CHAPTER XVIII.

CAPT. CLARKE'S ROUTE DOWN THE YELLOWSTONE.

July 3, 1806.--The party under Capt. Clarke, consisting of fifteen men,

with fifty horses, set out through the valley of Clarke's River, along

the western side of which they rode in a southern direction. The valley

is from ten to fifteen miles in width, and is diversified by a number of

small open plains, abounding with grass and a variety of sweet-scented

plants, and watered by numerous streams rushing from the western

mountains. These mountains were covered with snow about one-fifth of the

way from the top; and some snow was still to be seen in the hollows of

the mountains to the eastward.

July 7.--They reached Wisdom River, and stopped for dinner at a hot

spring situated in the open plain. The bed of the spring is about

fifteen yards in circumference, and composed of loose, hard, gritty

stones, through which the water boils in large quantities. It is

slightly impregnated with sulphur, and so hot, that a piece of meat,

about the size of three fingers, was completely cooked in twenty-five

minutes.

July 8.--They arrived at Jefferson's River, where they had deposited

their goods in the month of August the year before. They found every

thing safe, though some of the goods were a little damp, and one of the

canoes had a hole in it. They had now crossed from Traveller's-Rest

Creek to the head of Jefferson's River, which seems to form the best and

shortest route over the mountains during almost the whole distance of

one hundred and sixty-four miles. It is, in fact, an excellent road;

and, by cutting down a few trees, it might be rendered a good route for

wagons, with the exception of about four miles over one of the

mountains, which would require a little levelling.

July 10.--The boats were now loaded, and Capt. Clarke divided his men

into two bands. Sergt. Ordway, with nine men, in six canoes, was to

descend the river; while Capt. Clarke, with the remaining ten, the wife

and child of Chaboneau, and fifty horses, were to proceed by land to the

Yellowstone. The latter party set out at five in the afternoon from the

forks of the Missouri, in a direction nearly east. The plain was

intersected by several great roads leading to a gap in the mountain

about twenty miles distant, in a direction east-north-east; but the

Indian woman, who was acquainted with the country, recommended another

gap more to the south, through which Capt. Clarke determined to proceed.

They started early the next morning, and, pursuing the route recommended

by the squaw, encamped in the evening at the entrance of the gap

mentioned by her. Through this gap they passed next day, and, at the

distance of six miles, reached the top of the dividing ridge which

separates the waters of the Missouri from those of the Yellowstone. Nine

miles from the summit, they reached the Yellowstone itself, about a mile

and a half below where it issues from the Rocky Mountains. The distance

from the head of the Missouri to this place is forty-eight miles, the

greater part of which is through a level plain. They halted for three

hours to rest their horses, and then pursued the Buffalo Road along the

banks of the river.

Although but just emerging from a high, snowy mountain, the Yellowstone

is here a bold, rapid, and deep stream, one hundred and twenty yards in

width. They continued their course along the river till the 23d, when

the party embarked on board of two canoes, each of which was

twenty-eight feet long, sixteen or eighteen inches deep, and from

sixteen to twenty-four inches wide. Sergt. Prior, with two men, was

directed to take the horses to the Mandans for safe keeping until the

re-union of the expedition.

July 24.--At eight o'clock, Capt. Clarke and the remainder of his party

embarked, and proceeded very steadily down the river. They passed the

mouths of several large rivers emptying into the Yellowstone; one of

which was called the Big-horn, from the numbers of that remarkable

species of sheep seen in its neighborhood. Next day, Capt. Clarke landed

to examine a curious rock, situated in an extensive bottom on the right,

about two hundred and fifty paces from the shore. It is nearly two

hundred paces in circumference, two hundred feet high, and accessible

only from the north-east; the other sides consisting of perpendicular

cliffs, of a light-colored, gritty stone. The soil on the summit is five

or six feet deep, of a good quality, and covered with short grass. From

this height, the eye ranges over a wide extent of variegated country. On

the south-west are the Rocky Mountains, covered with snow; on the north,

a lower range, called the Little Wolf Mountains. The low grounds of the

river extend nearly six miles to the southward, when they rise into

plains, reaching to the mountains. The north side of the river is

bounded by jutting, romantic cliffs, beyond which the plains are open

and extensive, and the whole country enlivened by herds of buffaloes,

elks, and wolves. After enjoying the prospect from this rock, to which

Capt. Clarke gave the name of Pompey's Pillar, he descended, and

continued his route. At the distance of six or seven miles, he stopped

to secure two bighorns, which had been shot from the boat, and, while on

shore, saw in the face of the cliff, about twenty feet above the water,

a fragment of the rib of a fish, three feet long, and nearly three

inches round, embedded in the rock itself.

BEAVERS, BUFFALOES, MOSQUITOES.

The beavers were in great numbers along the banks of the river, and

through the night were flapping their tails in the water round the

boats.

Aug. 1.--The buffaloes appeared in vast numbers. A herd happened to be

on their way across the river. Such was the multitude of these animals,

that although the river, including an island over which they passed, was

a mile in width, the herd stretched, as thick as they could swim,

completely from one side to the other. Our party, descending the river,

was obliged to stop for an hour to let the procession pass. We consoled

ourselves for the delay by killing four of the herd, and then proceeded,

till, at the distance of forty-five miles, two other herds of buffaloes,

as numerous as the first, crossed the river in like manner.

Aug. 4.--The camp became absolutely uninhabitable, in consequence of the

multitude of mosquitoes. The men could not work in preparing skins for

clothing, nor hunt in the low grounds: in short, there was no mode of

escape, except by going on the sand bars in the river, where, if the

wind should blow, the insects do not venture. But when there is no wind,

and particularly at night, when the men have no covering except their

worn-out blankets, the pain they inflict is scarcely to be endured.

On one occasion, Capt. Clarke went on shore, and ascended a hill after

one of the bighorns; but the mosquitoes were in such multitudes, that he

could not keep them from the barrel of his rifle long enough to take

aim.

This annoyance continued, till, on the 11th of September, they write,

"We are no longer troubled with mosquitoes, which do not seem to

frequent this part of the river; and, after having been persecuted with

them during the whole route from the falls, it is a most happy

exemption. Their noise was very agreeably exchanged for that of the

wolves, which were howling in various directions all round us."

Aug. 12, 1806.--The party continued to descend the river. One of their

canoes had, by accident, a small hole made in it; and they halted for

the purpose of covering it with a piece of elk-skin. While there, about

noon, they were overjoyed at seeing the boats of Capt. Lewis's party

heave in sight. The whole expedition being now happily re-united, at

about three o'clock all embarked on board the boats; but as the wind was

high, accompanied with rain, we did not proceed far before we halted for

the night.

THEY PART WITH SOME OF THEIR COMPANIONS.

On the 14th August, having now reached a part of the river where we

occasionally met the boats of adventurous traders ascending the river,

Capt. Lewis was applied to by one of the men, Colter, who was desirous

of joining two trappers, who proposed to him to accompany them, and

share their profits. The offer was an advantageous one; and as he had

always performed his duty, and his services might be dispensed with,

Capt. Lewis consented to his going, provided none of the rest would ask

or expect a similar indulgence. To this they cheerfully answered, that

they wished Colter every success, and would not apply for a discharge

before we reached St. Louis. We therefore supplied him, as did his

comrades also, with powder and lead, and a variety of articles which

might be useful to him; and he left us the next day.

The example of this man shows how easily men may be weaned from the

habits of civilized life, and brought to relish the manners of the

woods. This hunter had now been absent many years from his country, and

might naturally be presumed to have some desire to return to his native

seats; yet, just at the moment when he is approaching the frontiers, he

is tempted by a hunting-scheme to go back to the solitude of the woods.

A few days after this, Chaboneau, with his wife and child, concluded to

follow us no longer, as he could be no longer useful to us. We offered

to take him with us to the United States; but he said that he had there

no acquaintance, and preferred remaining among the Indians. This man has

been very serviceable to us, and his wife particularly so, among the

Shoshonees. She has borne with a patience truly admirable the fatigues

of our long journey, encumbered with the charge of an infant, which is

now only nineteen months old. We paid him his wages, amounting to five

hundred dollars and thirty-three cents, including the price of a horse

and a lodge purchased of him, and pursued our journey without him.

THEY REACH HOME.

Sept. 8, 1806.--We reached Council Bluffs, and stopped for a short time

to examine the situation of the place, and were confirmed in our belief

that it would be a very eligible spot for a trading establishment.[4]

Being anxious to reach the junction of the Platte River, we plied our

oars so well, that by night we had made seventy-eight miles, and landed

at our old encampment, on the ascent, twelve miles above that river. We

had here occasion to remark the wonderful evaporation from the Missouri.

The river does not appear to contain more water, nor is its channel

wider, than at the distance of one thousand miles nearer its source,

although within that space it receives about twenty rivers (some of them

of considerable width), and a great number of smaller streams.

