Turbulent
hope,--that was the chief lading now of the four
ships. Gold! Gold! Golden moon disks and golden rude
figures. We found a lump of gold wrought like a maize
ear.
What was beyond that, by itself under trees, we found an
ancient, broken, true wall, stone and lime. The stones were
great ones, set truly, with care. The wall was old; the remainder
of house, if house or temple there had been, broken
from it. Now the forest overran all. We did not know
when or by whom it was built, and we found no more like
it. But here was true masonry. All of us said that the
world of the main was not the world of the islands.
Ciguarre. These Indians declared it was Ciguarre we
should seek. Now that we were in Veragua--seek Ciguarre.
So we sailed beyond Veragua hunting the strait which
we must pass through to Ganges and Ind of old history.
CHAPTER XLII
PUERTO BELLO! Beautiful truly, and a harbor
where might ride a navy. But no gold; and now
came back very evilly the evil weather. Seven days a
blast rocked us. We strained eyes to see if the _Margarita_
yet lived. The _San Sebastian_ likewise was in trouble. No
break for seven days. It was those enchanters of Cariari--
magic asleep for a while but now awake!
Storm. And two ships nigh to foundering. When wind
sank and blue came back, we left Puerto Bello and turned
again south by east, but now with crazy, crazy ships, weather-wrenched and worm-eaten, _teredo_ pierced.
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