But Christopher did not know that there had recently come to La Rabida a
new prior or chief monk. This prior, whose name was Juan Perez
(pronounced Hwan Pair'eth), possessed, fortunately, an imagination and a
certain amount of influence at court. Having imagination, he loved an
occasional bit of news from the outside world. Therefore, when he heard
a stranger talking to the monks in the outer courtyard, he listened.

"That man is no ordinary beggar asking alms," said the sympathetic prior
to himself. "He seems to be a foreigner, and he is talking about the
king and queen, and the conquest of Malaga; and now he is asking for our
little pupil Diego--why, it is the child's father!--I must go and speak
to him myself!" and out he went and joined the group in the courtyard.

And so it came about that as soon as Christopher had greeted his boy,
now grown into a tall, intelligent lad of ten or eleven, he repaired to
the cell of Juan Perez and told all that had happened to him during his
various sojourns at court. At last (for Christopher was very wordy) he
came to his final dismissal. "They say the Atlantic cannot be crossed,"
he cried desperately, "but I say it can! Aye, and I shall do it, too!"

Never had such stirring words rung out in that peaceful little cell. The
prior himself caught their electricity and became quite excited.
Although the monk Marchena appears to have left the convent before
Christopher's second coming, the prior had learned all about the Italian
navigator from the other brothers. The story had interested him greatly,
for he too had studied geography; and now, as the Italian stood before
him, declaring that he would find those western lands, the prior
realized that it would be a pity for Spain to allow the man to carry his
idea off to France.