He was
struck with the beauty of the stream, and with the cultivation on its
borders, which were sprinkled with Indian cottages showing some skill in
their construction, and altogether intimating a higher civilization than
any thing he had yet seen.
Still his mind was filled with anxiety for the fate of Pizarro and his
followers. No trace of them had been found on the coast for a long time,
and it was evident they must have foundered at sea, or made their way
back to Panama. This last he deemed most probable; as the vessel might
have passed him unnoticed under the cover of the night, or of the dense
fogs that sometimes hang over the coast.
Impressed with this belief, he felt no heart to continue his voyage of
discovery, for which, indeed, his single bark, with its small complement
of men, was altogether inadequate. He proposed, therefore, to return
without delay. On his way, he touched at the Isle of Pearls, and there
learned the result of his friend's expedition, and the place of his present
residence. Directing his course, at once, to Chicama, the two cavaliers
soon had the satisfaction of embracing each other, and recounting their
several exploits and escapes. Almagro returned even better freighted
with gold than his confederate, and at every step of his progress he had
collected fresh confirmation of the existence of some great and opulent
empire in the South.
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