CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS STORRY When Christopher Columbus was a little boy, he climbed up the rock by himself. He sat dawn and looked around. He saw houses below him. He saw all of the city of Genoa. He saw ships and the wide blue sea. The ships had yellow sails and orange sails. Christopher liked ships. He saw men working with the sails. The sailors looked very small from the top of the rock. A ship moved away. The wind blew against its orange sails. That made the ship move faster. The wind blew Christopher’s red hair. He liked the wind .he liked the sea. I am going to be a sailor, Christopher thought. I want to go to sea. I wan to sail far away. Christopher knew it would not be easy for him to go to sea. His father was not a sailor. He was a weaver. He made cloth. And in Genoa, 500 years ago, a boy learned his father’s work. Christopher did not go to school. He helped his father with his work. He was learning to be a waver. Christopher had good times, too his father liked to fish. Some days he took his two sons fishing in his boat. They rowed by the big ships. Sometimes sailors in the big shops waved at the to boys .after they passed the ships, Christopher’s father put up a sail. Sailing was faster than rowing. Soon they were far out to sea. When Christopher was older, he could sail the little boat himself. “I like to sail a boat,” he said. “I would like to learn to be a sailor.” “You must learn to be a weaver,” his father said. Christopher learned to wash wool. He learned to spin wool in to thread. But he still wanted to be a sailor. One day he met a ship’s captain. “Please, sir,” he said “will you take me for a shop’s boy?” the captain looked at Christopher they was tall. He looked strong. “We sail early in the morning,” the captain said. “The work is hard” Christopher ran home. “I like the sea and the ships, father” he said “May I go?” his father was said, “You may go, my boy.” At last Christopher was going to sea. Before the sun came up the next morning the ship sailed way. Every day Christopher worked hard. He washed dishes. He washed the deck. He did everything the captain told him to do every day he watched the sky. He learned the names of stars and where to find them in the sky. I am learning to be a sailor, he though. I must remember everything. The captain saw that Christopher did everything he was told. The saw that the boy wanted to learn. He took Christopher to sea with him again and again. As the years went by Christopher learned to climb up high and work the sails like a man. He learned what to do in a storm. A ship was like home to him. Young Columbus sailed the sea to the south, to the east, and to the north he saw many cities. Then he wants on a ship that sailed into the great ocean. Now I am a real sailor, the thought. After that Columbus sailed south and north on the ocean. But sailors did not sail very far west on the ocean. Men were afraid to sail very far from land .there was enough danger on the ocean not very far from land. Once Columbus was in great danger. His ship wants down to the bottom of the ocean. Many sailors died. But Columbus could swim. He saw some wood in the water. He held on to it and swam to land. The land Columbus came to was called Portugal. His brother lived in Portugal; Columbus’ brother lived in the biggest city in Portugal. He worked at making maps and selling them. Columbus worked with his brother. He learned to red an write and to make maps. He learned to read maps other men made. He read books and talked with men who knew May things. Columbus liked this. He wished he could know about the whole world. Columbus married a lady of Portugal. Her name was Felipe. Her father had been a friend of the king. Felipe had a room full of her father’s fine books and maps. Columbus looked at the maps. He read the books. He read the books. He read about a place called the India. The Far East had gold, jewels and spices the people wanted. Columbus talked to other man about the Indies. The sailors of Portugal were great seamen. For a long time they had been trying to reach the Far East by sailing south around Africa. They wanted to find a way by water. It took a long time and cost more to go by land than by water. Men were often killed by bandits when they went by land to the Far East. The sailors of Portugal looked for a better way to get to Indies and the gold and jewels and spices. Columbus sailed many times from Portugal. He sailed south and north. He listened to sailors talk. He thought about what they said. After a time Columbus thought there was a better way to get to the Indies then by sailing around, if a shop kept on sailing west, it would get to the East. Columbus needed ships and sailors and sailors to try out his plan. He did not have the money to build ships and to pay sailors. So he went to the king o f Portugal. He asked the king to pay for the shops and men he needed to sail west to the Indies. “Sir,” Columbus said, “I will find new lands and great riches for you.” But the king would not help Columbus. The king did not believe in his plan. The king of Portugal laughed at Columbus and his plan. He went away sadly. After a time, Columbus left Portugal. There was nothing to stay for. The king laughed at him, and Felipe had died. Columbus took his little son and went to Spain from the ship they went to a monastery. The good fathers at the monastery kept the little boy. They would feed him and give him a place to sleep. They would teach him to read and write. The fathers helped Columbus too they helped him to meet a man who said he would take him to queen of spin. The queen wanted to make Spain a great and rich country. Maybe she would give Columbus the ships and men he needed. But the king and queen of Spain were fighting a war. They were with the army, far away. It was as long time before Columbus saw the queen. When at last Columbus did see the queen, he told her about his plan to sail west to the Indies. The queen asked her wise men what to do. The wise men thought and talked for a long time. Then they told the queen not to give Columbus the ships and man. The plan was not a good one, the wise men said. The ocean was much bigger than Columbus thought. The ships would never be able to come back to Spain. But Columbus knew he could do what he said. And the queen seemed to believe he said. And the queen seemed to believe in him and his plan. “We have no money for ships now” she said “come back when the war is over” she said. “Come back when the war is over.” Columbus waited for years. Then as he was about to go to another country to ask for help, the queen sent for him. The war was over. “I will pay for your ships, Columbus” said the queen “I will sell my jewels if I have to.” at last! Columbus could hardly believe it. But he hurried to get ships and men. On the third day of August, 1492, three ships were ready. Columbus stood on the deck of the biggest ship. He looked proud and handsome his red hair was white now. He was forty years old by that time. Columbus gave the word, and soon the ships were moving. People in shore watched as the ships sailed down the wide river to the ocean. For weeks the ships on and on, where no one had sailed before. The men had not seen land for a long time. The weather was good. The wind filled the sails and made the ships go fast. But as more weeks passed, and they saw nothing but water and sea birds. Columbus stood on deck looking to the west. He was still sure he would reach the Indies. He tried to cheer his men by telling them of the riches they would have. But the sailors were afraid. They said: “we have seen no land for many weeks. But we keep on sailing west” “every day Spain is farther away!” “We should make Columbus turn back or throw him in the ocean!” on the ninth day of October the men talked to Columbus “we must turn around and go home!” they said. Columbus said, “If we do not see land in three days, will turn back.” The next day sailors saw land birds flying near the ship. In the water they saw branches of trees with green leaves. Land must be near! Early in the morning of October 12, 1492 the lookout shouted, “Land! Land!” Everyone ran to see if it was true. They saw land. Columbus was full of joy. He put on his best clothes and went ashore. He knelt down and thanked God for bringing them safely to land. Then he planted the flag of Spain. People with brown skins came to see Columbus. He called them Indians. He thought he had come to the Indies. He did not know he had come to the Indies. He did not know he had come to a new land. It was a land that people to the east did not even know about. It was a new world. Now each year, every October 12 is a holiday. On that day people honor who discovered America. (Christopher Columbus).
Posted on: Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:50:29 +0000
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