and in a short time afterward the chief and his council were brought
before him. He turned them over to Cortez for punishment, and they
were burned to death in the public square, where Montezuma could see
them from his window. Cortez had the poor creatures tortured to make
them accuse Montezuma of telling them to commit the murder, so that he
would have an excuse for what he intended to do to the king.
Pretending to believe the confessions, he went before the king and
ordered two common Spanish soldiers to put him in irons. Poor
Montezuma moaned and groaned like his heart would break, while his
faithful attendants, weeping bitterly tried to put their mantles under
the irons so they would not touch his flesh.
Cortez now demanded that he abdicate his power, and pay tribute to
Spain, so he compelled the king to assemble all his chiefs, which he
did saying to them:
"You are acquainted with the traditions which say that the good
Quetzalcoatl is to return and rule over us. That time has come and we
must obey our new masters. You have been faithful vassals of mine, and
I expect you to show me this last act of obedience by acknowledging
the great king across the water as your lord also." The tears streamed
down his face, and his haughty chiefs were very sad at heart, but they
were loyal as well as brave men, and they answered:
"Your will is our law, and if you think the king of the strangers is
the ancient lord of our country we are willing to acknowledge him as
such."
As soon as this was done the grasping Spaniards compelled Montezuma to
send throughout his kingdom for all the gold, silver, precious stones
and feather-work that could be found, in the name of the king of
Spain, but when they got it they divided it among themselves, and then
quarreled fiercely over who should have the greater part.
Here indeed was their fabled El Dorado!
There was but one more humiliation awaiting Montezuma, and that was to
have his own people revile him. The Spaniards had been so brutal and
cruel in their dealings with the Aztecs that some of them began to
doubt whether they could have come from Tlapalla, and whether Cortez
was the Golden Hearted. Knowing this Cortez induced Montezuma to dress
himself in his royal robes, and appear on the stone parapet of the
palace where he was confined, to quiet the mob and induce them to go
about their work peaceably. Cortez was beginning to fear for his own
safety, but the populace were not to be tricked by him. They did not
believe it was Montezuma before them, and hurling a stone at the royal
palanquin accidentally hit the unhappy king on the forehead. The blow
was not sufficient to kill him, but he took to his bed and refused to
eat until he finally died. History says of him that "his great heart
was burst in twain by the sorrows that oppressed his high courage."
Certain it is that he could not live when he found that both his God
and his people despised him. It has never been known what became of
his body, for a terrible war followed his death.
Today we call his country and city Mexico.
[Illustration]
The Child of the Sun
None of us have forgotten about the Children of the Sun, and the city
of Cuzco founded by the Golden Hearted, or of his ruling over them as
Manco-Capac, the powerful one. He went into their country which we
call Peru before he had ever seen Mexico, but the Spaniards came to
the ancient city of Tenochtitlan before they knew anything about
Cuzco. It was not long after the death of Montezuma until the
Spaniards heard about the riches of the Children of the Sun, and they
were determined to find that country.
The Aztecs did not help them any because they no longer looked upon
them as sent from Heaven but as ruthless destroyers borne along on the
backs of fierce animals swift as the wind, and carrying weapons in
their hands that scattered death and destruction everywhere. The
Aztecs learned to hate the Spaniards bitterly, and when we came to
study their history we shall know why. Even their own historians do
not pretend to deny that they fell upon the poor Aztecs sword in hand
and robbed them of all the treasures they had, besides taking their
lands away from them.
Some say that Francisco Pizarro was a cousin of Hernando Cortez who
conquered the Aztecs, but all agree that he was an ignorant swineherd,
who could neither read nor write, and whose parents were not
respectable. While he was not actually a convict he belonged to the
low class, and the men going with him to search for the new El Dorado
among the Children of the Sun, were really no better. Cortez had some
hidalgoes, cavalliers and knights with him because men of good family
often came to the Americas on the first voyages after Columbus, but
Pizarro collected a band of cut-throat adventurers who were just as
greedy and ignorant as he was. All the exploring they did was simply
to search for gold, and they did not care what methods they used to
get it. The simple natives with their naked defenseless bodies, and
bows and arrows were no match for men covered with steel armor,
mounted on horseback and armed with guns and cannon. Balboa had
already found the Pacific Ocean, and Pizarro knew that the Children of
the Sun lived in that direction, so he rigged out a vessel and sailed
along the coast trying to find them. At the first place he landed the
natives said to him:
"Why do you not stay at home and till your own land instead of roaming
about to rob others who have never harmed you?"
