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 HIS ADVENTURES AND CONQUESTS 
 
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 T. NELSON AND SONS 
 
 Loudon, KdinbHrgk, and Nrw York 
 
 1897 
 
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PRESERVATION 
 COPY ADDED 
 ORIGINAL TO BE 
 RETAINED 
 
 JUN 1 9 1992 
 
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 W^xti-^tz. 
 
 A PREVIOUS volume of the " Heroes of History " series fol- 
 lowed the bold and successful voyage of Yasco da Gama 
 around the Cape of Good Hope, and to the far and then 
 little-known regions of Hindostan. This volume transports 
 the young reader to the Western hemisphere, and describes 
 the travels and conquests of one of the most resolute and 
 adventurous captains that any age has produced. 
 
 Pizarro was heroic in the indomitable energy with which 
 he pursued his end; in the patience with which he bore 
 hardships as terrible as ever man encountered ; in the cour- 
 age with which he assailed an empire containing millions of 
 people, and having a vast and disciplined army, with a mere 
 handful of resolute souls like himself; and in the vigour 
 and genius with which, Peru once subdued, he founded and 
 established the Spanish rule over the conquered nation. 
 
 That he invaded and conquered Peru from motives of 
 ambition and greed of gold is but too true. It is probable 
 that higher motives than these seldom entered his mind. 
 Like all, or nearly all, the great captains of his time, he did 
 not hesitate to carry wide-spread havoc among a peaceful 
 
 iw317461 
 
iv PREFACE, 
 
 race, to lay desolate a thriving land, to usurp a power to 
 which he had not the shadow of a right, and to use means 
 in achieving his purpose which were often barbarously cruel. 
 It was then the custom of nations to make conquests and 
 to assail unoffending nations for the sake of dominion and 
 riches. 
 
 By Pizarro's conquest Spain acquired a splendid empire 
 and gained a footing in South America by means of which 
 she gradually extended her power over large portions of 
 that continent ; and thus Pizarro may at least be credited 
 with having laid there the foundations of a higher and more 
 permanent civilization than that which he replaced. 
 
<Sr n t e n 1 6. 
 
 I. THE RUNAWAYS, 
 
 II. PIZARRO A SOLDIER, 
 
 III. PIZARRO IN THE NEW WORLD, 
 
 IV. THE GOLDEN LAND, 
 V. PIZARRO'S DEPARTURE, ... 
 
 VI. PIZARRO'S SECOND VENTURE, 
 
 VII. ON THE BORDERS OF PERU, 
 
 VIII. PIZARRO IN SPAIN, 
 
 IX. THE THIRD EXPEDITION, 
 
 X. PIZARRO INVADES PERU, 
 
 XI. THE INCA's court AND CAMP, 
 
 XII. PIZARRO AT CAXAMALCA, 
 
 XIII. ATAHUALPA A PRISONER, 
 
 XIV. THE INCA'S doom, 
 XV. PIZARRO CAPTURES CUZCO, 
 
 XVI. THE CITY OP THE KINGS, 
 
 XVII. THE SIEGE OP CUZCO, ... 
 
 XVIIL ALMAGRO'S REVOLT, 
 
 XIX. THRILLING ADVENTURES OF GONZALO, 
 
 XX. THE DEATH OF PIZARRO, 
 
 5 
 
 14 
 
 19 
 
 30 
 
 38 
 
 48 
 
 59 
 
 65 
 
 71 
 
 81 
 
 91 
 
 99 
 
 109 
 
 120 
 
 133 
 
 113 
 
 153 
 
 158 
 
 171 
 
 183 
 
PIZARRO: 
 
 HIS ADVENTURES AND CONQUESTS, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE RUNAWAYS, 
 
 ON the early morning of a warm autumn day, not quite 
 four hundred years ago, three lads, varying in age 
 from thirteen to fifteen, were hurriedly climbing a rough and 
 precipitous mountain road in Central Spain. Every now and 
 then, as they mounted higher, they would look anxiously 
 back to see if they were followed ; and finding they were 
 not, they continued their ascent with brisker steps and more 
 cheerful countenances. Once in a while they came to a spot 
 where an opening in the dense and luxuriant forest exposed 
 to their view the broad plain, still veiled by a soft morning 
 haze, which they had left a few hours before. Here they 
 would stop, and strain their eyes in the direction they had 
 come, as if to discern any pursuing figures who might ap- 
 pear in the road far below, which, so high were they above 
 it, seemed like a narrow yellow thread winding amid the 
 expanse of green. 
 
 They were stalwart, dark-featured youths, with stout sin- 
 ews and sturdy limbs, and serious, resolute faces j wearing 
 
6 THE RUNAWAYS. 
 
 the same rude apparel, which consisted of a coarse shirt, a 
 loose jacket, short wide breeches fastened at the knees, rude 
 sandals on their feet, and large, coarsely woven woollen caps 
 on their heads. Each carried a bundle on a stick, which he 
 swung across his shoulder. As they pressed upward they 
 spoke but little ; they not only wished to save their breath 
 for the long tramp before them, but their thoughts were so 
 deeply absorbed in their serious situation that they were not 
 disposed to be talkative. 
 
 At last they reached a steep and rugged cliff, the summit 
 of which was almost bare, and from which, over the tops of 
 the thick forest, they could clearly see the plain stretched 
 out for miles till it faded near the misty horizon. They 
 were tired and hungry, and, despite the danger of pursuit, 
 they resolved to rest awhile on this convenient crag. Throw- 
 ing down their bundles, and lying upon the patches of moss 
 which here and there covered the rock, they proceeded to 
 discuss such a breakfast as their resources permitted. They 
 took from their bundles some coarse bread and raw onions, 
 a few bunches of grapes which they had picked by the road, 
 and some chestnuts ; and these homely viands were quickly 
 disposed of. Then one of them produced a small can, and 
 running to a mountain brook which leaped madly over a 
 little chasm near by, filled it with deliciously cold water, and 
 brought it to his companions, who drank of it eagerly. Re- 
 freshed by their simple morning meal, the three lads, lying 
 at full length on the patches of moss, turned their faces in- 
 stinctively towards the plain, and pointed out to each other 
 the spots familiar to them all. 
 
 "Look!" said one, a trifle taller than the others, whom 
 they called Francisco, "you can plainly see the old citadel 
 there on the right ; and there is the old wall, and the town 
 on the side of the hill ; and you can just catch a glimpse of 
 the big castle of the duke, or at least its great square west- 
 em tower ; and that little open place is our broad plaza. 
 
THE RUNAWAYS. 7 
 
 What a distance we must be from Truxillo, everything looks 
 so small ! I wonder how many miles we have come." 
 
 "Oh!" exclaimed the youngest of the three, "and can't 
 you see, Francisco, just this side of the town, the round hill 
 where our homes are ? they must be those huts midway up 
 the slope ; and still farther this way are the fields where we 
 used to tend the swine." 
 
 " We have done with that for ever, thank Heaven 1" cried 
 Francisco heartily. " No more tending of swine for us. 
 Gonzalo and Juan must do my share henceforth, as well as 
 their own. Bah ! what a dog's life ! But we are leaving it, 
 and are going out into the great world to seek our fortunes. 
 We will be soldiers, and fight our way to fame and power. 
 We will go across the seas to the beautiful lands which the 
 brave Columbus found, and where we will surely become 
 great and rich." 
 
 The third, who had not yet spoken, and whose name was 
 Pedro, sat and listened with a rather gloomy face. At last 
 he said, — 
 
 ^'But think what we must go through before we so much 
 as begin ! We haven't a marco among us, and still we must 
 get to Seville somehow. It is, old Lopez says, at least one 
 hundred and fifty miles ; and we shall be lucky if we get 
 a ride now and then on a jaded donkey or a rickety cart. 
 When I think of it, I almost wish myself back among the 
 pigs again." 
 
 Francisco darted an angry glance at his companion, and 
 exclaimed, — 
 
 " What, Pedro ! faint-hearted already ? Out on such cow- 
 ardly thoughts ! I'd rather starve than go back to that 
 slave's work. Come, pluck up your courage ! We can't 
 find ourselves in a worse plight than we have been in all our 
 lives." 
 
 He rose from the ground, and, eagerly scanning such por- 
 tions of the road as were visible here and there, added, — 
 
8 THE RUNAWAYS. 
 
 " We are not yet pursued. They may think we have gone 
 another way — towards Madrid. They did not suppose, per- 
 haps, that we should climb the mountains in the night. But 
 let us go forward. We shall not be safe till we are far away 
 from here. 1 have heard that there is a great river in the 
 valleys beyond the mountains. We must not rest till we 
 have put that between us and our tyrants." 
 
 So saying, he bounded up the road with the buoyant step 
 of youth and hope ; and his comrades, inspired by his cheer- 
 ful and manly words, briskly followed him. 
 
 As they trudged along — now over bald ledges where the 
 sun blazed remorselessly upon them, now through dense cool 
 forests of chestnut and oak, now across marshy levels where 
 the overgrown waste was covered with exasperating tangles 
 of rank shrubs, through which they scrambled as best' they 
 could — they talked, as they went, about the miseries of the 
 past, and the bright and glowing hopes they had formed of 
 the future. 
 
 Ere many hours they reached the summit of the Guada- 
 lupe Mountains ; and it was with a sigh of relief that they 
 reflected that instead of climbing upward, sometimes over 
 steep cliffs and near dangerous Assures, they would now de- 
 scend by a gradual winding road to the green and sunny 
 valleys they could just discern far below them. 
 
 Persuaded that, when once they had placed the mountains 
 between them and the wretched homes they had left, they 
 would be secure from pursuit, and free to pursue the journey 
 at their leisure, they bounded down the road, now singing a 
 verse of some rude peasant-song, now running a race to see 
 which would first reach a certain tree or a bend in the road, 
 now leaping lightly across a roaring mountain brook. They 
 soon found themselves in the midst of luxuriant fields of 
 wheat and rye, and crossing turfy hillside pastures where 
 flocks of sheep were quietly grazing. Then they came upon 
 olive-groves, interspersed with thick -hanging vineyards, upon 
 
THE RUNAWAYS. 9 
 
 which the luscious and now just ripe clusters hung tempt- 
 ingly. There were grapes of every hue and size ; and our 
 wanderer^ did not hesitate to eat their fill of the juicy fruit, 
 their hunger having been once more sharpened by the long 
 tramp they had taken since their breakfast on the crag. 
 
 It was now very hot, and the boys rested a while under 
 the dense shade of a copse of chestnuts. But their young 
 spirits soon rose again, and they pushed on towards a strag- 
 gling hamlet which they perceived at a distance of a mile or 
 two down the road. The hamlet consisted of a few peasant- 
 huts ; and above it rose a hill, upon which stood the ruins 
 of a once noble Moorish castle. No sooner did Francisco 
 espy this ruin than he proposed that they should seek shelter 
 within its crumbling walls for the night. They began to 
 climb the hill, though they were now so weary that they 
 could scarcely drag one leg after the other, when they en- 
 countered a rough-looking peasant trudging home from his 
 day's work in the fields. He stopped, stared at the wan- 
 derers, and then asked them where they came from, and 
 whither they were going. 
 
 Francisco frankly replied that they had run away from 
 their homes beyond the mountains, that they were on their 
 way to Seville to enlist in the wars, and that they proposed 
 to spend the night in the castle-ruin. 
 
 The peasant looked more curiously at them than ever. A 
 grim smile gradually spread over his sun-burned face as he 
 replied, — 
 
 " No need of your going up there. Come home with me 
 to my hut yonder. You shall have a bundle of hay in a 
 corner, and to-morrow I will share my breakfast with you." 
 
 The hospitable offer was no sooner made than joyfully ac- 
 cepted. The boys went back with the peasant, slept soundly 
 on the hay, and rising, as did their host, with the dawn, par- 
 took of his frugal meal of chestnuts, coarse bread, goat's milk, 
 and grapes. 
 
10 THE RUNAWAYS. 
 
 As, much refreshed and very grateful, they started forth 
 to resume their journey, the peasant cried out to them, — 
 
 ** God give you luck ! and if you ever get to be great cap- 
 tains, don't forget the night you spent in my hut." 
 
 Day after day they continued to trudge bravely along 
 with their little bundles on their backs, picking up what bits 
 of food they could in the villages through which they passed, 
 regaling themselves on the grapes and other fruit they found 
 plentifully by the wayside, and resting by night wherever 
 they happened to be when the sun disappeared behind the 
 hills. 
 
 They had been travelling thus for some days, when one 
 afternoon they came in sight of a large town — a larger town 
 than any of them had ever seen before. It nestled close 
 upon the sloping banks of a wide, swift river, which the 
 wanderers could see appearing and disappearing in sparkling 
 patches among the trees for miles away. Above the town 
 rose a hoary castle, its huge towers hung thick with ivy and 
 other parasites, and its battlements looming steep and grim 
 above the river ; on another hill stood a long low building, 
 which the boys easily recognized as a convent ; near the 
 convent was a prison ; while above the group of closely-built 
 houses appeared the spires of two churches. 
 
 The sight of this large town caused them to hasten their 
 pace, and they briskly pushed forward and entered its nar- 
 row streets. On asking a passer-by, they learned that the 
 place was Merida, and that the wide river which flowed by 
 it was the Guadiana, one of the largest streams in Spain. 
 
 Francisco, ignorant as he was, knew something at least of 
 the geography of his native country. With cheery voice he 
 told his mates that they had gone almost a third of the way 
 from Truxillo to Seville, and that the most difficult part of 
 the journey was that which they had already accomplished. 
 Though quite tired, the boys could not resist the temptation 
 to wander about the streets of Merida, which presented many 
 
THE RUNAWAYS, 11 
 
 sights to attract their curiosity and wonder. They stared 
 in at the shop-windows; and, their mouths watered at the 
 succulent viands they espied at the butchers' stalls, and the 
 cakes which were displayed in the pastry-cooks' windows. 
 They gazed with delight at a troop of gaily dressed cava- 
 liers, with their flowing plumes and glittering cuirasses, who 
 pranced across the plaza — all the more eagerly when they 
 learned that these cavaliers were on their way to the wars 
 in Italy. They listened to the playing of lutes and singing 
 which were going on in front of a quaint old inn just by the 
 river, and admiringly watched the boats as they shot swiftly 
 to and fro on the stream. 
 
 It was dusk before, utterly worn out with fatigue, they 
 bethought themselves of their hunger, and of the necessity 
 of finding a shelter for the night. As they were in a large 
 town, with no money, they despaired of obtaining the hearty 
 meal they craved ; so, choosing a secluded nook on the river- 
 bank, they contented themselves with a few chestnuts and 
 grapes which they had taken care to stow away in their 
 bundles. 
 
 Then they looked about them for a resting-place. There 
 was one, happily, near at hand. About a quarter of a mile 
 off they observed a large circular edifice, so lofty that even 
 in the deepening dusk they could perceive that it was not 
 an ordinary building, and that, moreover, it appeared to be 
 a ruin. 
 
 Passing once more into the narrow zigzag streets, then up 
 a rather steep hill, and across a bridge spanning a stream 
 which ran into the Guadiana, they soon reached the structure. 
 Entering it by a very high and wide portal, they found them- 
 selves in a large circular space choked with weeds and rub- 
 bish. Around this space, which was roofless and open to 
 the air above, were built rows of stone seats, rising one be- 
 hind the other. These, too, were overgrown and tangled 
 with a profusion of wild shrubs and vines. In this enclosure 
 
12 THE RUNAWAYS. 
 
 they easily found a convenient spot. They without more 
 ado threw themselves upon the bed of weeds, and were soon 
 wrapped in deep slumber. 
 
 There was but one highroad passing southward from 
 Merida ; it was that which led to the city which was the goal 
 of the boys' difficult journey — Seville. From the top of the 
 amphitheatre, to which they scrambled as soon as the bright 
 rays of the rising sun aroused them, they could observe all 
 the surrounding country ; and they were glad to see, just 
 below the old castle and not far away, a bridge spanning the 
 Guadiana. They were soon tramping gaily across it, and, as 
 they went, did not fail to admire its imposing proportions, 
 its solid masonry, and wide-springing arches. They would 
 have found, by counting them, that there were no less than 
 eighty of these arches ; and they might have been told that 
 the bridge had been built by the warlike Roman emperor 
 Trajan more than a thousand years before. The rest of 
 their journey was almost wholly through a country which 
 seemed a continuous garden. Groves of olives and of oranges, 
 dense vineyards covering the hill-sides and hill-tops, yellow 
 wheat-fields spread over the intervales, dense forests of chest- 
 nut and oak affording a grateful shade from the hot sun, and 
 picturesque streams winding amid the meadows or dashing 
 down from the hills, were passed in quick succession. 
 
 The boys did not hurry after leaving Merida ; for they 
 were now confident of not being pursued, and they felt sure 
 of food and shelter the rest of the way. The world was all 
 before them, and they knew that there was plenty of time at 
 their disposal. 
 
 Their tramp was now all the more enjoyable, as they came 
 more frequently upon towns and villages, and met more 
 people going to and fro. Often they encountered a train of 
 pack-mules carrying grain or fruit ; now a flock of shaggy 
 merino sheep going from Castile into their own province — 
 Estremadura ; sometimes whole colonies of peasants — men, 
 
THE RUNAWAYS. 13 
 
 women, babies, donkeys, and all — going to reap the harvests 
 in the lowlands ; and once in a while a troop of bravely capa- 
 risoned soldiers, on their way to join the armies of King 
 Ferdinand. 
 
 There yet remained one more mountain range to cross — 
 that of the Sierra Morena. But it was less lofty than that 
 of the Guadalupe; and, besides, they felt that they might 
 make the ascent as leisurely as they pleased. They had now 
 no pursuers to fear, no cruel punishment to dread. 
 
 They crossed the Sierra Morena, and once more descended 
 into valleys lovely to the eye, and fragrant with luxuriant 
 and ripening fruit. They heard with delight that the greater 
 part of their journey had been passed, and that, by pushing 
 resolutely forward, they would ere long reach their destina- 
 tion. 
 
 So it proved. About noon one day they came in sight of 
 the spires and domes of the celebrated city, which glittered 
 afar in the sunlight, and which they had undergone so much 
 to reach. The noble steeple of the great cathedral, the 
 largest in the world save St. Peter's at Rome, rose high 
 above the other buildings, and the boys exclaimed in wonder 
 at beholding it. The vast palace of the Alcazar, too, which 
 looked as if it were a mile long, and was flanked by great 
 square towers, was eagerly pointed out and gazed at. Their 
 long journey was at last ended ; and as they entered the 
 ancient, winding streets — threading their way amidst crowds 
 of people attired in every variety and colour of costume, 
 past balconied dwellings and fragrant gardens, across the 
 spacious square with its splashing fountain, and under the 
 shadow of the lofty cathedral — they declared that they had 
 never imagined so grand and beautiful a city to exist in all 
 the world. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 PIZARRO A SOLDIER. 
 
 MY readers may have guessed that the bravest and 
 most determined of the runaways was no other 
 than the hero of this book. It was indeed Francisco Pizarro, 
 destined to become one of the most famous conquerors and 
 adventurers the world has seen, who thus ran away from 
 his wretched home in Truxillo, induced two boys as badly 
 treated as himself to go with him, and travelled on foot to 
 Seville to take part in the exciting and perilous events of 
 his time. 
 
 Pizarro, at the time of his escape, was about fifteen years 
 old. From his earliest recollection he had known nothing 
 but cruelty, drudgery, and hardship. His father, Gonzalo 
 Pizarro, was not only a gentleman of wealth and good de- 
 scent, but a brave soldier, who had fought with gallantry 
 and distinction in the wars ; but his mother was a humble 
 and ignorant peasant, who, it is said, gave birth to Francisco 
 on the steps of a church, took him to the wretched hovel 
 which was her home, and reared him in her own condition 
 of life. Francisco's illegitimate birth was a stigma of which 
 he was forced to suffer the penalty. While he bore his 
 father's name, Pizarro, he was not admitted to his house or 
 recognized as his son. The haughty old Spaniard disdained 
 a child born in disgrace ; and so the poor little boy was con- 
 signed to his mother's low lot, to eat the bread of poverty^ 
 
PIZARRO A SOLDIER. 15 
 
 to grow up amid mean and squalid surroundings in ignorance 
 and privation, and to follow the vocation of a swineherd. 
 Almost as soon as he could walk, he was set to taking care 
 of pigs ; and this he continued to do until, rebelling against 
 his fate and inspired with a fiery ambition, he took the bold 
 resolve to leave the harsh past behind him, and carve out 
 a future for himself. 
 
 He had known but few of the joys of childhood. To look 
 after the pigs from dawn till dark, to subsist on a scanty 
 allowance of the coarsest food, to sleep at night on a floor of 
 cobble-stones thinly sprinkled with hay, to be mercilessly 
 beaten at the slightest neglect of his task, and to continue 
 this weary round day after day and month after month — 
 this had been the almost unbroken tenor of his life. 
 
 It happened that while he was pursuing, with fiery impa- 
 tience and anger in his heart, the detested round of his daily 
 task, an event took place which thrilled his whole soul with 
 ambition, and cast a bright ray of hope through the deep 
 gloom of his life. A rough, weather-beaten sailor arrived 
 in Truxillo, bringing with him wonderful news. Young 
 Pizarro, as it chanced, fell in with this sailor, and heard his 
 story ; and he listened to it with beating heart. A new 
 land, the sailor said, had been discovered : he had seen it 
 with his own eyes. He had sailed with a great Italian cap- 
 tain, named Christopher Columbus, far across the unknown 
 seas. Sometimes, amid terrific storms, they had thought that 
 they would be lost ; but at last they had reached a beautiful 
 land smiling with plenty, and rich beyond conjecture, it was 
 thought, in gold, silver, and precious stones. This land was 
 believed to be a part of Asia, but a part unknown at least 
 before ; and he had returned with Columbus to tell the mar- 
 vellous story of its discovery and its wealth. The sailor 
 gave a glowing account of all that he had seen : he described 
 the perils and excitements of the voyage, and made the boy's 
 eyes glisten with his tales of ^'a life on the ocean- wave ;" in 
 
16 PIZARRO A SOLDIER, 
 
 his rude fashion he told of the thrilling moment when the 
 shout of ^'Land ! land !" echoed across the waters from ship 
 to ship ; he pictured all the strange and remarkable sights 
 he had seen on going ashore ; and he ended by relating how 
 the news had created a great sensation at Cadiz, and other 
 cities on or near the coast, where other expeditions were 
 already proposed to be fitted out for the newly discovered 
 country. 
 
