"Linger yet a few days with us, senor," he urged, "that I may learn from
Pinzon and Doctor Fernandez what they think of your scheme. If they
still regard it favorably, I myself will go to the queen, in your
behalf."

Perhaps just here the senor shook his head sadly and said, "No, no; it
is not worth the trouble. The queen is interested only in the Moorish
war. Not even the great Diego de Deza, nor the Marchioness of Moya, nor
the Duke of Medina Celi, have been able to prevail on her."

And perhaps just here the good prior smiled knowingly and replied
modestly, "I once had the honor of being Queen Isabella's confessor, and
had great influence with her. If"--and here he leaned close to
Christopher and whispered something--"I think I might persuade her."

We did not catch that whispered sentence quite clearly, but we believe
it to have been, "If I tell her the story of the shipwrecked pilot." Up
to this time Christopher had not referred to it in his pleadings, for
fear, perhaps, that it would sound too improbable; but down in this
corner of Spain, where all men followed the sea, the story had got about
(whether through the monk Marchena, or through sailors who had been to
Madeira, is uncertain) and nearly everybody believed it. So now Juan
Perez appears to have persuaded Christopher to use it as a last
argument. This we may reasonably conclude, since the Rabida monk's
intercession with the queen succeeded where all previous efforts had
failed.

Martin Alonzo Pinzon, it turns out, is in Rome; so Christopher has to
wait until his return. Another delay, but he is well used to that.
Meanwhile he turns it to profit by making trips to Palos, Huelva,