Part 3

But Coronado was after gold and silver, and cared nothing for beautiful and interesting scenes. Disappointed, he turned southward and in 1542, after three years of wandering, reached home in Mexico. He reported to the King of Spain that the region he had explored was too poor a place for him to plant colonies.

DE SOTO, THE DISCOVERER OF THE MISSISSIPPI

=18. The Expedition to Florida.= While Coronado and his men were searching in vain for hidden cities with golden temples, another band of men was wandering through the forests farther to the eastward. Hernando de Soto had been one of Pizarro's bravest soldiers. The news that this bold adventurer was to lead an expedition to Florida stirred all Spain. Many nobles sold their lands to fit out their sons to fight under so great a leader.

The Spanish settlers of Cuba gave a joyful welcome to De Soto and to the brave men from the homeland. After many festivals and solemn religious ceremonies, nine vessels, carrying many soldiers, twelve priests, six hundred horses, and a herd of swine, sailed for Florida (1539).

[Sidenote: =The settlers of Cuba welcome De Soto=]

What a grand sight to the Indians as the men and horses clad in steel armor landed! There were richly colored banners, beautiful crucifixes, and many things never before seen by the Indians. But this was by far the most cruel expedition yet planned.

[Sidenote: =The Spaniards' cruelty to the Indians=]

Wherever the Spaniards marched Indians were seized as slaves and made to carry the baggage and do the hard work. If the Indian guides were false, they were burned at the stake or were torn to pieces by bloodhounds. Hence the Indians feared the Spaniards, and Indian guides often misled the Spanish soldiers on purpose to save the guides' own tribes from harm.

De Soto fought his way through forests and swamps to the head of Apalachee Bay, where he spent the winter. In the spring a guide led the army into what is now Georgia, in search of a country supposed to be rich in gold and ruled by a woman. The soldiers suffered and grumbled, but De Soto only turned the march farther northward.

[Sidenote: =Attacked by Indians=]

The Appalachian Mountains caused them to turn south again until they reached the village of Mavilla (Mobile), where the Indians rushed on them in great numbers and tried to crush the army. But Spanish swords and Spanish guns won the day against Indian arrows and Indian clubs. De Soto lost a number of men, at least a dozen horses, and the baggage of his entire army, yet he boldly refused to send to the coast for the men and supplies waiting for him there.

=19. The Discovery of the Mississippi.= Again De Soto's men followed him northward, this time into what we know as northern Mississippi, where the adventuring army spent the second winter in a deserted Indian village. In the spring, in 1541, De Soto demanded two hundred Indians to carry baggage, but the chief and his men one night stole into camp, set fire to their own rude houses, gave the war whoop, frightened many horses into running away, and killed a number of the Spaniards.

[Sidenote: =They reached a great river=]

The army then marched westward for many days, wading swamps and wandering through forests so dense that at times they could not see the sun. At last, a river was reached greater than any the Spaniards had ever seen. It was the Mississippi, more than a mile wide, rushing on at full flood toward the Gulf.

On barges made by their own hands, De Soto and his men crossed to the west bank of the broad stream. There they marched northward, probably as far as the region now known as Missouri, and then westward two hundred miles. Nothing but hardships met them on every hand. In the spring of 1542, the little army came upon the Mississippi again.

[Sidenote: =Burial of De Soto=]

De Soto was tiring out. He grew sad and asked the Indians how far it was to the sea. But it was too far for the bold leader. A fever seized him, and after a few days he died. At dead of night his companions buried him in the bosom of the great river he had discovered.

=20. Only Half the Army Returns to Cuba.= There were bold leaders still left in the army. They turned westward again, but after finding neither gold nor silver, they returned to the Mississippi and spent the winter on its banks. There they built boats, and then floated down to the Gulf. Only one half of the army returned to tell the sad tales of hardships, battles, and poverty.

