But there was no gold. I searched through the whole range, which
was about seven leagues long, and visited the villages, where I
talked much with the Indians, interrogating them, and they had no
necklets of gold, nor gold in any form; nor had they ever heard
of its presence in Parahuari or in any other place known to them.

The very last village where I spoke on the subject of my quest,
albeit now without hope, was about a league from the western
extremity of the range, in the midst of a high broken country of
forest and savannah and many swift streams; near one of these,
called the Curicay, the village stood, among low scattered trees--
a large building, in which all the people, numbering eighteen,
passed most of their time when not hunting, with two smaller
buildings attached to it. The head, or chief, Runi by name, was
about fifty years old, a taciturn, finely formed, and somewhat
dignified savage, who was either of a sullen disposition or not
well pleased at the intrusion of a white man. And for a time I
made no attempt to conciliate him. What profit was there in it
at all? Even that light mask, which I had worn so long and with
such good effect, incommoded me now: I would cast it aside and be
myself--silent and sullen as my barbarous host. If any malignant
purpose was taking form in his mind, let it, and let him do his
worst; for when failure first stares a man in the face, it has so
dark and repellent a look that not anything that can be added can
make him more miserable; nor has he any apprehension. For weeks
I had been searching with eager, feverish eyes in every village,
in every rocky crevice, in every noisy mountain streamlet, for
the glittering yellow dust I had travelled so far to find. And
now all my beautiful dreams--all the pleasure and power to