4000003870

BooK

II.

Royal

Commentariefo

in favour of the

Spaniards,

where

w.as

moll: danger, and where the

Indian~

fpenc

the

fiercenefs of their Fury. An

d md

eed the

Danger was

great,

~hat

the

firH

eleven

.or

twelve

Days

the Siege,. the

Spa?iar~s w~re

.harafiecI and tired

out, as well Hcirfe

Foot,

the contmual Skrrm1ibes

whICh they

were~gaged, and for want of

Provifion~, ~hanhey we~e

reduced

the

lafr

exrrerm-

ty ; for by this time thirty

Chn~1ans

were

kille~,

and almoft all

w~mnded;

without Remedies or Salves for their Cure; fo that

m a

few days not be1ng able

longer to hold out, they

all

expeeted to

perHh ,

having no hopes o(

~elief

Succour from other places, or means,. tha°: onely from

Hea~en,

to which they

lifted up cbeir Cries, and offered their daily Prayers , beggmg the Mercy ana

Defence of God, and the Interceffion and Proteetion of tlie ever bleifed Virgin

Mthe

Indians-having

obferved, that the Night when they burned

all

the Town,

yet the Gallery

wliich the

spaniards

were quartered fiill remained untouched by

the

Flames

wherefore they attempted to burn that alfo, (and might eafily per–

form

in' regard there was none to make Head, or Oppofirion to prevent them,)

and for' feveral Days and Nights, at all hours, they continually put fire to it, but

would not burn; which the

Indians

much admiring, faid, That the Fire

had

loll:

its Force and Virtue, and could not confume that Houfe in which the

Vira–

&ochtU

had lived and quartered. At length the

Spaniards

found themfelves

hard

put to

it,

and

affailed on

all

fides, tnat they refolved to put

to the iffue of

Battel , and rather dye fighting,

with

their Arms

their Hands, than linger out

a miferable Death, and at length perifh with Famine or fainmefs, permitting

the

Enemy tamely to cut their Throats, after they had no farther Force or Spirit to

refift

them.

Having thus refolved, they

confe~d

their fins to three

Priefis,

that

were

witli ·

them, ana for want of time,

Coch

could not, confeffed one to the other, and

aH ca

ed upon the Name of God, and upon thofe Saints to which they had de–

vote

hemfelves ; and being thus prepared

dye like Chrifl:ians,

foon

was

day, the

Indians,

who were

thoufantl

one, being afbamed to be fo long

oppofed by fuch

handfull of

Men,

affailed the

Spaniards

with their ufoal Fury ,

refolving

not to quit or remit the Battel, untill they had totally defiroyed chem ;

and the

Spaniard1,

on the contrary, with loud Cries calling upon the Name of

the Virgin, and the Apofrle St.

rames,

their Champion, maintained the Fight with

fuch Refolucion, that rhe Slaughter was great on both

fides,

and many

Spaniardt

wounded.

lafi,

after five hours Fight, the Chrillians became fo weary, and

their

Horfes

fpent with the Engagement of that Day, that they

expetted

no–

thi~

lefs

than Death. The Faintnefs and Relaxation of

the

Spaniards

gave new

COurage

the

Indians

to reinforce and renew the Fight, for Prince

Manco Inca

obferving the Paffages of the Bartel from an high pla€e, animated his People

calling upon them by the Names of their feveral Provinces, and inciting them

renew the Fight, being, as it were, certain

with

the SnctefS of that Day to re–

cover his Empire. When on

fudden, and

this Extremity,

·ic

pleafed God

own the Caufe

his faithful!

People~

by fending to their Affifience the bldfed

Apoll:le St.

{11me.r,

the Champion and Proree!our of

Spain,

who vHibly appeared

bodi

r9e

Spani1m&,

an~

the

_J:zdians,

mounted on _a

~bite

Horfe, carrying a

Target, wnh the

fi&n

of his M1hr.ary .Order _thereon mfc:r1bed_,

an~

in his Right

Hand

Sword, which, by the gltfiermg of

tt,

feemed like L1ghmmg. The

n–

aiam,

greatly affiighted to fee this new Cavalier enter the

Lills,

asked one the

other, what

Viracocha

that was, which carried the

Yl!apa,

in his Hand· which

Word fignifies Thunder, and Lightning, and the Thunderbolr.

Wheref~ever

this

new Cavalier affailed the

lndians,

they ran like Men amazed, trampling one upon

~he oth~r,

and on

wha~

part foever the

Jndian1

affaulted the ChrifHans, the Saint

1mmed1at<?lY appeared m the Front, to fiiccour and defend them from the

Jndian1

~ho, affi1gh~ed w~th

the Apparition, fled and forfook the 13attel; and the

Spa~

mards

herewith takmg courage, renewed the Fight, and killed an innumerable

number

the Enemies, wlio being poffdfed with a fear, ran away, and for-

fbok the Barrel. ·

_Thus were the Chriflians delivered this day by this blelfed Apofile, and the

V1Ctory wrefied out of the Hands of the Infidels· the fame was the Succefs of

the

day

following, and as often as the

Indian1

adv'emured

fight;

for

foon

as they began 'to engage, they became amazed with confufion, and not kaowing

when~