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COLLECTION OF TEXT-BOOKS
Contributed by the Publishers

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3 2044 097 066 476

DI8C0VEREKS

AND

EXPLORERS

EDWARD R SHAW

Dean of the School of Pedtigogy
New York University

NEW YORK •:• CINCINNATI •:• CHICAGO

AMKRICAN BOOK COMPANY

Harvard UnWersity,
BeftefEiiucitionUbrary

rRAMFERRCi TO
HARVARD eOLLEGF LIBRARY

DIS. AND EXP.

w. p. I

PREFACE.

The practice of beginning the study of geography
with the locality in which the pupil lives, in order
that his first ideas of geographical conceptions may
be gained from observation directed upon the real
conditions existing about him, has been steadily
gaining adherence during the past few years as a
rational method of entering upon the study of geog-
raphy.

After the pupil has finished an elementary study
of the locality, he is ready to pass to an elementary
consideration of the world as a whole, to get his first
conception of the planet on which he lives. His
knowledge of the forms of land and water, his knowl-
edge of rain and wind, of heat and cold, as agents,
and of the easily traced effects resulting from the
interaction of these agents, have been acquired by
observation and inference upon conditions actually
at hand ; in other words, his knowledge has been
gained in a presentative manner.

His study of the world, however, must differ
largely from this, and must be effected principally

by representation. The globe in relief, therefore,
presents to him his basic idea, and all his future
study of the world will but expand and modify this
idea, until at length, if the study is properly con-
tinued, the idea becomes exceedingly complex.

In passing from the geography of the locality to
that of the world as a whole, the pupil is to deal
broadly with the land masses and their general char-
acteristics. The continents and oceans, their rela-
tive situations, form, and size, are then to be treated,
but the treatment is always to be kept easily within
the pupiPs capabilities—the end being merely an ele-
mentary world- view.

During the time the pupil is acquiring this ele-
mentary knowledge of the world as a whole, certain
facts of history may be interrelated with the geo-
graphical study.

According to the plan already suggested, it will be
seen that the pupil is carried out from a study of the
limited area of land and water about him to an idea
of the world as a sphere, with its great distribution
of land and water. In this transference he soon
comes to perceive how small a part his hitherto
known world forms of the great earth-sphere itself.

Something analogous to this transition on the part
of the pupil to a larger view seems to be found in
the history of the western nations of Europe. It is

the gradual change in the conception of the world
held during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries to
the enlarged conception of the world as a sphere
which the remarkable discoveries and explorations
of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries brought
about.

The analogy serves pedagogically to point out an
interesting and valuable interrelation of certain facts
of history with certain phases of geographical study.

This book has been prepared for the purpose of
affording material for such an interrelation. The
plan of interrelation is simple. As the study of the
world as a whole, in the manner alreadj'- sketched,
progresses, the appropriate chapters are read, dis-
cussed, and reproduced, and the routes of the various
discoverers and explorers traced. No further word
seems to the writer necessary in regard to the inter-
relation.

Dresden, July 15, 1899.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

Beliefs as to the World Four Hundred Years Ago . 9

Marco Polo 16

Columbus 24

Vasoo da Gama 40

John and Sebastian Cabot's Voyages . . . • 44

Amerigo Vespucci 48

Ponce de Leon 64

Balboa 56

Magellan 62

Hernando Cortes 68

Francisco Pizarro 78

Ferdinand de Soto 84

The Great River Amazon, and El Dorado . • . 92

Verrazzano 102

The Famous Voyage op Sir Francis Drake— 1577 . . 108
Henry Hudson 114

DISCOVERERS AND EXPLORERS.

BELIEFS AS TO THE WORLD FOUR
HUNDRED YEARS AGO.

Four hundred years ago most of the people who
lived in Europe thought that the earth was flat.
They knew only the land that was near them. They
knew the continent of Europe, a small part of Asia,
and a strip along the
northern shore of
Africa.

They thought this
known land was sur-
rounded by a vast
body of water that
was like a broad
river. Sailors were afraid to venture far upon this
water, for they feared they would fall over the edge
of the earth.

Other seafaring men believed that if they should
sail too far out upon this wator their vessels would
be lost in a fog, or tliat they would suddenly begin
to slide downhill, and would never be able to return.

The World as Known Four Hundred
Years ago.

Wind gods and storm gods, too, were supposed to
dwell upon this mysterious sea. Men believed that
these wind and storm gods would be very angry with
any one who dared to enter their domain, and that in
their wrath they would hurl the ships over the edge
of the earth, or keep them wandering round and
round in a circle, in the mist and fog.

It is no wonder that the name " Sea of Darkness "
was given to this great body of water, which we now
know to be the Atlantic Ocean ; nor is it surprising
that the sailors feared to venture far out upon it.

These sailors had no dread at all of a sea called the
Mediterranean, upon which they made voyages with-
out fear of danger. This sea was named the Mediter-
ranean because it was supposed to be in the middle
of the land that was then known. On this body of
water the sailors were very bold, fighting, robbing, and
plundering strangers and foes, without any thought
of fear.

They sailed through this sea eastward to Constan-
tinople, their ships being loaded with metals, woods,
and pitch. These they traded for silks, cashmeres,
dyewoods, spices, perfumes, precious stones, ivory,
and pearls. All of these things were brought by
caravan from the far Eastern countries, as India,
China, and Japan, to the cities on the east coast of
the Mediterranean.

This caravan journey was a very long and tiresome
one. Worse than this, the Turks, through whose
country the caravans passed, began to see how valu-

able this trade was, and
they sent bands of robbers
to prevent the caravans
from reaching the coast.

As time went on^
land journeys grew more
difficult and more danger-
ous, until the traders saw
that the day would soon come when they would be
entirely cut off from traffic with India and the rich
Eastern countries. The Turks would secure all their
profitable business. So the men of that time tried
to think of some other way of reaching the East.

A Caravan.

Among those who wished to find a short route
to India was Prince Henry of Portugal, a bold navi-
gator as well as a studious and thoughtful man.
He was desirous of securing the rich Indian trade for

Eric the Red in Vinland,

his own country. So he established a school for navi-
gators at Lisbon, and gathered around him many
men who wanted to study about the sea.

Here they made maps and charts, and talked with

one another about the strange lands which they
thought might be found far out in that mysterious
body of water which they so dreaded and feared. It
is probable that they had heard some accounts of the
voyages of other navigators on this wonderful sea,
and the beliefs about land beyond.

There was Eric the Red, a bold navigator of Ice-
land, who had sailed west to Greenland, and planted
there a colony that grew and thrived. There was
also Eric's son Leif, a venturesome young viking
who had made a voyage south from Greenland, and
reached a strange country with wooded shores and
fragrant vines. This country he called Vinland be-
cause of the abundance of wild grapes. When he
returned to Greenland, he took a load of timber back
with him.

Some of the people of Greenland had tried to make
a settlement along this shore which Leif discovered,
but it is thought that the Indians drove them away.
It may now be said of this settlement that no trace
of it has ever been found, although the report that
the Norsemen paid many visits to the shore of North
America is undoubtedly true.

Another bold sea rover of Portugal sailed four
hundred miles from laod, where he picked up a
strangely carved paddle and several pieces of wood
of a sort not to be found in Europe.

St. Brandon, an Irish priest, was driven in a
storm far, far to the west, and landed upon the
shore of a strange country, inhabited by a race of
people different from any he had ever seen.

All this time the bold Portuguese sailors were
venturing farther and farther down the coast of
Africa. They hoped to be able to sail around that
continent and up the other side to India. But they
dared not go beyond the equator, because they did
not know the stars in the southern hemisphere and
therefore had no guide. They also believed that
beyond the equator there was a frightful region of
intense heat, where the sun scorched the earth and
where the waters boiled.

Many marvelous stories were told about the is-
lands which the sailors said they saw in the distance.
Scarcely a vessel returned from a voyage without
some new story of signs of land seen by the crew.

The people who lived on the Canary Islands said
that an island with high mountains on it could be
seen to the west on clear days, but no one ever
found it.

Some thought these islands existed only in the
imagination of the sailors. Others thought they
were floating islands, as they were seen in many
different places. Every one was anxious to find
them, for they were said to be rich in gold and spices.

You can easily understand how excited many peo-
ple were in regard to new lands, and how they
wished to find out whether the earth was round or
not. There was but one way to find out, and that
was to try to sail around it.

For a long time no one was brave enough to ven- ^

ture to do so. To start out and sail away from land
on this unknown water was to the people of that
day as dangerous and foolhardy a journey as to try
to cross the ocean in a balloon is to us at the present
time.

MARCO POLO.

In the middle of the thirteenth century, about two
hundred years before the time of Columbus, a boy
named Marco Polo lived in the city of Venice.

Marco Polo belonged to a rich and noble family,

and had all the advantages of
study that the city afforded.
He studied at one of the
finest schools in the city of
Venice. This city was then
famous for its schools, and
was the seat of culture and
learning for the known world.
When Marco Polo started
for school in the morn-
ing, he did not step out into a street, as you do.
Instead, he stepped from his front doorstep into
a boat called a gondola; for Venice is built upon
a cluster of small islands, and the streets are water
ways and are called canals.

The gondolier, as the man who rows the gondola

Marco Polo.

is called, took Marco wherever he wished to go.
Sometimes, as they glided along, the gondolier would
sing old Venetian songs ; and as Marco Polo lay back
against the soft cushions and listened and looked
about him, he 1 wondered if any where else on
earth there was m so beautiful a city as Venice.
For the sky was 31 very blue, and often its color

A Scene in Venice.

was reflected in the water ; the buildings were grace-
ful and beautiful, the sun was warm and bright, and
the air was balmy.

In this delightful city Marco Polo lived until he
was seventeen years of age. About this time, his
father, who owned a large commercial house in Con-
stantinople, told Marco that he might go with him on

DIS. AND EXP.

a long journey to Eastern countries. The boy was
very glad to go, and set out with his father and his
uncle, who were anxious to trade and gain more
wealth in the East. This was in the year 1271.

The three Polos traveled across Persia into China,
and across the Desert of Gobi to the northwest,
where they found the great ruler, Kublai Khan.
This monarch was a kind-hearted and able man. He
wanted to help his subjects to become civilized and
learned, as the Europeans were. So Kublai Khan
assisted the two elder Polos in their business of
trading, and took Marco into his service.

Soon Marco learned the languages of Asia, and
then he was sent by the khan on errands of state to
different parts of the country. He visited all the
great cities in China, and traveled into the interior
of Asia to places almost unknown at the presei;it
time.

At length the three Polos expressed a desire to re-
turn to Venice. The great khan did not wish to
part with them, but he at last consented; for he
found that by going they could do him a service.
The service required was their escort for a beautiful
young princess who was to be taken from Peking to
Tabriz, where she was to marry the Khan of Persia.

It was difficult to find any one trustworthy enough
to take charge of so important a person on so long

and dangerous a journey. But Kublai Khan had
faith in the Polos. They had traveled more than
any one else he knew, and were cautious and brave.

So he gave them permission to return to their
home, and requested them to take the princess to
Tabriz on the way. It was decided that the journey
should be made by sea, as the land route was so
beset by robbers as to be unsafe. Besides, the Polos
were fine sailors.

They started from the eastern coast of China, and
continued their voyage for three years, around the
peninsula of Cochin China, and through the Indian
Ocean to the Persian Gulf. Here they went ashore,
and then proceeded by land across Persia to Tabriz.
They left the princess in that city, and resumed
their journey by way of the Bosporus to Venice.

When they reached Venice they found that they
had been forgotten by their friends. They had been
away twenty-four years, and in that time everything
had changed very much. They themselves had
grown older, and their clothes differed from those
worn by the Venetians; for fashions changed even
in the thirteenth century, although not so often as
they change at the present time. It is no wonder
that the Polos were not known until they recalled
themselves to the memory of their friends.

One evening they invited a few of their old friends

to dinner, and during the evening they brought out
three old coats. These coats they proceeded to rip
apart, and out from the linings dropped all kinds of
precious stones— diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, and
rubies. In this way these wary travelers had hidden
their wealth and treasure while on their perilous
journey. The visitors were astonished at the sight
of so great riches, and listened eage^-ly to the ac-
counts of the countries from which they came.

Soon after the return of Marco Polo to Venice, he
took part with his countrymen in a battle against the
Genoese. The city of Genoa, like the city of Venice,
had a large trade with the East. These two cities
were rivals in trade, and were very jealous of each
other. Whenever Venetian ships and those of the
Genoese met on the Mediterranean Sea, the sailors
found some way of starting a quarrel. The quarrel
quickly led to a sea fight, and it was in one of these
combats that Marco Polo engaged. The Venetians
were defeated, and Marco Polo was taken prisoner
and cast into a dungeon. Here he spent his time
in writing the wonderful book in which he described
his travels.

The descriptions Polo gave of the East were as
wonderful as fairy tales. He told of countries rich
in gold, silver, and precious stones, and of islands
where diamonds sparkled on the shore. The rulers

A Sea Fight.

of these countries wore garments of rich silk cov-
ered with glittering gems, and dwelt in palaces, the
roofs of which were made of gold.

He described golden Cathay, with its vast cities
rich in manufactures, and also Cipango, Hindustan,
and Indo-China. He knew of the Indies Islands,
rich in spices, and he described Siberia, and told of

the sledges drawn by dogs, and of the polar bears. The
fact that an ocean washed the eastern coast of Asia was
proved by him, and this put at rest forever the theory
that there was an impassable swamp east of Asia.

