Children's Stories in American History

by Henrietta Christian Wright

Very wonderful things did the traveller tell of this new country, for a very wonderful country it was, and as Pizarro heard the accounts of its wealth and prosperity, it seemed to him that the old stories of Cathay and the realms of Kublai Khan were actually true. And, indeed, this country that lay to the south, protected on one side by the ocean, and on the other by its giant, snow-capped mountains, was more like the old dreams of Cathay than any land that had yet been seen by the Europeans.

The empire of Peru, like that of the Aztecs, had existed for hundreds and hundreds of years, and its ruler, the mighty Inca, like the great Montezuma, was a descendant of the Sun. He was therefore held in great reverence by his subjects, as a child of their great god. For the sun was the principal deity of the Peruvians. In his honor were built the most splendid temples that the world has ever seen. In Cuzco, the capital of Peru, was a temple of the sun that was so magnificent it was called the "Place of Gold." The walls were covered with solid plates of burnished gold, and on one side was the image of the sun, made of purest gold, its face glittering with diamonds and emeralds and rubies, and the long golden rays reaching from the ceiling to the floor.

In Cuzco, also, was the Temple of the Moon, adorned with silver, and with an image representing the goddess of night; and all the service of the temples was of the purest gold and silver, curiously wrought and beaten, and the great altars were ornamented with great golden lilies set with pearls and diamonds, and the lamps were brilliant with pendant emeralds and rubies and sapphires.

The Peruvian empire extended from Cuzco to Quito, and everywhere throughout the dominion were splendid cities, in which were great palaces and temples, all glittering with gold and silver, and all showing the wealth and power of the Inca. These cities were connected by great public roads that led from one end of the empire to the other, and it is said that in no country in the world were there such fine highways as those in Peru. The roads were very wide and covered with a substance that hardened and became very smooth and even, so the messengers could run easily, and on either side were massive walls, built of great blocks of stone, while inside the walls ran clear streams of water, bordered with beautiful trees. The principal road ran from Cuzco to Quito, straight on through mountains which had been cut away, and over rocky precipices, across which suspension bridges were thrown, and through valleys that had been filled up to the level with lime and stones. A day's journey apart on the roads stood the king's palaces, beautifully furnished and fitted up with everything that a traveller might need, and so pleasant was travelling in this country that a long journey seemed only a succession of pleasant trips through delightful forests and amid grand mountain scenery. And all day long, up and down these roads, passed the servants of the Inca, carrying messages and burdens from one part of the empire to the other, and all over the country the people were busy and happy, working for the emperor whom they loved and revered. There were no poor people in Peru, for the Inca owned all the land and mines and palaces, and he gave to each family enough to support them comfortably, while they in return worked for him, and for the weak and sick, who could not care for themselves. The men worked in the gold and silver mines, and on the public roads, and built the temples and palaces, and tilled the fields, and raised the sheep, the wool from which was spun and woven by the women into beautiful cloth, dyed with rare colors, and interwoven sometimes with threads of gold and silver. And although some of the laws were very strict, yet for the most part they were just and merciful; and so the whole empire seemed liked one great family, of which the Inca was the loved and trusted head.

On great festival days the great public squares in the cities were thronged with the people who came in from the country to take part in the celebration. And there were many festival days during the year, and so the Peruvians had a great deal of pleasure, for on a holiday no one ever thought of working. The reason of this was that most of the festivals were of a religious nature, and it would have been considered a sin not to observe them. The most splendid festival of all the year was the Feast of the Sun. This was always held at Cuzco, and from every part of the empire the people came flocking to the capital, and for days and days before, the roads were filled with travellers on their way to the great feast. The celebration began with the dawn, and as soon as it became light the inhabitants began to pour into the great central square, or to throng the balconies and housetops which overlooked it. All the city was gorgeously decorated, flags and banners floated from the columns and roofs of the temples and palaces, and rich cloths of dazzling hues, embroidered in gold and silver and precious stones, hung from the windows and balconies, while everywhere were great urns of gold and silver and stone, filled with flowers, and rare shrubs and plants brought from the surrounding country. On this day the Inca appeared in his greatest glory and state. Clad in a robe of the softest and most beautiful material, embroidered with leaves and flowers of gold, and with a collar of emeralds around his neck, wearing on his head a glittering diadem from which floated the gorgeous plumes of some rare tropical bird, he appeared in the midst of his people seated on a throne of solid gold, and surrounded by all his great nobles, whose magnificent appearance added still more glory to his own. His litter was borne by courtiers wearing coronets of gold and silver, and near him sat the principal men of his kingdom, whose litters were carried by soldiers dressed in rich and showy uniforms. Behind the Inca and his nobles came the soldiers, wearing helmets of skin studded with jewels, and clothed in white or blue tunics, the officers bearing the royal standards of the country, which were embroidered with gold and silver, and close beside the Inca walked a standard-bearer holding the imperial banner, upon which was wrought a rainbow, the symbol of royalty; and as the great procession advanced into the square amid waving of banners and nodding plumes and to the sound of warlike music, the people all fell on their knees and bowed their heads and paid homage to the Inca, the child of the sun. And then all was silent, for they awaited the coming of the god whose day they celebrated, but as soon as his first rays touched the snowy heights of the lofty Cordilleras, a great shout of joy went up from the multitude, who welcomed with hymns of praise the coming of the mighty god. Then the Inca would rise from his throne, and raising high in the air a golden, jewelled goblet, pour out a libation to the sun, after which the procession wound slowly to the temple, where sacrifices were offered of sheep and birds and flowers, and sometimes, when there had been a great victory in battle, even young maidens and beautiful children were offered up, and then after many other ceremonies the people left the temples and passed the rest of the day in singing and eating and drinking, and all kinds of merry-making. There were many other festival days, but the Feast of the Sun was the greatest, and was held in summer when the days were longest and the god remained for many hours above the horizon.

