851 / 1060
BooK
V.
Royal Commentarie1.
that
Pifarro
having completed the meafure of_ his
ini9uicy
was. blindly carried
t~
receive the punifhment hedeferved. The
w~c~
obfimacy fo_d1fpleafedfeveral of
his lleople, iliac they purpofed to have left hun
1f
poffibly they could : and I can
confidently aver, that after the Batte! of
Sacfahuana,
and when all cbings were
qu~eted ; I have heard fome principal Officers who belonged to
Pifarro
fay, that
if
he had followed the advice and counfel of his Major General, they would never
have left him, but have died with him: for they ell:eemed
Carvajal
as an Oracle,
and entertained fuch an elleem of
his
knowledge and experience in War, that they
doubted not of the fuccefs in all matters where his counfel was followed. But
Pi–
farro
perfifiing in his fatal refolurion,-marched out of
Couo
towatds the latter end
of
March
in the year
1
)48,
and
in
two days came to
SacfahHana,
being greatly hinl.
dred by his Carriages, Artillery and Baggage, for he was well furnifhed with all
provifions for War,
fo
as not to want aoy thing in cafe the Enemy lhould
fray
or linger
in
their coming. And though ( as we have faid )
this
a&ion was con–
trary to the fenfe and opinion of moft men ; yet, finding
Pifar>-o
fixed and
refo~
lute in his determination, none durfi to diffuade or endeavour to alter his mind:
and in regard thefe men evidently faw that he went pofitively to facrifice himfelf
and them to manifeft defiruCl:ion , every man began to provide for his own inte.:
terefi and fafecy; and to abandon
Pifarro
whom they faw plainly offering up him·
felf to death
in
the moft flourifhing ftation of his life, being in the two and fourti–
eth year of hiS age; during which time he had been viCl:orious
in
all the Battels
he fought either againll:
Indians
or
Spaniard.t
,
and had not above fix months be-'
fore obtained
that
famous Vietory at
Huarina,
which_gave him a charaCl:er above
any in this new World : all
w
hith fortunes and fuccefies were changed , and buri:.
ed
in
the Valley of
Sacfahuana.
CH AP.
XX
XIV.
The
two Armies
meet
in
Sacfahuana. Gon<;alo
Pi~arro
fhews a diffidence
of
thofe Souldiers which helonged to
Di–
ego
Centeno ;
and
the expelJatlon
the
Prefident
had,
that
thofe
111en
fhould revolt to hi5 fide.
The Olfers and
Protejlations
which
were 11zade
by
Pi~arro.
The
Anjwer
given
hy
Gafca.
It
is refolved
to
decide the
Difference
by
Batte!.
The Order of the Royal' Army.
G
On;_alo
Pif ar;o
drew up his Army in a certain place of that Valley , having a
River oehmd not very broad, and a craggy Mountain, and both fo met
to–
gether, that the firuation was naturally ll:rong, and covered the Army on all quar–
ters in fuch manner that it could not be attacked
in
the rere nor on either fide .
but on che front onely. This River, towards the Mountain, is fortified with
grea~
Water-galls , caufed by the fueams which fall from above: between which and
the R.iver
PifltrYO
pitched
his
Tents, leaving the Plain oetween the Water-galls and
~ountain
free and open for drawing up die Army. The Prefident ( as we have
fa1d )
making fuort
~arches, a~ive~
in this
V
~lley t~ee
days after
Pifarro;
and
thr~e
days paffed wuh fmall
skimu!hes_
and_ p1queermg between fmall · parties;
which were of
~o
great moment ;
lfy
which nme all the
Imperial
Arniy was come
up.
~he ~m1~
faced one
~he othe~
for two days afcerwards, without engaging;
a~l
which ttme
Pifarro
and his Captams kept a
firiet
eye and watch on their Sonl–
d1~rs,
that none of them fuould run over to the Prefident. And now one would
thmk, that a Comman?er, who vo_luntarily marched to meet his Enemy, fhould
have great confidence m the fidelity of his Souldiers · and not doe as
Pi'farro
who too late
~egan
to diftruft
Centeno>s
men, of
whi~h
there were no lefs
tha~
three hundred mthe Army ; and began to approve the Counfel of
Carvajal,
who
N n n n n
z
perfuaded