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Royai
Commentaries.
·Boo°K V.
. By rneans of che greac diligence whicb was ufed half che Army was paífed over
by rnidnighc: The firft thac were over, pucting themfelves inco che beft arder
they could, began to clirn_b che Mouncain, bejng defirous to poífe'5 themfelves of
che tóp befare che Enern1es were come ( which was -che greaceíl danger chey fea~
m;J)
for having feifed chat Pafs, they mighc fecure che way, and facilitare che
afcent of che whole Army. ~ho_fe in- che ,Van having gotten half way
1
up che
Mountain, a falfe alarm was g1ven, no man knows how nor from whence, which
caufed foch a'general confternacion and confufion, chat many of chofe w.h0 weFe
notas yec paífed over, both Horfe and Fooc ran away as if chey had been pUrfued;
and
fo
general was che affrighcrnenc and ,cerrour, chac che Captains
Porcel
and
Par–
daúe,
and
Gabriel Roj'M
Capcain of the Ordnance, and,divers orher Sonldiers of
,note, who weFe in che Rere Guards and in che rnai'n Body, feeing with whar coo–
fufion and diforder rhe Souldiers were puc inca füghr, faid one
to
anorher, if this
alarm be crue we fhall all be loft and defeated chis nighr. Bue as good fortune
would have ir, che alarm proving
faHe,
the dillurbance and noife was quieced, and
chofe chaefled rallied again, and every one rnade che beft of his way chac he could.
.Thofe who were in che Van, and were che firíl to climb che Mountain, were
Jikewife füuck wich che farne terrour, and ran away wich cbeir Arrns: bue che
alarm appearing to be falfe, chey proceeded on their w:iy, and came
to
che Foun–
tain befare break of day; which was the place where
rohn
de
Acofta
was to have
lain in wait for chern, had he obferved tire Orders of
Francifco
de
Carvaj11!,
in per–
formance of which che whole forcune and fuccefs of chac day depended. Thofe
who carne to che Founcain, having quenched cheir chiríl wich chofe pleafant Wa–
ters, proceeded on their way, and having goc
tO
the cqp of che Mouorain, chey
puc themfelves inca a Body; bue chey were fo few, ano chofe withouc any Com–
rnander, thac fifry men mighc eafily have defeated chem
~
howfoever in a fhorc
time after cheir numbers increafed, for che General
Pedro de Hinojofa,
and the Go–
vernour
Pedro de Valdivia,
who had paífed che Bridge, and rernained ac che fooc of
che· Mouncain, animaced che Men, and encouraged rhern to make good cheir
afcenc: The ocher half of che Army, being affiighced with che lace alarm, did noc
pafs
the
Bridge wich cheir Ordnance uotill nine a Clock in che morning; which
having done, chey m:irched :ifter cheir cornpanions wich all diligence imaginable;
and here we will leave chem
to
fee whac was become of
rohn
de
Acofta,
who was
deparced from
Coz:.co
co
hinder che Enerny from paffing che River.
This Captain having received his Infüuél:ions and Difparches from che Lieure–
nanc-General, deparced from che Cicy wich cwo hundred Mufqueciers mounced on
Horfe-back, and chircyLances, all choice men ; and having marched che firíl: four
leagues, he chere íl:aid and lodged all night, contrary to che orders and díred:ions
which had been given him; and
fo
negligenc and carelefs he feemed
to
be,
chac
cwo of his Souldiers took an opporcunicy to leave him, and give advice mlto che
Enemy of his coming
:
The next morning abouc feven a Clock he began his
march again, and thac day anocher of his Souldiers ran away, called
rohn
Nunne"'
de Prado
a Native of
Badajoz:.,
who gave incelligence of che diílance, che Enerny
was from chem, and of che Orders given by
Carvajal,
which were
fo
exaél: and re~
guiar thac every thing was meafured by hiours and leagues; which gave che Prefi–
denc and his Caprains forne choughcs and apprehenfion of rnatcers which were
to fucceed : far when chey underílood, rhat an alarm was ta be given ac fuch an
hour in che night, cbey were excremely fearfull leíl it fhould caufe fome greac dif–
order; far if che lace falfe alarm had puc rhem inco che confufion befare rnencio–
ned, whac could chey imagine would be che effeéts of a true alarm, caufed by a
furprife in che night
?
bue by the negligence and unaél:ive fpiric of
'!ohn
de
Acofta
none of chefe maccers were puc in aél:ion, bue ali che rnethods and rules failed ;
which was objeél:ed to
Gonfalo Piyarro
as a failure in his conduél:, as
Auguftine Ca–
rate,
Book che fevench Chapter the fourth, intimares, where fpeaking of che Squa–
dron wbich che PreGdent formed of
lndians
and
Neg;roes,
he adds farther,
That when
rohn
de
Acofta
fenc bis Spyes to furvey the number of che Enerny's
Camp, and receiving a repare thac tbey were very numerous, he duríl not engage
with them, bue returned again for a greacer force; by whith over-fighc and de–
faulc the Prefident gained time
to
finin1 his Bridge, and cranfport his Souldiers.
And here ic is chat
Pifarrº
was rnuch blamed for hi,s conduél:, for had he placed
onely a hundred men ar each of rhefe Paífes, ir had been impollible far che Enemy
to have made good cheir way over che Water: wich which faying
Carare
ends chat
Chapcer.