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Across the sea

Christopher loved the sea. He loved the smell and sound of waves as they rolled onto the beach. Most days, he would leave his father's shop in the afternoon and run down to the beach. There, he took off his shoes and paddled in the warm, clear water. Often, he looked for shells and treasures that the sea had left behind.

One day he found a bottle that still had a cork in the top. Another day he found an old shoe. Once, he found a small, wooden box. There was a lion carved on the lid. Perhaps these treasures had come from a passing ship.

There were lots of ships that passed near to where Christopher lived. Some of them went to far away countries. They brought back, gold, silver and sweet-smelling spices, such as cinnamon, pepper and cloves.

Christopher told himself that he would sail on a ship one day. Perhaps he would travel to a far away land and meet new and interesting people. That day came sooner than Christopher expected.

From the age of sixteen, Christopher worked with his brother on many ships. After lots of journeys, they set out on a ship that was going from Italy to England. During the night, there was a bad storm and the ship sank. Christopher and his brother were rescued by a fishing boat and taken to a port called Lisbon. It is a large port, where there are many ships.

Christopher stayed in Lisbon with his brother and after some years he went to live in Spain. He still worked as a sailor but he always hoped that one day he would make a special journey across the sea. At the age of forty one, Christopher's wish came true.

The King of Spain gave him a ship called the Santa Maria and two other ships, called the Nina and the Pinta. They sailed west over a large ocean, bigger than the biggest sea Christopher had ever seen.

They sailed for seventy days but at last they saw land. Christopher and his crew gave a loud cheer.

It was a strange land, with new and interesting people, just as Christopher had hoped. The new land that he had found was America!

Christopher Columbus was born more than 500 years ago. He was a great sailor and explorer. At that time, many people thought the earth was flat. Christopher's journey proved that it was round.