Spain; but, before it came, he received a very disquieting epistle from
Lamudio, his faithful friend whom he had dispatched to court to plead
his cause. Alas! Ferdinand had heard the complaint of the outraged
Encisco and had given judgment in his favor against the upstart and
revolutionist, Nuñez de Balboa. Worse yet! The adventurous Governor of
Darien was to be summoned to Spain in order that he might answer to the
King for his treatment of Nicuesa.
Balboa heard this with regret, also with some anger. He was clever
enough to see that only one course could save him, and that was to act
promptly, and at once; to find this ocean, and to travel to Spain with
the news of this discovery, first hand. He knew King Ferdinand well
enough to believe that, if successful in this venture, displeasure
would be turned into favor. The royal order had not yet come—he was
still free—so he determined to waste no moment in idleness.
This was to be no child’s play, for dense tropical forests were in
front of him; lofty mountain ranges; and deep rivers. There were also
vindictive Indian tribes in the path, and warriors who had no love for
those mail-clad white-skins. Balboa had less than two hundred soldiers
and these were not properly armed, yet, should he stay where he was,
ruin stared him in the face and disgrace confronted him. It was forward
and success, or a future of oblivion in old Madrid.
The morning of the first day of September, 1513, dawned bright and
sunny upon the harbor of Darien, as a small fleet of vessels sailed
away, with Balboa in command. With them were several savage bloodhounds
with which to chase and terrorize the Indians, and also a number of
friendly natives who were to act as guides and interpreters. The
journey up the coast was uneventful, and, having finally arrived at
Coyba, the domain of a friendly chief, the soldiers were disembarked,
the march was commenced, and all struck off cheerfully towards the high
mountains which could be seen towering up in the interior. It was hot
and the men suffered from the torrid blaze, because of their armor and
steel caps.
Keeping on, and struggling through the tropic vegetation, the
expedition made good progress, and reached a native village from which
the inhabitants had fled as soon as they had learned of the approach of
these adventurers. But it was quite necessary to obtain guides who knew
the wilderness in front, so Balboa sent some of his Indians to find the
chieftain, who had disappeared from this pleasantly situated little
collection of huts. The chief was not far away and allowed the native
path-finders to approach without waylaying them. He was later persuaded
to visit the camp of the Spaniards, and, after he had been feasted,
consented to furnish the eager Castilians with trained men who could
pilot them through the country.
“There,” said he, pointing to a lofty ridge, “is a mountain from the
top of which one may see the great waters upon the other side.”
Balboa’s eyes sparkled, for he was now within striking distance of his
goal and he saw success written upon the banner, which, waving aloft,
carried the blazoned arms of Castile. A number of the men were ill and
exhausted, so they were sent back. The remainder were eager to get
on, so, with renewed courage, the Spaniards again pressed through the
tropic foliage and tangled undergrowth.
Advancing for about thirty miles, they came to the territory of a
chieftain who was a deadly enemy of the native whose country they had
just traversed. He attacked the small Spanish band with vindictive
fury. The natives advanced with a great show of confidence,—yelling,
screeching, and discharging a veritable shower of arrows. The first
boom from the old-time guns made them cease their yelping and stop
still. The Castilians now advanced for a little sword-work, but they
were to find no brave foe who would engage in combat. The Indians fled.
As they did so, the bloodhounds were let go and many of the redskins
were overtaken and worried to death by these ferocious animals. In the
native village was found a large quantity of both gold and jewels.
Some of the Castilians had been struck by arrows, so they were now left
behind. The rest pressed on, for they had reached the foot of the large
mountain from the top of which the friendly chief had declared that one
could view the vast expanse of water beyond. All were cheerful and sang
songs from old Madrid in order to make the journey a more joyous one.
That night they camped near a spring of crystal water and in the
morning emerged from the forest at the foot of an eminence from which
their friends, the natives, told them that they could see the ocean.
Now note how Balboa did the same thing which another explorer was
criticized for doing many years later. He left his party behind, in
order that no one might share the honor of discovery, and climbed alone
to the mountain top. Up, up, he clambered, and at last stood upon the
summit. Hurrah! he had found what he had suffered great hardship and
privation to find. There before his eager gaze lay another ocean.