This book by Marco Polo was eagerly read, and
the facts that it stated were so remarkable that
many people refused to believe them. It stirred
others with a desire to travel and see those lands for
themselves.

Traveling by land, however, was very dangerous,
because of the bands of robbers by which the
country was occupied. These outlaws robbed every
one whom they suspected of having any money, and
often murdered travelers in order to gain their pos-
sessions. Sea travel, too, was just as dangerous,
but in a different way.

You will remember why sailors dared not venture
far out upon the ocean and search for a water route
to the Eastern countries and islands. The time was
soon coming, however, when they would dare to do
so, and two wonderful inventions helped navigators
very much.

One came from the finding of the loadstone, or
natural magnet. This is a stone which has the
power of attracting iron. A steel needle rubbed on
it becomes magnetized, as we say, and, when sus-
pended by the center and allowed to move freely,

always swings around until it points north and
south. Hung on a pivot and inclosed in a box, this
instrument is called the mariners' compass. It was
of great importance to sailors, because it always told
them which way was north. On cloudy days, and
during dark, stormy nights,
when the sun and stars could
not be seen, the sailors could
now keep on their way, far
from land, and still know
in which direction they were
going.

The other invention was

that of the astrolabe. This Mariners' Compass.

was an instrument by means of which sailors meas-
ured the height of the sun above the horizon at
noon, and could thus tell the distance of the ship
from the equator. It is in use on all the ships at
the present time, but it has been greatly improved,
and is now called the quadrant.

The compass and the astrolabe, together with im-
proved maps and charts, made it possible for naviga-
tors to tell where their ship was when out of sight of
land or in the midst of storm and darkness. This
made them more courageous, and they ventured a
little farther from the coast, but still no one dared
to sail far out upon the Sea of Darkness.

COLUMBUS.

One day a man
appeared in Por-
tugal, who said he
was certain that the
earth was round,
and that he could
1 reach India by-
sailing westward.
Every one laughed
at him and asked
him how he would
like to try. He
answered that he

Christopher Columbus. WOUld Sail rOUnd

the earth, if any one would provide him with ships.

People jeered and scoffed.

" If the earth is a sphere," they said, " in order to
sail round it you must sail uphill ! Who ever heard
of a ship sailing uphill ? "

But this man, whose name was Christopher Co-
lumbus, remained firm in his belief.

When a boy, Columbus had listened eagerly to the
stories the sailors told about strange lands and won-
derful- islands beyond the water. He was in the
habit of sitting on the wharves and watching the
ships. Often he would say, " I wish, oh, how I wish
I could be a sailor ! "

At last his father, who was a wool comber, said to
him, " My son, if you really wish to become a sailor,
I will send you to a school where you will be taught
navigation."

Columbus was delighted at this, and told his father
that he would study diligently. He was sent to the
University of Pavia, where he learned all the geog-
raphy that was then known, as well as how to draw
maps and charts. He became a skillful penman, and
also studied astronomy, geometry, and Latin.

But he did not spend a long time at his studies,
for at the age of fourteen he went to sea. What he
had learned, however, gave him an excellent ground-
work, and from this time forward he made use of
every opportunity to inform himself and to become
a scholarly man.

His jfirst voyage was made with a distant relative,
who was an adventurous and daring m«nn, and who
was ever ready to fight with any one with whom he
could pick a quarrel. In course of time Columbus
commanded a ship of his own, and became known as

a bold and daring navigator. He made a voyage
along the coast of Africa as far south as Guinea,
and afterwards sailed northward to Iceland.

At an early day he became familiar with the
wildest kind of adventure, for at this time sea life
on the Mediterranean was little more than a series
of fights with pirates. Some say that during one of
these conflicts Columbus's ship caught fire. In
order to save his life, he jumped into the water and
swam six miles to shore, reaching the coast of Por-
tugal. Others say that he was attracted to that
country by the great school of navigation which
Prince Henry had established. However that may
be, he appeared at Lisbon at the age of thirty-five,
filled with the idea of sailing westward to reach
those rich Eastern countries in which every one was
so much interested.

He was laughed at for expressing such an idea.
It is not pleasant to be laughed at, but Columbus
was courageous and never wavered in his belief.

"The earth is a sphere," he said; "those foolish
stories of its being flat and supported on a turtle's
back cannot be true."

But those persons to whom he talked only laughed
the more.

"Is there anything more foolish," they asked,
"than to believe that there are people who walk

with their heels up and with their heads hanging
down?" "Think of a place where the trees grow
with their branches down, and where it snows, hails,
and rains upward ! "

Everybody thought him an idle dreamer.

Columbus tried to persuade King John to furnish
him with ships and allow him to test his belief. But
King John cruelly deceived Columbus ; for, after ob-
taining his maps and charts, he sent oflE an expedi-
tion of his own. He hoped in this way to gain the
gloiy of the discovery. The sailors whom he sent,
however, were not brave enough to continue the
voyage, and returned, frightened by a severe storm.

Columbus was so disgusted by the treachery of
King John that he
made up his mind to
leave Portugal and go
to Spain. So, taking
his little son, Diego,
with him, he started
on his journey. He
traveled f r6m place to
place, trying to find some person who would help him
make his ideas known to King Ferdinand and Queen
Isabella. He thought that if he could talk with them
he could persuade them to furnish him with ships.

One day he came to a convent called La Rabida.

Convent of La Rabida.

c
c

Here Diego, who waa weary aud thirsty, begged his
father to stop aud ask for a drink of water. Colum-
bus knocked at the big iron gate, and while he was
conversing with the attendant a priest approached.

This priest was attracted by the noble bearing and
refined speech of Columbus, and saw at once that
he was not a beggar. He asked him what he wished,
and Columbus related his story.

The good priest believed in him and said he would
try to influence the king and queen to furnish him
with ships. The priest brought the matter .before
the king; but at this time Spain was at war with the
Moors, and King Ferdinand had no time to attend
to anything else. Columbus was patient and waited.
But as year after j^ear passed and brought no pros-
pect of obtaining the ships he wished, his hopes fell.
After seven long, weary years of waiting, he was
about to leave Spain in despair.

Just as he was leaving, however, a message was
brought to him from the queen, asking him to ex-
plain his plans to her once more. Columbus did so,
and the queen was so fully convinced that she ex-
claimed : " I will provide ships and men for you, if I
have to pledge my jewels in order to do so ! "

Three ships were fitted out for the voyage. These
ships were very different from those we see to-day.
They were light, frail barks called caravels, and two

of them, the Pinta and Ninaj had no decks. The
third, the Santa Maria^ had a deck. It was upon
this largest caravel that Columbus placed his flag.

On the 3d of August, 1492, the little fleet set
sail from Palos, entering upon the most daring ex-
pedition ever undertaken by man. The people of
the town gathered on the wharf to see the depar-
ture of the vessels. Many of them had friends or rel-
atives on board whom they expected never to look
upon again. Sad indeed was the sight as the little
caravels sailed out of the harbor and faded from view.

After sailing a few days, the Pinta broke her
rudder. This accident the sailors took to be a sign
of misfortune. They tried to persuade Columbus to
put back to Palos, but he would not listen to such a
suggestion. Instead of sailing back, he pushed on
to the Canary Islands. Here his ships were delayed
three weeks, after which they continued the voyage
into unknown waters.

After they had sailed westward for many days, the
sailors began to show signs of alarm, and they im-
plored Columbus to return. He tried to calm their
fears. He described the rich lands he hoped to find,
and reminded them of the wealth and fame this
voyage would bring to them. So they agreed to
venture a little farther.

At last the compass began to point in a different

direction, and the sailors became almost panic-
stricken. They thought they were saihng straight
to destruction, and when they found that Columbus

The Pinta.

would not listen to their entreaties they planned a
mutiny. Though Columbus knew what the sailors
were plotting, he kept steadily on his course.
Tortunately, signs of land soon began to appear.
A. branch with berries on it floated past, a rudely

carved paddle was picked up, and land birds were
seen flying over the ships.

A prize had been offered to the sailor who first
saw land, and all eagerly watched for it night and
day. At last, early one morning, a gun was fired from

The Landing of Columbus.

the Pinta, and all knew that land had been sighted.
The sailors were filled with the wildest joy, and
crowded around Columbus with expressions of grati-
tude and admiration, in great contrast to the dis-
trustful manner in which they had treated him a few
days before.
The land they were approaching was very beauti-

ful. It was a green, sunny island with pleasant
groves in which birds were singing. Beautiful
flowers were blooming all around and the trees were
laden with fruit. The island was inhabited, too, for
gi-oups of strange-looking men were seen running to
the shore.

At length the ships cast anchor, the boats were
lowered, and Columbus, clad in rich scarlet and
carrying in his hand the royal banner of Spain, was
taken ashore. As soon as he stepped on the beach,
Columbus knelt down and gave thanks to God. He
then planted the banner of Spain in the ground and
took possession of the country in the name of Fer-
dinand and Isabella.

This island he called San Salvador, because he and
his crew had been saved from a watery grave, and
also because October 12 was so named in the Spanish
calendar.

Columbus supposed San Salvador to be one of the
islands near the coast of Asia, but it is one of
the Bahamas.

Thus was America discovered on the l^th of
October, 1492.

The natives of this island were different from any
people the Spaniards had ever seen. They were of
a reddish-brown color, and had higli cheek bones,
small black eyes, and straight black hair. They were

DIS. AND EXP.— 3

entirely naked, and their bodies were greased and
painted. Their hair was decorated with feathers,
and many of them were adorned with curious orna-
ments.

They were at first very much afraid of the white
men and kept far away. But gradually they lost
their fear and brought the Spaniards presents of
bananas and oranges. Some of them gathered
courage enough to touch the Spaniards and pass
their hands over them, as if to make certain that
they were real beings. These men, whose skin was
so white, they thought to be gods who had come
down from the sky.

When Columbus asked them where they found the
gold of which many of their ornaments were made,
they pointed toward the south. Then Columbus
took some of them with him to search for the land
of gold.

The next land he reached was the island of Cuba.
Thinking that this was a part of India, he called the
natives Indians. He then sailed to Haiti, which he
called Hispaniola, or " Little Spain." For more than
three months Columbus cruised among these islands,
where the air was always balmy, the sky clear,
and the land beautiful. The sailors believed these
new lands were Paradise, and wanted to live there
always.

At length, however, they thought of returning to
their home and friends. So, taking several Indians
with them, and many curious baskets and orna-
ments, they set out on their return voyage.

This voyage proved to be very stormy, and at one
time it seemed certain that the ships would go down ;
but after a time the sea gi'ew quiet, and on the 15th
of March they sailed again into the little harbor of
Palos.

You can imagine the excitement.

"What! has Columbus returned?" asked the
people. " Has he really found the East by sailing
westward?"

"Yes, he has," was the answer. *'He has found
India."

Columbus was given a royal welcome. The king
and queen held a great celebration in his honor at
Barcelona ; and when the Indians marched into court
the astonishment of every person was great. The
Indians were half naked ; their dark bodies were
j)ainted, and their heads were adorned with feathers.
They carried baskets of seed pearls, and wore strange
ornaments of gold. Some carried the skins of wild
animals, and others carried beautiful birds of brilliant
plumage. Every inhabitant of Barcelona rejoiced,
and the bells were rung in honor of the great dis-
coverer.

It was a happy time for Columbus. He felt repaid
for all his suflfeiing and trouble.

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella now wished
Columbus to go again to these newly discovered is-
lands and search for the gold that was thought to be
.,--- thero. You may be sure

Columbus was wiDlng to

The Return of ColumbuSi.

go. So they fitted out seventeen vessels, manned
by fifteen hundred men, and placed Columbus in
command of this fleet. It was no trouble to find men
who were willing to go on this voyage. All wanted
to see the new world that had been found.

During this second voyage, which was made in
1493, Columbus discovered Jamaica, Puerto Rico,
and some small islands in the Caribbean Sea.

On the island of Jamaica the Spaniards came
upon the footprints of some strango animal which
they thought to be a (h-agon. Tliis (h'agon they
believed was guarding the gold which tliey supposed
was on the island. So they ran back to their ships
in fear.

La tor on th(*y be-
came used to seeing these foot-
prints, and found that they were those of alligators.
At Puerto Rico they suffered from a savage attack
made by the natives, who shot poisoned arrows and
threw javelins at them. But in most other places the
natives were very friendly.

Columbus thought this land was a part of the
east coast of Asia, and he could not understand
why he did not find cities such as Marco Polo had
described.

Columbus then sailed to Hispaniola, where he
planted a colony, of which he was made governor.
It was not an easy matter to govern this island, be-
cause of the jealousies and quarrels of the Spaniards.

At length Columbus returned to Spain, ill and
discouraged.

Columbus made a third voyage in 1498, during
which he sailed along the coast of Brazil, and dis-
covered Trinidad Island. Here his ships encoun-
tered currents of fresh water which flowed with great
force into the ocean. This led Columbus to think
that so large a river must flow across a great conti-

Map Showing how Columbus Discovered America.

nent, and strengthened his opinion that the land was
a part of the great continent of Asia.

