fruitless obstinacy, and they blamed themselves for obeying him, when it
might mean the sacrifice of the lives of one hundred and twenty sailors.
But each time the murmurs threatened to break out into mutiny,
Providence seemed to send more encouraging signs of land. And these for
the time being changed the complaints to hopes. At evening little birds
of the most delicate species, that build their nests in the shrubs of
the garden and orchard, hovered warbling about the masts. Their delicate
wings and joyous notes bore no signs of weariness or fright, as of birds
swept far away to sea by a storm. These signs again aroused hope.
The green weeds on the surface of the ocean looked like waving corn
before the ears are ripe. The vegetation beneath the water delighted
the eyes of the sailors tired of the endless expanse of blue. But the
seaweed soon became so thick that they were afraid of entangling their
rudders and keels, and of remaining prisoners forever in the forests of
the ocean, as ships of the northern seas are shut in by ice. Thus each
joy soon turned to fear,--so terrible to man is the unknown.
The wind ceased, the calms of the tropics alarmed the sailors. An
immense whale was seen sleeping on the waters. They fancied there were
monsters in the deep which would devour their ships. The roll of the
waves drove them upon currents which they could not stem for want of
wind. They imagined they were approaching the cataracts of the ocean,
and that they were being hurried toward the abysses into which the
deluge had poured its world of waters.
Fierce and angry faces crowded round the mast. The murmurs rose louder
and louder. They talked of compelling the pilots to put about and of
throwing the admiral into the sea. Columbus, to whom their looks
and threats revealed these plans, defied them by his bold bearing or
disconcerted them by his coolness.
Again nature came to his assistance, by giving him fresh breezes from
the east, and a calm sea under his bows. Before the close of the day
came the first cry of “Land ho!” from the lofty poop. All the crews,
repeating this cry of safety, life, and triumph, fell on their knees on
the decks, and struck up the hymn, “Glory be to God in heaven and upon
earth.” When it was over, all climbed as high as they could up the
masts, yards, and rigging to see with their own eyes the new land that
had been sighted.
But the sunrise destroyed this new hope all too quickly. The imaginary
land disappeared with the morning mist, and once more the ships seemed
to be sailing over a never-ending wilderness of waters.
Despair took possession of the crews. Again the cry of “Land ho!” was
heard. But the sailors found as before that their hopes were but a
passing cloud. Nothing wearies the heart so much as false hopes and
bitter disappointments.
Loud reproaches against the admiral were heard from every quarter.
Bread and water were beginning to fail. Despair changed to fury. The men
decided to turn the heads of the vessels toward Europe, and to beat back
against the winds that had favored the admiral, whom they intended to
chain to the mast of his own vessel and to give up to the vengeance of
Spain should they ever reach the port of their own country.
These complaints now became clamorous. The admiral restrained them by
the calmness of his countenance. He called upon Heaven to decide between
himself and the sailors. He flinched not. He offered his life as a
pledge, if they would but trust and wait for three days more. He swore
that, if, in the course of the third day, land was not visible on the
horizon, he would yield to their wishes and steer for Europe.
The mutinous men reluctantly consented and allowed him three days of
grace. . . . . . . . . . .
At sunrise on the second day rushes recently torn up were seen floating
near the vessels. A plank hewn by an axe, a carved stick, a bough of
hawthorn in blossom, and lastly a bird's nest built on a branch which
the wind had broken, and full of eggs on which the parent-bird was
sitting, were seen swimming past on the waters. The sailors brought on
board these living witnesses of their approach to land. They were like a
message from the shore, confirming the promises of Columbus.
The overjoyed and repentant mutineers fell on their knees before the
admiral whom they had insulted but the day before, and craved pardon for
their mistrust.
As the day and night advanced many other sights and sounds showed that
land was very near. Toward day delicious and unknown perfumes borne on
a soft land breeze reached the vessels, and there was heard the roar of
the waves upon the reefs.
The dawn, as it spread over the sky, gradually raised the shores of an
island from the waves. Its distant extremities were lost in the morning
mist. As the sun rose it shone on the land ascending from a low yellow
beach to the summit of hills whose dark-green covering contrasted
strongly with the clear blue of the heavens. The foam of the waves broke
on the yellow sand, and forests of tall and unknown trees stretched
away, one above another, over successive terraces of the island. Green
valleys, and bright clefts in the hollows afforded a half glimpse into
these mysterious wilds. And thus the land of golden promises, the land
of future greatness, first appeared to Christopher Columbus, the Admiral
of the Ocean, and thus he gave a New World to the nations to come.
