THE LAND OF EL DORADO.
“And yet unspoiled
Guiana, whose great city Geryon’s sons[51]
Call El Dorado.”--_Paradise Lost_, Book xi.
Before we quit the shores of the Apure, I will invite the reader to
follow me in imagination, or, better still, in one of the many _bongos_
trading between this and the Orinoco river, on to the adjoining province
of Guayana, or _Guiana_, as it is more commonly known among English
writers and explorers. This will give us an opportunity of gliding over
one of the greatest rivers in the world, which nearly encircles a vast
territory hardly known to civilized man, that is just now attracting a
great deal of notice on account of the recent gold discoveries made
there; a country unsurpassed in natural treasures and resources; a sort
of hidden paradise which greedy gold-hunters of former times sought in
vain under the gilded name of EL DORADO, and which, strange to say, has
remained, like the wealth of California, undiscovered until recently.
What a train of awful recollections this once magic name of EL DORADO
brings to mind! What tales of woe, of daring adventure and blasted hopes
it has left behind for the entertainment and raillery of subsequent
generations! And yet, the gallant Raleigh--Sir Walter--like Galileo
before the tribunal of the Inquisition, was right in his belief that
there was gold enough in Guayana to load the entire fleet of Great
Britain in his time.
But let us not anticipate the narrative of events, which will come, each
one in its turn. Availing ourselves, therefore, of the gentle current of
the Apure, we will proceed on our journey, stopping here and there to
get a shot at the enormous crocodiles--larger than any we have yet
seen--which infest its waters near its confluence with the Orinoco; and
perhaps also at some thirsty jaguar taking its young to drink. Humboldt
has described these scenes so vividly, that I must refer the reader to
the third volume of his “Travels,” Bohn’s edition, for further
information on the subject.
Proceeding down the river, which here presents the singularity of
becoming narrower, on account of infiltrations through a spongy and
sandy soil, as well as other causes, we come suddenly upon a vast
expanse of waters, presenting all the appearance of an agitated sea,
from the conflict between breeze and current. This is the grand old
river we are in quest of, the Orinoco. “The air resounded no longer
with the piercing cries of herons, flamingos, and spoonbills, crossing
in long files from one shore to the other. Our eyes sought in vain those
water-fowls, the habits of which vary in each climate. Scarcely could we
discover in the hollows of the waves a few large crocodiles, cutting
obliquely, by the help of their long tails, the surface of the agitated
waters. The horizon was bounded by a zone of forests, which nowhere
reached so far as the bed of the river. A vast beach, constantly parched
by the heat of the sun, desert and bare as the shores of the sea,
resembles at a distance, from the effects of the mirage, pools of
stagnant water. In these scattered features, we recognize the course of
the Orinoco, one of the most majestic rivers of the New World.”[52]
At this point the Orinoco, already enriched with the tribute of the
Guaviare, the Inirida, the Meta, and the Arauca, which, like the Apure,
have their sources amidst the snowy mountains of New Granada, suddenly
changes its course, and, in conjunction with the latter, flows nearly in
a straight line towards the Atlantic, after describing an arc of a
circle around the western portion of Guayana. The vast territory thus
encompassed within its mighty embrace gives rise also to numerous other
rivers hardly inferior in magnitude to the above-named, such as the
Ventuari, the Cuchivero, the Paragua, the Caura, the Caroni, etc., all
of which flow into the Orinoco from the south, thus contributing to
swell the volume of its waters to the extent that it presents by the
time it reaches the ocean on the fifteenth meridian of longitude east of
Washington. Our route being in this direction also, we will not follow
the illustrious traveller in his laborious exploration of the Upper
Orinoco, the Casiquiare and the Rio Negro. I would, however, advise
those who are not conversant with his works to read his description of
the _Raudales_, or Great Rapids of Atures and Maipures, which he has
sketched with a masterly hand in his _Tableaux de la Nature_. The
following passage, quoted from said work, will convey to the reader some
idea of the magnificence of the river at that point:--
“A foaming surface of four miles in length presents itself at once
to the eye: iron black masses of rock, resembling ruins and
battlemented towers, rise frowning from the waters. Rocks and
islands are adorned with the luxuriant vegetation of the tropical
forest; a perpetual mist hovers over the waters, and the summits of
the lofty palms pierce through the clouds of spray and vapor. When
the rays of the glowing evening sun are refracted in their humid
exhalations, a magic optical effect begins. Colored bows shine,
vanish, and reappear; and the ethereal image is swayed to and fro
by the breath of the sportive breeze. During the long rainy season,
the streaming waters bring down islands of vegetable mould, and
thus the naked rocks are studded with bright flower-beds adorned
with melastomas and droseras, and with silver-leaved mimosas and
ferns. These spots recall to the recollection of the European those
blocks of granite decked with flowers which rise solitary amidst
the glaciers of Savoy, and are called by the dwellers in the Alps
‘Jardins,’ or ‘Courtils.’”
This is the country of the India-rubber and the Brazil-nut trees, two of
the most stupendous denizens of the tropical forest; of the wild cacao,
the fragrant sarapia, or tonka-bean, the sassafras-laurel, the ananas or
wild pine-apple, and of numberless other useful products, as well as
baneful drugs; for here is gathered the mavacure-vine, from the juice of
which the Indians of this region compound the most virulent poison known
in nature, the _curare_, which the natives employ most effectively in
procuring game by the aid of their blow-pipes. So quick and certain are
its effects, that an animal wounded by one of the small arrows used for
the purpose drops dead before the creature is hardly conscious of its
danger; and singular enough, no evil effects whatever arise from
partaking of the game thus killed; for the _curare_ is perfectly
harmless when taken internally.
The Raudales are at present a serious impediment to the free navigation
of the river up to the frontiers of Brazil; although, as Humboldt justly
remarks, this obstruction could be avoided by cutting a canal around
them, the nature of the ground offering ample facilities for this
purpose; but this cannot be done advantageously until the country shall
be better stocked with population than at present.
