"
But they tell how Queen Isabel refused to be comforted for many
and many a day. And unexplainably curious to Father Bernadino
was his absolute and complete failure as a royal instructor in
geography, for Father Bernadino had taught for fifty-two years at
the University.
And so it was that Colombo sat alone in the cabin of the ship
which carried him towards the land of his imagining. And strange
and somewhat fearsome it was to the sailors to see their captain
sitting thus motionless night after night, for already had they
left the Canaries far behind and some there were who said that a
madman commanded their ship, and others who whispered of horrible
monsters in these western seas.
And the tale tells how one night Colombo observed across his
table one who had not been sitting there a moment before and
whose hair was strangely red.
"Well now, truly, sir", said Colombo, "This is very curious. For
I do not remember seeing you among the crew nor were you ever at
the court, and on the whole", said Colombo, "your red hair and
your sneering grin interrupt my dreams, and dreams", said
Colombo, "are all that I have left."
"For know you, sir", continued he to the stranger who did not
speak, "that on this earth man has been able to endure only by
playing the ape to his dreams.
Pages:
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37