A few days more brought us to the mouth of the Kansas River. About a

mile below it, we landed to view the country. The low grounds are

delightful, the whole country exhibiting a rich appearance; but the

weather was oppressively warm. Descending as we had done from a high,

open country, between the latitudes of forty-six and forty-nine degrees,

to the wooded plains in thirty-eight and thirty-nine degrees, the heat

would have been intolerable, had it not been for the constant winds from

the south and the south-west.

On the 20th September, we reached the mouth of Osage River. A few miles

lower down, we saw on the banks some cows feeding; and the whole party

involuntarily raised a shout of joy at the sight of this evidence of

civilization and domestic life.

We soon after reached the little French village of La Charette, which we

saluted with a discharge of four guns and three hearty cheers. We

landed, and were received with kindness by the inhabitants, as well as

by some traders who were on their way to traffic with the Osages. They

were all surprised and pleased at our arrival; for they had long since

abandoned all hopes of ever seeing us return.

The third day after this,--viz., on Tuesday, the 23d of September,

1806,--we arrived at St. Louis, and, having fired a salute, went on

shore, and received the heartiest and most hospitable welcome from the

whole village.

CONCLUSION.

The successful termination of the expedition was a source of surprise

and delight to the whole country. The humblest of its citizens had taken

a lively interest in the issue of this journey, and looked forward with

impatience for the information it would furnish. Their anxieties, too,

for the safety of the party, had been kept in a state of excitement by

lugubrious rumors, circulated from time to time on uncertain

authorities, and uncontradicted by letters or other direct information,

from the time when the party left the Mandan towns, on their ascent up

the river, in 1804, until their actual return to St. Louis.

The courage, perseverance, and discretion displayed by the commanders,

and the fidelity and obedience of the men, were the theme of general

approbation, and received the favorable notice of Government. A donation

of lands was made to each member of the party; Capt. Lewis was appointed

Governor of Louisiana, which, at that time, embraced the whole country

west of the Mississippi, within the boundaries of the United States; and

Capt. Clarke was made Superintendent of Indian Affairs.

It was not until some years after, however, that the world was put in

possession of the detailed history of the expedition. Capt. Lewis, in

the midst of other cares, devoted what time he could to the preparation

of his journals for publication, and, in 1809, was on his way to

Philadelphia for that purpose, but, at a village in Tennessee, was taken

ill, and prevented from proceeding. Here the energetic mind, which had

encountered so unfalteringly the perils and sufferings of the desert,

gave way. Constitutional despondency overcame him: it is probable he

lost his reason; for, in a rash moment, he applied a pistol to his head,

and destroyed his life. His journals were published under the charge of

Paul Allen of Philadelphia.

FOOTNOTE:

[4] Now the site of Omaha City.

ELDORADO.

ELDORADO

CHAPTER I.

THE DISCOVERY.

What is meant by Eldorado? Is there such a country? and, if there be,

where is it? The name literally means "The Golden Country," and was

given to an unknown region in South America by the Spaniards, who had

heard from the Indians marvellous tales of such a land lying in the

interior of the continent, where gold and precious stones were as common

as rocks and pebbles in other countries, and to be had for the trouble

of picking them up. It was also a land of spices and aromatic gums. The

first notion of this favored region was communicated by an Indian chief

to Gonzalo Pizarro, brother of the conqueror of Peru, whose imagination

was captivated by the account, and his ambition fired with a desire to

add this, which promised to be the most brilliant of all, to the

discoveries and conquests of his countrymen. He found no difficulty in

awakening a kindred enthusiasm in the bosoms of his followers. In a

short time, he mustered three hundred and fifty Spaniards, and four

thousand Indians. One hundred and fifty of his company were mounted. The

Indians were to carry the baggage and provisions, and perform the labors

of the expedition.

A glance at the map of South America will give us a clear idea of the

scene of the expedition. The River Amazon, the largest river of the

globe, rises in the highest ranges of the Andes, and flows from west to

east through nearly the whole breadth of the continent. Pizarro's

expedition started in the year 1540 from Quito, near the sources of the

great river, and, marching east, soon became entangled in the deep and

intricate passes of the mountains. As they rose into the more elevated

regions, the icy winds that swept down the sides of the Cordilleras

benumbed their limbs, and many of the natives found a wintry grave in

the wilderness. On descending the eastern slope, the climate changed;

and, as they came to a lower level, the fierce cold was succeeded by a

suffocating heat, while tempests of thunder and lightning poured on them

with scarcely any intermission day or night. For more than six weeks,

the deluge continued unabated; and the forlorn wanderers, wet, and weary

with incessant toil, were scarcely able to drag their limbs along the

soil, broken up as it was, and saturated with the moisture. After months

of toilsome travel, they reached the region where grew the spice-trees.

Their produce resembled the cinnamon of the East in taste, but was of

inferior quality. They saw the trees bearing the precious bark spreading

out into broad forests; yet, however valuable it might be for future

commerce, it was of but little worth to them. But, from the savages whom

they occasionally met, they learned, that at ten days' distance was a

rich and fruitful land, abounding with gold, and inhabited by populous

nations. The Spaniards were so convinced of the existence of such a

country, that if the natives, on being questioned, professed their

ignorance of it, they were supposed to be desirous of concealing the

fact, and were put to the most horrible tortures, and even burnt alive,

to compel them to confess. It is no wonder, therefore, if they told, in

many instances, such stories as the Spaniards wished to hear, which

would also have the effect of ridding their own territories of their

troublesome guests by inducing them to advance farther. Pizarro had

already reached the limit originally proposed for the expedition; but

these accounts induced him to continue on.

As they advanced, the country spread out into broad plains, terminated

by forests, which seemed to stretch on every side as far as the eye

could reach. The wood was thickly matted with creepers and climbing

plants, and at every step of the way they had to hew open a passage with

their axes; while their garments, rotting from the effects of the

drenching rains, caught in every bush, and hung about them in shreds.

Their provisions failed, and they had only for sustenance such herbs and

roots as they could gather in the forest, and such wild animals as, with

their inadequate means, they could capture.

At length they came to a broad expanse of water, from whence flowed a

stream,--one of those which discharge their waters into the great River

Amazon. The sight gladdened their hearts, as they hoped to find a safer

and more practicable route by keeping along its banks. After following

the stream a considerable distance, the party came within hearing of a

rushing noise, that seemed like thunder issuing from the bowels of the

earth. The river tumbled along over rapids with frightful velocity, and

then discharged itself in a magnificent cataract, which they describe

as twelve hundred feet high. Doubtless this estimate must be taken with

some allowance for the excited feelings of the Spaniards, keenly alive

to impressions of the sublime and the terrible.

For some distance above and below the falls, the bed of the river

contracted; so that its width did not exceed twenty feet. They

determined to cross, in hopes of finding a country that might afford

them better sustenance. A frail bridge was constructed by throwing

trunks of trees across the chasm, where the cliffs, as if split asunder

by some convulsion of Nature, descended sheer down a perpendicular depth

of several hundred feet. Over this airy causeway, the men and horses

succeeded in effecting their passage; though one Spaniard, made giddy by

heedlessly looking down, lost his footing, and fell into the boiling

surges below. They gained little by the exchange. The country wore the

same unpromising aspect: the Indians whom they occasionally met in the

pathless wilderness were fierce and unfriendly, and the Spaniards were

engaged in perpetual conflict with them. From these they learned that a

fruitful country was to be found down the river, at the distance of only

a few days' journey; and the Spaniards held on their weary way, still

hoping, and still deceived, as the promised land flitted before them,

like the rainbow, receding as they advanced.

At length, spent with toil and suffering, Pizarro resolved to construct

a bark large enough to transport the weaker part of his company and his

baggage. The forests furnished him with timber; the shoes of the horses,

which had died on the road, or been slaughtered for food, were converted

into nails; gum, distilled from the trees, took the place of pitch; and

the tattered garments of the soldiers served for oakum. At the end of

two months, the vessel was ready, and the command given to Francisco

Orellana. The troops now moved forward through the wilderness, following

the course of the river; the vessel carrying the feebler soldiers. Every

scrap of provisions had long since been consumed. The last of their

horses had been devoured; and they greedily fed upon toads, serpents,

and even insects, which that country, teeming with the lower forms of

animal life, abundantly supplied.

The natives still told of a rich district, inhabited by a populous

nation. It was, as usual, at the distance of several days' journey; and

Pizarro resolved to halt where he was, and send Orellana down in his

brigantine to procure a stock of provisions, with which he might

return, and put the main body in condition to resume their march.

Orellana, with fifty of the adventurers, pushed off into the middle of

the river, where the stream ran swiftly; and his bark, taken by the

current, shot forward as with the speed of an arrow, and was soon out of

sight.

