[A]
[Footnote A: _The True Discovery of America._ Captain R.N. Gambier.
_Fortnightly Review_, January 1, 1894.]
"In January, 1488, Cousin sailed west out into the Atlantic, and south,
for two months with Vincent Pinzon a practical sailor, second in command.
He sailed up the Amazon River, secured strange birds, feathers, spices,
and unknown woods, and returned to the coast of Africa for a cargo of
ivory, oil, skins, and gold dust. Pinzon quarreled with the natives,
fired upon them, and seized some of their goods, so that they fled and
would not come back to him. He thus lost a valuable return cargo. At
Dieppe the merchants were enraged; Pinzon was tried by court martial for
imperilling the trade of Africa, and banished from French soil. He
thirsted for revenge and went back to Palos to tell his brothers Alonzo
and Martin, shipowners, of the mighty Amazon; often they speculated as to
the vast lands which the Amazon drained.
"Columbus, discouraged, ridiculed, and begging his way, started out to
meet at Huelva his brother-in-law and secure promised help, so that he
could visit France. Suddenly he changed his route, stopped at the little
convent La Rabida, met Juan Perez, who knew Queen Isabella, and Fernandez
the priest, the latter a close friend of the three Pinzon brothers.
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