He never refers to it in his writings, however,
and one cannot help thinking that, if it really was true, he would have
mentioned it, at least to those whom he was trying to persuade to help
him. The only reference he ever made to the northern voyage is when
writing his journal in 1492, where he states,
"I have seen all the Levant (where the sun rises); and the Ponent (where
the sun sets); I have seen what is called The Northern Way, and England;
and I have sailed to Guinea."
Columbus's elder brother, Bartholomew, who was a map-maker and a serious
student of geography, also settled in Lisbon. The two either opened a
book-and-map shop, or at least they worked in one at odd times,
Christopher acting as a draftsman; for, as he himself quaintly expressed
it, "God had endowed me with ingenuity and manual skill in designing
spheres, and inscribing upon them in the proper places cities, rivers
and mountains, isles and ports." He appears to have tried to earn a
little money by commerce as well as by map-making. We have no exact
record of this, but it is thought that he borrowed capital for trading
purposes from rich Genoese merchants settled in Lisbon, and lost it.
This we conclude because, in his will, he ordered certain sums to be
paid to these merchants, without mentioning why.
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