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HEROES OF
AMERICAN HISTORY
DE BALBOA
[Illustration: VASCO NUNEZ DE BALBOA]
VASCO NUNEZ DE BALBOA
BY
FREDERICK A. OBER
HEROES OF AMERICAN HISTORY
ILLUSTRATED
[Illustration]
HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
NEW YORK AND LONDON
1906
Copyright, 1906, by HARPER & BROTHERS.
_All rights reserved._
Published October, 1906.
CONTENTS
CHAP. PAGE
I. THE MAN-OF-THE-BARREL 1
II. LEADER OF A FORLORN HOPE 19
III. BALBOA ASSERTS HIS SUPREMACY 33
IV. BALBOA CAPTURES A PRINCESS 47
V. THE CACIQUES OF DARIEN 64
VI. FIRST TIDINGS OF THE PACIFIC 81
VII. A SEARCH FOR THE GOLDEN TEMPLE 95
VIII. CONSPIRACY OF THE CACIQUES 106
IX. HOW THE CONSPIRACY WAS DEFEATED 120
X. DISSENSIONS IN THE COLONY 134
XI. BALBOA STRENGTHENS HIS ARM 148
XII. THE QUEST FOR THE AUSTRAL OCEAN 162
XIII. ON THE SHORES OF THE PACIFIC 175
XIV. A RIVAL IN THE FIELD 193
XV. PEDRARIAS, THE SCOURGE OF DARIEN 206
XVI. IN THE DOMAIN OF THE DRAGONS 220
XVII. A COMPACT WITH THE ENEMY 234
XVIII. BUILDING THE BRIGANTINES 245
XIX. IMPRISONED AND IN CHAINS 258
XX. THE END OF VASCO NUNEZ DE BALBOA 269
ILLUSTRATIONS
VASCO NUNEZ DE BALBOA _Frontispiece_
PANAMA, DARIEN, AND THE SOUTH SEA _Facing p._ 1
BALBOA CARRIED ON SHIPBOARD " 16
VILLAGE ON RIVER OF DARIEN " 52
BALBOA AND THE INDIAN PRINCESS " 68
QUARREL FOR THE GOLD " 84
DISCOVERY OF THE PACIFIC " 170
EXECUTION OF BALBOA " 274
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
While Vasco Nunez de Balboa may be reckoned among the greatest of the
minor explorers, yet less has been written of him, perhaps, than of any
other in his class except Juan Ponce de Leon. Both names are familiar to
every student of history, both are well known even to the casual reader;
but both have been strangely neglected by the biographer.
The only complete biography of Balboa (it was declared by an authority
several years ago), is that of Don Manuel Jose de Quintana, who, between
the years 1807 and 1834, published his "Spanish Plutarch," or _Vidas de
Espanoles Celebres_. This work is considered a classic, and its author
(who was born in Madrid, 1772, and died in 1857) lived to see it receive
high praise, and some of its subjects honored by translation into other
languages than his own vernacular. An English edition, of _Balboa_ and
_Pizarro_, from Quintana's _Celebrated Spaniards_, was published in
London, 1832, as translated by Mrs. Margaret Hodson, and dedicated to
Robert Southey, then England's poet-laureate.
But there is much material elsewhere to be found pertaining to Balboa,
as well as to Pizarro, and no lack of original documents, such as
letters that passed between Vasco Nunez and the Spanish crown, in the
years 1513, 1514 and 1515. Mention is made of Balboa by all the early
Spanish writers, of course, such as Martyr, Herrera, and Oviedo, the
last named having been personally acquainted with him, as well as with
Pedrarias, Pizarro, and all those who were concerned in the exploration
and settlement of Darien, Panama, and Peru. Though Oviedo's great work,
the _Historia Natural y General de las Indias_, remained in manuscript
during three centuries, Quintana had free access to it and extracted
much that was interesting and valuable.
VASCO
NUNEZ DE BALBOA
[Illustration: PANAMA, DARIEN, AND THE SOUTH SEA]
VASCO NUNEZ DE BALBOA
I
THE MAN-OF-THE-BARREL
1475-1510
Sometime in the summer of the year 1501 there landed on the southern
coast of Santo Domingo one of the strangest expeditions that ever
visited its shores. It was commanded by one Rodrigo de Bastidas, a rich
notary of Seville, in Old Spain, who had become imbued with a passion
for adventure, and so set forth, with a company contained in two
caravels, over the route followed by Christopher Columbus in his third
voyage to America. As he was guided by the skilled pilot Juan de la
Cosa, who had been with Columbus in the West Indies, his voyage was in
every respect successful, save in its ending. It included the entire
length of _Terra Firma_ (as the north coast of South America was then
called), from the Gulf of Maracaibo to the Isthmus of Darien, whence,
after profitable bartering with the Indians, Bastidas set sail for
Spain.
