can scarcely realize the intense interest that was awakened by the first discoveries made in th

adventurer, whatever had been his luck, were tinged with the marvellous. In fact, a world of romance was now open to all and the opportunities to achieve fame and for

c men. Every craft that could sail the seas was called into use, and the building of new vessels was has

eady proved the valiancy of Spanish cavaliers. To add to this, the conquest of the

for gold knew no bounds. Cunning and cruelty were employed by the Spaniards to secure their ends. No trials, no hardships were too great for them to endure. No perils daunted them. W

ands of miles of excellent roads, of which two were used for military purposes. One of these extended along the lowlands; the other traversed the grand plateau. These roads crossed ravines b

extent it was both paternal and communal. Agriculture was s

he Sun at Cuzco. Besides this sacred edifice there were several hundred inferior temples and places of worship scattered through the empir

rship. Not only were the edifices themselves richly adorned with this precious metal, but the sacred vessels and many of the articles of furniture were made of the same mate

confirmed in a great measure by travellers who had voyaged southward along the coast. Francisco Pizarro, a restless spirit who had been a

He met with but little opposition from the natives while marching toward the interior, and although he

t it was the policy of the invaders to treat the natives with kindness in order to accomplish their purpose, namely, to conquer the Peruvian Empire in the same manner that Cortez had conquered th

th him. It was agreed that they meet at Caxamalca, a strongly fortified city among the sierras. On arriving at the city, the Spaniards fo

ow his faith in the white men and his own good intentions, he should leave all weapons behind. After much pers

Inca ruler made a harangue about Christianity and demanded

and such submission?" replied

ich I hold in my hand

threw it on the ground, saying, "What right have you in my country? I will ca

and reported the conduct of the Inca, saying, "It is use

f a gun. Thereupon his soldiers, infantry and cavalry, rushed from their places of co

ecame a horrible massacre. Not until thousands of the Indians had been killed and the Inca ruler had been captured did darkness cause the Spania

and horses, the natives gave up for a time all thoughts of resistance. In fact,

ealized the Spaniards' thirst for gold, and therefore promised to fill the room in which he was confined wi

ts of his empire requesting that the metals in the shape of utensils and ornaments b

the treasure had to be carried on the backs of the natives

d at Caxamalca, Pizarro excused the imprisoned ruler from further contributions. At this juncture of af

em, and, taking out the royal fifth part, the remainder was divided according to the rank and service rendered. Then came rumors of an upri

e he released according to promise, the natives might rally around him and demand the expulsion of the intruders. So it was decided

ed, the priest in attendance promised that the sentence should be commuted to the easier death by the garrote if he would renounce his idolatry and embrace Christianity. He assented to the proposal, and immediately the modified sentence was carried

Peru, showing four

TO

, on the Peruvian throne. In the meantime, however, parts of the empire rebelled against the new ruler and the Spanish usurpers. Then,

ruler and his subjects. Manco broke from his masters and, aided by his people, raised the standard of rebellion, d

nish yoke was firmly fixed on the neck of the people, who for the greater part were consigned to a mos

or three hundred years before the oppressive yoke was cast off by a successful uprising. It is a pleasure to know that many of the Spanish lea

Spanish treasure ships so eagerly sought by buccaneers were the mines of Potosi. These silver lodes, extensively work

t thirteen thousand feet, and it is, therefore, the highest city in the world. It is situated on the bleak side of the Andes, from whose snow-clad peaks cold, piercing winds

unhabitable, but the immense wealth of the silver lodes required many w

city in the New World during the first two centuries of its existence. A mint built in 1562, at the expense of over a million dollars,

the low price of silver for many years, have caused the population of the city to dwindle until now there are scarcely more than ten thousand inhabitants and very many of the

lver mines; while some of the richest tin mines in the world are found here. Lodes of pure tin several feet in width have been followed down six hundred fe

The highest point reached by it in crossing the Andes is fifteen thousand six hundred and sixty-five feet. It is said that seven thousand lives were lost in its construction. Much of the road-bed was blasted through solid rock on the sides of the mountains. The cost of construction was about three hundred thousand dollars per mile. It has seventy-eight

, and wool. Their construction marks the acme of engineering skill; the scenery along t

ea. At first even the effort to talk on reaching these lofty places by train is laborious. Dogs taken from the lowlands to these el

ese diminutive creatures are still used for transporting ore and bullion in the Andes. Each animal can carry a l

as r

TO

fifty feet, and although nine streams run into it, only one, the Desaguadero, flows out, carrying its waters to Lake Poopo, a small body of salt water nearly three hundred miles south. Lake Titicaca has the

ke is never frozen even in the severest weather. A peculiarity about the lake is that not only will iron not rust whe

re and wool. Some of the islands in the lake are in

erning which the natives told the early Spaniards that they had no record. Three square miles are covered by these ruins, whose walls were made of

ds. Titicaca Island was regarded as sacred, and at the time of the Spanish co

to furnish food. Food and utensils must be carried on the backs of men, and the greates

ers. Many rich mineral lodes yet remain undiscovered, and a vast number of valuable mines languish for lack of capital

e a great storehouse of mine

ssapalca, on the Oroya Rail

TO

rt, the Sahara is said to be a botanical garden. Here during a part of the year a fierce, relentless sun pours down its burning rays on the shifting sands,

seen. All around is a bleak, barren waste destitute of water. Yet underneat

a fortuitous discovery was made by a Scotchman named George Smith. After wandering over the world for some time Smith settled down in a little village near Iquique, wh

family in Scotland who was engaged in fruit-growing about the wonderful effects of the material as a fertilizer. As a result several bags of nitrates were distributed among Scottish farmers and fr

on works were established to extract the deleterious substances. These substances were mainly iodine and bromine, two chemical elements that are of greater value than

of the deposits caused towns and cities to spring up along the coast in the most inhospitable places, to some

des. Just how these mineral deposits were formed it is difficult to explain, the most plausible theory being that this desert was once the bottom of an in

nd a layer of soft, whitish material called "nitrate." The crude nitrate is sent to the nitrate ports to be crushed and boile

ed with sparkling white crystals. This is the saltpetre of commerce, the highest grade of which is used in the manufacture of gun

ce of which is worth as much as one hundred pounds of saltpetre. From eighty to one hundred million dollars' worth of thes

about fifty million dollars' worth of nitrates and thre