574 / 1060
/
Royal
Commentaries.
BooKH.
of the
Spaniards,
and there with a loud Voice cried out, That
if
any
11.racocha
had
Courage to engage
with him
in
a fmgle Duel,
that
he
iliouk4
come forth
and
fight
with
him, for he there attended him with his Arms: But the
spaniard.r
efteeming
it
a condefcenfion too mean, and no Honour to kill a
filly
Indian
fcor-
ned to accept the Challenge.
' .
But at length a Noble
Indian_,
of the Nation of
Clmnari,
who from
his
Infan·
cy
had
bee~
bred
up a
Page
m .the
~ourt
?f
the great
Huayna
Capac,
and then
profe!fed h1mfelf a
Servant
to
the Marquifs
D(m Franci{co
Pifarro
•
for ha–
ving yiel9ed
himf~lf
to
him
in
o~e
of
~e
lace SkirmHhes, he ever afce; acknow–
l~dged
.hlll! for his Maller; with
this
Perfon I
ha~
an Ac9uainrance, and
left
him alive m
Co~co,
when
I
came thence for
Spain.
ThlS
Cannarian
I
fay
asked leave of
Hernando,
and
[ohJ'I,
and
Gonfalo
Pifttrro,
Brothers of his ford
t~
anfwer the Challenge,
faying,
That
fince that fellow had the boldnefs
to'
de..
fie the
VtrtfcochtU,
that
he, who was a Servant of theirs, would undertake the
Duel, not doubting but, by virtue of their propitious Fortune, co return vitto–
rious.
Hernando Pifarro,
and his Brother , applauding_his Courage and
Refolu–
tion, granted him licence; upon which he took the like Arms which the other
carried, and w.ent fortb to meet him: And having fought together a long while
they
clofed three of.l four times, and wrefiled, but being not able
to
thiow
on~
the other,
they
loofed, and again returned to the management of their Arms·
with which the
Cannarian
being mofi dextrous, thrufi his Enemy into the Breaft
with his
Lance}
and then cutting
.off
his Head, he carried it
by
the Hairs thereof
unto the
Spaniards,
with which tefiimony of Conquefi
he
was received with that
Triumph which his Vietory deferved.
The
Inca,
and
his
People, were much a!hamed of
the
Vietory which
the
C11n–
nsirian
had gained ; for had
it
been a
Spanierrd,
the Difhonour bad been much
lefs,
but
to
be overcome by one of their own
Indian
Va!fals, was an Affiont and
Difgrace which could portend nothing
but
ill
fortune; and being a People natu–
rally fuperfiitious, and terrified with
die
apprehenfion of Cuch Omens, they never
afterwards attempted any thing of Moment, during the remainder of the Siege;
nor did any thing remarkable fucceed, unlefs the unfortunate Death of that wor–
thy
{ohn Pifarro,
as we fuall hereafter relate.
So often as
I
call co mind thefe Miracles, and feveral others,
which
God was
pleafed to work
in
favour of the
Chrifrians,
both at the Siege of
Cotro,
and of
!01
Reyes,
as
we fuall fee hereafter I cannot but wonder that the Hill:orians fuould
be fo filent therein, efpecially fince they were fo
dear
and evident to all the
World, having in
my
youth heard chem reported both by
Indi1tn1
and
Spaniards,
with
great admiration;
in
memory
of which,
after
the Siege, they dedicated
unto our Lady that Gallery wherein the
Spaniards
were quartered, and where
now the Cathedral Church
is
built, called
by
the Name of
Sr.
Mary
of the Af–
furnption and Advocatiori; and the City
it
felf they dedicated to St.
{ames
of
Spain;
t0
both which Saints Anniverfary Days ofFeafis are appointed,
in
thank–
full remembrance for
the
gracious Benefits received; the which Feilivals begin
in the morning with a folemn Proceffion, and Sermon, and then High Mafs
is
celebrated; and laftly, the
Day
is concluded with the Sport of
Bulls,
and other
Recreations.
In the Porch
of
this Church, which leads
to
the
Markee-place,
the Pieture
of
St
rames
is painted, mounted on aWhite Horfe, with
his
Buckler on his Arme,
and a Serp-entine Sword in
his
Hand, with many
Indians
dead and wounded under
his
Feet; which Pieture when the
Jndi11m
beheld, they faid that a
riracocha
like
thi, was he that defiroyed us
in
the Market-place.
In
the Year
1
s6o.
when I
departed from
Couo,
to go into
Spain,
the Pietare was then fre{h; the
Inf
urrettion
of
the
Inca
began
in
the
Year
1
535.
and ended in
1
53
6.
and I was born
in
the Year
1539.
fo that I might well be acquainted both with
IndianJ
and
Spani-
11rd1,
who
had
been atl:ua1ly
in
thofe Wars, and Witneffes of thofe Apparitions,
which we have
declared;
and I my felf, for five Years
together,
have always
been
prefent
at the
Sports
and Pafiimes of thofe Fefrivals; for which Reafons
from plain demonllration, I cannot but wonder
why
Hifiorians have been
filenc
in
thefe particulars, unlefS
it
be, that they would attribute unto the valour of
che
Spaniards
all the Honour of thofe Days, without making due return of thankfull
acknowledgment unto God for the Vietories fo miraculoufly
obtained,
Many