He had sought traffic only, and not conquest, hence had been everywhere
received with open arms by the natives, who poured out their treasures
of gold and pearls most lavishly, so that he and all his comrades were
enriched. Only one other venture to this region, that of Pedro Nino, the
year previous, had yielded such rich returns, and it was with exultation
that the members of this expedition turned the prows of their caravels
homeward. When half-way across the Caribbean Sea, however, they
discovered, to their great alarm, that their vessels were leaking in
every part, and upon investigation found the hulls full of holes, made
by the destructive teredo, or ship-worm, the existence of which they had
not suspected. The nearest land was the island of Santo Domingo, then
known as Hispaniola, and, bearing up for it, they found a harbor in the
Bay of Ocoa. The caravels were hardly kept afloat until this haven was
reached, and foundered in port before their cargoes were landed. All the
arms and ammunition aboard, as well as much of the provisions, went down
with the vessels; but no lives were lost, and the most precious portion
of the cargoes was saved, to the last pearl and nugget of gold.
The governor of Santo Domingo at that time was Don Francisco de
Bobadilla, who, though but a year or so in office, had already committed
irreparable wrongs upon the natives of the island. But a few months had
elapsed since he had sent Christopher Columbus and his brothers home to
Spain in chains. Having sequestrated their effects, he was rapidly
squandering his ill-gotten wealth, and actually living in the old
admiral's castle.
One hot midsummer day, as Governor Bobadilla was enjoying his siesta, or
noonday nap, he was rudely awakened by one of his mounted scouts, who
had ridden all night and all morning, coming in from the westward.
Pushing aside the sentinel on duty in the lower court, he sprang up the
stone stairs with jangling spurs, and, making his way to the balcony
overlooking the river Ozama, where the governor's hammock was swung, he
exclaimed: "Your excellency, I have dire news to report. It calls for
immediate action, too, hence my intrusion upon your privacy."
"Ha! it must be pressing, indeed," replied the governor, testily,
rubbing his eyes and at the same time rolling out of his hammock. "Know
you not, sirrah, that I could have you swung from the battlements--yea,
dashed to the pavement of the court below? Ho, it is Enrique! Pardon me,
man, I thought it must be some varlet of the admiral's scurvy gang. No
chances lose the _Colombinos_ [partisans of Columbus] to invade my
castle and seek to press home their claims, perchance their rusty
blades! But proceed. What is it, Enrique?"
"Your excellency, three bands of lawless adventurers, under one Bastidas
and the pilot Juan de la Cosa, are marching through the country, with
intent, most probably, of attacking the capital. Each band is provided
with a coffer filled with gold and pearls, which they are bestowing upon
the Indians in exchange for provisions. They are committing no ravage,
being in the main unarmed; but I thought your excellency should be
informed, and so have come, as you see, all the way from Azua, without
rest."
"As a faithful retainer, Enrique, you have done well, and shall receive
your reward. They can do no harm, doubtless, since we are here in force;
but, laden with gold and pearls, say you?"
"Yes, your excellency, rioting in wealth, which they have obtained in
Terra Firma. Not a man among them that has not great store."
"Ha! They come most opportunely, then, for this island of Hispaniola is
wellnigh drained of its riches, what with the ravages of Roldan's men
and the license permitted by Bartolome Colon. Their wealth is, without
doubt, ill-gotten, and we must see what can be done with it. Trading
without permission, whether on Terra Firma or in the isles, is a serious
offence."
"But, excellency, the commander of the expedition is Rodrigo Bastidas, a
lawyer of note in Seville, and he claims to have had permission from the
sovereigns. He comes not with intent to trade in this island, so he
says, but, his vessels having foundered, he desires only assistance to
proceed home to Spain."
"And he shall get it, forsooth; but not of the sort he may crave. A
lawyer, say you? Well, since I have already incarcerated an admiral, an
adelantado, and the governor of this very city of Santo Domingo, it
seems not reasonable that I shall be bearded by a bachelor! The dungeon
awaits him, and there is a place in my treasury for his store of gold
and pearls, until it shall be shown that the royal fifth is secure. Go
now and call the captain of the guard. Tell it not in the town; but I
shall have my soldiers ready to arrest these marauders the moment they
arrive."
The avaricious Bobadilla kept his word to the letter, for when, the next
night, his shipwrecked countrymen arrived within sight of the city, they
were met by an armed force and conducted, weak and famishing as they
were, to the prison-pen, where they were herded like cattle. The rank
and file were soon released, and allowed to wander at will about the
island, but Bastidas and La Cosa were kept immured for many months. In
June or July of the next year they were placed on board one of the ships
comprising the large fleet collected by the governor to accompany him to
Spain. Bobadilla embarked in another vessel, at the same time, but lost
his life in a hurricane, which sank nearly every ship in his fleet.[1]
The vessel containing Bastidas and La Cosa survived the tempest, and
they safely arrived in Spain with the greater portion of their treasure.
Both received high honors at the hands of their sovereign, and returned
to the scenes of their discoveries, on the coast of Terra Firma, where
the gallant pilot was killed by a poisoned arrow. Bastidas was appointed
governor of Santa Marta, where, because he treated the Indians justly
and took their part against his ferocious followers, he was assassinated
by some of his own men. His remains were taken to Santo Domingo, and in
its cathedral is a chapel dedicated to the memory of "the Adelantado
Rodrigo de Bastidas," who, together with his wife and child, there
sleeps his last, in a tomb elaborately carved, as attested by an
inscription on the chapel wall.
