Here it is translated from the original Spanish. If the gentle reader can make head or tail of it he is more gentle even than we had at first supposed. The publication of this map at the time naturally inspired others with the spirit of adventure, and discovering America became quite the rage. Indeed, so common were voyages of discovery to the New World, that only one besides that of Columbus is deemed of sufficient note to find a place in this history. We allude to that of Americus Vespucius. This gentleman, who was a Florentine by birth, made a voyage to South America in 1499. He wrote sensational letters to the papers describing his voyage and the country, which were afterwards published in book form by a German geographer, who gave the name “America” to the New World, but this history cheerfully accords to [1]Christopher Columbus the imperishable glory of finding out the roosting-place of the American eagle. Footnote 1: Mr. Columbus is better known as the author of that soul-stirring melody, “Hail Columbia!” _CHAPTER IV._ HAVING TO HIS ENTIRE SATISFACTION SETTLED THE QUESTION AS TO WHO DISCOVERED AMERICA, THE AUTHOR PROCEEDS TO SETTLE THE COUNTRY ITSELF—JOHN SMITH IS MENTIONED—JOHN SMITH ON THE ROSTRUM—JOHN SMITH IN DIFFICULTIES—THE PLOT THICKENS AS FAR AS J. SMITH IS CONCERNED—THE DEATH PENALTY—SLOW MUSIC—* * * * SAVED! It was a century or more after the events narrated in the last chapter before any attempt was made to establish a colony in America, or before civilization got any permanent foothold. [Illustration] In 1606 a certain “London company” got out a patent on Virginia, and the next year sent over a ship-load of old bachelors to settle its claim. They landed at Jamestown in the month of May, and here the wretched outcasts went into lodgings for single gentlemen. The whole country was a howling wilderness, overrun with Indians, wild beasts and Jersey mosquitoes. These hardy pioneers had come to an unexplored region with a vague, general idea that they were to dig gold, trade with the Indians, get enormously rich and return home. So sanguine were they of speedy success that they planted nothing that year. The few sandwiches they had brought with them were soon consumed, the gold did not “pan out,” the Indians drove very hard bargains, offering a ready market for hair, but giving little or nothing in return. [Illustration: _A BUSINESS TRANSACTION._ ] To make matters worse, the Fevernager, a terrible disease of the period, got among them, and by fall only a handful of the colonists remained, and these were a very shaky lot indeed, with not clothing enough among them to wad a shot-gun. Among this seedy band was one John Smith, who, being out of funds himself, and a public spirited person withal, saw that unless provisions could be obtained shortly, the scheme of colonizing America would be a failure. [Illustration: _John Smith on the Rostrum._ ]