The adventurous explorer sank upon the soil and feasted his eyes upon
the scene. Beyond a wide, intervening belt of rocks and forest, and
seen through the swaying branches of green savannah trees, was that
vast, mysterious ocean of which Columbus had heard, but which no
European had yet beheld. It lay there gleaming, glistening, rising and
falling, beckoning to the adventurous to sail upon its surface and find
danger,—and treasure.
Balboa reclined there for a long time, dreaming, speculating, and
thanking his lucky star that he had at last seen this once fabled sheet
of water, for now he could go before King Ferdinand and be sure of
a cordial reception. Then he arose and climbed down the side of the
mountain to where his followers lay drowsing.
“Come, men!” he cried. “I have found it, the Mal de Sur (Southern
Ocean).”
The men scrambled to the summit in no time, and, when they, too, saw
the gray, rolling billows, they set up a wild cheering. The _Te Deum_
was chanted, a cross was erected, and, from this lofty eminence, Balboa
cried out that he took possession of this sheet of water, with all of
its islands and surrounding lands, in the name of his master, the King
of Spain. Then again a hymn was sung and all clambered down to the
lowland where they feasted right merrily. It had been an eventful hour
for these hard-marching, hard-mannered swashbucklers from Darien.
This was the twenty-sixth day of September, 1513, a day to be long
remembered by Balboa, for he felt a great weight lifted from his
shoulders as he thought of that letter which Lamudio had sent all the
way from Spain. His men had taken twenty days in crossing a strip of
territory scarcely forty miles in width, so you can well imagine how
tangled must have been this tropic underbrush. Yet, unmindful of their
hardships, they now set forth to journey to the very sea-coast, and to
there touch the water of this newly discovered Mal de Sur.
[Illustration: BALBOA TAKING POSSESSION OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN IN THE
NAME OF THE KING OF SPAIN]
The Castilians descended the slope of the high mountains and sought for
the rich kingdoms of which they had heard the natives speak. But they
found nothing remarkable save some wild thickets and impenetrable bogs.
Finally they passed through the territory of a warlike chieftain who
came out to stop their progress and forbade them to set foot within his
dominions. He drew up his followers in close array, and seemed to be
quite willing to fight; but a volley from the arquebusiers scattered
his followers like chaff before the wind. The chieftain soon gave
himself up, and, in order to gain the favor of the Spaniards, brought
them a quantity of gold. This pleased Balboa greatly and he tarried in
the native village for several days.
Then separate parties were dispatched to the sea in order to find
the best route by which it could be approached. One of these bands,
in which was a fellow named Alonzo Martin, reached the water before
any one else, and at a place where were several canoes. Alonzo jumped
into one of these, and, pushing it into the waves, cried out to his
companions:
“See, my friends, I am the first European to ever sail upon the new
ocean.”
Balboa followed soon afterwards, and, taking a banner upon which was
painted a picture of the Virgin and child, and under them the royal
arms of Spain, drew his sword, waded to his knees in the water, and
solemnly declared that this belonged to his sovereign, together with
all the adjacent lands from pole to pole, as long as the world should
endure and until the final day of judgment. Then he came back to the
beach where his few followers cheered lustily.
The climate was hot and muggy, but the Spaniards were keen and
enterprising and soon had explored a considerable area. The Indians
were friendly and gave them gifts of gold and pearls, of which a
quantity was set aside for shipment to Spain. Stories were told by the
natives of a country far to the south where was more gold than could be
ever seen in this particular land. The chattering brown-skinned Indians
also spoke of animals, resembling a deer, which the southern people
used for transporting their luggage. They showed the Spaniards a figure
molded in clay which was said to be the baggage-bearer of these natives
to the south. It seemed to be somewhat like a deer and somewhat like a
camel in appearance, in fact, was the llama, which Pizarro later came
upon in far-distant Peru. The tales of this country and these animals
stirred up many thoughts in the active mind of Balboa, and he conceived
the idea of sailing to that mysterious realm and taking possession of
it, even as he had seized the Isthmus of Panama.