* * * * *
While the adventures of the humane Bastidas were sufficiently
interesting to attract attention at the time of their occurrence, they
might, possibly, have escaped the historian were it not for the fact
that they were shared by a man whose subsequent fortunes were identified
with one of the greatest events in American history. This man was Vasco
Nunez de Balboa, who enlisted under Bastidas at Seville, and accompanied
him throughout the voyage, with its consequent disasters. He was then an
obscure individual, known only as a dependant of Don Pedro
Puertocarrero, the mighty lord of Moguer. He was not a native of Moguer
(that town near Palos so closely identified with Columbus and the
discovery of America), but came from Xeres de los Caballeros, where his
family was respected, though poor and untitled.
No mention is made of Balboa in the annals of the voyage, nor for years
after the disbanding of the company at Santo Domingo do we find anything
respecting the man who possessed those transcendent qualities that later
marked him as a born leader of men. He was probably one of the
unfortunates let loose upon the island when Bastidas was imprisoned by
Bobadilla. At that time he was about twenty-six years of age, having
been born in 1475. He was tall and robust, with a handsome,
prepossessing countenance, and was one of the most expert swordsmen and
archers in the island.
"His singular vigor of frame," says his Spanish biographer, Quintana,
"rendered him capable of any degree of fatigue; his was the strongest
lance, his was the surest arrow in the company; but his habits were
loose and prodigal, though his nature was generous, his manners
extremely affable."
He was, probably, just an average "soldier of fortune," and, finding
Santo Domingo well suited to his tastes, took what came to him from his
share in the voyage with Bastidas and spent it in riotous living. This
one-time Indian Eden, or paradise, had been converted, by the passions
of depraved men, into an abode fit only for the ruffian and libertine.
With the farms and plantations assigned the new-coming settlers went
large _encomiendas_, or slave-gangs, of unfortunate Indians, who
belonged to their master utterly so long as they remained subject to his
control. At the time of Balboa's advent the system was at its worst, for
Bobadilla, knowing that his time was short, encouraged every Spaniard to
make the most of his opportunities. Thus the poor Indians were worked
beyond the limit of endurance, and died by thousands; thus the white men
took to oppression as a matter of course, and became as fiends in human
shape, with no regard for morals, for humanity, or the rights of their
fellow-men.
Yet, with all the opportunities presumably given Balboa for acquiring a
fortune, we find him, after several years in the island, deep in debt
and seeking to avoid his creditors by flight. The first authentic notice
of this former companion of Bastidas appears in a reference to him, in
general terms, in the year 1510. At that time, four years after the
death of Christopher Columbus, his only legitimate son, Don Diego, was
governor of Santo Domingo and viceroy of the Indies. He had succeeded to
the incompetent Bobadilla and the atrocious Ovando, who had left the
island in such terrible condition that all his great energies were
required to bring it under control.
Besides seeking to renovate the impoverished plantations and ameliorate
the condition of the Indians, Don Diego also undertook the investigation
of Santo Domingo's resources, and explorations in various regions of
the Caribbean. He was especially interested in the development of Terra
Firma, and encouraged expeditions thither, among them being the venture
of Alonso de Ojeda, who, on one of his voyages, was accompanied by
Francisco Pizarro, then unknown, but destined to become the conqueror of
Peru. On his third voyage to Terra Firma, Ojeda left behind him in Santo
Domingo one Martin Fernandez de Enciso, who was to follow after with a
vessel freighted with supplies and reinforcements for a colony he had
founded on the coast of Darien. It was on the occasion of Enciso's
sailing that the reference, already alluded to, was made to Balboa and
the class to which he then belonged: delinquent debtors who sought to
evade their obligations by flight. Information having reached Don Diego,
the admiral, that certain reckless men of this class meditated waylaying
Enciso's ship when she called at some of the out-ports for final
supplies, he issued a proclamation commanding them to desist from their
purpose, and also sent an armed caravel with the vessel to escort her
clear of the coast.
Vasco Nunez de Balboa was then residing on a farm, which he nominally
owned, near the sea-coast town of Salvatierra, at which place Enciso
was to call for provisions. Indeed, some of the provisions were to come
from Balboa's farm, and his own Indians were engaged in transporting
them to the sea-shore. Late one afternoon, it is said, as Balboa and his
_mayordomo_, or chief man, were walking on the sands near the mouth of
the river that flowed through his farm, they saw Enciso's vessel and her
escort standing into the bay. The sun was then not far above the western
hills, beyond which towered the cloud-capped mountains of the interior,
where lay the rugged region known as the Goldstone Country. The craft
had scarcely furled their sails and dropped their anchors ere a puff of
smoke shot out from the larger vessel, followed by the report of a
cannon.
"Ha! that means haste!" exclaimed Balboa. "Bachelor Enciso is desirous
that we send our supplies at once, so that he may lade to-night and sail
to-morrow with the morning breeze."
"Well, master," said the mayordomo, "so far as our own provisions go, we
are ready for him. These barrels on the beach, with what the Indians are
now bearing hither on the road, make up our contribution to the cargo."
"Yes, Miguel," answered Balboa, "as thou sayest, we are ready. But,
notwithstanding, there is one more contribution I fain would make to
Bachelor Enciso's complement of soldiers, as well as add to his cargo.
Dost understand me, Miguel mio?"
"I have heard, master, that thou art pressed for funds of late, and
threatened with imprisonment provided money be not forthcoming for thy
creditors."