THE FIRST LANDING OF COLUMBUS IN THE NEW WORLD
BY WASHINGTON IRVING (ADAPTED)
It was on Friday morning, the 12th of October, that Columbus first
beheld the New World. As the day dawned he saw before him an island,
several leagues in extent, and covered with trees like a continual
orchard. Though apparently uncultivated it was populous, for the
inhabitants were seen issuing from all parts of the woods and running to
the shore. They were perfectly naked, and, as they stood gazing at
the ships, appeared by their attitudes and gestures to be lost in
astonishment.
Columbus made signals for the ships to cast anchor and the boats to be
manned and armed. He entered his own boat, richly attired in scarlet,
and holding the royal standard; while Martin Alonzo Pinzon and his
brother put off in company in their boats, each with a banner of the
enterprise emblazoned with a green cross, having on either side the
letters “F.” and “Y.,” the initials of the Castilian monarchs Fernando
and Ysabel, surmounted by crowns.
As he approached the shore, Columbus was delighted with the purity and
suavity of the atmosphere, the crystal transparency of the sea, and
the extraordinary beauty of the vegetation. He beheld also fruits of an
unknown kind upon the trees which overhung the shores.
On landing he threw himself on his knees, kissed the earth, and returned
thanks to God with tears of joy. His example was followed by the
rest. [9] “Almighty and Eternal God,” prayed Columbus, “who by the energy
of Thy creative word hast made the firmament, the earth and the sea;
blessed and glorified be thy name in all places! May thy majesty and
dominion be exalted for ever and ever, as Thou hast permitted thy holy
name to be made known and spread by the most humble of thy servants, in
this hitherto unknown portion of Thine empire.”
[Footnote: 9: This prayer is taken from Lamartine.]
Columbus, then rising, drew his sword, displayed the royal standard, and
assembling around him the two captains and the rest who had landed, he
took solemn possession in the name of the Castilian sovereigns, giving
the island the name of San Salvador.
HALLOWEEN
(OCTOBER 31)
THE OLD WITCH
BY THE BROTHERS GRIMM (TRANSLATED)
There was once a little girl who was very willful and who never obeyed
when her elders spoke to her; so how could she be happy?
One day she said to her parents: “I have heard so much of the old witch
that I will go and see her. People say she is a wonderful old woman,
and has many marvelous things in her house, and I am very curious to see
them.”
But her parents forbade her going, saying: “The witch is a wicked old
woman, who performs many godless deeds; and if you go near her, you are
no longer a child of ours.”
The girl, however, would not turn back at her parents' command, but went
to the witch's house. When she arrived there the old woman asked her:--
“Why are you so pale?”
“Ah,” she replied, trembling all over, “I have frightened myself so with
what I have just seen.”
“And what did you see?” inquired the old witch.
“I saw a black man on your steps.”
“That was a collier,” replied she.
“Then I saw a gray man.”
“That was a sportsman,” said the old woman.
“After him I saw a blood-red man.”
“That was a butcher,” replied the old woman.
“But, oh, I was most terrified,” continued the girl, “when I peeped
through your window, and saw not you, but a creature with a fiery head.”
“Then you have seen the witch in her proper dress,” said the old woman.
“For you I have long waited, and now you shall give me light.”
So saying the witch changed the little girl into a block of wood, and
then threw it on the fire; and when it was fully alight, she sat down on
the hearth and warmed herself, saying:--
“How good I feel! The fire has not burned like this for a long time!”
SHIPPEITARO
A JAPANESE FOLK-TALE:
BY MARY F. NIXON-ROULET (ADAPTED) [10]
[Footnote 10: From Japanese Folk-Stories and Fairy Tales. Copyright,
1908, by American Book Company.]
Once upon a time there was a brave soldier lad who was seeking his
fortune in the wide, wide world. One day he lost his way in a pathless
forest, and wandered about until he came at length to a small clearing
in the midst of which stood a ruined temple. The huge trees waved above
its walls, and the leaves in the thicket whispered around them. No sun
ever shone there, and no human being lived there.