But the savages wore some heavy gold ornaments, and Pizarro asked
eagerly:
"Have you more of this?"
"Yes, we have a little more," they said, and as they were weighing
some of the metal their chief struck the scales with his fist,
scattering the nuggets all over the floor.
"If this is what you prize so much that you are willing to risk your
lives to attain it, I can tell you of a land where they eat and drink
out of vessels of gold, and where there are great quantities to be had
for the asking."
"Where is this rich country?"
"It is ten days journey toward the south and is ruled by the Child of
the Sun."
The Spaniards were nearly mad with joy because now they said:
"All our fond dreams are about to be realized." They were in such a
good humor that they gave the natives some glass beads and some live
chickens. When they turned the rooster loose, he crowed, and then the
simple natives clapped their hands in glee, and asked:
"What is it saying?"
It sounded as if the rooster said:
"How do you do, sir!" which the natives thought was very funny indeed.
Then they wanted to know what the cannon said. One of the men set up a
target and fired at it shivering the board into fine splinters. The
loud noise, the flash of smoke and powder, frightened the poor
natives nearly to death. Some of them fell flat on their faces, and
others ran into the woods as fast as they could go, screaming:
"Our good Manco-Capac is coming back to us angry."
That night the old men huddled the terrified people together and said
to them:
"Do you remember when the comet flamed through the sky; when the
earthquake shook the land, and there was a rainbow around the moon?"
"I well remember," said one of the old men, "that a thunderbolt fell
on one of the Incas' royal palaces setting it on fire, and I saw an
eagle chased by several hawks hovering in the air over Cuzco. Our king
saw it too, and while he looked at it the eagle fell dead at his
feet."
"It is no use to resist these strangers," said an envoy from the Inca,
who had arrived in time to hear the last statement. "Seven years ago
when the father of our king died, he called his son to his bedside and
told him that white and bearded strangers were coming to overturn the
Empire. And as you know, our great oracle has foretold the return of
Manco-Capac at the close of the twelfth dynasty of the Incas. That day
is at hand, so do not quarrel with the strangers."
No one showed a disposition to disobey him, and in a short time he
stood before Pizarro saying:
"I bring you greetings from the Inca, Child of the Sun, who rules this
land. He wishes me to ask why you come, and from what country."
"Our home is far across the sea," responded Pizarro, "and we serve a
rich and powerful prince who has heard of the Child of the Sun, and
sends us to pay our respects to him."
This was not the truth for the King of Spain knew nothing whatever of
Pizarro's wicked intentions, nor did he know about Cortez either until
long after poor Montezuma was dead and his country laid waste. But
when men turn out to be wholesale robbers they do not care whether
they tell the truth or not.
"Our Inca is at his favorite baths and wishes to know when you will
arrive, so that he may provide suitable refreshments for you."
"We will come at once," said Pizarro.
"It would be better to wait a few days," said the king's messenger.
"Our Inca is keeping a sacred fast, and we cannot disturb him until it
is finished." The Spaniards had no respect for the king's wishes or
his privacy, so they made ready to follow the messenger. While they
were dividing the presents of llamas, sheep and gold goblets among
themselves some of the soldiers said:
"This dog of a king may have thousands of followers. What can a
handful of men like we are, do against so many? Suppose they should
try to fight us?"
Pizarro happened to overhear them and replied:
"Let every one of you take heart, and go forward like a good soldier.
God ever protects his own, and will humble the pride of the heathen
and bring him to a knowledge of the true faith--the great end and
object of this conquest."
It was the first time he had spoken of conquest, but the soldiers
remembered the complete success of Cortez in Mexico and only needed to
be told that the natives were to be Christianized to make them certain
that the home authorities would not interfere with them, so they
shouted:
"Lead on! wherever you think best we will follow with good will."
