Thus it came about that Coronado and De Soto proved that northward from Mexico there were no rich cities, such as Columbus had dreamed about, and such as Cortés and Pizarro had really found. Hence it was that the King of Spain and his brave adventurers took less interest in that part of North America which is now the United States, and more in Mexico and in South America. MAGELLAN, WHO PROVED THAT THE WORLD IS ROUND =21. Magellan's Task.= Columbus died believing that he had discovered a part of India. But he had not proved that the earth is round by sailing around it. This great task was left for Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese sailor. Columbus' great voyage had stirred up the Portuguese. One of their boldest sailors, Vasco da Gama, had reached India in 1498 by rounding Africa, and Magellan had made voyages for seven years among the islands of the East. [Illustration: FERDINAND MAGELLAN _From the portrait designed and engraved by Ferdinand Selma in 1788_] [Sidenote: =Magellan, too, goes to Spain=] After returning to Portugal, Magellan sought the king's aid, but without success; then, like Columbus, he went to Spain, and in less than two years his fleet of five vessels sailed for the coast of South America (1519). Severe storms tossed the vessels about for nearly a month. Food and water grew scarce. The sailors threatened to kill Magellan, but the brave captain, like Columbus, kept boldly on until he reached cold and stormy Patagonia. [Sidenote: =His sailors rebel=] It was Easter time, and the long, hard winter was already setting in. Finding a safe harbor and plenty of fish, Magellan decided to winter there. But the captains of three ships refused to obey, and decided to kill Magellan and lead the fleet back to Spain. Magellan was too quick for them. He captured one of the ships, turned the cannon on the others, and soon forced them to surrender. There were no more outbreaks that winter. One of the ships was wrecked. How glad the sailors were when, late in August, they saw the first signs of spring! But they were not so happy when Magellan commanded the ships to sail still farther south in search of a passage to the westward. [Illustration: MAGELLAN'S FIRST VIEW OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN _Beyond the stormy strait he found the waters of the ocean smooth and quiet; hence its name Pacific, meaning peaceful_] In October, his little fleet entered a wide, deep channel and found rugged, snow-clad mountains rising high on both sides of them. Many of the sailors believed they had at last found the westward passage, and that it was now time to turn homeward. [Sidenote: =Magellan's bold resolution=]