You have heard many surprising things which the people of the fifteenth
century believed. It seems almost impossible for us to think that those
people really had faith in a Fountain of Youth; yet such is the case.
[Illustration: Ponce de Leon.]
This fountain was supposed to exist somewhere in the New World, and
it was thought that if any one should bathe in its waters, he would
become young and would never grow old again.
In 1513 Ponce de Leon, who was then governor of Puerto Rico, sailed
from that island in search of this Fountain of Youth. De Leon was an
old man, and he felt that his life was nearly over, unless he should
succeed in finding this fountain. At the same time De Leon wished to
gain gold, for, though he had already made a fortune in Puerto Rico,
he was still very greedy.
The expedition under his guidance sailed among the Bahamas and other
islands near them, and at length reached a land beautiful with flowers,
balmy with warm breezes, and cheerful with the song of birds. Partly
because this discovery was made on Easter Sunday, which the Spaniards
called Pascua Florida, and partly because of the abundance of flowers,
De Leon called the land Florida.
He took possession of this delightful country for Spain, and then spent
many weeks exploring its coast. After sailing north as far as St.
Augustine, and finding neither gold nor the fabled Fountain of Youth,
De Leon turned his vessels and proceeded south, doubling the Florida
Cape. Shortly afterwards he became discouraged and returned to Puerto
Rico.
In 1521 De Leon went again to Florida, this time for the purpose of
planting a colony. The Indians were very angry that the white men
should try to take their land, and they made a fierce attack upon De
Leon and his party. In this attack De Leon received a severe wound,
which compelled him to go to Cuba for care and rest. There he died
after much suffering.
De Leon never found the Fountain of Youth, nor were the fabled waters
discovered afterwards.