[Sidenote: =What Coronado and De Soto proved to the King of Spain=]

Thus it came about that Coronado and De Soto proved that northward from Mexico there were no rich cities, such as Columbus had dreamed about, and such as Cortés and Pizarro had really found. Hence it was that the King of Spain and his brave adventurers took less interest in that part of North America which is now the United States, and more in Mexico and in South America.

MAGELLAN, WHO PROVED THAT THE WORLD IS ROUND

=21. Magellan's Task.= Columbus died believing that he had discovered a part of India. But he had not proved that the earth is round by sailing around it. This great task was left for Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese sailor. Columbus' great voyage had stirred up the Portuguese. One of their boldest sailors, Vasco da Gama, had reached India in 1498 by rounding Africa, and Magellan had made voyages for seven years among the islands of the East.

[Sidenote: =Magellan, too, goes to Spain=]

After returning to Portugal, Magellan sought the king's aid, but without success; then, like Columbus, he went to Spain, and in less than two years his fleet of five vessels sailed for the coast of South America (1519). Severe storms tossed the vessels about for nearly a month. Food and water grew scarce. The sailors threatened to kill Magellan, but the brave captain, like Columbus, kept boldly on until he reached cold and stormy Patagonia.

[Sidenote: =His sailors rebel=]

It was Easter time, and the long, hard winter was already setting in. Finding a safe harbor and plenty of fish, Magellan decided to winter there. But the captains of three ships refused to obey, and decided to kill Magellan and lead the fleet back to Spain. Magellan was too quick for them. He captured one of the ships, turned the cannon on the others, and soon forced them to surrender.

There were no more outbreaks that winter. One of the ships was wrecked. How glad the sailors were when, late in August, they saw the first signs of spring! But they were not so happy when Magellan commanded the ships to sail still farther south in search of a passage to the westward.

In October, his little fleet entered a wide, deep channel and found rugged, snow-clad mountains rising high on both sides of them. Many of the sailors believed they had at last found the westward passage, and that it was now time to turn homeward.

[Sidenote: =Magellan's bold resolution=]

But Magellan declared that he would "eat the leather off the ship's yards" rather than turn back. The sailors on one ship seized and bound the captain and sailed back to Spain. Magellan with but three ships sailed bravely on until a broad, quiet ocean broke upon his sight. He wept for joy, for he believed that now the western route to India had indeed been found. This new ocean, so calm, so smooth and peaceful, he named the Pacific, and all the world now calls the channel he discovered the Strait of Magellan.

[Sidenote: =The first voyage across the Pacific begins=]

No man had yet sailed across the Pacific, and no man knew the distance. Magellan was as bold a sailor as ever sailed the main, and he had brave men with him. In November (1520) the three little ships boldly turned their prows toward India. On and on they sailed. Many of the crew, as they looked out upon a little island, saw land for the last time. Many thousand miles had yet to be sailed before land would again be seen. After long weeks their food supply gave out and starvation stared them in the face. Many grew sick and died. The others had to eat leather taken from the ship's yards like so many hungry beasts.

How big the world seemed to these poor, starving sailors! But the captain never lost courage. Finally they beheld land. It was the group of islands now known as the Marianas (Ladrones). Here the sailors rested and feasted to their hearts' content.

[Sidenote: =Visits the Philippines=]

Then Magellan pressed on to another group of islands which were afterwards called the Philippines, from King Philip of Spain.

[Sidenote: =Magellan loses his life for his men=]

Here in a battle with the inhabitants, while bravely defending his sailors, Magellan was killed. Their great commander was gone and they were still far from Spain. Sadly his sailors continued the voyage, but only one of the vessels, with about twenty men, ever reached home to tell the story of that wonderful first voyage around the world.

[Sidenote: =What the voyage proved=]

Thus Magellan proved that Columbus was right in thinking the world round and that India could be reached by sailing west, while other men like Cortés and Pizarro found rich cities like those Columbus had dreamed of finding.