After sailing farther north along the Pearl Coast,
which was so called because of the pearls found
there, he returned to Hispaniola. Here he found the
Spaniards engaged in an Indian war, and quarreling
among themselves. Some officials became jealous
of him, bound him with chains, and sent him back
to Spain a prisoner. Ferdinand and Isabella were

much displeased at this treatment of Columbus, and
set him free.

A fourth voyage was made by Columbus in 1502,
during which he explored the coast of Honduras in
search of a strait leading to the Indian Ocean. In
this venture he was unsuccessful. On his return to
Spain he found his friend Queen Isabella very ill, and
nineteen days after his arrival she died.

After Isabella's death the king treated Columbus
cruelly and ungratefully. The people had become
jealous of him, and his last days were spent in pov-
erty and distress. He never knew that he had dis-
covered a new continent, but supposed that he had
found India.

Seven years after his death the king repented of
his ingratitude, and caused the remains of Columbus
to be removed from the little monastery in Valladolid
to a monastery in Seville, where a magnificent mon-
ument was erected to his memory. In 1536 his
bones were removed to the Cathedral of San Do-
mingo in Hispaniola, and later they were taken to
the cathedral in Havana.

When the United States took possession of Cuba,
the Spanish disinterred the bones of Columbus again
and carried them to Spain, placing them in the
cathedral of Seville, where they now are.

VASCO DA GAMA.

Both the Spaniards and the
Portuguese were cut off from
trade with the East, because
the Turks had taken posses-
sion of Constantinople. In
consequence of this, the navi-
gators of both countries were
making earnest efforts to

Vasco da Gama. g^^ ^ ^^^^^. ^^^^^ ^^ j^^^-^^

Spain, as you know, had faith in Columbus, and
helped him in his plan of trying to reach India by
sailing westward. But the Portuguese had a differ-
ent idea. They spent their time and money in try-
ing to sail round the African coast, in the belief that
India could be reached by means of a southeast
passage.

This southeast passage could be found only by
crossing the " burning zone," as the part of the earth
near the equator was called ; and all sailors feared to
make the attempt.

It was thought almost impossible to cross this
burning zone, and the few navigators who had
ventured as far as the equator had turned back in
fear of steaming whirlpools and of fiery belts of heat.

In 1486, six years before Columbus discovered
America, the King of Portugal sent Bartholomew
Diaz, a bold and daring navigator, to find the end of
the African coast.

Bartholomew Diaz sailed through the fiery zone
without meeting any of the dreadful misfortunes
which the sailors so feared. When he had sailed be-
yond the tropic of Capricorn, a severe storm arose.
The wind blew his three vessels directly south for
thirteen days, during which time he lost sight of
land. When the sun shone again, Diaz headed his
vessels eastward, but as no land appeared, he again
changed the direction, this time heading them
toward the north. After sailing northward a short
time, land was reached about two hundred miles east
of the Cape of Good Hope.

Diaz now pushed on four hundred miles farther
along the coast of Africa, and saw the wide expanse
of the Indian Ocean before him. Here the sailors
refused to go any farther, and Diaz, although he
wanted very much to go ahead and try to reach
India, was obliged to return.

On the way home, the vessels passed close to the

cape which projects from the south coast of Africa,
and Diaz named it Stormy Cape, in memory of the
frightful storm which hid it from view on the way
down. When they reached Lisbon, however. King
John said that it should be called the Cape of Good

Hope, because they
now had hope that
the southern route
to India was found.
Diaz won much
praise for his brav-
ery and patience in
making this voyage. He
bad proved that the stories
about the fiery zone were
fahe, and that the African
f*oast had an end.

Tt remained, however,

I'tir \ asco da Gama, then

a young man of about

twenty years of age, to

prove that India could be reached in this way.

In 1497 Da Gama sailed from Lisbon to the Cape

of Good Hope, doubled the cape, and proceeded

across the Indian Ocean to Hindustan.

He returned to Lisbon in 1499, his ships loaded
with the rich products of the East, including cloves,

Spanish and Portuguese Vessels.

spices, pepper, ginger, and nutmeg. He also brought
with him rich robes of silk and satin, costly gems,
and many articles made of carved
ivory, or of gold and of t^ilver.

The King of Portugal was
greatly pleased with what Da
Gama had accomplished, and
his successful voyage was the
wonder of the day.

The same year that Da Gama
returned from India by a route
around the south end of Africa,
with his ships loaded with rich
produce, Sebastian Cabot returned from a fruitless
voyage to the strange, barren coast of North America.

It was no wonder that the voyages of Columbus
and the Cabots were thought unsuccessful as com-
pared with the voyage Da Gama had just finished.

No one then dreamed of a New World; all were
searching for the Orient — for golden Cathay.

Costume of Explorers.

JOHN AND SEBASTIAN CABOT'S VOYAGES.

John Cabot was a Venetian merchant, and a bold
seafaring man. For purposes of trade he had taken
up his home in Bristol, England. Bristol at that

time was the most important
seaport of England, and car-
ried on a large fishing trade
with Iceland.

When the news of the voy-
age of Columbus reached
Bristol, Cabot begged the
English king, Henry VII., to
let him go and see if he could
find a shorter route to the In-
dies. The king gave his consent, and told Cabot to
take possession of any land he might discover for
England.

Cabot fitted out his vessel and, taking his son Se-
bastian and a crew of eighteen men with him, set
sail in 1497. He headed his ship westward, hoping
to reach the Spice Islands and that part of Asia

Sebastian Cabot.

which was so rich in gold, and which Columbus had
failed to find. At last, one sunny morning in June,
land was sighted in the distance.

This land, which was probably a part of Nova
Scotia, proved to be a lonely shore with dense for-
ests. Cabot called it "Land First Seen." It was
entirely deserted, not a human being nor a hut of
any kind being in sight.

Here Cabot and his son Sebastian and some of
his crew went ashore, and were the first white men,
excepting the Norsemen, to step upon the mainland
of America. Up to this time, Columbus had dis-
covered only islands of the West Indies. A year
later than this he discovered the continent of South
America. Cabot and his companions erected a large
cross on the shore, and planted two flagpoles in the
ground, from which they unfurled the English and
Venetian flags. Then they returned to their ships,
and, after sailing about the Gulf of St. Lawrence,
went back to England.

King Henry and the people received John Cabot
with gi-eat honor. Everybody thought that Cabot had
reached Asia, and he «also believed that he had. He
was called the " Great Admiral," and the people of
Bristol ran after him on the street, shouting his name
and trying in every way to show him how much they
admired and honored him. The king gave him fifty

dollars in money, which seems to us in these days a
small sum for so long and dangerous a voyage. Be-
sides this, the king urged him to undertake another
voyage.

About a year later Sebastian Cabot made the
second voyage, and this time the gloomy shore of
Labrador was reached.

Sebastian on his voyage sailed far north, passing
many icebergs, and seeing many strange and won-
derful sights.

On great blocks of ice that floated past the ship he
saw immense white bears. These bears were fine
swimmers, and would often leap into the water and
bring out fish, which they would devour greedily.
The waters were fiUed with fish, and, as the ship
neared the shore, they grew so numerous as almost
to retard the sailing of the vessel.

"Now," said Cabot, "the English will not have to
go to Iceland any more for fish."

But Cabot knew that the lands he was seeking
were warm lands. So he turned his vessel south,
hoping to reach some opening which would lead to
them. To his great surprise, he found the coast very
long and without any opening, and he sailed on and
on as far as Maryland, taking possession of the land
for England.

At places along this shore were seen Indians, clad

in skins and furs of wild animals, fishing from little
canoes. Stags much larger than any in England
were seen in great numbers, and wild tm-keys and
game of all sorts abounded.

Then Sebastian Cabot began to think that this was
a part of Asia never known before, and he set sail
for home to tell the wonderful news.

When he reached Bristol he found everybody still
interested in India. It was a water route to India
that was wanted, and not a new country. People
cared more about reaching golden Cathay than
about finding new, barren lands.

So, although King Henry was proud to know that
the new land belonged to England, it was eleven
years before he made any further attempt to send
ships there to take possession.

AMERIGO VESPUCCI.

Amerigo Vespucci was a native of Florence, Italy,
and a friend of Columbus. He was an educated man
and very fond of study.

At the time in which he lived it was diflficult to
find the latitude and longitude of places, and few
people were able to calculate either correctly. Ves-
pucci was skillful in the work of computing longi-
tude, and he was also well versed
in the history of all the voyages
that had been made. He was
familiar with the facts of astron-
omy and geography then known,
and was well able to conduct
the sailing of a ship into
strange waters.
It is believed that Vespucci made
six voyages. He did not command his own vessels,
as Columbus did, but he went with the expedition as
assistant or adviser to the captain, keeping records
of the voyage and making maps and charts.

Amerigo Vespucci.

In his first voyage, made in 1497, Vespucci reached
the coast of Honduras, and sailed into the Gulf of
Mexico. Here he found, probably on the coast of
Yucatan, a queer little sea village which reminded
him of the great city of Venice near his home.

A Queer Little Sea Village.

The houses in this village were made of wood, and
were built on piles running out into the water.
These houses were connected with the shore by
bridges, which were constructed in such a manner
that they could be drawn up, thus cutting off all
connection with the land. In one house Vespucci
found six hundred people. A very large family, was
it not?

DIS. AND EXP.— 4

Continuing the voyage around the Gulf of Mexico,
many strange and wonderful sights were seen. The
natives roasted and ate frightful animals, which from
the description given us we now know to have been
alligators. They also made cakes, or patties, out of
fish, and baked them on red-hot coals. The Spaniards
were invited to taste these dainties, and those of the
sailors who did so found the strange food very
palatable.

After sailing round the coast of Florida, the ships
headed northeast, landing every now and then for
the purpose of trading with the Indians. The
Spaniards, finding but little gold and none of the rich
spices for which they were looking, at last decided
to return home.

Just before sailing, some friendly Indians helped
the Spaniards to make an attack upon a cannibal
island. The attack was successful, and about two
hundred cannibals were taken prisoners and carried
to Spain, where they were sold as slaves.

Vespucci made a second voyage in 1499, in which
he sailed down the African coast to the Cape Verde
Islands, and then headed his ship almost directly
west. He sighted land at Cape St. Roque, and then
sailed northwest, exploring the north coast of South
America, then called the Pearl Coast. After this he
returned to Spain.

Shortly after the return of Vespucci to Spain, he
accepted an offer to take service under the Portu-
guese flag.

In 1501 he set sail from Lisbon with three cara-
vels, under this flag. He reached the coast of South
America near Cape St. Eoque, and sailed south as
far as the South Georgia Islands.

As he proceeded southward, he found the country-
was inhabited by fierce Indians, who ate their fellow-
creatures. He did not like the natives, as you may
suppose ; but he thought the country was beautiful,
with the wonderful verdure and foliage of the trop-
ics, and the queer animals and bright-colored birds.

Great was the joy of Vespucci when he discovered
in the forests large quantities of a sort of red dye-
wood which was prized very highly by Europeans.
This wood, which had hitherto been found only in
Eastern countries, was called brazil wood; and be-
cause of its abundance there, he gave the name Brazil
to that part of the country.

The expedition sailed slowly on and at length lost
sight of land. It is thought that Vespucci headed
the ships southeast because he wished to find out
whether there was land or not in the Antarctic Ocean.

As they sailed farther and farther south, the cli-
mate became very disagreeable. The winds gi'ew cold
and forbidding, fields of floating ice hindered the

progress of the vessel, and the nights became very
long.

The sailors grew frightened, fearing that they were
entering a laud of constant darkness. Their fear be-
came greater when a terrific storm arose. The sea
grew rough, and the fog and sleet prevented the
sailors from seeing whether land was near or not.
The land which they had hoped to find now became
an added danger.

One day, through the sleet and snow, the sailors
saw with terror a rocky, jagged coast in front of them.

This land proved to be the South Georgia Islands,
and was a wretched and forlorn country composed of
rocks and glaciers, and entirely deserted. For a day
and a half they sailed in sight of this frightful shore,
fearing each momenf that their ship would be cast
on the rocks and that they would all perish. As
soon as the weather permitted, therefore, Vespucci
signaled his fleet, and the ships were headed for
home, reaching Portugal in 1502.

This voyage secured Brazil for Portugal, and added
greatly to the geographical knowledge of the day.

The ancients had said that no continent existed
south of the equator. But the great length of coast
along which Vespucci had sailed j)roved that the land
was not an island. It was plainly a continent, and
south of the equator.

Vespucci called the land he found the New World.
For a time it was also called the Fourth Part of the
Karth, the other three parts being Europe, Asia, and
Afri(?a. In 1507 a German writer published an ac-
count of the discovery, in which he called the new
country America, in honor of Americus Vespucius,*
the discoverer.

This land was not connected in any way with the
discovery of Columbus, for he was supposed to have
found Asia.

The name America was at first applied only to that
part of the country which we now call Brazil, but
little by little the name was extended until it in-
cluded the whole of the Western Continent.

You will be glad to know that Vespucci, in the time
of his success, did not forget his old friend Colum-
bus, who was then poor and in disgrace. Vespucci
visited him and did all he could to assist him.

After Vespucci had made three other voyages to
the New World, he was given an important govern-
ment position in Spain, which he held during the
remainder of his life.

1 Americus Vespucius is the Latin form of Amerigo Vespucci.

PONCE DE LEON.

You have heard many surprising things which
the people of the fifteenth century believed. It
seems almost impossible for us to think that those

people really had faith in a
Fountain of Youth; yet such
is the case.

