ld Style of
reckoning time.

But did Columbus discover America? What was this land that greeted his
eyes as the daylight came on that Friday morning, and he saw the low
green shores that lay ahead of his caravels.

As far as Columbus was concerned he was sure that he had found some one
of the outermost islands of Cipango or Japan. So he dropped his anchors,
ordered out his rowboat, and prepared to take possession of the land in
the name of the queen of Spain, who had helped him in his enterprise.

Just why or by what right a man from one country could sail up to the
land belonging to another country and, planting in the ground the
flag of his king, could say, "This land belongs to my king!" is a hard
question to answer. But there is an old saying that tells us, Might
makes right; and the servants of the kings and queens--the adventurers
and explorers of old--used to go sailing about the world with this idea
in their heads, and as soon as they came to a land they, had never seen
before, up would go their flag, and they would say, This land is mine
and my king's! They would not of course do this in any of the well-known
or "Christian lands" of Europe; but they believed that all "pagan
lands" belonged by right to the first European king whose sailors should
discover and claim them.

So Columbus lowered a boat from the Santa Maria, and with two of his
chief men and some sailors for rowers he pulled off toward the island.

But before he did so, he had to listen to the cheers and congratulations
of the very sailors who, only a few days before, were ready to kill him.
But, you see, this man whom they thought crazy had really brought them
to the beautiful land, just as he had promised. It does make such a
difference, you know, in what people say whether a thing turns out right
or not.

Columbus, as I say, got into his rowboat with his chief inspector and
his lawyer. He wore a crimson cloak over his armor, and in his hand he
held the royal banner of Spain. Following him came Captain Alonso Pinzon
in a rowboat from the Pinta, and in a rowboat from the Nina Captain
Vincent Pinzon. Each of these captains carried the "banner of the green
cross" on which were to be seen the initials of the king and queen of
Spain.

As they rowed toward the land they saw some people on the shore. They
were not dressed in the splendid clothes the Spaniards expected to find
the people of Cathay wearing. In fact, they did not have on much of
any