"Now ladies and gentlemen", said Colombo, "I am going to ask this
lady and these two gentlemen if they will be so good as to see if
they can take this little egg and make it stand on end without
any support."
And very droll it was to see the unsuccessful attempts which the
three made. Finally Colombo said:
"Now ladies and gentlemen, I want you to watch me closely. I put
the silk hat on my head--thus. And I take the egg in my right
hand--thus. Now, if this young lady will be kind enough to hold
my left hand--I hope that her best fellow doesn't mind letting
such a pretty girl hold my hand--it's lucky my wife can't see me,
though--a friend said to me the other day, 'Who was that lady I
seen you with?' and I said, 'That wasn't no lady, that was my
wife'. Now ladies and gentlemen I take this egg, and in order to
make it stand upright I tap one end gently-- thus against the
table until that end is flattened-- and then, presto--the egg
stands upright. Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you one and all
for your kind attention."
Thus it was that Colombo impressed King Ferdinand and his court
with his profound knowledge of geography. Next the tale tells
how there came to Colombo on Michaelmas Eve one sent by Queen
Isabel, And when Colombo had buckled on his sword Impavide he
followed the messenger through winding corridors and came at last
to the chamber of the Queen.
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