The few padres in the company were sincere in their wish to teach the
natives and so was the King of Spain, but neither of them could
control the actions of such men as Pizarro and his adventurers, now
ready to pounce down on the mild and inoffensive people like a band of
hungry wolves. When they got up on the top of the mountain and looked
down, the landscape had the appearance of a huge checker-board cut
into squares by canals and evergreen hedges. A wide river rolled
through the meadows, like a narrow silver ribbon, while across the
valley were the famous hot baths with steam and vapor rising from them
in the clear air. Along the slope of the hills a white cloud of tents
covered the ground for several miles, where the Child of the Sun, and
his court were encamped.
Pizarro with banners streaming and the sparkle of armor glittering in
the sun, galloped into the city with blare of trumpets and lances
fixed. The Inca was in a camp near by, but the rude Spaniards broke
in upon his fast, and a brother of Pizarro almost rode him down with
his horse. Giving the bridle a sudden jerk he brought the horse to his
haunches, so close to the Inca, that the horse snorted with fear, but
the brave king did not move a muscle, although he had never seen a
white man in armor nor a horse before in his life. Seeing that he
could not frighten him Pizarro's brother said haughtily:
"What is your royal will? My brother desires that you visit him."
Without raising his eyes from the ground where he had kept them as a
mark of respect to his visitor, the Inca smiled and said:
"Tell your captain, that I am keeping a fast, which will end tomorrow
morning. I will then visit him with my chieftains. In the meantime let
him occupy the public buildings on the square till I come, when I will
order what is to be done."
Turning to his attendants he continued:
"Give our brothers food and drink, and have their quarters made ready
for them."
That night Pizarro put all his cannon in place and boldly planned to
take the Inca prisoner in his own pleasure garden. He ordered his
soldiers to hide in the plaza, and wait until the Inca arrived. As
soon as he was in the great square they were suddenly to spring out
and put the natives to the sword, and capture their king.
It was late in the day before the Inca got all his court in splendid
array, and then he sent word to Pizarro that he was coming in state.
"I am much pleased to hear it," said Pizarro. "Let your king come
anyway he will; he shall be received as a friend and brother. Let him
sup with us and sleep in our quarters tonight."
When once in motion the Inca's retinue had on so many gold ornaments
that they blazed like the sun. Some wore showy stuffs in white and red
with gold and silver embroidery, while others were dressed in white
and carried silver maces in their hands. The Inca wore the royal
borla, or crown on his head, with the Quetzal feathers in the back and
the long red fringes across the forehead. Over him was a canopy
representing a rainbow, to show that he was a Child of the Sun, and a
follower of Manco-Capac, who we know was the Golden Hearted. He was
seated on a gold throne which was placed in a litter and carried by
four noble youths, in gorgeous liveries. Around his neck was a
splendid gold necklace set with large emeralds. Looking around and not
seeing any one the Inca asked in surprise:
"Where are the strangers?"
At this moment a padre came forward and demanded that he give up his
power and become a subject of Spain. He also told the king that he
must become a convert to Christianity. The eyes of the Inca flashed
fire as he replied:
"I will be no man's tributary. Your prince may be great; I do not
doubt it when I see that he has sent his subjects so far across the
waters. I am willing to hold him as a brother. As for my faith, I will
not change it. My God still lives in the heavens and looks down on his
children. By what authority do you make such demands upon me?"
The padre handed the Inca a bible but as the thought of the insult
offered came over him, the Inca threw it to the ground and said
angrily:
"Tell your comrades that they shall give me an account of their doings
in my country. I will not go from here until they have made me full
satisfaction for the wrongs they have committed."
A soldier turned to Pizarro and said:
"Do you not see that while we stand here wasting our breath in talking
to this dog full of obstinate pride that the fields are filling with
Indians. Let us set on at once."
Pizarro saw that the hour had come, and waving a white scarf which was
the appointed signal he and his soldiers sprang into the square,
shouting the old war cry of Cortez:
"Santiago! and at them!"
