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Royal .
Commentaries.
Boo«VII.
When the Council was rifen, feveral of che Inhabitants of
Co'<.co
and of che
charcM,
being men of Eíl:aces,
to
the number of about chiny, recurned again to
rhe Marfhal, amongíl: which Viere
LorenfO de_ A!dana, rohn de Saavedra, Diego Mal–
donado Gomei:, A/varado, Pero Hernandez., Pama1,ua, Polo
the Lawyer,
rohn
Ortú
de
Carat:, A!onfo de
Loayfa,
7ohn de Sa!M
the Agitane,
Martín de Menefes, García de
Me!o, rohn de Berri~; Anton Ruyz., de Guevara, Gonfalo de _Soto, Diego de Tru:r:illo
ail
of
rhem Adventurers m the conquet1 of
Peru
;
who takmg rhe Maríhal afide, did
earneílly enrreat hirn
to
rerraét his derermination concerning rhe Battel ; that ha
would confider of rhe fttuation ofthe place wherein che enemy was poíl:ed, which
was very íl:rong; and rhat bis own was equal
to
it, and as advamageouíly feared
as rheirs: rhat he íhould obíerve and remember w!1ar
Rodrigo de Pineda
aífured him
of che fcarciry and want of all Provifions in the Camp of
Hernandez.,,
by reaíon of
which they would be forced to quit rheir quarters diere in the [pace of three days;
that he íhould expeét untill che end of thar time and fee che iílue, after which he
might coníider farther, and take fuch meafures as íhould rhen feem moíl: advama–
geous and convenient : and _in the mean tim_e che enemy remained there before
chem, and could not cake a fltght rhrough rhe a1r, but on che land onely ; on which
they mighr be intercepted and obílruéted in cheir_paífage by orders and iníl:ruéH–
ons [ene to the
Jndianr,
whenas on the comrary, 1c could not bue prove deíl:ruc-
.tive
to
attack che Enemy in fo difficult a íl:ation; ic was well known chat che
.event ofWar hath been alw:iys doubcfull ; and rhar
to
play íuch a deíperate game
was
to
deliver up cheir Souldiers
to
ílaughcer, and to íl:and
füll
umill chey were
all killed by che íhoc of che Enemy ; That he íhould coníider the íl:ace of his own
Forces, which were in a much more happy condition chan che Enemy; for they
neither wanted Provifions, nor che attendance of
b:dians,
nor ocher neceífaries to
coníerve them in che Camp. That che onely game chey had now
to
play was to
fiand íl:ill, and that then a Viétory would follow of couríe, wichoue lofs or ha–
zard of his men ; and that ic was not good
to
advemure, wichout fome cogenc rea–
fons, the lofs of what they had already gained. Th~ Maríhal, not reflefüng, or
· calliog co mind, chat on rhe fame River a Batee! of che nature of chis was
loíl: (as before related) anfwered with fome choler, that he had well confidered
ali cheíe particulars; but rhat it correlponded noc wich his duey, nor was ic reafo–
nable or íutable to cheir reput:ition,
to
íuffer fuch a company of pirifull Rebels to
march away wirh fuch boldnefs and iníolence, and every night
to
alarm him in
his Camp; which not being able
to
fupport any longer, he was reíolved to fight
them that very day, not doubring bue that before Sun-fetting, he íhould kili aad
cut in pieces three hundred of cheir rnen : wherefore he conjured chem to ralk no
more of dec!ining rhe Battel, but thar every one íhould repair ro his charge and
command, and acquic himíelf of his duey, upon penalty of being proceeded
againt1 as Traicours and di fobedient to che comrnand oftheir General.
There was now no farcher place for Aníwers and Replies, che Die was caíl: and
che reíolueion fixed, which cauíed many of che principal men to départ wich a
heavy heart, ar.q ro dilcouríe amongíl: rhemíelves, rhat the Maríhal was prodigal
of the lives of his Souldiers ; for if he looked upon chem as his Friends, his Kin–
dred, or Sons, he would not expele chem in that manner to be deílroyed and
ílaughtered by che Enemy. Bue "'·hat could be faid more, it was cheir misfortune
and unhappinefs
to
be fubjeéted to che command of a paílionate and an inflexible
General, who would not be períuaded
to
accept of a Viétory which was offered
to him, bue racher yield it
to
his Enemy at ché expence of their lives and fortunes:
this and n:mch more was expreífed, hmencing their condicion, and prefaging as
it were that ruine which eníued wirhin che
f
paée of ftx hours afrerwards. Thus
in deípair, che Captains, and moíl: confiderate of che Souldiers, prepared them–
felves: chough there were fome, who taking cheir meaíures from che numbers,
and looking upon chemíelves as rwelve hundred to four hundred or chree hundred
and fifty, were
fo
certain of fucceís as if che Enemy had been already in cheir
hands: bue theíe did not confider che difficulties of the way ; or rhat they had a
deep and rapid River to país, nor che curnings and windings, and narrow paf–
fages before chey could come ac the Enemy, whereby rheir Horíe would become
uíelefs ; and chat nothing bue cheir Fire-arms could íerve, of which che Rebels
were well provided, and their Souldiers fuch excellem Marks-men that chey could
kill a final! Bird "'tich a fingle Bullet; amongíl: which rhere were fome ofmongrel
" race, becween
Spaniards
and
Indian,,
and parcicularly one called
Granado
of ché
Countrey