And it was these happy and contented Peruvians that Pizarro had determined to conquer, and it was their beautiful country that he meant to take possession of. But much as he desired to do this, it would have been impossible without the aid of two good friends, who helped him with money and influence. One of these friends was a bold cavalier by the name of Almagro; the other was a very rich priest named Luque; and it was agreed between the three that Almagro should get the ships ready and enlist the men, that Luque should furnish the money, and that Pizarro should command the expedition and conquer Peru, and then divide the riches of the conquered country equally between his two partners. By this arrangement the hardest part of the work fell to Pizarro; but he did not mind that at all, and, in fact, would have been dissatisfied had it been otherwise, while, on the contrary, Almagro and Luque were equally willing to remain in Panama; and so everybody was satisfied, and the preparations began at once.

Only the bravest and strongest men were chosen, and when the little company assembled, they only numbered one hundred and twelve; but this did not discourage Pizarro, for he was determined to be discouraged at nothing, and on the 17th of November, 1524, after an imposing service in the cathedral, where Luque blessed the commander and his soldiers, and bade them God-speed, the little fleet sailed from Panama and started southwest on its voyage of conquest.

But many misfortunes happened to Pizarro before he saw the coast of Peru. The way was new and strange, and he did not know how far off Peru was, and he landed many times along the coast in hope of finding a path that would lead to the great empire, but found instead only marshes and deserts and tangled underbrush, where his men were bitten by poisonous serpents, and where they suffered from hunger and thirst and disease; and years passed, and all that he knew of the coveted land he heard from some Indians dwelling along the coast, who wore heavy golden ornaments, and said that a great and rich country lay back from the sea, governed by a mighty ruler. But this news only made Pizarro more eager than ever to carry out his plan. Almagro had come from Panama with men and provisions, or long before the whole party would have died of hunger and disease, and then Pizarro sent him back for more men, feeling sure, from a visit that he had paid to an Indian village near the coast, that he was near Peru; but the Governor of Panama refused to let Almagro return, and instead sent an order for Pizarro and his party to come back, as he would no longer allow them to risk money and life in an undertaking that promised nothing but failure. It was three years since Pizarro had first sailed from Panama. Many of his men had died, while the rest had suffered cruelly from hunger and exposure, and when they heard that the governor had ordered them to return home they were very willing to do so, and were glad enough to give up the idea of conquering Peru. But Pizarro himself would not give up. He was angry and indignant that the governor should command him to give up his plan at the very moment that success seemed certain, and he said that he would stay in spite of the governor's orders. Then he drew a line in the sand and stepped across it, and said that all the men who were willing to stay with him and go on to Peru should step across the line, too. At first no one moved; the danger seemed so great and the thought of home so pleasant; but at last, Luiz, the pilot, who had always trusted in Pizarro's luck, stepped across the line, and others followed until thirteen were standing by Pizarro's side. They were few in number, but their hearts were brave, and the bold leader knew that their courage was equal to his own.

Then the rest of the company returned home to Panama, and Pizarro and his little band were left alone on the Island of Gallo without even a ship to take them on their journey. The island was not fit to stay upon, as it offered neither food, nor shelter from the frequent storms that burst over it, and Pizarro thought the better plan would be to leave it at once. So he gave orders for the men to build a raft, and in a few hours they had finished a large, strong one, upon which they placed their arms and stores, and then stepping cheerfully upon it themselves, pushed away from the island out into the sea. A few days' sailing in this way brought them to another island, larger and pleasanter than the Island of Gallo, and here Pizarro decided to land and wait for the arrival of the ships which he knew Almagro would send to his aid. The Indians were friendly, and the island was well watered with clear, running streams. The men built huts of logs and bark beside one of these pleasant streams, and for a time they were very comfortable. Wild cocoa-nuts, pheasants, and rabbits were abundant, and furnished strengthening food, and if the pleasant weather had continued they would have been quite content with their situation; but, after a few weeks, tempests began to blow over the island, beating down their huts and drenching the men to the skin. And even when it did not rain they suffered so much from the intense heat of the sun and from the swarms of mosquitoes and other poisonous insects, that they were almost in despair, when, after seven months of waiting, the ship that Almagro sent appeared in sight. The vessel brought provisions, but no soldiers, for those the governor refused to send, and so, without waiting for further help, Pizarro started with the ship and eleven of his brave companions, and with a fearless heart turned southward again.

In three weeks he reached the Gulf of Guayaquil which washes the shores of a lovely and fertile country, and pointing across the waters, the Indian interpreters that Pizarro had brought from the North, told him that there lay a part of the great empire of Peru, which he had so long been seeking. Here he found, the next morning, a large and prosperous town, very different from any he had yet seen on the South American coast. This town, the name of which was Tumbez, was within the Inca's dominions, and was therefore as fine and wealthy as many of those farther from the coast. Pizarro was surprised to see such magnificent temples and palaces, such fine houses and well-kept roads, and, above all, such intelligent and fine-looking people. They came flocking down to the shore to see the curious ship that the strangers had come in, and the Spaniards noticed that they wore garments of finely woven material, and were adorned with rings, bracelets, and chains of gold, and wore large and brilliant gems in their ears. Pizarro made friends with the Indians by means of his interpreters, and sent a message to the governor of the town, asking for provisions and for leave for one of his men to visit the town.