The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-07-09
Gkansas City Times \

1t was lust for gold that brought the
~Spaniards to America in the fifteenth
century. 1t was the same lust tina led
them to make many daring trips of
exploration into the interior. Tales
went back to Andalusia and Aragon
of a new country where gold was so
plentiful il might be picked up on the
surface of the ground. and thousands
of young men, llled with the fever
for sudden riches, sold what little
property they had and took passage
for the new world, certain they at
least would reach the FL Dorado of
which other men had dreamed.
Some of these young men did indeed
grow rich. but d far larger number
found only hardship. bitterness and
disa appointment in the land of prom
Use. They stayed on. many of them,
heca dse they had not the w~herewithal
To return, and became members of the
hoisterous, bloodthirsty little colonies
which dotted the West Indies. BY and
by these colonies became new starting
places for voyages of adventure and
gold seeking, the more adventurous
spirits pushing west and father west.
always sure that just beyond the set
ting sun they would find the promised
land of wealth.
such an expedition set out from the
Island of Haiti one day in the year
l515. When the vessel WAS we'll out
to the sea, and the wooded shores of
the island had grown dim in the dis
tance. the adventures were amazed TO
hear a shouting from the hold. a muf-
fled shouting and a noise of knocking.
The sounud was coming from one of a
number of great casks. supposed tn
contain dried beef. and when the noisy
cask was discovered and the end
knocked off. a wcll-huilt young man.
clad in the velvet garments gentlefolk
wore at that time, Sprang out. Sever
al of the Adventures recognized him
as Nasco Nunez de Balboa, Il young
man known to man. of the c~olonists
of Haiti.
Balboa explained that he had chos-
en- this way of coming aboard because
his creditors We're watching him 50
closelN that he knew they would never
have permitted him to leave the island
openly. but would have caused him to
he seized and cast into the debtors
prison. Most of the men aboard the
vessel laughed heartily at this and
agreed that it was a novel and most
excellent way of toiling clamorine
tradesmen. Eut the captain of the
vessel. a hl~ack-browed. sullen brute
of a man. cursed Balboa and said the
Young man should not sail on his YES
sci. and that he would stop at a GER
tain desert island of which he knew
and there put Balboa ashore and leave
him to shift for himself. When the
Young hloods who made UP the party
heard of this plan they We're angry
and forced the sullen skipper to aban-
don il.
The destination of this party of ad-
venture was Daricn. near the site of
tn" Panama canal. No man knew
what lay across the isthmus. and in
deed most Spaniards believed at that
time that the West Indies were islands
off the coast of Asia.
When the vessel which Balboa had
he ard"d SO unceremoniouslv reached
the mainland of Central America
members of the little Spanish COLONY
already there refused to allow the
captain Of the vessel to come ashore,
for he had an evil reputation. The
other men, however. went ashore UNI
der the leadership of Balboa and at
once he2an a trip of exploration. Bal