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BooK
IV.
R'!)'al
-Commentariei.
_
]39
CH A P.
XXXVI.
Of
a
brave Strategeme
of
War which
Diego Céntend
per~
formed againft
Francifco Carvajal.
Severa! other Suc–
ce/fes
and P
a/fages are related, untill the e11d
of
that pur~
fttte.
W
E ·have formerly_mentióned in what manner
F~ancifco de Carvajal
p~rfu~d
DiegoCenteno,
w1thouc lofing one momenc of ume; and keep1t1g h1m m
<::ontinual Allarums , he ever marched with a Squadron of Foot
in a pofiure to
fighc ; and following them jufi ar the heels, he daily fell in wich their Baggage ,
or fome other pare of
Centeno's
Forces.
In this hot purfute, it happened one day,
thac chey were to·pafs a deep hole or valley between two bilis ( as is ufual in that:
Coumrey) the defcenc whereunto was about a League to che bottom, where was
a
fmall füeam of Water, and the rifing again about the fame difiance; and yec
from the top of one Hill
to
the other , ic was not farrher than a Mufquet-íhot ;
Francifeo de Carvajal
being well acquainced with chis place , was ~onfident thac he
fhould here take his Enemy in a Trap ; believing chat whilfi
Centeno
was defcen–
ding to che bottoni, he íhould be able to gain che Top of the Hill, and poífefs
himfelf of char advantageous place ; from whence he might much annoy him and
his men; for they afcending che Hill_, and he remaining on the top with fieddy
footing and refis for their Arms, chey could fcare mifs-doing fome execution with
every íhot. And as
Carvajal
and his Souldiers contrived chis defign , and were
confidenc of che fuccefs of it ; fo
Centeno
was no lefs carefull to prevent che mif–
chief and fecure his meo in che paífage, being well advertifed of che danger they
were to pafs: in order whereunto , abouc a League before he carne to the poc–
tom, where the fiream of Water ran, he aífembled his chief Commanders , and ·
told chem thac they were now to país a mofi darigerous place; for whilfi we are
mounting che Hill on tbe other fide , che Enemy will poífefs themfelves of the
eminency on this pare, from whence they may with much advantage fire upon
us,
fo
as fcarce a !hot can mils of doing execucion. To prevem which, I would
propo[e,
as
che onely means of fecuriry
to
us, that fix ofyou , who are the beíl:
mounted, íhould fecretly retire behind this Mountain , on the right-hand ; and
thac when
Carvajal
and his Van-guard are paíl:, thac then you fally forth and fall
upon che Rere; killing all the
Negroes, Jndians, Spaniards,
Horfes, Mules, and
what el[e is in your way, making what noife and ouc-cry thar is poffible ,
fo
chat
Carvajal,
being allarum'd therewich , a Diverfion may be made, and
Carva–
jal
may be forced
to
recuro back to fuccour his own People , and in the mean
rime we may make our e[cape over chis dangerous paífage. To perform chis ex•
ploit he nominated íix períons,
to
avoid all contention amongfi chem, for every
one out ofgallanfry, was forward and ready
to
offer him[elf; there beiQg fifteen
or {ixteen whom he had called to this conference. Accordingly
Diego Centeno
mar–
ched fórward , charging bis' people co make all che hafie they were able, whilíl:
he broughc up the Rere. The fix Cávaliers alfo turned off to the fide of the
Moumain , where chey remained concealed, umill
Carvajal
with che Van ,
( which confü1ed of his beíl: and feleél: Souldiers) was pafi , and then they
fa\li.
ed forth , and wich great fory fell in upon che Rere; killing with their Lánces
ali che
Jndiam, N egro's, Spaniards,
Hor[es, Mules, and whacfoever fiood in theit
way
~
fo
chat an out-cry was 1mde for help and fuccour.
Carvajal
chough he
heard che noi[e, yet he ílill kepc on hismarch, judging that che allarum was falfe ;
and char if ic fhould prove fo, upon bis return he fhould lofe che oppormnity of
a Viétory, which he be\ieved
to
be now
Cecure
and in his own power ;-
in the .
rnean time che íix Cavaliers carried ali before chem; and amongíl: the refi over~
chrew a Mu\e which carried fome qaintals of powder, to which they gave fire ,
and blew it up, which made foch a terrible
noi[e
rhat che Woods and Moun–
tains reíounded with che Echo; and thar was fufficient ro convince
Carvajal,
chat
che allarum was not falfe ; and chereupon he gave order
to
his S0uldiers
to
face
B b b b b
2.
abour.