 Young Pizarro, deeply affected by what he heard from 
 the sailor, plied him with questions, and listened eagerly to 
 his replies. As he tended the pigs by day, he pondered on 
 what he had heard ; and at night bright visions of distant 
 lands, and exciting dreams of adventure by sea, attended his 
 slumbers. Here, then, was a career worthy of his courage 
 and ambition, and he soon made up his mind that he would 
 risk all to pursue it. Pizarro had long thought he would 
 like to be a soldier. As news of the Spanish victories pene- 
 trated to his remote home, he longed to join in the din and 
 turmoil of the battle-field. 
 
 He resolved, therefore, that as soon as chance favoured 
 him he would escape from his drudgery, make his way as 
 best he could to Seville, join the army, and finally, if he 
 found an opportunity, embark in some expedition to the 
 newly discovered countries beyond the ocean of which the 
 sailor had told him. 
 
 Full of his scheme, which he imparted to two young com- 
 panions, swineherds like himself, he waited a great \vhile, 
 as patiently as he could, for the moment to arrive when he 
 might hope to escape. It came at last ; and, as we have 
 seen, he succeeded in reaching Seville with his friends. 
 
 They had not been long in the city before they saw many 
 signs of military preparation. Troops of soldiers were con- 
 stantly passing through the streets, and the transports in the 
 river were actively getting ready to depart for the theatre 
 of war. The boys were alone and penniless, and Seville was 
 
 (231) 
 
PIZARRO A SOLDIER. 17 
 
 less hospitable than the rustic hamlets through which they 
 had passed. The sight of, the soldiers, too, in their gay- 
 attire and bravery of weapons and armour, rekindled the 
 ardour of Pizarro, and made him impatient to become one of 
 them. Though but fifteen, he was tall, stalwart, and reso- 
 lute ; and he had only to make known his wish to join the 
 king's forces to be admitted into the ranks. The three com- 
 panions now separated, each going his own way ; and it was 
 with tearful grief that they parted from each other. 
 
 The war in which Spain was then engaged was going on 
 in Southern Italy. The good king and queen, Ferdinand 
 and Isabella (the same who had not long before so generously 
 aided Columbus in his expedition of discovery across the 
 Atlantic), had a cousin, whose name was also Ferdinand, 
 and who was the rightful King of Naples. He had been 
 driven from his kingdom, however, by the French, who 
 claimed it as theirs by right. Ferdinand, driven from Naples, 
 appealed for aid to his Spanish cousins, and they hastened to 
 take up arms in his defence. They sent a powerful army to 
 Italy under the command of Gonsalvo de Cordova, who was 
 called ^'the Great Captain," because he was one of the most 
 valiant and enterprising generals of his time. The Great 
 Captain was fighting the French in Italy at the moment 
 that Pizarro was enlisting at Seville. 
 
 The young adventurer soon found himself arrayed in the 
 showy uniform of a private, and in due time, after having 
 been carefully drilled, went with his company on board one 
 of the transports. Eager to reach the scene of conflict, he 
 impatiently awaited its departure. One morning the sails 
 were spread, and the transport glided down the Guadal- 
 quivir, and out to sea. In a few hours the Strait of Gib- 
 raltar was passed; and then Pizarro saw the coast of his 
 native land recede and disappear, and for the first time found 
 himself out of sight of land. 
 
 He reached the scene of war just in time to take part 
 (231) 2 
 
18 PIZARRO A SOLDIER, 
 
 in its final conflicts, and to share in the brilliant triumphs 
 of the Great Captain over his French enemies. 
 
 After the capture of Naples, and the restoration of King 
 Ferdinand to his throne, the Spanish forces returned lei- 
 surely home, and Pizarro received the reward of his valour 
 by being promoted to the rank of lieutenant. 
 
 He remained in the army several years, and gained each 
 year in military reputation and experience. But his restless 
 spirit could not suffer in patience the dull monotony of bar- 
 rack life. As soon as he found that there was little pros- 
 pect of further active service, his thoughts once more turned 
 towards the new world in the West. There, at least, there 
 would be occupation for his sword, and scope for his ambi- 
 tion. He longed for a life of bold adventure, of perpetual 
 danger, and desperate conflict. As he heard the oft-repeated 
 story of the beauty and riches of the far-off land, and of the 
 chances it offered for conquest, power, and wealth, he burned 
 to cross the ocean, and try his fortunes where so many seemed 
 to prosper. 
 
 At last opportunity favoured Pizarro's aspirations. It 
 was reported that an expedition would soon depart from 
 Cadiz for Hispaniola, the commander of which needed a 
 number of resolute men accustomed to arms, and willing to 
 submit to the rude and perilous life of military adventure 
 on the chance of winning wealth and fame. Pizarro has- 
 tened to join the party, to offer his sword and his life to the 
 enterprise, and to embark upon one of the ships. In a few 
 days the little fleet was tossing on the tempestuous billows 
 of the Atlantic, and after a long and stormy voyage its des- 
 tination was safely reached. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 FIZARRO IN THE NEW WORLD. 
 
 WHEN he arrived on the shores of the New World, 
 Pizarro was no longer the raw and awkward but 
 enthusiastic boy whom we have seen setting forth from his 
 wretched home in search of a more exciting career. He was 
 now a full-grown man, with a character toughened and ma- 
 tured by the hard service of military life, and a strength of 
 body and mind acquired by rough contact with men. But 
 the same strong ambition burned in his soul, and the same 
 energy and perseverance which enabled him to escape from 
 Truxillo now aided him in carving out for himself fame and 
 power. 
 
 He found himself in the midst of sturdy adventurers like 
 himself, seeking the same ends, and ready to brave every 
 peril to accomplish them. Not only the islands of the West 
 Indies, but the mainland of Central and South America, had 
 already been to some extent explored by the earlier Spanish 
 navigators. New expeditions were arriving from Spain every 
 little while. The discoveries already made had been so brill- 
 iant as to kindle to a flame the cupidity and love of power of 
 the strangers. Gold and precious stones had been found, 
 conquests made over the natives ; and the beauty of the 
 islands had induced colonies to settle upon them, and had 
 caused governments to be established under the authority of 
 the Spanish crown. 
 
20 PIZARRO IN THE NEW WORLD. 
 
 Pizarro entered into the schemes of conquest which were 
 constantly being planned around him with all the passionate 
 ardour of his nature. He felt his own capacity to command, 
 and he was determined to lose no chance of bettering his 
 fortunes. His zeal and ability were soon observed and re- 
 cognized. He was sought after by the chiefs of the expe- 
 ditions to the mainlands, and ere long became a favourite 
 with the soldiers, who, when he led them, learned to repose 
 the most implicit confidence in him. 
 
 One of the boldest of the Spaniards at Hisp^niola was a 
 cavalier named Alonzo de Ojeda. He was famous for the 
 spirit with which he assailed the armies of the natives, and 
 the valour with which he often defeated them at overwhelm- 
 ing odds. A part of the mainland on the Isthmus of Darien 
 had been divided into two provinces, and of one of these pro- 
 vinces Ojeda was appointed the governor. He knew Pizarro's 
 courage and enterprise, and proposed that he should go with 
 him to the province as second in command. The ofier was 
 just what Pizarro wished. He accepted it without hesitation, 
 and shoii-ly after sailed from Hispaniola with Ojeda and his 
 little army. 
 
 On reaching the coast of the isthmus, Ojeda resolved to 
 land at a place called by the Spaniards Cartagena, after the 
 ancient town of that name in their own country. But one 
 of his officers, De Coza, who had before visited the coast, 
 warned him by no means to do so. The natives, he said, 
 were very warlike, and bitterly hostile to the Spaniards. 
 They were, moreover, very numerous in that region, and 
 would soon make an end of Ojeda's little party. This news, 
 far from dissuading the dauntless governor, only made him 
 the more resolute to go on shore ; and Pizarro, who was as 
 ignorant of fear as his chief, gave his voice in favour of the 
 venture. No sooner had the Spaniards landed than De 
 Coza's prediction was realized. Swarms of Indians poured 
 down from the hills and emerged from the forests, and as- 
 
PIZARRO IN THE NEW WORLD. 21 
 
 sailed the intruders with the wildest ferocity. De Coza 
 himself was the first to fall, and ere an hour had passed 
 no less than seventy Spaniards lay dead on the shore. The 
 rest were forced back to their ships. But Ojeda, having 
 been surrounded by the savages, with his giant's arm cut his 
 way through them, and escaped, half dead with wounds, to 
 the shelter of the woods. He was found the next day by a 
 party of his men who had ventured upon shore to seek for 
 him, and was carried, fainting, to his vessel. 
 
 He set sail at once, and did not again land until he had 
 reached his new colony at San Sebastian. Here, however, 
 Ojeda and his party suffered the severest hardships. Their 
 provisions were soon exhausted, and the natives, who were 
 as fierce and as implacable as those at Cartagena, perpet- 
 ually attacked the settlement. The worst of it was that 
 they Used poisoned arrows, so that all the Spaniards who 
 were wounded suffered a death of excruciating agony. 
 
 Ojeda, seeing that unless he received help his colony 
 would soon be exterminated, decided to return to Hispaniola 
 for recruits and provisions. On the eve of his departure he 
 called Pizarro, and confided to him the command of the col- 
 ony until he should return. But misfortune followed the 
 poor little colony to the end. To crown their misfortunes, 
 Ojeda, failing to get the succour he hoped for, never went 
 back, but died soon after in extreme poverty and neglect. 
 For fifty weary days Pizarro and his companions waited, 
 expecting every day to see the welcome sails which would 
 bring them relief. They subsisted mainly on palm-nuts 
 and the flesh of wild hogs, which, though i)lentiful, were 
 far from being healthful food ; and every week saw their 
 number lessened by disease and the poisoned* arrows of the 
 Indians. 
 
 Pizarro, indeed, would have returned to Hispaniola sooner 
 than he did, had it not been that there was but one small 
 ship left to him, and the colony was at first too numerous 
 
22 PIZARRO IN THE NEW WORLD. 
 
 to be transported on it ; so he waited until death had so far 
 reduced their number as to enable him to embark with all 
 the survivors. 
 
 A still more perilous expedition soon after attracted the 
 ambition of Pizarro. Balboa, the captain -general of the 
 colony of Darien, having heard through friendly natives that 
 there existed a vast sea on the western side of the isthmus, 
 determined to penetrate to its shores. He picked out one 
 hundred and ninety of his bravest and sturdiest soldiers, 
 armed them with arquebuses, swords, and cross-bows, and 
 added to his forces a number of bloodhounds, which were of 
 great though cruel service in fighting against the Indians. 
 It is said that Balboa himself had a favourite bloodhound, 
 which dealt such havoc among the savages that whenever 
 the plunder was divided a portion was allotted to the valiant 
 dog. His name was Leoncico ; and so much did Leoncico 
 terrify the Indians, that they ran away as soon as he made 
 his appearance. 
 
 Pizarro went with Balboa as one of his lieutenants, and 
 shared in the glory as well as the dangers of this famous 
 expedition. The first part of the journey was over steep 
 and rocky mountains. There was no road, and the party 
 was forced to move slowly, and to halt often to rest. The 
 heavy armour of the soldiers, and the blazing sun of the 
 tropics, made the ascent difficult and fatiguing. The moun- 
 tains passed, they descended into dense entangled forests, 
 and now and then encountered streams, which could only be 
 crossed on rafts made hastily on the spot. A friendly chief 
 named Ponca accompanied Balboa, and acted as his guide. 
 One day, as they emerged from the woods, Ponca suddenly 
 uttered a loud exclamation. Hurrying to Balboa, who with 
 Pizarro was trudging sturdily forward in front of his men, 
 the chief pointed to a lofty mountain that rose in the dim 
 distance. 
 
 "There!" he cried: "when you have reached the top of 
 
PIZARRO IN THE NEW WORLD. 2:> 
 
 that big mountain, you will see the great ocean stretched out 
 at your feet." 
 
 The peak which the Indian pointed out was still a great 
 way off; but his words so thrilled Balboa and his comrades 
 that they pushed forward rapidly, eager to catch a glimpse 
 of the mighty waters now screened by the high ranges from 
 their view. 
 
 Unfortunately the provisions of the Spaniards now gave 
 out, and they were footsore from their long tramp ; and, to 
 make their situation yet more serious, they had now reached 
 a country hostile to Ponca and the Europeans. They were 
 assailed with great ferocity, the Indians showering spears, 
 arrows, and clubs upon them. But these Indians had never 
 heard or seen a gun go off; and when Pizarro, leading on 
 the men, ordered them to fire, and the volley with its flash 
 and smoke thundered upon the savages, they ran shrieking 
 and howling away. No less than six hundred of them, in- 
 cluding their chief, were killed ; and, their rout being com- 
 plete, the Spaniards entered their village unopposed, and 
 found not only an abundance of food, but a rare treasure of 
 gold and jewels. 
 
 Balboa, on resuming his way toward the mountain, left a 
 number of his men behind in the Indian village. His force 
 was now reduced to sixty-seven. He was still accompanied 
 by his faithful lieutenant, Pizarro. 
 
 It was just at daybreak, on a bright September morning, 
 that the adventurers, guided by Ponca and other friendly 
 Indians, began their ascent of the mountain. There was no 
 path, and at first their march lay through dense woods, so 
 tangled with brush that the men stumbled at almost every 
 step. After several hours, however, they emerged from this 
 wood into open and rocky ground, where they could mount 
 far more easily. It was so cold here that vegetation could 
 not grow. Just before them towered in solitary grandeur 
 a lofty, bare, jagged peak, far above the surrounding emi- 
 
24 PIZARRO IN THE NEW WORLD. 
 
 nences. This was the peak from the summit of which, Ponca 
 said, the ocean could be seen. 
 
 Balboa, with throbbing heart, gazed long at the mighty 
 crag. If it were indeed true that another ocean was visible 
 from its crest, he would be its discoverer, and would be re- 
 nowned and honoured throughout Europe. 
 
 "My men," he said, "do you rest here. I must ascend 
 alone to the summit. My eyes must be the first to behold 
 the vast ocean which rolls beyond." 
 
 He then walked forward, and began to climb lightly and 
 eagerly up the precipitous cliffs, while his companions watched 
 him with breathless interest from below. Ere long his sturdy 
 figure was seen standing on the summit, his plumes waving 
 in the upper air. 
 
 Before him, in truth, lay spread out the limitless waters 
 to the dim horizon. The waves dashed with a roar and rush 
 against the crags at the foot of the mountain ; and, looking 
 to the east and the west, Balboa could discern rich and beau- 
 tiful lands stretching down to the water's edge. 
 
 His first impulse was to fall upon his knees, lift his hands 
 heavenward, and thank God for his good fortune. Then he 
 rose, and excitedly beckoned to his comrades to come up to 
 him. They darted forward, and scrambled wildly up the 
 rocks, Pizarro at their head ; and he was the second European 
 whose eyes greeted the Pacific Ocean. 
 
 The sounds of joy and thanksgiving filled the air. Men 
 and leaders frantically embraced each other without respect 
 to rank ; a priest began to sing a Te Deum in a loud voice ; 
 and then Balboa, turning to the noble panorama before him, 
 solemnly took possession of the ocean and the surrounding 
 countries in the name of King Ferdinand of Spain. He 
 caused trees to be cut down and made into a cross, which 
 his men planted on the very spot where he stood when he 
 first beheld the ocean. 
 
 The Spaniards now descended the mountain, bent on ex- 
 
PIZARRO IN THE NEW WORLD, 25 
 
 ploring the shores of the Pacific. They here and there en- 
 countered savage and hostile tribes, but with their guns and 
 their bloodhounds easily overcame them. 
 
 After meeting with many adventures on the coast, naming 
 several bays and towns, visiting the villages of friendly chiefs, 
 collecting a goodly amount of gold and gems, and taking 
 possession of the country in the name of the king, Balboa, 
 with Pizarro, returned in safety and triumph across the 
 isthmus to Darien. 
 
 The tidings of his discoveries caused the greatest excite- 
 ment in the colony, and the treasure he brought aroused the 
 envy of all who saw it. 
 
 Soon after Balboa's arrival at Darien, a new governor of 
 that settlement, named Pedrarias, came from Spain to take 
 Balboa's place. Balboa, instead of resisting him as he might 
 have done, welcomed him with due honour ; but as soon as 
 Pedrarias, who was vain and ambitious, heard of the gallant 
 cavalier's great achievements, and the affection and respect 
 in which he w^as held in the colony, he became very jealous. 
 When Balboa told him of all that he had done, and proposed 
 to lead a new expedition to the shores of the Pacific, Pedra- 
 rias pretended to consent to the project ; but no sooner had 
 Balboa set about his preparations than the governor gruffly 
 refused to let him go, and even threatened to arrest and 
 throw him into prison. 
 
 Pedrarias coveted the glory of future discoveries, and the 
 lion's share of the treasure that might be obtained, for him- 
 self. So he fitted out an expedition of his own, and gave 
 the command to a cousin of his, named Morales ; but as 
 Morales was quite ignorant of the country and the Indians, 
 Pedrarias was forced to choose some one familiar with both, 
 to share the command with him. 
 
 Pizarro was selected for this oflSce, and in due time the 
 expedition set forth across the isthmus. They reached the 
 shores of the Pacific in safety. Pizarro, who had already 
 
26 PIZARRO IN THE NEW WORLD. 
 
 been on that part of the coast, pointed out to Morales a group 
 of islands, lying not far out to sea, where he had heard it 
 reported a great quantity of pearls might be obtained. Leav- 
 ing half of their force on the mainland, the two chiefs set out 
 in canoes for the islands with the rest. The canoes were 
 several times nearly capsized ; but the largest island was at 
 last reached, and the adventurers landed. The natives, who 
 had perceived them coming, and had guessed that they were 
 not bent on an errand of peace, fiercely attacked them ; and 
 it was only after much hard fighting that the Spaniards were 
 able to make their position on the island secure. They then 
 searched for pearls, and were rewarded with obtaining not 
 only a vast number of these precious stones of large size 
 and brilliancy, but a large quantity of gold. Pizarro named 
 the place the '* Isle of Pearls," which is the name it bears to 
 this day. 
 
 The return of the party of Morales and Pizarro, with their 
 glowing stories of the west coast and the golden evidences 
 of its wealth, excited Pedrarias's cupidity and ambition to 
 the highest pitch. He resolved to remove the seat of govern- 
 ment from Darien across the isthmus, and chose what is 
 now known as Panama as the future capital of the province. 
 
 Pizarro went with the governor, and having now become 
 well-to-do with his share of the booty obtained in the expe- 
 ditions whose perils he had shared, he bought a house and 
 lands near Panama, was served by a retinue of Indian ser- 
 vants, and was held in high distinction as one of the cavaliers 
 who had taken a conspicuous part in conquering and settling 
 the country. 
 
 But a quiet and monotonous life, though prosperous and 
 attended with ease and comfort, did not satisfy the bold and 
 adventurous spirit of our hero. He could not settle down 
 with content into the placid career of a gentleman farmer. 
 He longed for the stirring actions of the battle-field, for the 
 hazards and excitements of wandering through wild, strange 
 
PIZARRO IN THE NEW WORLD. 27 
 
 lands, discovering unknown seas and nations, and procuring, 
 at the risk of life, the treasures hidden beyond difficult and 
 dangerous journey ings. As he overlooked his fields and 
 flocks, he pondered on the marvellous stories he had heard 
 oft repeated, o£ countries beyond the coast, which faded, as 
 he looked, in the dim distance — countries where there were 
 temples filled with massive ornaments of gold and jewels, 
 and which would reward their conqueror with fabulous 
 riches and unlimited power and glory. He dreamed by day 
 and by night visions of a possible future in which he should 
 act a leading part in brilliant discovery and the acquisition 
 of unguessed treasures ; when men would speak of him as 
 they spoke of his gallant chief Balboa, and when the world 
 would ring with his praises as it was just now ringing with 
 those of his cousin Cortez, the conqueror of Mexico. Now 
 and then, indeed, he led expeditions at short distances from 
 Panama to conquer a hostile chief or occupy a desirable part 
 of the country ; but these sallies were far from satisfying 
 his ambitious spirit, and only made him the more restlessly 
 eager to achieve something really great and famous. 
 
 He was now over forty years old, and in the full vigour of 
 body and mind. He felt the most perfect confidence in his 
 own energy, perseverance, and courage, and he awaited with 
 impatience an opportunity to set forth once more in pursuit 
 of a higher fortune than he had as yet attained. 
 
 It happened that while Pizarro was thus chafing under 
 the dull round of his farm life at Panama, a voyager named 
 Andagoya came into port, after a long and unsuccessful voy- 
 age to the south of that town. Andagoya had gone farther 
 southward than any previous navigator. He had found islands 
 scattered along the coasts, had landed at several points, and 
 had communicated with men superior in aspect and intelli- 
 gence to the Indians with whom the Spaniards were familiar 
 on the isthmus. He had seen, besides, the mighty chain of 
 the Cordilleras rising, as it seemed, to the very clouds, their 
 
28 PIZARRO IN THE NEW WORLD, 
 
 peaks crested with eternal snow, and their range completely 
 shutting in, as far as eye could reach, the lands that lay 
 beyond. Andagoya had been told that behind the Cordilleras 
 there was a country abounding in riches of every kind ; that 
 it was a land of gold ; and that, moreover, its condition was 
 such that it might be conquered by a band of determined 
 and fearless warriors. 
 
 Pizarro listened to this story with beating heart. He could 
 no longer resist the impulse to stake life, health, and fortune 
 in a new and great enterprise. Unhappily, though rich 
 enough to live in comfort at Panama, he had not the means 
 to fit out ships and store them, to hire and equip a large 
 number of men, and to provide for a long absence from the 
 colony. In this strait he looked about him to see if he could 
 find any one to join him in the expense and risk of an expedi- 
 tion. Happily, Andagoya's tale had roused the ambition and 
 cupidity of others in Panama besides Pizarro. 
 
 Among those who became eager to explore the southern 
 seas was a generous-hearted and honest though quick-tempered 
 cavalier, named Diego de Almagro. He was a man of posi- 
 tion and note ; and no sooner had Pizarro proposed an ex- 
 pedition to him than Almagro readily agreed to join in his 
 project. The two then resorted to a rich and ambitious priest, 
 Hernando de Luque, the vicar of Panama, whom they urged 
 to unite with them in the undertaking, and to furnish the 
 necessary funds for buying, equipping, and manning the ships. 
 Luque readily yielded to their entreaty, agreed to supply the 
 money, and to accept his share of the booty which might be 
 taken by the expedition as repayment. Pizarro and Almagro 
 next resorted to Pedrarias, the governor, who, in spite of his 
 jealousy, gave his sanction to the enterprise. 
 
