740 / 1060
Royal Commentaries.
BooK
IV.
~
ever fince the
Spaniards
entred firft upon the conquell: of that Empire .. and on th
contrary,
~he Sould~ers
of the Vice-king
~ere
all new-raifed men, 'lately
com~
out
of
Spam,
not trained to the
\!\(
ar, poor, ill-habited and armed, and their pow–
der bad, belides other wants
which
were amongft them.
CH AP.
xxv.
The great preparations and provifions made
by
Gon\alo Pi–
~
rro
to pafs a Defart.
He faces the
Vice-~ng'
s Forces
who retreated to
~itu.
The good and prudent Conduft
of
Loren<50
d Aldana.
G
Onpdo
Pifttrro,
being in the Province of
Co/Li'que
and in the pares thereabouts
made all the provifions he could for the fubfifience of his Army;
for
he
wa~
to
travel over
a
hot, dry, fandy Defart of twenty leagues over, where was neither
Water nor any other refrefhment. And becaufe Water was the moll: nece!fary of
any thing in that hot and dry paffage, he furnmoned
in
all the
Indians
of thofe
parts round,
to
bring
all
their Pails, Buckets and Jarrs for Water, and commanded
that rhe
Jndiam
who were appointed for the Carriages of the Army, fhould leave
all
the Souldiers Clothes and other B3ggage behind,
to
carry Water and Provift.
ons
which were neceffary for the fupport of Man and Beafr.
In
this
manner the
Indians
were laden without any other iocumbrance than that ofWater;
and
twen–
ty
five Horfemen
ere fenc before
by
the common Road, who were to give our,
in
cafe they met \; irh the Scouts
of
the Vice-king's
Army,
that
Gonprlo Pifarro
was
corning
in
perfon through the Defart that way, but that the refi: of his
Army
had
taken the ocher ll ciad.
In
this manner they travelled, every Horfeman
carry–
ing
the provifion of his own Horfe behind him. The Vice-king, who had
his
Spies upon both the Roads, received advice of the approach of the Enemy
fome
time before they came; upon which an alarm was given, and it was faid
chat
they
would go out and give chem Bartel: but fo foon as
his
Forces were brought
coge–
ther, they marched our of the City to the fide of a Hill called
Caf{a,
from whence
they hafl:ned away with
all
the [peed they were able;
of
which
Gonptlo Piptrro
re–
ceiving intelligence about four hours after, he made no
fiay
at St.
Michaels,
not
fo much as to enter the Town
or
recruit his Provifions, but without fiop or delay
purfued after
the
Enemy, and that night travelled eight leagues, where overtaking
them he took many Prifoners, feifed
all
the Baggage of the Camp, hanged feveral
whom they rhought
fit ;
and
paffing over rocky and alrnofi unacceffible
ways
without refrefhments, they took Prifoners every day, who for
want
of frrengch
lagged behind.
Then
Letters '"'ere
wrote and fem by
Indians
to feveral perfons of Qpality
in
the
ice-king's Camp, promifing Pardon and great Rewards
to
any
perfon
who
fuould
kill
him ; the ""hich ferved to create jealouGes and fufpkions amongll
thofe who were joyned with the Vice-king, every one being
afraid
of each other;
which fufpicions proved of fatal confequence, and (as we have mentioned before)
were the caufe of many a man's death
5
for the Libels which were call: abroad,
which none would own or jufiifie, ferved howfoever
ro
create jealoufies
ip
rhe
mind of the
Vice~ king,
and made him afraid of his own People, not knowing
whom to
tru!l:
of thofe who were about him. And though it is certain,
thac
neither
Gonfalo Pi fa rro,
as all
Autbours agree, did ever give order
to
kill
the
Vice–
king, or that the Vice-king did plot
in
the
like
nature againll:
Pifarro;
yer
in all
Civil Wars, jealoufies and fears are natural to the minds of men. And thus
Gon–
fafo
Pi~arro havio~
purfued
~he
Vice-king through Mountains, De(arts and
unin–
habirea places wnhout prov1fions or refrdhmenrs
(for
we may believe,
rhac rhe
Vice-king carried
all
away with him) he came
at length
to
a Province called
AJah11aca,
where
he
fiay'd
to
refrefh
his
men, who were much tired and haraffed
wich
their
hard
rnarche
in want
of
all
things neceffary,
fo
that here
they
gave
over