Produced by Tonya Allen, Charles Franks

and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.

TRUE STORIES OF GREAT AMERICANS

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
BY
MILDRED STAPLEY

Whatever can be known of earth we know,
Sneered Europe's wise men, in their snail shells curled;
No! said one man in Genoa, and that No
Out of the dark created the New World.

—JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I COLUMBUS BEFRIENDED BY ROYALTY