en who knew little about the dear
God who had made the world, and nothing at all about His son, Christ
Jesus, and as Christopher Columbus loved very dearly the Christian
religion, his mind became filled with a longing to carry it across the
great seas to this far-away country. The more he thought about it the
more he wanted to go, until his whole life was filled with the one
thought of how to get hold of some ships to prove that the earth was
round, and that these far-away heathens could be reached.

Through some influential friends he obtained admission to the court of
the King of Portugal. Eagerly he told the rich monarch of the great
enterprise which filled his heart. It was of little or no use, the King
was busy with other affairs, and only listened to the words of Columbus
as one might listen to the wind. Year after year passed by, Columbus'
wife had died, and their one little son, Diego, had grown to be quite a
boy. Finally Columbus decided he would leave Portugal and would go over
to Spain, a rich country near by, and see if the Spanish monarchs would
not give him boats in which to make his longed-for voyage.

The Spanish King was named Ferdinand, and the Spanish Queen was a
beautiful woman named Isabella. When Columbus told them of his belief
that the world was round, and of his desire to help the heathen who
lived in this far-off country, they listened attentively to him, for
both King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were very earnest people and very
desirous that all the world should become Christians; but their
ministers and officers of state persuaded them that the whole thing was
a foolish dream of an enthusiastic, visionary man; and again Columbus
was disappointed in his hope of getting help.

Still he did not give up in despair. _The thought was too great for
that._ He sent his brother over to England to see if the English King
would not listen to him and give the necessary help, but again he was
doomed to disappointment. Only here and there could he find any one who
believed that it was possible for him to sail round the earth and reach
the land on the other side. Long years passed by. Columbus grew pale and
thin with waiting and hoping, with planning and longing.

Sometimes as he walked along the streets of the Spanish capital people
would point their fingers at him and say: "There goes the crazy old man
who thinks the world is round." Again and again Columbus tried to
persuade the Spanish King and Quee