 Preparations were begun without delay. To Pizarro was 
 intrusted the command of the expedition, and two small ships 
 were purchased. It was Almagro's task to see that they 
 were properly fitted and provisioned for the perilous voyage, 
 
PIZARIW IN THE NEW WORLD, 29 
 
 and to enlist the men whom Pizarro needed to accompany 
 him. Almagro took care to select the hardiest and most 
 experienced soldiers and sailors that he could find, and suc- 
 ceeded, by dint of effort, in raising a force of one hundred 
 and twelve. With so small an army the brave Pizarro was 
 to set out to conquer what might prove a new continent. 
 He never faltered in his purpose, however, but urged Alma- 
 gro to complete every arrangement at the earliest possible 
 moment. 
 
 At last Almagro announced that all was ready. The little 
 ships lay in the harbour of Panama, gay with their new 
 rigging and fresh paint, loaded down with what seemed an 
 ample store of provisions and other necessaries, and provided 
 each with a full and stalwart crew. 
 
 It only remained for the captain to bid adieu to the gover- 
 nor and his friends, to go on board, and give the order to 
 sail out upon the unknown seas. 
 
CHAPTER lY. 
 THE GOLDEN LAND. 
 
 LET us transport ourselves in fancy beyond the mighty 
 barrier of the Cordilleras, and observe the mysterious 
 land which had kindled Pizarro's ambition, and to reach and 
 subdue which he was ready to brave every peril and make 
 every sacrifice. 
 
 It was indeed a marvellous country, exceeding in many 
 respects the most glowing pictures of the savages who had 
 described it to Andagoya — a country most fertile, romantic 
 in scenery, with a skilfully devised government, noble edifices, 
 aqueducts, roads, and bridges, and actually teeming with 
 wealth. 
 
 Extending through thirty-nine degrees from north to south 
 on the west coast of South America, Peru presented, as it 
 still presents, an exceedingly curious and striking aspect to 
 the traveller. A very narrow strip of land, fifteen hundred 
 miles from north to south, and in its widest part only about 
 sixty miles, stretched along the coast of the Pacific, and was 
 bounded on the east by the lofty and apparently unbroken 
 chain of the snow-crested Cordilleras, which shut it completely 
 out from the continent beyond. 
 
 The empire of Peru, indeed, extended to the other side of 
 the mountains ; but its principal seat, and all its larger cities 
 and towns, were upon this long, narrow strip between the 
 mountains and the ocean. 
 
THE OOLDEN LAND. 31 
 
 The country at first sight did not seem fitted for cultivation. 
 The soil near the coast was , sandy, and there appeared but 
 little fruitful space between the rather barren shore and the 
 craggy and jagged sides and spurs of the Cordilleras. 
 
 But it had for several centuries been inhabited by an ener- 
 getic and almost civilized race. Aqueducts, canals, and 
 bridges had been constructed ; the sides of the mountains 
 had been transformed by long and patient labour into terraces, 
 which, rising one above the other as far as the eye could 
 reach, supported luxuriant gardens and farms, rich in the 
 fruits,- flowers, shrubs, and vegetables of almost every degree 
 of climate and temperature ; while over the pastures roamed 
 vast flocks of the shaggy Peruvian sheep, the "llamas" — 
 animals never seen by Europeans until the advent of Pizarro 
 and his little army. 
 
 On the plateaux and among the lofty crags and cliffs, as 
 well as on the sloping plain, nestled thrifty towns and villages, 
 between which lay wide and well-constructed highroads that 
 passed in straight lines over the level expanse as far as the 
 horizon, and wound up broad zigzags by the mountain spurs. 
 
 The land of Peru was ruled by a powerful monarch called 
 the Inca. The Inca was not only the sovereign of the 
 Peruvians, but was believed by them to be more than a 
 mortal. The Peruvians worshipped the Sun, and the Inca 
 was supposed to be the descendant of the orb of day. 
 
 It was said that the Sun, in order to give prosperity and 
 civilization to his chosen people, had sent his son and daughter 
 among them to give them a knowledge of the arts by which 
 they might increase in riches, population, and power. 
 
 The names of this celestial brother and sister were Manco 
 Capac and Mama Oello. While the brother, having founded 
 his capital at Cuzco, in the centre of the country, instructed 
 the Peruvian men how to cultivate their farms and gardens, 
 to supply themselves with water, to build roads, and to erect 
 temples, the sister. Mama Oello, took the women under her 
 
32 TEE GOLDEN LAND. 
 
 tutelage, and taught them the feminine arts of weaving, spin- 
 ning, housekeeping, and the proper bringing-up of children. 
 
 Thus the empire of Peru, according to tradition, was 
 founded by the children of the Sun. The Incas were their 
 descendants. The son of Manco Capac succeeded to the 
 throne of his celestial father ; and so the realm had passed 
 down without a break from father to son to the time of 
 Pizarro. They had not confined themselves to the dominions 
 of Manco Capac, but by continual wars had made many 
 conquests, until their empire occupied the great extent of 
 country which was ruled by the Peruvian monarch when the 
 Spaniards came. 
 
 The name *^ Inca " was applied not only to the reigning 
 sovereign, but to all the descendants of Manco Capac. Thus 
 there had grown up a numerous nobility or caste, all of whom 
 boasted their sacred origin from the Sun, and who held all 
 the high places, military and civil, in the state. 
 
 The future monarch of Peru was carefully trained for his 
 high destiny. He was obliged to pass through a severe course 
 of study ; to become skilful in wrestling, boxing, running, 
 and in the use of warlike weapons ; and to prove in severe 
 examinations his capacity to rule over the empire. When 
 once upon the throne, however, his power was absolute. 
 Being a descendant of the Sun, he was placed far above his 
 subjects, and his word was a divine law. 
 
 Even the Inca nobles could not appear in his presence 
 except standing, with uncovered head and bare feet, and 
 carrying a burden as a sign of their abject inferiority. 
 
 The Inca was not only the monarch but the high priest of 
 his people. He imposed religious doctrines as well as worldly 
 laws. He took care, moreover, to constantly impress his 
 unapproachable greatness upon his subjects. Whenever he 
 appeared among them, it was w4th the most dazzling pomp 
 and imposing ceremony. Attired in rich cloths of many 
 hues, glittering with gold and jewels, his brow encircled with 
 
THE GOLDEN LAND. 33 
 
 a bright red fringe, from which arose two enormous plumes 
 plucked from a sacred bird^ he showed himself at solemn 
 religious festivals and brilliant banquets, or travelled through 
 the country on magnificent litters, borne by stately nobles, 
 and attended by a host of gaily attired cavaliers. Palaces 
 were scattered throughout the empire to serve as halting- 
 places when the Inca made his journeys. 
 
 Some of these royal palaces, indeed, were magnificent. If 
 you had approached one of them, you would have seen a 
 long, low building of stone, roofed with wood, and would not 
 have been struck by its appearance. But, once within the 
 doors, you would have been fairly bewildered and dazzled by 
 its adornment. You would have observed that in the walls 
 were fitted finely fashioned devices in silver and gold, and 
 that in alcoves at frequent intervals statues of the same 
 precious metals were placed. There were hangings of gor- 
 geous cloths, and the Inca was served, when he dined in these 
 palaces, upon heavy gold plate, and with pitchers and ewers 
 thickly studded with large-sized gems. 
 
 At more than one royal residence were to be seen luxuriant 
 gardens with real plants and flowers of every size and hue, 
 and just among them other plants and flowers of gold and 
 silver, carved in minute imitation of nature. Here, too, were 
 baths, fed by waters which flowed through silver pipes into 
 broad basins of shining gold. 
 
 Nor were the principal temples of Peru less splendid than 
 the palaces in which the Inca kept his imperial state. Not 
 the sun only, but the moon, the stars, the thunder and 
 lightning, and the rainbow were worshipped by the Peruvians; 
 and there were sanctuaries dedicated to them all. 
 
 Noblest and most superb among these temples was that 
 which stood in Cuzco, the capital of the empire, and which 
 was called both " The Temple of the Sun " and " The Place 
 of Gold." It was of stone, and surrounded by a high wall ; 
 but, as in most Peruvian edifices, its chief decorations were 
 (231) 3 
 
34 THE GOLDEN LAND, 
 
 in the interior. On one of the walls blazed an enormous 
 effigy of the Sun, in burnished gold, the glittering rays shoot- 
 ing out from the central orb to the remotest corner of the 
 ceiling and down to the very floor. The orb itself was 
 fashioned to represent the face of the deity, and upon it 
 appeared many brilliant jewels. The other walls were almost 
 concealed behind the huge golden ornaments fastened into 
 them, and the cornice of the temple consisted of massive bars 
 of gold. 
 
 Another temple, dedicated to the Moon, had a similar 
 effigy of that luminary ; only this was made of shining silver. 
 Each sacred edifice throughout the empire presented a like 
 lavish display of precious metals. The vases, censers, and 
 ewers, the pipes, reservoirs, and utensils, were all of silver 
 and gold. 
 
 The Inca, while his rule was absolute, seldom exercised it 
 with tyranny or even harshness. The Peruvians were a 
 gentle, docile, industrious race : they submitted to his di- 
 vinely descended despotism without a murmur, and received 
 its laws with serene and perfect obedience. 
 
 The empire was divided into four provinces, and these 
 were subdivided into districts containing a thousand, five 
 hundred, and one hundred people. Over the provinces gover- 
 nors were appointed, always from among the Inca nobles ; 
 and Inca nobles also ruled over the lesser provinces, except 
 when foreign provinces had been conquered, over which were 
 placed native chiefs called " curacas," who became loyal to 
 the Inca. 
 
 The laws which the Incas imposed upon their people were 
 very different from those of Europe. Theirs was a most 
 methodical and orderly government. They punished theft, 
 adultery, murder, the burning of a bridge, and curses uttered 
 against the sovereign with death. The entire empire was 
 divided into three kinds of lands — those for the Sun, for the 
 Inca, and for the people. 
 
THE GOLDEN LAND. 35 
 
 The lands devoted to the Sun and the Inca were cultivated 
 in turn by all the inhabitants, and their revenues were 
 employed to support the temples, priesthood, and religious 
 rites and festivals, and to maintain the monarch in his splen- 
 dour. The lands left for the people were divided up among 
 them in equal portions. When a Peruvian married, as he 
 was bound by law to do at a certain age, a hut and piece of 
 land were assigned to him to cultivate and subsist upon. The 
 farms were re-divided every year. So it was that no Peruvian 
 could rise above the moderate comfort to which he was 
 entitled as a subject of the Inca. 
 
 The holder of a farm could neither sell any portion of it, 
 nor could he purchase other land and add to it. From month 
 to month, and from year to year, he grew no richer, nor did 
 he grow poorer. 
 
 The Peruvian was obliged first to till the fields belonging 
 to the Sun ; then to aid in cultivating the land of those of 
 his neighbours who were old, infirm, or sick ; then he could 
 occupy himself with his own acres ; finally he went to work 
 his share upon the lands of the Inca. All the sheep in 
 Peru, and the manufactures of wool from them, were en- 
 tirely the property of the Sun and the Inca. When the 
 sheep were shorn, the wool was collected in the imperial 
 storehouses, and distributed equally among the population. 
 The women in all the Peruvian homes spun and wove it 
 into cloth ; this was again collected, and distributed for 
 clothing throughout the empire. In the same way the 
 mines belonged to the Inca, and were worked for his and 
 the common benefit. 
 
 The various occupations and trades — carpentry, mining, 
 masonry, and so on — usually descended from father to son ; 
 and each artisan, supplied by the government with the 
 material for his labour, was obliged to work during a certain 
 period each year for the general benefit. From these laws it 
 may be seen how systematic and orderly was the rule of the 
 
36 THE GOLDEN LAND. 
 
 Incas, what power they had over their people, and how it 
 was that individual wealth and poverty were alike unknown 
 among the masses in Peru. 
 
 A few years before Pizarro resolved to try his fortunes in 
 an expedition to the south, a warlike and vigorous Inca, 
 named Huayna Capac, was reigning in Peru. He had ex- 
 tended his empire over a large and flourishing country called 
 Quito, which lay just north of his hereditary dominions; 
 and, by his enterprise and energetic rule, Peru had reached 
 its highest limit of wealth and power. Huayna had two sons 
 by different wives. To the elder, Huascar, he left the empire 
 of Peru ; to the younger, his favourite son, Atahualpa, he 
 bequeathed the throne of Quito. For a short time the two 
 brothers lived and reigned quietly in their respective realma 
 They continued the works begun by their father; and it 
 seemed as if the two countries would continue to advance 
 side by side in their career of high prosperity. Huascar, the 
 new Inca, was of a gentle and peaceful temper, and did not 
 begrudge his brother the fine possessions which their father 
 had confided to him. But Atahualpa inherited the bold 
 spirit and the warlike qualities of Huayna. Though younger 
 than Huascar, and really not entitled even to Quito, he was 
 bitterly chagrined because Huascar instead of himself reigned 
 over the ancient realm of the Incas. 
 
 Not long after he came to the throne Atahualpa began to 
 raise armies, and to make attacks upon his neighbours, add- 
 ing the provinces he conquered to his own kingdom. At 
 first he very carefully avoided giving the Inca Huascar cause 
 for alarm. But soon Huascar began to suspect that Ata- 
 hualpa fostered designs on Peru itself ; and, after mutual 
 misunderstanding had once arisen between the brothers, a 
 cause of quarrel was not far to seek. Atahualpa was a hand- 
 some young man of noble and soldierly bearing, impetuous, 
 and as brave as a lion. He not only rushed, with the veterans 
 who had served his father so valiantly, into the thickest of 
 
THE GOLDEN LAND. 37 
 
 the battle, but he was free, generous, and indulgent to them, 
 and thus completely won their hearts. 
 
 The first assault was made by Huascar, who invaded the 
 territory of Quito, and, after a fierce conflict, not only routed 
 Atahualpa, but took him prisoner. But Atahualpa soon 
 escaped, and returning to his kingdom, made haste to restore 
 and swell the ranks of his defeated army. The soldiers were 
 only too eager to follow him once more against the Inca. 
 He marched them rapidly southward, and, meeting Huascar 
 with a formidable force at the foot of Mount Chimborazo, the 
 loftiest peak of the Cordilleras, utterly defeated and put him 
 to flight. Pursuing the retreating Peruvians, Atahualpa 
 entered, sacked, and razed Tumebamba, one of his brother's 
 chief cities, and savagely massacred its people, young and old. 
 Then he advanced, desolating the country in his pathway 
 with fire and sword, and established his camp at Caxamalca. 
 From thence he sent his main army forward under the com- 
 mand of two veteran generals. They met the hosts of Huas- 
 car on a broad plain a short distance from Cuzco, his capital 
 There then ensued a desperate and terrible battle, which re- 
 sulted in a second and still more fatal disaster to the Inca, 
 whose army was routed in the wildest disorder, whose capital 
 was seized and plundered, and who was himself taken prisoner. 
 
 Atahualpa's triumph now seemed complete ; but he used 
 it with barbaric cruelty. He ordered his brother to be 
 thrown into a dungeon in a distant fortress ; he summoned a 
 large concourse of Inca nobles to Cuzco, and, when they were 
 gathered there, ordered them to be massacred without mercy; 
 and crowning himself with the imperial diadem, he declared 
 himself to be the Inca of Peru. 
 
 Such was the condition of the Peruvian empire at the 
 moment that Pizarro, with the aid of his faithful friends 
 Almagro and Luque, was preparing to sail in two small ships, 
 and with a resolute band of soldiers, in the direction of its 
 shores. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 PIZARRO'S DEPARTURE. 
 
 ON the morning of the 14th of November 1524 the little 
 town of Panama was alive with unusual commotion. 
 The day was misty and chilly ; yet the people, consisting not 
 only of Spaniards, but of Indians clad in every variety of 
 native costume, flocked into the streets, as if something un- 
 usual were about to take place. 
 
 The town lay upon a projecting point of the coast, and was 
 surrounded by a high stone wall. Out in the lovely bay, 
 which was not less beautiful in its contour and its sur- 
 roundings than the famous Bay of Naples, the sparkling 
 waters were dotted with hilly isles, densely covered to their 
 very summits with rich tropical trees and shrubs ; while far 
 off on the other side the dim outlines of lofty mountains were 
 visible, their peaks rising above the floating clouds. 
 
 From the centre of the most thickly populated quarter 
 rose the towers of the cathedral, then very new, the ruins of 
 which may still be seen by the traveller in that southern 
 region ; and it was in the direction of this edifice that the 
 motley throng of soldiers, sailors, planters, shopkeepers, 
 fortune-hunters, desperadoes, Indians, women and children, 
 was drifting. 
 
 The cathedral was soon crowded to its utmost capacity. 
 Near the high altar, with white-plumed and blue velvet cap, 
 stood the gaunt and grim-looking Pedrarias, the governor of 
 
PIZARRO'S DEPARTURE. 39 
 
 the colony. Just by his side was seen the tall, sturdy figure, 
 and dark, resolute face, of Francisco Pizarro, also attired in 
 a handsome costume, while a long sword hung at his side, 
 and a shining cuirass covered his breast. A little behind 
 Pizarro was stationed the short form of Almagro, his friend, 
 whose countenance betrayed the earnestness and fire of his 
 nature. 
 
 For a little while silence reigned through the cathedral 
 Then a stout, prosperous-looking priest with large and bright 
 black eyes and pleasant face, arrayed in the robes of his 
 sacred office, advanced, and kneeled at the high altar. This 
 priest, had he been seen in another place, and in a more 
 worldly garb, would have been taken rather for an enter- 
 prising merchant, or even an adventurous soldier, than for 
 a minister of souls. It was Luque, Pizarro's stanch friend, 
 and his partner in the venture that was about to be made. 
 
 Presently the priest's voice was heard chanting the solemn 
 service of the mass. The song of the choir echoed through 
 the cathedral ; and then Luque, turning towards Pizarro, 
 stretched forth his arms, and in loud, deep, earnest tones 
 blessed him, and bade him God-speed in his dangerous voyage. 
 He then administered to him the holy sacrament, and the 
 ceremony was at an end. 
 
 A procession was now formed, the governor Pedrarias 
 marching at the head, with Pizarro at his side. Behind them 
 went the soldiers and men who had been enlisted for the 
 voyage ; and these, in turn, were followed by a large concourse 
 of soldiers and people. 
 
 Arrived on the shores of the bay, Pizarro took leave of the 
 governor, who, though jealous of the gallant captain, con- 
 cealed his feelings, and warmly bade him farewell, embraced 
 his good friends Almagro and Luque, and, amid the shouts of 
 the throng gathered on the quay, went on board the larger 
 of the two ships that lay at anchor. 
 
 It was not long before the men had all embarked ; and the 
 
40 PIZARRO'S DEPARTURE. 
 
 moment arrived to weigh anchor, to spread sails, and put out 
 to sea. As the ships glided out of the harbour, a loud 
 clamour of shouts rent the air. Flags were waved, and guns 
 fired off, and the tall figure of Pizarro was seen erect on his 
 quarter-deck, saluting the crowd with his plumed hat, until 
 he and the ships faded out of sight in the still brooding mist. 
 
 Pizarro had boldly committed his fortunes and his life to 
 the great deep, and to the perils sure to be encountered in 
 strange and savage lands. His bold heart beat high as he 
 thought of the glorious prospect of success ; nor did it for a 
 moment shrink before the dread possibilities of disaster and 
 defeat. He knew almost nothing of the region to which he 
 was going, but trusted firmly in his good fortune and his 
 pluck to conquer every obstacle. Tlie little ships pushed 
 bravely out to sea, and soon every landmark of the town and 
 bay was lost to sight. Reaching the Isle of Pearls, where 
 Pizarro had once obtained so many precious jewels, and to 
 which he had given its name, he anchored there a little 
 while ; and then resuming his voyage, he sailed southward 
 toward the continent, where, according to the stories he had 
 heard, he would find the riches he so ardently sought. 
 
 In a few days, as the ships sped along the coast, they 
 doubled a promontory, on the other side of which Pizarro 
 espied the mouth of a river. Resolved to explore every part 
 of the coast, lest he should miss the country of which he was 
 in search, he ordered the ships to sail up this stream as far 
 as they could. It proved to be navigable for about six 
 miles. They cast anchor, and Pizarro landed upon the 
 unknown shore with all his soldiers to explore the country 
 round about. 
 
 He found himself in a strange and forbidding place. 
 Dismal swamps, overgrown with rank and tangled shrubs, 
 stretched out before him and his comrades on every side as 
 far as the eye could reach; and after crossing these, they 
 came to a rough, craggy, barren region, which was as deso- 
 
PIZARRO'S DEPARTURE. 41 
 
 late and as difficult to cross as the marshes had been. There 
 were no signs anywhere of- human habitation ; and after 
 several days employed in tedious and fruitless marches under 
 a blazing sun, the party returned footsore and weary to the 
 ships. 
 
 Once more they put out to sea, and continued to skirt as 
 near to the shore as it was safe to do. It was not many 
 days before their eyes were gladdened by another inlet. 
 Here Pizarro put in, in order not only to explore the region, 
 but to renew his supply of wood and water. But the place 
 was not less lonely and unattractive than that they had before 
 visited ; so, after taking in wood and water, they resumed 
 their voyage. 
 
 Hitherto, in spite of the inclement season of the year, the 
 weather had not been unfavourable to the expedition. But 
 they had no sooner struck into the open sea than a furious 
 tempest assailed the ships. It burst upon them suddenly. 
 Thunder rolled in deafening peals across the black and heavy 
 masses of clouds, while the sharp and quick succeeding flashes 
 of lightning lit up the sea and firmament, as if to show the 
 adventurers the frightful aspects of the storm in which they 
 were enveloped. The poor little ships creaked and groaned, 
 and as each tremendous billow struck and dashed over their 
 sides, making them shake and tremble, and deluging the men 
 with salt water, it seemed as if every moment would see them 
 staved in and shattered by the shock. 
 
 Pizarro, in the midst of the tempest, was as patient and 
 calm as if he had been quietly reposing in his house at 
 Panama. His men at first raved and cursed in their terror ; 
 but he went among them and cheered them, and soon shamed 
 them into submission by his own dauntless courage. 
 
 The storm grew more and more terrible. Day waned and 
 night came, and the waves still rose to awful heights, the wind 
 swelled to a hurricane, and the ships drifted and plunged 
 helplessly whithersoever the frenzied elements carried them. 
 
42 PIZARRO'S DEPARTURE, 
 
 For a week the tempest continued to rage with a fury that 
 only abated a few moments at a time. And now another 
 calamity was added to the dangers of shipwreck. 
 
