The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-03-09
In Pursuit of Ell DOrAdn.

The history of early American adven-
ture and exploration has its fairylike
romance in the expeditions set on foot to
find Ell Dorado, the country of gold, and
those whose object was to discover what
would have been more useful even than
the land of untold and unreliable wealth,
the Fountain of Perpetual Youth.
When we read of these expeditions,
the names and titles of the leaders, and
the knights who followed in their train,
it seems as if it could not be sober his
tory, but that, by some mischief in the
imps of the printing-room, page of the
Seven Champions of Christendom has
slipped into the dull chronicles as if,
some day that the sober Muse of History
nodded over her endless labors, wild and
tric1some Fancy had written down the
leaf and turned it hastily over, unper-
ceived and undiscovered. But it was
not so. 1t is all plain fact. The stub
born pursuit of the northwest passage
to India through the treacherous ice of
the north is not more real than the hunt
for Ell Dorado, or for the Fountain of
Youth. Sir Walter Raleigh's fate alone
revives our recollections, and the fable
was real enough to lure him to his ruin.
Among these expeditions was one
which led to the discovery of the ANA
zon, and, failing to give the clue to Ell
Dorado, gave new fable of the tribe Of
Female Warriors whose ancient proto-
types have given the common name of
the river.
Peru had fallen beneath the power of
Pizarro. His brother, Gonzale Pizarro,
led away by tales of Paititi, golden
city and golden land west of the Peru
Wan mountains, set out in 1912, with
four hundred companions, through the
wild, unbroken forest, to reduce realm
which, in splendor and renown, was to
cast his brothers achievement into the
shade
Flooding on through the tangled
masses of tropical vegetation, without a
guide or a chart, startled by bird and
beast of strange hue and form and habits,
taking the notes of the deep-toned bell
bird for the chime of some distant city,
the party OF Pizarro began to falter.
Then Orellana was sent with detach-
ment to push rapidly on and solve the
great problem.
The main body followed, but in vain
they awaited Orellana's return. Death
and battle thinned their ranks, and the
remnant reached the confluence of the
Coca and Napo, pale, attenuated, more
like ghosts than living men. Starvation
seemed their only prospect as they cast
themselves down beside the great river
which rolled away before them.
But relief was nearer than they thought.
On the opposite shore was the one
faithful man in Orellana's party.
Sanchez de Vargas had refused to go
on when Orellana resolved to make his
way to the sea and leave Pizarro to his
fate.
Here he had remained, and bis wood
craft had taught him to find in the
forest abundant nourishmenti in the nuts,
the fruits, and the turtle-eggs that Ma
ture had supplied. r
He soon joined the starving men; not
to tell of the discovery of Paititi and its
wealth and more than oriental luxury
but to reveal to Pizarro the secret OF
Orellana's absence--the story of his de-
sertion.
But he could tell of the rich stores OF
food to be gathered; and, recruited with
these, loaded with supply, Pizarro
after overcoming the terrible disappoint-
ment, which had well-nigh cost him
reason and life itself, commenced hi:
march back to the realm of the Incas
with the faithful De Vargas at his side
The golden-roofed city of Paititi i:
still unbound.