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VII.
Royal
Commentaries.
XVI.
John
de Piedrahita
alar111s
the
Camp of
the
Marjbal
Ro
drigo
de Pineda
conies over to the
King's
Party;
and per–
fuades thenz to give the Ene112y Batte!. The debates there-
upon. The
M a1jhal
refolves
to
engage.
~.
_
S
O foon as it was night
[ohn
J:
Piedrahifa
with a party,o( thirty
.fix
Matquetiers
divided into three Companies alarm d the Marilial s Camp m three feveral
quarters; which was not much regarded
by
them, and onely a few fhot returned
to
il1ew that they were not afieep :
fo
foon as the day began to break
Piedrahit11,
retired without effeding any thing, onely he thereby gave occafion to
Rodrigo
de
Pineda,
a Citizen of
Cozco
and Captain of Horfe, upon pretence and colour of
gi–
ving affifrence co
Piedrahita,
to make his efcape
to
the Marilial; of which
Palen–
tino
gives this account :
So foon, fays he, as
Rodrigo de Pineda
was come to the Mar!hal, he alfured him.;
that many, if not the greateft part of
Hernandez.
his Souldiers would have made
their efcape had it not been for the firiet watch which is always kept, and that
in
the night when he came over, he found the River !hallow and eafie
to
be forded :
upon this advice, the Marfhal prefently called a Council of all the Captains and
men of Intereft and Efiates tnen abiding in the Camp, and, having repeated to
them all that
Pineda
had acquainted him with, he told them plainly, that he was
refolved to fight the enemy, delivering his reafons for the fame: but
fiill many
of
t he Council oppofed this opinionj perfifiing, that it was not fafe co make an at–
tempt on a Fortification with
fo
much difadvantage : when the Marihal
faw
that
he was oppofed by fo many principal perfons, he defired
Pinedtt
to repeat himfelf
before them all what he had before declared, and what was his opinion concerning
the frate of
Herna'!de~
his Camp, and how and in what manner he believed they
would act. Then
Pineda
cold them, that the Forces which
Hernandez,
had, might
amount unto three hundred and eighty men, of which two hundred and twenty
were Mufquetie1s, but all
ill
provided, and moll: of chem inclined to defert him,
and revolt to the Marfhal
j
and that he might have about a thoufand Horfes and
Beall:s of Burthen. And as co what he believed of the
ll:ate
of
Hern11tnde:t:.,
he was
of opinion, that they would march away that night
if
not prevented, being af–
frighted, and forced thereunto for want of provifions: That
in
cafe they did
march away, the purfuit after them, through craggy and mountainous Countries,
would be very difficult and ruinous to the Army, as well as defiru6tive to the
Kingdom : and that the paffage over the River was eafie, and the way open to
make an affaulr. Hereupon the Marfhal declared pofitively his refolution that
day to engage the enemy ; and that he would not fuffer them to efcape out of his
haqds as they had formerly done from the Jufiices ; and prevent them from
do ,
ing any farther mifchief than what they had already committed ; and that
to
fol–
low and purfue after them could not be done without hardfhip, damage and
fuf–
fering of the whole Army: but fame made anfwer and replied hereunto, that
v.
hilfl:
Hernandez,
remained
in
that fall groand,
it
were more fecure to let him
efcape from thence than to attempt him in that
Fortification~
for that
it
was pro–
bable, th3t having abandoned that place, his Forces would disband of themfelves:>
without hazarding the life of one Souldier : but the Marfhal was not fatisfied
with this anf\ver, and faid, that it wa not correfpondenc to his duty, nor futabJe
to the honour of {( many brave Cavaliers and good Souldiers as were there pre–
fent,
to
fuffer thofe R::bels
to
range and wander up and down robbing and
f
poiliag
the Councrey without controll, and therefore he declared himfelf refolved in de–
fpight of all oppofition
to
give the enemy BatteL
l-Ierewith many of the princi–
pal Captains who were prefent at this Confultation in the Marfhal's Tent, wenc
out
from thence much difpleafed and diffatisfied : and particularly
G<nnez.
de Alva–
rado
faid, Come, fince we mull: die, let us go, for I am fore ·c
will
e
my
fortune
o be killed. Thus far are the words
of
P
Blcntino.
· we
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