ess
cruel than Alfinger, the losses of the party were not so great. Instead
of dying on the journey he lived to become Governor of Venezuela.

Nicholas Fedreman followed the last party with supplies, but took them
to go treasure-seeking on his own account. He wandered about for three
years, and at last returned with some wonderful stories which induced
others to continue the search. Herman de Quesada also travelled about
for a year, and returned like his predecessors. Then Philip von Huten,
who had gone already with George of Spires, fitted out a great
expedition. His party was at one time so utterly famished that they had
to eat ants, which they captured by placing corn cobs near the nests of
these little creatures. They travelled in a great circle without knowing
where they went, and at the end of a year came back to the place from
whence they had started. Hearing, however, of a rich city called
Macatoa, Von Huten started again, and found streets of houses with about
eight hundred inhabitants, but no treasure. The people here sent him on
farther, with their tales of the Omaguas, a warlike people living away
in the south. On he went for five days, and at last came upon what he
thought must be the golden city. It stretched away as far as the eye
could reach, and in the centre was a great temple. But, although the
little party charged gallantly down a hill and into the town, the
Omaguas came out in such force that they had to retreat, bearing their
wounded leader in a hammock. Continually harassed by Indians, they at
last got back, to tell such stories of the dangers of the quest that the
Omaguas seem to have been afterwards left alone.

Our account of the search for "El Dorado" is necessarily short and
imperfect, as it would be impossible even to enumerate all the
expeditions. There is one, however, that was so tragic and awful, that,
although it was fitted out in Peru, it must yet be mentioned in the
story of the Spanish Main.

[Illustration: "EL DORADO."

(_From Gottfried's "Reisen."_)]

Notwithstanding the enormous quantities of gold and silver found in
Peru, the crowds of needy treasure-seekers who went to that country gave
some trouble to the Viceroy, who appears to have been willing to get rid
of them at any cost. Whether he purposely sent them on a "wild goose
chase," or whether he really believed the "El Dorado" story, is
doubtful, but it is certain that he thought it prudent to give them
employment in som