§■ 



BASgONZALES. 205 



?stnictiYe war of modern times was as absolutely fouglit for 

 an idea as the wars of the Crusaders and the siege of Troy. 



Until the moral conviction that slavery was a cm'se to the 

 Anglo-Saxon race had taken deep root in the hearts of the 

 American Repuhlicans there was slis^ht chance indeed of their 



crushing the Sonthcm Confederacy ; hut when the masses in 

 the ^orth were thoroughly roused, and invited to sell their 

 lives for an idea pure and noble in itself and worthy of any 

 sacrifice, the host men from all sides rushed into the ranks, 

 bringmg such new life and fixed determination with them, 

 that the ultimate fate of the Confederacy was no longer 

 doubtful. Sir 

 unlike the nsisi 



very 

 lead 



the greatest events — we can share the feelings of the 



-J 



Dorado from 

 Earlv in f 



?n they performed feats of almost superhuman 

 daring in their efforts to wrest theii' ideal El 



•ninety-four years before th( 

 f?rim Fathers in New England, and thii-ty 



St 



of Columbus — Don Joseph de Bas^.onzales crossed the centre 

 of Arizona towards the Great Canon, and penetrated at least 

 as far as Zufii. No record remains of this, the fii-st expedition 

 into that countrv. but the bare memento of the fact carved on 



the side of "El More:" for none of the expedition ever 



returned to tell of their adventui'cs. They perished either 

 ty the hands of the Indians, or met a more miserable end 

 amongst the labyrinths of chasms still fm-ther north, across 

 ^"hich nought living but the birds can successfully pass. 



Those who remember the wonderful achievements of. Cortez 

 in Mexico may call to mind one Pamphilo Narvaez, who in 

 1520 was despatched by Velasq^ueZ; Governor of Cuba, with a 