Days and weeks passed away, yet the vessel did not return; and no speck

was to be seen on the waters as the Spaniards strained their eyes to the

farthest point, till the banks closed in, and shut the view. Detachments

were sent out, and, though absent several days, came back without

intelligence of their comrades. Weary of suspense, Pizarro determined to

continue their march down the river, which they did, with incredible

suffering, for two months longer, till their doubts were dispelled by

the appearance of a white man, wandering, half naked, in the woods, in

whose famine-stricken countenance they recognized the features of one of

their countrymen. Orellana had passed swiftly down the river to the

point of its confluence with the Amazon, where he had been led to expect

that he should find supplies for the wants of himself and his

companions, but found none. Nor was it possible to return as he had

come, and make head against the current of the river. In this dilemma, a

thought flashed across his mind: it was, to leave the party under

Pizarro to their fate, and to pursue his course down the great river on

which he had entered; to explore Eldorado for himself, and make the best

of his way home to Spain to claim the glory and reward of discovery. His

reckless companions readily consented to this course, with the exception

of the individual whom Pizarro found; and him, when he remonstrated,

they put ashore, and left to shift for himself.

Pizarro and his party, deserted in the wilderness, unable to advance

farther, had no alternative but to remain, or retrace their miserable

way to Quito, the place they had started from more than a year before.

They chose the latter, and commenced their return march with heavy

hearts. They took a more northerly route than that by which they had

approached the Amazon; and, though it was attended with fewer

difficulties, they experienced yet greater distresses, from their

greater inability to overcome them. Their only food was such scanty fare

as they could pick up in the forest, or happily meet with in some

forsaken Indian settlement, or wring by violence from the natives. Some

sickened and sank down by the way, and perished where they fell; for

there was none to help them. Intense misery had made them selfish; and

many a poor wretch was abandoned to his fate, to die alone in the

wilderness, or, more probably, to be devoured, while living, by the wild

animals which roamed over it.

It took them a year to measure back their way to Quito; and the miseries

they had endured were testified to by their appearance when they

arrived, in sadly reduced numbers, at the place of their starting. Their

horses gone, their arms broken and rusted, the skins of wild animals

their only clothes, their long and matted locks streaming wildly down

their shoulders, their faces blackened by the tropical sun, their bodies

wasted by famine and disfigured by scars, it seemed as if the

charnel-house had given up its dead, as, with unsteady step, they crept

slowly onwards. More than half of the four thousand Indians who had

accompanied the expedition had perished; and of the Spaniards, only

eighty, and many of these irretrievably broken in constitution, found

their way back to Quito.

Meanwhile, Orellana glided down the stream, which then was nameless and

unknown, but which has since been called by his name, though it is more

generally known by a name derived from a story which Orellana told, in

his account of his voyage, of a nation of Amazons inhabiting its banks.

But an account of Orellana's adventures must be reserved for our next

chapter.

CHAPTER II.

ORELLANA DESCENDS THE RIVER.

When Orellana, in his ill-appointed bark, and with his crew enfeebled by

famine, had reached the junction of the River Napo with the Amazon, and

found no sources of supply which he had been led to expect, he had no

difficulty in satisfying his companions that their only chance of

preservation was in continuing their descent of the river, and leaving

the party under Pizarro to their fate. He then formally renounced the

commission which Pizarro had given him, and received the command anew

from the election of his men, that so he might make discoveries for

himself, and not, holding a deputed authority, in the name of another.

It was upon the last day of December, 1541, that this voyage was

begun,--one of the most adventurous that has ever been undertaken. The

little stock of provisions with which they had parted from the army was

already exhausted, and they boiled their leathern girdles and the

leather of their shoes with such herbs as seemed most likely to be

nourishing and harmless; for it was only by experiment that they were

able to distinguish the wholesome from the poisonous. On the 8th of

January, being reduced almost to the last extremity with hunger, they

heard before daylight an Indian drum,--a joyful sound; for be the

natives what they would, friendly or hostile, this they knew, that it

must be their own fault now if they should die of hunger. At daybreak,

being eagerly upon the lookout, they perceived four canoes, which put

back upon seeing the brigantine; and presently they saw a village where

a great body of the natives were assembled, and appeared ready to defend

it. The Spaniards were too hungry to negotiate. Orellana bade them land

in good order, and stand by each other. They attacked the Indians like

men who were famishing, and fought for food, put them speedily to the

rout, and found an immediate supply. While they were enjoying the fruits

of their victory, the Indians came near them, more to gratify curiosity

than resentment. Orellana spoke to them in some Indian language which

they partly understood. Some of them took courage, and approached him.

He gave them a few European trifles, and asked for their chief, who

came without hesitation, was well pleased with the presents which were

given him, and offered them any thing which it was in his power to

supply. Provisions were requested; and presently peacocks, partridges,

fish, and other things, were brought in great abundance. The next day,

thirteen chiefs came to see the strangers. They were gayly adorned with

feathers and gold, and had plates of gold upon the breast. Orellana

received them courteously, required them to acknowledge obedience to the

crown of Castile, took advantage as usual of their ignorance to affirm

that they consented, and took possession of their country in the

emperor's name.

Such is Orellana's own account of this first interview. It was his

object to create a high idea of the riches of the provinces which he had

discovered. It is not probable that these tribes had any gold; for later

discoveries showed that none of the tribes on the Amazon were so far

advanced as to use it. It was here that they heard the first accounts of

the rich and powerful nation composed wholly of women, whom, in

recollection of the female warriors of classic antiquity, they called

the Amazons. Here the Spaniards built a better brigantine than the frail

one in which they were embarked. All fell to work, Orellana being the

first at any exertion that was required. They calked it with cotton; the

natives supplied pitch; and in thirty-five days the vessel was launched.

On the 24th of April, they once more embarked. For eighty leagues, the

banks were peopled with friendly tribes; then the course of the river

lay between desert mountains, and they were fain to feed upon herbs and

parched corn, not even finding a place where they could fish.

Thus far they seem to have found the natives friendly, or not actively

hostile; but, as they descended, they came to a populous province,

belonging to a chief called Omagua, if, as is conjectured, that is not

rather the name of the tribe itself than of their chief. One morning, a

fleet of canoes was seen advancing with hostile demonstrations. The

Indians carried shields made of the skins of the alligator. They came on

with beat of tambour and with war-cries, threatening to devour the

strangers. The Spaniards brought their two vessels close together, that

they might aid one another in the defence. But, when they came to use

their powder, it was damp, and they had nothing but their cross-bows to

trust to; and, plying these as well as they could, they continued to

fall down the stream, fighting as they went. Presently they came to an

Indian town. Half the Spaniards landed to attack it, leaving their

companions to maintain the fight upon the water.

They won the town, and loaded themselves with provisions; but eighteen

of the party were wounded, and one killed. They had neither surgeon nor

any remedy for the wounded. Nothing could be done for them except

"psalming;" that is, repeating some verses of the psalms over the wound.

This mode of treatment was not unusual; and, as it was less absurd than

the methods which were ordinarily in use at that day, it is no wonder if

it proved more successful.

For two days and two nights after this, they were constantly annoyed by

the canoes of the natives following, and endeavoring to board them. But

the Spaniards had now dried some powder; and one of them, getting a

steady mark at the chief of the Indians, shot him in the breast. His

people gathered round him; and, while they were thus occupied, the

brigantines shot ahead.

Thus they proceeded with alternate good and evil fortune, now finding

the Indians friendly, and supplies of provisions abundant; and then

encountering hostile tribes which assailed them with all their power, or

long regions of unpeopled country, where they were reduced to the

utmost straits for want of food. Six months had now been consumed on

their voyage, and as yet no appearance of Eldorado; though, if their

accounts may be trusted, they several times came upon populous places,

which had many streets, all opening upon the river, and apparently

leading to some greater city in the interior. On the 22d of June, on

turning an angle of the river, they saw the country far before them, and

great numbers of people collected, seemingly with hostile intentions.

Orellana offered them trinkets, at which they scoffed; but he persisted

in making towards the shore to get food, either by persuasion or force.

A shower of arrows was discharged from the shore, which wounded five of

the crew. They nevertheless landed, and, after a hot contest, repulsed

the natives, killing some seven or eight of them. The historian of the

voyage, who was one of the adventurers, affirms that ten or twelve

Amazons fought at the head of these people, who were their subjects, and

fought desperately; because any one who fled in battle would be beaten

to death by these female tyrants. He describes the women as very tall

and large-limbed, white of complexion, the hair long, platted, and

banded round the head. It is amusing to observe how this story was

magnified by later narrators, who learned it only by tradition. It is

stated in these late accounts that Orellana fought on this occasion with

a great army of women.

Of a prisoner whom they took, Orellana asked questions about Eldorado

and the Amazons, and got, as usual, such answers as he expected. This

may partly be set down to the score of self-deception, and partly to the

fact that they conversed with these people by signs, and by means of the

few words of their language which the Spaniards knew, or supposed they

knew, the meaning of. He learned from the prisoner that the country was

subject to women, who lived after the manner of the Amazons of the

ancients, and who possessed gold and silver in abundance. There were in

their dominions fine temples of the sun, all covered with plates of

gold. Their houses were of stone, and their cities walled. We can hardly

doubt that the desire to tempt adventurers to join him in his subsequent

expedition to conquer and colonize those countries had its effect in

magnifying these marvels.

