. Our country in story . thersoon frightened him backto Lisbon, where he toldstories of terrible experi-ences and made sport ofColumbuss ideas. , Keenly hurt, but not dis-heartened, our noble heroturned to leave Portugal,turned to leave the com-pany of its wise and learnedmen who had found it easierto teach that the earth is round and that Asia could bereached by sailing westward, than to prove these factsby an actual voyage. His wife, who was a Portuguese, had meanwhile died,and there was no longer anything that bound him toPortugal. So, taking his little six-year-old son Diego,he set forth o
. Our country in story . thersoon frightened him backto Lisbon, where he toldstories of terrible experi-ences and made sport ofColumbuss ideas. , Keenly hurt, but not dis-heartened, our noble heroturned to leave Portugal,turned to leave the com-pany of its wise and learnedmen who had found it easierto teach that the earth is round and that Asia could bereached by sailing westward, than to prove these factsby an actual voyage. His wife, who was a Portuguese, had meanwhile died,and there was no longer anything that bound him toPortugal. So, taking his little six-year-old son Diego,he set forth on foot across the mountains to Spain. Hesometimes carried the child, sometimes led him by thehand, and thus reached Spain. Here he visited a relative, • an aunt of the little Diego. Leaving the child in chargeof this good woman, he hastened to seek King Ferdinandand Queen Isabella, who were then the rulers of Spain. But he had come to Spain at an unfavorable time. Thecountry was then in the midst of a long war with the. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS A PATHWAY ACROSS THE ATLANTIC 29 Moors. These Moors were a Mohammedan people whohad passed from Arabia into northern Africa, and thenceacross the Strait of Gibraltar into Spain. The Spaniardswere at the time slowly, though surely, driving off theseinfidel people. But King Ferdinand and Queen Isabellawere moving about with the army from camp to camp,and Columbus could not expect them to give much atten-tion to his , he oneday succeeded in see-ing the Queen at Cor-dova. He explainedhis charts and plansto her. If Spain will helpme in this undertak-ing, said he to QueenIsabella, I will notonly open a rich tradefor her with the East,but will add a new em-pire to her kingdom. ml . j , QUEEN ISABELLA The pious and beau-tiful Queen Isabella was a learned, zealous woman. Sheunderstood Columbus, was pleased with his ideas andplans, and felt confident that he would successfully carryout what he had promised if he were given the
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