 Almagro had stored the ships with what he thought an 
 ample supply of provisions, but he had supposed that the 
 voyagers would be able to renew it from time to time by 
 procuring food at the places on the coast where they would 
 land. But they had as yet found nothing to sustain life, 
 and their provisions and water were almost exhausted. They 
 had now before them the danger not only of foundering at 
 sea, but, even if they were spared this fate, of dying by 
 starvation. Each man's rations were reduced to two ears of 
 corn, and this scant sustenance Pizarro cheerfully shared with 
 the humblest of his comrades. 
 
 The storm happily ceased a few days after the provisions 
 fell short ; and the captain, ignorant of what lay beyond, 
 resolved to put back to the inlet where he had taken in wood 
 and water. There, at least, they would be safe on dry land ; 
 they would repair the disabled ships ; and it might be that, 
 by exploring farther inland than they had done, food would 
 be found. 
 
 On reaching the inlet, all hands disembarked and made 
 preparations for a longer sojourn. Their situation, indeed, 
 was far from promising. Having escaped the terrors of the 
 sea, new trials and miseries seemed to await them on shore. 
 A desolate tract of marsh and forest lay stretched out before 
 them. Already over thirty of the stalwart band which had 
 set out from Panama had died, and Pizarro found that he 
 had but eighty faithful followers left to share his dangers 
 and hardships. He divided these into parties, who scoured 
 the country and penetrated as far as they could through the 
 tangled growths that lay beyond the swamps. But one and 
 all returned with the same mournful story, that neither in- 
 habitants nor food were anywhere to be found. 
 
 Pizarro was resolved to take a desperate course. Undis- 
 
PIZARRO'S DEPARTURE. 43 
 
 mayed by his situation, and firmly set on not returning to 
 Panama, where the news of his failure would be received 
 with jeers and contempt, he sent the smaller of his ships, 
 under a faithful officer named Montenegro, back to the Isle 
 of Pearls for provisions; while he himself, with the larger 
 part of his men, remained on the dismal coast. He trusted 
 to his good fortune to survive till the ship should return ; 
 and by continually picturing to his comrades the glory and 
 riches in store for them, persuaded them to be content to 
 stay with him. 
 
 He expected Montenegro to come back at least within a 
 fortnight. But the fortnight passed, then three weeks, then 
 a month ; and as the poor little company of adventurers stood 
 on the coast and strained their eyes northward, no friendly 
 sail, promising food for their empty stomachs and drink for 
 their parched lips, greeted their sight. 
 
 Nothing could exceed the misery which Pizarro and his 
 comrades suffered during this long and terrible suspense. 
 Confined to a barren and unhealthy shore, with scarcely any 
 provisions, and water so bad that it poisoned and sometimes 
 killed those who drank it, with scant shelter from the storms 
 that often swept over them, and the hope of seeing the ship 
 of succour appear constantly postponed, it seemed as if one 
 and all were doomed to a slow death of torture on this re- 
 mote and lonely spot. At last they were reduced to the 
 most desperate extremities. The small stock of com became 
 exhausted, and the half-famished creatures greedily ate the 
 salt seaweed that the waves washed upon the beach, and 
 bitter palm-berries, and even the tanned cowhide which cov- 
 ered the ship's pump, and which they boiled, divided, and 
 devoured as best they could. Day by day Pizarro saw his 
 company dwindling before his eyes. Scarcely a day passed 
 that one or two did not die of sheer starvation, while the 
 rest became gaunt and haggard, and were gradually reduced 
 to little more than skeletons. 
 
44 PIZARRO'S DEPARTURE, 
 
 The brave captain, however, still kept up a stout heart. 
 He shared with the rest their repulsive food ; he tended the 
 sick, and administered such medicines as he had with his own 
 hand; he piled up soft beds for them with brush and leaves; 
 he caused huts to be erected, and himself assisted in putting 
 them up, so that some shelter might be afforded from the 
 frequent tempests ; and by constantly going among them, 
 showing his deep sorrow for their miseries, cheering them 
 by his words of hope, and setting them a bright example 
 of patience and indomitable resolution, he quite won their 
 hearts even in the midst of their distress. One day, as 
 Pizarro was going about, relieving as best he could the pains 
 of the sick, two or three of his men came running up, and 
 eagerly told him they had seen a light a great way off 
 through the trees. He at once started out with a party of 
 a dozen, and soon, sure enough, saw a faint glimmering in 
 the distance. Making his way as best he could through the 
 tangled forest, he at last reached an opening, and to his sur- 
 prise and delight found there a group of Indian huts. The 
 savages, frightened out of their wits on seeing the Spaniards, 
 ran away into the woods as fast as their legs could carry 
 them, but, gathering confidence, they soon returned to the 
 edge of the open space. 
 
 Pizarro and his men lost no time in entering the huts, and 
 were overjoyed to find in them some cocoa-nuts and corn. 
 They loaded themselves with as much as they could carry, 
 and were on the point of returning, when several of the In- 
 dians, advancing, bitterly complained, by expressive signs, 
 of the robbery, and asked Pizarro why the Spaniards had 
 come to plunder their peaceful village. 
 
 He replied, in the same way, that he and his men were 
 starving, and that it was necessary that they should take 
 whatever food they could find. He then asked them many 
 questions, and they told him that beyond the mountains 
 there was a land abounding? in riches. 
 
PIZARRO'S DEPARTURE. 45 
 
 The Spaniards observed that these savages wore heavy 
 ornaments of gold ; and this entirely confirmed their belief 
 in a golden country, and restored ambition and cupidity to 
 their flagging souls. They returned to their companions 
 aglow with the story of their discovery, and filled them with 
 joy by displaying the corn and cocoa-nuts they had taken. 
 
 It was not until the forty-seventh day after its departure 
 that Montenegro's ship, returning over the ocean, gladdened 
 the eyes of Pizarro's still half-famished party. When they 
 saw the sails in the distance, they capered, weak as they 
 were, wildly about on the beach ; and when at last Monte- 
 negro cast anchor, they rushed out into the sea to embrace 
 their comrades, and devour the good things which were 
 thrown overboard to them. Montenegro had brought an 
 ample supply of corn and pork, but told a harrowing tale of 
 the hardships he and his crew had suffered on their way back 
 from the Isle of Pearls. 
 
 Refreshed by the provisions which Montenegro had brought, 
 and reinforced by his ship and men, Pizarro left the place 
 where he and his comrades had spent so many dismal days, 
 and which he expressively named the " Port of Famine," and 
 continued his voyage southward along the coast. 
 
 Resolved to push his discoveries as far as possible, he 
 passed several harbours which looked inviting, and did not 
 cast anchor again until he came to a place where there were 
 indications of habitation. Here he went ashore with his 
 soldiers, and finding none of the difficulties in penetrating 
 the country which he had experienced at the Port of Famine, 
 he marched rapidly forward. Everywhere he saw signs of 
 the presence of human beings ; and he was not surprised 
 when, emerging from a thicket, he saw an Indian village, sur- 
 rounded by palisades, on the crest of a hill before him. 
 
 Pizarro's first impulse was to attack the village ; but before 
 he did so, he sent Montenegro forward to explore the neigh- 
 bourhood. While his lieutenant was gone on this errand, 
 
46 PIZARRO'S DEPARTURE. 
 
 the captain, knowing that his ship had been badly disabled 
 by the tempests through which she had passed, ordered a 
 few of the sailors to take her back to Panama for repairs. 
 Thus he cut off from his party a retreat by sea. 
 
 The savage inhabitants of the village, on espying the Span- 
 iards, had run away into the bushes as those at the Port of 
 Famine had done ; but the sequel proved that they were a 
 far bolder race. Montenegro, after proceeding some way, 
 was suddenly assailed by the Indians, who rushed out of 
 their hiding-places, and with loud cries fired a perfect shower 
 of arrows among the Spaniards. 
 
 The latter were completely surprised, and at first lost their 
 presence of mind. Quickly recovering, however, they drew 
 their swords, and fell fiercely upon the enemy. The Indians 
 were driven pell-mell into the woods again, but not until 
 three of the Spaniards had been killed and several wounded. 
 
 It was now Pizarro's turn to suffer from the valour of the 
 warlike natives. Gathering in a dense mass, the Indians 
 hastened to assail him before Montenegro's force could return 
 to his aid. Before he knew it, a storm of arrows assailed 
 his little camp ; and this was attended with hideous yells, 
 which struck as much terror to the heart as the rude weapons 
 themselvea 
 
 Pizarro was too brave a man to wait patiently for the 
 onset of the Indians. His blood was up ; and, calling upon 
 his men to follow him, he leaped over the barricade which 
 he had caused to be erected, and with naked sword ran for- 
 ward to meet the savage foe. 
 
 The Indians saw by his bearing and air of command that 
 he was the Spanish chief. They directed their whole fire 
 upon him, and, as he was struggling valiantly, inflicted seven 
 wounds upon him under his armour. Pizarro faltered, and 
 then fell. 
 
 The savages, with an exultant cry of joy, rushed upon him 
 to kill him. But the heroic cavalier, seeing their design. 
 
PIZARRO'S DEPARTURE. 47 
 
 sprang lightly to his feet, and despatched two of the advanc- 
 ing Indians with his sword. ^ The rest he held at bay until 
 his soldiers could come up ; and just at this moment the day 
 was saved, and defeat turned into victory, by the timely 
 arrival of the faithful Montenegro. The victory, however, 
 was won at the cost of five Spaniards killed and seventeen 
 wounded. 
 
 It seemed hopeless to proceed farther in the expedition. 
 The hostility of the natives had been aroused ; Pizarro's force 
 had been wofully reduced by disease and battle ; the provi- 
 sions were running short ; and the remaining ship was not in 
 a fit condition to pursue the voyage farther south. 
 
 Pizarro, therefore, sorrowfully ordered his men to embark, 
 and the ship's prow was once more turned towards Panama. 
 The weather being favourable, the voyage was made rapidly 
 and safely, and ere many days the lovely Isle of Pearls came . 
 again in sight. But Pizarro was unwilling to return* to 
 Panama and meet Pedrarias with his story of failure. So 
 he cast anchor in the little port of Chuchama, on- the main- 
 land opposite the Isle of Pearls ; and landing his men there, 
 he sent his treasurer forward to the city in the ship to caiTy 
 to the governor the golden ornaments he had taken from the 
 Indians, while he and his comrades awaited at a distance the 
 course of events. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 PIZARRO'S SECOND VENTURE. 
 
 SOON after his arrival at Chuchama, Pizarro learned with 
 surprise that his friend Almagro, alarmed for his 
 safety, had shortly before set sail with seventy men to tra- 
 verse the southern seas in search of him. The ships, it seems, 
 had passed, but missed each other ; and now Almagro was 
 doubtless wandering up and down the coast of South America 
 in despair at not finding those for whom he was seeking. 
 
 Pizarro wisely refrained from putting himself in the jealous 
 Pedrarias's power. He remained quietly where he was, and 
 awaited, as patiently as he could, Almagro's return. After 
 several weeks, he was rejoiced to see the welcome sails of his 
 friend's ship in the distance. Almagro entered the harbour, 
 cast anchor, and was soon locked in Pizarro's embrace. 
 
 He had a tale of startling adventure and strange vicissitude 
 to telL In the course of his voyage he had landed at several 
 points on the coast, where he had found traces of Pizarro's 
 presence ; and at the place where Pizarro had fought with 
 the Indians, narrowly escaping with his life, Almagro had 
 also engaged them in a terrific combat, in the course of which 
 a dart had entered one of his eyes, and put it out. 
 
 Almagro had, moreover, sailed a considerable distance far- 
 ther southward than Pizarro. He had entered the mouth 
 of a beautiful river, and found himself in a country which 
 seemed a perfect fairyland. Here he had taken a great 
 
PIZ ARROWS SECOND VENTURE, 49 
 
 quantity of gold ornaments from the terrified natives, and 
 had brought back with him a precious cargo, which made 
 Pizarro's eyes glisten when Almagro displayed it to him. 
 
 The frieftds, delighted with the discoveries they had already 
 made, and certain that beyond the farthest places they had 
 visited there lay a country teeming with gold and gems, re- 
 solved on the spot that they would lose no time, and shrink 
 from no sacrifice, in fitting out another and larger expedition. 
 
 But in the ill-nature and jealousy of Pedrarias, the gover- 
 nor, they had a very serious obstacle to overcome. When 
 Almagro went to Panama, and besought his consent and aid, 
 Pedrarias replied with a dark frown, — 
 
 " No ; I will not permit you to go on any more fools' 
 errands. You have lost men, and exhausted supplies; and 
 all you have brought back are a few pitiful trinkets. Your 
 golden country is a dream. I need all the men I can enlist 
 for more solid enterprises. You must abandon your crazy 
 project." 
 
 Almagro was in despair. He hastened to his good friend 
 the priest Luque, and told him what Pedrarias had said. 
 
 *' Cheer up," said Luque in a voice that restored confidence 
 to Almagro's sinking heart. "All is not yet lost. I will 
 myself go to Pedrarias, and will find means to wring from 
 him, not only his consent, but his assistance." 
 
 The next day Luque returned to Almagro with an exultant 
 expression in his face. 
 
 " Victory ! " he cried. " We have won ! Pedrarias no 
 longer refuses his aid. Now to buy ships, raise men, collect 
 money, and be off once more for the southern seas ! " 
 
 Pizarro, meanwhile, was still at Chuchama with the fifty 
 men who had survived the first expedition. Almagro has- 
 tened to him with the good news. The faithful Luque lost no 
 time in procuring sufiicient funds. Two ships, larger and 
 more stanch than those used before, were purchased and 
 speedily stored ; and Almagro succeeded in enlisting a force 
 (231) 4 
 
50 PIZARRO'S SECOND VENTURE, 
 
 of a hundred and ten stalwart Spaniards, one and all eager 
 to try their fortunes in the new venture. 
 
 Just before the ships were ready to set sail, the three 
 friends made a solemn contract among themselves. They 
 agreed to divide equally all the lands that might be conquered, 
 and all the treasures that might be acquired by the expedi- 
 tion. This contract was confirmed by an imposing religious 
 ceremony, which was witnessed by a great concourse of 
 people. 
 
 It was in the spring of 1526 that the two vessels, one com- 
 manded by Pizarro and the other by Almagro, set out upon 
 their dangerous voyage. Every heart on board beat high 
 with eager hope, and the spirits of all were cheered by the 
 soft and favourable breezes that sped them rapidly southward. 
 Pizarro was full of courage and confidence as the ships 
 ploughed the waters of the Pacific, and more than ever be- 
 lieved that his perseverance would soon be crowned with 
 great good fortune. 
 
 As there was no object to be gained by casting anchor at 
 the several places which Pizarro had visited on his first ex- 
 pedition, they steered directly for the river of San Juan, the 
 farthest point southward reached by Almagro. 
 
 Here Pizarro gave the order to put in. Landing his 
 soldiers, he attacked a native hamlet which he espied on a 
 neighbouring hill, and succeeded in seizing not only a number 
 of golden trinkets, but several stalwart young savages. These 
 he regarded as valuable captives ; for he foresaw that they 
 would be useful to him as guides and interpreters. They 
 submitted to be taken on board ship, and stared about them 
 when they had got there with an air of complete stupefaction. 
 
 Pizarro saw every evidence about him that the country on 
 the borders of which he had landed both abounded with 
 treasure and was thickly inhabited by a warlike race. With 
 his little force of one hundred and sixty men, however, though 
 they were trained and brave soldiers, and were supplied with 
 
PIZARRO'S SECOND VENTURE. 61 
 
 fire-arms, he could not venture to cope with the hordes of 
 even undisciplined Indians of whom his scouts brought in 
 such formidable stories. 
 
 He resolved, therefore, that Almagro should return in his 
 ship to Panama for more soldiers, while he himself made his 
 headquarters on the banks of the San Juan. At the same 
 time he thought it prudent that his trusty pilot Ruiz should 
 take the other ship, and reconnoitre the coast still farther 
 southward. 
 
 Almagro and Ruiz accordingly put to sea again, soon part- 
 ing and going their different ways. 
 
 Left alone in the strange land, surrounded by barbarians 
 whose movements were anything but friendly, with a supply 
 of provisions which would not last very long, Pizarro could 
 not, nevertheless, wait idly for the return of his comrades. 
 He made the most of his time by leading excursions into the 
 interior, ascertaining as well as he could the character of the 
 country and the numbers and degree of intelligence of the 
 natives. 
 
 Many of these excursions proved dismal and dangerous. 
 He was forced to penetrate through forests where it was 
 almost as dark as night; he found himself often in dark 
 ravines, and then in densely tangled marshes ; and as he 
 ascended now and then a precipitous hill, he beheld the 
 towering crests of the Cordilleras forming an impassable 
 barrier before him. As the soldiers trudged with diflSculty 
 over the rough crags or among the brambles, they would be 
 stung by huge snakes, and would fall dying in intense agony 
 in the path of their companions, while sometimes they were 
 ferociously assailed by savage bands, and only escaped with 
 the loss of several of their number. 
 
 Then their provisions gave out, and they were obliged to 
 live on wild cocoa-nuts and bitter mangroves ; and to add to 
 their tortures, they were attacked by dense swarms of large 
 musquitoes, which covered them with excruciating bites, and 
 
68 PIZARRO'S SECOND VENTURE, 
 
 compelled them, for want of a better protection, to bury 
 themselves up to their chins in the sand. 
 
 No wonder that the courage even of the bravest sank, and 
 that they loudly bewailed their miserable plight and their 
 folly at leaving home to meet with such unparalleled suffering. 
 But once more Pizarro betrayed the heroism of his nature. 
 By his unfaltering spirits and patience, and his tact in dealing 
 with his men, he soothed their anger and banished their 
 despair, until the welcome sails of Ruiz's ship appeared in 
 sight, and brought succour and new reason to hope for brill- 
 iant triumphs. 
 
 Buiz made their hearts thrill with the story of his adven- 
 tures southward of the San Juan. He had found countries 
 better cultivated than any they had hitherto seen, and natives 
 much more civilized than those by whom they were sur- 
 rounded. He had seen Indian vessels, rude, to be sure, when 
 compared with Spanish caravels, but so well built as to show 
 that the inhabitants had some knowledge of the art of navi- 
 gation. The people, too, whom he found in the boats wore 
 woollen cloths of delicate texture worked in many colours, 
 and they had balances with which to weigh gold, silver, and 
 gems. He had contrived to approach and talk with these 
 natives, and they had given him tempting pictures of the 
 lands that lay between the ocean and the mountains, of the 
 sides of the hills covered with sheep, of the towns adorned 
 by stately temples and palaces, and of the broad roads that 
 extended for many leagues across the country. That there 
 might be no doubt of what he said, Buiz had brought with 
 him several Indians, who were very quick and intelligent, 
 and by vivacious signs and gestures confirmed to Pizarro 
 what his faithful pilot had narrated. 
 
 Pizarro's longing for the return of Almagro was soon 
 satisfied ; for Buiz had not been back many days before the 
 other ship, coming from Panama, made its appearance, and 
 was greeted with the liveliest demonstrations of joy. 
 
PIZARRO'S SECOND VENTURE. 53 
 
 Almagro had made a prosperous voyage to the isthmus, 
 and brought back with him a force of eighty men, some of 
 whom had just arrived from Spain eager for adventure and 
 conquest. On arriving at Panama he had found Pedrarias 
 gone, and a new governor, named Don Pedro de los Rios, 
 in his place. . Fortunately this new governor did not have 
 Pedrarias's jealous and grasping disposition. He aided Al- 
 magro in recruiting his soldiers and re-provisioning his ship, 
 and sent him away with cordial good wishes. 
 
 It was without regret that Pizarro and his comrades left 
 the place where they had suffered so much, and with gay 
 hearts they once more set sail. The ships took a southerly 
 course, and it seemed probable that at last the brave Spaniards 
 were on the point of achieving a really great success. 
 
 But misfortune seemed to pursue Pizarro at every stejx 
 If he escaped one peril he speedily encountered another. No 
 sooner did he begin to rejoice at his triumph over one obstacle 
 than a new difficulty presented itself. 
 
 Having survived the danger of famine and massacre, it 
 was now the turn of the tempest to threaten him with 
 destruction. The ships had only been at sea a few days 
 when they were assailed by violent gales, and contrary winds 
 made their progress slow and laboured. Then storms of 
 terrific fury burst upon them in quick succession, making it 
 absolutely necessary that they should seek the shelter of 
 some port. Happily Ruiz had already explored that part of 
 the ocean, and one day recognized an island where he had 
 stayed several days. He assured Pizarro that it possessed a 
 good harbour; whereupon the captain ordered the ships to 
 run into it. At this island, which was named Gallo, they 
 remained a fortnight ; after which, the storms subsiding, they 
 continued to sail until they reached a bay on the coast, which 
 Pizarro called the Bay of St. Matthew, having arrived there 
 on the day of that saint. 
 
 They did not stop long in this bay, but, keeping on their 
 
64 PIZARRO'S SECOND VENTURE, 
 
 way down the coast, were delighted to observe that the 
 country bordering on the ocean gave constantly increasing 
 evidences of cultivation and thrift. 
 
 One bright morning, as the ships were skimming over a 
 rippling sea, Pizarro espied on the shore a large village, with 
 better houses and a more civilized aspect than any he had 
 before seen. There were regular streets, and the Indians 
 whom he espied passing to and fro fairly glittered with 
 golden ornaments. The natives on board told him that the 
 name of the town was Tacamez, a famous place in those 
 parts; and that the pretty, winding river that flowed just 
 beyond abounded in large and beautiful emeralds. 
 
 Had Pizarro been familiar with the geography of the re- 
 gion he was traversing, he would have been rejoiced to know 
 that he was now on the very borders of the Peruvian empire ; 
 but he was feeling his way, and was really ignorant that he 
 was so near the goal of his ambition. 
 
 His first impulse was to land. Just a^ he had done so 
 with a force of soldiers, a great multitude of natives, armed 
 with javelins and bows and arrows, rushed down towards the 
 shore, and gathered close together in hostile array. His 
 situation was now extremely perilous. It seemed as if he 
 and his men must speedily be annihilated. An amusing acci- 
 dent, however, saved them. 
 
 Among his soldiers were several who were on horseback. 
 Now, the Indians had never seen a horse, and supposed the 
 rider and his horse to be one animal A soldier happened 
 to fall off his steed ; and this so amazed and frightened the 
 savages, who thus saw the animal appear to divide in two 
 pieces, that they retreated in all haste to the town. 
 
 But Pizarro was convinced that even now his force was 
 not large enough to struggle with such formidable numbers 
 of savages as, it was clear, inhabited the country. He there- 
 fore proposed to Almagro that he himself should return to 
 Panama for reinforcements. 
 
