The Republican journal., 1902-10-30

| an expedition after the conquest of
Peru. uader his brother Gonzalez, with
handful of soldiers; and how Casada
deserted, stole the food and canoes and
| set out Oh an exploration of his own
leaving young Pizarro to perish of star.
walton in the wilderness, or to make his
way back to Quito as best he could
When Casada returned to Spain he told
the fabulous tales OF the land he had
discovered, in order to escape the con-
sequences of his treachery. At his in
stigation one Antonio Galvano wrote
book, describing these alleged "discov
cries, which caused more brain-fever
and heartburn throughout all Europe
than all the doctors of medicine or
geography could cure. In it the city of
Eldorado was minutely portrayed by
the merciless tibber, who pretended to
have seen 1t, ''in the midst of a great
white lake" did he refer to the ancient
houses surpasS in grandeur all the
Inca temples and palaces which Pizarro
overthrew. In them are numerous
statues of solid gold, large as giants: and
other golden figures i'll proportion, of
the beasts, birds, fishes, trees and herbs
of the kingdom. Even the vessels and
kitchen utensils are of gold and silver,
studded with diamonds and other pre-
cious stones: yea, and there are robes
and chests and budgets and troughs of
silver and gold There is a pleasure
garden in the midst of the city, where
the indians are wont to recreate them
selves, in which are also figures of gold
and silver, of an invention and magni-
ticence the like of which has never
been seen. And the king of this coun-
try. yea, and all his court wear apparel
of the most famous texture, SO that it
does appear like garments sprinkled
with the dust of gold and silver and
diamonds, from his golden sandals to
his golden crown
Strange to say these absurd yarns
We're read and believed in all the courts
of Europe: and they cost the lives of
the bravest men of two centuries, who
followed the alluring phantom into the
Wllds OF the Amazon and OrinOco,
never to return. Having had one
glimpse OF the treasures which PiZarro
brought from Peru, and the big Jumps
of virgin gold which Casador himself
picked up in Guiana, no tale was too
eXtrayagaut to be believed Even
John Milton, sad and stern, gave the
widest OF them credence in his 'Para-
disc Lost Believing that Cortez and
PiZarro would be mere beggars besides
the fortunate fellow who should find
Eldora0o. men staked their lives and
fortunes on the chance, and the pope
gave his blessing to the search. But
40 valor nor persistence could discover
what never existed. and most of the
seekers per!shed miserably.
The phantom king of Eldorado still
sits on his golden throne in the heart of
NeneHuela and is searched for III
diverse ways as diligently as ever
Morse rovers with their yellow curIs,
who We're the first to find America
Columbus and his following Of greedy
Spaniards, buccaneers and sad sea
dogs" such as Drake, Raleigh, HaW-
lius, Gilbert each had their innings in
the chase and long since vanished to
tie Land of Shadows: and in this
/ twentieth century the quest has been
taken up, with better chances Of sue
cess, by cool and calculating Yankees,
whose modern methods have nothingsof
rOmauce about them.
FANNIE B. WARD.