es of the Inquisition,
{65} in which the best blood of the nation lighted it to its downfall,
and blazed the way for Manila and Santiago. Philip II, and his
decadent and infamous successors depended upon the mines of Potosi and
the mines of Potosi hung upon Pizarro and his line in the sand. The
base-born, ignorant, cruel soldier wrecked in one moment a nation, made
and unmade empires, and changed the whole course of the world.

It was largely the Spanish zeal and intolerance that developed and made
perfect the Reformation, for no great cause has ever won success
without opposition, nay, persecution. "The blood of the martyr," says
St. Augustine, "is the seed of the church."

To return to the situation. Tafur presently reached Panama and
reported. The governor and the people of that city looked upon Pizarro
as a madman. Luque and Almagro were unwearying in their efforts and
importunities, however, and finally they wrung a reluctant permission
from De los Rios for Ruiz and one small ship and a few men to go to the
rescue, with the proviso that a return must be made within six months.
One can imagine the joy with which the desperate adventurers on the
island saw the sails of that ship whitening the horizon. Once more
they set sail to the south, arriving finally before a large and
populous town called Tumbez. Here they saw undoubted signs of the
existence of a great empire in a high state of civilization. The
little party had some pleasant intercourse with the natives of Tumbez.

They gathered a considerable amount of gold and silver, some of it
exquisitely wrought by cunning artificers into the forms of beautiful
and unknown plants and animals. There was no possible doubt as to {66}
the truth of their golden dreams. The empire of Peru in all its
magnificence lay before them.

Too meagre a force to embrace the opportunity, there was nothing to do
but to return to Panama. There it was agreed that Pizarro, with De
Candia, should go over to Spain, taking with him Peruvians and
treasures, tell what he had seen, and secure the royal countenance and
support for their future undertaking, while Almagro and Luque remained
at Panama preparing for the final expedition. Pizarro had no sooner
set foot in Spain than he was arrested for debt on some ancient charge
by Encisco, but he was too big a man, now, for such petty persecution
and he was at once released and ordered to present himself at court.
The rough, blunt sold