Proceeding down the stream, the only town of any importance we encounter
on the route is Ciudad Bolívar, formerly Angostura, which is the capital
of the State of Guayana and a mart of considerable trade with the llanos
of Apure, Calabozo, and Barinas. The old name of the city was changed in
honor of the Liberator, Simon Bolívar, who, after expelling the
Spaniards from New Granada, assembled here the first Congress which
proclaimed the union of the republic of Colombia in 1819. Pleasantly
situated on a bluff several feet above the high-water level of the
river, about three hundred miles from the sea, and connected by its
numerous tributaries with a country nearly as large as continental
Europe, Ciudad Bolívar is destined to become the seat of a vast
commerce, when the now almost desert region of Guayana shall have opened
its golden treasures to an enterprising generation. At present it
contains about ten thousand inhabitants; has a fine cathedral,
government house, and very handsome private residences and warehouses.
The business, according to all accounts, has fallen off greatly since
the war of seven years which, under the alleged name of _Federacion_,
devastated the rest of the republic. Happily for the State of Guayana,
it has always been kept free from these periodical turmoils by the
efforts of some truly patriotic men--among others, John B. Dalla-Costa,
Jr., the present President of the State, under whose enlightened
administration public improvements, roads, hospitals, schools, etc., are
being established, and the nucleus of a foreign immigration started on
the way to the gold fields. The commercial houses are principally
German, French, and Italian; but of late many Southern refugees from the
United States have been induced to try their fortunes on the banks of
the Orinoco; and, judging from past experience in the rapid development
of California and Australia, through the energies of the Anglo-Saxon
race, the _placers_ of that golden paradise bid fair to become another
centre of commercial intercourse with foreign nations.
It was from this place that the first expedition in search of El Dorado,
on this side of the continent, set out in 1595. None of those composing
it ever came back, however, to tell the sad tale of their discomfiture
by the fierce tribes of Indians which dwelt on the fine savannas lying
between the Caroni and Paragua rivers, beyond which popular belief,
assisted by the traditions of the aborigines themselves, had settled
definitely the existence of a region abounding in gold. Previous to
this, however, the fame of El Dorado had spread over the western part of
South America, and several expeditions had been fitted out in Venezuela,
New Granada, Quito, and Peru, with the avowed object of conquering the
wealthy empire of the Omeguas, whose sovereign, El Dorado, or the
“gilded king,” was represented as dwelling in palaces with columns of
massive gold. The climate of that region being warm throughout the year,
and the morals of the inhabitants not yet perverted by contact with
their would-be civilizers, his majesty’s attire, it was asserted, was in
keeping with the glitter of his dominions; a simple coating of
balsamiferous resins, in which the country abounds, followed by a
sprinkling of gold-dust through the hollow tube of a bamboo, twice a
day, being sufficient to distinguish him from the rest of his naked
subjects: hence the name. But this sort of drapery being rather
uncomfortable at bed-time, it was removed every night by simply washing
with water--a most delightful luxury in warm countries--and as easily
replaced on the following day. Where such _embarras de richesse_ could
be indulged in by a demi-savage monarch, gold mines must exist in
abundance; the sands of the rivers and lakes must consist of fine gold,
and the pebbles and rocks of the same precious metal. People were not,
however, in perfect accord respecting the precise locality of said
auriferous kingdom; some placing it on the eastern side of Guayana, as
already stated, under the name of _El Dorado de la Parime_; others, two
hundred and fifty leagues to the westward of this, near the eastern
slope of the Andes of New Granada; while not a few contended that it was
situated in the country of the Omeguas, somewhere near the waters of the
Upper Amazon.
Such were the vague notions concerning the country of El Dorado, which
the people of former times sought in vain at the cost of many lives and
vast amounts of treasure. Strange blindness! when they had it right
before their eyes! for, as the noble missionary writer often quoted,
Father Gumilla, tells us respecting the wealth of South America: “Let us
ask the Englishman, Keymisco,[53] and other captains, countrymen of
his: Friends, what journeys are these? for what purpose so many
dangerous voyages, so many losses of treasure, ships, and sailors?[54]
Let us ask both Pizarros in Peru and Quito; both Quesadas in Santa Fé de
Bogotá; Orellana, on the Marañon, and Berrio on the Meta, as well as
many other famous chieftains: Gentlemen, what’s your hurry? what the
object of so many armaments, marches, and arduous explorations,
dangerous and painful?--‘We seek,’ they answer ‘the famous and opulent
El Dorado: let no one, therefore, be astonished at our determination and
earnest purpose; for what is worth much, must entail great sacrifices.’”
“The Athenians burst into laughter when they met and heard Diogenes
seeking for a man; but they laughed most foolishly, inasmuch as the
philosopher sought a man of truth only! one who should profess it
in earnest; and it should have been a matter of shame, rather than
raillery, with the men of Athens, to learn that so great a
philosopher could not find one among them. But we shall not err if
we laugh at the simplicity of those noble conquerors. Most singular
spectacle! To see so many Spanish chieftains stumbling at each step
over an El Dorado of inexhaustible richness, as is in reality the
entire new kingdom of Granada, and Tierra Firme, so abundant in
gold, silver, and emerald mines, such as those already found within
the jurisdictions of Pamplona, Mariquita, Muso, Neiva, Los
Remedios, Antioquia, Anserma, Choco, Barvacoas, and a great many
more which are waiting to be brought to light, as is indicated by
the golden sands carried down by rivers and torrents from the
mountains; thus showing their willingness to be disentombed.
Therefore, if there are so many scores of Dorados, immensely rich
and superabundant, only waiting to be worked; why so much
restlessness, so much expenditure and wandering after a Dorado?
What need had Peru to risk her militia in unknown regions to suffer
and perish in pursuit of a Dorado, while she possesses the
unrivalled golden fields of Caravalla, with many others? And the
inexhaustible silver mountain of Potosi, to say nothing of other
veins of the same metal, almost innumerable, though less prolific?
