470 THE PROGRESS OF MARITIME DISCOVERY. 



Pizarro, the poorest of the three, took upon himself the greater 

 part of the hardships and dangers of the enterprise, and volun- 

 teered to command the first expedition that should be fitted out ; 

 Almagro engaged to follow him with the necessary reinforce- 

 ments; and Luque, the man of peace, promised to watch in 

 Panama over the interests of the association. 



On the 14th of November, 1524, Pizarro sailed from Panama 

 with 112 men, closely packed together in one small vessel. Un- 

 fortunately he had chosen the worst season of the year for his- 

 departure, as the periodical winds raging at the time blew quite 

 contrary to the course he intended to pursue, and thus it happened 

 that after seventy days he had advanced no farther to the south- 

 east than an experienced navigator will now traverse in as many 

 hours. During this tedious journey he landed in different parts 

 of the coast of Tierra firme, but, finding all the previous descrip- 

 tions of its inhospitable nature fully confirmed, he saw himself 

 obliged to await the promised reinforcements in Chuchama, 

 opposite to the Pearl Islands. Here he was soon joined by 

 Almagro, who had suffered similar hardships, and moreover 

 lost an eye in a fight with the Indians. But, as he had advanced 

 farther to the south, where the country and people wore a more 

 favourable aspect, this slight glimpse of hope encouraged the 

 adventurers to persevere in spite of all the miseries they had 

 endured. Almagro returned to Panama, where with the greatest 

 difficulty he could levy fourscore men, his sufferings and those 

 of his companions having given his countrymen a very un- 

 favourable idea of the service. 



With this small reinforcement the associates did not hesitate 

 to renew their enterprise, and at length, after a passage no less 

 tedious than the first, reached the Bay of Saint Matthew on the 

 coast of Quito (1526). In Tecumez, to the south of the Emerald 

 Kiver, they were delighted with the aspect of a fine well-culti- 

 vated country, inhabited by a people whose clothing and dwell- 

 ings indicated a higher degree of civilisation and wealth. But, 

 not venturing to attempt its conquest with a handful of men en- 

 feebled by fatigue and disease, they retired to the small island 

 of Grallo, where Pizarro waited, while Almagro once more re- 

 turned to Panama, hoping that the better accounts he could 

 give of their second journey would procure reinforcements large 

 enough for the conquest of the newly discovered countries. 



