4000003870

·'

Royal Commentaries.

BOOK

VII.

CH AP..

~CXVII.

Francifco Hernandez

proceeds forth to Battel

~i/fe;

his .. defign,

and

retreats

back agai11; to

his

Ce1mp..

Tho–

mas Vazquez

revolts over to

the

King's Party.

Hernan–

the Rebel declares a PredifJion which was made con–

cer'fiing hinzfelf

H E

ti~e

being

com~,

that the

Reb~lcalculated

be the

~ufpicious

hour,

he falhed out of his Fortrefs, w1tb

800

Foot, of which (as

Palentino

fays)

600

were Mufqueteers; and the reft Pike-men; his Horfe were few and

not exceeding th.

in all: His Neger Sou'ldiers,

black Guard,

the

number of

250.,

another way, joining about feventy Spaniards with

them, to l ad them on,

and

govern

and dirett

them

what

they

had to do:

But in thefe they repofed no great Confidence, intending them only to divert

and arnufe the Enemy, who in the Night could not diftinguifu the

differenc~

of one from the other. The Orders were., that thefe Negers lbould aifail the

ufrices in the Front,

a'nd

Hernandez..

the Rear;

and

this

mann"tr

they

filently marched towards

his

Majefties Camp, with their Matches and

Lights

covered.

like manner the King's Squadrons were all drawn up

pofrure of

battel, and remained

quietly,

and without noife with their•Fires covered. Tho

black Guar.d came firft to the Intrebchment before

Hernandez..,

where finding

no refiftance,

they

entred

in,

and killed

.all

the Indians, Horfes, and

Mules~

which they found there, together with five

fix Spani(b Souldiers,

who

ouE

of Cowardife had

left

the Army, and hid themfelves within the Intrenchmenr.

H ernandez.

coming afterwards, fired a whole Volly of fuot into the

ortifica–

tion,

without

receiving any return from thence; but

finding that

the King's

Party

fired all their Mufquets upon them, witb their whole Train of Artillery,

from another place ; they wei:e mttch amazed.,

regard that contrary to

their expectation., the Enemy had quitted their Intrenchments,

and

drawn up in

open

Field:

Howfoever o

great hurt was

done on

either fide, for

the

Night

b ing very dark, every one fuot at random, and without

any

aim. Had thefe

VoUies of above

1300

lhot paffed

day., and fo near each to other.,

had

been impoffible,

but

that

the

Fields fuould have been covered

with

the Bodies of

the

llaio.

The Rebel perceiving that he was difappointed of his defign, gave

himfelf over for

loft,

aod fo retreated back to his Fortification in the ·beft

order that he could. Howfoever he coukl not retire in fuch manner, but that

100

q f

bis men forfook bicn., who formely belonged to the Marllial, and who now

making ufe of this occafion to e'fcape., threw· down their Arms, and revolted

to the Juftices..

the

mean

time, the

~ing's

Forces would have purfued the Ene–

i n their flight, but were countermanded

their Genera), and other Offi–

cers; who ordered that no

man

lhould ftir out of his Rank, but lhould keep

his

g round; the which Rule was happily bferved; for a Party of Horfe

per–

c.ei

ving that the Enemy intended not to fi ght, fallied out upon them to ob–

ftru

t hei r

retreat; in

which Action

a Cornet of Horfe was

killed,

and

three

., iti z

ns of

Cou o

\.Vere

wounded, namely

Djego de Stlva, Antonio

Ruyz..

G11e–

~·,'!1·&t,

and

Diego Maldonado

the

ich; the Wound of this laft was never cured

to t he day of his death;

whi ch

happened to be elev..: n or twelve years after–

wards ;

for

was alway kept open

the advice of Chyrurgeons, and

Phyfi–

ians, who

were

of op inion that the nature of the Wound was

fucb~

that

would prove rnortal, in

cafe

were do[ed up and healed.

th is

refiftanc6

whi ch t he

Rebels

made., t hey

made good

cheir

ret eat, and

n~turned

their

rong

Ho ld ,

and gr at:e r had the fla ughter been, had

they

been intercepted in

~1eil'

affage t hither .

A nd

now

H ernandez..

having not much reafon to boaft of

fuccefs.,

abated grea t ly of his

pr~de

and baughtinefs,

wht:n he

found

that

his