"That is it. And dost know, Miguel, whence I may get that money--or,
what is the same to me now, how I may evade payment for a while?"
"As to the _dinero_, master--'sooth, I know not where to find it; for if
I did, certain thou shouldst have it. As to evading the payment, there
is but one way open, and that--"
"Lies yonder," added Balboa, then continued, bitterly: "Yet it is not
open, after all, for how can I get aboard the vessel? Don Diego--and may
the devil get his soul in keeping, say I!--Don Diego has sent the
caravel to prevent the escape of poor men like me who would redeem
themselves in a far country. He would keep us here, it seems, to rot in
misery, rather than afford us a chance to get gold for the payment of
our debts."
"Don Diego is a fool!" exclaimed the mayordomo. "Yea, and so is the
Bachelor Enciso. Faith, if we cannot outwit them both, thou mayst cut
off my head and stick it on a pole! When canst thou be ready, my
master?"
"In an hour, Miguel. But what will it avail?"
"Say no more, my master, but go to the rancho, and return to the beach
within an hour or two. It were better if after dark; but not too late
for getting aboard the ship."
"Oh no, not too late for boarding the ship," rejoined Balboa,
derisively. "It hath ever been that, of late. But, what is thy scheme,
Miguel?"
"Let not that concern thee, master. Go thou, and remember these
proverbs: 'When the iron is hot, then is the time to strike'; and 'When
the fool has made up his mind, the market is over!'"
Balboa laughed lightly as he hastened away to the rancho, whence he
returned, two or three hours later, accompanied by an Indian porter with
a full suit of armor on his back, and another with a large basket
containing articles of wearing apparel.
Miguel was standing by a large cask, one end of which was open.
Directing the Indians to deposit their burdens on the sand beside the
cask, he sent them back to the rancho, thus leaving himself and Balboa
alone. Not far away, though but dimly visible in the starlit night, a
number of Indians were rolling casks of provisions into a small boat
from the ship.
"They will be ready for this in about an hour," said the mayordomo, "so
I fain must pack it quickly. What thinkst thou of thy quarters, master
mine?"
"What? Is that thy scheme--to send me aboard packed like pork in a cask?
Never, Miguel! The stigma would cling to me forever!"
"Not so closely, perhaps, as thy creditors, my master. But choose thou,
and quickly, for time is no laggard. Meanwhile thou'rt making up thy
mind, I'll pack this armor and clothing in the lower end of the cask.
See, now, I shall secure it with braces, so the armor may not rattle;
and observe thou that there are holes, which I have bored in the sides,
to give thee air. Now, when quite ready, get therein, and I will head
thee up, my master."
"But, Miguel, suppose the cask were to turn over? With the weight of my
armor upon me, I should be suffocated, methinks."
"Nay, master, turned over thou shalt not be, for I shall give
instructions to the crew to keep the top-end uppermost."
"But they may not observe them," groaned Balboa, as he clambered into
the cask and settled himself in position.
"They will, master; trust me," said the faithful Miguel. "In the lading,
they may roll thee about a bit, to be sure. Still, it will be better
than to be squeezed by thy creditors."
"Well, as thou sayest, Miguel. In I go, perchance to a living tomb. A
thousand ducats for thee, Miguel, if the venture prove successful."
"Ha! But when do I get it, master?"
"When I am lord of Terra Firma! But stay, Miguel. There is Leoncico. I
cannot, must not, leave him behind."
"Truly thou sayest," replied the mayordomo; "but for the hound I have
already provided. He goes aboard with Salvador Gonzalez, who, also, will
have an eye on this cask, to open it at the proper time, which cannot
be till to-morrow, know thou."
[Illustration: BALBOA CARRIED ON SHIPBOARD]
"Ah, well! get me aboard; and caution the men to handle me carefully.
_Adios_, Miguel, good friend. May the Lord reward thee."
Enciso's vessel was laden by midnight, and before dawn of the next
morning was well in the offing, from the shore appearing a mere speck
upon the horizon. The bachelor was now in high feather, for he had, as
he thought, completely outwitted the scheming debtors of the island, who
intended boarding his vessel, and had dismissed the armed caravel with a
message to Don Diego to this effect. What, then, was his astonishment,
about mid-forenoon of the first day out, to be confronted by a mailed
apparition, in the person of the most notorious debtor that Santo
Domingo had known--Vasco Nunez de Balboa!
Clad in full armor, with his good Toledo blade in one hand and the
famous hound, Leoncico, by his side, the soldier-colonist strode aft to
the quarter-deck where Enciso was standing. He had been released from
his cramped quarters in the cask by his neighbor Gonzalez, guided by
Leoncico, who picked out his master's place of imprisonment from among
the freightage in the vessel's bows, and stood by solemnly until he was
freed.
"_Dios mio!_" exclaimed Balboa, after the head of the cask had been
removed and his own head took its place. "That was an experience I would
not endure again for an empire! Give me to eat, friend Salvador, and
something to drink, for of a truth I am perishing of hunger and thirst.
My limbs, too, are as stiff as a stake, so rub me down, _amigo_, and
then help me on with my armor."
