t receive such usage
as she deserved. It was on the 3d day of May, 1540, that the Spaniards
left Cofachiqui, compelling the princess to accompany them and
requiring her to call upon her subjects to carry burdens for them from
one stopping place to another. They passed through a delightful valley
called Xualla, which had many groves, plantations, and pasture
grounds. On the seventh day they came to a province called Chulaque,
supposed to have been inhabited by a tribe of Cherokees. But before
the Spaniards had reached this point Xualla had contrived to escape,
assisted by two of her female slaves who were in attendance upon her."

"Oh, I hope they didn't catch her again--the Spaniards, I mean,"
exclaimed Ned.

"No," replied Lucilla; "De Soto would not allow her to be pursued."

"Did he and his men stay there in that beautiful valley, Lu?" asked
Elsie.

"No; as he could not find the gold he so coveted in Florida, he
travelled on in a westerly direction till he reached the Mississippi;
a hard journey through a wilderness of forests and marshes. He could
nowhere find the gold he so coveted, became discouraged and worn out,
was stricken with malignant fever, and died on the banks of the
Mississippi in June, 1542."

"A victim to the love of gold, like so many of his countrymen," sighed
Grandma Elsie. "The Bible tells us 'the love of money is the root of
all evil,' and history repeats the lesson. The love of money led to
Pizarro's wicked attack upon the Peruvians, and the conquest of that
country was a source of trouble and calamity to all, or nearly all who
were concerned in it. As soon as De Soto left, after the capture of
Cuzco, the victors began to quarrel with each other for the spoils.
Almagro provoked a war with Pizarro, was taken prisoner and strangled.
Gonzalo Pizarro was beheaded by his own countrymen. Another of the
brothers, Hernando, returned to Spain, where he was thrown into prison
and kept there for many years. Francisco Pizarro himself fell a victim
to the resentment of Almagro's soldiers. He was assaulted in his own
palace, where he had just finished his dinner when the avengers
entered. All his servants and guests except his half-brother, Martinez
de Alcantara, instantly fled and abandoned him to his fate. It was
midday when the assassins entered the palace with drawn weapons and
loudly proclaiming their intention to kill the tyrant. There were
upward of a thousand persons in the plaza, but no one oppo