857 / 1070
BooK
V.
Royal CommenÚrics.-:
bue lofr tfue lives of all thofe who belonged to their Party, as we fhall fee here- ·
afcer.
To perform this aétion
two
hundred choice Souldiers were detached and moun.:
ted on Horfe-back, and with chem thircy Lances ; and to march wich che lefs in–
cumbrance, chey were to carry no Baggage bue fuch as was neceífary for che Men,
and Horfes, and Mules. And as to che faying of
Car-paja!,
that he íhouldmake
bis
Be9
with four Quilt? and a pair of Holland Sheets, and that .the Mufquets
íhould be charged wich Powder onely and wichouc Shor, his mdning was, chat
he fhould make all haíle poffible, and that onely by giving che Enemy a true al–
arm, without farther aétion they·fhould ov.ercorne and defeat,them. And as
to
-bis faying, chac chough ali che Devils in Hell íhould help chem,
&c.
it
was tG ex–
¡;refs che diligenc~ and expedition che Enemy would ufe in framing che Bridge ;
che which was che ufual form and rnanner.which chis great Captain uied in ex-
preffing bis mind.
·
CH A P.
XXXII.
The
Prefident comes to
the
Rfv1er of
Apurimac.
The diffi–
culties and clangers
t_hey
find in the pa/[age.
J
ohn de
Acoíl:a
defends the Pafs.
The- little care and ill Con–
duéi he fhewed in a!J thi-5
1
aéiion.
¡
N
Otwithíl:anding all che haíl:e and _ diligence the Prefident and his Captains
could mak
they could not reach che Bridge chat night, bue were forced co
ftop cwo leagues íhort, by reafon chat it·was dark; but fo foon as che Moon arofe
they began their Journey again, being forced to walk a greac parethere0f 011,foor,
by reafon of che ruggednefs of che way. About eighc a Clock in che mottüng
they arrived ac che Bridge, and with ali che diligence they could ufe they could
not lay che firíl: Stranhe before noon. The fecond was fitced and laid about
fe–
ven aClock in che evening, over which chey caíl: boughs and thin boards faíl:ned
togechet with fplic Canes. Abouc ten a Clock at night che firfr Ranks began to
pafs ; and fome few Souldiers were ferried over in a float hewed out of a piece of
Wood which they call
Maguey,
which-is very light, and fomething like chofe
Goards
or
CalabayM
which grow in chofe €oancries, and may be as thick as aman's
Leg:
thefe Boats are drawn wich Cords from one fide of the River
to
che other.
The Horfes fwam over with great danger ofbeing drowned; for on che fides of
che
River tbere being no place made for thern
to
emer in gencly, chey forced and
plunged chem
in
from che fide of the Bank, where che íl:ream was
fo
rapid chac it
carried.thern clown and caíl: them againíl: che Rocks, where, meeting wirh whirle–
pools, they were. curned quite round, and therein ( as
Car11te
reports, Book che
fecond Chapeer che fifth) above fixcy Horfe were drowned, and many others
were lamed. And though chat Countrey was nota place'for Horfes to fight in
by reafon ofche Rocks and mountainous ways, yet they haíl:ned over wich ali di–
ligence poffible, leíl: che Enemy fhould furprife them before chey had finifhed their
paífage. And indeed tfaere was good ground to apprehend che coming of the
Enemy, for che paffitge was very dangerous in the time ofWar,
which-Carvajal
fo
well knew that he.defired no other advancage over che Enemy chan rhat. And
indeed the difficulries of chac River are fuch , and che Mountains on each fide are,
fo
rocky and high, that chey are at leaíl: two leagaes perpendicular in height, che
which I can atteft, having feen thern my felf. And cherefore it was nocwithout
reafon tbat
Carvajal
demanded this employrnent for himfelf, and whe,n he was
denied, that he cornplaimed of his hard for_rune ; being well aífored, .in cafe rhey
would have intruíl:ed tbe management of this aéHon unto him, to have recurned
with Viétory; for he knew and was acquainted with the difficuky of che paJfage
at
Cotapampa-.
By