He might ask her to let me have ships for my voyage. 他可以请求王后为我的航行准备船只。

So Columbus — for that was the name of Diego's father — knocked at the convent door. 于是，哥伦布，也就是迭戈的父亲，敲响了修道院的大门。

The friar who opened it spoke kindly to the thoughtful looking man and his bright-faced boy and invited them to come in and rest. 开门的修士对这位看起来很有思想的人和他聪明伶俐的孩子说话很和善，他邀请他们进来休息。

Then, after the travelers had been given something to eat and drink, the friars gathered around Columbus to hear his story. 接着，在两位旅行者吃喝之后，修士们便聚在了哥伦布的身边，听他讲他的事情。

In those days almost everyone except Columbus thought that the earth was flat. 那个时候，除了哥伦布外，几乎其他所有人都认为地球是平的。

When he tried to get ships for a long voyage to prove that the earth is round, 当他试图得到船只进行远洋航行来证明地球是圆的时，

men laughed at him and were not willing to give him money. 人们嘲笑他，不愿意资助他。

Columbus told the eager friars how long he had tried to get help. 哥伦布告诉这些渴望知识的修士他曾经花了多长时间来努力寻求帮助。

Then, spreading out a map upon the table, he pointed to India, far away to the east. 接着，他在桌子上展开了地图，指出遥远东方的印度。

If I can only get ships to sail in, he said, "I will prove that the world is round. 他说：只要我能找到船只航行到那里，我就能证明地球是圆的了。

For I will sail westward over the ocean. 因为我要向西穿过大洋。

When I have sailed a long time, I shall come to India on the other side of the world. 航行很长一段时间后，我就会到达地球另一端的印度。

Then we shall not need to go to India by the slow journeys that take so long by land." 那样，我们就不必通过漫长的陆地旅行到达印度了。