The Spaniards had now seen about all that was to be seen, and it was
time to march across the mountains towards Darien. With their usual
cheerfulness the adventurers started for their home port, carrying
along a great quantity of gold and pearls, and also a stock of
provisions, which was transported by friendly natives. But, as they
tramped into the country, they secured more gold, and, because they
loaded the Indians with this instead of with food, they came near
dying of hunger. They met many hostile chiefs, among whom was a fellow
who had eighty wives. He was called Tubanama, and, although he put up a
stiff fight for his freedom, he was captured. His people ransomed him
by means of many golden ornaments, and, thus appeased, the Castilians
marched onward, naming this country Panama, after the wily chieftain.
Balboa was now prostrated by fever and had to be borne along in a
hammock by the natives. The heat and humidity of the swampy country
caused many of his followers to become ill and this delayed the march.
Still, the little caravan kept on, and, on the eighteenth day of
January, reached Darien, after an absence of four and a half months
in this journey of exploration. The entire population turned out to
welcome the discoverer of the Pacific, who returned laden with pearls,
golden ornaments and plates of embossed silver. There was also a long
train of captive natives who followed in the rear. The trip had been
a glorious success and all cheered lustily for Balboa: adventurer,
explorer, and first European to view the Pacific Ocean.
The time was now opportune for a missive to the King of Spain, for the
adventurous explorer knew that Ferdinand would not oust a man from
office who had added such a vast domain to his possessions. So he
dispatched a special envoy to Madrid, with a letter which gave a full
account of this overland journey. He also added a gift of glittering
pearls and one-fifth of the gold which he had secured, this being the
regular tax which the Spanish government imposed upon all its subjects.
The vessel was delayed in sailing, and the delay was fatal, for the
King of Spain had resolved to appoint another Governor of Panama in
place of Balboa, as he had listened to the story of Encisco and had
decided that he had been very unjustly treated by this upstart from
Hispaniola, who had escaped from his debtors in a cask. A man named
Pedrarias had been selected for the post and he was already on his way,
accompanied by a host of adventurers who had heard that Darien was a
country of enormous wealth. There were, in fact, fully two thousand
men, who were eager for adventure in this new-found territory.
Pedrarias, with his many followers, had scarcely put to sea, before a
ship sailed into the harbor of Seville bearing the envoy from Balboa.
He delivered his letters to Ferdinand, told him of the discovery of
this wonderful new ocean, and presented the King with the golden
vessels and trinkets which his faithful subject had sent him.
The King opened his eyes in wonder and surprise. Why, he might have
made an error after all! This fellow was a pretty good sort,—a
discoverer of new territory, of a new ocean, indeed. He had also sent
him considerable treasure. Well! Well! Well! The King decided that he
had acted somewhat hastily. He would send another missive to far-off
Darien, and would make the excellent Balboa a colleague of Pedrarias,
and entitled to equal honor. That would be proper recognition for all
that this man had done for the crown of Castile and should satisfy him,
without a doubt.
Meanwhile Pedrarias was sailing towards the Isthmus and eventually
landed at Darien, where, at the head of two thousand men in gorgeous
array, he made a triumphant entry into the town.
The cavaliers from Spain had expected to find a brilliant city, with
food in abundance and treasure piled high on every side. Instead of
this they found Balboa wearing a cotton suit and a Panama hat. His five
hundred seasoned veterans were clad in loose cotton clothes, and were
living in straw-thatched cabins on roots and cassava-bread. They also
had no wine, but were drinking water.
The newcomers were grievously disappointed at what they found here in
the colony. The climate was hot and sticky and fever soon carried off
a score of victims. Others sickened and died of various complaints,
so that, within a very short time, seven hundred of these dashing
cavaliers had passed to the great beyond. A ship-load of the gay blades
now sailed back to Spain, for they had seen all that they desired of
this new country. Another ship-load soon followed them to Cuba.
Several expeditions were sent into the interior after gold, but they
suffered ill fortune. One of these parties was defeated by the warlike
chieftain Tubanama. Another small army, sent out by Pedrarias, was
overwhelmed and butchered to a man: only one small Indian boy escaping
to tell the tale of the massacre. The friends of Balboa began to murmur
against this newly-appointed Governor and to cry out, that, should
their own leader be in control, there would be no such disasters.