This fountain was supposed
to exist somewhere in the New
World, and it was thought that
if any one should bathe in
its waters, he would become
young and would never grow

Ponce de Leon. ^ ,

old agam.
In 1513 Ponce de Leon, who was then governor of
Puerto Rico, sailed from that island in search of this
Fountain of Youth. De Leon was an old man, and
he felt that his life was nearly over, unless he should
succeed in finding this fountain. At the same time De
Leon wished to gain gold, for, though he had already
made a fortune in Puerto Rico, he was still very greedy.

The expedition under his guidance sailed among the
Bahamas and other islands near them, and at length
reached a land beautiful with flowers, balmy with
warm breezes, and cheerful with the song of birds.
Partly because this discovery was made on Easter
Sunday, which the Spaniards called Pascua Florida,
*and partly because of the abundance of flowers, De
Leon called the land Florida.

He took possession of this delightful country for
Spain, and then spent many weeks exploring its
coast. After sailing north as far as St. Augustine,
and finding neither gold nor the fabled Fountain of
Youth, De Leon turned his vessels and proceeded
south, doubling the Florida Cape. Shortly afterwards
he became discouraged and returned to Puerto Rico.

In 1521 De Leon went again to Florida, this time
for the purpose of planting a colony. The Indians
were very angry that the white men should try to
take their land, and they made a fierce attack upon
De Leon and his party. In this attack De Leon re-
ceived a severe wound, which compelled him to go
to Cuba for care and rest. There he died after much
suffering.

De Leon never found the Fountain of Youth, nor
were the fabled waters discovered afterwards.

BALBOA.

The Spanish colonists on the island of Hispaniola
made frequent visits to the mainland, searching for
the rich cities of which Marco Polo had written.

Word reached the colonists that some of these gold
hunters were starving at a place called Darien, and a
ship was immediately sent to their relief. The cargo
of the ship consisted of barrels of provisions and
ammunition.

Imagine, if you can, the amazement of the com-
mander of the expedition when, after his ships were
under sail, a young and handsome man stepped out
of one of the barrels. The young man was Vasco
Nunez Balboa. He had chosen this way to escape
from Cuba, where he owed large sums of money
which he could not pay. The commander was angry,
and threatened to leave Balboa on a desert island;
but at length he took pity on tl)e young man, and
allowed him to remain on board the ship.

When the maiidand was reached, the Spaniards
who were already thei*e, having heard of the cruelty

* C. . r^-^

Balboa Crossing the Isthmus.

of the commander, refused to let him land. He there-
fore put off to sea, and was never heard of again.
Balboa then took command of the men and began
immediately to explore the country.

He made a friendly alliance with an Indian chief,
who presented him with gold and slaves. The Span-
iards were delighted at the sight of so much riches.
They began to melt and weigh the gold, and at last
fell to quarreling desperately about the division of it.

This the Indians could not understand. They
knew nothing of money, and valued the metal only
because it could be made into beautiful ornaments.

An Indian boy who had heard the dispute told the
Spaniards that if they cared so much about that yel-
low stuff, it would be wise for them to go to a
country where there was enough of it for all.

The Spaniards eagerly questioned him regarding
this place. The boy then described a country across
the mountains and to the south, on the shores of a
great sea, where the metal was so plentiful that the
natives used it for their ordinary drinking cups and
bowls.

Balboa immediately started southward across the
mountains in search of this rich country. On his
way he came upon a tribe of hostile Indians, who at-
tacked him, but who fled in alarm from the guns of
the Spaniards.

Taking some Indians as guides, Balboa pushed on
through the mountains, and on September 25, 1513,
from one of the highest peaks, looked down upon the
Pacific Ocean.

With Ms Spaniards }ie de.seendod tlie Tiiomi-
taiiij aud in fonr dayt? readied the shore of that
magnificent body of water. Ballioa waded out
into it with his sword in his hand, and formally took
possession of it for the King of Spain. He called it the

South Sea, because he was looking toward the south
when lie first saw it ; and the Pacific Ocean was known
by this name for many years afterward.

On this shore he met an Indian who repeated to
him the same story that the Indian boy had told
about the rich country on the border of this sea and
farther to the south.

Balboa then made up his mind to find this country.
Accordingly he returned to Darien, and sent word to
the Spanish king of his great discovery of the South
Sea.

He then began to take his ships apart, and to send
them, piece by piece, across the mountains to the
Pacific coast.

This was an enormous undertaking. The journey
was a very difficult one, and hundreds of the poor
Indians who carried the burdens dropped dead from
exhaustion.

At length, after long months of labor, four ships
were thus carried across the mountains and rebuilt
on the Pacific coast. These were the first Em'opean
vessels ever launched on the great South Sea. Three
hundred men were in readiness to go with Balboa on
his voyage in search of the rich country of the South.

A little iron and a little pitch were still needed for
the ships, and Balboa delayed his departure in order
to get these articles.

The delay gave his enemies, who were jealous be-
cause of bis success, time to carry out a plot against
him. They accused him of plotting to set up an in-
dependent government of his own, and caused him
to be arrested for treason. In less than twenty-four
hours this brave and high-spirited leader was tried,
found guilty, and beheaded. So ended all his ambi-
tious plans.

MAGELLAN.

One of the boldest and most determined of all the
early explorers was Ferdinand Magellan, a young
Portuguese nobleman. He felt sure that somewhere

on that long coast which so
many explorers had reached
he would find a strait through
which he would be able to pass,
and which would lead into the
Indian Ocean; and so Magel-
lan formed the idea of cir-
cumnavigating the globe.
He applied to the King of
Portugal for aid; but as the Portuguese king was
not willing to help him, he went to Spain, where his
plan found favor.

The Spanish king gave him a fleet of five vessels,
and on September 20, 1519, he set sail for the Ca-
nary Islands. Continuing the voyage toward Sierra
Leone, the vessels were becalmed, and for a period of
three weeks they advanced only nine miles. Then a

Ferdinand Magellan.

terrific storm arose, and the sailors, who had grumbled
aud found fault with everything during the entire
voyage, broke into open mutiny. This mutiny
Magellan quickly quelled by causing the principal
offender to be arrested and put in irons.

The voyage was then continued, and land was at
last sighted on the Brazilian coast, near Pernambuco.

The fleet then proceeded down the coast as far as
Patagonia, where the weather grew so very cold that
it was decided to seek winter quarters and postpone
the remainder of the journey until spring. This
was done, Magellan finding a sheltered spot at Port
St. Julian, where plenty of fish could be obtained
and where the natives were friendly.

These native Patagonians Magellan described as
being very tall, like giants, with long, flowing hair,
and dressed scantily in skins.

Great hardships had been endured by the crew.
Food and water had been scarce, the storms had been
severe, and suffering from cold was intense. The
sailors did not believe there was any strait, and they
begged Magellan to sail for home. It was useless to
try to influence this determined man. Danger made
him only the more firm^ Magellan told them that he
would not return until he had found the opening for
which he was looking.

Then the mutiny broke out anew. But Magellan

by his prompt and decisive action put it down in
twenty-four hours. One offender was killed, and
two others were put in irons and left to their fate
on the shore when the sliips sailed away.

As soon as the weather grew warmer the ships
started again southward. After nearly two months
of sailing, most of the time through violent storms,
a narrow channel was found, in which the water was
salt. This the sailors knew must be the entrance to
a strait.

Food was scarce, and the men again begged Ma-
gellan to return ; but he firmly refused, saying : " I
will go on, if I have to eat the leather off the ship's
yards."

So the ships entered and sailed through the wind-
ing passage, which sometimes broadened out into a
bay and then became narrow again. Among the
twists and windings of this perilous strait, one of the
vessels, being in charge of a mutinous commander,
escaped and turned back.

On both sides of the shore there were high moun-
tains, the tops of which were covered with snow, and
which cast gloomy shadows upon the water below
them.

Think of the feelings of the crew when, after sail-
ing five weeks through this winding channel, they
came out into a calm expanse of water. Magellan

was overcome by the sight, and shed tears of joy.
He named the vast waters before him Pacific, which
means "peaceful," because of their contrast to the
violent and stormy Atlantic.

Strait of Magellan.

The fleet now sailed northwest into a warmer
climate and over a tranquil ocean, and as week after
week passed and no land was seen, the sailors lost
all hope. They began to think that this ocean had
no end, and that they might sail on and on forever.

These poor men su£fered very much from lack of
food and water, and many died of famine. The
boastful remark of Magellan was recalled when the

DIS. AND EXP.-

sailors did really begin to eat the leather from the
ship's yards, first soaking it in the water.

Anxiously these worn and haggard men looked
about for signs of land, and at length they were re-
warded. The Ladrone Islands were reached, and
supplies of fresh vegetables, meats, and fruits were
obtained. From the Isles de Ladrones, or "Isles
of Robbers,'' the fleet proceeded to the Philip-
pines.

Here Magellan knew that he was near the Indian
Ocean, and realized that if he kept on in his course
he would circumnavigate the globe.

It was on one of the Philippine Islands that this
"Prince of Navigators" lost his life in a skirmish
with the natives. He was, as usual, in the thickest
of the fight, and while trying to shield one of his
men was struck down by the spear of a native.

One of his ships, the Victoria^ continued the voy-
age around Cape of Good Hope, and on September
6, 1522, with eighteen weary and half-starved men
on board, succeeded in reaching Spain.

Great hardships had been endured, but the won-
derful news they brought made up in some measure
for their suffering.

This was the greatest voyage since the first voyage
of Columbus, and the strait still bears the name of the
remarkable man whose courage and strength of pur-

pose led to the accomplishment of one of the greatest
undertakings ever recorded in history.

This wonderful voyage of Magellan's proved be-
yond doubt that the earth is round. It also proved
that South America is a continent, and that there is
no short southwest passage.

Alter this voyage all the navigators turned their
attention to the discovery of a northwest passage.

HERNANDO CORTES.

The Spaniards who lived on the island of Hispan-
iola sent frequent expeditions to the mainland in the
hope of finding gold.

Hernando Cortes, a dashing young Spaniard with
a love of adventure and a reckless daring seldom
seen, was given command of one of these expeditions.

In March, 1519, he
landed on the coast of
Central America, with
about six hundred men,
ten heavy guns, and
sixteen horses. Here
Cortes found the na-
tives in large numbers
arrayed against him. A
fierce battle was fought.
But the firearms of the
Spaniards frightened the barbarians, and when the
cavalry arrived the Indians fled in terror. The In-

Hernando Cortes.

diaiis, who had never seen horses before, thought
the man riding the horse was a part of the anhnal,
and that tliese strange creatures wore siMit l)y the
gods. Fear made tlie Indians helpless, and it was
easy for Cortes to gain a victory over them.

After this victory Cortes sailed northward along
the coast of San Juan de IJUoa. The natives of that
region had heard of the wonderful white-skinned and
bearded men who bore charmed lives, and they
thought that these men were gods. They, therefore,
treated the Spaniards in a friendly manner, and
brought gifts of flowers, frnits, and vegetables, and
also ornaments of gold and silver to Cortes.

Here Cortes landed and founded the city of Vera
Cruz, which is to-day an important seaport of Mex-
ico. The native Indians in this place were called
Aztecs. Some of their chiefs, who paid a visit to
Cortes, told him of the great Emperor Montezuma,
who was rich and powerful, and who lived inland, in
a wonderful city built in a lake.

By these chiefs Cortes sent to Montezuma presents
of collars, bracelets, and ornaments of glass, an arm-
chair richly carved, and an embroidered crimson cap.
In return, Montezuma sent shields, helmets, and
plates of pure gold, sandals, fans, gold ornaments of
exquisite workmanship, together with robes of fine
cotton interwoven with feather work, so skillfully

done that it resembled painting. The cap which
Cortes had sent was returned filled with gold dust.

The great Montezuma also sent a message to
Cortes, saying that he would be glad to meet so
brave a general, but that the road to the Mexican
capital was too dangerous for an army to pass over.
He also promised to pay a yearly tribute to the

Aztecs.

Spanish king if Cortes and his followers would
depart and leave him in peace.

The Spaniards were jubilant when they saw the su-
perb gifts. They felt certain that this great emperor
must have enormous wealth at his command, and in
spite of the warning message, most of them wished
to start immediately for the Mexican capital. Some,
however, thought such a course very unwise ; Mon-
tezuma, they said, was so powerful a ruler that it

was absurd to attack him with their small force, and
they advised returning to Cuba for a large number
of soldiers.

But Cortes had his own ideas on the subject. So
he secretly ordered his ships to be sunk, and then,
all chance of retreat being cut off, the entire force
proceeded toward Mexico, August 16, 1519.

After a long march, the Spaniards began to ascend
the plateau on which the city of Mexico is situated, and
finally reached the top of it, seven thousand feet high.

They found the climate on this plateau temperate
and balmy. The fields were cultivated, and beau-
tiful flowers grew wild in profusion.

During the march the Spaniards passed many
towns containing queer houses and temples. They
entered many of the temples, threw down the idols,
and took possession of ornaments of value. At
length they saw in the distance a city which was
built in a salt lake. Three avenues, built of stone,
led across the water to it.

These avenues, which were four or five miles in
length, were guarded on both sides by Indians in
canoes. The avenues continued through the city,
meeting in the center, where the great temple was
situated.