A storm was coming up, and the soldier lad took refuge among the ruins.
“Here is all I want,” said he. “Here I shall have shelter from the
storm-god's wrath, and a comfortable place to sleep in.”
So he wrapped himself in his cloak, and, lying down, was soon fast
asleep. But his slumbers did not last long. At midnight he was wakened
by fearful shrieks, and springing to his feet, he looked out at the
temple door.
The storm was over. Moonlight shone on the clearing. And there he saw
what seemed to be a troop of monstrous cats, who like huge phantoms
marched across the open space in front of the temple. They broke into
a wild dance, uttering shrieks, howls, and wicked laughs. Then they all
sang together:--
“Whisper not to Shippeitaro
That the Phantom Cats are near;
Whisper not to Shippeitaro,
Lest he soon appear!”
The soldier lad crouched low behind the door, for brave as he was he did
not wish these fearful creatures to see him. But soon, with a chorus of
wild yells, the Phantom Cats disappeared as quickly as they had come,
and all was quiet as before.
Then the soldier lad lay down and went to sleep again, nor did he waken
till the sun peered into the temple and told him that it was morning. He
quickly found his way out of the forest and walked on until he came to
the cottage of a peasant.
As he approached he heard sounds of bitter weeping. A beautiful young
maiden met him at the door, and her eyes were red with crying. She
greeted him kindly.
“May I have some food?” said he.
“Enter and welcome,” she replied. “My parents are just having breakfast.
You may join them, for no one passes our door hungry.”
Thanking her the lad entered, and her parents greeted him courteously
but sadly, and shared their breakfast with him. He ate heartily, and,
when he was finished, rose to go.
“Thank you many times for this good meal, kind friends,” said he, “and
may happiness be yours.”
“Happiness can never again be ours!” answered the old man, weeping.
“You are in trouble, then,” said the lad. “Tell me about it; perhaps I
can help you in some way.”
“Alas!” replied the old man, “There is within yonder forest a ruined
temple. It is the abode of horrors too terrible for words. Each year a
demon, whom no one has ever seen, demands that the people of this land
give him a beautiful maiden to devour. She is placed in a cage and
carried to the temple just at sunset. This year it is my daughter's
turn to be offered to the fiend!” And the old man buried his face in his
hands and groaned.
The soldier lad paused to think for a moment, then he said:--
“It is terrible, indeed! But do not despair. I think I know a way to
help you. Who is Shippeitaro?”
“Shippeitaro is a beautiful dog, owned by our lord, the prince,”
answered the old man.
“That is just the thing!” cried the lad. “Only keep your daughter
closely at home. Do not let her out of your sight. Trust me and she
shall be saved.”
Then the soldier lad hurried away, and found the castle of the prince.
He begged that he might borrow Shippeitaro just for one night.
“You may take him upon the condition that you bring him back safely,”
said the prince.
“To-morrow he shall return in safety,” answered the lad.
Taking Shippeitaro with him, he hurried to the peasant's cottage, and,
when evening was come, he placed the dog in the cage which was to have
carried the maiden. The bearers then took the cage to the ruined temple,
and, placing it on the ground, ran away as fast as their legs would
carry them.
The lad, laughing softly to himself, hid inside the temple as before,
and so quiet was the spot that he fell asleep. At midnight he was
aroused by the same wild shrieks he had heard the night before. He rose
and looked out at the temple door.
Through the darkness, into the moonlight, came the troop of Phantom
Cats. This time they were led by a fierce, black Tomcat. As they came
nearer they chanted with unearthly screeches:--
“Whisper not to Shippeitaro
That the Phantom Cats are near;
Whisper not to Shippeitaro,
Lest he soon appear!”
With that the great Tomcat caught sight of the cage and, uttering a
fearful yowl, sprang upon it, With one blow of his claws he tore open
the lid, when, instead of the dainty morsel he expected, out jumped
Shippeitaro!
The dog sprang upon the Tomcat, and caught him by the throat; while the
Phantom Cats stood still in amazement. Drawing his sword the lad hurried
to Shippeitaro's side, and what with Shippeitaro's teeth and the lad's
hard blows, in an instant the great Tomcat was torn and cut into pieces.