Shortly after this, the Spaniards thought they perceived the _tide_.

After another day's voyage, they came to some inhabited islands, and, to

their infinite joy, saw that they had not been mistaken; for the marks

of the tide here were certain. Here they lost another of their party in

a skirmish with the natives. From this place the country was low; and

they could never venture to land, except upon the islands, among which

they sailed, as they supposed, about two hundred leagues; the tide

coming up with great force. One day the smaller vessel struck upon a

snag, which stove in one of her planks, and she filled. They, however,

landed to seek for provisions; but the inhabitants attacked them with

such force, that they were forced to retire; and, when they came to

their vessels, they found that the tide had left the only serviceable

one dry. Orellana ordered half his men to fight, and the other half to

thrust the vessel into the water: that done, they righted the old

brigantine, and fastened in a new plank, all which was completed in

three hours, by which time the Indians were weary of fighting, and left

them in peace. The next day they found a desert place, where Orellana

halted to repair both vessels. This took them eighteen days, during

which they suffered much from hunger.

As they drew near the sea, they halted again for fourteen days, to

prepare for their sea-voyage; made cordage of herbs; and sewed the

cloaks, on which they slept, into sails. On the 8th of August, they

proceeded again, anchoring with stones when the tide turned, though it

sometimes came in such strength as to drag these miserable anchors. Here

the natives were happily of a milder mood than those whom they had

lately dealt with. From them they procured roots and Indian corn; and,

having laid in what store they could, they made ready to enter upon the

sea in these frail vessels, with their miserable tackling, and with

insufficient food, without pilot, compass, or any knowledge of the

coast.

It was on the 26th of August that they sailed out of the river, passing

between two islands, which were about four leagues asunder. The whole

length of the voyage from the place where they had embarked to the sea

they computed at eighteen hundred leagues. Thus far their weather had

been always favorable, and it did not fail them now. They kept along the

coast to the northward, just at safe distance. The two brigantines

parted company in the night. They in the larger one got into the Gulf of

Paria, from whence all their labor at the oar for seven days could not

extricate them. During this time, they lived upon a sort of plum called

"nogos," being the only food they could find. At length they were

whirled through those tremendous channels which Columbus called the

"Dragon's mouths," and, September the 11th, not knowing where they were,

reached the Island of Cubagua, where they found a colony of their

countrymen. The old brigantine had arrived at the same place two days

before them. Here they were received with the welcome which their

wonderful adventure deserved; and from hence Orellana proceeded to

Spain, to give the king an account of his discoveries in person.

CHAPTER III.

ORELLANA'S ADVENTURE CONTINUED.

Orellana arrived safe in Spain, and was favorably received. His act of

insubordination in leaving his commander was forgotten in the success of

his achievement; for it had been successful, even if the naked facts

only had been told, inasmuch as it was the first event which led to any

certain knowledge of the immense regions that stretch eastward from the

Andes to the ocean, besides being in itself one of the most brilliant

adventures of that remarkable age. But Orellana's accounts went far

beyond these limits, and confirming all previous tales of the wonderful

Eldorado, with its temples roofed with gold, and its mountains composed

of precious stones, drew to his standard numerous followers. Every thing

promised fairly. The king granted him a commission to conquer the

countries which he had explored. He raised funds for the expedition, and

even found a wife who was willing to accompany him in May, 1544, he set

sail with four ships and four hundred men.

But the tide of Orellana's fortune had turned. He stopped three months

at Teneriffe, and two at the Cape de Verde, where ninety-eight of his

people died, and fifty were invalided. The expedition proceeded with

three ships, and met with contrary winds, which detained them till their

water was exhausted; and, had it not been for heavy rains, all must have

perished. One ship put back in this distress, with seventy men and

eleven horses on board, and was never heard of after. The remaining two

reached the river. Having ascended about a hundred leagues, they stopped

to build a brigantine. Provisions were scarce here, and fifty-seven more

of his party died. These men were not, like his former comrades,

seasoned to the climate, and habituated to the difficulties of the new

world. One ship was broken up here for the materials: the other met with

an accident, and became unserviceable; and they cut her up, and made a

bark of the timbers.

Orellana meanwhile, in the brigantine, was endeavoring to discover the

main branch of the river, which it had been easy to keep when carried

down by the stream, but which he now sought in vain for thirty days

among a labyrinth of channels. When he returned from this fruitless

search, he was ill, and told his people that he would go back to Point

St. Juan; and there he ordered them to seek him when they had got the

bark ready. But he found his sickness increase upon him, and determined

to abandon the expedition, and return to Europe. While he was seeking

provisions for the voyage, the Indians killed seventeen of his men. What

with vexation and disorder, he died in the river. This sealed the fate

of the expedition. The survivors made no further exertions to reach

Eldorado, but returned to their own country as they could. Such was the

fate of Orellana, who, as a discoverer, surpassed all his countrymen;

and though, as a conqueror, he was unfortunate, yet neither is he

chargeable with any of those atrocities toward the unhappy natives which

have left such a stain on the glories of Cortes and Pizarro.

The next attempt we read of to discover Eldorado was made a few years

after, under Hernando de Ribera, by ascending the La Plata, or River of

Paraguay. He sailed in a brigantine with eighty men, and encountered no

hostility from the natives. They confirmed the stories of the Amazons

with their golden city. "How could they get at them?" was the next

question: "by land, or by water?"--"Only by land," was the reply. "But

it was a two-months' journey; and to reach them now would be impossible,

because the country was inundated." The Spaniards made light of this

obstacle, but asked for Indians to carry their baggage. The chief gave

Ribera twenty for himself, and five for each of his men; and these

desperate adventurers set off on their march over a flooded country.

Eight days they travelled through water up to their knees, and sometimes

up to their middle. By slinging their hammocks to trees, and by this

means only, could they find dry positions for the night. Before they

could make a fire to dress their food, they were obliged to raise a rude

scaffolding; and this was unavoidably so insecure, that frequently the

fire burned through, and food and all fell into the water. They reached

another tribe, and were told that the Amazons' country was still nine

days farther on; and then still another tribe, who told them it would

take a month to reach them. Perhaps they would still have advanced; but

here an insuperable obstacle met them. The locusts for two successive

years had devoured every thing before them, and no food was to be had.

The Spaniards had no alternative but to march back. On their way, they

were reduced to great distress for want of food; and from this cause,

and travelling so long half under water, the greater number fell sick,

and many died. Of eighty men who accompanied Ribera upon this dreadful

march, only thirty recovered from its effects.

This expedition added a few items to the story of Eldorado. Ribera

declares under oath that the natives told him of a nation of women,

governed by a woman, and so warlike as to be dreaded by all their

neighbors. They possessed plenty of white and yellow metal: their seats,

and all the utensils in their houses, were made of them. They lived on a

large island, which was in a huge lake, which they called the "Mansion

of the Sun," because the sun sank into it. The only way of accounting

for these stories is, that the Spaniards furnished, in the shape of

questions, the information which they fancied they received in reply;

the Indians assenting to what they understood but imperfectly, or not at

all.

MARTINEZ.

Another expedition, not long after Orellana's, was that conducted by Don

Diego Ordaz, of which Sir Walter Raleigh, in his "History of Guiana,"

gives an account. The expedition failed; Ordaz being slain in a mutiny

of his men, and those who went with him being scattered. The only

noticeable result was in the adventures of one Martinez, an officer of

Ordaz, who had charge of the ammunition. We tell the story in the

language of Sir Walter, slightly modernized:--

"It chanced, that while Ordaz, with his army, rested at the

port of Morequito, by some negligence the whole store of powder

provided for the service was set on fire; and Martinez, having

the chief charge thereof, was condemned by the general to be

executed forthwith. Martinez, being much favored by the

soldiers, had all means possible employed to save his life; but

it could not be obtained in other way but this,--that he should

be set into a canoe alone, without any food, and so turned

loose into the great river. But it pleased God that the canoe

was carried down the stream, and that certain of the Guianians

met it the same evening: and, not having at any time seen any

European, they carried Martinez into the land to be wondered

at; and so from town to town until he came to the great city of

Manoa, the seat and residence of Inga, the emperor. The

emperor, when he beheld him, knew him to be a Christian of

those who had conquered the neighboring country of Peru, and

caused him to be lodged in his palace, and well entertained. He

lived seven months in Manoa, but was not suffered to wander

into the country anywhere. He was also brought thither all the

way blindfolded by the Indians, until he came to the entrance

of Manoa itself. He avowed at his death that he entered the

city at noon, and then they uncovered his face; and that he

travelled all that day till night through the city, ere he came

to the palace of Inga.

