"He had the right to do so," said Lucy, thoughtfully. "He couldn't help feeling how great he was."
"You are quite right," answered Uncle Sam, as he patted the little girl's head. "Even the steps of a brave man must be different from those of a coward. The bravery gets into them without the man's thinking about it.
"But dear me! It is getting late, and I am only half through my story. We have turned our backs on Columbus and left him alone with the Red Men quite as long as is polite. He enjoyed himself very much with them, however, and stayed several days on the island.
"Then he took to his ships once more and sailed about among the different islands which he called the Indies. He thought that the right name for them, as he still believed he was near the mainland of India.
"Each time they landed, his men kept asking the natives where gold could be found. Each time they were disappointed. But Columbus thought it must be near at hand. He never dreamed that he was still far from the land of spices and precious stones.
"At the end of twelve weeks he said, 'We ought to go back to Spain and tell what we have discovered.'
"He gathered stores of the strange fruits and grains and rich woods and packed them safely away in the ships. He also took some of the brightly-feathered birds.
"He left a part of the sailors on one of the islands. They were to make a settlement. Then they would have a home ready for Columbus when he should come again with more of their people.
"When he had chosen some of the Indians to go back with him, all was ready and he began to cross the great ocean once more."