The idea of Vinland was not associated with the idea of America until the seventeenth century 394 Recapitulation of the genesis of Columbus's scheme 395 Martin Behaim's improved astrolabe 395, 396 Negotiations of Columbus with John II. of Portugal 396, 397 The king is persuaded into a shabby trick 398 Columbus leaves Portugal and enters into the service of Ferdinand and Isabella, 1486 398-400 The junto at Salamanca, 1486 401 Birth of Ferdinand Columbus, August 15, 1488 401 Bartholomew Columbus returns from the Cape of Good Hope, December, 1487 402, 403 Christopher visits Bartholomew at Lisbon, cir. September, 1488, and sends him to England 404 Bartholomew, after mishaps, reaches England cir. February, 1490, and goes thence to France before 1492 405-407 The duke of Medina-Celi proposes to furnish the ships for Columbus, but the queen withholds her consent 408, 409 Columbus makes up his mind to get his family together and go to France, October, 1491 409, 410 A change of fortune; he stops at La Rábida, and meets the prior Juan Perez, who writes to the queen 411 Columbus is summoned back to court 411 The junto before Granada, December, 1491 412, 413 Surrender of Granada, January 2, 1492 414 Columbus negotiates with the queen, who considers his terms exorbitant 414-416 Interposition of Luis de Santangel 416 (p. xxxii) Agreement between Columbus and the sovereigns 417 Cost of the voyage 418 Dismay at Palos 419 The three famous caravels 420 Delay at the Canary islands 421 Martin Behaim and his globe 422, 423 Columbus starts for Japan, September 6, 1492 424 Terrors of the voyage:—1. Deflection of the needle 425 2. The Sargasso sea 426, 427 3. The trade wind 428 Impatience of the crews 428 Change of course from W. to W. S. W 429, 430 Discovery of land, October 12, 1492 431 Guanahani: which of the Bahama islands was it? 432 Groping for Cipango and the route to Quinsay 433, 434 Columbus reaches Cuba, and sends envoys to find a certain Asiatic prince 434, 435 He turns eastward and Pinzon deserts him 435 Columbus arrives at Hayti and thinks it must be Japan 436 His flag-ship is wrecked, and he decides to go back to Spain 437 Building of the blockhouse, La Navidad 438 Terrible storm in mid-ocean on the return voyage 439 Cold reception at the Azores 440 Columbus is driven ashore in Portugal, where the king is advised to have him assassinated 440 But to offend Spain so grossly would be imprudent 441 Arrival of Columbus and Pinzon at Palos; death of Pinzon 442 Columbus is received by the sovereigns at Barcelona 443, 444 General excitement at the news that a way to the Indies had been found 445 This voyage was an event without any parallel in history 446 (p. xxxiii) CHAPTER VI. THE FINDING OF STRANGE COASTS.