The poor natives in their holiday dress and fine jewelry were wholly
unarmed, because they were coming to make a visit, and had no way to
defend themselves. When they tried to escape they found they were
hemmed in on all sides by the stone buildings facing the plaza, and
nobody knows how many thousands of them were killed. They were stunned
by the roar of the cannon, choked by the smoke, trampled under
the horses' feet, and their naked bodies hacked to pieces with swords.
[Illustration: "THEIR NAKED BODIES HACKED TO PIECES WITH SWORDS"]
The Spaniards seemed bent upon killing the Inca, but his loyal
subjects caught hold of the horses' bridles and saddle blankets, and
even the legs of their riders to prevent them from hitting the Inca.
Some offered their own bodies to the lances--anything to save the king
who was stunned and bewildered. As the men who were carrying him were
killed, the litter lurched to one side and he fell to the ground.
Instantly the imperial borla, or crown, was snatched from his head;
his hands were securely tied, and he was hustled, a prisoner, into a
building nearby. Then the soldiery robbed and pillaged as much as they
pleased, even carrying off the plate from the Inca's table.
Realizing that it was gold that the Spaniards wanted, the Inca began
at once to try to buy his freedom.
"I will cover the floor of this room with gold if you will release
me," he said, to Pizarro. Seeing that the soldiers smiled at this, he
added:
"I will fill the room full, as high as I can reach," standing on
tip-toe and stretching his arm against the wall. Pizarro agreed to
accept that amount of gold, but demanded double that amount of silver,
and would only allow the Inca two months' time to collect it in. The
Spaniards kept close watch over him, and as soon as the amount was all
paid in, Pizarro accused the unhappy captive of trying to stir up an
insurrection. The Inca was surprised and indignant; saying:
"You have me in your power. Is not my life at your disposal? What
better security have you for my fidelity? It is very far to my capital
at Cuzco, but that you may be satisfied that I am proceeding in good
faith, send some of your own people there."
The Spaniards sacked and pillaged Cuzco when they got there, taking
seven hundred plates of gold from the walls of the temple dedicated to
the Golden Hearted. Besides this, there were heavy cornices of gold,
fountains, birds, fruit, vegetables, tables, statues, slabs, basins
and panels of pure gold; which, when melted down made millions of
dollars.
Never before did anybody in the wide world pay such a ransom. But
Pizarro had no intention of setting the Inca free. Pretending to be
very suspicious, he suddenly appeared before the Inca, and said:
"What new treason is this you are meditating against me? _Me_, who has
been so brotherly and kind to you?"
"Why do you mock me," replied the Inca. "Am I not a captive in your
hands? How could I conceive such a design as you speak of when I would
be the first victim? You little know my people, if you think they
would attempt such a thing against my will."
Pizarro was determined to get rid of him, so he trumped up twelve
charges against him, and, after a mock trial, sentenced the helpless
Inca to be burned at the stake.
When told of his fate, the poor king said to Pizarro, with tears
streaming down his face:
"What have I, or my children done, that I should die like this? And
from _your_ hands--you who have received only benefit and kindness
from me and my people."
The doom of the Inca was sounded by trumpet in the same square he had
innocently entered to visit his strange white brother, and two hours
after sunset he was led out by torch-light and burned to death.
To make sure that there was no danger of an uprising in the distant
parts of the country, Pizarro sent an officer to finish collecting the
ransom and find out the actual condition. While he was gone Pizarro
had the Inca executed. When the officer returned, he said:
"I have met with nothing but kindness on the way. There has never been
any attempt at an uprising."
And this was the truth.
[Illustration]
The Gilded Man
There were none willing to say "God forgive him," is what history
tells us of the end of Pizarro, whose throat was cut by some of the
men he quarreled with over the treasures they had taken from the
Children of the Sun, and I do not believe that any one was ever sorry
that he perished like a wretched outcast. Of course, one of his
brothers had heard of El Dorado, and he began to inquire closely of
the Indians whether there really was such a person.
"Yes, there is," he was told, "and this chief smears himself all over
with a sweet-smelling gum and sprinkles his body with fine gold-dust
until he looks like a shining statue."
"Where does this chief live?"
