Читать книгу The Lost Diary of Christopher Columbus’s Lookout - Clive Dickinson - Страница 8

Today there was another command from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. This was a special letter from Their Majesties to the people of Palos! The town clerk read it aloud in the Church of St George, where all the important people of the town had gathered. I didn’t think it would be of much interest to me, since I’m only passing through. But I went along to find out what was going on, and hombre, am I glad I did!

It seems that some fellow from the state of Genoa, across the sea in the land of Italy, has persuaded the King and Queen to put up the money for a special voyage. The King and Queen have given this Genoese sailor the rank of Captain General and they say he’s going to sail in three ships to certain parts of the Ocean Sea¹. Call me Luc Landlubba, but that makes no sense! How can one man sail three ships at once?

It sounds sort of secret (not to mention magical), so it should be exciting. I pricked up my ears, though nobody else was that thrilled. You see, the proclamation also says that because the people of Palos have been breaking the law by trading along the North African coast and upsetting the King of Portugal, they’ve got to provide this Cristobál Colón² (I think that’s the Captain General’s name) with two ships and all the food and equipment needed for a voyage lasting a year.

They’ve got to have the ships and everything else ready in ten days’ time. No wonder the locals are fed up about it.

The proclamation doesn’t make it clear where this Colón fellow is going. All it says is that he must not go southwards to the African lands, which the King of Portugal claims are his. That only leaves two directions to sail across the Ocean Sea – north and west. Either way, this could be the chance I’ve been waiting for!