" The commander of a
Portuguese man-of-war anchored near assumed a bullying attitude and
ordered Columbus to come aboard the warship and explain why he had dared
to cruise among Portugal's possessions. Columbus, more tactful than
usual, replied that, being now an Admiral of Spain, it was his duty to
remain on his vessel. Meanwhile, he dispatched a courier to the monarchs
of Spain with the great tidings; while from the king of Portugal he
begged permission to land, and sent word, _not_ that he had, as
people were saying, discovered an Atlantic route to the Indies, but that
he had sailed to the fabled islands of Antilla in the far Atlantic.
In answer, the king gave permission to land at Lisbon, and invited
Columbus to court. Columbus may not have wished to go there, but a royal
invitation was a command. On entering the king's presence, the great
explorer saw many of the noblemen who, years before, had advised their
monarch not to aid him. Our Admiral is not to be blamed, therefore, if
he took a deep delight in painting his new world in the rosiest colors
possible. His story made king and courtiers feel uncomfortably foolish
for not having been willing to take the risk Spain had taken. It was a
bitter pill for poor King John to swallow, and straightway his scheming
old brain began to hatch a pretext for getting the new lands for
himself.
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