"After Martinez had lived seven months in Manoa, and began to

understand the language of the country, Inga asked him whether

he desired to return to his own country, or would willingly

abide with him. Martinez, not desirous to stay, obtained

permission of Inga to depart, who sent with him some Guianians

to conduct him to the river of Orinoco, with as much gold as

they could carry, which he gave to Martinez at his departure.

But, when he arrived at the river's side, the natives, being at

that time at war with Inga, robbed him and his Guianians of all

his treasure, save only two bottles made of gourds, which were

filled with beads of gold, which those people thought to

contain his drink or food, with which he was at liberty to

depart. So, in a canoe, he passed down by the river to

Trinidad, and from thence to Porto Rico, where he died. In the

time of his extreme sickness, and when he was without hope of

life, receiving the sacrament at the hands of his confessor, he

delivered this relation of his travels, and also called for his

calabazas, or gourds of gold beads, which he gave to the church

and the friars, to be prayed for.

"This Martinez was the one who christened the city of Manoa by

the name 'Eldorado,' and upon this occasion. At the times of

their solemn feasts, when the emperor carouses with his

captains, tributaries, and governors, the manner is thus: All

those that pledge him are first stripped naked, and their

bodies anointed all over with a kind of white balsam very

precious. When they are anointed all over, certain servants of

the emperor, having prepared gold made into fine powder, blow

it through hollow canes upon their naked bodies until they be

all shining from the head to the foot. Upon this sight, and for

the abundance of gold which he saw in the city, the images of

gold in their temples, the plates, armors, and shields of gold

which they use in the wars, he called it Eldorado."

Such is Sir Walter's narrative of one of the traditions which fired his

enthusiasm to undertake the conquest of Eldorado. He asserts that he

read it in "The Chancery of Saint Juan de Porto Rico," of which Berrio

had a copy. It is pretty plainly tinctured with fable, but probably had

an historical foundation.

After this, a good many years elapsed before any other expedition of

note was fitted out in search of Eldorado. But the story grew,

notwithstanding. An imaginary kingdom was shaped out. It was governed by

a potentate who was called the Great Paytiti, sometimes the Great Moxu,

sometimes the Enim, or Great Para. An impostor at Lima affirmed that he

had been in his capital, the city of Manoa, where not fewer than three

thousand workmen were employed in the silversmiths' street. He even

produced a map of the country, in which he had marked a hill of gold,

another of silver, and a third of salt. The columns of the palace were

described as of porphyry and alabaster, the galleries of ebony and

cedar: the throne was of ivory, and the ascent to it by steps of gold.

The palace was built of white stone. At the entrance were two towers,

and between them a column twenty-five feet in height. On its top was a

large silver moon; and two living lions were fastened to its base with

chains of gold. Having passed by these keepers, you came into a

quadrangle planted with trees, and watered by a silver fountain, which

spouted through four golden pipes. The gate of the palace was of copper,

and its bolt was received in the solid rock. Within, a golden sun was

placed upon an altar of silver; and four lamps were kept burning before

it day and night.

It may surprise us that tales so palpably false as these should have

deceived any, to such an extent as to lead them to get up costly and

hazardous expeditions to go in search of the wonder; but we must

remember, that what the Spaniards had already realized and demonstrated

to the world in their conquests of Mexico and Peru was hardly less

astonishing than these accounts. It is therefore no wonder that

multitudes should be found willing to admit so much of the marvels of

Eldorado as to see in them a sufficient inducement to justify the

search; and others less credulous were perhaps willing to avail

themselves of the credulity of the multitude to accomplish plans of

conquest and ambition for themselves. Of the latter class, we may

imagine the celebrated Sir Walter Raleigh to be one, who, at this time,

undertook an expedition for the discovery and conquest of Eldorado.

CHAPTER IV.

SIR WALTER RALEIGH.

Walter Raleigh was born in the year 1552 in Devonshire, England, and

received a good education, completed by a residence of two years at the

University of Oxford. At the age of seventeen, he joined a volunteer

corps of English to serve in France in aid of the Protestant cause.

Afterwards he served five years in the Netherlands. In 1576, he

accompanied his half-brother, Sir Humphrey Gilbert, on an expedition to

colonize some part of North America; which expedition was unsuccessful.

We next find him commanding a company of the royal troops in Ireland

during the rebellion raised by the Earl of Desmond. In consequence of

some serious differences which arose between him and his superior

officer, he found it necessary to repair to court to justify himself. It

was at this time that an incident occurred which recommended him to the

notice of Queen Elizabeth, and was the foundation of his fortunes.

Raleigh stood in the crowd one day where the queen passed on foot; and

when she came to a spot of muddy ground, and hesitated for a moment

where to step, he sprang forward, and, throwing from his shoulders his

handsome cloak ("his clothes being then," says a quaint old writer, "a

considerable part of his estate"), he spread it over the mud, so that

the queen passed over dry-shod, doubtless giving an approving look to

the handsome and quick-witted young officer. There is another story

which is not less probable, because it is not less in character with

both the parties. Finding some hopes of the queen's favor glancing on

him, he wrote, on a window where it was likely to meet her eye,--

"Fain would I climb, but that I fear to fall."

And her majesty, espying it, wrote underneath,--

"If thy heart fail thee, wherefore climb at all?"

His progress in the queen's favor was enhanced by his demeanor when the

matter in dispute between him and his superior officer was brought

before the privy council, and each party was called upon to plead his

own cause. "What advantage he had in the case in controversy," says a

contemporary writer, "I know not; but he had much the better in the

manner of telling his tale." The result was, that he became a man of "no

slight mark;" "he had gotten the queen's ear in a trice;" "she took him

for a kind of oracle," and "loved to hear his reasons to her demands,"

or, in more modern phrase, "his replies to her questions."

The reign of Queen Elizabeth has been called the heroic age of England.

And, let us remember, the England of that day is ours as much as theirs

who still bear the name of Englishmen. The men whose gallant deeds we

now record were our ancestors, and their glory is our inheritance.

The Reformation in religion had awakened all the energies of the human

mind. It had roused against England formidable enemies, among which

Spain was the most powerful and the most intensely hostile. She fitted

out the famous Armada to invade England; and England, on her part, sent

various expeditions to annoy the Spaniards in their lately acquired

possessions in South America. These expeditions were generally got up by

private adventurers; the queen and her great nobles often taking a share

in them. When there was nominal peace with Spain, such enterprises were

professedly for discovery and colonization, though the adventurers could

not always keep their hands off a rich prize of Spanish property that

fell in their way; but, for the last fifteen years of Elizabeth's reign,

there was open war between the two powers: and then these expeditions

had for their first object the annoyance of Spain, and discovery and

colonization for their second.

We find Raleigh, after fortune began to smile upon him, engaged in a

second expedition, with Sir Humphrey Gilbert, for discovery and

colonization in America. He furnished, from his own means, a ship called

"The Raleigh," on board of which he embarked; but when a few days out, a

contagious disease breaking out among the crew, he put back into port,

and relinquished the expedition. Sir Humphrey, with the rest of the

squadron, consisting of five vessels, reached Newfoundland without

accident, took possession of the island, and left a colony there. He

then set out exploring along the American coast to the south, he himself

doing all the work in his little ten-ton cutter; the service being too

dangerous for the larger vessels to venture on. He spent the summer in

this labor till toward the end of August, when, in a violent storm, one

of the larger vessels, "The Delight," was lost with all her crew. "The

Golden Hind" and "Squirrel" were now left alone of the five ships. Their

provisions were running short, and the season far advanced; and Sir

Humphrey reluctantly concluded to lay his course for home. He still

continued in the small vessel, though vehemently urged by his friends to

remove to the larger one. "I will not forsake my little company, going

homeward," said he, "with whom I have passed so many storms and perils."

On the 9th of September, the weather was rough, and the cutter was with

difficulty kept afloat, struggling with the violence of the waves. When

the vessels came within hearing distance, Sir Humphrey cried out to his

companions in "The Hind," "Be of good courage: we are as near to heaven

by sea as by land." "That night, at about twelve o'clock," writes the

historian of the voyage, who was himself one of the adventurers, "the

cutter being ahead of us in 'The Golden Hind,' suddenly her lights were

out, and the watch cried, 'The general is cast away!' which was too

true." So perished a Christian hero. It was a fine end for a mortal man.

Let us not call it sad or tragic, but heroic and sublime.

Raleigh, not discouraged by the ill success of this expedition, shortly

after obtained letters-patent for another enterprise of the same kind,

on the same terms as had been granted to Sir Humphrey. Two barks were

sent to explore some undiscovered part of America north of Florida, and

look out for a favorable situation for the proposed colony. This

expedition landed on Roanoke Island, near the mouth of Albemarle Sound.