The temple was inclosed by a huge stone wall,
and contained twenty pyramids, each a hundred

feet in height. Nearly all of the houses were two
stories high, and were built of red stone. The roofs
were flat, with towers at the corners, and on top of
tbe roofs there were beautiful flower gardens.

Meeting of Cortes and Montezuma.

Into this remarkable town Cortes and his follow-
ers marched. Montezuma received his unwelcome
guests with every mark of friendship, and with
much pomp and ceremony. The great emperor was
carried on a litter, which was richly decorated
with gold and silver. The nobles of his court sur-

rounded him, and hundreds of his retainers were
drawn up in line behind him.

The first thing, when Cortes and Montezuma met,
was the customary exchange of presents. Cortes pre-
sented Montezuma with a chain of colored glass
beads, and in return the Aztec ruler gave Cortes a
house which was large enough to accommodate all
of the Spaniards.

For ten days these two men met each other and
exchanged civilities, Cortes pretending to be paying
a friendly visit, and Montezuma feeling puzzled and
uncertain.

At length Cortes induced Montezuma to go to the
house where the Spaniards were living, and then,
when he got him there, refused to allow him to leave,
thus keeping him a prisoner in his own city.

This daring act aroused tlie suspicions of the
Aztecs. But Cortes used all his cunning to deceive
these simple-hearted people and to make them con-
tinue to think that the Spaniards were gods. Still,
the Aztecs were beginning to feel very bitter
toward Cortes and his followers because of the dis-
respect with which they treated the Aztec temples
and gods. The Spaniards were constantly throwing
these gods out of the temples. Even their great god
of war was not safe.

Cortes openly derided thits image, calling it trash.

and proposing to erect the emblems of the Spanish
religion in its place in the Aztec temples.

Now, the Aztec god of war was a frightful image
with golden serpents entwined about the body. The
face was hideous, and in its hand was carried a plate
upon which were placed human hearts as sacrifices.
But to the Aztecs the image was sacred, and this
insult, together with many others which had been
offered their gods, made the natives very angry.

One day the Aztecs discovered that some of the
Spaniards had died. This knowledge dispelled the
fear that their unbidden visitors were gods, and
they attacked the Spaniards with great fury.

The Aztec warriors wore quilted cotton doublets
and headdresses adorned with feathers. They carried
leather shields, and fought fiercely with bows and
arrows, copper-pointed lances, javelins, and slings.
Though by comparison few in numbers, the Span-
iards, who were protected by coats of mail, made
great havoc with their guns and horses.

The battle between these unequal forces raged with
great fury, and for a time the result was uncertain.
Cortes compelled Montezuma, his prisoner, to show
himself on the roof of his house and try to persuade
the Aztecs to stop fighting.

The Indians, however, no longer feared their
emperor, and instead of obeying him, they made

him a target for their arrows and stones. In the
midst of the fight, the great Montezuma was finally
knocked down
and killed by
one of his for-
mer subjects.

After a des-
perate struggle,
the Spaniards
were forced to
retreat. While
making their
escape over the
bridges of the
city they were
attacked by In-
dian warriors
in canoes, and
more than half
of their number
were killed.
Notwithstand-
ing this defeat
and the loss of

so many men, Cortes did not give up his design of con-
quering Mexico. He made an alliance with hostile
tribes of Indians, and again attacked the city.

Aztec Ruins.

The Aztecs had now a new king, named Gua-te-
mot-zin, who was as brave and determined as Cortes
himself. Guatemotzin made preparations to oppose
Cortes, and during the terrible siege which followed
never once thought of surrendering or of asking for
peace.

The Spaniards made attack after attack, and ter-
rible battles were fought, in which the loss on both
sides was very gi'eat. During one of these battles
Cortes was nearly captured, and it seemed as though
the war god was to be avenged upon the man who
had so insulted him. But a young Spaniard rushed
to the assistance of Cortes, and with one blow of his
sword cut off the arms of the Indian who had dared
to seize the Spanish leader.

After a time the Aztecs found themselves pris-
oners within their own city. The Spaniards had cut
off all means of escape, and the Indians were starv-
ing to death. Their sufferings were terrible, and
hundreds dropped down daily in the streets. Yet
the proud king Guatemotzin refused to submit, and
Cortes ordered a final attack. After furious fighting
Guatemotzin was captured, and the Aztecs surren-
dered. Their cruel religion, with its strange gods and
human sacrifices, was now overthrown.

Cortes, with his few followers, never more than one
thousand trained soldiers, had succeeded in conquer-

ing a country larger than Spain. Over a million
Mexicans had perished, and those that remained left
the city and fled to the mountains.

In this way the magnificent civilization of the
ancient Mexicans was destroyed. Shiploads of treas-
ures were sent by Cortes to the Spanish king, Charles
v., who rejoiced at the glory gained for his country.

FRANCISCO PIZARRO.

Among the men who had been with Balboa, and
who had heard of the wonderful country of the Incas,
was Francisco Pizarro. He determined to find this
rich country and to conquer it.

Securing a -band of about two hundred men, well
armed and mounted on strong horses, he led them, in

spite of terrible hardships,
over mountains, through val-
leys, and across plateaus to
Cajamarca, the city where
the Inca, or king, was then
staying.

The natives gazed at the
Spaniards in wonder and
dread. These simple people
thought that the white-faced,

Francisco Pizarro.

bearded strangers, who car-
ried thunderbolts in their hands, and who rode such
frightful-looking animals, were gods. In spite of
their fear, the Indians received the strangers kindly,
and gave them food and shelter.

That evening, Pizarro and De Soto, taking with
them thirty-five horsemen, visited the Inca and ar-
ranged with him for a meeting next day in the open
square. It was a strange visit. The Inca was sur-
rounded by his slaves and chieftains, and was very
polite to the strangers.

But the Spaniards began to feel veiy uneasy. An
army composed of thousands of Indians was en-
camped only two miles away ; and compared with it,
the two hundred men of Pizarro appeared powerless.
The situation of the Spaniards, should the Inca de-
cide to oppose them, seemed without hope.

Pizarro scarcely slept that night. He lay awake
planning how he might take the Inca prisoner.

The next day, about noon, the Indian procession
approached the market place. First came attendants
who cleared the way; then foUowed nobles and men
of high rank, richly dressed, and covered with orna-
ments of gold and gems. Last came the Inca, car-
ried on a throne of solid gold, which was gorgeously
trimmed with the plumes of tropical birds.

The Indian monarch wore rich garments adorned
with gold ornaments, and around his neck was a
collar of superb emeralds of great size and brilliancy.
He took his position near the center of the square,
his escort, numbering several thousand, gathered
around him.

Looking about, the Inca failed to see any of the
Spa!iiurds.

" Where are the strangers!" he asked.

Just then Pizarro's chaplain, with his Bible in his
hand, approached the Inca. The chaplain said that
he and his people had been sent by a mighty prince
to beg the Inca to accept the true religion and con-
sent to be tributary to the gi'eat emperor, Charles V.,
who would then protect them.

The Inca grew very angry at this, and declared
that he would not change his faith nor be any man's
tributary. He then indignantly threw the sacred
book upon the ground, and demanded satisfaction
from the Spaniards for this insult to him.

At this the priest gave the signal, and the Span-
iards rushed from their hiding-places and attacked
the panic-stricken Indians. The Inca and his at-
tendants were wholly unprepared, being unarmed
and utterly defenseless.

The Spaniards charged through them, showing no
mercy, their swords slashing right and left, and their
prancing horses trampling the natives under foot.
The guns and firearms of the Spaniards made such
havoc and confusion that the terrified Indians offered
no resistance. Indeed, they could not offer any.

In the vicinity of the Inca the struggle was fierce.
The Indians, faithful to the last to their beloved mon-

arch, threw themselves before him, shielding him with
their naked bodies from the swords of the Spaniards.
At last, as night drew near, the Spaniards, fearing
that the Inca might escape, attempted to kill him.

But Pizarro desired that he should be taken alive,
and in a loud voice ordered his followers, as they

The Spaniards Attacking the Inca's Escort.

valued their own lives, not to strike the Inca.
Stretching out his arm to save the monarch, Pizarro
received a wound on his hand. This was the only
wound received by a Spaniard during the attack.

DIS. AND EXP.— 6

At length tho luca was cast from his throne, and,
falling to the ground, was caught by Pizarro. He was
then imprisoned and placed under a strong guard.
As soon as the news of the capture of the Inca spread,
all resistance ceased. Many, of the Indians fled to
the mountains, leaving untold wealth at the disposal
of their conquerors, while others remained, hoping to
be able to assist their fallen ruler.

As soon as the Inca had an opportunity, he tried
to think of some way of obtaining his freedom.

The room in which he was confined was twenty-
two feet in length by seventeen feet in width. Eais-
ing his hand as high as he could, the Inca made a
mark upon the wall, and told Pizarro that gold
enough to fill the room to that mark would be given
as a ransom for his release.

Pizarro agreed to this bargain, and the natives be-
gan to send gold to the Inca to secure his release.
Some of the treasures in the temples were buried and
hidden by the priests ; but ornaments of all kinds,
vases, and plate were collected, and in a few months
gold amountimg to fifteen millions of dollars in our
money was divided among the Spaniards.

Millions of dollars' worth of gold and silver were
shipped to Spain, and the Spanish nation grew very
wealthy. Pizarro himseK returned to Spain to take
Charles V. his share of the plunder. During Pizar-

ro's absence the Spaniards caused the Inca to be
killed, notwithstanding the large ransom which they
had accepted.

The richer the Spanish people grew, the more
careless they became in their treatment of other na-
tions and of those under their rule. They grew more
cruel and more merciless and more greedy for gold.
They flocked in great numbers to South America,
a reckless, adventurous, unprincipled horde, ready to
commit any crime in order to secure gold.

FERDINAND DE SOTO.

Among the men who had been with Pizarro in
Peru was Ferdinand de Soto, a bold and dashing
Spanish cavalier.

De Soto was appointed governor of Cuba in 1537,
and at the same time received permission from the
Spanish king to conquer Florida. This permission
to conquer Florida was received
by De Soto with great delight.
He felt certain that in the inte-
rior of Florida there were cities
as large and as wealthy as those
of Peru. To conquer these cities,
obtain their treasure, and win
for himself riches and fame, was
the dream of De Soto.
Strange as it may seem to you, De Soto was also
anxious to convert the natives to his own religion.
He intended to take from them all their possessions,
but he meant to save their souls, if possible.

So, leaving his young and beautiful wife Isabella

Ferdinand de Soto.

to rule over Cuba in his absence, De Soto, in May, 1539,
started from Havana with nine vessels, about six hun-
dred men, and two hundred and twenty-three horses.

After a safe voyage, the expedition landed on the
coast of Florida, at Tampa Bay. Before starting on
the march to the interior of the country, De Soto
sent all the vessels back to Cuba. In this way he cut
off all hope of retreat, in case the men should become
discouraged. But no one thouglit of wanting to re-
turn now. Everybody was in high spirits.

The soldiers wore brilliant uniforms, their caps
were adorned with waving plumes, and their polished
armor glistened and sparkled in the sunshine.

In the company were twelve priests, who were ex-
pected to convert the prisoners which De Soto meant
to capture. The Spaniards carried with them chains
to secure these prisoners, and bloodhounds to track
them in case any escaped.

It was a gay company which marched off into the
interior of Florida with prancing horses, waving
flags and banners, and beating drums.

At first De Soto marched directly north, plunging
into a wilderness which proved to be almost impass-
able. The country was full of swamps, through
which the horses could scarcely travel. The large
trees were bound together by tangled vines; and
their roots, which protruded from the earth, were like

traps, catching tlie feet of the travelers and throwing
them to the ground.

Besides all this, the heavy baggage which the men
and horses carried weighed them down and made
the jom-ney almost impossible.

De Soto, however, kept bravely on, encouraging
his men as best he could, and at last reached the Sa-
vannah Eiver. Here he changed his course to west-
ward, hoping to find gold in that direction.

Week after week, month after month, the Span-
iards traveled on through a dense wilderness, endur-
ing great hardships and finding nothing but tribes of
hostile Indians.

De Soto asked one of these Indian chiefs to give
him slaves enough to carry his baggage through the
forest. The chief refused; whereupon De Soto and
his men attacked the tribe and took many prisoners.
These prisoners De Soto caused to be chained to-
gether and placed in front of the expedition, where
they were made to act as guides as well as slaves.

Then De Soto asked the Indians where the great
cities with gold and silver treasures were. One In-
dian said he did not know of any. At this reply De
Soto caused the Indian to be put to death with fright-
ful torture. This made the Indians untruthful, and
they told De Soto many different stories of places
where they thought gold might be found.

So the expedition wandered on, searching for the
gold which they never fonnd ; and the men grew dis-
couraged and heartsick, and longed for home.

The Indian tribes, angry at the cruel treatment of
the Spaniards, attacked them frequently, and De Soto
and his men scarcely ever enjoyed a peaceful rest at

De Soto Marching through the Forest.

night. The Spaniards were unused to Indian war-
fare, and were no match for the quick, nimble sav-
ages, who glided through the forests silently and
swiftly. These Indians never came to open battle,
but hid themselves behind rocks and trees, and were

scarcely ever seen. Two or three would suddenly
appear, send a shower of arrows at the Spaniards,
and then dart away again into the woods. The In-
dians scarcely ever missed their aim, and the Span-
iards never knew when they were near.