It was indeed a singular idea to seek abroad, at great cost of life
and treasure, the very thing they possessed at home.”[55]
Nothing in the history of modern adventure can compare in hardihood,
determination, and reckless disregard of life, with those haphazard
undertakings in the heart of South America which, although proving
invariably most disastrous to their promoters, resulted ultimately in a
real benefit to the colonial possessions of Spain in the New World, by
extending the geographical knowledge of those regions. To fully
comprehend the nature of the task which these adventurers imposed upon
themselves, it will suffice to say, with regard to Venezuela, that few
spots only, and these far apart, were then occupied by Europeans along
its extensive sea-coast. The thirst for gold, which characterized the
spirit of the time, and the reputation the country enjoyed for the
precious metal, as well as for the fine pearls obtained at Margarita and
other places, had attracted thither a crowd of lawless adventurers from
all parts of Europe, but more especially from Germany--the Emperor
Charles the Fifth having, in an evil hour, granted to a company of
Teutonic speculators all the territory comprised between Cabo de la Vela
and Maracapana, with privilege to capture and use as slaves all those of
the native inhabitants who should resist their exactions. The power thus
conferred on those merciless adventurers was freely used by them to
enslave the doomed lords of the land, who were hunted like wild beasts
in all directions, and quickly transported to the mines of Hispaniola,
or Saint Domingo, where they perished by thousands, the native
population of that island having already been exterminated in this
manner. To accomplish their work more effectually, expeditions were
organized and despatched to all parts of the country, some of which
penetrated beyond the llanos of Apure, Casanare, and Meta, as far as
the Caqueta and Putumayo, tributary rivers of the Upper Amazon. Others,
still more bold, disregarding the frigid blasts of the Sierra Nevada,
with its dizzy precipices and yawning chasms, sought the “Land of gold”
in a westerly direction, fighting their way not only against a frowning
nature, but also against the hardy mountain tribes, who disputed every
inch of ground to the bearded invaders. It was in this manner that the
rich domain of Cundinamarca, in New Granada, was made known to the
colonists of Venezuela, by Nicholas Federmann, in 1539, although Jimenez
de Quesada had preceded him, and Sebastian de Benalcazar, by the way of
the river Magdalena from the coast of Cartagena.
“The junction of three bodies of troops on the table-land of New
Granada,” says Humboldt, “spread through all that part of America
occupied by the Spaniards the news of an immensely rich and populous
country, which remained to be conquered. Sebastian de Benalcazar marched
from Quito by way of Popayan (1536) to Bogotá; Nicolas Federmann, coming
from Venezuela, arrived from the east by the plains of Casanare and
Meta. These two captains found, already settled on the table-land of
Cundinamarca, the famous Adelantado Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada, one of
whose descendants I saw near Zipaquirá, with bare feet, attending
cattle. The fortuitous meeting of the three conquistadores, one of the
most extraordinary and dramatic events of the history of the conquest,
took place in 1536.”
No better avenger of the wrongs perpetrated on the unfortunate
aborigines could have been provided against their merciless persecutors,
than this phantom of untold wealth, which, like the fugitive fountain
before Tantalus, haunted them day and night, in the camp of the wearied
soldier, in the alcove of the proud Hidalgo, and even in the quiet
seclusion of the cloister. And yet one cannot but admire the pluck of
those hardy cavaliers of old who, regardless of the almost insuperable
difficulties presented by an unknown and savage country, went boldly in
search of this new Ophir over lofty mountain ranges and desert plains,
which, even at this day, are the terror of the wayfarer. Three centuries
later, when Bolívar, with a well-appointed army and better roads than
Federmann met in his famous expedition, crossed the Cordilleras from the
plains of Venezuela, and undertook the recovery of New Granada from the
Spaniards in 1819, he lost nearly all his baggage-mules, and many
valuable lives besides, amidst the wintry _páramos_ of that tempestuous
ridge.
Of the earliest expeditions in search of El Dorado, those undertaken by
Jorge de Spira in 1534, and by Felipe de Urre or Utre,[56] in 1541, from
the coast of Coro, Venezuela, rank among the most extraordinary on
record. The former of these worthies had received the title of
_adelantado_, or governor, to the German colony in Tierra Firme, a
dignity which was associated in those days with the more vainglorious
aspirations of the conqueror, or _conquistador_, and to this end were
directed, more or less, all the efforts of the men appointed to places
of distinction in the New World, without neglecting to provide
themselves with the more substantial perquisites of the fraternity in
the shape of Indian captives, pearls, and gold. Accordingly, the
Adelantado took especial care to bring with him from Spain a force of
about four hundred men, many of whom were persons of distinction, and
landed in Coro in the early part of February of that year.
Without troubling himself much about the affairs of the colony, the new
Adelantado proceeded immediately to scour the country in search of gold;
but finding none amongst the savage tribes he encountered beyond the
mountains of the coast, boldly plunged into the _mare magnum_ of the
llanos, in spite of the opposition of the natives and the asperity of
the route. The vernal deluge of the low lands, however, put a stop in
due time to further progress, compelling him to seek the protection of
the hilly country to the westward, where years after was founded the
city of Barinas. Here he spent several months waiting for the return of
the dry season, and in vain endeavors to obtain provisions in a country
solely inhabited by savage tribes, that did not disdain to confront the
superior mettle of his men whenever they had a chance. Reduced at last
to the greatest extremity by famine and sickness, the Governor
despatched a portion of his force under one of his most tried captains,
with orders to penetrate into the valleys formed by the lofty range of
mountains further west.
Goaded by hunger, and with the hope of finding more promising realms
than those they had encountered on the route from Coro, the soldiers of
Spira did not stop until they discovered on a high mountain what seemed
to be the granary of the tribes appertaining to that district, which
they were not slow in transporting to headquarters. Somewhat restored
with this opportune supply of food, and not in the least daunted by the
dangers that threatened him, Spira resolved to proceed on his forlorn
journey, sending back to Coro the sick and wounded under a competent
escort, which was to rejoin him in his camp. This accomplished, the
Adelantado resumed his march across the plains in a southward direction.
Keeping in sight of the western cordillera, and guided by the celestial
constellations at night, Spira and his brave companions presented the
spectacle so well described by Goldsmith in the following lines:--
“To distant climes, a dreary scene,
Where half the convex world intrudes between,
Through torrid tracks with fainting step they go.”