Having taken formal possession of the country for the Queen of England

and her servant Sir Walter Raleigh, they returned, and gave so favorable

an account of the country, that her Majesty allowed it to be called

Virginia, after herself, a virgin queen. The next year, Raleigh sent out

a second expedition, and left a colony of a hundred men, which was the

first colony planted by Englishmen on the continent of America. Soon

after, Raleigh sent a third expedition with a hundred and fifty

colonists; but having now expended forty thousand pounds upon these

attempts, and being unable to persist further, or weary of waiting so

long for profitable returns, he assigned over his patent to a company of

merchants, and withdrew from further prosecution of the enterprise.

The years which followed were the busiest of Raleigh's adventurous life.

He bore a distinguished part in the defeat of the Spanish Armada; and,

in the triumphant procession to return thanks at St. Paul's for that

great deliverance, he was conspicuous as commander of the queen's guard.

He was a member of Parliament, yet engaged personally in two naval

expeditions against the Spaniards, from which he reaped honor, but no

profit; and was at the height of favor with the queen. But, during his

absence at sea, the queen discovered that an intrigue existed between

Raleigh and one of the maids of honor, which was an offence particularly

displeasing to Elizabeth, who loved to fancy that all her handsome young

courtiers were too much attached to herself to be capable of loving any

other object. Raleigh, on his return, was committed a prisoner to the

Tower, and, on being released after a short confinement, retired to his

estate in Dorsetshire. It was during this retirement that he formed his

scheme for the discovery and conquest of Eldorado. It had long been a

subject of meditation to Raleigh, who declares in the dedication of his

"History of Guiana," published after his return, that "many years since,

he had knowledge, by relation, of that mighty, rich, and beautiful

empire of Guiana, and of that great and golden city which the Spaniards

call Eldorado, and the naturals Manoa."--"It is not possible," says one

of the historians of these events, "that Raleigh could have believed

the existence of such a kingdom. Credulity was not the vice of his

nature; but, having formed the project of colonizing Guiana, he employed

these fables as baits for vulgar cupidity." Other writers judge him more

favorably. It is probably true that he believed in the existence of such

a country as Eldorado; but we can hardly suppose that he put faith in

all the marvellous details which accompanied the main fact in popular

narration.

CHAPTER V.

RALEIGH'S FIRST EXPEDITION.

As the attempts of Pizarro and Orellana were made by the route of the

river of the Amazons, and that of Ribera by the river of Paraguay,

Raleigh's approach was by the Orinoco, a river second in size only to

the Amazons, and which flows in a course somewhat parallel to that, and

some five or ten degrees farther to the north. The region of country

where this river discharges itself into the Atlantic was nominally in

possession of the Spaniards, though they had but one settlement in what

was called the province of Guiana,--the town of St. Joseph, then

recently founded; and another on the island of Trinidad, which lies

nearly opposite the mouth of the river. Raleigh, arriving at Trinidad,

stopped some days to procure such intelligence as the Spaniards resident

there could afford him respecting Guiana. He then proceeded to the main

land, destroyed the town which the Spaniards had lately built there,

and took the governor, Berrio, on board his own ship. He used his

prisoner well, and "gathered from him," he says, "as much of Guiana as

he knew." Berrio seems to have conversed willingly upon his own

adventures in exploring the country, having no suspicion of Raleigh's

views. He discouraged Raleigh's attempts to penetrate into the country,

telling him that he would find the river unnavigable for his ships, and

the nations hostile. These representations had little weight with

Raleigh, as he attributed them to a very natural wish on Berrio's part

to keep off foreigners from his province; but, on trying to find the

entrance to the river, he discovered Berrio's account to be true, so far

as related to the difficulties of the navigation. After a thorough

search for a practicable entrance, he gave up all hopes of passing in

any large vessel, and resolved to go with the boats. He took in his

largest boat, with himself, sixty men, including his cousin, his nephew,

and principal officers. Another boat carried twenty, and two others ten

each. "We had no other means," he says in his account afterward

published, "but to carry victual for a month in the same, and also to

lodge therein as we could, and to boil and dress our meat."

The Orinoco, at nearly forty leagues from the sea, forms, like the Nile,

a kind of fan, strewed over with a multitude of little islands, that

divide it into numerous branches and channels, and force it to discharge

itself through this labyrinth into the sea by an infinity of mouths,

occupying an extent of more than sixty leagues. "The Indians who inhabit

those islands," says Raleigh, "in the summer, have houses upon the

ground, as in other places; in the winter they dwell upon the trees,

where they build very artificial towns and villages: for, between May

and September, the river rises to thirty feet upright, and then are

those islands overflowed twenty feet high above the level of the ground;

and for this cause they are enforced to live in this manner. They use

the tops of palmitos for bread; and kill deer, fish, and porks for the

rest of their sustenance." Raleigh's account is confirmed by later

travellers. Humboldt says, "The navigator, in proceeding along the

channels of the delta of the Orinoco at night, sees with surprise the

summits of the palm-trees illuminated by large fires. These are the

habitations of the Guaraons, which are suspended from the trees. These

tribes hang up mats in the air, which they fill with earth, and kindle,

on a layer of moist clay, the fire necessary for their household

wants."

Passing up with the flood, and anchoring during the ebb, Raleigh and his

companions went on, till on the third day their galley grounded, and

stuck so fast, that they feared their discovery must end there, and they

be left to inhabit, like rooks upon trees, with these nations; but on

the morrow, after casting out all her ballast, with tugging and hauling

to and fro, they got her afloat. After four days more, they got beyond

the influence of the tide, and were forced to row against a violent

current, till they began to despair; the weather being excessively hot,

and the river bordered with high trees, that kept away the air. Their

provisions began to fail them; but some relief they found by shooting

birds of all colors,--carnation, crimson, orange, purple, and of all

other sorts, both simple and mixed. An old Indian whom they had pressed

into their service was a faithful guide to them, and brought them to an

Indian village, where they got a supply of bread, fish, and fowl. They

were thus encouraged to persevere, and next day captured two canoes

laden with bread, "and divers baskets of roots, which were excellent

meat." Probably these roots were no other than potatoes; for the

mountains of Quito, to which Sir Walter was now approaching, were the

native country of the potato, and the region from whence it was first

introduced into Europe. The Spaniards and Portuguese introduced it

earlier than the English; but to Raleigh belongs the credit of making it

known to his countrymen. The story is, that Sir Walter, on his return

home, had some of the roots planted in his garden at Youghal, in

Ireland, and that his gardener was sadly disappointed in autumn on

tasting the apples of the "fine American fruit," and proceeded to root

up the "useless weeds," when he discovered the tubers.

Raleigh treated the natives with humanity, and, in turn, received

friendly treatment from them. The chiefs told him fine stories about the

gold-mines; but, unfortunately, the gold was not to be had without

labor, and the adventurers were in no condition to undertake mining

operations. What they wanted was to find a region like Mexico or Peru,

only richer, where gold might be found, not in the rocks or the bowels

of the earth, but in possession of the natives, in the form of barbaric

ornaments that they would freely barter for European articles, or images

of their gods, such as Christians might seize and carry away with an

approving conscience.

Thus far, their search for such a region had been unsuccessful, and

their only hope was of reaching it by farther explorations. But the

river was rising daily, and the current flowed with such rapidity, that

they saw clearly, if it went on to increase as it had done for some time

past, it must soon debar all farther progress.

Raleigh found by talking with the chiefs that they were all hostile to

the Spaniards, and willing enough to promise him their aid in driving

them out of the country. He accordingly told them that he was sent by a

great and virtuous queen to deliver them from the tyranny of the

Spaniards. He also learned that the Indians with whom he was conversing

were an oppressed race, having been conquered by a nation who dwelt

beyond the mountains,--a nation who wore large coats, and hats of

crimson color, and whose houses had many rooms, one over the other. They

were called the Eperumei; and against them all the other tribes would

gladly combine, for they were the general oppressors. Moreover, the

country of these Eperumei abounded in gold and all other good things.