One day De Soto captured some Indians who said
that they knew where gold was to be found and that
they would show the way to the place. De Soto
only half trusted them, but he allowed them to lead
the way. The cunning savages led the Spaniards
into an ambush, where other Indians attacked them
fiercely, killing their horses and many of their men.

As punishment for this act, De Soto ordered that
these Indians should be torn to pieces by the blood-
hounds.

Sometimes the Spaniards, in their wanderings,
passed camps where the Indians were gathered round
huge bonfires, singing, dancing, yelling, and shout-
ing the terrible Indian war whoop. Under shelter of
this noise the Spaniards would steal quietly away and
avoid the Indians for a time.

At length, after wandering for two years, De Soto
came, in 1541, to the shore of a large river. This river
was wide and muddy, and had a strong current
which carried much driftwood along with it. De
Soto learned from the Indians that it was called
Mississippi, or the " Father of Waters."

He had reached it near the spot where the city of
Memphis now stands, and here his company halted
and camped.

At this place the Spaniards built rafts, striking
the fetters from their captives in order to use the
iron for nails, and so crossed the river. They hoped
in this way to escape from their savage foes ; but on
the other side of the river they found Indians who
were just as fierce.

So the Spaniards traveled south, hoping by follow-
ing the course of the river to reach the sea. This
De Soto soon found to be impossible, as the country
was a wilderness of tangled vines and roots, and his
followers could not cross the many creeks and small
rivers which flowed into the Mississippi. The horses
traveled through this country with difficulty, often
being up to their girths in water. Each day saw
the little band grow less in numbers.

At length they returned to the banks of the river,
being guided back by their horses. The men lost
their way in the dreadful forest, but the instinct of
the noble animals directed them aright.

Food was growing scarce, and De Soto himself was
taken ill. He knew that unless something should be
done soon to make the Indians help them, all would
perish. So he sent word to an Indian chief saying
that he was the child of the sun, and that all men

obeyed him. He then declared that he wanted the
chiefs friendship, and ordered him to bring him food.

The chief sent back word that if De Soto would
cause the river to dry up he would believe him.
This, of course, De Soto could not do.

He was disappointed and discouraged at not being
able to get food. The illness from which he was
suffering grew worse, and he died soon afterwards.

His followers were anxious to hide his death from
the natives, who were very much afraid of him. So
they placed his body in the hollow of a scooped out
tree, and sunk it at midnight in the water.

Those of his followers who were left decided to try
to reach home by following the river to its mouth.
These men were in a wretched condition. Their
clothing was nearly all gone. Few of them had shoes,
and many had only the skins of animals and mats
made of wild vines to keep them warm. They built
seven frail barks and sailed down the Mississippi,
avoiding Indians all the way, and in seventeen days
they came to the Gulf of Mexico.

In fifty days more they succeeded in reaching a
Spanish settlement on the coast of Mexico, where
they were received with much joy.

Of the gay company of six hundred and twenty
who had set out with such high hopes, only three
hundred and eleven men returned.

THE GREAT RIVER AMAZON, AND
EL DORADO.

As you may imagine, there was great excitement
and curiosity in Spain, after the voyages of Colum-
bus, about the new lands beyond the Western Ocean.
Several of the men who had sailed with Columbus
were ready to undertake new voyages of discovery.

Among them was Yanez
Pinzon.

You will remember that
when Columbus made his
first voyage he set out
with three vessels. One
of these was the Nina.
It was commanded by
Yanez Pinzon.

After Columbus had
returned from his second voyage, Yanez Pinzon suc-
ceeded in fitting out a fleet to go to the New World.
In 1499 he sailed with four caravels from Palos,

The Nina.

the same port from which Columbus had sailed.
Pinzon took with him some of the sailors who had
been with Columbus, and also his three principal
pilots. These pilots were men who understood how
to use the astrolabe and to tell the course of the
ship at sea.

Pinzon's fleet sailed toward the Canary and Cape
Verde Islands, and after passing them its course was
southwest across the Atlantic. At length the fleet
crossed the equator, and Pinzon was the first explorer
to cross the line in the western Atlantic.

The fleet sailed on for nearly five hundred miles
to the southward. Here Pinzon met a terrific storm,
which came very near sending his whole fleet to the
bottom. He was now not far from the coast, and
after the storm was over he discovered land. The
land proved to be the most eastern point of South
America. This was in the month of January, in the
year 1500.

Pinzon and a company of his men went ashore.
They did not remain long, however, as they found
the Indians very hostile. The Indians attacked the
Spaniards and killed several of their number. They
were so furious that, after chasing the Spaniards to
their boats, they waded into the sea and fought to get
the oars. The Indians captured one of the rowboats,
but the Spaniards at last got off to their vessels.

Pinzon then set sail and steered northward along
the coast.

When his fleet came near the equator, he noticed
that the water was very fresh. Accordingly he gave
orders to fill the water casks of his fleet. The fresh-
ness of the water of the sea led him to sail in toward
the shore.

At length he discovered whence the large volume
of fresh water came. It flowed out of the mouth of
a great river.

It was the mouth of the river Amazon, and so great
is the volume of water which it pours into the sea
that its current is noticed in the ocean two hundred
miles from the shore.

This fact is not so surprising when we learn that
the main mouth of this great river is fifty miles wide,
that the river is four thousand miles long, including
its windings, and that, besides many smaller branches,
it has five tributaries, each over a thousand miles long,
and one over two thousand miles long, flowing into it.

Pinzon anchored in the mouth of the river, and
found the natives peaceful. In this respect they
were unlike those he had met farther south. They
came out to his ships in a friendly way in their
canoes. But when Pinzon, a short time later, left
the river, he cruelly carried off thirty-six of the In-
dians who had been friendly to him.

While Pinzon's fleet was in the mouth of the river,
it came a second time near being wrecked.

Pinzon was, of course, in strange waters. He did
not know that twice each month the tide does not
rise in the usual way, but rushes up the mouth of the
Amazon with great force. The tide, as a rule, is
about six hours in rising and six hours in falling.
In the mouth of the Amazon, however, at new moon
and at full moon the tide swells to its limit in two
or three minutes. It comes as a wall of water, twelve
or fifteen feet high, followed by another wall of the
same height. Often there is a third wall of water,
and at some seasons of the year there is a fourth wall.

This peculiar rising of the tide is called the bore.
The noise of this rushing flood can be heard five or
six miles off. It comes with tremendous force, and
sometimes uproots great trees along the banks.
During the few days when the tide rushes up the
river in this way vessels do not remain in the main
channel, but anchor in coves and protected places.

Pinzon, as we have said, did not know about the
sudden rising of the tide. His fleet was anchored in
the main channel when the bore came, and it dashed
his vessels about like toy boats and almost wrecked
them.

After repairing the damage done to his fleet, he
made up his mind that there was little gold to be found

ill those parts, and so he sailed out of the mouth of the
great river, aud theu turned northward along the coast.

Scene on the Orinoco River.

It may be of interest to know what befell Pinzon
after he left the mouth of the Amazon. We will tell
you briefly.

He sailed along the coast to the northwest, and
passed the mouth of the Orinoco, another large river
of South America. About a hundred and fifty miles
beyond the Orinoco, he entered a gulf and landed.
Here he cut a large quantity of brazil wood to take
back to Spain.

Then he sailed for the island of Hispaniola, now
called Haiti. From this island he sailed to the
Bahama Islands.

It was July when he reached the Bahamas. Mis-
fortune again came to his fleet. While anchored in
the Bahamas a hurricane came up, and two of his
vessels were sunk. A third was blown out to sea.
The fourth vessel rode out the storm, but the crew,
thinking all the while she would sink, took to their
small boats and at length reached the shore. The
Indians came to them when they landed, and proved
friendly.

After the hurricane was over, the vessel that had
been carried out to sea drifted back. As soon as the
sea was smooth enough Pinzon and his men went on
board the two remaining vessels and set sail for His-
paniola.

At Hispaniola he repaired his vessels, and then
sailed back to Spain. He reached Palos in Sep-
tember.

About three months after Pinzon sailed away from
the mouth of the Amazon it was visited by a Portu-
guese navigator named Cabral. Although the Portu-
guese were not so fortunate as to discover America,
yet they had been very active in making discoveries
for seventy years and more before Columbus's first
voyage.

DIS. AND EXP.— 7

In 1420 they discovered the Madeira Islands. In
1432 they discovered the Azore Islands, which lie
eight hundred miles west of Portugal in the Atlantic
Ocean. Their vessels, from time to time, had been
pushing farther and farther down the west coast of
Africa. In the middle of the century as many as
fifty-one of their caravels had been to the Guinea
coast, or the Gold Coast, as it was more often called.
In 1484, eight years before Columbus discovered
America, they had discovered the mouth of the Kongo
River on the African coast.

It is not surprising, then, that their navigators
were pushing out across the Atlantic soon after Co-
lumbus had led the way.

But though Cabral sailed along the whole coast of
Brazil, and took possession of it in the name of the
King of Portugal, he did not learn any more about
the great river at the mouth of which he anchored
than did Pinzon. Had he waited a few months, or
had he returned to the river, he might easily have
explored its course. For from July to December of
each year the east wind blows steadily up the Ama-
zon, and Cabral could have spread his sails and kept
them spread as he sailed up the river for two thou-
sand miles or more to the eastern foot of the great
mountains of South America, the Andes.

The exploration of the Amazon, however, fell to

the lot of another man, Francisco Orellana by name.
Orellana did not sail up the river from its mouth, but
came down it from one of its sources. This was in
1540, many years, as you see, after Pinzon and Cabral
had anchored at the mouth.

Orellana was one of Pizarro's men, and had been
with him when the Inca of Peru was taken and after-
wards put to death. It was Francisco Pizarro, as you
well know, who conquered Peru. After Francisco
Pizarro had conquered the country, he made his
brother, Gonzalo Pizarro, governor of Quito.

This brother, while at Quito, made up his mind to
cross the Andes Mountains and explore the country
beyond. So he got ready an expedition, and made
Orellana his lieutenant ; Orellana was, therefore, sec-
ond in command of the expedition.

The army was made up of three hundred and fifty
Spaniards, four thousand Indians, and one thousand
bloodhounds for hunting down the natives.

They had a hard march over the Andes, and
suffered very much in crossing. When they were
over the mountains, they discovered a river flowing
toward the southeast. This was the river Napo.

Pizarro had had so hard a march across the Andes
that he felt his men could not stand it to go back
by the same way. He therefore encamped by the
Napo Eiver, and spent seven months in building a

100

vessel to hold his baggage and those of his men who
were ill.

He put Orellana in charge of the vessel, and ordered
him to float slowly down the river while the other
part of the army marched along the shore. The
march was very slow and toilsome, and after a few
weeks the food began to get low.

At this time Pizarro heard of a rich country farther
down the stream, where the Napo flowed into a larger
river. This country be wished to reach. So he sent
Orellana in the vessel, with fifty soldiers, down the
Napo to the larger river. There Orellana was to get
food and supplies for the army and then return.

Pizarro waited and waited in vain for Orellana to
return, and at last he and his men had to find their
way back across the Andes with scanty food and
undergo great hardships.

Orellana and the soldiers with him were carried
by the current swiftly down the Napo, and in three
days they came into the great river. It was indeed
a great river, for the Amazon at the place where
the Napo flows into it is a mile in width.

Orellana expected to find here many people and
plenty of food. He found, however, only a wilder-
ness. It was about like the country where Pizarro
and his army were encamped.

Orellana could barely get food for himself and the

101

men with him, much less enough for Pizarro and his
army. To return against the swift current would be
a heavy task. After thinking the matter over, he
decided to follow the great river to the sea. But he
must first win the soldiers who were with him over
to his plan. This he soon succeeded in doing, and
they started down the Amazon.

It was no easy journey. He and the soldiers
suffered greatly. But in August, 1541, after seven
months of hardships, they reached the ocean, and a
short time after this they sailed to Spain.

When Orellana reached Spain, he gave a glowing
account of a wonderful country, rich in precious
metals, through which he had passed. According to
his story, it was far richer in gold than Peru.

The name El Dorado, " The Golden ,'' was given to
this fabled country; and for a score or more of
years after Orellana had told his story, efforts were
made to find it. Expedition after expedition set out
in search of El Dorado. An explorer named Philip
von Hutten, who led a party southward into the coun-
try from the northern part of South America, believed
he caught sight of a city whose golden walls glistened
far away in the distance. But he never reached the
shining city which he thought he saw, nor was the
fabled El Dorado ever found.

VERRAZZANO.

Verrazzano.

Verrazzano was a native of
Florence, Italy, and a pirate
like many other sailors of that
time. Being known as a dar-
ing seaman, he was asked by
Francis I., King of France, to
take command of a fleet of
four vessels and try to find
a western passage to rich
Cathay. For Francis had be-
come very jealous of the Spaniards, and felt that his
country ought to have a share in the riches of the
New World.

Verrazzano sailed from France full of hope and
joy; but he had gone only a short distance when a
severe storm arose, and two of his vessels were lost
sight of forever. The two remaining vessels were
obliged to return to France.

After some delay Verrazzano started again, with
one vessel called the Dauphine. With this vessel he

102

• 103

reached the island of Madeira, and from this island
he sailed, January 17, 1524, for the unknown world.