PIZ ARROWS SECOND VENTURE. 55 
 
 For the first time the friends angrily disagreed. Almagro 
 declared that he would not remain whiJe Pizarro went back ; 
 and Pizarro hotly upbraided Almagro for always wishing to 
 leave him behind, to suffer the miseries of those strange re- 
 gions, while Almagro himself went to Panama. The dispute 
 became so bitter that the two captains were on the point of 
 striking each other, when Ruiz and the treasurer Ribera in- 
 terposed and pacified them. 
 
 At last Pizarro yielded ; and it was decided that he should 
 remain, and that Almagro should return for more men. The 
 island of Gallo, which they had already visited, was selected 
 as the refuge of Pizarro and his comrades ; and this decision 
 was announced to the men. 
 
 A great clamour at once arose among them. Many were 
 disheartened and discouraged by their past hardships, and 
 declared that they would not again stay to become the 
 prey of famine and of the poisoned arrows of the savages. 
 They at last seemed to be pacified, however, and Almagro 
 set sail. 
 
 It happened that several of the soldiers, finding that they 
 could not openly escape, secretly wrote letters to their friends 
 in Panama, describing their miseries, and concealed these 
 letters in some bales of cotton which Almagro carried with 
 him. When Almagro arrived at Panama, these letters were 
 found by those to whom they were sent ; and one of them 
 found its way into the hands of the governor. He was very 
 much exasperated at its contents, which betrayed to him that 
 the men had suffered dreadfully, and that as yet no very 
 brilliant discoveries had been made. 
 
 The governor sternly rebuked Almagro for concealing from 
 him the true state of things, and declared that not only should 
 no more men be sent out, but that he would at once despatch 
 some ships to bring back Pizarro and the men left with him 
 on the island of Gallo. 
 
 This he did. Two vessels were sent out under the com- 
 
66 PIZARRO'S SECOND VENTURE. 
 
 mand of a Spaniard named Tafur, and meanwhile Almagro 
 was detained at Panama. 
 
 When Tafur reached the island of Gallo, he found Pizarro 
 and his comrades in a wretched plight. They had exhausted 
 their provisions, and worn their clothes to rags ; while per- 
 petual storms had continually drenched them, there being no 
 good shelter where they were. 
 
 The men were frantic with delight when they saw Tafur's 
 ship. They revelled in the ample provisions he had brought ; 
 and when he announced that he had come to carry them all 
 home again, they received the news with the wildest demon- 
 strations of joy. 
 
 But Pizarro was determined not to go back. He was in- 
 censed at the governor's conduct, and was ready to risk his 
 life in preventing the execution of his orders. Having come 
 thus far, he resolutely refused to return to Panama, and 
 thus confess his failure. Having caught a glimpse of a land 
 abounding in riches, his heart was set on reaping the reward 
 of his trials and courage. 
 
 Commanding his men to assemble on the shore, in a firm 
 but quiet tone he thus addressed them : — 
 
 " Comrades, you have two paths between which to decide. 
 One is full of perils and privations, exhausting toil, storms 
 and famine, the poisoned arrow, the midnight attack of count- 
 less and ruthless savages ; but it leads to Peru, with its untold 
 wealth, the lasting glory and power of its conquest. The 
 other road leads home, to Panama with its ease and indo- 
 lence, and to contempt, poverty, and obscurity. Each one 
 of you may choose which way to take. For my part, I re- 
 main." 
 
 Pizarro then drew his sword, and, bending down, traced a 
 deej7, long line in the sand. 
 
 "Those of you," he said, pointing to the line, " who decide 
 to go back to Panama, stay where you are ; but those of you 
 who will stand by your captain, who are brave enough to 
 
PIZAdRO'S SECOND VENTURE. 67 
 
 still share his dangers and his triumphs, follow me, and cross 
 this line." 
 
 As he said this he stepped across the line, and, drawing 
 himself up proudly, waited. 
 
 For a moment there was complete silence. The men 
 glanced at each other, and at the immovable face of their 
 commander. Some hung their heads, and slunk off to the 
 rear. Others seemed to be hesitating. Then the faithful 
 pilot Ruiz, glancing behind him as if to appeal to his com- 
 rades to follow him, strode over the line. After another 
 moment of silence a second passed it, then a third, then a 
 fourtL When all had crossed who made up their minds to 
 stay with Pizarro, he found that he had thirteen gallant and 
 devoted followers. 
 
 It was a small force with which to conquer an empire ; 
 but Pizarro's stout soul never faltered at the prospect. He 
 knew that, far away in Panama, his good friends Almagro 
 and Luque were using all their energies to send him aid ; 
 and, after all, to get rid of the faint-hearted and mutinous 
 among his men was at least some gain. 
 
 Tafur sailed away, and Pizarro, with his thirteen comrades, 
 remained on the island of Gallo. But he had already dis- 
 covered that this island was not favourable for a long sojourn. 
 Unhappily he had sent away his other ship soon after Alma- 
 gro had sailed, so that he was now without any means of 
 transportation whatever. 
 
 This difficulty was soon overcome. His men set lustily to 
 work, and in a few hours had completed a strong raft. Upon 
 this they placed their provisions, arms, and utensils; and 
 huddling together on the remaining space, they pushed out 
 to sea. 
 
 They were upon the raft several days. Fortunately the 
 weather was calm, and they were able to reach the island 
 of Gorgona, seventy miles north of Gallo, without accident. 
 Here Pizarro resolved to establish his little company as best 
 
58 PIZARRO'S SECOND VENTURE. 
 
 he could, and to wait patiently till assistance from Almagro 
 should arrive. 
 
 At first their residence on this island was very pleasant. 
 But ere long the tempests beat in their huts ; the sun, when 
 it was fair, blazed remorselessly down upon them ; and they 
 were tortured by the swarms of musquitoes and other insects 
 that assailed them by day and night. 
 
 For seven months they endured miseries not less terrible 
 than those they had before suffered. It seemed as if relief 
 would never come. But Pizarro was now surrounded by 
 stout and resolute fellows, who bore up as bravely as he 
 himself against every mishap and anguish that afflicted them. 
 
 At last a small vessel came in sight. Pizarro rushed 
 down to the shore, and waved to it to show where he was. . 
 The people on the vessel luckily saw him : the prow was 
 turned towards the island ; and the little band waded out 
 into the sea, and clambered on board. 
 
 Pizarro found, as he had supposed, that the vessel had 
 been sent out by Almagro ; but he was greatly disappointed 
 to discover that she had brought no soldiers. The governor 
 of Panama, while he had allowed Almagro to send Pizarro 
 provisions and ammunition, had sternly refused to permit any 
 more men to embark. 
 
 The provisions, at least, were most welcome, and the ad- 
 venturers partook of them with great gusto. It was some- 
 thing, moreover, to procure a fresh supply of powder and 
 guns, and the little vessel was quite large enough to trans- 
 port the little band wherever they wished to go. 
 
 Pizarro soon made up his mind what to do. Leaving two 
 of his men, who were ill, in the care of some friendly Indians 
 on the isle of Gorgona, he embarked with the remaining 
 eleven, and took his way southward, even with so small a 
 force, in the direction of the golden land which he was sure 
 existed, and of which he was confident that, sooner or later, 
 he would make the conquest. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 ON THE BORDERS OF PERU. 
 
 IT was a rash but heroic act for Pizarro to set out in a 
 single little vessel and with only eleven men, and to 
 venture into a country which it seemed probable was in- 
 habited by millions of brave and warlike men. 
 
 But he could not bear the thought of going back to 
 Panama until he could at least carry the certain news that a 
 great and rich empire really existed in South America ; and 
 both he and his men were not only willing but eager to risk 
 their lives in exploring regions farther southward than they 
 had yet gone. 
 
 The little ship kept steadily on, past the island of Gallo, 
 the point of Tacamez, and another point which Pizarro named 
 St. Helena ; and after a voyage of three weeks, the adven- 
 turers entered one afternoon one of the most beautiful bays 
 they had ever seen. The Indians whom Pizarro had brought 
 with him as interpreters told him that it was the Gulf of 
 Guayaquil, and, pointing across the water to a verdant and 
 fertile shore, exclaimed that there was the kingdom of Quito, 
 the most northerly part of the Peruvian Inca's dominions. 
 
 Pizarro stood still on his deck, and gazed long and silently 
 upon the borders of the land he had suffered so much to 
 reach, and he longed so ardently to conquer. Visions of 
 fabulous wealth, of vast power and glory, dizzied his brain, 
 and he thought bitterly of his ill-fortune in not having a 
 
60 ON THE BORDERS OF PERU. 
 
 force large enough on the spot with which to attempt the 
 contemplated conquest. 
 
 Anchoring off the island of Santa Clara, Pizarro narrowly 
 questioned his Indians about the locality of the region in 
 which he had arrived. They told him that just opposite the 
 island, on the shore of the mainland, there stood a large 
 town named Tumbez ; while on the other side was another 
 island called Puna, the inhabitants of which were hostile to 
 the people on the coast. 
 
 The next morning Pizarro resolved to venture nearer Tum- 
 bez, and if possible to land, and enter the town, not as an 
 enemy, but in a friendly manner. The sails of the little ship 
 were therefore hoisted, and it was not long before the adven- 
 turers found themselves opposite the town. 
 
 The sight which now met Pizarro's gaze filled him 
 with astonishment and admiration. Tumbez was indeed an 
 imposing place, with a strong fortress perched on a craggy 
 eminence, aqueducts, temples, palaces, convents, many houses 
 built of stone, and wide, well-paved, and graded streets. The 
 people, who flocked in great numbers along the shore, dressed 
 in gay colours, and, as Pizarro observed even at his distance, 
 glittering with rings, bracelets, and chains of gold and gems, 
 were of a higher type than any he had yet seen, and mani- 
 fested their wonder at beholding a European ship, so utterly 
 unlike anything they had before known, by running to and 
 fro, shouting loudly, and throwing up their swarthy hands 
 and arms. 
 
 At this moment a large flat-boat, full of Indian soldiers, 
 pushed out from the shore. Their purpose was not, however, 
 to attack Pizarro ; but they were setting out on an expedition 
 against Puna. 
 
 Pizarro saw his opportunity, and beckoning to the Indians 
 in the boat, asked several of the chiefs to come on board his 
 ship. This they did after some hesitation. Through his own 
 Indians acting as interpreters, he told them that he was no 
 
ON THE BORDERS OF PERU, 61 
 
 foe to the natives, but had come on a friendly errand ; and 
 at last he persuaded them to postpone their expedition, go 
 back to the town, send him some provisions, and tell the 
 governor that he wished to despatch one of his men ashore. 
 
 The governor, sharing in the wonder of the people, and 
 convinced of Pizarro's good faith, at once sent a boat-load of 
 bananas, corn, sweet potatoes, pine-apples, cocoa-nuts, game, 
 and fish to the strangers, with a message, which he sent by 
 a Peruvian noble of high rank, consenting that a Spaniard 
 should land, as Pizarro had asked. 
 
 This noble, who was very richly attired, and was a tall and 
 handsome man, with great dignity of bearing, betrayed a 
 lively curiosity to examine every part of the wonderful ship. 
 This Pizarro cheerfully gratified, regaling him afterwards 
 with a bountiful dinner, and presenting him with an iron 
 hatchet. 
 
 The next morning Pizarro ordered one of his men, named 
 Molina, ashore, with some pork and chickens for the governor, 
 and with instructions to observe everything with the most 
 minute attention. With Molina went a negro who had 
 joined Pizarro from Panama. No sooner had Molina stepped 
 on land than he was surrounded by a crowd of chattering 
 and excited natives. The women gathered about him, and 
 stared in amazement at his long brown beard and his fair 
 skin ; while others, never having seen a black man, went up 
 to the negro, and tried to rub off his sooty complexion, which 
 they thought artificial, with their fingers. The negro grinned 
 at this, and showed his white teeth ; which made the Indians 
 shout with laughter. 
 
 Just at this moment one of the cocks which Molina had 
 brought for the governor stretched out his neck, and crowed 
 with all his might. The natives, who had never seen such a 
 fowl, flocked around him, and asked Molina " what the little 
 fellow was saying." 
 
 The Spaniard visited the governor, whom he found in a 
 
62 ON THE BORDERS OF PERU, 
 
 handsome house, attended by a guard, and served upon dishes 
 of gold and silver ; and was then conducted about the town, 
 in which he saw and noted on every hand the evidence of 
 wealth, thrift, and artistic taste. 
 
 When Pizarro heard Molina's report, he resolved to send 
 another of his comrades to observe and confirm what the 
 first had witnessed. Among his little band was a nobk- 
 looking Greek cavalier, named Candia, who had followed 
 Pizarro's fortunes through every vicissitude. Candia was now 
 chosen to go on shore ; and buckling on a shining suit of 
 armour, and carrying a gun on his shoulder, he marched 
 boldly and alone up the principal street of Tumbez, followed 
 by a vast multitude of Indians. 
 
 They were especially curious about his gun, which they 
 begged him to *'make speak." So he set up a board and 
 fired at it. The sharp and sudden noise, the smoke, and the 
 board split in pieces and flying in every direction, stunned 
 and frightened the Indians. Some fell on their knees and 
 hid their faces in their hands, others shrieked, and many 
 scampered away as fast as their legs could carry them. 
 
 Candia returned to the ship with an account as strange as 
 that of Molina. He had seen, among other things, a temple, 
 the walls of which were almost covered with golden panels ; 
 and flowers of gold and silver set out in beautiful gardens. 
 
 His wildest dreams about the riches of Peru being amply 
 confirmed, Pizarro reluctantly took leave of Tumbez, sailed 
 out of the lovely bay, and continued his voyage to the south. 
 He landed on the coast at several points, and found every- 
 where the same proofs of wealth and skill that had so dazzled 
 him at Tumbez. The natives received him with friendly 
 welcome, mingled with wonder. He had no difficulty in 
 procuring from them ample provisions, as well as a goodly 
 quantity of golden trinkets and jewels ; and, excepting that 
 he encountered one or two storms, his voyage was prosper- 
 ously pursued. 
 
ON THE BORDERS OF PERU, 63 
 
 On reaching the port of Santa, where a broad and winding 
 river flowed into the sea, Pizarro resolved at last to turn his 
 prow northward, and to sail leisurely back towards Panama. 
 He had done all that, with his very small force, he could hope 
 to do. It remained to return home, to tell the marvellous 
 tale of his discoveries, and to fit out a new and larger expedi- 
 tion with which to begin and complete the conquest of Peru. 
 
 He did not, however, hasten his arrival at Panama. As 
 he sailed along the coast he now and then cast anchor and 
 went ashore. At one place he was splendidly entertained 
 by an Inca princess, who regaled him with a native banquet 
 comprising mutton, game, the luscious fruits, and rich, succu- 
 lent vegetables of the tropical clime ; and afterwards amused 
 him with music and dancing. It was here that Pizarro 
 raised the royal standard of Spain, and took possession of the 
 country in the name of the king. 
 
 Continuing his voyage, he once more anchored near Tumbez, 
 where he met with a more cordial reception than ever. So 
 attractive a town was it, and so friendly were the natives, 
 that two or three of his men, among them Molina, begged 
 permission to be left there until Pizarro should return — a 
 permission which the captain readily granted. At the same 
 time Pizarro persuaded two intelligent young Indians to go 
 with him to Panama, foreseeing that in any future expedition 
 they could not fail to be of great use to him. 
 
 The rest of the voyage was prosperous and uneventful. 
 One day Pizarro sailed into Panama harbour, and fired guns 
 to notify the people of his arrival. The quays were soon 
 crowded, and among the first to greet him as he stepped on 
 shore were his faithful friends Almagro and Luque. 
 
 He told them of all he had seen, and made their eyes 
 glisten at the rare cloths, the dazzling gems, and the Peruvian 
 sheep, or llamas, which he had brought to prove the truth of 
 his tale. But they could not in return give him any pleasant 
 news. The governor, they said, was opposed to any more 
 
64 ON THE BORDERS OF PERU. 
 
 expeditions, and refused to .believe in the existence of a 
 golden land. He would surely refuse his aid to their further 
 projects, and without his aid and consent it would be hope- 
 less to undertake a fresh enterprise. 
 
 Pizarro was deeply chagrined to hear this. What could 
 they do 1 All three were as firmly resolved as ever to make 
 the conquest of Peru ; but their money was almost exhausted, 
 and with the governor's hostility they could not hope to 
 enlist a man. It was probable, even if they had had money 
 and men, that De los Rios would forbid their sailing out of 
 port. 
 
 After many long and earnest discussions, the three enthu- 
 siastic friends made up their minds that there was but one 
 course left to them. This was to appeal to a higher power 
 than the governor, and that was his master, the King of 
 Spain. 
 
 Ferdinand and Isabella were now dead, and their famous 
 and warlike son, Charles the Fifth, who was not only King 
 of Spain, but had also been elected Emperor of Germany, 
 wore the diadem of Aragon and Castile. A monarch so 
 ambitious and so enlightened would surely listen eagerly to 
 the thrilling story of Peruvian wealth ; and he would not 
 fail to lend them an aid far more powerful than that of the 
 governor of Panama. 
 
 Pizarro was chosen with one voice to go to Spain, and to 
 seek the presence of the emperor. A ship was soon pro- 
 cured. Pizarro put on board three or four llamas, a variety 
 of Peruvian cloths, and a large number of golden trinkets, 
 taking with him, besides, several of the Indians whom he 
 had brought from the South American coast; and in the 
 early spring of 1528 he set sail for his native land, which 
 he had not seen for many a long and eventful year. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 PIZARRO IN SPAIN. 
 
 PIZARRO must have felt strangely on the day when, six 
 or seven weeks after his departure from Panama, his 
 eyes at length rested again upon the glittering spires and 
 domes of Seville. It was from that beautiful city that, more 
 than a quarter of a century .before, he had set out, a penniless 
 and homeless youth, to seek his fortunes in an unknown land. 
 
 What strange things had happened since ! How often 
 had he been in near peril of death ! What wonderful peoples 
 and countries he had seen ! And now that his feet were 
 once more to tread his native soil, how different was his 
 return from his departure ! 
 
 His fame had already reached the land of his birth. No 
 longer obscure, unknown, a ragged wanderer on the face of 
 the earth, his deeds of valiant daring, his discoveries of 
 brilliant promise, had been repeated from mouth to mouth, 
 and he found Spain proud of his achievements. But just as 
 he landed an event happened which seemed at first likely to 
 put an end to his schemes. A man named Enciso, who had 
 played a somewhat conspicuous part in the settlement of the 
 New World, and who claimed that a debt was due him from 
 the colony on the isthmus, caused Pizarro to be seized and 
 thrown into prison. 
 
 This was a dismal beginning of his mission ; but as soon 
 as the emperor heard of the outrage, he sent an order in all 
 
 (231) 5 
 
66 PIZARRO IN SPAIN, 
 
 haste that Pizarro should be released. At the same time 
 the emperor invited Pizarro to come to him at Toledo, where 
 he then was. 
 
 Charles the Fifth was sitting in the great hall of one of 
 his many palaces, surrounded by his knights and nobles, and 
 by a brilliant array of courtiers of both sexes. Among them 
 was a tall and well-built cavalier, whose swarthy face was 
 darker even than those around him, as if it had been bronzed 
 by much exposure and toughened by rude experience. This 
 was no less a person than Hernando Cortez, the conqueror of 
 Mexico, and nearly related to Pizarro by ties of kinship. 
 
 As Pizarro advanced to the throne, he could but observe 
 how little like a mighty monarch the emperor looked. He 
 was a short, stubby man, with light yellow hair, which was 
 cut short, and bristled from his forehead. His beard and 
 moustache, carefully trimmed, were^of the same homely colour; 
 but his bright, clear blue eyes, and the large, firm jaw of the 
 family of Castile, were features that betokened the real reso- 
 lution and energy of his character. 
 
 He received Pizarro with a smile of gracious welcome, and 
 bade him sit and tell the stirring tale of his wanderings. 
 This he did, relating his thrilling adventures in a plain, 
 straightforward, soldierly fashion, that quite won the hearts 
 of the emperor and his courtiers. He spoke earnestly, and 
 with a simple and warm enthusiasm that enlisted all hearts 
 in sympathy with him, and as he went on Charles leaned 
 forward and eagerly drank in every word. 
 
 Then Pizarro ordered the attendants to bring in the Peru- 
 vian sheep and the chests of golden ornaments, jewels, and 
 many-coloured cloths. These called forth a cry of admiration 
 from the emperor, who, rising to his feet, said, — 
 
 " Pizarro, you are a brave and gallant man, and a good 
 subject. You- have done wonderful things. You have 
 opened a way to a vast and precious addition to my domin- 
 ions and power, and to you shall be committed the completion 
 
PIZARRO IN SPAIN, 67 
 
 of the gigantic task you have undertaken. I declare that 
 you shall go forward and conquer Peru, and in that distant 
 and golden land shall raise my imperial standard. You shall 
 have not only my permission, but my God-speed and my cor- 
 dial assistance." 
 
 Charles the Fifth was as good as his word. A paper, 
 called the " Capitulation," was drawn up, and signed by the 
 emperor, which described the grants and powers he conferred 
 on Pizarro in Peru. He was permitted to occupy and rule 
 that country as its governor-general, with an enormous 
 salary and almost royal authority. Almagro was made 
 commander of Tumbez, and Luque bishop of the same place j 
 while the faithful pilot Ruiz was granted the title of " Grand 
 Pilot of the Southern Ocean." It was, besides, agreed that 
 Pizarro should enlist two hundred and fifty soldiers, and that 
 he should set out for Peru, within the period of six months 
 after reaching Panama. 
 
 His errand to the emperor having thus been crowned with 
 the most brilliant success, the adventurer's thoughts now 
 reverted to his early home in Estremadura. He had known, 
 to be sure, but few joys in that home ; yet there was in his 
 heart, in spite of all, that instinct of love of and yearning 
 for one's birthplace which rarely dies wholly out in the 
 human breast. 
 
 He resolved, therefore, to spend part of the time, while he 
 was waiting for his expedition to be got ready, in visiting 
 Truxillo, and observing the old familiar places of his child- 
 hood. He would return to his native place a cavalier of re- 
 nown, the welcomed guest of the emperor, and the destined 
 ruler of a great realm in the New World. 
 
 On arriving at Truxillo, he found that many changes had 
 taken place, but these were rather in the persons he had 
 known than in the town itself. The haughty old soldier, his 
 father, was no more, and his humble peasant-mother had also 
 passed away without witnessing his triumphs. But four 
 
68 PIZARRO IN SPAIN, 
 
 stalwart brothers were there still, and were proud to wel- 
 come their famous kinsman with such scant hospitality as 
 they could afford. They were all poor, but were at least 
 better off than when, in their childhood's days, they had been 
 the slaves of swineherds. 
 
