hopeful; and on shore, instead of a populace wringing its hands in
dismay, a populace cheering and making music and flying banners, and
actually envying the lucky ones who were starting off to the wonderful
new lands where they could pick up gold!




CHAPTER XIV

FINDING NEW ISLANDS


With the departure of this second expedition for the "western lands"
Columbus's brief season of glory ended. Neither home-comings nor
departures would ever be the same for him again; for behind him he left
a few jealous enemies, potent to do him harm, and with him he took men
of such unstable character that more enmity was sure to spring up. These
last he held with a firm hand as long as the voyage lasted; Christopher
could always control men at sea, but on land it was another matter. Even
though _he_ might have clear notions of the difficulty of planting
a colony in new territory, how would these adventurers, and these high-
born young gentlemen who had never worked, and these hundred wretched
stowaways who, after Columbus had refused to take them, had hidden in
the vessels until well out to sea--how would all these behave when it
was time to fell trees, build houses, dig ditches, and cut roads? And
then again, good Admiral, why did you make the great mistake of bringing
no women colonists with you? How could men found homes and work when
there were no wives and little ones to be housed and fed?