CHAPTER I
HOW IT ALL STARTED
THE lure of gold and the lust of empire; these were the impelling motives that sent three small ships across the Atlantic to seek out India’s wealth, and to add 1 her rich domain to the Spanish crown. Christopher Columbus wanted gold and glory. Spain wanted expansion of empire and added world power. The fulfillment of these desires was committed to the hazard of a daring voyage over an unknown sea.
In this age of worldwide geographic knowledge, with innumerable modern ships sailing the seven seas along well-charted paths, it is difficult mentally to picture the extraordinary conditions under which that memorable voyage was made in 1492.
A small, flat world, and a central sea; that was the popular geographic belief that accompanied the rise and fall of nations down through the centuries to the end of the mighty civilizations of Greece and Rome.
The Mediterranean and its neighboring lands; that
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