第50节

  ehind.erarriedin</p>

  sllbarrels.itsooaleaastedofrotten</p>

  ygrohings.as</p>

  thepeopleoftheddleageskneicrobes</p>

  rogerban,theleaednkofthethirteeury</p>

  seetohavesuspectedtheirexistehe</p>

  hisdisverytohielftheyoftendrankunerand</p>

  sotistheyphoidfever.ihe</p>

  rtalityonboardtheshipsoftheearliestnavigatorswas</p>

  terrible.ofthetheyear1519left</p>

  sevilletoaousvoyagearound</p>

  theeeued.aslateastheseveh</p>

  turyhereradebeteeurope</p>

  andtheindies,artalityof40perthingunusual</p>

  foratripfroterdaobataviaandback.thegreater</p>

  partofthesevictidiedofscurvy,adiseasehiscaused</p>

  bylackoffreshvegetablesandsand</p>

  poisonstheblooduntilthepatientdiesofsheerexhaustion.</p>

  uhoseesyouandthatthesea</p>

  didnotattraous</p>

  disvererslikegellanandluusandvasdaga</p>

  travelledattheheadofcreostentirelyposed</p>

  ofexjailbirds,futurerderersandpiketsout</p>

  ofajob.</p>

  thesenavigatorsirationforthe</p>

  urageandthepluckplishedtheir</p>

  hopelesstasksinthefaultiesofhepeopleof</p>

  ourofortableion.their</p>

  shipssy.siheddle</p>

  ofthethirteeofa</p>

  passetoeuropefrohinabywayof</p>

  arabiaandthecrusadesbuttheyhadverybadandi</p>

  ps.theysettheirursebygodandbyguess.ifluck</p>

  theyretuedafterohreeyears.</p>

  iherainedbehindon</p>

  solonelybeach.buttheybled</p>

  ure.and</p>

  allthesuffering,thethirstandthehungerandthepainwere</p>

  fottenoutlinesofane</p>

  ortheplacidersofahathadlainfottensince</p>

  thebeginningofti.</p>

  agaihisbookathousandpages</p>

  long.thesubjectoftheearlydisveriesissofasating.</p>

  buthistory,togiveyouatrueideaofpasttis,shouldbe</p>

  likethoseetgsbrandtusedtoke.itshould</p>

  portantcauses,onthoseh</p>

  arebestaest.alltherestshouldbeleftintheshadow</p>

  orshouldbeindicatedbyafehischapteri</p>

  ostiortantdisveries.</p>

  keepinndthatallduringthefourteenthandfifteenth</p>

  turiesthenavigatorsplishjustone</p>

  thingtheyfortableandsaferoadtothe</p>

  eireofcathaya,totheislandofzipangujapan</p>

  andtothosesteriousislands,hespicesh</p>

  thediaevaletolikesihedaysofthe</p>

  crusades,andhosedaysbeforethe</p>

  introduofldste,eatandfishspoiledvery</p>

  quicklyanduldoenafteraliberalsprinklingof</p>

  pepperoutg.</p>

  theveiansandthegenoesehadbeenthegreatnavigators</p>

  ofthediterranean,butthehonourforexplthe</p>

  astoftheatlanticgoestothepuese.spainandpal</p>

  hatpatriotiergyheirageold</p>

  struggleagainsttheorishinvadershaddeveloped.such</p>

  energy,oexists,easilybefortonehannels.</p>

  ihirteeury,kingalphonsoiiihadnquered</p>

  thekingdofalgarveiheerofthe</p>

  spanishpeninsulaandhadaddedittohisdonions.inthe</p>

  tury,thepuesehadtuedthetablesonthe</p>

  haedans,hadcrossedthestraitsofgibraltarandhad</p>

  takenpossessioa,oppositethearabiityoftarifa</p>

  aeans``ioryandhbyway</p>

  ofthespanishlanguagehasedoousas``tariff,and</p>

  tangiers,ethecapitalofanafriadditionto</p>

  algarve.</p>

  theyobegintheircareerasexplorers.</p>

  intheyear1415,prinry,knohe</p>

  navigator,thesonofjohnialandphilippa,the</p>

  daughterofjohnofgauntaboutyoureadin</p>

  richardii,aplaybyshakespearebegantoke</p>

  preparationsforthesysteticexplorationofnorthe</p>

  africa.beforethis,thathotandsandyasthadbeenvisited</p>

  bythephoenien,eeredit</p>

  asthehoofthehairy``ao</p>

  knohegorilla.oeranother,prinry</p>

  andhiscaptainsdisveredthearyislandsredisvered</p>

  theislandofdeiraurybeforehadbeenvisited</p>

  byagenoeseship,hartedtheazoreshhad</p>

  beenvaguelyknooboththepueseandthespaniards,</p>

  andouthofthesenegalriveron</p>

  theastofafrica,heysupposedtobethee</p>

  uthofthelast,bytheddleofthefifteenth</p>

  tury,theysahegreencape,andthe</p>

  capeverdeislands,osthalfhe</p>

  astofafridbrazil.</p>

  buthenrydidricthielfinhisiigationsto</p>

  theasteroftheorder</p>

  ofchrist.thisuguesentinuationofthecrusading</p>

  orderofthetelarshhadbeenabolishedby</p>

  popetvintheyear1312attherequestofking</p>

  philipthefairoffrance,provedtheoasionby</p>

  buinghisoplarsatthestakeandstealingalltheir</p>

  possessions.prinains</p>

  ofhisreligiousordertoequipseveralexpeditionshexplored</p>

  thehinterlandofthesaharaandoftheastofguinea.</p>

  butheuiddleagesand</p>

  spentagreatdealoftiandoneyupona</p>

  searysterious``presserjohhihristian</p>

  priestperorofavasteire</p>

  ``situatedsoheeast.thestoryofthisstrange</p>

  potentatehadfirstbeentoldineuropeintheddleofthe</p>

  thtury.forthreehundredyearspeoplehadtried</p>

  tofind``presserjohnandhisdesdaookpart</p>

  inthesearch.thirtyyearsafterhisdeath,theriddlewas</p>

  solved.</p>

  intheyear1486bartht</p>

  ...</p>