II
LEADER OF A FORLORN HOPE
1510
When the Bachelor Enciso beheld Vasco Nunez before him, even though the
stowaway removed his plumed hat and bowed obsequiously almost to the
deck, he was exceedingly disturbed. As he gazed, open-mouthed, upon the
handsome countenance of Balboa, wreathed as it was with a most provoking
smile, which seemed to say, "Aha! I have outwitted you at last," his
choler rose, so that at first he could not find words for his wrath.
Finally it was voiced, and he poured forth, upon the still smiling
vagabond in armor before him, a torrent of words which, since they were
not chosen with a view to being reproduced for posterity to peruse, will
not be repeated herewith. Suffice it that, when at last his rage and his
vocabulary were seemingly exhausted, he was somewhat mollified by
Balboa's single remark: "Well, Senor Bachelor, after all, the island, it
seemeth, has lost a bad citizen, while you have gained a good soldier.
Yea, two good soldiers, for here behold my hound, Leoncico, who will do
more than one man's work, I ween."
"Scoundrel!" sputtered the lawyer, "what bad citizen--and, faith, you
are one--ever became a good soldier? I have a mind--yea, a mind almost
made up for that--to leave you on the reefs of Roncador, there to
subsist on such as the sea may yield. And your impudence, moreover, to
force yourself upon my company, when, as you cannot truthfully deny, you
owe me, myself, two hundred ducats!"
"Nor do I deny it," answered Balboa, with a winning smile. "And the fact
that I do not--and, moreover, seek you out--and, as you say, force
myself upon your company--would not that imply that my motives are most
honorable? Why should I seek to ally with one to whom I am indeed in
debt but for a desire to liquidate that obligation? You yourself know,
Bachelor, that there are now no opportunities in Hispaniola: none for
the planter, even--which I am not; and scarce any for the
soldier--which I am. Take me with you, then, and but give me
opportunity. From the first spoils I win of the heathen, you shall
recoup yourself the two hundred ducats, and I shall not rest until all
my creditors have likewise been repaid in full."
"I do not know," remarked Enciso dubiously. "I remember the proverb,
'When the devil says his prayers, he wants to cheat you.' I never knew
you, Vasco Nunez de Balboa, to be over-anxious to discharge your debts.
Still, since you are here, and if, before these men assembled, you will
pledge your fealty, promising support and obedience to my commands, I
will allow you to remain."
"I thank your excellency; and let me quote another proverb, which I
verily believe in, '_Quien busca, halla_--He who seeks, finds!' I have
sought, I shall seek yet more, and--I shall find!"
With these words, Balboa bowed low to the lawyer-captain, turned on his
heel, and walked forward to rejoin his friends. Enciso looked after him,
noting his stalwart, muscular figure, his independent poise, and shook
his head. He had, indeed, gained a sturdy recruit, but one of such
lofty and intrepid spirit that he might not be content with a position
in the ranks, and, perchance, might some time aspire to command. Lawyer
that he was, he was provoked to think that he had, in a sense,
compounded with felony, and allowed a man to join his company who was
under the ban of the law. But, like the lawyer that he was, he shrugged
his shoulders and hoped all would turn out for the best. Balboa had his
permission to stay, and even if he had not given it, he could not get
rid of the impudent rascal without throwing him overboard.
Balboa joined his friends in the prow of the ship, and, with something
of a swagger, told of his reception by Enciso, whom he complimented for
his good sense in securing a good recruit, even though it had gone
against his prejudices to do so. Salvador Gonzalez and a few other
soldier-settlers, who had enlisted for the voyage and a year thereafter
of service on land, then informed Balboa of the nature of the expedition
in which he had engaged. They had turned the empty cask bottom up, and,
gathered around Balboa's erstwhile domicile of the night before, regaled
themselves upon viands brought from their Dominican farms. A goat-skin
of wine hung conveniently near, and as this was frequently resorted to,
the spirits of the company rose with the progress of the meal.
"You may not understand, Vasco Nunez _mio_," said Gonzalez, "that this
expedition we are on is for the relief of Don Alonso de Ojeda, who has
made, now, three voyages to Terra Firma, and has founded a colony on the
Gulf of Uraba. He and Don Diego de Nicuesa were given by the sovereigns
permission to settle the coast of Terra Firma, between Cape de la Vela
and Gracias a Dios, and they sailed from Santo Domingo, as you know, at
or about the same time. When Don Alonso left, he had arranged with this
our commander, the Bachelor Enciso, to prepare a vessel and follow him,
after a certain interval. That interval has elapsed, and, true to his
pledge, Don Martin Fernandez has set sail, and here we are, you see, on
the high seas between Santo Domingo and the continent of mysteries
[South America]."
"And well pleased am I," responded Balboa, "to find myself loose from
that island of plagues and poverty. Whate'er betide, meseems we cannot
do worse on the continent than in Hispaniola. Well it is that I
preserved my good sword all these years that I have played the planter
in that island, for now I see my way to carve a fortune with it in a new
land where gold abounds. Here, then, is to the success of our voyage!
May we find gold galore, and caciques as rich as was Caonabo when Don
Cristobal Columbus came first to Hispaniola!"
He filled a calabash with wine, which he quaffed at a draught, and his
companions likewise drank most heartily to the toast he proposed.
"How many are there in our company?" asked Balboa.
"One hundred and fifty men," answered Gonzalez, "plus yourself."
