ou will see. Pedrarias thereupon
debarked in great state with his men, and, as soon as he firmly got
himself established on shore, arrested Balboa and presented him for
trial before Espinosa for the death of Nicuesa.

II. The Greatest Exploit since Columbus's Voyage

During all this long interval, Balboa had not been idle. A singular
change had taken place in his character. He had entered upon the
adventure in his famous barrel on Encisco's ship as a reckless,
improvident, roisterous, careless, hare-brained scapegrace.
Responsibility and opportunity had sobered and elevated him. While he
had lost none of his dash and daring and brilliancy, yet he had become
a wise, a prudent and a most successful captain. Judged by the high
standard of the modern times, Balboa was {35} cruel and ruthless enough
to merit our severe condemnation. Judged by his environments and
contrasted with any other of the Spanish conquistadores he was an angel
of light.

[Illustration: "The Expedition Had to Fight Its Way Through Tribes of
Warlike and Ferocious Mountaineers"]

He seems to have remained always a generous, affectionate, open-hearted
soldier. He had conducted a number of expeditions after the departure
of Nicuesa to different parts of the Isthmus, and he amassed much
treasure thereby, but he always so managed affairs that he left the
Indian chiefs in possession of their territory and firmly attached to
him personally. There was no indiscriminate murder, outrage or plunder
in his train, and the Isthmus was fairly peaceable. Balboa had tamed
the tempers of the fierce soldiery under him to a remarkable degree,
and they had actually descended to cultivating the soil between periods
of gold-hunting and pearl-fishing. The men under him were devotedly
attached to him as a rule, although here and there a malcontent, unruly
soldier, restless under the iron discipline, hated his captain.

Fortunately he had been warned by a letter from Zamudio, who had found
means to send it via Hispaniola, of the threatening purpose of
Pedrarias and the great expedition. Balboa stood well with the
authorities in Hispaniola. Diego Columbus had given him a commission
as Vice-Governor of Darien, so that as Darien was clearly within Diego
Columbus's jurisdiction, Balboa was strictly under authority. The news
in Zamudio's letter was very disconcerting. Like every Spaniard, Vasco
Nunez knew that he could expect little mercy and scant justice from