1506

money he had made had been spent in attempts to extend his discoveries, many of his friends had deserted him, and he returned home broken in health and spirits. May 20, 1506, he died at Valladolid; and, at his own request, his chains were buried with him.1

15. John Cabot. A great many navigators now became anxious to try the new route to India. John Cabot, an Italian

sailor who lived in Bristol, England, thought India 1497 and China lay just beyond the islands Columbus had discovered, and he supposed the shorter route would be a northwest passage. Therefore, steering his ship to the northward, fourteen months before Columbus reached South America he arrived at Cape Breton Island, or, as some think, at a point on the coast of Labrador. He landed, set up a large cross to which he attached the flag of England, and took possession for the king.

16. Sebastian Cabot, his son, went in command of the second voyage, and the next year anchored amidst icy waters near the cold, barren shores of Labrador.

Turning his course southward, he sailed along the coast until he came to Albemarle Sound. There he found fish in great abundance; so numerous, he said, as sometimes to hinder the movements of the ships. He landed at several places, found many natives clothed with skins of animals, and saw large numbers of bears feeding upon fish.

SEBASTIAN CABOT

This voyage is important because the claim of England to North America was afterwards based on the fact that the Cabots were the first to reach and explore the shores of the mainland.

1 Columbus was first buried in Valladolid, but his body and that of his son were finally conveyed to Havana in Cuba.

17. Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese sailor, about this time sailed around the southern point of Africa, and on to India. His ships returned laden with gold, pearls, silks, and spices.

1497-9

18. Naming America.

While the lands discovered by Columbus and the Cabots were still believed to be parts of Asia, an Italian navigator, Amerigo Vespucci (a-ma'-rē-go ves-poot'-che) (his name in Latin is Americus Ves

pucius) made several voyages to the New World. In letters to one of his friends, he gave interesting accounts of his voyages. After Gama had discovered the route around the Cape of Good Hope, the king of Portugal fitted out a fleet to sail west to India. It sailed farther west than was intended, and reached

1499

AMERIGO VESPUCCI

sent one of the vessels back to Lisbon to tell the news. It carried a number of brilliantly colored paroquets, and one of the names given to the new country on the maps after that was "The Land of Paroquets."

This discovery aroused so much interest that, in 1501, an expedition was sent out to explore the new coast, and Amer

1501

icus was employed as pilot. The ships reached South America and sailed along the coast from Cape St. Roque to the La Plata River. This proved the existence of a continent before unknown. Geographers had called Europe, Asia, and Africa the three parts of the earth. They now called this new southern continent the Fourth Part. Afterwards Waldseemüller, a German professor, published an essay on geography, with which he printed the letters of Vespucci. He said this Fourth Part ought to be called America in honor of Vespucci. This name appeared on the maps of South America, and in time was extended to the northern portion of the continent also. In this way Vespucci received the honor which should have been given to Columbus.

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY

What name would you have given to the New World? Give your reasons. What did the nations of Europe gain by the discovery of America? Which nation reaped the most immediate benefit? Who was to blame for the injustice done Columbus? How has the world recently shown its appreciation of his great achievement? Was England's claim to North America a just one?

Draw a map, and trace the voyage of each discoverer.

Make a table of the discoveries about which you have learned. Use the following form:

CHAPTER II

THE AMERICAN INDIANS

19. Appearance. The natives whom Columbus and the explorers who followed him found in this new country were copper-colored people, with very bright dark eyes, and straight black hair. They were very different from the inhabitants of Europe.

20. Dress.

The English settlers became acquainted with the Indians who lived in what is now the eastern and central portions of the United States. They wore little clothing; their only covering was made of the skins of wild animals. For the feet they made loose shoes of buckskin, which they called "moccasins." The warriors painted themselves and decked their heads with feathers. They were fond of bright colors

and ornaments, and

wore beads made of

shell. These shell

beads, which they
called "wampum,"

they also used as money.

INDIAN MOCCASINS

21. Language. They had no written language, and had never seen books. The words they spoke were entirely new to the Europeans. Many of the geographical names in our counBELT OF WAMPUM try are the names originally given by the Indians.

22. Customs. These red men lived by hunting and fishing, and never remained long in one place. Their houses were called "wigwams." They were made by bending saplings or poles together and fastening them at the top with a piece of bark. The skins of animals were then stretched over the poles; an opening was left at the top to allow the smoke from

the fire to pass out. These wigwams were often grouped together in villages.

The men spent their time chiefly in the chase and in the wars which the tribes were constantly waging with each other; they left all the work in the field

and in the wigwam to be done by the women, whom they called "squaws." The squaw was indeed a servant for her husband. Besides building the home which sheltered him, she gathered the wood for the fires, cooked his meals, and cultivated the corn and

INDIAN WIGWAMS

beans. When wandering from place to place, she carried the burdens, while he hunted and kept watch for enemies.

INDIAN WARRIORS

The habits of their wild life taught the Indians. many things that seem wonderful to us. They could travel in a straight course through the pathless forest, with nothing to guide them but the sun, or the stars, or the moss and bark on the trees. They had so trained themselves to listen for unusual sounds that it was difficult to surprise them. They could discover when they were pursued by placing. one ear on the ground and listening for the sounds. of footsteps. The Span

iards tried to do this, but their untrained ears could not detect

a sound.