"Then there are one hundred and fifty-two, for Leoncico is as good as
any soldier, and shall share on equal terms with all."
This Balboa said with such determination that it was easy to see his dog
stood only second to himself in his estimation.
"Ay, he is a fine brute," assented Gonzalez. "I know him well. He is a
son of Ponce de Leon's dog, Becerrico, who performed such feats in the
island San Juan, and well worthy of his sire. And, inasmuch as
Becerrico received a soldier's full share, yielding his master more than
two thousand pesos in gold, as prize-money for those he captured, I see
not why Leoncico should not be received among us on the same terms."
"You shall never regret it!" exclaimed Balboa, eagerly, "for on
occasions he can render the service of a dozen men. He is a sentinel
that never sleeps. By day and by night, he is ever on the watch. And,
mates, his instinct is most wonderful. He can distinguish between a
peaceful and a warlike Indian merely by his smell. When we were hunting
down the Indians of the Cibao, ten Christians escorted by this dog were
in greater security than twenty were without him. Seeing an Indian at a
distance, I have loosed him, saying, 'There he is, seek him,' and he
hath so fine a scent that not one ever escaped him. Having overtaken an
Indian, he will take him by the hand or sleeve or girdle, perchance he
have anything upon him, and lead him gently towards me, without biting
or annoying him at all; but should the savage resist, he would tear him
to pieces. Look at the scars upon him," added Balboa, proudly, drawing
the blood-hound towards him and pointing out the many places where he
had been wounded. "Most of these wounds were made by Indian arrows; but
here is where a javelin struck and tore him badly, and here again where
a spear glanced from his ribs that might else have penetrated to his
heart. Ah, you are a great dog, aren't you, Leoncico?" The hound raised
his massive head and sent forth a roar that resounded through the ship.
He was an ugly brute, even for a blood-hound, and few aboard ship cared
to handle him; but with Balboa he was like a kitten.
Pursuing a course southwesterly across the Caribbean Sea, Enciso's ship
finally arrived at the harbor of Cartagena, where, as the Spaniards
attempted to land, they were set upon by a host of savages, who had been
roused to exasperation by Ojeda and were burning for revenge. Balboa and
the more fiery of the cavaliers were for attacking them forthwith; but
Enciso was of a peaceable disposition and would not consent. He withdrew
from the shore a little way, and parleyed with the Indians through an
interpreter, with the consequence that they desisted from their hostile
demonstrations and soon engaged in friendly barter with the Spaniards.
Though they had suffered severely at the hands of Ojeda, who had killed
many of their warriors, women, and children, as well as burned their
town to ashes, these so-called savages forgot their wrongs and mingled
freely with the countrymen of those who had ravaged their territory.
Enciso took occasion to point out the advantages the Spaniards might
always gain if they would treat these simple people fairly instead of
with rank injustice, as was usually the case when the two races met.
Balboa, Gonzalez, and their like, who had been schooled in the barbarous
savagery of Bobadilla and Ovando, dissented from the bachelor's opinion,
and declared he was altogether too lenient with the Indians. Then and
there, in fact, began the dissension among the soldiers which resulted
in Enciso's overthrow. But of that anon.
As they were about to leave Cartagena harbor, a sail was descried at a
distance, which proved to be a brigantine laden with soldiers who had
enlisted with Ojeda. This was proven to the satisfaction of Enciso, and
on coming to close quarters he hailed them and demanded why they had
deserted their post. He was answered by the commander of the ship, who
was no less than the subsequently renowned Francisco Pizarro, that
famine and savages had combined to drive them away. Ojeda, said Pizarro,
had departed two months before, in a pirate ship bound for Santo
Domingo, leaving him in command. He was to wait fifty days, and if at
the end of that time no supplies or reinforcements came, was at liberty
to abandon the settlement. The stipulated time passed, and the survivors
of the wretched colony embarked in two vessels. One of these was
swallowed by the sea, and the terrified crew of the other vessel sought
the harbor of Cartagena, intending to sail direct for Santo Domingo.
They had endured enough, all agreed, having lost more than a hundred
comrades by drowning, starvation, and the Indians' poisoned arrows. Even
the indomitable Pizarro was convinced that a return to the deserted
settlement was useless, for the savages had burned their fort before
they left the harbor, and everything would have to be done over anew.
But Enciso, as _alcalde mayor_ by appointment of Ojeda, was then ranking
officer of the little squadron, and Pizarro was subject to his
authority. He yielded to his superior as gracefully as might have been
expected in the circumstances; but soon after it was noticed that he and
Balboa (having previously met in Santo Domingo, where they were at one
time boon companions, in fact) had their heads together, and it was
surmised, not without reason, that a plot was hatching.
The Bachelor Enciso was not devoid of tact, however, and to divert the
malcontents led them on an expedition inland, to ravage the territory of
the cacique Zenu and ravish the sepulchres of his ancestors, which were
said to be filled with gold and gems. It was Balboa who related the
story of the golden sepulchres, which he recalled as having heard when
he was on that very coast with Bastidas.
"And, moreover," said he, "I bethink me of what was related respecting
the gold of that region. It is said to abound in such quantities that it
may be picked up by the basketful. In the season of rains, which is now,
gold, in great nuggets large as eggs, is washed down by the torrents,
and all the natives do to collect it is to stretch nets across the
streams. Going to them in the morning, as a fisherman would visit his
nets in the sea, they find the precious metal in such abundance that
they bear it away by the backload."