 When they heard Pizarro's story of the wonders of the 
 New World, they one and all became eager to share his good 
 fortune. Ambition and pride ran in their blood, and they 
 became inspired with a longing to reap the golden fruits of 
 conquest. Pizarro was willing that his brothers should seize 
 the opportunity which the proposed expedition w^ould afford 
 them, and all four of them accompanied him back to Seville. 
 
 To Pizarro's chagrin, he found that, on reaching Seville, 
 the required number of men had not enlisted. But he made 
 up his mind to wait no longer ; and ordering such soldiers 
 as had assembled to embark on three ships that had been 
 procured, he prepared to set out across the Atlantic. 
 
 At this moment he learned from his friend and kinsman 
 Cortez that the Council of the Indies, finding that he had 
 not the full force he had agreed to raise, were about to put 
 a stop to his sailing. With all haste he weighed anchor, 
 and pushed out to sea in one of the ships. At the same 
 time he told his elder brother Hernando to join him with 
 the other two ships, as soon as he could, at the Canary 
 Islands. 
 
 The council, on hearing that Pizarro had escaped them, at 
 first threatened to retain Hernando and his vessels ; but 
 fearing the anger of the emperor, they at last permitted him 
 to depart and rejoin his brother. 
 
 Pizarro's voyage, therefore, across the ocean was made easily 
 and without accident, and he arrived safely at the isthmus 
 with his ships and armament. He landed at Nombre de 
 Dios, on the side of the isthmus opposite to Panama. On 
 going on shore, he was surprised to find his two friends 
 Almagro and Luque waiting to receive him. They had 
 
PIZARRO IN SPAIN. 69 
 
 crossed the isthmus in order to hear at the earliest moment 
 the result of his mission to the emperor. 
 
 As soon as they were alone together, Pizarro told his 
 friends how graciously the emperor had received him ; how 
 Charles had promised his aid ; and finally, with what zeal 
 the great conqueror Cortez had come to his assistance. Then 
 taking a long roll from his pocket, he informed them that 
 that was the "capitulation" which the emperor had granted 
 them ; and proceeded to read it. 
 
 As he went on, an expression of surprise, disappointment, 
 and anger spread over the face of Almagro ; and when 
 Pizarro came to the clauses which declared that Almagro 
 should only be governor of Tumbez, while he himself was 
 made the ruler of all Peru, Almagro broke out in an indig- 
 nant speech. 
 
 ^'Is this the way, Pizarro," he exclaimed fiercely, "that 
 you treat your devoted friends'? Are you base enough to 
 take thus the lion's share for yourself, and leave to me, 
 who have suffered and sacrificed as well as you, only the 
 command of a single paltry fortress ? I tell you I will not 
 submit to it. We are all equals in this matter, and for 
 you to grasp all the power and glory is more than I will 
 bear." 
 
 " Be patient, Almagro, and listen," replied Pizarro calmly. 
 " I admit that it seems unjust ; but I declare to you that I 
 did all I possibly could to persuade the emperor to divide 
 the fruits of the expedition between us. It was in vain, 
 however, that I pleaded. The emperor insisted that the 
 power must rest in the hands of a single man, and he com- 
 pelled me to assume it. But do not doubt my friendship, 
 comrade. Trust me, and all will go well. Peru is big 
 enough to satisfy the ambition of us both ; and its conquest 
 once made, I pledge you that you shall share equally with 
 me all the power and riches I acquire." 
 
 But Almagro would not be appeased ; and when they re- 
 
70 PIZARRO IN SPAIN, 
 
 returned to Panama, he declared that he would have nothing 
 more to do with Pizarro, but would fit out an expedition for 
 Peru on his own account. 
 
 The good priest Luque saw that this quarrel would ruin 
 the project which all had so much at heart, and earnestly set 
 about healing the breach between Pizarro and Alniagro. 
 
 In this he at last succeeded. Pizarro agreed that if the 
 expedition accomplished its object, Almagro should share 
 his power, and that he would not promote his brothers at 
 Almagro's expense. 
 
 Every preparation for Pizarro's departure for Peru was 
 now hastened as rapidly as possible. He had been com- 
 pelled to leave the ships in which he had brought his force 
 from Spain on the other side of the isthmus ; it was there- 
 fore necessary that new ships should be purchased and fitted 
 out. Some of the men he had brought with him, too, be- 
 came discouraged by the dismal reports which they heard 
 about South America, and deserted ; and Pizarro and Alma- 
 gro had to busy themselves with making good this loss. 
 
 At last three small vessels were procured, and a company 
 of one hundred and eighty men was raised. Some of these 
 men had gone with Pizarro on his previous expeditions. 
 Besides the soldiers, he proposed to carry thirty horses, in 
 order to provide the means for cavalry operations. At the 
 same time, arms, ammunition, and supplies were procured in 
 what seemed to be an ample quantity. 
 
 It was about midwinter, in the year 1531, that the new 
 expedition was fully organized and ready to set out, in pur- 
 suance of a new attempt to make the conquest of Peru. 
 With the emperor's approval in his pocket, with a force of 
 stalwart soldiers, with stanch ships to bear him and his com- 
 panions to the promised land of gold, with a knowledge of 
 the regions he was about to invade, and with a soul that knew 
 no faltering, Pizarro found himself prepared to risk and suffer 
 all to obtain the victory which had been the dream of years. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 THE THIRD EXPEDITION. 
 
 IT was on a cool, crisp day in January 1531 that a long 
 and brilliant procession, winding its way through the 
 irregular streets of the little city of Panama, entered the 
 square in front of the cathedral. Once more that sacred 
 edifice, the most imposing that Panama could as yet boast, 
 was filled with its motley population ; and once more a royal 
 governor, no longer the jealous Pedrarias, but now the more 
 generous De los Rios, stood by the high altar, surrounded by 
 a gay concourse of cavaliers. 
 
 Near him, again, might be seen the tall figure of Pizarro 
 and the short form of Almagro ; while just behind these 
 stood Pizarro's four brothers — Hernando, Juan, Gonzalo, 
 and Francisco of Alcantara. At the high altar the worthy 
 Luque, as before, oflficiated ; and in the space just in front 
 were ranged the files of doughty soldiers who were about to 
 follow Pizarro to Peru. Above them were held the banners 
 and the royal standard of Spain, the coats of arras skilfully 
 worked in many bright colours, and in gold and silver 
 thread. 
 
 Presently the solemn ceremonies began. The priest, turning 
 towards the soldiers, raised his arms aloft. The soldiers 
 kneeled, all except the standard-bearers, who advanced with 
 lowered banners to the foot of the altar. Luque touched the 
 banners with his fingers, and blessed them : the bearers then 
 
72 THE THIRD EXPEDITION, 
 
 stepped back to their places, and knelt beside their com- 
 rades. 
 
 This rite was followed by the chanting of the mass ; after 
 which Luque administered the sacrament — first to Pizarro 
 and his brothers, then to the soldiers, one after another. 
 Next came the benediction, which the priest delivered in a 
 loud and fervent voice. Scarcely had he ceased speaking 
 when the drums beat and the trumpets sounded ; the pro- 
 cession re-formed, with the governor and the cavaliers at its 
 head ; the populace flocked eagerly at its heels ; and, with 
 flying banners and soul-stirring music, it took its course to- 
 wards the quays. 
 
 The three vessels, with streamers floating gaily at the 
 mast-heads, were moored just by the wharf ; and, promptly 
 on reaching them, the men, after embracing their families 
 and friends, began to embark. 
 
 Pizarro lingered behind the rest to bid adieu to the gover- 
 nor and his partners Almagro and Luque, who took leave of 
 him with ardent wishes for his success. Then, alone, he 
 passed on board the flag-ship, and, standing on the deck, 
 waved a cheery farewell to the assembled multitude. 
 
 Soon the sails were spread, and the ships, side by side, 
 sailed slowly into the lovely bay. Cannon boomed their 
 noisy God- speed from the shore, and a great shout went up 
 from the excited throng. Soon, however, the town was lost 
 to view as the vessels rounded a point; and Pizarro once 
 more found himself on the open sea, speeding towards the 
 golden land. 
 
 Among those who were most impatient to reach the scene of 
 action were Pizarro's brothers, all of whom were inspired with 
 his own bold and intrepid spirit, and who longed to display 
 their skill and valour in the conflicts that were to ensue. 
 
 The voyage began with happy auguries. Though the winds 
 were sometimes contrary, no furious tempest burst over their 
 heads, checking their progress or endangering their lives. 
 
THE THIRD EXPEDITION. 73 
 
 The ships, thanks to the experience of the captains in these 
 waters and to a better knowledge of navigation, made far 
 greater speed than when Pizarro made his first expedition ; 
 and a distance which had formerly taken him months to tra- 
 verse was now accomplished in a fortnight. 
 
 Pizarro wished to make his first landing at Tumbez, the 
 wealth and beauty of which had so much impressed him, and 
 where he had left Molina and his companions. But he was 
 forced to put in some leagues farther north — at the Bay of 
 St. Matthew. Here were a good harbour and an easy land- 
 ing-place ; and anchoring his little fleet just off the shore, 
 he disembarked his men and established a camp. 
 
 With the force he now commanded, he felt sure that he 
 could defend himself from any number of natives who were 
 likely to attack him in this part of the country; and he 
 resolved to send all three of the ships back to Panama for 
 reinforcements, while he marched his little army southward 
 towards Tumbez. 
 
 The time had come when Pizarro was bent upon a des- 
 perate and determined attempt to make the conquest of Peru. 
 He had a brave army, though a small one, that was heart 
 and soul devoted to him ; and he knew that he could not 
 long conceal his purpose from those whom he intended to 
 attack. He therefore made up his mind that he would no 
 longer, except when absolutely necessary, attempt to win the 
 confidence of the natives by pretensions of friendship, but 
 would boldly assail them, and capture their treasures and 
 country as fast as he could. 
 
 Having sent his ships forward to meet him farther south, 
 Pizarro broke up his camp at the Bay of St. Matthew, and 
 gave the order to march. Addressing his men in a resolute 
 tone, he said, — 
 
 " Comrades, we are about to go through a diflicult country, 
 where there are few good roads or bridges, and which is full 
 of hostile Indians. But be of good courage ; fame and for- 
 
74 TFIE THIRD EXPEDITION, 
 
 tune await you at the end. Never doubt that the victory 
 will be ours. Bear every trial bravely, and keep up stout 
 hearts, and your triumph will be certain." 
 
 As if to set his men a good example, and animate them 
 with his own confidence and hopefulness, he marched at 
 their head, and himself guided them through the swamps 
 and thickets, and across the yawning chasms. When they 
 came to a roaring torrent, which they often did, they saw 
 their leader plunge boldly into the water, waving them to 
 follow, and swim across the rapid current ; and when, wearied 
 with the perpetual marching over uneven ground and through 
 entangled brush that tripped them up at every step, they saw 
 his sturdy form still pushing vigorously forward, they were 
 ashamed to show themselves weaker than he, and braced up 
 anew their bodies and spirits. 
 
 It was not very long before the Spaniards had a foretaste 
 of the good things which awaited them in Peru. On turning 
 a hill, they came suddenly in sight of a closely built Indian 
 village, nestling between the hill and a winding river. This 
 village was called Coaque. 
 
 Pizarro made up his mind to attack Coaque at once, and, 
 by surprising the inhabitants, to render them powerless to 
 resist his assault. He therefore ordered his men to rush for- 
 ward and fire their guns, and to capture the huts. 
 
 The natives, hearing the noise and shouts, ran out in dis- 
 may; and, on seeing the body of strange men rapidly ad- 
 vancing, made all haste to escape into the woods. 
 
 The Spaniards, on entering the huts, were delighted to find 
 not only an abundance of food, but many articles made of 
 gold and silver, besides cloths of fine texture. As they were 
 eagerly searching the rooms, one of the soldiers uttered a 
 loud cry, and held up a large green stone that glittered in 
 his hand. 
 
 "It is an emerald ! " cried a keen-eyed monk named 
 Reginaldo, who had gone with Pizarro to convert the natives 
 
THE THIRD EXPEDITION. 75 
 
 — 'Hhat is, it looks like one. But it can be easily tested. 
 Pound it with a hammer. If it breaks, it is no true jewel ; 
 but if it resists the stroke, it is precious indeed." 
 
 The soldier did as he was bidden, and the stone crumbled 
 under the hammer. Several similar stones found in the huts 
 were subjected to the same test, and all of them broke ; and 
 the ignorant soldiers thus destroyed a number of jewels 
 which at home would have brought enormous prices. The 
 monk knew better than to advise them as he did, for he 
 carefully kept all the emeralds he could lay his hands on, 
 and secreted them about his person. 
 
 The ships rejoined Pizarro at Coaque. He put on board a 
 considerable portion of the treasures he had seized in the 
 village ; and having divided the rest equally among the men, 
 he sent the ships home with a glowing account of the prospects 
 of the expedition. 
 
 It was on leaving Coaque, and marching southward towards 
 Tumbez, that the Spaniards began to suffer some of the 
 serious hardships of their expedition. They were forced to 
 trudge over sandy roads under a blazing sun, and their heavy 
 armour and thick clothing added greatly to their discomfort. 
 They grew ill with horrid ulcers, which proved in some cases 
 fatal, and which caused great suffering to nearly every man 
 in the company. They found but few villages, and those few 
 were poverty-stricken. Their eyes, moreover, were greeted 
 by neither food nor treasure. 
 
 Pizarro kept his line of march close to the coast. He 
 knew that it was possible that reinforcements or supplies 
 might come for him from Panama any day, and he was 
 anxious not to miss them when they came. • 
 
 One day, sure enough, he espied a ship bearing down from 
 the north. He ordered his standard-bearers to run along the 
 shore and wave their banners. These were soon perceived 
 by the ship, which swung in towards the shore, and anchored. 
 She proved to be laden with food, and to have brought 
 
76 THE THIRD EXPEDITION, 
 
 several officers sent out by the emperor to accompany Pizarro 
 on his expedition. 
 
 Nor was this the only instance of good fortune which hap- 
 pened to the intrepid chief ; for, on arriving a few days after 
 at a little harbour called Puerto Vieja, he was there rejoined 
 by another ship, bringing a reinforcement of thirty men to 
 his little army. These men were commanded by a brave and 
 veteran cavalier named Belalcazar. 
 
 But Pizarro had now to contend with another difficulty. 
 Puerto Vieja, unlike the country through which the Span- 
 iards had been passing, was a beautiful spot. Tropical trees, 
 affording abundant shade, grew in profusion almost to the 
 water's edge. 
 
 In such a spot some of the Spanish soldiers felt that they 
 might happily establish ' themselves, and settle down ; and 
 these begged Pizarro to proceed no farther, but to avail him- 
 self of the locality — to remain there, and form a colony. 
 
 But Pizarro had no other thought, no less an ambition, 
 than that of conquering Peru. His was not the gentle tem- 
 per that could be content to rest in peace and plenty on 
 the borders of the promised land. As he himself was dis- 
 couraged by no obstacle, terrified by no danger, he scouted 
 the idea that the expedition should end so tamely ; and he 
 appealed to his men with all his simple and rugged eloquence 
 to follow him on to the glorious goal which he foresaw 
 awaited them. 
 
 There was not a soldier in all his little army that was not 
 devotedly attached to him ; he had quite won their hearts by 
 sharing their every toil and peril, and one and all promptly 
 gave up their scheme, and with a single voice called out for 
 him to lead on and they would follow. 
 
 A rapid march soon brought the adventurers to the shores 
 of the Bay of Guayaquil. Pizarro now recognized every land- 
 mark. Here, in the bay, was the island of Santa Clara, 
 where he had anchored. Nearer still, the long wooded island 
 
THE THUiB EXPEDITION. 77 
 
 of Puna, with its Indian villages, appeared to the view. In 
 the dim distance, on the opposite shore, could just be descried 
 the dome of the Temple of the Sun, which rose above the 
 other buildings of Tumbez. 
 
 Once more the bold cavalier found himself at the very 
 frontier of Peru. This time, at least, he had men enough to 
 attempt a determined attack, and Tumbez was the first object 
 at which to aim it. 
 
 Pizarro had no sooner arrived on the shore opposite Puna 
 than a number of boats came off, and some Indians landed. 
 It soon appeared that at their head was the chief, or, as they 
 called him, the " cacique " of the island, and that his errand 
 was to invite Pizarro and his company to take up their abode 
 upon it. Pizarro communicated with the cacique through the 
 Indians he had taken to Panama, and had brought back with 
 him to act as interpreters. 
 
 After heartily thanking the cacique for his hospitality, 
 Pizarro said, — 
 
 " I gladly accept your invitation ; but how can so large a 
 number of men, with their arms and baggage, be carried to 
 the island % " 
 
 "Easily," replied the cacique. "I will cause some balsas 
 to be built, and upon them a large number of men can cross 
 at once." 
 
 " And what are balsas ? " 
 
 "We will soon show you." 
 
 Under the cacique's orders, several Indians began to cut 
 some long light poles. These they fastened together firmly, 
 crosswise like a raft, and when this had been done they fixed 
 some boards on top. The shape of these balsas when finished 
 was like a hand stretched out flat. A sail was hoisted in 
 the centre, and then the cacique invited the Spaniards to 
 embark. 
 
 Four balsas proved sufficient to carry over the men, horses, 
 and baggage, for two of them held fifty men each. Mean- 
 
78 THE THIRD EXPEDITION, 
 
 while Pizarro crossed in a small boat with the cacique and 
 several other leading Indians. 
 
 They soon reached the verdant and picturesque shore of 
 Puna, where a great crowd of natives, decked out with 
 cloaks of brilliant colours and gold ornaments, had gathered 
 to welcome them. 
 
 Along the road that led from the shore to the centre of the 
 island a profusion of fruits and vegetables had been collected 
 with which to regale the strangers ; and, as may well be be- 
 lieved, they fell to with a lusty appetite. 
 
 Their hunger appeased, the cacique led them to a hillock, 
 with an opening in the forest which extended down the 
 side to the shore, and here he begged Pizarro to make his 
 quarters. 
 
 This cordial reception from the natives of Puna pleased 
 Pizarro very much. He thought it would be a good thing to 
 have them as his allies, since he was now resolved to attack 
 Tumbez, and knew that the Puna men were the bitter 
 enemies of that town. 
 
 For some time the Spaniards remained peaceably on the 
 island, living on the fat of the land, and obeyed as superiors 
 by the Indians. But one day a faithful Indian, one of the 
 interpreters Pizarro had brought with him, went to the cap- 
 tain's tent, and said in a mysterious tone, — 
 
 " Be warned in time, master. These people pretend to be 
 your friends ; but they are plotting some perfidy against you. 
 The cacique comes to you with bows and smiles and sweet 
 words ; but he is secretly assembling his warriors and drilling 
 them in the woods, and they are busy in the villages making 
 arrows and javelins." 
 
 Pizarro, aroused to the danger, sent some men out to watch 
 the Indians, and observe what they could in the villages. 
 They soon returned to confirm the interpreter's suspicions. 
 There were indeed warriors concealed in the woods and 
 houses, and arms were being busily made. It appeared that 
 
THE THIRD EXPEDITION, 79 
 
 the Indians intended to attack the Spanish camp on the fol- 
 lowing night. 
 
 Not a moment was to be lost. Pizarro at once sent a small 
 force into the village where the cacique and other chiefs lived. 
 The Spaniards surrounded the cacique's house, and, having 
 easily overcome his guard, seized him, bound him hand and 
 foot, and sent him to the camp. Then they ransacked the 
 house, and several others near by, and found many golden 
 ornaments, jewels, and fine cloths. The natives fled in dis- 
 may into the forest. 
 
 Content with their success, the Spaniards returned with 
 their booty to the camp. 
 
 But Pizarro knew that the whole population of the island 
 would now be fired with anger against him, and would speedily 
 seek their revenge. He posted a circle of sentinels all around 
 his camp, and they kept careful watch throughout the night. 
 
 This was, as it proved, a wise precaution. Sure enough, 
 just before dawn, a wild roar of voices was heard at the edge 
 of the wood, mingled with the deafening sound of warlike 
 instruments, and presently a swarm of savages issued from 
 behind the trees. They advanced upon several sides, and a 
 shower of arrows and darts fell upon the Spaniards. 
 
 Pizarro leaped forward, and commanded his men to respond 
 with a volley of powder and shot. A short and sharp en- 
 counter ensued, and several Spaniards, among them Pizarro's 
 brother Hernando, fell to the ground, crying out and w^rith- 
 ing in their pain. But though there were only a hundred 
 and fifty Spaniards and many thousands of Indians, the battle 
 soon ended in a complete victory for Pizarro. 
 
 The Indians turned and ran, and were instantly followed 
 up by Pizarro's little body of cavalry, who pursued them for 
 some distance, striking them down tw^o and three at a time as 
 they fled. 
 
 Pizarro did not neglect to make the most of his triumph. 
 He sent his troops all over the island, attacking and plunder- 
 
80 THE THIRD EXPEDITION, 
 
 ing the villages, seizing provisions, and, wherever they were 
 resisted, dealing deadly havoc among the natives. Many of 
 the natives fled to their boats, and, leaving all they possessed 
 behind them, fled to the mainland. Those who submitted to 
 the Spaniards, however, were spared, though Pizarro ordered 
 their movements to be narrowly watched. 
 
 It remained to deal with the cacique and other chiefs who 
 had been taken prisoners. The latter charged that the 
 treachery to the Spaniards was the work of the cacique ; but 
 he, on the other hand, declared that it was they who had 
 instigated him to attack Pizarro, and that he was forced to 
 enter into the plot against his will. 
 
 Pizarro came to the conclusion, after sharply questioning 
 them, that the cacique's story was the true one. Sparing 
 him, therefore, the captain sternly commanded the other 
 chiefs to be beheaded. It was a cruel and barbarous act; 
 but Pizarro, in doing as he did, followed the rough custom 
 of his time, and resolutely took the harsh measures which 
 seemed necessary to achieve his purposes. 
 
 He then set the cacique at liberty, and made him solemnly 
 promise to be his ally, and to gather his scattered subjects 
 together again. 
 
 It was full time to resume his progress towards Peru ; and 
 the first task was to subdue Tumbez, the domes and buildings 
 of which he could dimly descry on the shore from his camp 
 at Puna. 
 
