4000003871

.BooK

VIL

Royal

Commentaries.

Iníl:ru~ ions they had received; And beirig come to the

City

H JtJnanca,

they

were 1~forn1ed thac

Hern~ndez..

was gone to

Rtmuc

by way of che plains ; and

accordrng to . that In~ell!gence they foll owed him, and after

few days

March, ~hey were ad~1fed th;;it h~ was quartered abouc fi fceen Leagues

from

them, "'.!th

300

S?uld1:rs, of wh1ch

150

were Mufqueteers.

The Captains,

not affnghted w,1th 111s numbers, continued their purfuit afcer him, anct

the next day

they were rold by

the

lndians,

chat

they were on!y.

200,

and

daily the report of their numbe'rs deéreafed, until chey were

faid

be np more_ than one hundrcd.

This variety of reports given by che

Ind,ans

concernmg the number of the Enemy, J1ad fomething of truth

and íoundation in it ; for

Hernandez..

being fled, his Souldiers difperfed them~

felves by twenty and thirty in a Company, and at length came to rneet

together, and forma body of abouc

200

meo, mofl: of which had belonged

the Mai:;fhal, but afcerwards taking affeél:ion to

Hernandez..,

they follow-

ed his Fortune.

•

Bue in regard they were men running away, and polfelfed with ·afear of E–

nemies purfuing afcer them, they were forced to hide th.e,mfelves in

oods,and

Caves, w~ting ali things necelfary for their convenience and fupport;.

that when the King's Forces approached near to them, they woce not above

ofle hundred in all: For the

Indians

in the firft reporc they gave of thern;

accounte~ them to be more than they really were,

in the fecond relation

they reckned chofe whom t¡ey found wandring on the way, and in the laft,

thofe who were met and

joym:d in a Body.

So we may believe that if

Hernandez..

had not forfaken .and abandoned his Souldiers, he might

füll

have .

conferved himfelf and ·chem, for it would have been very difficult to have

taken, or defl:toyed them. The Captains bei[lg now abont three Leagues diftant

from the

fa1emy,

difpatched away a

Spaniard,

who was very diligenc and

nimble,

together with an

lndian

for his Guide, to view the Enemy

and

bring certain intelligence of their ftrength. The Spy having taken an exaél:

furvey of their numbers, wrote a Letter advifmg that they might be

80,

aud no more. Hereupon the Captains haftened their March ali they were

able, until they carne within fight of eacñ other, with Drums beating, and

Colours flying, and attended with about eighty

Indiam,

wham ·the

Curacas

had

fent

for Service of the

Sp~ni11rds..

The Rebels having difcovered

the

Enemy coming upon them, and fea red to be furprized, and furrounded

the

Horfe who we~e forty

all, took up to the Mountain, and fheltered them–

felves under fome Rocks, which ferved them for a Parapet or Forcification;

The Captains nocwithftanding refolved to attack them in their ftrong holds,

trufting· to a Band of

200

Indfans

ill armed, who volantarily and of their

own

accord were.come in to them, with intent to deíl:roy the Rebe.lsor

A11cas

as they called them, who were the Peff and .trouble of the Country. The

Captains being now within Mufquet-fhoe of the Ene01y, four or five of them,i

amongft whicb an Enfign to

Hernandez.

was one, carne to them, and iníl:antly

defired n~t to tire upon them· ; for that without force, or the death of any

man, phey intended to yield themfelves Prifoners

and upon thefe terms they

ftood; when about tenor twelve more carne in and fubmitted,tho' the

lndians

ali

che time pelted them with Stones,until the Captains commanded them to defift :

After

whichall .the Souldiers of

Hernandez..

carne in, and furrendred themfelves,

'leaving hi(Il with

friends only, namely with his Son-in-Law

de Almaraz..

anda

G~ntleman of the Country ?f

Eft_remad1tra,

called

Gomez.. Suarez. de Fi-t.ueroa.

Francifco Hernandez..,

findmg h1mfelf thus ab/lndoned ¡rnq forfaken oy all h1s

Soúldiers; carne forth with intent to be either killed or taken, as the Enerny

íhould think fit ; which when the Captains

faw,

they approached near the

Rock, and with ali their Men furrounded

take hirn Prifoner ;

the

firfl:

that came near him were three noble Perfons,

narneiy

Stephen,

Syt–

veffre,¡ Gomez.. Arias de Avila,

and

Hernando Pantoxa:

The latter of which

taking hold of

H ernandez..

by the Helmet, and he defeading himfelf with his

Sword,

Gomez.. AriaJ

clapt his hand on the hile, commandi,ng him to deliver

üp his ArlJls, which

H ernandez.

refuling to do, and íl:ill !l:riving,

Syiveftre

thruíl:

the point of his Lance to his Breaft, telling him, that unlefs he did as

Gomez..

Arias

bid him, he would immediately kill him.

H,ereupon

Hernandc-z.,

reGgned

his

Sword to

Gomez. Arias,

and having; fet him

Hh hhh h

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