Gold and glory; or, Wild ways of other days, a tale of early American discovery

The tale opens amid resistance to a newly harsh Inquisition in Aragon and follows nobles, exiles, and soldiers who pursue fortune across the Atlantic. Alternating scenes in homeland courts and on campaign portray voyages, alliances with indigenous groups, savage encounters, betrayals, and ritual practices that strain loyalties. Episodes range from shipboard quarrels and daring rescues to sieges and calculated leadership decisions as the protagonists press inland in search of wealth. A climactic campaign brings about the collapse of a powerful native polity, and the narrative concludes with survivors returning to confront the moral and material costs of conquest.