He had sent his favourite General, the heroic Antonio de Sucre, to liberate Quito. Bolivar now turned his eyes toward Peru. In his ambition he dreamed of a Greater Colombia which should include that country. But there was an obstacle in his way. Peru had already declared her Independence. The foundations of her Liberty had been laid by another General and another Army. For Jose de San Martin of Argentina, was Peru’s acknowledged Protector. Then came the Amazing Meeting, as told on page 272. After that meeting, Bolivar with his Army entered Peru. He combined his forces with those of the Liberating Army of Peru, and with the aid of the valiant Sucre, completed what San Martin had so well begun, and swept away the last vestiges of Spanish power from South America. So the great struggle for Independence, which had lasted over twenty years, was finished. But Bolivar was not allowed to enjoy long the fruits of his victories. We shall see why. THE BREAK Exiled from Venezuela, consumptive, wellnigh penniless, insulted by his own people, was Bolivar only a few years later. The creation of his genius, the Great Colombia, was rent with revolutions. His own General Paez had abandoned him. His friend Antonio Sucre had been assassinated. Bitterness filled Bolivar’s soul, his pride was broken, but he still loved Colombia. His dying words to her people, were:-- _Colombians! My last wishes are for the happiness of my native Land. If my death helps to check the growth of factions and to consolidate the Union, I shall rest tranquilly in the tomb._ So passed away the Liberator of Venezuela, the founder of the Republic of Colombia. Twelve years later Paez, who was ruling in Venezuela, brought Bolivar’s body to Caracas and interred it with honours. But he left the hero’s heart in an urn in the Cathedral of Santa Marta, the city where he had died. * * * * * Great Colombia, or the Great Republic of Colombia, founded by Bolivar, was a Union consisting of Venezuela, New Granada, and Ecuador. Great Colombia fell; its Union was dissolved. To-day, instead, there exist three independent Republics--Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador. As for Bolivia, it was a part of Upper Peru. It was liberated by the help of Antonio Sucre. It declared its Independence, and took the name of Bolivar. To-day it is the Republic of Bolivia, “rich in all the natural products of the world.” BOLIVAR THE MAN I Simon de Bolivar was about five feet six inches in height, lean of limb and body. His cheek bones stood out prominently in an oval-shaped face, which tapered sharply towards the chin. His countenance was vivacious; but his skin was furrowed with wrinkles and tanned by exposure to a tropical sun. The curly black hair that once covered Bolivar’s head in luxuriant profusion, began to turn white about 1821. Thenceforth, he was accustomed to wear his hair short.