The Republican journal., 1903-02-12

Dr. IlGrCG 1ledSdIl fGilelS Cleanse
| the clogged system from impurities:
pulpit recovered uninjured! In heretical
minds the query may arise why the
saints aforesaid did not spare human
life, time and trouble, by turning the
pirate ships in another direction; but it
is not your business or mine TO question
miracles.
Another historical place which should
be visited by the stranger i'll Carthage
ia is the crumbling old casa wherein
Vasco Nurez de Balboa, the discoverer
of the Pacific ocean, lived for time,
before his short and somewhat ques-
tionable career of fame began. He
/ was gay young nobleman, and having
quickly dissipated his fortune in Old
CASTLE, to escape Imprisonment for
debt he followed the tide of emigra-
ton to these shores, soon after Column
bus fourth voyage. In his new home
he rapidly succeeded in loading him
self with other liabilities, ard his cred
itors were on the point of arrestlng
him when he hit upon the plan to es
cape with which every school-boy is fa-
miliar. As the story is neither long
nor prosy and was really a part of Co.
lombias history, shall we briefly re-
view it? | think it was in the year
1910 that Martin Francisco de Enclsco
came to Carthagena, and found it even
then thriving town. In its harbor
was bTigantine which contained the
discouraged remnants of a Spanish col
ony that had been driven by hostile In
dians from their settlements a little
farther down the coast. Its leader was
no less parsonage than Francisco Piz
AFRO, who had not yet entered upon his
career of bloodshed in Peru. EnciSco
soon afterwards sailed for st. Sebastlne
and took Pizarro and his brigantine with
him. Just before the vessel was TO
leave port some men brought on board
an ordinary cask supposed to contain
provisions, that was lowered into the
hold with the rest of the cargo; but
hardly had the shore faded from sight
when out popped the head of the cask,
followed by the figure of Spanish cav
alier, high rutiied and gauntleted, in
gold embroidered satin waistcoat, vel
vet breeches and top boots-the spend
thrift noblemen, Don Balboa. AT first
Encisco was so angry at the deception
practiced upon him that he threatened
to leave the titled stowaway upon the
, first desert island; but he relented when
Balboa swore eternal allegiance and
promised to be faithful soldier in the
| murderous expedition then on the tapiS.
On the way to st. Sebastine, Encisco's
ship ran upon the rocks and was lost
with all its cargo, but most of the crew
escaped to Pizarro's brigantine. While
in this sorry plight, Balboa bethought
himself of an Indian village on the
banks of a river called Darien, of
which he had heard, together with the
tale that the natives possessed plenty
of gold He guided the adventures
thereto; they easily captured the town
of Darien and compelled the inhabi
tants to deliver up all their golden orna-
ments, worth many thousands of dol
lars. Encisco established colony
there and forbade anybody but himself
to traffic with the natives, under penal
ty of DEATH This too arbitrary order
caused split in the hitherto peaceful
party, for Encisco's followers were quite
as covetous as their leader. Headed by
Balboa they revolted, and in due
course Balboa was made governor of
the colony, with absolute authority,
while Encisco was recalled to Spain in
disgrace. The new governor sent PlZ-
AFRO to explore the neighboring prov
inces; and when that worthy had been
driven back by the Indians, he headed
a similar expedition himself. While
cruising along the coast of Colombia,
Balboa picked up two Spaniards dressed
as Indians, who proved to be deserters
from another Spanish colony, and had
long been living in an interior prov
ince under the protection of great
cacique named Garcia. Though the lat
ter had spared their worthless lives and
treated them with unvarying kindness,
they did not hesitate to betray him to
the first Spaniards they met, and to
conduct Balboa and his band OF adven-
turers to the Indian village in quest of
gold. Careta's capital lay about twenty
miles up the Caledonia river, near the
present town of Careto. The Cacique
received them in good faith and enter
tanned them freely with the best his
kingdom afforded, as long as they chose
to stay. Finally. Balboa, who had only
$50 men, pretended to leave. having