caught
and greedily devoured the woodwork of the boats. It was wild work; the
blazing sails, the broken cheers of the men, the fierce struggle over
the two decks.

Christopher fought bravely whenever chance offered, but the captain kept
him close to his hand to carry messages. It soon appeared that the enemy
were the stronger, and they bore the Genoese back and back farther from
their bulwarks and across their decks. As the enemy gained a foothold
they held torches to everything that would burn, and soon Colombo's ship
was wrapped in fire and the only choice seemed to be between surrender
and jumping into the sea.

A burning rope fell from a mast and set fire to Christopher's cloak. He
tore the cloak from him. He saw that the Neapolitans must win and he had
no desire to be carried off to Naples as a prisoner. The flames were
gaining fast as he leaped to the rail on the free side of the ship, and
dove overboard. He came up free from the wreckage and found a long
sweep-oar floating near him. With that support he struck out for the
shore of Africa, only a short distance away. His first sea-fight had
nearly proved his last.

Self-reliance was the corner-stone of this young mariner's character. He
could take care of himself on whatever shore he was thrown. He landed on
the beach of Carthagena and told the story of his adventures to the
group of sailors who crowded about him on the sands. There is a strong
sense of comradeship among seamen, and so, although none of the men who
heard the boy's tale were from Genoa, they fitted him out with dry
clothes and found enough money to keep him in food and shelter.

There he stayed for some time, waiting until some Genoese bark should
put into port. Meanwhile he was very much interested in the stories the
seafarers of all lands told to people who would listen to them. Again
and again he heard mariners wondering whether there might not be a
shorter passage to the rich Indies of the East than the long overland
route through China. The question interested him, and he took to
studying it with care.

One day an old sailor on the beach told him of his voyages in the
western ocean, and how once his ship had come so close to the edge of
the world that but for the miracle of a sudden change in the wind they
must certainly have been carried over the side. The same bearded seaman
told Christopher many other curious things; how he had himself seen
beautiful pieces of carved wood, cut in som