_The Deserted Village._
After several months of arduous vicissitudes, when they nearly all
perished for want of provisions, subsisting in the mean time on the
tender shoots of heliconias and the most loathsome reptiles, they
stopped at last on the banks of the river Upia, having crossed many
others of no less consequence, such as the Apure, the Sarare, and the
Casanare, by what means the chronicles of the time do not tell us.
Completely exhausted now, and again threatened by the approaching rainy
season, the weary caravan prepared to winter there, selecting for the
purpose some high ground near a forest, upon which they built huts and
considered themselves secure against the vernal flood. Vain precautions!
The thundering voice of the tropical tempest made itself heard at
length, and neither human ingenuity, nor high bank, nor tangled forest,
could turn aside the mighty swell which, like a partial deluge, sweeps
over the boundless plain at the vernal equinox. Thus the bold
Castilians, after courageously braving the terrors of a savage country
for nearly two years, found themselves reduced to a small space of dry
land, and in danger of being washed away at any moment. Ignorant of the
ways, and badly provided with the necessary appliances for procuring
game in a country so profusely endowed with this commodity, they were
still compelled to subsist on wild fruits and roots; even these could
not be procured but at the peril of ravenous jaguars, which, like
themselves, had been driven thither by the engulfing inundation. More
skilled in the art of swimming and navigating those waters, the vengeful
Indians watched stealthily every opportunity to pick off stragglers from
the camp; and thus many of those poor wretches were spared the horrors
of a lingering death by starvation, sickness, and despair. Yet, the
unconquerable spirit of their leader, far from yielding to the force of
circumstances, and wholly impressed with visions of a golden paradise,
only seemed to urge him on still farther in the unknown interior; for no
sooner was he released from his long confinement by the subsidence of
the waters, than Spira crossed over to the south side of the river, and
proceeded on his journey, through innumerable hostile tribes of Indians,
who annoyed him considerably on his march. During his wanderings over
those immeasurable wilds, Spira obtained from an Indian captive some
information respecting more prosperous and populated lands to the
westward, the inhabitants of which were clad in fine cotton fabrics, and
wore ornaments of gold, showing a higher grade of civilization than that
of the savages he had encountered. Although at first he lent a willing
ear to the story, and even sent a strong body of men to reconnoitre the
lofty mountain range beyond, the Adelantado desisted from his projected
conquest in that direction, owing to the rugged nature of the route, as
reported by his men, and the little faith he placed on such statements
from Indian informers. The fact is, the Spaniards had proved such
troublesome guests, that the aborigines, to get rid of them, and
perceiving their eagerness for gold, constantly allured them towards the
wealth of other countries, situated farther off. Had Spira, on this
occasion, followed the advice of his informant, instead of persisting,
as he did, in his southern exploration, he would, in a short time, have
found the promised land of his expectations--the rich and fertile
country of the Muiscas, in one word, for he was then only a few days’
march from their own capital on the high table-land of Bogotá. His bad
luck led him instead to a region so exactly the reverse of this, that
his companions gave it the name of _Mal Pais_ (bad country), not only
on account of the roughness of the land, but also of its inhabitants,
with whom they had several desperate engagements, before they were
enabled to proceed.
Without losing sight of the friendly cordillera which had guided their
steps thus far, the Spaniards arrived at the village of a less
pugnacious tribe of Indians, which they christened with the name of
_Nuestra Señora_, or Our Lady, in commemoration of the Feast of the
Assumption, which they, in spite of their wretched condition, celebrated
with great pomp and rejoicings, in 1537. It is the same where they
afterwards founded the city of San Juan de los Llanos.[57] Here the
Spaniards heard again of regions abounding in gold and silver, situated
farther on; and although they had become rather incredulous respecting
such reports, they believed, on this occasion, what the Indians told
them, in consequence of finding there some signs of a more advanced
state of civilization, such as a temple, consecrated to the sun, and a
convent of virgins similar to those which were afterwards found among
the Muiscas and Peruvians. Without stopping even to rest his troop,
Spira crossed the Ariari, perhaps higher up than Macatoa, and before its
junction with the Guaviare. He then penetrated, by force of arms, into
the country of the Guayupes and Canicamares, two powerful tribes, and
shortly afterwards he discovered the head waters of the Papamene, where
he stopped some days to rest his men, and to obtain guides among the
Indians to conduct him to the country of riches. The dwellers of
Papamene received Spira in a friendly manner, and established with his
soldiers a system of exchanges and communication most acceptable on both
sides; the strangers obtaining by these means the provisions they were
in need of, and the Indians those trinkets of foreign manufacture so
highly prized by them. But, tired at last of their troublesome guests,
the aborigines persuaded them that a little further on they would find
the country they were in quest of. To encourage them still more, five of
the natives volunteered to act as guides, pledging themselves to lead
them shortly to the heart of that happy country, from whence they would
return loaded with riches. Instead of this, the wily Indians conducted
them to a dismal labyrinth of swamps and quicksands, the abode of a
ferocious and warlike nation, dexterous in battle and in the management
of formidable lances of palm-wood, tipped with blades of human bone,
very sharp and pointed. When once in the heart of this horrid
wilderness, the guides disappeared one night, and left their friends to
shift for themselves.
Not in the least disconcerted by the untoward contretemps, the stubborn
leader of the band, instead of retracing his steps, prepared at once to
make a thorough exploration of that region. To this end he detailed his
lieutenant, Esteban Martin--a well tried and competent individual--with
fifty infantry and twenty horsemen, to reconnoitre the position. Martin
soon discovered the difficulties of the undertaking, and the dangers to
which they all would be exposed if the Governor persisted in his
project. After an ineffectual reconnoisance of five days’ duration, when
men and horses were constantly in danger of being swallowed up by the
treacherous ground, he returned to the camp, and again endeavored to
dissuade the Governor from his foolhardy scheme; but Spira was deaf to
the timely advice of his lieutenant. Ordering him to leave behind the
horses, and to take the fifty men already allotted to the service, he
enjoined Martin to resume the reconnoisance forthwith, by a different
route.
