She must not let slip this chance of enriching
the king--_and_ converting the khan. I will myself lend the money
necessary, if the king can't afford it." Said Isabella to St. Angel:
"I think as you do. This is a wonderful plan. Let them say what they
will, by my own right I am queen of Castile, as well as queen of
Spain, and I pledge the crown of Castile to raise for Cristoforo
Colombo a suitable equipment to sail to the Indies by the west. Let
him make his own terms."
42. At last the fretting applications, the repeated explanations, the
harrowing suspense, the long restriction are over, and the strong
wings of the sea-bird are free to bear away over the Atlantic.
THE VOYAGE.
43. At Palos, in Southern Spain, three small ships were provided. One,
the Santa Maria, in which Columbus was to sail, was fully decked; the
other two--the Pinta and the Nina--had decks and cabins only at the
ends. As for crews, to secure them was no easy matter. Not many
sailors cared to trust themselves upon that unknown "Sea of Darkness.
" Not many believed in this story of a western route to Asia.
44. A few, with visions of the Grand Khan's palaces and the marvelous
sights of the East, would go for adventure's sake, and risk the
mystery between. A few, thinking of the "great hills of gold," would
risk the danger of tumbling into hell midway for the chance of getting
safely across to the land of treasure.
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