The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1923-09-14
CAPTAINS OF
ADVENTURE
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= by obbs-Ner Compa
By ROGER POCOCK

emperor hurried away prisoner. Two
thousand people had persisted in the
attempt to save him.
The history of the Mexican conquest
was repeated here, and once more a
captive emperor reigned under Spanish
dictation.
This Atahuallpa was made of sterner
stuff than Montezuma, and had his de-
feated brother Huascar drowned, lest
the Spaniards should make use OF his
rival claim to the throne. The Peruvi-
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 height of
nine feet, he boosted that to that level
he would fill the throne room with
gold as the price of his liberty, and
twice he would fill 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 sill
yer ornaments, save only the bodies
of the dead kings, his fathers.
OF course, the priests made haste
to bury their treasures, but the Span
iards went to see the plumber collect
ed and when they had finished no
treasures were left In sight save
course of solid golden ingots in the
walls of the Temple of the Sun at
Cuzco, 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 took 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 half millions
sterling by modern measurement, the
greatest kings ransom known to his
tory. Then the emperor was tried by
a mock court-martial, sentenced to
death and murdered. 1t is comforting
to note that Of all who took part in
that infamy not one escaped an early
and violent death.
Pizarro had been in a business part
nership with the schoolmaster LuQue
Of Panama, and with Almagro, a little
fat, One-eyed adventurer, who now ar
rived on the scene with reinforcements.
PiZarro's brothers also came from
Spain. So when the emperor's death
dashed the Peruvians to desperation,
there were Spaniards enough to face
odds OF a hundred to che 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-
ans with heroism, their best weapon
the lasso, their main hope that Of
starving the garrison to death. No
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 Incas ended his life fugi-
tive lost in the recesses Of the noun
tains.
Then came civil war between the
Pizarros, and Almagro, whose share Of
the plumber turned out to be a snowy
desolation to the southwark. 1t 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