The result of the foray was just as the lieutenant had foreseen. The
Indians allowed them to penetrate unmolested into the interior of their
stronghold, and then cut them up in detail. Although the Spaniards
fought like lions on this occasion, very few of them were fortunate
enough to reach headquarters, to apprise the stubborn Governor of his
danger. It became now necessary to effect a retreat from that den of
horrors which the Spaniards stigmatized with the appropriate name of
_Los Choques_--the Onslaughts--in allusion to the repeated attacks which
the enemy made upon them while endeavoring to accomplish their escape.
Unfortunately for the invaders, as they were then very near the line of
the equator, where it rains almost incessantly, they had to contend also
against the inclemency of the weather, which brought on a multitude of
diseases very fatal to men and horses; for they had neither the means
nor the physical strength to counteract them. Thus many of these brave
fellows became a prey to the distemper, among them several
distinguished individuals, whose names are given by Oviedo in his
“Historia de la Conquista,” such as Francisco Murcia de Rondon, who had
acted as secretary to King Francis the First of France during his
captivity in Spain.
The most difficult part of the undertaking remained yet to be
accomplished, namely, that of retracing their steps to the sea-coast
through a flooded and deserted country; for, with the previous
experience of the natives, the villages were abandoned at the approach
of the dreaded foreigners, and stripped of their provisions. So great
was the destitution among the followers of Spira, that, on one occasion,
a party of his men fell in with an infant, left forsaken by its mother
in the hurry of the moment after a surprise; and, without the least
compunction, they devoured it along with some edible roots found in the
hut. When Spira heard of it he would have made an example of the
cannibals on the spot; but considering that he was still in an enemy’s
country, and that he could not very well spare the men--four in
number--he commuted the sentence of death passed upon them to some
other, though quite severe punishment. They all, however, got their
deserts after a while; for, as the historiographer Oviedo tells us,
every one of them died in the most distressing agony--although of
various diseases--at the thought of the horrid crime they had committed.
A whole year was spent in this disastrous retreat, which, more than any
other feat of arms, proved the mettle of the bold conquerors. The
remnants of what was a dashing phalanx--ninety men out of the four
hundred that five years before had started in search of wealth and
fame--reached Coro in February of 1539; and these, far from being
discouraged by past misfortunes, only inflamed the ardor of other
incautious adventurers to join them in a renewed search for El Dorado;
for we find Felipe de Urre and Pedro de Limpias, two of Spirals
followers, engaging in a similar expedition soon after the return of
this ill-fated conquistador, who did not long survive the hardships of
that fearful journey, for he died in Coro on the 12th of June, 1540. His
successor, as Governor of the colony, Bishop de las Bastidas, whose
mission as a prelate of the church should have been one of “peace on
earth, and good-will to men,” far from discountenancing these reckless
enterprises, became himself a most ardent votary of the “gilded king,”
to whom he prepared to pay his respects through his lieutenant, the
famous conquistador, Felipe de Urre, like Spira and Federmann, of German
nationality. The exchequer of the colony being rather short of funds at
the time, the Right Reverend sent an expedition under Pedro de Limpias,
to the lake of Maracaibo, for the purpose of obtaining its equivalent in
the shape of Indian captives, a species of merchandise which commanded a
ready sale among the traders on the coast of Tierra Firme. The
speculation succeeded so well that, by the month of June, 1541, the
Commander-in-chief was ready to start at the head of one hundred and
fifty men, well armed and equipped for a protracted campaign. Urre
appointed as his chief of staff the ubiquitous Pedro de Limpias, a brave
and crafty adventurer, long experienced in Indian forays, especially
that of the unfortunate Jorge de Spira, and afterwards under Federmann,
during his perilous journey over the icy Sierras of Cundinamarca.
The only pass through the northern cordillera then known to the
colonists was that of Agua-Caliente, a little to the south of the
present site of Puerto Cabello, and the same that Spira and Federmann
sought some years before in their march through to the Llanos. This pass
being situated some fifty leagues east of Coro, and no roads existing at
that time, the little band of Felipe de Urre had to follow the
coast-line intervening between both places, with no small inconvenience
to men and beasts, from the burning sands and the quagmires they must
have encountered.
The route being pretty well known already, Urre had no difficulty in
finding the pass; and then following the line of march of his
predecessors in their famous perambulations through the Llanos, he
reached La Fragua, or Nuestra Señora, in safety, stopping there for a
while until the return of the dry season, and to obtain further
information respecting the mysterious land he was in quest of. His
astonishment was great, however, when he heard that, a few days before,
Hernan Perez de Quesada, with a large force from Cundinamarca, had
passed through that place in quest of El Dorado. Fearing that the
Spaniard might get ahead of him in this coveted conquest, Urre left his
winter quarters sooner than he had calculated, and reached the country
of Papamene. From thence he might have gained easy access to the
populous and well-stocked country of the Guayupes, but for his obstinacy
in keeping the track of Quesada in his march southward. Although warned
in time of the dangers of this route by a friendly Indian, who offered
to conduct him instead to the rich domain of Macatoa in a south-easterly
direction, the stubborn German still persisted in his purpose, with no
better luck than his rival; who barely escaped with his life, and the
loss of the greater portion of his followers, to the high table-land of
Papayan, after two years of wanderings and vicissitudes through the most
dismal solitudes and tangled forests.
Compelled by the approaching rainy season to seek also the proximity of
the mountains, and with most of his force in a deplorable condition,
Urre hastened to establish his winter quarters on a spur of the Andes,
which stretches far into the low lands, and was named by them the Punta,
or Cape of Los Pardaos. But here an unexpected misfortune awaited them;
for the district being scarcely inhabited, they could find no provisions
during their long wintry captivity; subsisting, like Spira and his men,
on reptiles and the like. The greatest luxury they enjoyed at times was
a ball of corn-meal, well seasoned with a species of red-ants, and
roasted on the embers. The game was easily secured by placing the moist
paste near the mouth of the ant-nest, which soon attracted the insects,
and when well covered with them, they were kneaded together, the same
operation being repeated several times, until the roll contained more
insects than paste. Reduced, in consequence, to the condition of walking
skeletons, and most of them covered with the most loathsome tumors and
ulcers, the forlorn wanderers could hardly extricate themselves from
that theatre of their misfortunes, when the subsidence of the waters
allowed them to seek their old quarters at La Fragua, to recruit before
engaging in new adventures.
