ade their way slowly along the shore their eyes rested for the
first time, and unconsciously, on the mainland of South America. It
appeared to the explorer as a large island which he called Isla Santa.
Here oysters abounded and "very large fish, and parrots as large as
hens." Between the island and the mainland lay a narrow channel through
which flowed a mighty current. While the ships were anchoring here
a great flood of fresh water came down with a great roar, nearly
destroying the little Spanish ships and greatly alarming both Columbus
and his men. It was one of the mouths of the river Orinoco, to which
they gave the name of the Dragon's Mouth. The danger over, they sailed
on, charmed with the beautiful shores, the sight of the distant
mountains, and the sweetness of the air.

[Illustration: "THE UNROLLING OF THE CLOUDS"--IV. The world as known
at the end of the fifteenth century after the discoveries of Columbus
and his age.]

Columbus decided that this must be the centre of the earth's surface,
and with its mighty rivers surely it was none other than the earthly
Paradise with the rivers of the Garden of Eden, that "some of the
Fathers had declared to be situated in the extreme east of the Old
World, and in a region so high that the flood had not overwhelmed it."
The world then, said Columbus, could not be a perfect round, but
pear-shaped. With these conclusions he hastened across to Hayti where
his brother was ruling over the little colony in his absence. But
treachery and mutiny had been at work. Matters had gone ill with the
colony, and Columbus did not improve the situation by his presence.
He was a brilliant navigator, but no statesman. Complaints reached
Spain, and a Spaniard was sent out to replace Columbus. This
high-handed official at once put the poor navigator in chains and
placed him on board a ship bound for Spain. Queen Isabella was
overwhelmed with grief when the snowy-haired explorer once again stood
before her, his face lined with suffering. He was restored to royal
favour and provided with ships to sail forth on his fourth and last
voyage. But his hardships and perils had told upon him, and he was
not really fit to undertake the long voyage to the Indies. However,
he arrived safely off the coast of Honduras and searched for the straits
that he felt sure existed, but which were not to be found till some
eighteen years later by Magellan. The natives brought him cocoanuts,
which the Spaniards now ta