The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-09-19
CAPTAINS OF
By ROGER POCOCK
IIlHIlIIn
Copyright By BobbsMerrfn Company
By ROGER POCOCK

emperor hurried away a prisoner. Two
thousand people had persisted in the
attempt TO save him.
The history Of the Mexican conquest
was repeated here, and onee more a
captive emperor reigned under Spanish
~dictation.
This Atahuallpa was made of sterner
stuff than MOnteZuma, and had bis de-
feated brother Huascar drowned, lest
the Spaniards should make use OF his
rival claim to the throne. The Peruyi-
an prince had no illusions as TO The
divinity Of the white men, saw clearly
that their religion was the alteration
Of gold, and In contempt offered a
bride for his freedom. Reaching the
full extent Of his arm to a height Of
nine feet, he hoasted that to that level
he would III the throne room with
gold as the price Of his liberty, and
twice he would I'll the anteroom with
silver. So he sent orders to every city
Of his empire commanding that the
shrines, the temples. palaces and gar
dens be stripped Of their gold and ST.
yer ornaments. save only the bodies
of the dead kings. his fathers.
Of course. the priests made haste
to bury their treasures. but tie Span
lards wen to see the plumber collect
ed and when they had finished no
treasures We're left In sight save a
course of solid golden ingots in tie
walls of the Temple Of the Sun at
Guzco, and certain massive beams Of
silver too heavy for shipment. Still
the plumber of an empire failed TO
reach the nine-foot line on the walls
Of the throne room at Caxamalca, but
the soldiers were tired of waiting, es-
pecially when the goldsmiths tool a
month to melt the gold into ingots.
So the royal fifth was shipped to the
king Of Spain, Pizarro's share was set
apart. a 1.-THE was dedicated TO the
Church, and the remainder divided
among the soldiers according TO their
rank, in all three and a half millions
sterling by modern measurement, the
greatest kings ransom known TO his
tory. Then the emperor was tried by
a W 1bAA ma AAHAs CELAIA4Ath u
death and murdered. It is comforting
to note that of all who took part in
that infamy tot one escaped an early
and a violent death.
Pizarro had been In a business par
nership with the schoolmaster LuqHe
of Panama, and with Almagro. a little
fat, one-eyed adventurer, who now ar
rived or the scene with re-infereements.
Pizarro's brothers also came from
1 Spain. So when the emperer's death
dashed the Peruvians to desperation.
there were Spaniards enough to face
odds of a hundred TO enc IN a long
series of battles, ending with the siege
Of the adventures who held Cuzco
against the Inca Nance for five
months. The city, vast In extent. was
matched, and burned for seven days
with the Spaniards in the midst. They
fought in sheer despair, and the Indi-
n with heroism, their best weapon
the lasso, their main hope that u
starving the garrison to death. No
yalor could possibly a Y these heroic
robbers, shut off from escape or from
rescue by the impenetrable rampant of
The Andes. They owed their salvation
TO the fact that the Indians must dis
| perse TO reap their crops lest the en-
tire nation perish Of hunger. and the
last of the Ineas ended his life a fugi-
tive lost In the recesses of the noun
tains.
Then came q civil war between the
Pizarros, and Almagro. whose share Of
the plumber turned out 10 be a snowy
desOlation to the southwark. II was
not until after this squalid feud had
been ended by Almagro's execution
and Pizarro's murder, that the desc
late SHOWS were uncovered, revealing
the Incompatible treasures of silver
Potosi, SPANS share of the plumber.