Although the force had dwindled down to less than half the number of
those originally brought from Coro, Felipe de Urre determined to resume
his explorations with only forty men, which was all that could be got
together, after leaving a sufficient number at La Fragua for the
protection of the sick. Remembering the advice given him by the Indian
guide of Papamene to look for the country of the Omeguas in a different
direction from that taken by Quesada in his perilous pilgrimage, Urre
set out in quest of Macatoa--situated on the right bank of the great
river Guaviare--as the most convenient centre for future operations
against the warlike Omeguas.
Whether it was indifference on the part of the Indians, or a
preconcerted plan to bring their common enemy to speedy destruction at
the hands of the Omeguas, the most powerful nation among them, the fact
is, that the invaders found no difficulty in penetrating as far as
Macatoa by the help of Indian guides and assistance. In like manner the
lord of Macatoa, on being informed of the purpose which had brought the
strangers thus far, received them with every demonstration of
friendship, giving up to them the most commodious residences in the
town, and assisting them with provisions and attendants in abundance.
The same courtesies were extended to them at their departure, although
the Cacique warned his guests of the perils they would encounter if they
persisted in attacking the Omeguas with so small a force. In order to
expedite their march, the Cacique sent messengers ahead to apprise the
lord of the next tribe, his ally--situated some nine days’ journey from
Macatoa--of their coming, and recommending them strongly to his care and
attention. On arriving there, so captivated were the inhabitants with
the novelty of the strangers and their attire, especially with the
horses, that they became even more obsequious than the people of
Macatoa, and, like these, warned the leader of that squad of adventurers
not to engage in so desperate a combat with the Omeguas, representing
likewise to Felipe de Urre that these people possessed also domestic
quadrupeds of large size--probably llamas--which they could use like
horses if they chose. In addition to these facts the Spaniards were
reassured of the immense wealth in gold and silver everywhere to be
found among that populous nation, which news so excited their avarice
that, disregarding all the chances against the success of their
enterprise, they hastened towards the goal of their expectations.
Perceiving that his arguments were of no avail with the Castilians, to
deter them from their rash undertaking, the friendly Cacique offered to
escort them with a few of his subjects, on the road to the nation of
the Omeguas, reaching the first of their outposts in five days. It is
related by the chronicles that, having ascended some high ground near
by, the Spaniards descried a city of such extraordinary extent and
magnificence, that, although not very far off, they could not see the
end of it. The streets were straight, and the buildings quite near each
other; among the latter was to be seen a superb edifice of vast
proportions, which the friendly Cacique told them was the palace of the
lord of that city, whose name was Cuarica; and that it served the double
function of habitation to his lordship, and temple to many gods, or
idols, of solid gold.
Here the Cacique, having accomplished his errand, proposed to return to
his own dominions; but before taking leave of his _protegés_, he advised
Urre, as a last token of his regard, to capture, at all hazards, the men
stationed at the post, before they should carry the alarm into the city.
The suggestion was fully appreciated by the Commander and some officers
near him, all of whom being on horseback at that moment, immediately
gave chase to the fugitive Omeguas. One of these, finding himself hard
pressed by Urre, who rode ahead of his companions, turned round
suddenly, and struck the Commander so powerful a blow with his lance,
that it pierced right through his cuirass, penetrating deeply into the
ribs of the right side. Disconcerted with the blow, and the pain
inflicted by the wound, Urre abandoned the pursuit, and turned back to
rejoin his companions, while the fugitives made their escape into the
city.
Greatly perplexed with this unexpected mishap to their Commander, and
fearing that, alarmed with the report carried by the advanced guard into
the city, the Omeguas would immediately sally forth to encounter them in
great numbers, the Spaniards, by the advice of their friendly Indian
guide, who still remained by them, placing their wounded leader in a
hammock, resolved to retire at once from the neighborhood. Their
apprehensions were soon realized; for, in a little while, they heard the
confused yells of the multitude, amidst the ominous booming of big drums
and other war instruments, preparing for the attack. Happily for the
retreating Spaniards, night came on soon after, which enabled them to
place a good distance between themselves and the advancing columns of
the enemy.
On arriving at the village of their good friend the Cacique, the first
care was to attend to the chieftain’s wound, as well as circumstances
would permit; but hardly were they established here, when the Cacique,
apprised by some of his people who were working on their fields,
informed Urre of the approach of the Omeguas. Unable to place himself at
the head of his soldiers, the Commander ordered his lieutenant, Pedro de
Limpias, to give them battle at once, regardless of their numbers,
which, according to Oviedo, amounted to not less than fifteen thousand.
The ground being favorable for the use of cavalry, Limpias headed the
charge with the few horses he had at his command; and although the
Omeguas resisted for some time the onset of those animals,--seen by them
for the first time,--they at last commenced to give way; and the
infantry soldiers coming up at this moment under the orders of another
brave captain, one Bartolomé Belzar, completed the rout of the clamorous
hosts of Omeguas, who have never since, to this day, been heard of; for
Urre lost his life afterwards at the hands of a tyrant who ruled the
colony in his absence, as we shall see presently; and the country
remains still a perfect _terra incognita_, although several attempts
were made subsequently from Perú and Quito to find that mysterious land.
Convinced that, with the small force at his disposal, it would have been
more than rashness to undertake the conquest of a city which, on so
short a notice, could raise fifteen thousand warriors, Urre
determined--so soon as his wound permitted him to mount his horse--to
return to Macatoa, and hence to La Fragua, which he reached after an
absence of three months. Great was the joy in the invalid camp of the
Spaniards, on the return of their friends; but greater still, at the
good tidings they brought of having found the long-sought-for realms of
El Dorado; for they had not the least doubt in their minds that such was
the country of the powerful nation whose great city they had looked on
with anxious eyes, but dared not enter.