He continued to make daily efforts to ascend the river, and to explore

the tributary streams, but found his progress debarred in some quarters

by the rapid current of the swollen streams, and in others by falls in

the rivers. The falls of one of the tributaries of the Orinoco, the

Caroli, he describes as "a wonderful breach of waters, running in three

parts; and there appeared some ten or twelve over-falls in sight, every

one as high over the other as a church-tower." He was informed that the

lake from which the river issued was above a day's journey for one of

their canoes to cross, which he computed at about forty miles; that many

rivers fall into it, and great store of grains of gold was found in

those rivers. On one of these rivers, he was told, a nation of people

dwell "whose heads appear not above their shoulders;" which, he says,

"though it may be thought a mere fable, yet, for my own part, I am

resolved it is true, because every child in those provinces affirm the

same. They are reported to have their eyes in their shoulders, and their

mouths in the middle of their breasts, and that a long train of hair

growth backward between their shoulders." Raleigh adds, "It was not my

chance to hear of them till I was come away. If I had but spoken one

word of it while I was there, I might have brought one of them with me

to put the matter out of doubt." It might have been more satisfactory

for the philosophers if he had done so; but his word was quite enough

for the poets. One of that class, and the greatest of all, William

Shakspeare, was, at that very time, writing plays for the gratification

of Raleigh's gracious mistress and her subjects, and eagerly availed

himself of this new-discovered tribe to introduce one of them in his

play of "The Tempest," under the name of Caliban. He also makes Othello

tell the gentle Desdemona "of most disastrous chances, and of the

cannibals that each other eat; the Anthropophagi, and men whose heads do

grow beneath their shoulders." Nor are these the only instances in which

we think we trace the influence of the romantic adventurer on the

susceptible poet. The name of the divinity whom Caliban calls "my dam's

God Setebos" occurs in Raleigh's narrative as the name of an Indian

tribe; and Trinculo's plan of taking Caliban to England to make a show

of him seems borrowed from this hint of Raleigh's. In his days of

prosperity, Raleigh instituted a meeting of intellectual men at "The

Mermaid," a celebrated tavern. To this club, Shakspeare, Beaumont,

Fletcher, Jonson, Selden, Donne, and other distinguished literary men,

were accustomed to repair; and here doubtless the adventures and

discoveries of Sir Walter, set forth with that talent of which his

writings furnish abundant proof, often engaged the listening group.

Raleigh was then forty-eight, and Shakspeare thirty-six, years old. But,

in justice to Raleigh, it should be added, that he did not invent these

stories, and that later travellers and missionaries testify that such

tales were current among the Indians, though as yet no specimen of the

tribe has been seen by trustworthy narrators.

Raleigh now found that he must bring his westward progress to a

conclusion: "for no half-day passed but the river began to rage and

overflow very fearfully; and the rains came down in terrible showers,

and gusts in great abundance, and men began to cry out for want of

shift; for no man had place to bestow any other apparel than that which

he wore on his back, and that was thoroughly washed on his body for the

most part ten times a day; and we had now been near a month, every day

passing to the westward, farther from our ships." They turned back,

therefore, and, passing down the stream, went, without labor and against

the wind, little less than one hundred miles a day. They stopped

occasionally, both for provisions, and for conference with the natives.

In particular, one old chief, with whom he had conferred formerly on his

ascent, gave him the confidential communication, that the attempt to

attack the city of Manoa, at that time, was desperate; for neither the

time of the year was favorable, nor had he nearly a sufficient force. He

advised, that, forbearing any further attempts at that time, Raleigh

should rest satisfied with the information he had gained, and return to

his own country for a larger force, with which to come again the next

year, and unite all the tribes which were hostile to the Eperumei, or

people of Manoa, and by their aid make an easy conquest of them. The old

chief added, that, for his part and his people's, they wanted no share

of the spoils of gold or precious stones: they only wanted to be avenged

on their enemies, and to rescue from them their women whom the Eperumei

had carried away in their frequent incursions; "so that, whereas they

were wont to have ten or twelve wives apiece, they were now enforced to

content themselves with three or four."

Raleigh met with no material misadventure in his way down the river;

and, though a storm attacked them the same night, they anchored in the

mouth of the river; so that, in spite of every shelter they could derive

from the shores, the galley "had as much to do to live as could be, and

there wanted little of her sinking, and all those in her:" yet next day

they arrived safe at the Island of Trinidad, and found the ships at

anchor, "than which," says Raleigh, "there was never to us a more joyful

sight."

Raleigh was not favorably received by the queen on his return, nor was

he welcomed with any popular applause; for he had brought home no booty,

and his account of the riches of the land into which he had led the way

was received with suspicion. He published it under this boastful title:

"The Discovery of the large, rich, and beautiful Empire of Guiana; with

a relation of the great and Golden City of Manoa, which the Spaniards

call Eldorado. Performed by Sir Walter Raleigh." In spite of all the

great promises which he held out, the acknowledgment that he had made a

losing voyage tended to abate that spirit of cupidity and enterprise

which he wished to excite.

Sir Walter's history of his expedition contains, besides the marvels

already cited, numerous others, some of which have a basis of fact,

others not. Of the former kind is his account of oysters growing on

trees. He says, "We arrived at Trinidado the 22d of March, casting

anchor at Port Curiapan. I left the ships, and kept by the shore in my

barge, the better to understand the rivers, watering-places, and ports

of the island. In the way, I passed divers little brooks of fresh

water, and one salt river, that had store of oysters upon the branches

of the trees. All their oysters grow upon those boughs and sprays, and

not on the ground. The like is commonly seen in the West Indies and

elsewhere."

Upon this narrative, Sir Robert Schomburgh, a late explorer, has the

following remark: "The first accounts brought to Europe, of oysters

growing on trees, raised as great astonishment as the relation of

Eldorado itself; and to those who were unacquainted with the fact that

these mollusks select the branches of the tree, on which they fix

themselves during high water, when the branches are immersed, it may

certainly sound strange, that shells, which we know live in Europe on

banks in the depths of the sea, should be found in the West Indies on

the branches of trees. They attach themselves chiefly to the

mangrove-tree, which grows along the shore of the sea, and rivers of

brackish water, and covers immense tracts of coast; rooting and

vegetating in a manner peculiar to itself, even as far as low-water

mark. The water flowing off during ebb leaves the branches, with the

oysters attached to them, high and dry."

Respecting the Republic of Amazons, Sir Walter says, "I made inquiry

among the most ancient and best travelled of the Orenoqueponi; and I

was very desirous to understand the truth of those warlike women,

because of some it is believed, of others not. I will set down what hath

been delivered me for truth of those women; and I spake with a cacique,

or lord of people, who said that he had been in the river, and beyond it

also. The nations of those women are on the south side of the river, in

the province of Topago; and their chiefest strengths and retreats are in

the islands of said river. They accompany with men but once in a year,

and for the time of one month, which, I gather from their relation, to

be in April. At that time, all the kings of the borders assemble, and

the queens of the Amazons; and, after the queens have chosen, the rest

cast lots for their valentines. This one month they feast, dance, and

drink of their wines in abundance; and, the moon being done, they all

depart to their own provinces. If a son be born, they return him to the

father; if a daughter, they nourish it and retain it, all being desirous

to increase their own sex and kind. They carry on wars, and are very

blood-thirsty and cruel."

Sir Robert Schomburgh, who explored these regions extensively between

the years 1835 and 1844, says, in reference to this subject, "The

result of this fatiguing and perilous journey has only strengthened our

conviction that this republic of women was one of those inventions,

designed merely to enhance the wonders, of which the new world was

regarded as the seat." It would, however, be unjust to condemn Raleigh's

proneness to a belief in their existence, when we find that Condamine

believed in them; that Humboldt hesitated to decide against them; and

that even Southey, the learned historian of Brazil, makes this remark,

"Had we never heard of the Amazons of antiquity, I should, without

hesitation, believe in those of America. Their existence is not the less

likely for that reason; and yet it must be admitted, that the probable

truth is made to appear suspicious by its resemblance to a known

fable."

CHAPTER VI.

RALEIGH'S ADVENTURES CONTINUED.

When Raleigh, on his first arrival, broke up the Spanish settlement in

Trinidad, he took Berrio, the governor, prisoner, and carried him with

him in his voyage up the river. Berrio seems to have borne his fate with

good temper, and conciliated the good will of Raleigh; so that, when the

expedition returned to the mouth of the river, he was set at liberty,

and collected his little colony again. Berrio probably shared the same

belief as Raleigh in the existence of the kingdom of Eldorado within the

limits of his province, and was naturally desirous to avail himself of

the respite which he gained by the termination of Raleigh's expedition,

until it should return in greater force to penetrate to Eldorado, and

take possession for himself and his countrymen. With these views, he

sent an officer of his, Domingo de Vera, to Spain, to levy men; sending,

according to Raleigh's account, "divers images, as well of men as of

beasts, birds, and fishes, cunningly wrought in gold," in hopes to

persuade the king to yield him some further help. This agent was more

successful than Raleigh in obtaining belief. He is described as a man of

great ability, and little scrupulous as to truth. Having been favorably

received by the government, he attracted notice by appearing in a

singular dress, which, as he was of great stature, and rode always a

great horse, drew all eyes, and made him generally known as the Indian

chief of Eldorado and the rich lands. Some trinkets in gold he

displayed, of Indian workmanship, and some emeralds, which he had

brought from America, and promised stores of both; and, by the aid of

influential persons, he obtained seventy thousand dollars at Madrid, and

five thousand afterwards at Seville, authority to raise any number of

adventurers (though Berrio had asked only for three hundred men), and

five good ships to carry them out. Adventurers flocked to him in Toledo,

La Mancha, and Estremadura. The expedition was beyond example popular.