SUGGESTIONS INTENDED TO HELP THE PUPIL

=The Leading Facts.= _1._ Columbus was born near the shores of the Mediterranean and trained for the sea by study and by experience. _2._ The people of Europe traded with the Far East, but the Turks destroyed their trade routes. _3._ Columbus was drawn to Portugal because of Prince Henry's great work. _4._ Columbus thought he could reach the rich cities of the East by sailing west. _5._ After many discouragements he won aid from Isabella and discovered the Bahama Islands, Cuba, and Haiti. _6._ The king and queen of Spain received Columbus with great ceremony. _7._ Columbus made three more voyages, but was disappointed in not finding the rich cities of India. _8._ Ponce de Leon sailed from Porto Rico to find a land of which strange stories had been told of riches and of a fountain of eternal youth. _9._ He reached Florida on Easter Sunday, 1513. _10._ Eight years later he returned to found a settlement. _11._ He was attacked by the Indians, wounded, and forced to return to Porto Rico, where he died of his wounds. _12._ His is the distinction of being the first white man to plant a settlement in the United States after the discovery of America by Columbus. _13._ Cortés marched against a rich city, afterward called Mexico, captured the ruler, and fought great battles with the people. _14._ Cortés captured the city and ruled it for several years. _15._ From this time on Mexico gradually filled with Spanish settlers. _16._ Pizarro invaded Peru, the richest of all countries, and captured and put to death the ruler. _17._ Pizarro was killed by his own men. _18._ Coronado marched north from Mexico into Arizona and New Mexico, but found no rich cities. _19._ He wandered into the great prairies and the rocky country of Colorado but finally turned back in disappointment. _20._ De Soto wandered over the country east of the Rocky Mountains in search of rich cities, but found a great river, the Mississippi, and later was buried in its waters. _21._ Hence the Spaniards, eager for gold, went to Mexico and South America rather than farther to the north. _22._ Columbus thought the world was round, but Magellan proved it. _23._ Magellan sailed around South America into the Pacific Ocean, and across this new sea to the Philippine Islands, where he was killed. _24._ His ship reached Spain--the first to sail around the world.

=Study Questions.= _1._ Make a list of articles which the caravans (camels and horses) of the East brought to the Black Sea. _2._ What studies fitted Columbus for the sea? _3._ Why were there so many sailors in Lisbon? _4._ How did Columbus get his idea of the earth's shape? _5._ What did men in Portugal and Spain think of this idea? _6._ Tell the story of Columbus in Spain. _7._ What is the meaning of the vow taken by him? _8._ Make a picture in your mind of the first voyage of Columbus. Read the poem "Columbus," by Joaquin Miller. _9._ Shut your eyes and imagine you see Columbus land and take possession of the country. _10._ Why was Columbus so disappointed? _11._ How did the people of Palos act when Columbus returned? _12._ Picture the reception of Columbus by the people, and by the king and queen. _13._ Why was Columbus disappointed in the second expedition? _14._ What did Columbus believe he had accomplished? _15._ What had he failed to do that he hoped to do? _16._ Why did Ponce de Leon go in search of the new land? _17._ What was the strange tradition about the country? _18._ What did Ponce de Leon set out to do on his second trip? _19._ Did he succeed? _20._ What is his distinction? _21._ Why did Cortés sink his ships? _22._ How were Spaniards armed and how were Indians armed? _23._ Describe the city of Mexico. _24._ Who began the war, and what does that show about the Spaniards? _25._ How did Cortés get more soldiers? _26._ How did the people and king receive Cortés in Spain? _27._ How was he treated on his return to Mexico? _28._ What did Pizarro find in Peru? _29._ How did he treat the Inca? _30._ What was Pizarro's fate? _31._ What was Coronado searching for, and why were the Spaniards disappointed? _32._ What things did the Spaniards see that they never before had seen? _33._ What report did Coronado make? _34._ Why were De Soto's Indian guides false? _35._ Show that De Soto was a brave man. _36._ How far north did the Spaniards go both east and west of the Mississippi? _37._ Tell the story of De Soto's death and burial. _38._ What proof can you give to show that the Spaniards were more cruel than necessary? _39._ What part of the problem of Columbus did Magellan solve? _40._ What was Magellan's preparation? _41._ Where is Patagonia, and how could there be signs of spring late in August? _42._ What did Magellan's voyage prove, and what remained of Columbus' plans yet to be accomplished? _43._ Who accomplished this?