Pedrarias realized that his own position was getting to be insecure,
and decided that he had better form an alliance with Balboa by giving
him one of his daughters in marriage. He suggested this to his rival
and the other accepted the offer gladly. Thus a written agreement was
drawn up and signed by both parties whereby the young lady was to be
joined in wedlock to Balboa just as soon as she could be brought from
Spain. All now looked favorable for a peaceful rule in the Isthmus.
Balboa’s restless mind soon conceived the idea of another
expedition,—or: a second journey to the Pacific coast. This he wished
to explore, and, since there were no vessels upon the other side of
the mountains, nor could he build any, should he attempt the feat,
he decided to cut and shape the timbers on the Atlantic coast and to
transport them across the Isthmus to the Pacific. A worthy undertaking
and one which took great courage and perseverance! Let us see how it
came out!
The Spaniards set diligently to work and soon had shaped the timbers
for two brigantines, with all the necessary spars and rigging. It was a
stupendous undertaking to transport these to the other shore, yet the
feat was accomplished. The timbers were carried over the mountains by
the miserable natives, who had been enslaved by the greedy Castilians,
and they did good work. Although hundreds perished on the journey, the
fact gave their master little concern.
Finally the caravan had arrived upon the Pacific coast, the ships were
put together, and floated upon the waters of the new-found ocean.
Hurray! The first European vessel had been launched upon the far away
Pacific and the proud flag of Spain floated from her masthead.
Balboa and his compatriots boarded their ships and headed south, bound
to sail to that far distant land of which the natives had told him. But
stormy winds were met with, so the men put back, sailed to the point
which they had started from, and determined to make two more vessels
before they would again depart for the land of the llama and glittering
gold. Alas! busy tongues had been working against Balboa since he had
left Darien and it was to go ill with this intrepid explorer.
The vessels were greatly in need of iron and of pitch, so it was
decided to send across the mountains for these. Balboa, himself
accompanied his men, and, as he advanced through the forest, was met
by a messenger who presented a letter from Governor Pedrarias. It was
couched in the friendliest of terms and bade him come at once to Darien
in order to confer with him upon matters of the utmost importance.
Balboa smiled, for matters were apparently going well with him.
The weak old Governor, however, had been stirred up by the enemies of
the discoverer of the Pacific, to such a point, that he was in a fit
of jealous rage. Some had told him that Balboa had no intention of
marrying his daughter, as he was about to take unto himself an Indian
girl as wife. Others whispered that he and his men were about to start
an independent government on the Pacific coast and throw off their
allegiance to the Spanish crown. Pedrarias determined to arrest this
successful adventurer as soon as he should arrive.
Balboa, meanwhile, was approaching the Atlantic sea-coast with a light
heart, and a feeling that all would go well with him. What was his
surprise when he was met by a cavalier called Pizarro, with an armed
force, and was told that, by orders of the Governor, he was a prisoner.
Yet he submitted quietly and was taken to Darien in irons. There
he found that the irascible Governor had determined to try him for
treason, and, if he could, to do away with him.
A trial was soon held, and the venturesome navigator was charged with
treasonable intentions. There was no evidence against him that was not
trumped-up for the occasion, yet he pleaded his innocence in vain.
“How preposterous is this charge of my determination to usurp the
power here,” said he. “I have four vessels and three hundred devoted
followers upon the other coast. Should I have so wished, I could have
sailed away far beyond the Governor’s reach, and could have founded a
colony of mine own in far-distant Peru. My coming here is good evidence
that I had no desire to disobey the summons of the Governor. I am
innocent of these so-called offenses.”
In spite of all that he could say, the judges found him guilty, yet
recommended mercy because of his wonderful discoveries and evident
patriotism for Spain. The Governor, however, would entertain no
suggestion of this nature.
“If he is guilty, let him die, and the sooner the better,” said the
irate Pedrarias, scowling. “To the block with him!”
So they took brave Balboa out and beheaded him in spite of all the
renown which he had won. The discoverer of the Pacific met his end with
calm indifference, and, as the news of this was borne to the people of
Darien, many wept tears for the man who had founded their city and had
brought much honor to the Spanish flag. Thus, in the very prime of his
manhood, perished one of the greatest explorers which the world has
produced, and, although he was foully and brutally murdered by his own
people, his fame will last as long as men love those of courage, of
daring, and of imagination.