It is a singular coincidence that, while Gonzalo Pizarro was engaged
about this time in his ill-fated exploration of the country of Canelos,
the land of cinnamon-trees, he heard from the Indians of Muchifaro, that
not far from there--somewhat in the direction of Félipe de Urre’s
discoveries--a great Sire, most opulent in subjects and riches, and
whose name was Omeguas, or Omaguas, had his realms; Pizarro sent in
consequence his kinsman and confidential friend, Francisco Orellana, to
explore that region, with fifty men, who were launched upon the swift
current of the river Napo in a frail barge, constructed in the
wilderness, of very rude materials. But Orellana, probably disgusted by
this time with the sufferings already endured, instead of searching for
the “rich and fruitful land abounding with gold,” abandoned himself and
his companions to the current of the stream--one of the greatest
tributaries of the mighty Amazon--and once on the bosom of the Father of
Waters, sought the broad Atlantic, which he reached in safety after a
run of two thousand miles. “But it is marvellous,” Prescott says, “that
he should escape shipwreck in the perilous and unknown navigation of
that river. Many times his vessel was nearly dashed to pieces, on its
rocks and in its furious rapids; and he was in still greater peril from
the warlike tribes on its borders, who fell on his little troop whenever
he attempted to land, and followed in his wake for miles in their
canoes.”[58]
The sufferings endured by Pizarro and his men on this occasion, remind
us of the miserable condition of Jorge de Spira and Felipe de Urre on
their retrograde march to Coro. “Every scrap of provisions had been long
since consumed. The last of their horses had been devoured. To appease
the gnawings of hunger, they were fain to eat the leather of their
saddles and belts. The woods supplied them with scanty sustenance, and
they greedily fed upon toads, serpents, and such other reptiles as they
occasionally found.”
But to return to the way-worn company under the German leader, Urre,
whom we left in rather a bad plight at their haven of La Fragua. After a
deliberate consultation among the principal captains of the band, it was
unanimously resolved to send to Coro for reinforcements, and Pedro de
Limpias having offered his services to that effect, he was despatched
forthwith by Felipe de Urre with a good portion of his force as an
escort; but suspecting, soon after, some evil intentions on the part of
his lieutenant, who was always at loggerheads with the German element of
the troop, the Commander followed him soon after, with the rest of the
men.
Subsequent events proved that the apprehensions of the gallant German
were not unfounded; for on his approach to the settlements of the
colony, he learned that the government thereof had passed into the hands
of an usurper, a crafty lawyer, named Carvajal, Relator or Recorder of
the Audiencia of San Domingo, who, by forgery of despatches from that
body, had managed to appoint himself Governor, in the absence of the
lawful incumbent of the post. Felipe de Urre was, moreover, warned by
his friends of the machinations of his lieutenant, who, instead of
demanding the requisite contingent of men and horses to prosecute his
conquests, was plotting his destruction, and that of his countrymen,
with the wily Carvajal. This individual, whom all accounts represent as
an unscrupulous tyrant and most accomplished hypocrite, succeeded,
nevertheless, in disarming Urre and his adherents, all of whom he had
the effrontery to put to death, on some specious pretext concocted
between himself and the spiteful Pedro de Limpias.
Thus fell one of the bravest pioneers of South America, and a most
disinterested champion of its early colonization. “None of the
chieftains,” says Oviedo, “of the many that warred in the Indies,
stained his sword with blood less than he; for, having overrun more
provinces than any one else in his protracted journey of four years’
duration, his moderation was impelled to war only when he found no other
means to obtain peace.”
But the tyrannical rule of his murderer, Carvajal, was only of short
duration; for about this time the Emperor Charles the Fifth, cognizant
of the excesses practised against the unhappy aborigines--through the
representations of their zealous defender, the celebrated Father Las
Casas--and the deplorable state into which the country had fallen under
the bad management of the German company, annulled the charter granted
to the latter, and sent an eminent jurist, the Licentiate de Tolosa,
with full powers to regulate the affairs of the colony as Governor and
Captain-General thereof. On his arrival at Coro, Tolosa was soon posted
in regard to the conduct of the usurper Carvajal, who, for greater
security, kept himself at a distance from the sea-coast, in the new
settlement of Tocuyo, far away in the interior. The Captain-General
managed things so well, however, that he contrived to pounce upon the
wretch, one night, when least expected; and having tried, and found him
guilty of the crimes imputed to him, he sentenced him to be
hanged--after being dragged on a hide through the streets of the
town--from the same tree, a splendid Ceiba, or silk-cotton tree, in the
centre of the plaza, which the tyrant had polluted with his numberless
atrocities, making use of it as a gibbet during his executions.
* * * * *
We shall not follow the other conquerors in their restless search for El
Dorado, now in one direction, now in an opposite quarter, until it was
brought within the embrace of the mighty Orinoco, where Raleigh’s last
adventure was terminated by his unsuccessful attack upon Santo Tomé de
la Angostura, the present Ciudad Bolívar, where we must resume our
journey.
Although the river has been well known for the last three hundred years,
the country within its boundaries, properly called Guayana, has remained
comparatively ignored by the outside world until these latter years. A
few settlements along its southern shore, and these principally
controlled by priestly exclusiveness, was all the advancement that had
been made there up to the destruction of the missions by the war of
independence. Since then the country had nearly returned to its primeval
state of savageness, when the “gold fever,” that most potent excitant
of all distempers, aroused the lethargic apathy of the inhabitants, and
now bids fair to communicate itself to people of keener sensibilities.
It is possible that the missionary fathers, who had for a long time
entire control of the scattered villages south of the Orinoco, were well
informed respecting the existence of the gold fields which are being
brought to light just now; but the _frailes_--all of them European
Spaniards, and consequently strong supporters of their cause--were
wantonly massacred by some staff officers of General Bolívar, and not
one of them left to reveal the source of their reputed wealth. And, what
is most singular, the learned Humboldt, who explored the Orinoco in
nearly its whole course, devotes an entire chapter to prove the
non-existence of gold in Guayana, especially on the spot where it has
been found in the greatest abundance; although, with his characteristic
reserve and far-seeing perspicuity, he concludes with these words:
* * * * *
“Though the celebrity of the riches of Spanish Guiana is chiefly
assignable to the geographical situation of the country and the errors
of the old maps, we are not justified in denying the existence of any
auriferous land in the tract of country of 82,000 square leagues
(250,000 square miles), which stretches between the Orinoco and the
Amazon, on the east of the Andes of Quito and New Granada. What I saw of
this country between the second and eighth degrees of longitude, is
entirely composed of granite, and of a gneiss passing into micaceous and
talcous slate. These rocks appear naked in the lofty mountains of
Parima, as well as in the plains of the Atabapo and the Casiquiare.
