloud. At last land-birds were seen,and floating twigs with red berries, and a piece of woodrudely carved, and drifting seaweed, to which live crabswere clinging. Finally, one evening at ten oclock,Columbus saw a light glimmering across the water; THE COMING OF COLUMBUS. 37 and the next morning a gun was fired from one of thesmaller vessels, as the signal agreed upon for makingland. It was a very welcome sound ; for they had beenseventy-one days in crossing the ocean, which is nowcrossed by steamers in less than nine. The vessels lay to that night; and the next morning the crewsaw a wooded island six miles away, and crowds ofnatives running along the beach. We may imagine how Columbus felt, when, at day- Landing ofbreak, he was rowed to the shore, with wavi
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