=Suggested Readings.= COLUMBUS: Hart, _Colonial Children_, 4-6; Pratt, _Exploration and Discovery_, 17-32; Wright, _Children's Stories in American History_, 38-60; Higginson, _American Explorers_, 19-52; Glascock, _Stories of Columbia_, 10-35; McMurry, _Pioneers on Land and Sea_, 122-160; Brooks, _The True Story of Christopher Columbus_, 1-103, 112-172.

PONCE DE LEON: Pratt, _Explorations and Discoveries_, 17-23.

CORTÉS: McMurry, _Pioneers on Land and Sea_, 186-225; Hale, _Stories of Adventure_, 101-126; Ober, _Hernando Cortés_, 24-80, 82-291.

PIZARRO: Hart, _Colonial Children_, 12-16: Towle, _Pizarro_, 27-327.

CORONADO: Griffis, _Romance of Discovery_, 168-182; Hale, _Stories of Adventure_, 136-140.

DE SOTO: Hart, _Colonial Children_, 16-19; Higginson, _American Explorers_, 121-140.

MAGELLAN: McMurry, _Pioneers on Land and Sea_, 186-225; Butterworth, _Story of Magellan_, 52-143; Ober, _Ferdinand Magellan_, 108-244.

THE MEN WHO MADE AMERICA KNOWN TO ENGLAND AND WHO CHECKED THE PROGRESS OF SPAIN

JOHN CABOT ALSO SEARCHES FOR A SHORTER ROUTE TO INDIA AND FINDS THE MAINLAND OF NORTH AMERICA

[Sidenote: =The effect in England of Columbus' discovery=]

=22. Cabot's Voyages.= When the news of Columbus' great discovery reached England, the king was sorry, no doubt, that he had not helped him. The story is that Columbus had gone to Henry VII, King of England, for aid to make his voyage. But England had a brave sailor of her own, John Cabot, an Italian, born in Columbus' own town of Genoa, who also had learned his lessons in voyages on the Mediterranean. Cabot had gone to live in the old town of Venice. Afterward he made England his home and lived in the old seaport town of Bristol, the home of many English sailors.

He, too, believed the world to be round, and that India could be reached by sailing westward. King Henry VII gave Cabot permission to try, providing he would give the king one fifth of all the gold and silver which everybody believed he would find in India.

[Sidenote: =What John Cabot discovered=]

Accordingly, John Cabot, and it may be his son, Sebastian, set out on a voyage in May, 1497. After many weeks, Cabot discovered land, now supposed to be either a part of Labrador or of Cape Breton Island. He landed and planted the flag of England, and by its side set up that of Venice, which had been his early home.

Later, he probably saw parts of Newfoundland, but nowhere did he see a single inhabitant. He did, however, find signs that the country was inhabited, but he found no proof of rich cities or of gold and silver. In the seas all around Cabot saw such vast swarms of fish that he told the people of England they would not need to go any more to cold and snowy Iceland to catch fish.

[Sidenote: =The king and people pay honor to Cabot=]

How John Cabot was treated by the king and people of England when he came back is seen in an old letter written from England by a citizen of Venice to his friends at home. "The king has promised that in the spring our countryman shall have ten ships, armed to his order. The king has also given him money wherewith to amuse himself till then, and he is now at Bristol with his wife, who is also a Venetian, and with his sons. His name is John Cabot, and he is called the great admiral. Vast honor is paid to him; he dresses in silk, and the English run after him like mad people, so that he can enlist as many of them as he pleases, and a number of our own rogues besides. The discoverer of these places planted on his new-found land a large cross, with one flag of England and another of St. Mark, by reason of his being a Venetian."

