April 30, 1492.

[Footnote 10: This crediting the unknown ruler with an anxiety for the
welfare of the Spanish sovereigns is really a delicious piece of
diplomatic affectation.]

COLUMBUS GOES TO PALOS.

Armed with these royal commissions, Columbus left the court for Palos; and
we may be sure that the knot of friends at the monastery were sufficiently
demonstrative in their delight at the scheme on which they had pinned
their faith being fairly launched. There was no delay in furnishing the
funds for the expedition. From an entry in an account-book belonging to
the Bishopric of Palencia, it appears that one million one hundred and
forty thousand maravedis were advanced by Santangel in May, 1492, "being
the sum he lent for paying the caravels which their highnesses ordered to
go as the armada to the Indies, and for paying Christopher Columbus, who
goes in the said armada." The town of Palos was ordered to provide two
vessels.[11]

[Footnote 11: The requisition to the municipality of Palos runs thus:
"In consequence of the offence which we received at your hands, you were
condemned by our council to render us the service of two caravels,
armed, at your own expense, for the space of twelve months, whenever and
wherever it should be our pleasure to demand the same:" (30th April,
1492.) A proclamation of immunity from civil and criminal process to
persons taking service in the expedition was issued at the same time.
The ship of Columbus was, therefore, a refuge for criminals and runaway
debtors, a cave of Adullam for the discontented and the desperate. To
have to deal with such a community was not of the least of Columbus's
difficulties.]

ORDER TO PRESS MEN.

But there was still a weighty difficulty to be surmounted. It was no easy
matter to obtain crews for such an expedition. The sovereigns issued an
order authorizing Columbus to press men into the service, but still the
numbers were incomplete, for the mariners of Palos held aloof, unwilling
to risk their lives in what seemed to them the crazy project of a
monomaniac. But Juan Perez was active in persuading men to embark. The
Pinzons, rich men and skilful mariners of Palos, joined in the undertaking
personally, and aided it with their money, and, by these united exertions,
three vessels were manned with ninety mariners, and provisioned for a
year.

CHARACTER OF VESSELS AND CREWS.

The vessels were all of small size, pro