Thus discoursed the redoubtable Vasco Nunez de Balboa to his commander,
Enciso; and though there were those on board ship who, knowing him of
old, declared that he was prone to "shoot with the long bow," or, in
other words, tell incredible yarns, the bachelor believed his story,
every word, and prepared to put it to the proof. As he, Enciso, was a
man of peace, more learned in the law than versed in the practice of
arms, he allowed Balboa to take charge of the expedition, though he
himself went along in an advisory capacity.
The remarkable abilities of the Bachelor Enciso shone forth in a
remarkable manner at the outset, for, meeting with two caciques in
command of a large army of naked warriors, he insisted upon expounding
to them the "why and wherefore" of the Spaniards having invaded their
territory. He had with him the old formula, drawn up by the learned
doctors of Spain, which recited that, in virtue of the world having been
given by God to the pope, and by the latter the unexplored regions of
America to the king of Spain, hence the inhabitants thereof, which
included, of course, those same Indian caciques, should submit to the
Spaniards, etc. But these two caciques were strangely stubborn, for they
could not perceive the connecting links in an argument which was
supposed to be final as to the rights of the Spaniards to territory
which they and their ancestors had held beyond the memory of any living
man. One of them, in fact, was so rude as to inform the bachelor that
while he assented to the proposition that there was but one God, who
lived in the heavens, they could not understand how it was He had given
the world to the pope, who also must have been drunk, or crazy, to
present to the king of Spain what did not belong to him. And he
furthermore added that he and his friend were rulers over that golden
province, and if Enciso persisted in his hostile action, they would be
forced to cut off his head and stick it up on a pole. Then he and his
warriors turned about and pointed to the palisaded fort behind them,
where, over the gateway, ranged in grisly rows, Enciso and his men saw
several heads that had once been carried on living shoulders.
This ghastly spectacle did not daunt Enciso, however, who said to Balboa
and Pizarro, "Well, I have given them the law; now it only remains for
you to give them what they can better understand, perhaps--that is, the
sword and the lance."
The two dauntless fighters desired nothing better than the pretty fight
that was promised with the caciques, and, with shouts to their
followers, led them against the foe. The battle was short, but fierce.
The two caciques were forced to retreat, leaving many of their men dead
on the field; but two of the Spaniards were wounded with poisoned
arrows, and died in torments. The province was ravaged, but no gold was
found, either as ornaments in the sepulchres or nuggets in nets
stretched across the roaring torrents.
III
BALBOA ASSERTS HIS SUPREMACY
1510
The barren victory at Zenu did not serve to greatly strengthen the
authority of Enciso, and it required all his arts as a solicitor to
induce Pizarro's disgusted soldiers to return to San Sebastian--as
Ojeda's settlement was called. It was situated on the east side of an
inlet from the Gulf of Darien known as Uraba, the currents of which were
so swift and strong as to force Enciso's vessel upon a shoal, where she
went to pieces, with the result that nearly all her precious freight was
lost, the men on board barely escaping with their lives. They reached
the shore nearly naked and destitute, only to find their fortress and
former dwellings in ashes, and the rapacious savages lying in wait for
them in the surrounding forest.
A party sent by Enciso to forage the country was waylaid by Indians,
who wounded several Spaniards with their poisoned arrows, and compelled
the command to retreat to the shore. There a consultation was held, at
which all present were unanimous for abandoning a region where, in their
own words, "Sea and land, the skies and the inhabitants, all unite to
repulse us." But they knew not whither to go, unless it were back to
Santo Domingo, which, under the circumstances, would not be likely to
receive them hospitably. At this juncture, the one man of that company
who had less to expect from a return to the island than from remaining
away from it, stepped forth and, by his words of encouragement, kindled
in the hearts of the despairing colonists new spirits and new hopes.
"Now I remember," said Vasco Nunez de Balboa, "that some years ago when
passing by this coast on a voyage of discovery with Rodrigo de Bastidas,
we entered this very gulf and disembarked on its western shore. There we
found a large river, and saw on its opposite bank an Indian town, the
inhabitants of which do not poison their arrows. The country adjacent,
moreover, was open and fertile, so that, doubtless, we shall find there
great store of maize and cassava, as well as a good site for a
settlement."
This welcome information at once placed Balboa upon a pinnacle of
prominence, and he was urged to lead the starving band towards the
promised land of abundance. As many as possible crowded into the
remaining brigantine, and sailed across the gulf, where they found the
river and the town, just as Vasco Nunez had described them. They landed
at once and took possession, for the town was abandoned of its
inhabitants, who had retreated to the forest. The place, however, was
rendered untenable at the moment by its brave cacique, named Zemaco,
who, with five hundred warriors, had intrenched himself on a near-by
hill, where he courageously awaited the invaders, determined to give
them battle. With such men as Pizarro and Balboa in his command, and the
latter already aspiring to leadership, it was not possible for Enciso to
restrain the ardor of his men, who would not heed his desire to parley
with the Indians, but immediately attacked them in their chosen
stronghold.
