The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-10-21
HIDDEN WEALTH
SYSTEMATIC SEARCH HAS IN SOME
INSTANCES BROUGHT REWARD.
Interesting Traditions of Buried
Riches Left by the Incas and
the Spanish Conquerors.


naDitS nave changed as nItie Since the idii
of that gorgeous despotism as in any part
of the world. Without modification the ma
tive races have preserved all their personal
cowardce and their collective cruelty. all
their abstemiousness (only varied by bouts
of drunkenness). and their propensity TO
hoard, like monkeys and magpies, secreting
that hoard in the strangest of places.
The book has yet to be written which will
preserve to the world an adequate picture
of these strange and isolated people-half
children and half demonstrates of past
world among the railways and telegraphs
of the present. Formerly ground down I'M
der tyranny. afterward passed over with
the races Of the coast to the harsh, then
torpid government OF Spain. suffering the
change-any change-of rulers, but never
acquiescent; possessing no feeling or at
tachment or loyalty, but forever watching,
waiting for signs of weakness in the ruling
race to rebel, to assassinate, to torture;
possessing language so virile that Span
ish itself has never been able to supplant
or smother 1t; viewing from afar the
strangers who entered their land as con-
querors. but neither adopting their Gus
toms nor speaking their tongue. Even the
Roman Catholic Church. adept at assimi-
lating materials the most diverse. has I'M
fortunately here only produced type Of
superstitious idolater, three-fourths a pa
gan and one-fourth debased Christian.
Doubtless there still linger among the
remotest villages and the older people
many legends and tales of the ancient glory
of their nation; but among the half civ
y,anf 1laorc NH
Spanish, such tales are of the crudest and
most elementary description. OF all these.
the most concrete, and the only ones
which can be brought to the tombstone of
proof, are those referring to treasure
hidden during times of war or trouble, and
never removed The vast districts formerly
known as upper Peru TEEN with such
stories; some of these are palpably false, a
small proportion have been proved to be
more or less true, and the great bulk of
them remain uninvestigated, awaiting the
time when the country shall be sufficiently
civilized for the fotation of treasure
seeking company, limited, to be managed
on the most approved principles.
DISCOVERIES REALLY MADE.
During many years. even centuries. of a
disturbed and often despotic rule doubtless
great quantities of the precious metals
have been secreted, the greater part Of
which will probably never be brought to
the light OF day; but during recent years
by systematic search, when the tradition Of
the hidden treasure appeared to be more
definite than usual, some tapadas (hoards)
have been discovered, and have well repaid
the time and expense of the search, apart
from the excitement inseparable from such
an enterprise.
The following is a representative in
stance:
One of the latest of the Incas, to escape
from victorious rival, had retired to a
" inc hal no I'M mi - ~ ha
eastern Cordilleras; and here the tradition
persistently fingered that in certain spot
high in the mountains the fleeing Inca had
buried treasure which had never been re-
covered, as he had been murdered on his
return TO Cuzco. Many generations of the
local landholders searched in vain under
the scorching midday sun or shivering in
the bitter wind that blows at thirteen thou
sand feet above the sea.
At last the time came, and the man, to
open the tomb closed by the fugitive ruler
of that long dead empire. The old pro-
prietors, who, at the conquest, had received
a grant of the district from the Spanish
crown, had degenerated into a race of des-
solate gamblers; and they sold a part of
their possession about the size of a Brit
fsh county for a few thousand pounds to
a new man more capable and enterprising
than the old race. The legend was investi-
gated; then different versions We're obtained
from various sources and carefully COM
pared 1t soon became evident that some
keyword had at first been attached to the
story; but the most dilgent inquiry could
discover neither the word itself nor the
use to which it was to be put when ascer-
tanned. Many years passed, the new owner,
by managing the property upon slightly
more modern methods-that Is, by adopting
the improvements or the time OF the six
teenth century instead of adhering strictly
to the mode of farming as carried on by
primeval man-had accumulated consider
able fortune. He had discontinued his dill
gent search for the lost treasure of the
Incas, and was now about to definitely re-
tire to the town and sell the property. One
winter night, however, message was
brought that, far away In a distant valley.
woman, reputed to be over a hundred
years OF age, was dying, and had a word
to say to the patron before she died. In
the morning he started on the long Jturney
over the immense slopes of rock covered
with coarse grass, the snow-crowned sum-
mits rising overhead. AT the end of the
journey, deep in the recesses of the noun
tains, was mud hut, within which lay
shriveled, decrepit object that a hundred
years before had first looked out, a black
eyed baby, upon the wonderful view of
cloud. mountain and far distant forest She
was alone, and dying, without relatives or
friends to assist her; for she was witch,
and none had dealings with her or ventured
near of their own free will. Feared and
hated by her own people, she turned at
the end to her patron, who had cared
neither for her charms nor her curses, to
tell him that word which was whispered
to her in the dim past by the aged grand
years before, where she was dying now
the word that would reveal the hiding place
of that treasure, the secret Of which was
to be carefully guarded until the Incas
should appear again. TO claim their own
and drive the conquerors back to the sea.
The word was whispered; X meant in the
old language 1.-The lake of the two stones"
That was all; she knew nothing Of its APP
plication. had no more to tell and died that
night.
Although the word was now known the
difficulties were not all overcome; In fact
many months of eager search followed. At
last the place was found-a narrow valley
containing two small lakes, in one of which
stood, showing above the water, two
stones After a long and unsuccessful
search upon the margins. the searchers de-
termined to drain the lake containing the
stones. This was next done, and Ii was at
once discovered that the larger stone had
been carefully placed where IL stood for
under il was a platform OF masonry rest
ing on the bed OF the lake. With infinite
labor an opening was made, the struc-
ture had become solid What followed will
probably never be known except TO a very
few interested persons. That the treasure
was found and was Of considerable worth
is undoubted: but its precise value or OF
what II consisted has never transpired. A
paternal government Is occasionally little
exacting. and In this case, at least, silence
was golden.
A VALUABLE WALL.