When the Phantom Cats saw this, they uttered one wild shriek and fled
away, never to return again.
Then the soldier lad, leading Shippeitaro, returned in triumph to the
peasant's cottage. There in terror the maiden awaited his arrival, but
great was the joy of herself and her parents when they knew that the
Tomcat was no more.
“Oh, sir,” cried the maiden, “I can never thank you! I am the only child
of my parents, and no one would have been left to care for them if I had
been the monster's victim.”
“Do not thank me,” answered the lad. “Thank the brave Shippeitaro. It
was he who sprang upon the great Tomcat and chased away the Phantom
Creatures.”
HANSEL AND GRETHEL
BY THE BROTHERS GRIMM (ADAPTED)
Hard-by a great forest dwelt a poor wood-cutter with his two children
and his wife who was their stepmother. The boy was called Hansel and the
girl Grethel. The wood-cutter had little to bite and to break, and once
when a great famine fell on the land he could no longer get daily bread.
Now when he thought over this by night in his bed, and tossed about in
his trouble, he groaned, and said to his wife:--
“What is to become of us? How are we to feed our poor children, when we
no longer have anything even for ourselves?”
“I'll tell you what, husband,” answered the woman; “early to-morrow
morning we will take the children out into the woods where it is the
thickest; there we will light a fire for them, and give each of them
one piece of bread more, and then we will go to our work and leave them
alone. They will not find the way home again, and we shall be rid of
them.”
“No, wife,” said the man, “I will not do that; how can I bear to leave
my children alone in the woods?--the wild beasts would soon come and
tear them to pieces.”
“Oh, you fool!” said she. “Then we must all four die of hunger; you may
as well plane the planks for our coffins.” And she left him no peace
until he said he would do as she wished.
“But I feel very sorry for the poor children, all the same,” said the
man.
The two children had also not been able to sleep for hunger, and had
heard what their father's wife had said to their father.
Grethel wept bitter tears, and said to Hansel, “Now all is over with
us.”
“Be quiet, Grethel,” said Hansel, “do not be troubled; I will soon find
a way to help us.”
And when the old folks had fallen asleep, he got up, put on his little
coat, opened the door below, and crept outside. The moon shone brightly,
and the white pebbles which lay in front of the house shone like real
silver pennies. Hansel stooped and put as many of them in the little
pocket of his coat as he could make room for. Then he went back, and
said to Grethel, “Be at ease, dear little sister, and sleep in peace;
God will not forsake us.” And he lay down again in his bed.
When the day dawned, but before the sun had risen, the woman came and
awoke the two children, saying:--
“Get up, you lazy things! we are going into the forest to fetch wood.”
She gave each a little piece of bread, and said, “There is something for
your dinner, but do not eat it up before then, for you will get nothing
else.”
Grethel took the bread under her apron, as Hansel had the stones in his
pocket. Then they all set out together on the way to the forest, and
Hansel threw one after another of the white pebble-stones out of his
pocket on the road.
When they had reached the middle of the forest, the father said, “Now,
children, pile up some wood and I will light a fire that you may not be
cold.”
Hansel and Grethel drew brushwood together till it was as high as a
little hill.
The brushwood was lighted, and when the flames were burning very high
the woman said:--
“Now, children, lie down by the fire and rest; we will go into the
forest and cut some wood. When we have done, we will come back and fetch
you away.”
Hansel and Grethel sat by the fire, and when noon came, each ate a
little piece of bread, and as they heard the strokes of the wood-axe
they were sure their father was near. But it was not the axe, it was
a branch which he had tied to a dry tree, and the wind was blowing it
backward and forward. As they had been sitting such a long time they
were tired, their eyes shut, and they fell fast asleep. When at last
they awoke, it was dark night.
Grethel began to cry, and said, “How are we to get out of the forest
now?”
But Hansel comforted her, saying, “Just wait a little, until the moon
has risen, and then we will soon find the way.”
And when the full moon had risen, Hansel took his little sister by the
hand, and followed the pebbles, which shone like bright silver pieces,
and showed them the way.
They walked the whole night long, and by break of day came once more to
their father's house.
They knocked at the door, and when the woman opened it, and saw that it
was Hansel and Grethel, she said, “You naughty children, why have you
slept so long in the forest? we thought you were never coming back at
all!”
