Who Was Christopher Columbus? by Bonnie Bader

Author:Bonnie Bader [Bader, Bonnie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780698159501
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2013-06-26T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

Shipwreck!

By early December, the Pinta had gone off on its own to find gold. The weather was turning colder and stormy. If the Niña and the Santa María were to return to Spain before winter set in, they had to leave soon.

But there was still more to explore, Columbus thought, so he ordered his ships to sail. On December 6, Columbus named the island they landed on Hispaniola, because the trees there reminded him of Spain.

Then on Christmas Eve, disaster struck. Some men were celebrating. After a long night, Columbus went to sleep. So did most of the crew of the Santa María. One of the ship’s boys was left in charge.

The wind was calm. And the ship was moving at a slow pace. Yet, sometime after midnight, the Santa María crashed into a coral reef. A cry rang out and Columbus was awoken. Desperately, he tried to save the ship. But it was too late. Her sides had ripped open.

The Santa María was sinking!

Columbus called for help. A local Taino chief sent men in canoes. They unloaded the Santa María, and brought the goods and supplies ashore.

Besides helping unload the ship, the natives brought gold! Not a lot, just a few samples—masks, jewelry, and other small trinkets.

After he got over the shock of losing a ship, Columbus took the sinking of the Santa María as a sign. God meant for him to go ashore on this island. After all, the chief had given Columbus rings, necklaces, and masks made of gold. And gold was what he had come for! Perhaps now they could go home.

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