 Getting together such boats as he could find, and bringing 
 the four balsas, or rafts, once more into service, he embarked 
 his little army, horses, and supplies, one bright spring day, 
 and set out for the mainland. The balsas went on ahead 
 with the plunder captured at Puna, while the boats followed 
 with the main force ; and in a few hours Pizarro found him- 
 self again off the harbour of Tumbez, and on the very borders 
 of the dominions of the Inca of Peru. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 PIZARRO INVADES PERU. 
 
 O^N" coming near the shore, Pizarro's surprise was great 
 to see nothing of his rafts, which had gone on ahead 
 with his baggage and military stores, and still greater when 
 the streets of Tumbez, instead of being alive, as on his first 
 visit, with a throng of curious and friendly natives, appeared 
 to be completely deserted. 
 
 Here and there an Indian was seen hurrying along the 
 shore or through the streets : otherwise the town was solitary 
 and silent. Pizarro at once conjectured that the people of 
 Tumbez, learning his approach with a larger force than 
 before, had become alarmed, and fled. But what had become 
 of his rafts and the men who had gone upon them ? 
 
 Landing as soon as he could, and ordering his soldiers to 
 disembark, he sent out reconnoitring parties to search for 
 the Indians, and find out the cause of this sudden disappear- 
 ance. 
 
 Pretty soon several natives, who had been caught running 
 away by one of the parties, were brought to Pizarro, who 
 caused them to be questioned by his interpreters. 
 
 From them he learned that his rafts had been seized and 
 broken up, the goods carried off, and the men on them hurried 
 into the woods and there killed. 
 
 Meanwhile other scouts came in to tell Pizarro that Tum- 
 bez was not only deserted by its inhabitants, but that most 
 
 (231) 6 
 
82 PIZARRO INVADES PERU. 
 
 of its buildings had been destroyed, and the treasures taken 
 away out of reach. 
 
 Among the parties sent out to reconnoitre was one com- 
 manded by Hernando Pizarro, comprising forty cavalry and 
 eighty foot-soldiers. Pizarro caused a large raft to be con- 
 structed, upon which Hernando and his force crossed a broad 
 and winding river which flowed just south of Tumbez. After 
 scouring the country for some time, Hernando came in sight 
 of an Indian encampment. 
 
 He attacked this encampment without delay, and easily 
 routed the Indians, and after pursuing them for some distance, 
 he sent a messenger to their chief to ask him to make peace. 
 
 " I am afraid of the Spaniards," was the chief's reply ; 
 " and I dare not trust myself with them, unless they promise 
 that I shall not be killed." 
 
 Hernando at once responded, "You will not be injured, 
 but may go with me to our captain without fear ; and he 
 will pardon you for your offences against him." 
 
 The chief and some of his chief men then timidly ap- 
 proached Hernando's camp, whence they were conducted 
 back to Pizarro. When Pizarro saw the chief, who proved 
 to be the governor or " cacique " of Tumbez, a dark frown 
 settled on his face. 
 
 "Why have you, whom I treated so well when I was here 
 before, massacred the brave comrades whom I left under 
 your protection ? " he angrily asked. " And what have you 
 done with the men who came on the raft 1 " 
 
 The chief trembled with fear ; his teeth chattered and his 
 knees knocked together. He feared lest Pizarro was about 
 to order him to be shot. 
 
 " I beg you, great stranger, listen to me, and spare me," he 
 faltered. " It was not I, but some of my principal men, who 
 dealt foully with the Spaniards." 
 
 Pizarro commanded the principal men wlio had been cap- 
 tured to be brought face to face with the cacique. When 
 
PIZARRO INVADES PERU. 83 
 
 they arrived he said, " Point out those who committed this 
 atrocious deed." 
 
 The chief glanced from one to the other, and then, falling 
 at Pizarro's feet, begged him not to take his life, adding, "I 
 swear to you, mighty lord, that I do not see the men here 
 who did it." 
 
 Pizarro looked at him scornfully, and ordered him and the 
 other Indians to be kept close prisoners. He reflected that 
 the cacique might, after all, be of more use to him alive than 
 dead, and resolved to spare him, but to take care that he had 
 no chance to betray him. 
 
 The Spanish commander had taken up his residence in two 
 large and quite comfortable houses, which were surrounded 
 by two high walls, and had open courts and doors just like 
 European dwellings. But he did not remain long at Tumbez. 
 There was no treasure to obtain, and the provisions he had 
 brought were becoming exhausted. 
 
 Assembling his men one day, Pizarro told them that they 
 were now in the dominions of the great Inca of Peru. 
 
 " There are great dangers and difficulties yet before us," he 
 said ; " but they are of a different sort from those which 
 have hitherto impeded us. We are approaching the moun- 
 tains, which we shall have to cross, and beyond them we 
 shall at last come face to face with the might of the Peruvian 
 monarch. We are few, and his soldiers are many and brave ; 
 but we have fire-arms, discipline, and glorious hopes. The 
 stirring action of war is before us ; let us hasten on to meet 
 it!" 
 
 " Long live the captain ! Lead us forward, and we will 
 follow," shouted his men in reply, weaving their hands. 
 
 Leaving the cacique, whom he had now bound to him in 
 friendship by his leniency, to gather his people together again 
 at Tumbez, and also a detachment of Spaniards to guard the 
 place, Pizarro set out at the head of his men, keeping his 
 march near the sea-coast. 
 
84 PIZARRO INVADES PERU, 
 
 Not long before, he had been joined by the famous Her- 
 nando de Soto, who was destined afterwards to discover the 
 Mississippi river. De Soto had brought with him a hundred 
 cavaliers and some horses, which were a most welcome re- 
 inforcement to Pizarro's little army, while De Soto's own 
 intrepid valour and indomitable spirit were worth more to 
 him than many men. 
 
 As tlie Spaniards marched along, they abstained from 
 offering any violence to the natives in the villages by which 
 they passed. This was a wise stroke of policy on the part 
 of Pizarro : for he had cut himself off from all communica- 
 tion with Panama ; and if he were defeated in his conflict 
 with the Inca, he would need the friendship of the Indians 
 in his rear to secure a safe retreat northward. 
 
 Besides, by treating them kindly, he was able to procure 
 provisions easily from them, and good quarters at his halting- 
 places. A long but not very difficult tramp brought the 
 brave little army to a beautifully green and fertile valley, 
 through which a river ran to the sea a few leagues beyond. 
 Struck by tlie loveliness of the spot, and its excellent situa- 
 tion for defence, Pizarro resolved to found a colony there. 
 He sent back to Tumbez, and ordered the ships in which De 
 Soto had come to sail around to the bay at the mouth of the 
 river ; and soon his men were busily at work cutting timber 
 and gathering heavy blocks of stone, which were speedily 
 transformed into handsome buildings — among them a church, 
 some storehouses, and fortifications. 
 
 Pizarro formed a government for the colony, and divided 
 up the fertile pastures and meadows round about among the 
 settlers whom he appointed to remain there ; and after nam- 
 ing the town " St. Michael," after the saint upon whose day 
 it was established, he again gave the order to push forward. 
 The Spaniards crossed the river on two rafts — the horses, 
 held by their bridles, swimming at the sides. 
 
 A broad sandy desert stretched out before them beyond 
 
PIZARRO INVADES PERU, 85 
 
 the river ; but the soldiers were refreshed by their sojourn 
 at St. Michael, and felt reassured at leaving a place of re- 
 treat and defence behind them, while the prospect of ere long 
 measuring their prowess with the legions of the Inca infused 
 new vigour and alacrity into their movement. 
 
 Pizarro's force now consisted of about two hundred men, 
 fifty having been left at St. Michael — a pigmy army indeed 
 to assail a vast, rich, and warlike empire. 
 
 Pizarro had learned that the Inca was posted with a large 
 force at a town called Caxamalca, on the other side of the 
 mountains ; and he had formed the desperate resolve to ad- 
 vance directly to that place, and to overcome the Peruvian 
 monarch by stratagem or by force of arms, as it might 
 chance. 
 
 The desert was soon crossed. And now the Spaniards 
 found themselves passing through a delightful country, en- 
 dowed with the richest and most luxuriant vegetation, full 
 of luscious fruits, watered by the most picturesque streams, 
 and inhabited by a gentle and thrifty people, who welcomed 
 their coming with simple and eager hospitality. For many 
 leagues it was almost a holiday march. By day they tra- 
 versed shady roads or teeming fields ; at night they rested in 
 villages, and sometimes in considerable towns, where they 
 lodged in the very palaces provided for the Inca in his jour- 
 neys through the empire. 
 
 As they approached nearer and nearer to the lofty range 
 of the Cordilleras, which they could see looming in the dim 
 south distance, and which they knew they should have to 
 climb in order tp reach their destination, a few of the Span- 
 iards seemed to falter in their courage. 
 
 Their chief observed this, and resolved that if there was 
 any discontent among his men, he would find out at once 
 how much there was, and put a stop to it. When they were 
 resting one day under the grateful shade of a copse of wide- 
 spreading trees, Pizarro spoke : — 
 
86 PIZARRO INVADES PERU. 
 
 " My comrades, I have not concealed from you the perils 
 and obstacles we are about to encounter. Fame and fortune 
 can only be won by bearing them bravely, and overcoming 
 them with unflagging perseverance. Now, choose each man 
 what you will do. All who wish to return to St. Michael 
 may do so ; those alone who are entirely content to follow me 
 need go forward." 
 
 Nine men only availed themselves of this permission ; the 
 rest cried out eagerly that they would advance with their 
 intrepid chief to the end. 
 
 It was not many days before the Spaniards began to find 
 traces of the Inca's military strength. They reached villages 
 and towns where there were Peruvian garrisons ; but these 
 manifested no hostility towards the strangers, while the ca- 
 ciques of the villages often welcomed them and made feasts 
 in their honour. 
 
 At last, on coming to a town named Zaran, Pizarro learned 
 that, some leagues farther on, a larger Peruvian force was 
 drawn up as if in hostile array. This news puzzled him. 
 Was this force awaiting his approach in order to attack him 1 
 Had the suspicions of the Inca been already aroused? and 
 were the Spaniards about to be challenged to a combat ? 
 
 Pizarro was as conspicuous for his prudence and tact as 
 for his valour. While he was ready to risk his life and the 
 lives of his men in order to achieve the end he had in view, 
 he was unwilling to sacrifice a single soldier by needless risk. 
 
 He accordingly sent De Soto forward with a small com- 
 pany of picked men to see what the Peruvian force intended. 
 Meanwhile Pizarro himself, with his main army, rested at 
 Zaran. 
 
 So long was De Soto gone that Pizarro feared that he and 
 his companions had been overpowered, and perhaps mas- 
 sacred, by the Peruvians. His joy was great when, after 
 an absence of a fortnight, his faithful lieutenant made his 
 appearance. 
 
PIZARRO INVADES PERU. 87 
 
 De Soto and his comrades were not, however, alone. With 
 them came a tall and stately Indian, so brilliantly arrayed 
 that the Spaniards gazed at him with wonder. At the same 
 time other Indians appeared, bearing a number of heavy 
 burdens. 
 
 The mystery of these arrivals was soon solved. The tall 
 Indian was no less a personage than the brother of the Inca 
 of Peru, whom the Inca had sent as an envoy to Pizarro ; 
 while the burdens borne by his countrymen were presents 
 from the sovereign, and comprised two stone fountains, some 
 finely woven and many-coloured cloths, sheep, deer, birds, 
 dried fruits, honey, pepper, gold and silver vases, emeralds, 
 and a strange perfume made of dried geese. 
 
 Pizarro welcomed his royal visitor with the respect due to 
 his rank, and, calling an interpreter, bade the Indian sit 
 down and talk with him. The Indian gazed in wonder at 
 the light complexions, the attire, the glittering armour, and 
 the weapons of the Spaniards ; for he had never seen a Euro- 
 pean before De Soto and his party arrived in the town where 
 they had found him. 
 
 Then, turning with much dignity and grace to Pizarro, he 
 said, — 
 
 " I have come by the command of my mighty sovereign, 
 the Inca of Peru, to welcome you to his land, and to invite 
 you to visit him at his camp." 
 
 This greeting surprised Pizarro very much ; but he was 
 too shrewd to believe the proffered hospitality sincere. He 
 felt sure that the Indian had come to see how large a force 
 he had. He pretended, however, to be very grateful for the 
 Inca's invitation, and to accept it, and took great pains to 
 entertain the royal envoy in the best manner his camp afforded. 
 
 As the Indian was about to go away, Pizarro gave him a 
 red cap and some glass beads, which appeared to delight him 
 exceedingly ; and bade him tell the Inca that he would cross 
 the mountains and wait upon him in the midst of his army. 
 
88 PIZARRO INVADES PERU. 
 
 The Spaniards resumed their march with light hearts and 
 high hopes. The very sense of danger excited them to hasten 
 forward. Most of them were already accustomed to the din 
 and intoxication of battle ; and in the Peruvians, though 
 less well armed and less civilized, they knew they would 
 find brave foemen worthy of their steel. Pizarro felt that 
 the Inca's invitation was a stratagem, and resolved that, 
 if it came to that, he would match craft with craft, and 
 would boldly trust himself to his fate and the valour of his 
 men. 
 
 The little army passed through a pleasant country, but 
 were at first much distressed for want of water. They 
 marched three days before finding so much as a spring : they 
 came to one at last, however ; and never did cold sparkling 
 water taste more deliciously to parched lips. 
 
 It was not long after leaving the spring that they de- 
 scended into an umbrageous valley, which, they observed, 
 was dotted with thriving towns and villages. Entering one 
 of these, Pizarro ordered his men to encamp in an open 
 space at the farther end of the settlement ; and there they 
 remained four days. 
 
 Pizarro conversed with the chief men and people through 
 his Indian interpreters ; and from them he learned that his 
 march from this village to the foot of the Cordilleras would 
 be entirely through pleasant valleys and over good roads. 
 
 He now had leisure to observe the natives ; and he was 
 much struck with their intelligence, their curious customs, 
 and their beauty of person, which, however, was marred by 
 their slovenliness. He noticed that while the men wore 
 short shirts, the women had long loose robes that reached to 
 the ground — a dress similar to that of Spanish women. 
 These robes were often finely embroidered with gold and 
 silver thread. 
 
 Their principal food seemed to consist of raw mutton, fish, 
 and boiled or roasted maize. They sowed their corn and 
 
PIZARRO INVADES PERU. 89 
 
 other cereals in the meadows by the river-side, irrigating the 
 fields by means of ditches. 
 
 Setting -out once more on- the fourth day, Pizarro found 
 that the natives had told him truly about the districts through 
 which he would pass. The adventurers marched from one 
 valley to another, and were everywhere received peacefully, 
 whether through friendship or fear. They found ample stores 
 of provisions wherever they went, and took shelter in the 
 huts when it rained. 
 
 One day they came to a wide river, the current of which 
 was very rapid. It had been swollen by recent freshets, and 
 it was not safe to trust the men on rafts. On the opposite 
 bank Pizarro espied a cluster of Indian villages. 
 
 The river was an obstacle he had not foreseen, but he soon 
 made up his mind what to do. Calling his men together, he 
 told those who knew how to swim to step forward. A goodly 
 number of soldiers did so — among them his brother Hernando 
 Pizarro. 
 
 " There is only one thing to do," said the captain ; " and 
 that is, for as many as are able to swim the river and take 
 possession of the villages on the other bank. Otherwise 
 they might oppose our passage." 
 
 Hernando was the first to obey his brother's command. 
 Unbuckling his armour and laying it on the bank, he 
 plunged into the swollen waters, and was soon sturdily 
 buffeting his way across. He was followed by a score of 
 soldiers ; and presently Pizarro saw them standing safe and 
 sound on the opposite shore. Hernando walked up the 
 bank, followed by his comrades, and was amicably received 
 by the inhabitants of the nearest village. They lodged the 
 Spaniards in a fortress on a slight eminence, and offered them 
 food and drink. 
 
 But Hernando saw that, although apparently so friendly, 
 these natives were all armed. Resolved to find out, if 
 possible, the real truth about the Inca's intentions, he seized 
 
90 PIZARRO INVADES PERU. 
 
 one of the Indians, had him brought to the fortress, and put 
 him to the torture. 
 
 Then the Indian confessed that the Inca, Atahualpa, was 
 really hostile to the Spaniards, and that there were Peruvian 
 troops both at the foot of the mountains, on their summit, 
 and on the other side. 
 
 The next day the freshet had somewhat subsided. It 
 was now possible for the Spaniards to cross on rafts. Some 
 trees were cut down, and rafts made ; and in the afternoon 
 Pizarro crossed safely with his troops, baggage, and horses. 
 
 On learning from Hernando what he had learned from the 
 tortured Indian about the designs and preparations of the 
 Inca, Pizarro called one of the principal Indians who had 
 come with him from St. Michael, and asked him, — 
 
 " Have you the courage to go to Caxamalca as a spy, and 
 bring me back tidings of the Inca's camp ? " 
 
 " I will not go as a spy," replied the Indian ; " but if you 
 wish, I will go as your messenger to the Inca, and will ask 
 him what his intentions are, and how many troops he has." 
 
 " Very well : go in that way if you please. Tell the Inca 
 how well I have treated those who have been friendly to me, 
 and that I only fight those who are hostile. If he will be 
 my friend, I will become his ally ; but let him beware how 
 he uses me treacherously.'' 
 
 The Indian departed on his errand ; and Pizarro, after 
 staying a while at the village, once more set forth towards 
 the mountains. On the third day he found himself at the 
 foot of the lofty Cordilleras, which looked steep and for- 
 bidding, and on the other side of which he knew that the 
 mighty Inca and his hosts were encamped. But he was un- 
 dismayed, and vigorously prepared for the formidable march 
 before him. 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 THE INCA'S COURT AND CAMP, 
 
 AT the point where Pizarro had arrived, several lofty 
 spurs of the Cordilleras, branching out at right angles 
 from the principal range, stretched down directly towards the 
 sea-coast. It was at the foot of one of these that Pizarro 
 had halted. 
 
 Between this and another spur, farther south, lay a most 
 picturesque and verdant valley of oval shape. On that side 
 the mountains did not, as on the side where Pizarro was, 
 frown upon the lands below in grim, rugged, abru2)t, and 
 forbidding grandeur. Gentle and wooded and grassy slopes 
 swept from the crags to the centre of the valley. On the 
 round summits of hills, easy of ascent, were perched here and 
 there the busy villages of the Peruvians, each with its walled 
 fortress and its stately temple, and all approached by broad 
 and well-paved roads ; while in the valley were to be seen 
 beautiful avenues of willows, and near the villages lovely 
 gardens and fruitful orchards. 
 
 Through the valley flowed a sparkling river, its banks hid 
 here and there by the luxuriant and giant leaves of tropical 
 trees, here and there patched with fields of yellow maize, 
 and, at not distant intervals, spanned by two bridges, of 
 which the engineering skill of civilized Europe need not have 
 been ashamed. 
 
 It was on a slight plateau, raised but little above the level 
 
92 THE IXCA'S COURT AXD CAMP. 
 
 of the river, that the famous town of Caxamalca was built. 
 Directly in front of it, stretching off toward the river, was 
 an almost level plain, three miles long. 
 
 The town itself was imposing to the eye, and bore every 
 evidence of skill and wealth. In its centre was a vast paved 
 square, around which a high wall was built, and which was 
 entered by two lofty gates. Here the people were wont to 
 meet for their festivities and religious ceremonies, and to 
 hobnob and gossip when the day's labours were over. In 
 the wide and well-built streets were to be seen many houses 
 a hundred feet long, each surrounded by a wall fifteen or 
 sixteen feet high. These houses were often roofed with 
 wood. On entering one of them, you would have found it 
 divided into eight rooms, as well constructed as in a Euro- 
 pean dwelling, with walls of hewn stone surrounding a court, 
 in the centre of which played a prettily carved stone foun- 
 tain. Huge palms and other trees and shrubs afforded the 
 inmates a refreshing shelter from the blazing sun of the 
 tropics, while in the well-kept gardens flourished flowers of 
 the most dazzling hues. 
 
 Two fortresses loomed above the town. One rose on a 
 hill towards the plains, near the public square, with which 
 it was connected by a broad flight of stone steps. The other, 
 larger than the first, was one of the Inca's palaces, and stood 
 on a hill of porphyry between the town and the mountains. 
 This fort was partly hewn out of the solid porphyry ; it was 
 hollowed at the surface, so that the rock formed a wall 
 or rampart around the main building ; while two other walls 
 below joined it, forming a sort of spiral fortification. The 
 edifice itself was built of great blocks of fine cut stone, and 
 without any cement; watch-towers rose at the angles; it 
 formed a hollow square, and in the court were flowers and 
 fountains. The fortress was approached from the city by 
 broad steps cut in the solid rock. 
 
 Many other public buildings of attractive appearance 
 
THE INCA'S COURT AND CAMP. 93 
 
 greeted the eye of the stranger as he wandered through 
 Caxamalca. There was a " house of the sun " surrounded by 
 a high wall, in the court of which was a noble grove of trees ; 
 and there were other temples, which the people might be 
 seen entering with bowed heads and reverential step, having 
 first been careful to take off their shoes, as the Parsees do in 
 India, at the sacred entrance. 
 
 From Caxamalca there stretched away in the distance one 
 of those noble roads which were justly the pride of Peru. It 
 passed below the lower ridge of the mountains, and skirted 
 and then crossed the river at one of its bendings. At last 
 it crossed a broad grassy slope about three miles from the 
 town. 
 
 It was upon this slope that the mighty Inca, Atahualpa, 
 had fixed his camp. 
 
 Atahualpa sat in an open space in the midst of the camp, 
 surrounded by a brilliant array of courtiers, nobles, women, 
 and warriors. He occupied a wide, low, cushioned stool ; 
 while those who attended him stood erect, with their heads 
 bare, and bowed down with respect. A group of gorgeously 
 attired women lay at his feet. The figure of the Peruvian 
 monarch was tall, robust, and majestic. His handsome, 
 swarthy, beardless face betrayed in its expression at once 
 dignity and courage. Piercing black eyes, somewhat blood- 
 shot, and a resolute mouth, betrayed the Inca's pride and 
 sternness of character, while his haughty bearing showed a 
 consciousness of his despotic power. 
 
 While the throng about him were arrayed in dazzling 
 robes, their persons bright with gold, many-coloured plumes, 
 and emeralds^ Atahualpa himself was more simply arrayed. 
 On his head, the jet-black straight hair of which was cut 
 short, he wore a circlet of fringe of very fine crimson wool, 
 the ends being untwisted, and interwoven with gold thread. 
 This singular crown completely covered his forehead, and 
 reached to his eyebrows. A long, loose robe of fine wool 
 
94 THE INCA'S COURT AND CAMP. 
 
 completely enveloped his body. On his fingers he wore 
 large rings, and on his wrists massive bracelets of gold. 
 
