Then Balboa commanded the others to rest, while he went alone to the
top.
"And this," muttered Pizarro to the man next him, "is the man who is
always saying that there is enough glory for all!"
Saavedra's quick ear caught the remark. He smiled rather satirically.
He, and he alone, knew the true reason for this action of Balboa's.
"Juan," the commander had said to him while they were wading through
their last swamp, "when we are somewhere near the summit I shall go on
alone. I want no one with me when I look down the other side of that
range. Whether I see a mere lake, which these savages may call a sea,
or--something greater, I am not sure I shall be able to command my
feelings. I will not be a fool before the men."
Balboa's heart was thumping as he climbed, more with excitement than
exertion. No one but Saavedra had so much as an inkling of the
importance his success or failure would have for him personally. The
whole of his future lay on the unknown other side of that hill. He shut
his eyes as he reached the top--then opened them upon a glorious view.
A vast blue sea sparkled in the sunshine, only a few leagues away. From
the mountain top to the shore of this great body of water sloped a wild
landscape of forest, rock, savanna and winding river.
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