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BooK
V.
Royal
Commentaries.
to rime he had advices of whatfoever was aeted
in
the Enemies Camp:
In
the
time ofWar,
Indian,;
were not perfons to keep a Secret, for they ferved for Spies
on
both fides; becaufe being d6ubtfull to which the Vietory wou)d incline, chey
endeavoured to gratifie both parties ; that
fo
the Conquerour might not return
them
ill
for the good Offices they had done
him.
And though we have
in ano–
ther place touched on the Treachery of the
Jntlian1
in
this particular, yet here more
efpecially we are concerned agaih to repeat
ir,
becaufe the Secret which the Prefi–
dent on this occafion committed as well
to
the
Indians
as to the
Spaniards
was
( according co the opinion of
HH~orians)
of high concernment. And though
Gonfalo Pifarro
receiv_ed certain
intelligenc~
that the
~refident
was marching
to–
ward him, and was ignorant of none of his proceedmgs, yet he thought not
fit
too
Lhuet
him in his march or -defend the difficult pa{fes (of which there were
very many) but onely
co
keep his own ground, and expett the coming of
G11fca;
for havmg been flufhed with many ViCl:ories , he did not doubt of the confiant
fuccefs of fortune. On the other fide
Francifco
de
Carvajal,
who day and night ap–
plied
hi
thoughts to military Affairs, that he might promote
Pifarro
to the
Go–
vernment of that Empire, obferving
in him a
firange negligence of
his
Affairs,
and without other Counfel than onely co give the Enemy battel ; he went to
him, and defired his confideration of Come matters which he had to
impart
to
him.
Sir, faid he, confidering the late Succeffes , and the prefent fiate of your
Affi
irs, and the dubious fortune ofWar,
I
would not advife you
to
hazard your
whole fiake on the uncertainties of a Barrel, but rather endeavour to avoid figh–
ting,
and prolong the War untill fuch time as
fame
happy conjuncture happens to
fecure your Affairs. To which end
I
will
lay before you wha
ay be faid concer–
ning the frate of both Armies, that
fo
I
may acquit my felf in al points relating
unto your felf, and to that caufe
in
which we are
fo
deeply engaged.
Now, Sir,
in
order to obtain viCl:ory over your Enemies,
it
is in the
firfi:
place neceffary
for
you to abandon
this
City and leave it wholly difpeopled ; the
Mills
rnuft be broken down, all Provifions taken away, the Inhabitants forced to
take refuge in other places, and all their Goods, and what
elfe
is not portable or to
be
carried with them , confumed and burnt ; fo that there may remain nothing
which may be of ufe and relief for
the
Enemy.
There
are two thoufand
men
marching againfi u , half
of
which are Seamen and a
fort
of raw Souldiers who
are
almoft naked, without Hofe
or
Shoes
to
their eet, and half fiarved; and Jive
onely in hope of coc
ing
to this City, where they may fatisfie their hunger, and
be
clothed:
in
which
hen they
fhall
find themfelves difappointed, and nothing
but
mifery and defolation, they
will
be totally difcouraged, and the Prefident
will
be
forced
to
disband them,
having
no poffibility
to
fupport and fullain them.
In
the next place
I
would have
all
Centeno,s
Souldiers difmifr; for knowing
themfelves
to
be a conquered people, they can never be good friends
:
You have
at leafi five hundred men, \l\·ho fince the Battel of
Huarina
are come in to you, to
partake of the
b~efits
of your Vietory, all' hich are choice men, who will ne–
ver leave you, or forfake their Colours
in
the greatell: extremities.
I
would I1ave
two
parties of Mafquetiers, of
fifcy
men each, detached from the main Body,
and fem co the rigfir-hand
of
the wly , and to the
left;
with orders to march
twenty or thirty leagues difrant from the Army, and to feize all Cattle and other
Provifions they can meet ; and bring them
to
us, and
what
cannot
be
carried with
them, to burn and defhoy, that nothing thereof may remain for fubfifience
of
the Enemy.
In
chis manner your Camp
will
be fupplied and fed with Kids and
Sheep and other ProviGons of the Countrey., and with whatfoever the frelli
Pro–
vinc~s,
through which we are
to
pafs, do afford : whilfr the Enemy purfuing
us with two thoufand men, half of which are ufelefs, will find themfelves in great
wants and necefliries; and then the other half, which are Souldiers and men ex–
perienced in War,
will
be fiarved
for
want of Provifions, which they muft be
fo~ced
to
fet~h
from parts above a hundred league dill:ant from them; for all the
Vietuals which
the
Countreys afforded through which they paffed are already con–
fumed , and they muft daily leave thofe pares
at
a farther difl:ance in cafe
rbey
purfoe after us.
But indeed Cuch·a purfuit with a thoufand men will be almoft impoffible , fo
that they muft be confirained to divide their Forces into two bodies , againfi any
o~e
_of which
~ngly yo~
men will have the advantage. And in cafe you fhall be
w
ill11;1g
to decline fightmg , you
may
march from one Pro ince to another , and
M
rn m m m
z
protratt