The voyage lasted forty-nine days, after which
time a long, low coast was sighted in the distance.
This coast, which was probably North Carolina,
afforded no landing place, and for some time Verraz-
zano sailed north and then south, searching for one.
The search proved unsuccessful, and as the crew
were in need of fresh water, Verrazzano decided to
send a boat ashore.

So a small boat was manned, and the sailors tried
very hard to reach the shore, but the surf was so
high that they were unable to do this. At last one
brave sailor jumped from the boat into the foaming
breakers and swam toward the shore. He carried in
one hand presents for the Indians, who were stand-
ing at the water's edge watching the strange sight.
At length the sailor succeeded in swimming so close
to the shore that he was able to throw the presents
to the Indians.

His courage then deserted him, and in terror he
tried to swim back to his vessel. The surf, however,
dashed him on the sandy beach, and he would have
been drowned had not some of the Indians waded in
and dragged him ashore. These Indians quickly
stripped him of all his clothing and began to build
an immense bonfire. The poor sailor thought his end

104

Indians Rescuing the Sailor.

had come, and his former companions looked on from
their ship in horror at the preparations.

All of them thought that the Indians meant to burn
him alive or else to cook and eat him. To their great
relief, the Indians treated him very gently and kindly ;
they dried his clothes by the fire and warmed him.

These kind Indians looked very savage. Their
skin was copper colored, their long, straight hair was
tied and worn in a braid, and their faces were very
stern ; for, you know, an Indian never laughs or smiles.

In spite of their fierce looks, however, they were
very good to the pale-faced stranger, and when he

105

was strong again they led him back to the shore,
and he swam out to his ship.

Verrazzano was glad to see his sailor return in
safety from this dangerous trip. The man had risked
his life, but no water had been obtained for the crew.
So Verrazzano started northward, and along the coast
of Maryland he made a landing and secured the
much-needed fresh water.

At this place the Frenchmen had an opportunity
to return the kindness that the Indians had shown
their companion, but I am sorry to have to tell you
that they did not do so. While searching for the
water, Verrazzano and his followers came suddenly
upon a little Indian boy, whom they seized and car-
ried off to their ship. The mother of the boy came
quickly from some bushes to rescue her son, and they
would also have stolen her, but she made so much
noise that they were obliged to run in order to escape
from the rest of the tribe, who came to help her. The
Frenchmen reached their ship in safety with the poor
little Indian boy, and quickly set sail.

Verrazzano proceeded northward, following the
shore, and at length came to a very narrow neck of
water, with rising land on both sides. Through this
strait Verrazzano sailed, and, to his surprise, came
out into a broad and beautiful bay which was sur-
rounded on all sides by forests, and was dotted here

106

and there with the canoes of Indians who were com-
ing out from the land to meet him.

You have, of course, guessed that this strait was
the Nan'ows, which separates Stateii Island from
Long Island, and that the bay was the beautiful New
York Bay.

Verrazzano followed the shore of Long Island to a
small island, which was likely Block Island. From
this island he sailed into a harbor on the mainland,
probably Newport, where he remained fifteen days.
Here the Indians received their pale-faced visitors
with great dignity and pomp. Two of the Indian
chiefs, aiTayed in painted deer skins and raccoon and
lynx skins, and decorated with copper ornaments,
paid Verrazzano a visit of state.

Soon after this Verrazzano sailed away, again
northward. The climate grew cooler and the country
more rugged, and the vegetation changed. Instead
of the sweet-scented cypress and bay trees which the
sailors had admired along the Carolina coast, there
were dark forests of stately pines, which were grand
but gloomy.

Great cliffs of rock extended along the shores, and
from these heights the natives looked down upon
the lonely little ship in fear, anger, and amazement.
At length they consented to ti-ade with the pale-
faces; but they lowered a cord from the rocks and

107

drew up the knives, fishhooks, and pieces of steel
which they demanded in exchange for furs and skins.
Once Verrazzano and a few of his men tried to laud.
But the Indians fiercely attacked them, and a shower
of arrows and the sound of the dreaded war whoop
caused the Europeans to fly to their ship for safety.

So Verrazzano gave up the plan of landing among
these fierce Indians, and continued his voyage north-
ward as far as Newfoundland. Here provisions grew
scarce, and Verrazzano decided to sail for home.

The return voyage was a safe one, and Verrazzano
was greeted with joy when he arrived in France.
Upon his discoveries the French based their claim to
all the country in the New World between Carolina
and Newfoundland, extending westward as far as
land continued.

Verrazzano wished very much to go again to this
new land and try to plant a colony and to convert
the Indians to the Christian religion. But France at
this time was plunged into war at home, and all trace .
of Verrazzano is lost. Some say that he made a sec-
ond voyage, and that while exploriug a wild country
he was taken prisoner and killed by a savage tribe of
Indians. The story that is most likely true is that he
did return to the New World, and that while there
he was taken prisoner by the Spaniards and hanged
as a pirate.

THE FAMOUS VOYAGE OF SIR FRANCIS
DRAKE-1577.

Sir Francis Drake.

Undeb the rule of Queen Eliza-
beth England became nofed for
her bold and daring seamen.
These seamen were really pirates,
or sea robbers ; but their occupa-
tion in those days was looked
upon as a lawful one by all ex-
cept the people whom they plun-
dered.

Queen Elizabeth encouraged
the seafaring men to make voyages to the New World,
and also to attack the Spanish ships, because she was
displeased at the way the Spaniards were behaving.
The Spaniards had grown very rich and powerful
by means of the wealth they had obtained in Amer-
ica, and in their pride they did not treat the other
nations properly. They had no idea of fairness.
They were selfish and wanted everything for Spain.
The English people thought that the best place to

108

109

attack the Spaniards was in the New World. They
well knew that if they could cut off the supply of
gold and silver which the Spanish nation was receiv-
ing from South America and the Indies, that nation
would suffer.

Sir Francis Drake, a brave young knight of Eliza-
beth's court, formed a plan to teach the Spaniards a
lesson. This plan was approved by the queen, and
Drake was promised glory and riches if he should
succeed in carrying it out.

In November, 1577, Drake sailed from Plymouth,
England, with a fleet of five vessels and one hundred
and sixty-four men. He told every one that he was
going to make a voyage to Alexandria, as he did not
wish the Spaniards to know that he intended to cross
the Atlantic.

After a voyage of about five months, as they were
sailing quietly along one evening, the crew saw
strange fires in the distance. At first the sailors
were alarmed ; but on sailing nearer they saw that
the fires were on the shore of a strange country,
which Drake knew to be South America.

The natives had built these immense bonfires near
the water and were preparing for some religious rites.

These natives were friendly, and Drake, after pro-
curing some fresh supplies, sailed on, as he was in
haste to reach Peru. The fleet soon entered the

110

strait of Magellan, and sailed through without any
mishap.

On an island in the strait they found a great num-
ber of fowl of the size of geese, which could not fly.
The crew shot about three thousand of these birds,
and now, having plenty of provisions, they began the
journey up the west coast of South America.

The Spaniards, never dreaming that any one would
have the courage to try to reach their lands by way
of the Strait of Magellan, had made no attempt to
defend themselves from attack from the south.
They feared that their enemies might come down
upon them by way of the isthmus, and strong forces
had been placed there to prevent any one from cross-
ing ; but all the southern ports were defenseless.

So Drake and his men sailed up the coast, dropping
in at different harbors, boldly taking everything of
value that they saw, and then gayly sailing away,
laughing at the surprise they left behind them.

At one place Drake found a Spanish ship laden
with spoils, ready to sail to Spain. The English
quickly took possession of her, set her crew ashore,
and carried her out to sea. There they found that
she had on board pure gold amounting to thirty-
seven thousand Spanish ducats, stores of good wine,
and other treasure.

At one place where they landed Drake himself

Ill

found a Spaniard lying asleep near the shore, with
thirteen bars of silver by his side. The Englishmen
took the silver and went quietly away, leaving the
man to flDish his nap.

Farther on they met a Spaniard and an Indian boy
driving eight llamas, as the sheep of \a^
that country are called, toward Peru.
Each llama had on its back two
bags of leather, and in ^ "IJlVinl^nl I
each bag was
fifty pounds of
silver. This
silver Drake
ordered to be
placed on his
ship, and then
he sailed away.

Many other places ^^ .^j ^ , ^ .^ ^. .

•^ ^ OTw^ Drake and the Sleeping

were visited in this ^^ Spaniard-

manner, and much treasure was collected; but it
was not until Drake reached Lima that the English
understood the great wealth of that country. About
twelve ships were in the harbor, some fully laden, and
all unprotected, as the Spaniards never dreamed of
attack. These ships Drake proceeded to lighten
of their cargo by removing it to his own ships.
He then gave chase to another vessel, which he

112

heard was laden vidth still greater treasure. This
vessel he soon found, and the cargo proved to be
very valuable. Thirteen chests of plate, many tons
of gold and silver, jewels, precious stones, and quan-
tities of silk and linen were taken.

As you may suppose, after continuing this work
for some time Drake's ships were very well loaded,
and he and his companions began to think about
returning to England. Drake felt that it would not
be safe for him to return through the Strait of
Magellan, as he knew the Spaniards would be expect-
ing him. So he decided to sail across the Pacific
Ocean to the Molucca Islands, and complete his jour-
ney by circumnavigating the globe.

He was at this time becalmed in the tropics, and
therefore headed his ships north, hoping to find the
trade wind, which would carry him across the Pacific.
After proceeding north along a strange coast for
nearly a month, during which time the weather grad-
ually became colder and colder, Drake decided to
enter a harbor and anchor his vessels.

The people of the country were friendly, and as the
English treated them well, they remained so. They
admired the brave Sir Francis Drake so much that
they begged him to stay with them and be their
king.

But Drake had no desire to be king over an Indian

113

tribe. He wanted to get back to his own good Queen
Elizabeth and tell her of all the wonderful things that
had happened to him. So he took possession of this
country for England, and called it New Albion.

New Albion was the land which is at present known
as California, and the bay in which Drake anchored
is supposed to have been San Francisco Bay.

Then Drake prepared his ships for the voyage
home, hoisted anchor, and was soon sailing away in
the direction of the Moluccas. These islands he
reached after a long voyage, and after visiting several
of the Indies he proceeded across the Indian Ocean
to the Cape of Good Hope and thence northward
to England. He reached home in September, 1580,
after an absence of three years.

How glad Queen Elizabeth was to see him ! She
granted him the honor of knighthood, and in other
ways showed her pride in her brave subject.

Drake's ship, the Golden Hind^ was placed in a
dock at Deptford, where it stood for many years.
People used to take their children to see it, and they
would tell them about the Golden Hindj the good
ship in which sailed the brave general, Sir Francis
Drake, when he taught the Spaniards a lesson.

When the timber of the ship began to decay, a
chair was made of some of it and given to Oxford
University, where it may be seen to this day.

DIS. AND EXP.— 8

HENRY HUDSON.

Henry Hudson.

Henky Hudson was one of
the best sea captains in all
England. He loved the
ocean, and he did not know
the word " fear.''

In 1607 a company of
London merchants sent him
to look for a northwest
passage to China. These
merchants knew that if
such a passage could be found, the journey to
China would be much shorter than by the over-
land route then used. It would take less time to'
sail around the earth near the pole than to sail
around the earth near the equator. Besides, every
one who had attempted to reach China by sailing
west had reached, instead, that long coast of the
New World, through which but one opening had ever
been found. The route through this opening, the
Strait of Magellan, had been proved by its discoverer,
Ferdinand Magellan, to be too long for use in com-

114

115

merce, so traders were trying hard to find a north-
west passage.

Captain Hudson proceeded northwest from Eng-
land, and tried to pass between Greenland and
Spitzbergen and sail across the north pole into the
Pacific. Failing in this attempt, he made a second
voyage, during which he tried to pass between Spitz-
bergen and Nova Zembla. This voyage also was un-
successful, and Hudson returned to England. He
had found no northwest passage, but he had sailed
past mountains of snow and ice and had been nearer
the north pole than any man had ever been before.

Captain Hudson was not discouraged by his two
failures. He still believed a northwest passage could
be found ; and when the Dutch people asked him to
make a voyage for them in search of a passage to the
Pacific Ocean, he was quite willing to accept the offer.

In 1609 Hudson sailed from Amsterdam in a small
craft of eighty tons, called the Half Moon. After
sailing many days through fog and ice, the sailors
refused to go farther in that direction, and then Hud-
son headed his ship across the Atlantic toward
America. You may think it strange that Hudson
should change his plans so quickly, but he knew
what he was about He had received a letter from
his friend Captain John Smith, who was then in Vir-
ginia, telling him that a northwest passage was to be

116

found along the coast of North 'America, north of
Chesapeake Bay. This letter Hudson had in mind
when he started on his voyage.
He reached Chesapeake Bay, but did not enter it,

as the weather was
stormy. Instead, he
proceeded up the
coast, looking for
an opening. At
length, in Septem-
ber, he entered a
beautiful bay. Into
this bay a wide river
flowed which Hud-
son thought might
))p a strait that would lead into the
Pacifi c Ocean , The water in this open-
in ^^ wns salt, and this strengthened
' Hudson in the belief that it was the
strait for which he had been searching so long.
At the mouth of the river there was a beautiful
island, long and narrow, and wooded to the shore.
At first the island seemed deserted, but soon the
sailors saw here and there slender curling columns of
smoke rising from among the trees. This smoke
showed them that the island was inhabited, and
presently an Indian appeared on the shore.

