Page:Vol 3 History of Mexico by H H Bancroft.djvu/579

Rh to the southward then became a subject of deep interest to all, and the year following Vasco Nuñez crossed the mountains and discovered this South Sea.

While on the march, Ponca, his old enemy, now reconciled, presented him with some finely wrought ornaments from beyond the mountains, besides 120 pounds of gold from his own dominions. As he was laboring under a sense of great indebtedness to the Spaniards for their beads, hatchets, and hawks-bells, he apologized for the smallness of the gift by saying that he had been robbed the year before by his enemies. The next village at which Vasco Nuñez arrived belonged to a cacique named Quasequa, where after putting the inhabitants to flight the Spaniards found a considerable quantity of gold, one fifth of which was set apart for the crown, and the remainder divided among the adventurers. After making the grand discovery of the Pacific from the summit of the mountain near the gulf of San Miguel, Balboa descended to the sea-shore where he encountered a cacique whose name was Chiapes. A volley of musketry and the charge of the bloodhounds soon pacified this province, and Chiapes being informed of the love which his strange visitors entertained for gold, tremblingly presented him with his entire store, some 400 pesos. For although this country abounded in the precious metal, these natives having no use for it took no pains to gather it.

When, on the 29th of October 1513, Balboa had consummated the ceremonial acts of taking possession of the Southern Sea for the crowns of Castile and Leon, the natives directed his attention to a group of low islands which they represented as being exceedingly rich in pearls. He was then standing upon the shores of the main ocean at the entrance to the gulf of San Miguel, and the islands were some seven leagues distant. One distinguished as being the largest of the group was said to abound in pearls of an immense size, "as large as that," said the Indians, placing