602 / 1060
Royal
Commentaries.
BooK
II.
CH AP.
x ·xx1v.
The Batte! of the
River
Amancay ;
and the
lmp_rifonment
of
Alonfo de Alvarado
and his
Souldiers.
·NOT
long after the
Ambaffadours
were
departed
from
Co:uo, Almagro
fol·
lowed them
out of the
Cicy ;
and
finding that they did
n.otreturn
in
their
due time,
he
retired again
to
the
City,
~here
he remained
wic
h fome trouble and
anxiety
of
mind,
fufpeeting the evil
which
had befallen
them-; for he was
very
fenfible both that
Alonfo de.
Alva;ado
had
muth
a
better
&my
than
bis ;
and that
he was
not well affurecl of the fidelity of the people with
him,
of which
manY
had
belonged to
Hernando Pirarro,
and
might
probably'change the fide and
colours
at
the appearance of the Enemy,
for
whicH reafon
i
was not juc?ged convenient
to carry them into the Field with d1em
:
And
moreover, he believed that there
could be no g9od defigns cowards .him, in
rega~d
that
a
det'et1tio9 or feizure had
b€en
made of liis Meffengets.
Wliilll:
Almagro
was thus divided
in his
thoughts~
and
fears,
lie
received
a
Letter from Captain
Pedro
de Lerma,
who
(as we have taid
before) being much
difgufied
With
the
Marquis, and judging this to
be
a conve–
nient opportunity
to
revenge
himfe1£:;
gave intimation to
Alr»ttgro
of
his
own
jull: ,
refentmenrs, on
frnre
of
tH~
unhandfome uf?ige
he
had received
from
Pif':trro
; .
and.
11ereurmo .a®lmg the p,erficl1ous treatment exercifed towards
hIS
Ambaffadduts,
whid1
was.
a
barbarous
Aet,
and
1
difuwned
Hy
the greatefr
piatt
ofhis people ;
he
invited
rum
to
ad
~nee
againfi the
Forces
under
rHe
Cdmmand
of
1
Alvarado,
affu–
riof?f
him~
that
upon
his
appearance
above
a
hundred
of
hiS
ftieffdiwould join'
with·'
h411,
and
fecure him
of
happy fuccefs wirli much
fAcility
arrd
1hotidur,
and that
he·
doob
e
rn~t(,
but o ring
1
over the whole party' to llis
flde
and iOteteft, being '
cm~
t~lr
d
·isfied
with
the proceedings
of
Alvarado
their
Captain!~
Upon
fe
dvices
Iiiegd
de
Almagrd,
in
the~ (pace
of
fifreeri'Dar.s,
fitted
'anti
prQvided
h
lf
with
aH
matters neceffary for
this
Enterprlfe,
and aeparted from
Couo
in
foarch
o(
Alon{o
de-
A!Vttrader;
anti in
his-
way he took
AlV1rre~
Holguin,
who .
was fent out upon a party
to
make difcovery, and learn fomething of toe procee–
dings of
Afmagro,
but
vvas
betrayed by his own Men, who had been fuborned and
infl:rueted by
Pedro de
Lerma
;
as
alfo the greatefl: number of thofe who remained
. were engaged in the Confpiracy. So foon as
Alonfo de A!varAdo
was infonned chat
A!vare:<::. Ho'fguin
was taken, he fufpeeted
Pedro de
Lermar
and would have
feized
him ; for, as
Gomara
faith, he had uttered fome fufpicious words, as that he was of
Burgo.r,
and was well acquainted with the humour of
Alvarado;
but
Pedro
de
Lerma
being
advifed of the fecret intentions of
Alvarado
towards him, e[caped away with
feveral friend , in a kind-of
p@R-mam1e:..; fm-futfi-wa the-affeetion-and-imereft
he bad
\i\
ith the Souldiery, that had he had onely four Days time to have worked
his defignc::, he had carried the \ hole Army with him : And now ro accornpli(h
his Plot,
he
counfelled
Almagro
to make all fpeed and hafle poffible,
for
that his
-
Vietory confiO:ed
in
expedition ; of
v
hich he might
be
well alfured, for that he
had already fecured the Affeetion of the people
rm
'ards him
:
And as to the
Rules which were
to
be obferved in the management of this affair, he directed
him
the manner how, the rime when, and the place where he was to a!fault him;
the time was to be
at Night,
when Darknefs covers the
guilt
of Traytours ;
and
he in Perfon was their guide to the Bridge, where many of
the-
Confpirarours
were
attending
·n
expectation of hetn;
-and
the
Horfe were ordered to pafs
the
River, \vhich was not
fo
deep,
but
chat they might
foard or
wade
it
over with·
out danger.
Having