"It was not as easy to find sailors as it was to get the ships." "I don't see why," interrupted Joe. "I should think there would have been plenty of men eager to go." "Not so, my lad," replied Uncle Sam. "Only the boldest men would dare to sail far into the west at that time. The people of those days were full of queer fancies. They thought they would come to enchanted islands and great dragons and all sorts of fearful things if they went far away from home. "At last, however, enough sailors promised to go and the great day came for the ships to set sail. How excited everyone was! Would these men ever come back to the shores of Spain? Would they really find India, or was it only the dream of a very bold man? "The wharves were covered with people who had gathered to see the ships start on their daring voyage. "They sailed farther and farther into the west; now the lower parts could be but dimly seen; then only the tops of the masts; then they faded altogether from sight. "Now let us leave the onlookers of the shores and join the brave Columbus on the deck of the Santa Maria, his flag-ship. "Day after day he guided the ships onward and ever westward. After they had passed the Canary Islands, the men were always on the watch for signs of some new land. After days, and then weeks, on the great ocean the sailors became afraid. They begged their leader to turn back, but they begged in vain. He would not listen. "At first he tried to keep up their courage by telling them of the riches they would gain, or the honors their church would give them if they carried the teachings of Christ to the heathens. When such words lost their power Columbus became stern. He told the men how angry the king would be if they did not obey their captain. [Illustration: COLUMBUS AND HIS FLAG-SHIP] "The time came when they began to plot against Columbus. They said: 'We will destroy him. Then, when we get home, we will say that he fell overboard.' "Could they ever reach home, now they were so far away? The men became afraid of what might happen to them if Columbus were dead and no one left to pilot them home again. So they did not kill him. "He knew they did not feel kindly to him and he thought it would be best to make some bargain with them. So he said: 'If we do not see land in a certain number of days I will promise to turn back toward Spain.' "How eagerly he now watched from the deck of his vessel! It seemed as though his hopes and beliefs would not prove true. The last day came,—the day on which he had promised to turn back if they found no signs of land. "Lo! a stick carved by some person's hand came floating along by the ship's side. This was not all, for a branch with berries on it was picked up out of the water. Land must be near! "'I will give a large reward to the man who first sees it,' cried Columbus. As he watched that very night he saw a light in the distance. It moved. He called two of his men to look at it.