The Indians fought for their homes, but the Spaniards for their very
lives, and with such desperation they battled that the issue was not
long in doubt. The cacique and his warriors were driven from the hill
with slaughter, and the victorious though famishing Spaniards, unable to
pursue and overtake them in their flight, remained in possession of the
town, with its ample stores of provisions and its treasures. They found
in the huts, thrust beneath thatched roofs of palm leaves, many quaint
ornaments of gold, such as anklets and bracelets, nose and ear rings,
altogether to the value of ten thousand crowns. In the reeds and canes
along the river, also, were discovered many precious articles concealed
there by the Indians in their flight, and the cacique, having been
captured and put to the torture, revealed the hiding-place of many more.
Thus suddenly raised from poverty to affluence, with more than twelve
thousand pieces of gold in their possession, the Spaniards entertained
hopes of acquiring yet greater wealth, in a short time, by marauding
expeditions. But their ardent expectations were suddenly dashed by
Enciso, who not only claimed the right to hold in his keeping all the
gold, in conformity to royal command, but imprudently prohibited all
traffic with the Indians on individual account, under penalty of death.
As the greater part of his command was composed of men like Balboa, who
had left their country in the hope of bettering their fortunes by barter
with the natives of this golden region, dissatisfaction was wide-spread
and the murmurings loud as well as deep. It was instantly perceived that
the bachelor would prove a captious, miserly master, and the bolder
spirits of the company resolved upon resisting his authority.
All had agreed, meanwhile, that the Indian village was well situated for
a permanent settlement, and, after sending for the remainder of his
company at San Sebastian, Enciso commenced to lay the foundations of a
town which, in fulfilment of a vow he had made, he called Antigua del
Darien. He was the founder of the town of Antigua, but was not to remain
long in control of it, for, having without sufficient force to back him
attempted to restrain the passions of his followers and deprive them of
their liberties, he was soon to be swept away when those pent-up
passions burst their bounds.
The Spaniards of those days had a deep reverence for royal authority and
fear of their king; but when it was casually discovered that Enciso had
unwittingly settled upon territory which had been granted to Nicuesa,
and over which neither Ojeda nor himself had any jurisdiction, he was
promptly deposed by the soldiers, who refused him further allegiance. He
was beaten by his own weapons--those of the law--which were turned
against him by his chief opponent, Balboa, who had never forgotten
Enciso's threat to throw him into the sea, or land him on a desert
island, when he had first made his appearance on shipboard. The line of
demarcation between the territories granted to Ojeda and Nicuesa
respectively ran through the centre of the Gulf of Uraba, the eastern
shores of which pertained to the former and the western to the latter.
As Antigua had been founded on the western shore, it undoubtedly lay
within the limits of Nicuesa's grant, and hence the unfortunate Enciso
was without a legal leg to stand on. "This miser who would deprive us of
our gold," said Balboa, "and who covets for himself all the fruits of
our efforts, would use to our prejudice an authority to which he has no
just claim. Placed as we are, beyond the limits assigned to Ojeda's
jurisdiction, his command as alcalde mayor is become null, together with
our obligation to obedience."
Enciso could not refute this argument, and was set aside, in his place
being elected as alcaldes, or magistrates, Vasco Nunez de Balboa and a
man named Zamudio. Though the majority of the company had chosen these
two as their chiefs, there were still some discontented ones, and
finally the altercations became so violent as to threaten the disruption
of the little colony. In the midst of it, one day, as the disputants
were hotly engaged in the market-place, they heard the sound of cannon
and saw signal-smokes arising from the hills across the gulf from
Antigua. They replied in like manner, with cannon and smoke-signals, and
soon two ships were seen sailing from the eastward, which, on arrival in
the river, proved to be in command of one Diego de Colmenares, who had
come from Spain in search of Nicuesa, the long absence of whom without
tidings had excited alarm.
Learning that opinion in the colony was divided as to the authority that
should rule there, Colmenares agreed to remain and share his arms and
supplies with the colonists, provided they would receive Nicuesa as
their leader. This proposition having been acceded to (for the
liberality of Colmenares had gained him universal favor), he and two
others were deputed to go in search of the lost leader, who, with seven
vessels and five hundred men, had disappeared, months before, and left
no sign by which others could follow him. It was known that he had taken
part with Ojeda in an attack upon the Indians at Cartagena, after which
he had set sail for his allotted territory to the westward of Uraba.
Since then nothing whatever had been heard from Nicuesa, but the search
of Colmenares disclosed the details of a terrible narrative of suffering
and fatal disasters, almost without a parallel in the annals of
exploration. In short, at the time Colmenares set out from Antigua, only
sixty men survived of the five hundred who had sailed from Spain with
Nicuesa, and but one brigantine was left of his fleet.
The unfortunate explorer was finally found at a port on the north coast
of the isthmus named Nombre de Dios, where he and the remnant of his
band were existing in a state of utter despondency, unable to get away,
and despairing of assistance from any quarter. This port had been
discovered and named by Nicuesa himself, who, on reaching it when worn
by fatigue and exhausted by hunger, had exclaimed: "En nombre de
Dios--in the name of God--let us rest here!" There he and his companions
gave up their battle against the elements and hostile savages, and in
the apathy of despair awaited the end. From this situation they were
rescued by the coming of Colmenares, who snatched them from the very
jaws of death.