Nexus - 0211 - New Times Magazine-pages

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TREASURE OF THE SAN ANDREAS cover that space. Atahualpa, misunder- Atahualpa wasted no time in dispatching day were considerable, The steady stream standing the doubtful reaction to his offer couriers to Cuzco and other important of porters, bearing their loads from all to mean that it was not pleasing enough, _ places with instructions to remove the gold _ parts of the empire, brought in quantities immediately declared, "he would not just and silver omaments and utensils from the of precious metals worth millions of dol- cover the floor, but would fill the room wit temples and palaces, and convey them lars every day. The Spaniards gazed with gold as high as he could reach." with all speed to Cajamarca. Inthe mean- greedy eyes on the growing piles of As he spoke he raised himself on tiptoe, time, both Pizarro and his chaplain, gleaming treasure. There was more gold and stretched out his fingers against the V4lverde, tried through reasoning and gen- than they could ever have imagined. But wall. Not one Spaniard present really Ue Persuasion to bring their et toa they could never be satisfied. As the , believed him, but Pizarro was willing to = ear of ay Hl — heaps of gold and silver increased, so their accept the offer, because he saw a chance ane Toten, poo haa rah te avarice increased, and they became more of collecting all the gold that was readily a hi 5 Gnd. neta de WEeen Ss demanding and restless. Pizarro loudly available to the monarch. The Indians Vatverde labour to convert him, He was, V¢ished against the Peruvians for bring- would not hide gold against the wishes of however, impressed by the argument ing in Gre. gehl [ee Rowiy, oat Ahad their master. Pizarro took a crayon, and pizarro invariably employed to end his reminded him of the great distances which drew a red line along the wall atthe height cormons "that it could not be the true 4d to be covered, that while a swift mun- indicated by Atahualpa. It measured nine Goq whom Atahualpa worshiped, as he & could reach Cuzco in several days, it feet from the floor. The Inca promised aq failed to save him from the ‘00k several weeks for a slow moving that he would also fill a smaller adjoining Spaniards." Ilama train to come from Cuzco to room twice with silver. All he wanted in Very soon the gold and silver began to Cajamarca. This explanation did little to retum was his freedom. trickle in. It mainly consisted of massive soothe Pizarro’s feelings of irritability. Pizarro agreed to this, and had the terms _ pieces of plate, with an average weight of There were rumours of a general uprising of the proposal duly recorded by a notary. about 10 to 12 kilograms. Because of the by the Peruvians, and the Spaniards were He further agreed that the Inca should great distances the Ilama trains and porters beginning to feel acutely apprehensive. * have two months in which to fulfil his had to travel, it came in slowly. pledge. Nevertheless, the amounts arriving cach RCTS aco kom Cnty NEXUS*59 To be continued in the next issue of Nexus a EE ———— DECEMBER-JANUARY ‘93