765 / 1060
•I
Rtryal
Commentarietp
CH AP.
XXXVI.
Of
a
brave
Strategenze
~f
War
whic!J
Diego Centeno
per–
.
fon11ed
againfl
Franc1fco
Carvajal.
Several other
Suc–
c,e/fes
and
Pa/fages are
related.,
untilJ, the end of that
pur
Jitte.
/
~TT
E have formerly
mention~d
in
what manner
F~ancifco
de
Car7..1ajal
p~rfu~d
·v·V
D iego Centeno,
without loimg
on~
moment of time; and
~eep1ng
hlm
m
continual Allarums , he ever marched with a Squadron of Foot
l
m a pofiure to
fight ; and following them jufl:
at
the heels> he daily fell
in
wicn their Baggage ,
or fome ocher part of
Centeno's
Forces.
In
this hot purfute, it happened one
day,
that they were
to
pafs a deep hole or valley between two hills (
as
is ufual in cqat
Councrey) the defcent whereunto was about a League
to
the bottom,
where was
a fmall
fiream of
W
acer, and the rifing again about che fame difrance ;
and
yet
from the top of
one
Hill
to che other, it
was
·not farther
than a
Mufquet-ilioc;
Francifco
de Carva1al
being well acquainted with this place ,
was
confident that he
fhould here
take
his Enemy in
a
Trap; believing that whilfr
Centeno
was
defceo–
ding
to the bottom, he {hould be able to
gain
the Top of the
tlill,
and poffefs
himfelf of that advantageous place; from whence he might much annoy
him and
his
men;
for
they afcending the
Hill ,
and he remaining on the top
with
fl:eddy–
footing and rell:s for their Arms, they could fcare mifs doing fome execution
with
every !hot. And
as
Carvajal
and his Souldiers contrived
this
defign , and were
confident of
the
fuccefs of it;
fo
Centeno
was
no
lelS
carefull to prevent the mif–
chief and fecure his men in the pa!fage, being well advertifed of the
danger
they
were to pafs: in order whereunto, about a League before he came to che bot·
tom, where the ll:ream of Water ran, he affembled his chief Commanders ,
and
told them that they were now to pafs a moft dangerous place; for whilft we are
mounting the
Hill
on the other
fide )
the Enemy
will
poffefs themfelves of the
eminency on this
pare,
from whence they may with much advantage
fire
upon
us ,
fo
as
fcarce
a
fbot can
mifs
of doing execution. To prevent which,
I
would
propofe, as the onely means of fecu rity to us , that fix of you , who are the bell:
mounted, !hould fecretly retire behind this Mountain, on the right-hand; and
that when
Ctirvtqal
and his Van-guard are pafl:, chat then you fally forth and
fall
upon the
Rere ; killing all
the
Neg roes, Jndian1,
Spaniard.r,
Horfes, Mules, and
what elfe
i
in your way,
making
what noi[e and out-cry that is poffible ,
fo
that
Caroapt!,
being allarum,d there\\'ith , a Diverfion
may
be made, and
Carva–
jal
may be forced
to
return back to fuccour
his
own People , and
in
the mean
rime we may
make
our efcape over
this
dangerous paffage. To perform this ex–
ploit
he
nominated
fix
perfons, to avoid
all
contention amongfi them,
for
every
one out ofgallantry, was forn ard and ready to offer himfelf; there beiQg fifteen
or fixteen whom he
had
called
to
this conference. Accordingly
Diego Centeno
mar–
ched forward , charging
his
people co make
all
the hafie they were able
whilfl:
he brought up the Rere. The fix Cavaliers alfo turned off to the
fid~
of the
739
Mountain,
here they remained concealed , untill
C11rvajal
with
the Van
( which
confiO:ed of
his
befl: and feleet Souldiers)
was
pafi , and then they
falli~
•
ed forth, and with great
fu ry
fell in upon the Rere; killing wirh ;:heir Lances
all the
lndi*'1s,
Negro·.r, Spani(irds,
Hor le , Mules, and whacfoever fiood in their
way ; {(
that
an out-cry
~·as
made
fo r
he]p and fuccour.
Carvajal
though
he
heard the. nc:ife, )
7
et he fii ll kept on his
_march,
judging
chat
the allarum was falfe ;
and .chat
1f
It
i
1.
uld
pro
~
fo , upon
h1
return he fbould
lo[e
the opportunity of
a
V
iet~ry
..
which
he
bel ~eved
t .
be now fecure and
in
his
own power ;
in
the
mean mne the
h~
Cavah_er earned
a~l
before them ; and amongll: the rell: over.
threw
.a
M~
e
wh1
h . carried fome qumtals of powder , to
which
they
gave fire ,
a~d
blew 1t
up ,
_v:lud1
m de Cuch a terrible
noife
that
the W oods and Moun–
tains re[ounded
with
the Echo ; and that
was
fufficient
to
convince
Carvajal,
that
the allarum was
not
falfe ; and
thereupon he gave order
co his
Souldie
s
to
face
B
b
b b b
2
about