cr own readers

THE WORLD BEFORE COI.U~lBUS. 149
chiefly by oars; and a raised platform, or " ensUe,"
at either end was I
provided for th e soldiers.
Hence we still
call the forward part
of our ships th e " fore- I
castle.' This cumbrous "
arrangement is seen
in the ships of Columbus,
and it gives them
an appearance very
different from th ose of
our own time.
10. In spite of all
. hindrances, Columbus made his great venture; and
if he did not reach Asia, he at least showed
how Asia migh t be
reached. Th e ocean was
to be henceforth th e
great highway of commerce
; th e Atlantic was
to become the Mediterranean
or " "Iidland Sea"
of a large,!:. world, and
th e maritime nations of
Western Europe were
to ta ke th e place so
long held by those of
the sout h as th e carriers
of the world 's
trade. With thi s great
WOOERS SILE BOA T. revolution the "fiddle
Ages close. and modern history begins .