Granite predominates there over the other rocks: and though in both
continents, the _granite of ancient formation_ is pretty generally
destitute of gold ore, we cannot hence conclude that the granite of
Parima contains no vein, no stratum of auriferous quartz.”
* * * * *
The error of the great traveller in this respect is assignable to the
fact that he never left the bed of the Orinoco, which is bordered, as he
states, by ledges of primitive formation. The auriferous deposits of the
State of Guayana are found in a range of mountains, having a general
course north-east and south-west, about a hundred miles south of the
Orinoco river, precisely where Sir Walter Raleigh placed his _El Dorado
de la Parime_.[59]
Through the courtesy of J. B. Austin, Esq., of Philadelphia--a gentleman
of refined cultivation and thorough American energy, who has lately
returned from that region--I am enabled to place before my readers the
subjoined letter, containing an accurate statement concerning the
so-called “fabulous” realms of El Dorado,[A] as they now are:
“The streams having their sources in these mountains, generally flow
into the Cuyuni and Masaruny rivers, tributaries of the Esequibo, though
some run into the Caroni, one of the great tributaries of the Orinoco.
As these gold deposits are approached, the geological features of the
country undergo an important change. Quartz appears in immense
quantities, running in broad veins through the savannas, or thickly
distributed over great extents. This is often auriferous to a slight
degree. South of the Yuruary river the system of plains is left behind,
and here are ranges of hills and mountains covered with dense, gloomy,
tropical forests, and intersected with numerous streams and rivers. The
principal formation, or ‘country rock,’ is highly metamorphosed talcose
and chloritic slates, broken often by upheavals of granite, and
traversed by veins and ledges of quartz, from thirty inches to ninety
feet wide. All this is auriferous, free gold in quartz, and of a
richness incredible, until seen and explored. The earth, rocks, and beds
of streams all yield gold in the greatest profusion, and over ten
thousand men are now at work there without any scientific direction, and
with the poorest appliances for labor, but all doing well, many
accumulating large sums of money. Every part of their labor is by hand,
and their tools and implements of the most ordinary character.
“Here is timber sufficient for ages of consumption; abundant supplies of
water; a quiet, orderly people; good government, and deposits of gold
apparently inexhaustible. It seems strange that such a country has
remained so far hidden for such a length of time. It was known to the
aborigines, for we find their old pits, implements and pottery. Even as
late as the time of Sir Walter Raleigh it was known to the Indians, and
that gallant leader made four attempts to penetrate its fastnesses, but
each time was driven back by the Spaniards. Evidently it was known to
the Capuchin fathers, who colonized and christianized that section of
South America; but by them it was held as a great secret, and upon their
overthrow and massacre, in 1815, the trace was lost, until accidentally
discovered again a few years since.
“It is a remarkable fact also, that the State of Guayana, since the date
of its independence from Spain in 1812, has remained free from those
internal dissensions and strifes so common in South American states. Its
inhabitants are orderly, honest, and industrious; their pursuits
pastoral and agricultural, and its rulers men of great political ability
and enlarged liberal views.
“The climate of the State is salubrious, and the communications with the
mines good; wagons can pass from the river to them in five days, and
steamers run every fortnight from the river to England and France in
eighteen days, and monthly to New York in twelve days.
“In a scientific point of view the country is most interesting. It is
emphatically an unexplored field; its geology, natural history, and
botany, almost unknown; pictorially it is very beautiful; protection to
life and property absolutely safe; and though somewhat rough in its
accommodations, still most interesting to the traveller.
“With such unbounded sources of wealth within its borders, so accessible
to the great centres of commerce, and under such an enlightened
administration of public affairs, it requires no gift of prophecy to
foresee the rapidity of development now opening for the great and
prosperous State of Guayana.
“The scenery throughout the canton of Upata partakes more of the
pastoral character, its most marked feature being quiet beauty. There
are places, such as the site of the mission of Santa Maria, the approach
to the Yuruary from Guacipati, the great palm forests near Palmar, and
the mountain range of Nuri, which are grand, even sublime; but generally
the scene is more park-like, the mountain forms quiet, the savannas
sweeping off in long swells, with trees scattered over them singly, in
groups, or groves, seemingly as if planted by man for pictorial effect.
The valleys are fertile and luxuriant--all the productions of the
tropical zone maturing almost without labor; the savannas furnish rich
pasturage for tens of thousands of cattle--the forests are prolific in
woods of the greatest value--the streams rapid, and their water good.
“The auriferous deposits beyond the Yuruary have been traced from that
river through to the Ventuari, about four hundred miles; not, for all
this distance, by continuous exploration, but in detached efforts,
penetrating from the Orinoco at various points, and always striking the
same general system of veins.”
As I understand that Mr. Austin is engaged in writing a book on this
important subject, I abstain from further comments in the matter,
convinced as I am, that no one is better calculated than himself to
enlighten his countrymen respecting a region eminently adapted to the
enterprising energy of the Anglo-Saxon race.
“Son árboles y piedras un tesoro,
Los montes plata y las arenas oro.”
BARALT, _Oda á Colon_.
In its trees and its stones are treasures untold,
Its mountains are silver, its sands are of gold.
NOTE.--According to the official returns of the State of Guayana
which I have before me, the exports of gold through the
Custom-house of Ciudad Bolívar for the months of April and May,
1867, amounted to $158,815.00.
By Steamer Pioneer, 1194 ounces, or $28.568.00
“ “ “ 1800 “ “ 43.200.00
“ Bark Rosedale 3627 “ “ 87.032.00
____ ___________
6620 $158.800.00
This much without taking into consideration the vast amounts which
are carried away by private individuals, without passing through
the Custom-house to avoid the export duty levied on gold by the
Venezuelian government.