When the English were at war with the Zulus in South Africa, a French prince, named Louis Napoleon, enlisted, and one morning was riding outside the camp with a small company of soldiers. All about them in the open country they saw the Zulus. One of his friends said: “Louis, we had better go back to camp. We are in great danger here. The Zulus may come upon us any minute and kill us.” “Oh, no danger,” said the Prince, “let us stay here just ten minutes more, and drink our coffee.” During that ten minutes the Zulus came upon them, and in the skirmish the Prince lost his life. When the news of his death was telegraphed to his widowed mother in London, England, she said: “That was always Louis’ way. When he was a little boy he was never ready on time. He was always saying, ‘Just ten minutes more.’ Sometimes when I called him in the morning and he was too sleepy to speak he would lift his hands and spread out his ten fingers to show that he wanted ten minutes more. I used to call him ‘Little Ten Minutes.’ Those ten minutes have lost me my boy, and my boy his life. His fault has become his fate!”

IX
AMERICAN HISTORICAL STORIES

(Adapted for Children, Six to Twelve Years.)

1. HOW AMERICA WAS FOUND

Christopher Columbus was a poor sailor, who believed that the earth was round like an orange. Very few people would believe him because almost everybody living then thought that the earth was flat. Some men supposed that this big, flat earth was carried upon the back of a great elephant or on the shoulders of a large giant. As the ships of those days were small, and the sailors were superstitious and afraid of the unknown sea, few mariners had ever sailed far out upon the ocean. Should one try, they thought he would sail off the edge of the earth.

Columbus said: “Give me money to buy ships, and I will prove the earth is round by sailing around it, just as a fly can walk around an orange.” This seemed too funny for any one to believe. Even the little children pointed the finger at this sailor and called him crazy. No one would help him get ships. At last Isabella, Queen of Spain, said, “Here are my jewels! Sell them and sail your ships.” So Columbus set sail with these ships on Friday, August 3, 1492, from Spain, with one hundred and twenty persons on board. They sailed westward for many days, and the sailors became frightened at the thought of their distance from home. At last they said they would throw Columbus overboard if he did not take them back. He promised if they did not see land in three days he would return. During those three days they could plainly see signs of land. Birds came and rested on the masts; fresh-water weeds, berry-bushes, and large branches of trees floated by; and the sailors had great fun in netting crabs and other shell-fish in the seaweed. But on the last night, as Columbus with longing eyes was peering through the darkness, suddenly his heart gave a quick jump, for he saw a light in the distance that appeared too bright and low to be a star. It danced up and down as if a person carried it in his hand while running. Just at daybreak some one cried, “Land! Land!” Then a cannon from the first ship boomed across the sea, which was the signal that land was found. The sailors saw a beautiful green island. There were hundreds of men running to the shore and throwing up their arms in fear. They had never seen a ship before. Some thought they were great birds with white wings. Others thought the Great Spirit had come. Columbus put on his rich, scarlet robes, and taking the royal banner of Spain in his hands, ordered the sailors to row him in a little boat to the shore. As soon as they reached land, Columbus and his men fell on their knees, kissed the ground, and sang praise to God. Columbus thought he had reached India, so he called the copper-colored men, with their straight black hair, Indians. This is the name still given to the natives of North America.

2. HOW AMERICA WAS NAMED

Does it not seem strange that this island should be called “America,” instead of “Columbia,” when Columbus discovered it? After all he had done it would have seemed only fair to have had his name remembered in the name of the country. But many men were jealous of him, and a few years later, when he returned to the island, he was seized, bound in chains, carried to the ship, and returned at once to Spain. Isabella was dead, and King Ferdinand did nothing to help him. So Columbus, already an aged man, lived the rest of his days in poverty, and died broken-hearted. Meanwhile another sailor and traveler, named Americus Vespucius, made a voyage across the ocean. When he returned he talked much of what he had seen, and wrote several books of his travels. These books were read by some students of geography in the monastery of St. Die. When one of these scholars wrote another book describing these travels, he said the New World should be called “America” in honor of Americus Vespucius, honestly believing him to have been the first discoverer. It does not seem that Americus was guilty of making a false claim, or that he wanted to deprive Columbus of his honor. Had he not written his books of travel his memory would have faded away, as has happened to many who were mightier in deed than they were with the pen. Columbus died before the book from St. Die was published. Vespucius died six years after. Both believed that the new country was a part of the Indies. Very likely Americus never heard of Waldseemüller, the obscure geographer in the monastery of St. Die, who had, unintentionally, robbed Columbus of part of the glory of his discovery and had given the new world the name of “America” instead of “Columbia.”