Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-02-23
1M BONhOOd @ G0llMbM8,ne-

, fleets of war, and merchant voyage meant
running the gantlet of innumerable foes.
For several years Columbus was an active
participant in this wild and adventurous ME.
While yet a young man he became captain
of a small vessel.
In this ship, under the command OF his Oh
captain the veteran Columbo, he fought DOM
Turks and Venetians, and at one time mar
rowly escaped with his life. his vessel nap
pened to take fire, and Columbus, 1orceo 10
leave it, had to swim two miles to the shore,
which he reached in an exhausted condi-
ton.
All this time he was still learning from
books. An extract from letter OF his,
written after his wonderful discoveries, gives
us a pleasant insight into his life
I'm my early youth, served on board snip,
and have kept on navigating the sea until
this day Navigation is the art which all
men pursue who wish to know the secrets of
this world. / have studied 1t much without
neglecting astronomy, geometry and arlihme-
| tic. / have hand skillful enough, and SUI
ficient knowledge to draw map of the world,
and to mark correctly its cities, mountains,
rivers, islands and harbors. In my youth
studied the books which treat OF geography,
history, philosophy and other sciences. these
were the studies which aided me in my en-
| terprises."
| So you see that not only his early seafaring
| life and the hardships he underwent, but his
| training at home and the books that he
studied, each in turn was lifting him IN mind
| the drama of discovery. -,
| At one time we find him in Portugal, with
his brother Bartholomew, supporting himself
! by drawing maps and charts. AT another
| time he has the command OF three or four
| ships, and is dispatched on separate enter
| prise against portion of the enemy's squad.
ron that had taken refuge in the harbor of
Tunis.
1t was on this occasion that he first exhib-
| tied that blending of courage, determination
and tact which was subsequently SO marked
in his voyages to the New World
His crew refused to proceed against the
enemy, and finding himself unable to COM
pei them, he yielded apparently to their wish
es, resorting to stratagem to carry out MS
purpose, by altering the point OF the COM
pass as they hoisted sail to flee away.
1t was evening, and the trick was not dis
covered till the next morning, when they
| found themselves within the Cape of Cartha-
gena, and too late to turn back then.
| 1t is unnecessary to state that tins adven-
ture was wholly successful, and that he re-
turned with the prestige of great COM
mander.
II is customary to speak of Columbus as a
dreamer and a man of thought rather than
of action, but though man of books and a
fed to deal with men than was the little
Italian boy who used to comb wool in his
fathers cottage, and whose earliest maritime
adventure was rowing the boat of a swarthy
Genoese fisherman
Just when he conceived the feasibility of
crossing the ocean is not certain, but he first
gave expression to such an idea in 1474.
| From that time forward he appears to have
| thrown all his wonderful energy into the
accomplishment of that purpose, and though
| he was forced to wait nearly twenty years.
meanwhile plodding YEARLY from court to
court, he at last entered upon that career
which was to place his name high on the roll
of the eminent men of all time.