[Sidenote: =Cabot's second voyage=]

Again, in May, 1498, John Cabot started for India by sailing toward the northwest. This time the fleet was larger, and filled with eager English sailors. But Cabot could not find a way to India, so he altered his course and coasted southward as far as the region now called North Carolina.

Now because of these two voyages of Cabot, England later claimed a large part of North America, for he had really seen the mainland of America before Columbus. Spain also claimed the same region, but we have seen how Mexico and Peru drew Spaniards to those countries.

[Sidenote: =Why England was slow in settling America=]

If England had been quick to act and had made settlements where Cabot explored, she would have had little trouble in getting a hold in North America. But she did not do so. Henry VII was old and stingy. Cabot had twice failed to find India with its treasures of gold and silver, so little attention was given to the new lands.

SIR FRANCIS DRAKE, THE ENGLISH "DRAGON," WHO SAILED THE SPANISH MAIN AND WHO "SINGED THE KING OF SPAIN'S BEARD"

=23. The Quarrel between Spain and England.= After John Cabot failed to find a new way to India, King Henry did nothing more to help English discovery. His son, Henry VIII, got into a great quarrel with the King of Spain. He was too busy with this quarrel to think much about America. But during this very time, Cortés and Pizarro were doing their wonderful deeds. Spain grew bold, seized English seamen, threw them into dungeons, and even burned them at the stake. Englishmen robbed Spanish ships and killed Spanish sailors in revenge.

[Sidenote: =Their sailors take up the quarrel=]

[Sidenote: =Why Drake hated the Spaniards=]

=24. Sir Francis Drake.= A most daring English seaman was Sir Francis Drake. From boyhood days he had been a sailor. His cousin, Captain Hawkins, gave him command of a ship against Mexico, but the Spaniards fell upon it, killed many of the sailors, and took all they had. Drake came back ruined, and eager to take revenge. Besides, he hated the Spaniards because he thought they were plotting to kill Elizabeth, the Queen of England.

In 1573 Drake returned to England with his ship loaded with gold and precious stones, captured from the Spaniards on the Isthmus of Panama.

[Sidenote: =Begins his most famous voyage=]

=25. Drake's Voyage around the World.= After four years Drake, with four small but fast vessels, sailed direct for the Strait of Magellan. He was determined to sail the Pacific, which he had seen while on the Isthmus of Panama. In June his fleet entered the harbor of Patagonia where Magellan had spent the winter more than fifty years before.

After destroying his smallest vessel, which was leaky, Drake sailed to the entrance of the Strait. Here he changed the name of his ship from the _Pelican_ to the _Golden Hind_, with ceremonies fitting the occasion.

The fleet passed safely through the Strait, but as it sailed out into the Pacific a terrible storm scattered the ships. One went down, and one returned to England, believing that Drake's ship, the _Golden Hind_, had been destroyed.

But Drake had a bold heart, good sailors, and a stout ship. After the storm he sailed north to Valparaiso, where his men saw the first great treasure ship. The Spanish sailors jumped overboard, and left four hundred pounds of gold to Drake and his men. Week after week Drake sailed northward until he reached Peru, the land conquered by Pizarro.

[Sidenote: =Capturing treasure ships on the Pacific coast=]

Another great treasure ship had just sailed for Panama. Away sped the _Golden Hind_ in swift pursuit. For a thousand miles, day and night, the chase went on. One evening, just at dark, the little ship rushed upon the great vessel, and captured her. What a rich haul! More than twenty tons of silver bars, thirteen chests of silver coin, one hundredweight of gold, besides a great store of precious stones.

[Sidenote: =The "Golden Hind" winters in California=]