The Half Moon on the
Hudson River»

117

This Indian looked for a moment in astonishment
at the ship, and then, shouting the war whoop,
bounded back into the forest. In a few minutes he
reappeared, bringing other Indians with him. All
were amazed at the sight of the strange ship, and
they gazed in wonder and fear at it and at the white-
faced, bearded strangers. Little by little, however,
they lost their fear and talked with Captain Hudson.
These Indians told Hudson that the name of the
beautiful island was Manhattan, and that the stream
led far, far to the north.

So Hudson entered the river and sailed slowly
north, enjoying the charming scenery, and stopping
now and then to trade and to talk with the Indians.

For twenty miles he sailed along a great wall of
rock about five hundred feet high, which we now
know as the Palisades. This name was given to the
rocky wall because it looks like a palisade, or high
fence of stakes set close together and upright in the
ground.

Soon after this the river became very winding, and
high mountains arose on all sides. The Half Moon
now entered the beautiful Highlands, and her crew
were the first white men to see this enchanting spot.
The vessel sailed on, and at length it came to the place
where the city of Hudson now stands. Here an In-
dian chief invited the captain to go ashore. Hudson

118

did so, and the Indians prepared 'a great feast in his
honor.

They gave him roast pigeons and a roast dog to eat.
Hudson did not like the dog meat very much, but
the Indians insisted upon cooking it for him.

Hudson Feasting with the Indians.

The Indians wanted him to stay overnight with
them, and one Indian arose, and gathering together
all the arrows, broke them and threw them into
the fire. By this act he meant to show Hudson that
he and his tribe would do him no harm. -

119

Hudson felt that -he had no time to lose, but must
go on and find out whether this wonderful body of
water would lead him into the Pacific. So he bade
the Indians good-by and sailed away.

He went on up the river until the place was reached
where Albany now stands. Here the little Half
Moon was anchored. Indians came running down to
the shore in wonder at the sight of the strange vessel.
They brought with them strings of beaver skins,
which they gave Hudson in exchange for pieces of
gold lace, glass beads, and other trinkets. Hudson
was quick to see the importance of this fur trade,
and took back with him many valuable furs. Here
the stream had become narrow, and was so shallow
that the captain feared his vessel might run aground.
He knew at last that the water was a river and not a
strait, and that he was not likely to find here a pas-
sage to China. So Hudson, turning back, started
down the river.

On the way down, an Indian who was in a canoe
stole something from the ship. One of the crew saw
the Indian commit the theft, and, picking up a gun,
shot and killed him. This made the other Indians
very angry, and Hudson had several fights with them.

Nevertheless the expedition reached the mouth of
the river in safety, and early in October Hudson re-
turned to Amsterdam. He had not found a north-

120

west passage, but he had secured a large tract of
country in the New World for Holland.

He told the Dutch about the rich furs to be found
there, and they immediately began to build trading
posts where the cities of New York and Albany now
stand.

The next year Hudson made another voyage in
search of a passage to Asia. This time he sailed far
north into Hudson Bay. Here his crew mutinied and
refused to obey him. They seized him and put him,
together with his son, into an open boat, and set them
adrift in the icy water.

As Hudson was never heard of again, it is supposed
that he perished in the waters of the great bay which
he discovered, and which still bears his name.

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Fourth Year, 208 pp. 40 cents Eighth Year, 240 pp. 45 cents
For the convenience of ungraded schools, and for all who may
prefer them in such combined form, an edition corresponding to the
ordinary five book series of school readers will be furnished as follows :

BALDWIN'S SCHOOL READERS— FIVE BOOK EDITION

First Year, 128 pages 25 cents

Second Year, 160 pages 35 cents

Third Year, 208 pages 40 cents

Combined Fourth and Fifth Years. 416 pages . . 60 cents

Combined Sixth and Seventh Years. 480 pages . . 65 cents

Copies of either edition of Baldwin^ s School Reading by Grades will be
sent, prepaid, on receipt of the price by the Publishers:

American Book Company

NEW YORK * CINCINNi^TI • CHICAGO

(0)

School Histories of the United States

Mc Master's School History of the United States
By John Bach McM aster. Cloth, i2mo, 507 pages.

With maps and illustrations $1 .00

Written expressly to meet the demand for a School History
which should be fresh, vigorous, and interesting in style, accurate
and impartial in statement, and strictly historical in treatment.

Field's Grammar School History of the United States

By L. A. Field. With maps and illustrations . . .1.00

Barnes's Primary History of the United States

For Primary Classes. Cloth, i2mo, 252 pages. With maps,
illustrations, and a complete index .60

Barnes's Brief History of the United States

Revised. Cloth, 8vo, 364 pages. Richly embellished with
maps and illustrations 1.00

Eclectic Primary History of the United States

By Edward S. Ellis. A book for younger classes. Cloth,

i2mo, 230 pages. Illustrated 50

Eclectic History of the United States

By M. E. Thalheimer. Revised. Cloth, i2mo, 441
pages. With maps and illustrations . . . . 1 .00

Eggleston's First Book in American History

By Edward Eggleston. Boards, i2mo, 203 pages.
Beautifully illustrated 60

Eggleston's History of the United States and Its People
By Edward Eggleston. Cloth, 8vo, 416 pages. Fully
illustrated with engravings, maps and colored plates . .' 1.05
Swinton's First Lessons in Our Country's History

By William Swinton. Revised edition. Cloth, i2mo,

208 pages. Illustrated 48

Swinton's School History of the United States

Revised and enlarged. Cloth, i2mo, 383 pages. With new
maps and illustrations 90

White's Pupils' Outline Studies in the History of the
United States
By Francis H. White. For pupils* use in the application
of laboratory and library methods to the study of United
States History 30

Copies of any of the above books will be sent^ prepaid^ to any address on
receipt of the price by the Publishers .•

American Book Company

NEW YORK ♦ CINCINNATI ♦ CHICAGO

Historical Readings

FOR THE Young

Eggleston's Stories of Great Americans for Little
Americans

Cloth, i2mo. 159 pages. Illustrated . 40 cents
This book of stories is designed for young pupils of the
Second Reader Grade. Its primary aim is to provide
reading lessons that will excite attention and give pleasure
and thus make the difficult task of learning to read easier.
Another purpose is to interest children at an early age in
the history of our country by making them familiar with
its great characters and leading events. This, is most
effectively done in this little book by entertaining and
instructive stories which every American child ought to
know, and by vivid descriptions of scenes and incidents
which pertain very largely to the childhood of the great
actors represented.

The numerous illustrations that accompany the text
have all been planned with special reference to awakening
the child's attention and they add greatly to the lessons
and purpose of the book.

Eggleston's Stories of American Life and Adventure

Cloth, i2mo. 214 pages. Illustrated . 50 cents
This book, which is intended for the Third Reader
Grade, includes reading matter that is intensely attractive
and interesting to the young — stories of Indian life, of
frontier peril and escape, of pioneer adventure and Revolu-
tionary daring, of dangerous voyages, explorations, etc.
With these are interspersed sketches of the homes and
firesides, the dress and manners, the schools and amuse-
ments of the early colonial and pioneer periods. The
stories of this book represent in a general way every section
of our country and every period of its history.

Copies of the above books will be sent prepaid to any address^ on receipt of
the price ^ by the Publishers :

American Book Company

New York ♦ Cincinnati • Chicago

(18)

Supplementary Reading

JOHONNOrS HISTORICAL READERS

SIX BOOKS. I2MO. ILLUSTRATED.

Qranafatner's Stories. 140 pages .
Stories of Heroic Deeds. 150 pages
Stories of Our Country. 207 pages .
Stories of Other Lands. 232 pages .
Stories of the Olden Time. 254 pages
Ten Great Events in History. 264 pages

27 cents
30 cents
40 cents
40 cents
54 cents
54 cents

JOHONNOT'S NATURAL HISTORY READERS

SIX BOOKS. I2MO. ILLUSTRATED.

Book of Cats and Dogs. 96 pages .
Friends in Feathers and Fur. 140 pages .
Neighbors with Wings and Fins. 229 pages
Some Curious Flyers, Creepers and Swimmers.
Neighbors with Claws and Hoofs. 256 pages .
Glimpses of the Animate World. 414 pages

224 pages

1 7 cents
30 cents
40 cents
40 cents
54 cents
$1.00

These books are admirably adapted for use as sup-
plementary readers. Each series contains a full course of
graded lessons for reading from instructive topics, written
in a style that is of the most fascinating interest to children
and young people, while training them to habits of obser-
vation and storing their minds with valuable information.
Each book is fully illustrated in an artistic and attractive
manner.

Copies of^any of the above books will be sent prepaid to any address y on
receipt of the price ^ by the Publishers :

New York
(10)

American Book CorriDany

♦ Cincinnati ♦

Chicago

The Natural Course in Music

Frederic H. Ripley and Thomas Tapper

Natural Music Readers

Natural Music Primer • • . $0.30

Natural Music Reader, No. 1 . • • . • . .30

Natural Music Reader, No. 2 35

Natural Music Reader, No. 3 35

Natural Music Reader, No. 4 35

Natural Music Reader, No. 5 ...... .50

Natural Advanced Music Reader 1.00

Natural Music Charts

In seven series, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, comprising no
charts, substantially bound and mounted on iron tripod sup-
porter, each series, per set 4.00

The Natural Course in Music consists of a carefully prepared series
of books and charts, reasonable in price and designed to cover the whole
graded course in Primary and Grammar Schools. The plan contemplates
the constant use of charts, at first independent of the books, and after-
wards as a systematic preparation for the lessons to be learned from day
to day in the music readers.

Natural Music Series — Short Course

Book I. For Elementary Grades .... 35 cents
Book II. For Advanced Grades .... 40 cents

The Short Course in Music is embraced in two books and is designed
for use in graded or ungraded schools in which a more complete course
is deemed unnecessary or impracticable. In both books familiar and
standard songs are made the basis of elementary music instruction. The
Short Course embraces over 200 such songs — sacred, patriotic, occa-
sional, and miscellaneous. Throughout, the teaching is constantly
applied to the compositions of the best song writers. Exercises in two
and three parts in simple form are included in the course. Few definitions
are given, but a brief summary of the Elements of Music is included in
an appendix. The books are illustrated by numerous portraits of
authors and composers.

The books and charts of the Natural Music Course will be sent^ prepaid^
to any address on receipt of the price by the Publishers :

American Book Company

NEW YORK ♦ CINCINNATI ♦ CHICAGO

(as)

Carpenter's Geographical Readers

By Frank G. Carpenter

North America. Cloth, i2ino, 352 pages . . 60 cents
Asia. Cloth, i2mo, 304 pages . . . .60 cents

This series of Geographical Readers is intended to
describe the several continents, — their countries and
peoples, from the standpoint of travel and personal
observation.

They are not mere compilations from other books, or
stories of imaginary travels, but are based on actual travel
and personal observation. The author, who is an experi-
enced traveler and writer, has given interesting and viva-
cious descriptions of his recent extended journeys through
each of the countries described, together with graphic
pictures of their native peoples, just as they are found
to-day in their homes and at their work. This has been
done in such simple language and charming manner as to
make each chapter as entertaining as a story.

The books are well supplied with colored maps and
illustrations, the latter mostly reproductions from original
photographs taken by the author on the ground. They
combine studies in geography with stories of travel and
observation in a manner at once attractive and instructive.
Their use in connection with the regular text-books on
geography and history will impart a fresh and living
interest to their lessons.

Copies of Carpenter* s Geographical Reader will be sent prepaid to any
address^ on receipt '^of the price, by the Publishers :

American Book Company

New York • Cincinnati • Chicago

(47)

The Natural Geographies

Natural Elementary Geography

Linen Binding, Quarto, 144 pages . • • Price, 60 cents

Natural Advanced Geography

Linen Binding, Large Quarto, 160 pages . . Price, $1 25
By Jacques W. Redway, F.R.G.S., and Russell Hinman, Author
of the Eclectic Physical Geography.

The publication of The Natural Geog^raphies marks a new era
in the study and teaching of geography. Some of the distinctive features
which characterize this new series are :

1. A Natural Plan of Development, based on physical geography and

leading in a natural manner to the study of historical, industrial,
and commercial geography.

2. Clear and distinct political maps showing correctly the comparative

size of different countries, and physical maps showing relief by
contour lines and different colors, as in the best government maps. |

3. Inductive and comparative treatment of subjects according to the I

most approved pedagogical principles. I

4. Frequent exercises and reviews leading to the correlation and

comparison of the parts of the subject already studied.

5. Topical outlines for the language work required by the Courses of

Study of the best schools.

6. Supplementary Exercises including laboratory work and references

for collateral reading.

7. Numerous original and appropriate pictures and graphic diagrams

to illustrate the text.

8. Clear explanations of each necessary term where it first occurs, and

omission of formal definitions at the beginning of the book.

9. Strict accordance, in method and treatment, with the recommenda-

tions of the Committee of Fifteen.

Illustrated Circulars describing the plan and method of
the Natural Geographies will be sent free to any address on
application.

Copies of the Natural Geographies will be sent, prepaid, to any
culdress on receipt of the price by the Publishers :

American Book Company

NEW YORK • CINCINNATI ♦ CHICAGO

(48)

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