on anchoring there a multitude of people flocked to the beach, all
dark and naked, only covered with cloths half way down the thigh, with
which they concealed their nakedness. All were much amazed at seeing what
they had never before seen. When news was taken to the King he also came
to look at the ships, for all the wonder was at seeing so many ropes and
so many sails, and because the ships arrived when the sun was almost set;
and at night they lowered out the boats, and Vasco da Gama went at once
for his brother and Nicolas Coelho, and they remained together conversing
upon the method of dealing with this King, since here was the principal
end which they had come to seek; it seemed to him that it would be best
to comport himself as an ambassador, and to make him his present, always
saying that they had been separated from another fleet which they came
to seek for there, and that the captain-major had come and brought him
letters from the King.

This they agreed upon together, and that Vasco da Gama should go on shore
with that message sent by the captain-major, who carried the standard at
the peak; they also talked of the manner in which these things were to be
spoken of. When all was well decided upon, Nicolas Coelho returned to the
ship, and Vasco da Gama remained with his brother talking with the Moor
Taibo (the broker), who told him not to go on shore without hostages;
that such was the custom of men who newly arrived at the country; and
the Moor said that this King of Calicut was the greatest king of all the
coast of India, and on that account was very vain, and he was very rich
from the great trade he had in this city.

[Footnote 1: Translated from the Portuguese by Henry E. J. Stanley.]

[Footnote 2: Herodotus tells us that Phoenicians rounded this cape as
early as B.C. 605.]

COLUMBUS DISCOVERS SOUTH AMERICA

A.D. 1498

CLEMENTS ROBERT MARKHAM

On September 25, 1493, Columbus sailed from Palos and began his second
voyage of discovery. He had seventeen vessels and about fifteen hundred
men. In November he discovered Dominica in the West Indies. Arriving at
La Navidad, Espanola (Haiti), he found that the colony which he had left
there on returning from his first visit had been killed by the Indians.
At a point farther east he founded Isabella, the first European town in
the New World.

In April, 1594, he, sailed westward and along the south shore of Cuba,
which he mistook for a peninsula of Asia.