"Not far from here, and his people are very rich in gold and
emeralds."
This was what the Spaniards wanted to hear, and the Children of the
Sun hoped by this means to get rid of their hated conquerors. We
remember the visit of the Golden Hearted to the Zipa of the Muscas,
and we see, by the unfriendly feeling of their neighbors, that they
were still quarrelsome.
"We will go and find the Valley of the Gilded Man," said the brother
of Pizarro, to his soldiers, who were getting tired of being idle. "I
am told that there are wealthy regions to the north, east, and south
of us, where the people go about covered with gold-dust, and where
there are no mountains or woods."
This pleased the greedy adventurers very much, and it was not long
before there was quite an army of them ready to start. But they did
not know that they were going into a country where there were
cannibals--savages ready to kill and eat every one of them, and that
they fought with poisoned arrows. The Muscas were obliged to fight
these people, but they traded with them, because there was no gold in
their own land, and they prized it highly as an offering in honor of
the Golden Hearted. They had quantities of salt which they pressed
into little round cakes, like sugar loaves, and carried over beaten
paths to market. Besides this, they wove beautiful cotton cloth, and
managed to get large quantities of gold and silver and emeralds by
trading with the cannibals.
They had not forgotten what the Golden Hearted taught them about
hammering the gold, or casting it into tasteful shapes, and they not
only wore it for ornaments, but used it to decorate the outside and
inside of their temples. It was near the anniversary of his departure,
and there were many pilgrims from neighboring tribes who had come to
cast emeralds into the lake at Gautavita in his honor. On the
mountain tops surrounding the lake beacon lights were burning, and the
sacred fires on the altars in the temples had never been allowed to go
out. As each band of pilgrims came into the city, the Zipa welcomed
them, saying:
"Tomorrow, comrades, we will go in solemn procession to the lake, and
commemorate the departure of Bochica, and his purification afterward.
We have made his heart very sad by our misdeeds, but from his home in
the sun he can look down upon us, and see that we still adore and
worship him."
The next day, at noon a solemn procession approached the lake. In the
lead walked bronze-colored men, without any clothing, but whose bodies
were covered with red paint, as a sign of deep mourning, and they
wailed in a most sorrowful manner. Behind them were warriors decorated
with gold and emeralds, wearing bright feathers in their gold
head-dresses, and carrying mantles of jaguar skins over their arms.
Some of them were singing, while others shouted joyfully or blew on
horns and pipes, and conch shells. Close to them were priests in black
robes, with white crosses on them, and tall black hats, like those
worn by the wise men. In the rear was the Zipa riding in a kind of
gilded wheelbarrow hung with disks of gold. His naked body had been
anointed with a resinous gum, and covered all over with fine
gold-dust.
Arrived at the shore, the Gilded Man and his companions stepped upon
a balsa gay with streamers and loaded with flowers, and rowed out into
the middle of the lake. There the Zipa, who was the Gilded Man,
plunged into the water and washed off all the gold-dust. While he was
doing this his companions, with music and singing, threw in the gold
and emeralds they had brought out on the lake for that purpose. Coming
back to the shore the Zipa said:
"Do no more work for this day, but make merry with singing, dancing
and feasting, as if the gentle, kind Bochica were with you again."
All this time Pizarro's brother, and his greedy soldiers, were
wandering around in the mountains trying to find the Gilded Man. If
they could have seen him covered with gold at the festival, they would
probably have tried to skin him alive to get the gold dust on his
body. One of the padres, who came to convert and teach the natives,
writing to the king of Spain, said:
"I do not believe that the men taking part in the expeditions in
search of the Gilded Man, would have tried so hard to get into
Paradise."
Further on in his letter the padre describes the terrible hardships
and suffering the men had to undergo. After telling about their
failure to find El Dorado, he says:
"The men and officers returned to us nearly naked. In the warm rain
their clothes had rotted on their backs, and were torn into shreds by
the thickets they had crawled through on their hands and knees. Their
feet were bare and wounded by the thorns and roots in the pathways,
and their swords were not only without sheaths, but were eaten up with
rust. Hunger compelled them to kill and eat their horses and dogs."