The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1912-05-30

AdAOS WuSLS-
An alien Indian, haing from afar,
Who in the town of Quito did abide,
And neghbor to be of Bogota,
There having come know not by what way
Did with him speak and solemny announce
country rich In emeralds and gold.
A certain king he told of who. disrobed.
Upon a lake wont, aboard a raft,
To make oblatons, as himself had seen,
His regal form o'erspread with fragrant oil
On which laid coat of powdered gold
From sole of foot unto his highest brow,
Resplendent as the beaming OF the sun
Arrivals without end he further said,
Were there make rich votve offerings:
OF golden trinkets and of emeralds rare
And divers other Of their ornaments;
And worthy credence these things he affirmed
The soldiers, light of heart and well content,
Then dubbed him Ell Dorado, and the name
By countless ways was spread throughout the world
According to the chronicler, Juan Rodriguez
Fresle who was a son Of Of the conquista
dores Of New Granada, the lake on which were
made these offerings Of gold and emeralds was
Guatavita, a short distance to the northeast or
Bogota. And the source of his information re-
specting the nature Of the ceremonies connected
with these offerings was, he assures US, no less
than one Don JUAN the cacique Of Guatavita,
who was the nephew of the chief who bore sway
at the time of the arrival of the Spaniards under
JimineZ de Quesada, and who was even then pre-
pairing himself by a six years fast TO succeed
his uncle cacique of Guatavita. After this
long fast, which was made under the most trying
conditions, the successor to the caciqueship was
obliged to go to the lake of Guatavita and offer
sacrifice to the devil, who, Fresle informs us,
was regarded by the aborigines their god and
master. After being stripped, he was anointed
with viscous earth, which was then overspread
with powdered gold in such wise that the chief
was covered with this metal from head to foot.
He then placed cn balso provided with
uuoDtitV gold and PmeraldS which he
was to offer to his god. Arriving at the middle
Of the lake, which was surrounded by a vast null
titude of men and women shouting and playing
on musical instruments of various kinds, he made
his offering by throwing into the lake all the
treasure which he had at his feet After this
ceremony was over he returned to the shore.
where, amid acclimation. music and rejoicing he
was received as their legitimate lord and prince.
From this ceremony, our author continues.
was derived that Game, celebrated, Of Ell
Dorado which has cost many lives and SO
much treasure. 1t was in Peru that this name
Dorado was first heard Sebastian Belacazar.
having met near QE.to Indian from Bogota,
who told him abou: the Gilded Man just de-
scribed, exclaimed set US go In search Of that
gilded Indian" Hea3e the report of Ell Dorado
was spread through0"t CASTLE and the Indies,
and BelalcaZar was ftoved to go in quest Of him
as he did, and hence also the cause Of that cele
brated meeting with Quesada and Federmann,
which constitutes onA Of the most thrilling and
dramatic chapters in The history Of the conquest
of New Granada.
The fact that only few years after the arrival
of Belacazar at Bogota the Spanards began to
make efforts to secure the gold and precious
stones which, according to tradition, were cast
into the sacred like of Guatavita by the Gilded
King, is evidence that the statements Of Fresle
and other contemporary writer's regarding the
connection between this lake and Ell Dorado are
substantially true. For more than three CEN
turtles attempts were made to drain the lake, with
a view Of securing the priceless treasures which
were supposed to be spread over its bottom, but
the success which attended the efforts Of those
who had the matter in charge only partial
There were never sufficient funds available to
complete the work of drainage until few years
ago. when the attempt was again made by some
Englishmen, who still engaged in the under