Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-04
CHAPTER ".

1
Late one afternoon, toward the close o.
the year 1485, man of middle age and q
little boy were walking wearily along tn e
lonely road that led from Paios, small sea
port in Adalusia, Spain. to the franciscan
! Convent of La Rabida, that is hard BY. The
travellers were dusty and tired. They had
| come long distance, and the condition o
their clothing and their shoes showed their
poverty. The man was sad and thoug httul
and walked as if heavily burdened, al
though he carried only staff in his hand.
The boy was more lively, and seemed to
take an interest in what was about him.
Now he would skip about in the grass by
the roadside, and again he would trudge
along sedately, holding the hand ofhis elder
companion.
Thus Christopher Columbus and his son
Diego were making their way into Spain.
1t had been year since they had left
Portugal, and that time they had spent in
Genoa Now they were going to the home
of q relative who would take care of Diego
while his father was besieging kings to help
him on toward his discoveries.
La Rabida was only half league distant
from Palos. Situated on a hill it COM
manded sight of the sea as faras the eye
could reach to the south and to the north
was the broad and fer tile plain stretching
miles and miles away. A few trees and q
vineyard were near it, and there was re-
freshing air of GOODNESS and comfort i'll its
white walls.
A long silence between the two travellers
was broken by the younger. His complaint
was the not uncommon one with healthtul
boys.
i'Father I'm hungry" he said. "Have
you bit of bread in your waIlet?"
"No, my son." answered the other.
''There is nothing lett. But perhaps we
may be able to find food and shelter in
yonder monastery"
The boy who had heard with dismay that
the wallet was empty frightened at the
suggestion that relief might be at hand and
exclaimed:
"Why, of course the good fathers of the
monastery will be glad to do that for US
when you tell them who you are and what
great thipgs you are going to do some day. "
At this display of youthful confidence q
sad smile played across the face Of the
father as he answered.
"Ah, nv boy, happy are you that have
not yet learned by bitter experience to dis
trust all men. But we will try what the
monastery may do for US" And he added
bitterly, sat least crust of bread and a
cup of water"
The two walked on in silence again until
| they reached the monastery door. There
| they dropped upon the stone seat and were
| refreshed by the shade and the salt sea-
breeze blowing over the hiIltops The boy,
| inpatient rang the bell, and when the
porter appeared the father humbly made
his request. The dignifed appearance and
the refined speech Of the man impressed
the porter, who retired and presently re-
turned with the guardian of the convent.
Thus Father Juan Perez de Marchena and
Christopher Columbus met. Neither even
dreamed of it at the time, but this was the
turning point in the career of the great eX-
plorer. There were, indeed, many toll
some and discouraging years yet before
him, but success was now at his hand, al
though he knew it not
The good father promptly relieved the
wants of the wayfarers and drew the elder
Columbus into conversation as they sat at
the table over q meal of bread and cheese,
fruit, salad and bottle of wine. What he
learned about the career and the ambitions of
Columbus first surprised and then interested
him. From that time on he was one of Co.
lumbus' most devoted and most influential
supporters.
For several months Columbus remained q
guest at the convent. He unfolded his
plans to Father Perez and other members of
the community and to the mariners and
rich merchants of the neighborhood who
were called in consultation. All warmly
approved his scheme, and, early in 1446,
leaving his son Diego in charge of the
friars, he turned toward Cordova, where the
King and Queen of Spain then lived.
Father Perez had once been the contessor
and was still the trusted adviser of Queen
Isabella From him Columbus had letters
to Her Majesty, to the Queens confessor
and to influential members of the royal
court ''Surely now 1 cannot fall" he
thought to himself as he started on this
journey.
But the moment was not favorable. Spain
was disturbed by plague, by religious
troubles and by poverty, and was waging q
terrible war against the Moors. The 1.-TWO
Kings" as Ferdinand and Isabella were
called, had neither the time nor the means
to devote to hazardous scheme of explora-
tion. And so Columbus, although he was
not turned away, was compelled to wait.
Meanwhile, however, he was cared for. He
made new friends at court, and there Is
evidence that money was paid to him from
time to time from the royal treasury. But
he was still poor, so poor. indeed, that he
was called "the stranger with the thread
bare cloak" and he had to earn mpney at
his old employment of map making. While
in Cordova he married Beatriz Enriquez, a
Spanish lady of good family, by whom h
had one son, Fernando who atterward be-
came his fathers historian.
In the latter part OF the year 1886 he was
given audience by the court at Salamanca.
The story about the council of learned men
before whom he appeared is not now re-
garded as true. But it is known that
Ferdinand and Isabella listened to him,
that the advisers of the court were con-
suited, that nearly all the priests and
bishops denounced him and that he mar
rowly escaped the tortures of the 1nquisi-
tion because, as it was declared, his geo.
graphical views contradicted the Bible.
Only through the influence of friend at
court did he escape that fate.
The demands of war and the wiles of
those who discredited him prevailed and
again he was doomed to disappointment.
Still the sovereigns did not permit him to
leave Spain. 1t is evident that they were
not wholly indisposed to help him some
time when they should be less engaged in
more urgent affairs. So Columbus still in
hopes followed the court to Malaga, Sara
gossa, Valladolid, Medina de Campo and
elsewhere, as the war compelled it to move
about He sometimes served rs soldier in
the ranks, again made maps and charts and
again lived on money advanced to him by