The father, however, was glad, for it had cut him to the heart to leave
them behind alone.
Not long after, there was once more a great lack of food in all parts,
and the children heard the woman saying at night to their father:--
“Everything is eaten again; we have one half-loaf left, and after that
there is an end. The children must go; we will take them farther into
the wood, so that they will not find their way out again; there is no
other means of saving ourselves!”
The man's heart was heavy, and he thought, “It would be better to share
our last mouthful with the children.”
The woman, however, would listen to nothing he had to say, but scolded
him. He who says A must say B, too, and as he had given way the first
time, he had to do so a second time also.
The children were still awake and had heard the talk. When the old folks
were asleep, Hansel again got up, and wanted to go and pick up pebbles,
but the woman had locked the door, and he could not get out.
So he comforted his little sister, and said:--
“Do not cry, Grethel; go to sleep quietly, the good God will help us.”
Early in the morning came the woman, and took the children out of their
beds. Their bit of bread was given to them, but it was still smaller
than the time before. On the way into the forest Hansel crumbled his
in his pocket, and often threw a morsel on the ground until little by
little, he had thrown all the crumbs on the path.
The woman led the children still deeper into the forest, where they had
never in their lives been before. Then a great fire was again made, and
she said:--
“Just sit there, you children, and when you are tired you may sleep a
little; we are going into the forest to cut wood, and in the evening
when we are done, we will come and fetch you away.”
When it was noon, Grethel shared her piece of bread with Hansel, who had
scattered his by the way. Then they fell asleep, and evening came and
went, but no one came to the poor children.
They did not awake until it was dark night, and Hansel comforted his
little sister, and said:--
“Just wait, Grethel, until the moon rises, and then we shall see the
crumbs of bread which I have scattered about; they will show us our way
home again.”
When the moon came they set out, but they found no crumbs, for the many
thousands of birds which fly about in the woods and fields had picked
them all up.
Hansel said to Grethel, “We shall soon find the way.”
But they did not find it. They walked the whole night and all the next
day, too, from morning till evening, but they did not get out of the
forest; they were very hungry, for they had nothing to eat but two or
three berries which grew on the ground. And as they were so tired that
their legs would carry them no longer, they lay down under a tree and
fell asleep.
It was now three mornings since they had left their father's house. They
began to walk again, but they always got deeper into the forest, and if
help did not come soon, they must die of hunger and weariness. When it
was midday, they saw a beautiful snow-white bird sitting on a bough. It
sang so sweetly that they stood still and listened to it. And when
it had done, it spread its wings and flew away before them, and they
followed it until they reached a little house, on the roof of which it
perched; and when they came quite up to the little house, they saw it
was built of bread and covered with cakes, but that the windows were of
clear sugar.
“We will set to work on that,” said Hansel, “and have a good meal.
I will eat a bit of the roof, and you, Grethel, can eat some of the
window, it will taste sweet.”
Hansel reached up, and broke off a little of the roof to try how it
tasted, and Grethel leaned against the window and nibbled at the panes.
Then a soft voice cried from the room,--
“Nibble, nibble, gnaw,
Who is nibbling at my little house?”
The children answered:--
“The wind, the wind,
The wind from heaven”;
and went on eating. Hansel, who thought the roof tasted very nice, tore
down a great piece of it; and Grethel pushed out the whole of one round
window-pane, sat down, and went to eating it.
All at once the door opened, and a very, very old woman, who leaned on
crutches, came creeping out. Hansel and Grethel were so scared that they
let fall what they had in their hands.
The old woman, however, nodded her head, and said, “Oh, you dear
children, who has brought you here? Do come in, and stay with me. No
harm shall happen to you.”
She took them both by the hand, and led them into her little house. Then
good food was set before them, milk and pancakes, with sugar, apples,
and nuts. Afterwards two pretty little beds were covered with clean
white linen, and Hansel and Grethel lay down in them, and thought they
were in heaven.
The old woman had only pretended to be so kind; she was in reality a
wicked witch, who lay in wait for children, and had built the little
bread house in order to coax them there.
Early in the morning, before the children were awake, she was already
up, and when she saw both of them sleeping and looking so pretty, with
their plump red cheeks, she muttered to herself, “That will be a dainty
mouthful!”