HERNANDO CORTÉS:
CONQUEROR OF MEXICO.
(1485-1547)
_Lift high the golden goblets and quaff to our leader bold,_
_Who came from Cuba’s heated sands to gather Aztec gold,_
_His heart was big with courage; with his hands he seized the helm,_
_And he gathered the power and gained the dower of Montezuma’s realm._
_The muffled war drums mocked him, from the top of the white stone
wall,_
_And the maddened priests reviled him as they heard his trumpets
call._
_His Tlascalan allies trembled at the curse of the warriors red,_
_But the cry was ever “Onward!” to the city’s fountain head._
_To the top of the teocalli where the eagle banner floats,_
_Where the evil gods are smiling and Huitzilopochtli gloats;_
_Up! Up! our leader clambered. Up! Up! and won the prize,_
_Hurrah! Hurrah! for Cortés! Come victors, drink as we rise!_
SONG OF THE SPANISH CAVALIERS, 1519.
HERNANDO CORTÉS:
CONQUEROR OF MEXICO.
(1485-1547)
TO the brave belong the spoils. To him, who ventures much, sometimes
comes a great reward.
Here is the story of a man who determined to conquer an empire with
but a handful of followers,—and accomplished his purpose. Although it
seems to be a romance, it is a series of facts. Strange, wonderful,
almost unbelievable, yet true; for truth, they say, is sometimes
stranger than fiction. Listen, then, to this tale of as valiant a soul
as ever led fighting men on to victory!
Long, long ago, when fat King Henry the Eighth ruled over Merrie
England, and Charles the Fifth was King of Spain, there lived a young
Spanish cavalier called Hernando Cortés. He was a wild youth and did
not care for books or study. In fact, although his parents wished him
to be a lawyer and, when he was fourteen years of age, sent him to an
excellent school, he would not learn his lessons and so was asked to
leave the institution. Returning home, he greatly annoyed his good
father and mother by cutting up and playing all kinds of pranks, so
that they were glad to learn he had determined to join an expedition
which was setting out for that New World so lately discovered by
Columbus.
Shortly after this decision he fell from the top of a high wall, upon
which he had been climbing after wild grapes, and hurt himself so
grievously that he could not walk. It was therefore impossible for him
to join the adventurers who were heading for the New World. The ship
set sail without him.
For two years longer, young Cortés remained at home, and then, finding
that another expedition was about to set sail, he obtained permission
to join this fleet, bound for the West Indies. He was now nineteen
years of age and was extremely agile and sinewy. His face was pale, his
eyes piercing, and his hair raven black. He was looking for adventure
and was determined to bear himself right valiantly in whatever
situation he should find himself.
The fleet set sail, and arrived without accident at Hispaniola. Cortés
went immediately to see the Governor of the island, whom he had known
in Spain.
“You must remain here and become a good citizen,” said the Spanish
dignitary to him. “I will therefore present you with a grant of land
which I hope that you will cultivate.”
“I came to get gold, not to till the ground like a peasant,” said
Cortés. “And I am anxious for adventure.”
The Governor laughed.
“You had better become a farmer,” said he. “There is more money in
crops than there is in searching for gold.”
Six years passed, six rather monotonous years for Cortés, although he
occasionally joined some expeditions against the natives, where he
learned how to endure toil and danger, and became familiar with the
tactics of Indian warfare. At length, in 1511, when Diego Velasquez,
the Governor’s Lieutenant, undertook the conquest of Cuba, Cortés
gladly became one of his followers, and, throughout the expedition,
conducted himself right valiantly.
The Spaniards conquered the country; but when, later on, there was
distribution of lands and of offices, great discontent arose. Those
who believed that they had been ill-used, chose Cortés to journey back
to Hispaniola and lay their grievances before the higher authorities.
This reached the ears of Velasquez. He ordered that the youthful Cortés
should be bound, loaded with fetters, and thrown into prison. The act
was humiliating, but it was what those of Spanish blood were accustomed
to do to one another. Note, however, how the young man conducted
himself!