, he came about 1470 to Lisbon, even then a
center of geographical knowledge and maritime activity. Probably
as early as this time the idea of a western voyage was in his mind.

Skepticism may account for Portugal's failure to listen to his
proposals; and her interest was already centered in the route around
Africa under her exclusive control. The tale of his years of search
for assistance is well known. Indeed, while the fame of Columbus
rests rightly enough upon his discovery of a new world, of whose
existence he had never dreamed and which he never admitted in his
lifetime, his greatness is best shown by his faith in his vision,
and the steadfast energy and fortitude with which he pushed towards
its practical accomplishment, during years of vain supplication, and
amid the trials of the voyage itself. He had actually left Granada,
when Isabella of Spain at last agreed to support his venture. In
the contract later drawn up he drove a good bargain, contingent
always upon success; he was to be admiral and viceroy of islands
and continents discovered and their surrounding waters, with control
of trading privileges and a tenth part of the wealth of all kinds
derived.

With the explorations of Columbus on his first and his three later
voyages (in 1496, 1498, and 1502) we are less concerned than with
the first voyage itself as an illustration of the problems and
dangers faced by the navigator of the time, and with the effect of
the discovery of the new world upon Spain's rise as a sea power.
The three caravels in which he sailed were typical craft of the
period. The _Santa Maria_, the largest, was like the other two, a
single-decked, lateen-rigged, three-masted vessel, with a length
of about 90 feet, beam of about 20 feet, and a maximum speed of
perhaps 6-1/2 knots. She was of 100 tons burden and carried 52
men. The _Pinta_ was somewhat smaller. The _Nina_ (Baby) was a
tiny, half-decked vessel of 40 tons. Heavily timbered and seaworthy
enough, the three caravels were short provisioned and manned in
part from the rakings of the Palos jail.

Leaving Palos August 3, 1492, Columbus went first to the Canaries,
and thence turned his prow directly westward, believing that he
was on the parallel that touched the northern end of Japan. By
a reckoning even more optimistic than Toscanelli's, he estimated
the distance thither to be only 2500 miles. Thence he would sail
to Quinsay (Hang Chow), the ancient capital of China, and delive