Twenty captains of infantry, who had served in Italy and Flanders,

joined it. Not only those who had their fortunes to seek were deluded:

men of good birth and expectations left all to engage in the conquest of

Eldorado; and fathers of families gave up their employments, and sold

their goods, and embarked with their wives and children. Solicitations

and bribes were made use of by eager volunteers. The whole expedition

consisted of more than two thousand persons.

They reached Trinidad after a prosperous voyage, and took possession of

the town. The little mischief which Raleigh had done had been easily

repaired; for indeed there was little that he could do. The place did

not contain thirty families, and the strangers were to find shelter as

they could. Rations of biscuit and salt meat, pulse, or rice, were

served out to them; but, to diminish the consumption as much as

possible, detachments were sent off in canoes to the main land, where

Berrio had founded the town of St. Thomas. Some flotillas effected their

progress safely; but one, which consisted of six canoes, met with bad

weather, and only three succeeded in entering the river, after throwing

their cargoes overboard. The others made the nearest shore, where they

were descried by the Caribs, a fierce tribe of natives, who slew them

all, except a few women whom they carried away, and one soldier, who

escaped to relate the fate of his companions.

The city of St. Thomas contained at that time four hundred men, besides

women and children. Berrio, to prepare the way for the discovery and

conquest of Eldorado, sent out small parties of the new-comers under

experienced persons, that they might be seasoned to the difficulties

which they would have to undergo, and learn how to conduct themselves in

their intercourse with the Indians. They were to spread the news that

the king had sent out many Spaniards, and a large supply of axes, caps,

hawk-bells, looking-glasses, combs, and such other articles of traffic

as were in most request. They saw no appearance of those riches which

Raleigh had heard of, nor of that plenty which he had found. The people

with whom they met had but a scanty subsistence for themselves, and so

little of gold or silver or any thing else to barter for the hatchets

and trinkets of the Spaniards, that they were glad of the chance to

labor as boatmen, or give their children, in exchange for them.

Berrio was not discouraged by the result of these journeys. Like

Raleigh, he was persuaded that the great and golden city stood on the

banks of a great lake, from which the River Caroli issued, about twelve

leagues east of the mouth whereof his town was placed. A force of eight

hundred men was now ordered on the discovery. The command was given to

Correa, an officer accustomed to Indian warfare. Three Franciscan monks,

and a lay brother of the same order, accompanied the expedition. Having

reached a spot where the country was somewhat elevated, and the

temperature cooler than in the region they had passed, they hutted

themselves on a sort of prairie, and halted there in the hope that rest

might restore those who began to feel the effect of an unwholesome

climate. The natives not only abstained from any acts of hostility, but

supplied them with fruits, and a sort of cassava (tapioca). This they

did in sure knowledge that disease would soon subdue these new-come

Spaniards to their hands. It was not long before a malignant fever broke

out among the adventurers, which carried off a third part of their

number. One comfort only was left them: the friars continued every day

to perform mass in a place where all the sufferers could hear it; and no

person died without performing and receiving all the offices which the

Romish Church has enjoined. Correa himself sank under the disease. He

might possibly have escaped it, acclimated as he was, if he had not

overtasked himself when food was to be sought from a distance, and

carried heavy loads to spare those who were less equal to the labor: for

now the crafty Indians no longer brought supplies, but left the

weakened Spaniards to provide for themselves as they could; and when

Correa was dead, of whom, as a man accustomed to Indian war, they stood

in fear, they collected their forces, and fell upon the Spaniards, who

apprehended no danger, and were most of them incapable of making any

defence. The plan appears to have been concerted with a young Indian

chief who accompanied the Spaniards under pretence of friendship; and

the women whom the Indians brought with them to carry home the spoils of

their enemies bore their part with stones and stakes in the easy

slaughter. The Spaniards who escaped the first attack fled with all

speed, some without weapons, and some without strength to use them. The

friars were the last to fly. With the soldiers to protect them, they

brought off their portable altar, two crosses, and a crucifix. No

attempt at resistance was made, except when a fugitive fell by the way.

The word then passed for one of the fathers: some soldiers stood with

their muskets to protect him while he hastily confessed and absolved the

poor wretch, whom his countrymen then commended to God, and left to the

mercy of the Indians.

In some places, the enemy set fire to the grass and shrubbery, which in

that climate grow with extreme luxuriance; by which means many of this

miserable expedition perished. Not quite thirty out of the whole number

got safe back to the town of St. Thomas. That place was in a deplorable

state, suffering at once from a contagious disease and from a scarcity

of provisions. To add to the distress, about a hundred persons more had

just arrived from Trinidad. They came of necessity; for there were no

longer supplies of food at Trinidad to sustain them. But they came with

high-raised hopes, only repining at their ill luck in not having been in

the first expedition, by which they supposed the first spoils of

Eldorado had already been shared. They arrived like skeletons at a city

of death. Not only were provisions scarce, but the supply of salt had

altogether failed; and, without it, health in that climate cannot be

preserved. To add to their misery, the shoes had all been consumed, and

the country was infested by that insect (the chigua) which burrows in

the feet, and attacks the flesh wherever the slightest wound gives it

access. The torment occasioned by these insects was such, that the men

willingly submitted to the only remedy they knew of, and had the sores

cauterized with hot iron.

Among those who had come from Spain to enter upon this land of promise,

there was a "beata," or pious woman, who had been attached to a convent

in Madrid, and accompanied a married daughter and her husband on this

unhappy adventure, and devoted herself to the service of the sick. Some

of the women, and she among them, looking upon the governor, Berrio, as

the cause of their miseries, and thinking, that, as long as he lived,

there was no hope of their escaping from this fatal place, resolved to

murder him, and provided themselves with knives for the purpose. The

indignation against him was so general, that they hesitated not to

impart their design to one of the friars; and, luckily for Berrio, he

interposed his influence to prevent it. One of the women who had sold

her possessions in Spain to join the expedition made her way to the

governor when the officers and friars were with him, and, emptying upon

the ground before him a bag which contained one hundred and fifty

doubloons, said, "Tyrant, take what is left, since you have brought us

here to die." Berrio replied, with less of anger than of distress in his

countenance, "I gave no orders to Domingo de Vera that he should bring

more than three hundred men." He offered no opposition to the departure

of such as would. Many who had strength or resolution enough trusted

themselves to the river in such canoes as they could find, without

boatmen or pilot, and endeavored to make their way back to Trinidad;

some perishing by the hands of the natives, others by drowning, others

by hunger, on the marshy shores which they reached. Vera soon died of a

painful disease in Trinidad; and Berrio did not long survive him. Such

was the issue of this great attempt for the conquest of the golden

empire; "of which," says an old Spanish historian, "it may be said, that

it was like Nebuchadnezzar's image, beginning in gold, but continuing

through baser metal, till it ended in rude iron and base clay."

CHAPTER VII.

RALEIGH'S SECOND EXPEDITION.

Raleigh's first voyage disappointed every one but himself. He pretended

to have obtained satisfactory evidence of the existence of Eldorado, and

information of the place where it was; also proof of the existence of

mines of gold; and to have conciliated the good will of the natives, and

secured their co-operation with him in any future attempt. But he had

brought home no gold; the shining stones which his followers had

abundantly supplied themselves with were found to be worthless: and

there was no evidence of the existence of a native sovereignty as far

advanced in civilization and refinement as the Mexicans and Peruvians,

the conquest of which would reflect as much glory upon the English name

as the achievements of Cortez and Pizarro had reflected upon that of

Spain. Raleigh's boastful representations, therefore, failed of effect.

None of his countrymen were inclined to join with him in a further

prosecution of the enterprise; and the subject was dropped for the time.

Raleigh was soon restored to favor, and employed in the naval

expeditions against Spain which took place at this time. He greatly

distinguished himself on several occasions, and was in high favor with

Queen Elizabeth till her death; but, with the accession of James, his

fortunes fell. He was accused (whether justly or not is still doubtful)

of being concerned in treasonable plots against the king, and was

brought to trial, found guilty, condemned to death, and committed

prisoner to the Tower to await the execution of his sentence.

Raleigh, withdrawn from active labors by his imprisonment, was not idle.

He turned to intellectual pursuits, and, with many minor pieces in prose

and verse, executed his greatest work, "The History of the World,"--a

project of such vast extent, that the bare idea of his undertaking it

excites our admiration. As an author, he stands on an eminence as high

as that which he obtained in other paths. Hume says, "He is the best

model of our ancient style;" and Hallam confirms the judgment. His

imprisonment lasted thirteen years. At the expiration of that time, he

had influence to have his sentence so far remitted as to allow him to

go on a second expedition in search of Eldorado. Twenty years had

elapsed since the former expedition; and the present was of a magnitude

more like a national enterprise than a private one. Sir Walter's own

ship, "The Destiny," carried thirty-six guns and two hundred men. There

were six other vessels, carrying from twenty-five guns to three each.

Raleigh embarked all his means in this expedition. His eldest son

commanded one of the ships; and eighty of his companions were gentlemen

volunteers and adventurers, many of them his relations.