the queen became still more interested. She ordered Columbus to come and
see her, and sent him sixty-five dollars to pay for a mule, a new suit
of clothes and the journey to court.

About Christmas time, in the year 1491, Columbus, mounted upon his mule,
rode into the Spanish camp before the city of Granada. But even now,
when he had been told to come, he had to wait. Granada was almost
captured; the Moors were almost conquered. At last the end came. On
the second of January, 1492, the Moorish king gave up the keys of his
beloved city, and the great Spanish banner was hoisted on the highest
tower of the Alhambra--the handsomest building in Granada and one of
the most beautiful in the world. The Moors were driven out of Spain and
Columbus's chance had come.

So he appeared before Queen Isabella and her chief men and told them
again of all his plans and desires. The queen and her advisers sat in a
great room in that splendid Alhambra I have told you of. King Ferdinand
was not there. He did not believe in Columbus and did not wish to let
him have either money, ships or sailors to lose in such a foolish way.
But as Columbus stood before her and talked so earnestly about how he
expected to find the Indies and Cathay and what he hoped to bring away
from there, Queen Isabella listened and thought the plan worth trying.

Then a singular thing happened. You would think if you wished for
something very much that you would give up a good deal for the sake of
getting it. Columbus had worked and waited for seventeen years. He had
never got what he wanted. He was always being disappointed. And yet,
as he talked to the queen and told her what he wished to do, he said he
must have so much as a reward for doing it that the queen and her
chief men were simply amazed at his--well, what the boys to-day call