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 received 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 commander 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 the
young man, and allowed him to remain on board the ship.

When the mainland was reached, the Spaniards who were already there,
having heard of t