 Not far from where the Inca sat was the lodging which he 
 occupied in his camp. It was a slight structure, composed 
 mainly of galleries that formed a broad square. In the centre 
 was a small pavilion containing four rooms, richly hung and 
 furnished, where the Inca slept and took his meals. The 
 court formed by the galleries contained a blooming pleasure- 
 garden ; while in the open space was also a great stone basin, 
 reached by a flight of stone steps, and supplied with water 
 by aqueducts from the mountain streams. This was so 
 arranged that either warm or cold water could be conducted 
 into it. It was here that the monarch took his baths. 
 
 The Inca's favourite room in the pavilion looked out upon 
 a pleasant orchard, and his sleeping-chamber, which joined 
 it, gave a view of the court and the basin. The walls of 
 these rooms were plastered with shining red bitumen, which 
 gave them a bright and gay appearance. 
 
 As Atahualpa sat in the midst of his court, it was evident 
 that both he and his nobles were stirred by some unusual 
 excitement. One after another, generals and envoys advanced, 
 kneeled before him, and, with their eyes on the ground (for 
 the Inca was too sacred a person to look upon), muttered a 
 report of what was going on at a distance. The Inca would 
 scarcely betray, even by a nod, that he heard what they were 
 saying. His eyes were fixed, and directed their glance 
 straight before him. But as report after report was brought 
 ,to him, his dark features began to flush with unusual emotion, 
 and at times his eyes flashed a fierce glance in the direction 
 of the messenger. 
 
 Then the high priest, in whose veins ran royal blood, but 
 who was scarcely distinguishable from the other nobles by 
 any difference in dress, advanced, and spoke to his sovereign, 
 as befitted his rank and sacred office, with more ease and 
 assurance than those who had preceded him. 
 
THE INCA'S COURT AND CAMP. 95 
 
 "Divine Child of the Sun," he said, "be not cast down at 
 the approach of these white strangers, nor doubt the courage 
 of your subjects and slaves. The divine orb shines above 
 you bright and glorious : his holy rays, which illuminate 
 your mighty empire, and impart courage to every Peruvian 
 breast, scorch and strike dumb the ruthless and unbelieving 
 invader, and make him fall fainting and dying on the parched 
 desert, and even on the fruitful plain. Think, mighty mon- 
 arch, that your vast and valorous hosts are gathered around 
 you ; and you in their midst cause their souls to thrill with 
 longings to fight and die in the defence of your sacred person." 
 
 The Inca's face lit up as the high priest spoke these stirring 
 words. With a slight smile he nodded to the venerable man, 
 and then turned to one of the nobles standing by. 
 
 "How many did you say these strangers were?" he asked 
 in a low voice. 
 
 "I could not answer precisely, great Inca," replied the 
 noble, who was no other than the Inca's brother, who had 
 visited Pizarro's camp ; " but not more, I am sure, than two 
 hundred men." 
 
 " And how are they armed % " 
 
 " They have strange, long, round weapons, the like of 
 which 1 have never before seen ; and when they hold them up 
 a cloud of smoke rolls out of them and makes a deafening 
 noise like thunder. I have heard from others that when 
 this smoke comes out, men at which they point these weapons 
 fall down, and shriek and die in agony." 
 
 The Inca was silent a few moments, as if in deep thought. 
 The group of courtiers pressed as near as they dared to catch 
 every word uttered by the royal envoy. 
 
 Then Atahualpa asked : " You spoke of some monsters 
 they had with them % " 
 
 "Yes, great Inca, — monsters much larger than a llama, 
 with long heads and shaggy necks, with four thin legs, that 
 they called * horses/ They mount these monsters, which forth- 
 
96 THE INCA'S COURT AND CAMP. 
 
 with run swiftly about with them, and seem entirely obedient 
 to their riders. These creatures sometimes throw up their heads, 
 and make a hideous noise that startled me ; but the strangers 
 told me to fear nothing, since this was only done in sport." 
 
 " Their chief sent me friendly messages : he said that he 
 would come and visit me ? " 
 
 " He did, mighty sovereign. He said that he came to 
 make friends with you, and not as your enemy ; that his own 
 king, who lived far away over the seas, wished to make you 
 his brother and ally." 
 
 " But we must not trust to the words of a stranger, and 
 of one who has already seized and plundered my country of 
 Quito, and slain my subjects." 
 
 The Inca rose from his seat ; whereupon the whole court 
 knelt at his feet. Gathering up his robe, he stood erect, and 
 glanced with kindling eye along the vast encampment of his 
 army, which dotted the hillsides and plain for a great dis- 
 tance around. He could see his brave soldiers — their dark 
 faces almost hidden beneath the varicoloured cotton turbans 
 which served them for caps, their tunics of quilted cotton 
 tightly fitting their forms, and their bucklers covering their 
 breasts — sauntering in groups along the river-bank, or 
 gathered in knots before their tents ; while their arms — their 
 bows and arrows, their slings and copper-pointed javelins, 
 their battle-axes and swords — lay in heaps on the ground, or 
 were arranged in piles beside the tents. The officers, in 
 more brilliant array, were passing to and fro, now stopping 
 to give an order, then sauntering away to their quarters. 
 On their heads they wore a kind of helmet made of shaggy 
 skins, from which rose, gracefully waving in the air, long and 
 many-coloured plumes plucked from the gorgeous birds of the 
 tropics. On the front of some of the helmets there glittered 
 a row of large gems, and there were bucklers adorned with 
 gold or silver mountings. 
 
 Above each tent floated a standard richly embroidered 
 
THE INCA'S COURT AND CAMP. 97 
 
 with woollen, gold, and silver thread ; while over the quarters 
 of the Inca might be seen the imperial banner of Peru, upon 
 which shone a rainbow depicted in its several hues. 
 
 Atahualpa's breast heaved with proud emotion as his eye 
 wandered from group to group and from tent to tent until 
 it rested on the outposts, so far distant as to be scarcely 
 visible ; and he felt that he might safely defy any invader 
 who dared to try his fortune with so noble, brave, and 
 numerous an armament. 
 
 Calling his courtiers and generals around him, he told them 
 that he would make a progress through the camp. Straight- 
 away four nobles advanced with the royal litter, upon which 
 the Inca mounted and sat down. A body of musicians made 
 their appearance as if by magic, and soon the whole camp 
 resounded with their weird martial melodies. At the same 
 time the group of beautiful women, who had been lying in 
 graceful and languid postures at the Inca^s feet, began to 
 dance about the litter, and to sing a song of praise to the 
 sun and to their sovereign. 
 
 In an instant all was bustle and hurry through the camp. 
 Rude trumpets summoned the soldiers to their ranks ; the 
 officers hastened hither and thither, loudly giving their 
 orders ; the standards and banners were brought out ; and 
 the piles of arms melted away as each warrior grasped his 
 weapon, and hurried into line beside his comrades. 
 
 The Inca's litter, borne upon the shoulders of four tall 
 nobles, and surrounded by his court, generals, and women, 
 passed in solemn state along the erect and even ranks ; and 
 officers and soldiers bent low their heads as the Child of the 
 Sun passed in all the refulgence of majesty before them. The 
 high plumes which rose above his head — for he had replaced 
 the crimson fringe by a more brilliant diadem — nodded and 
 waved as he was borne about, and his face, as he glanced 
 along the lines of the strong and disciplined soldiers, assumed 
 an expression of paternal gentleness and pride. 
 
 (231) 7 
 
98 THE INC A' 8 COURT AND CAMP, 
 
 After passing through the entire camp, the Inca returned 
 to the open space in front of his quarters, and busied himself 
 with issuing his commands to his various generals. Ata- 
 hualpa was already a soldier of experience and proved valour. 
 His war with his brother Huascar had tried his mettle, and 
 had endeared him to his soldiers ; and now that he was per- 
 haps about to meet a stranger force, with mysterious weapons 
 and a hidden purpose, he made, as he thought, every dis- 
 position to securely protect his empire. 
 
 Atahualpa reckoned with confidence on the courage, dis- 
 cipline, devotion, and superior numbers of his army. He 
 counted on easily overcoming so small a force as that of the 
 strangers in the midst of his own dominions. But he did 
 not know the superior intelligence of the Spaniards. He 
 never dreamed that in Pizarro he had a redoubtable rival in 
 stratagem, who might, by a bold and shrewd device, paralyze 
 the strength even of his numerous host, and rob him of his 
 despotic power. 
 
 The sun went down, and the moon rose ; and the Inca, 
 having taken his bath and performed his sunset devotions, 
 retired serenely to rest. The vast camp relapsed into silence. 
 Nothing was heard save the regular tramp of the sentries, the 
 plash of the fountains, and the rapid flow of the river near 
 by. Around the imperial quarters slept in a circle the Inca's 
 body-guard. The standards floated gently in the night breeze. 
 No forewarning of coming disaster disturbed the slumbers of 
 sovereign, officers, or soldiers. 
 
 Yet on his death-bed the Inca Huayna Capac had pre- 
 dicted, from the oracles long before delivered to his ancestors, 
 that his empire was doomed to extinction by the hands of 
 strangers with white complexions, and long, straight beards. 
 
CHAPTER XTI. 
 
 PIZARRO AT CAXAMALCA. 
 
 IN crossing the Cordilleras, Pizarro had the choice of two 
 roads. One led directly to Caxamalca, where the Inca 
 and his army were encamped ; the other took a more round- 
 about course, having the Inca's camp on the left, and passing 
 by Chincha to Cuzco, the Peruvian capital. The first road 
 passed over the most difficult and dangerous mountain 
 heights ; by the other, the way into the centre of Peru was 
 comparatively easy. If Pizarro went by the first, he would 
 meet the Inca and his hosts face to face ; if by the other, he 
 would avoid this encounter, and might, perhaps, march with- 
 out serious obstacles into the midst of the land of gold. 
 
 Which should he choose % 
 
 Some of his officers urged him to take the easier route. 
 They pointed out the difficulties of the mountain ascent, the 
 danger of ambuscades, the certainty of being confronted by 
 Atahualpa, if he chose the road to Caxamalca. He would 
 avoid all these by marching by the road on the right. 
 
 " No ! " cried Pizarro. " We will not flinch, having come 
 thus far, before the might of the Inca. Sooner or later we 
 shall have to meet him. I have told him I would visit him ; 
 and if I turn aside now, he would say that I feared him, and 
 would exult over the terror he had caused me. I go by the 
 road to Caxamalca ! " 
 
 At daylight the next day, the little army, with their cap- 
 
100 PIZARRO AT CAXAMALCA. 
 
 tain at their head, began to climb the steep crags and cliffs 
 of the Cordilleras. It proved a most difficult and dangerous 
 journey. At a certain height the road dwindled to a mere 
 path ; and in some places the soldiers scarcely had room to 
 walk, and lead their horses upon it ; while the cliffs rose per- 
 pendicularly hundreds of feet above them, and descended in 
 precipices hundreds of feet below them. Deep chasms had 
 to be crossed, and steep crags to be clambered up ; and this 
 was no easy task for men who wore the burdensome armour 
 of that period : while, from the heat of the valley, they 
 gradually reached heights where they were almost frozen by 
 the cold. Several times, as they mounted slowly towards the 
 summit, they came upon strong fortresses built upon hanging 
 cliffs ; but they happily found no hostile array of Peruvians 
 to oppose their progress ; and Pizarro began to think that the 
 Inca, in neglecting to defend these formidable passes, had 
 made up his mind to welcome the Spaniards as friends. 
 
 After several days of the roughest climbing, Pizarro found 
 himself at the summit of the pass. It was towards evening, 
 and the air was biting cold. The soldiers hastened to gather 
 some of the stunted trees that grew sparsely on the almost 
 bald eminence ; and presently the entire crest of the moun- 
 tain was lit up by great blazing fires, about which the men 
 eagerly crowded to warm themselves. 
 
 Pizarro halted at the summit long enough to rest his weary 
 company, and to reconnoitre the path at some distance ahead ; 
 and while he was there, he received another envoy from the 
 Inca, who brought a present of some sheep, and repeated the 
 message of welcome and invitation Pizarro had before re- 
 ceived. It was from this envoy that Pizarro heard for the 
 first time of the war that had been going on between Ata- 
 hualpa and his brother Huascar, and of Atahualpa's triumph 
 and usurpation ; and, like the shrewd adventurer that he 
 was, the idea at once struck him to turn these events to his 
 own advantaofe. 
 
PIZARRO AT CAXAMALCA, 101 
 
 The march was soon resumed through many narrow passes 
 and defiles among the mountains, and then upon a road, 
 which, d*escending on the other side, wound in zigzag turnings 
 over the mountain spurs, and across many a deep and jagged 
 chasm. Sometimes the Spaniards came upon villages, which 
 they did not hesitate to occupy, though they refrained from 
 plundering or otherwise ill-treating the inhabitants. At last 
 they came in sight of the beautiful and wide-spreading valley 
 where lay Caxamalca, and, beyond the town, Atahualpa's 
 camp. 
 
 Pizarro stood upon a jutting crag, and gazed long and 
 earnestly upon the fair and fruitful land that lay stretched 
 out before him far as eye could reach. There, indeed, 
 was the land which lie had for so many years yearned to see, 
 and longed to conquer, and which now seemed almost within 
 his grasp. The supreme attempt was now near. Behind 
 him lay ruin and death. To retreat now was not only to 
 miserably fail, but to invite certain destruction. There was 
 but one course to pursue — to press vigorously and bravely 
 forw^ard, and to strain every nerve to possess the empire 
 which had so long glittered, a glorious but olmost unattainable 
 prize, in his dreams by day and night. 
 
 There was still no sign that his approach to Caxamalca 
 would be resisted. The villages he passed seemed friendly, 
 and more than one hospitable message was brought to him 
 from the Inca as he advanced. 
 
 Descending over the green and gentle slopes into the 
 valley, Pizarro and his comrades pitched their camp on a 
 broad plateau. No sooner had they done so than a large 
 party of Peruvians came up the road, bearing a choice and 
 plenteous supply of provisions which the Inca had sent. 
 Upon these they feasted merrily till late in the night. The 
 atmosphere was once more mild, and it seemed to them 
 delicious to sleep again on the green turf and in a balmy air. 
 
 The next morning Pizarro led his little army to within 
 
102 PIZARRO AT CAXAMALCA. 
 
 three miles, of Caxamalca. There he halted until the rear, 
 led by his brother Hernando, who had come over the moun- 
 tains at some distance behind him, came up. From the spot 
 where he now found himself the Spanish adventurer could 
 plainly discern the glistening white houses, the two fortresses 
 perched upon their rocks, and the square temples of the town ; 
 and extending his glance beyond, he could just see the white 
 tents of the Inca's camp dotting the plain and hillsides in 
 the hazy distance. 
 
 It may be that at this moment the proud and brave heart 
 of the cavalier sank for an instant within him as he gazed 
 upon the vast encampment, and realized what a mighty force 
 he was about to brave. If so, he soon recovered himself, and 
 his face assumed an expression of grim determination, which 
 betrayed his resolve to stake all in the attempt to conquer. 
 
 From his distant camp, too, the Inca Atahualpa gazed 
 long and wonderingly at the procession of Spanish horsemen 
 and soldiers, with their flying banners and their glittering 
 mail, as they streamed along the highroad, and apj)roached, 
 unresisted, nearer and nearer to the famous town. For 
 Pizarro had once more given the order to "Forward march P 
 and, as the Inca looked, he could just see the van of the 
 Spanish column marching three deep, and entering the gates 
 of Caxamalca. 
 
 Pizarro advanced at the head of his troops. As he 
 entered the streets he was surprised to find them quite 
 deserted. The houses were all closed, as if the inhabitants 
 feared that the strangers would assail them, and only here 
 and there did he see a stray Peruvian hastening around a 
 corner to avoid being observed. 
 
 The procession moved in military order directly to the 
 public square. Here their tents were pitched in a hurry, 
 for at this moment a violent hail-storm burst over the town. 
 It was just at dusk, on the 15th of November 1532, that 
 Pizarro thus established himself at Caxamalca. 
 
PIZARRO AT CAXAMALCA. 103 
 
 Every precaution was necessary to prevent a surprise. 
 Pizarro could not be sure of the Inca's real purpose. It 
 might well be that he only waited to decoy the Spaniards 
 into the town, in order to surround them with his infinitely 
 more numerous force, and annihilate them then and there. 
 Pizarro, therefore, posted his cavalry at convenient points, 
 and sent out squads to reconnoitre the vicinity. No signs 
 of hostility, however, betrayed themselves, and the Span- 
 iards slept peacefully through the night in some low huts 
 that surrounded the square. 
 
 No time was to be lost in finding out the Inca's real 
 intentions. So the next morning Pizarro called De Soto 
 to him, and told him to take fifteen horsemen, proceed to 
 the Inca's camp, seek an audience of the monarch, and see 
 if the Spaniards would be welcomed in Peru. 
 
 When the commander had given these orders, his brother 
 Hernando, who was standing by, said, — 
 
 " I fear, sir, that fifteen horsemen will not be enough to 
 send to the Inca's camp. If he should choose to attack 
 them, they would soon be destroyed. We have in all sixty 
 cavalry, and can spare twenty more, and still leave enough 
 behind to act as sentries on the outskirts of the town." 
 
 " Yery well," replied Pizarro : "do you take twenty more 
 good horsemen, and yourself follow De Soto to the Inca." 
 
 The cavalcade set out, and was soon upon the highway 
 leading to the Peruvian camp. At its head rode a 
 trumpeter, who awoke the echoes of the lovely valley with 
 loud blasts, and thus announced to the Inca the approach 
 of the envoys. Kapidly they galloped over the well-built 
 road ; and when they came to the bridge, instead of cross- 
 ing it (for they feared, lest by accident or design, it might 
 not hold them), they plunged their horses into the stream, 
 and ascended the bank in safety on the other side. 
 
 Here they found a large force of Peruvian warriors drawn 
 up in line, with their lances in rest and their bows in their 
 
104 PIZARRO AT CAXAMaLCA. 
 
 hands. For a moment De Soto suspected that he was about 
 to be attacked, and ordered his cavalrymen to keep close 
 together; but one of the Peruvian officers advanced, made 
 friendly signs, and offered to conduct the party into the 
 presence of the Inca. Hernando Pizarro now came up with 
 his twenty horsemen, and accompanied De Soto to the 
 imperial camp. 
 
 Atahualpa had been apprised of their approach, and was 
 once more seated, surrounded by his brilliantly-attired court 
 and beautiful women, on the lawn in front of his pavilion. 
 De Soto advanced on horseback in the midst of the throng, 
 followed by Hernando and several other cavaliers, and 
 stopped just in front of the Inca. All preserved complete 
 silence. The Peruvians gazed in wonder and some fear at 
 the richly-caparisoned horses, and their riders in shining 
 armour ; the Spaniards stared curiously back, but kept a 
 bold and proud front. 
 
 Then Hernando Pizarro, through an interpreter, addressed 
 the Peruvian monarch. 
 
 " Our commander," he said, " has sent us hither to assure 
 you of his friendship and good- will We are the subjects of 
 a great and mighty prince across the ocean, who has vast 
 and unconquerable dominions, and who seeks allies the 
 world over. We have come to render homage to your 
 power, and to offer you the aid of our arms in your battles." 
 
 The Inca had sat perfectly motionless, with his eyes bent 
 on the ground, ever since the Spaniards had made their 
 appearance. While Hernando was speaking he did not 
 move a muscle, or seem to hear a word that was said. 
 There was a moment of silence after Hernando had ceased ; 
 then a tall and dark-featured noble, more gorgeously drfessed 
 than the others, advanced a step, and said, — 
 
 "It is well." 
 
 Another interval of silence followed ; but Hernando, who 
 shared his brother's bold spirit, would not give up thus. 
 
PIZARRO AT CAXAMALCA. 105 
 
 He again addressed the Inca, and asked what reception it 
 was intended to give the Spaniards in Peru. At this 
 Atahualpa slightly raised his head, and replied, in a low, 
 measured tone, — 
 
 "This is a feast-day with us. To-morrow I will go and 
 visit your commander, attended by my chiefs. Let him 
 remain in peace at Caxamalca. When I see him we will 
 talk of what is to be done." 
 
 The Inca then bowed, as if to end the interview ; and 
 raising his eyes as he did so, they rested with an expression 
 of curiosity upon the noble white war-horse upon which De 
 Soto was mounted. Perceiving that the Inca's attention 
 was fixed upon his steed, De Soto thought that he would 
 exhibit his good qualities. He put spurs to the horse, which 
 bounded, reared, and plunged about the field, then wheeled 
 around and around, and reared upon his hind legs. De 
 Soto then suddenly tightened the rein and brought the horse 
 up short, so near the Inca that the foam from the animal's 
 mouth sprinkled the Inca's robe. But Atahualpa did not 
 shrink a hair-breadth, and his countenance remained stolidly 
 immovable. 
 
 De Soto and his party were then invited in one of the 
 larger tents to such good cheer as Peru afforded ; and they 
 gazed with covetous eyes upon the heavy golden goblets, 
 studded with emeralds, which the women brought to them 
 foaming with " chicha," a favourite Peruvian beverage made 
 of maize. 
 
 They now returned to Caxamalca to tell of the things 
 that they had seen. Their story of the mighty armament 
 of the Inca, the sturdy frames and good discipline of his 
 soldiers, and the suspicious reception they had met with, 
 caused many a stalwart heart in the Spanish camp to sink 
 with dismay. 
 
 How could a mere handful of men, however brave, and 
 however well armed, cope with a host numbering thousands 
 
106 PIZARRO AT CA JAMAICA . 
 
 and tens of thousands 1 How could they defy such an army, 
 arrayed on its own ground, at its base of supplies, and with 
 which the entire surrounding population claimed kindred 
 and brotherhood ? 
 
 That night there were sombre murmurs in the squares of 
 Caxamalca, and the mutterings of discontent could not long 
 be kept from Pizarro's ears. For his part, he too had 
 thought of the tremendous odds against him, of the folly of 
 braving the Peruvians with his own little force, of the 
 dangers that frowned grimly upon him from every side. 
 
 Pizarro knew well he could not retreat The avenging 
 onset of the Peruvians would overtake and destroy him 
 before he could reach the spurs of the Cordilleras ; or, if 
 he escaped into the bleak mountain defiles, it would be to 
 die a miserable death of exposure and starvation. 
 
 Quickly, therefore, he made up his mind what to do ; but 
 the plan he formed was so strange and daring that he dared 
 not at first confide it even to his officers. He went with 
 a cheerful and confident countenance among his men. He 
 roused their spirits by his reassuring voice and his defiant 
 words. He told them that they were on the eve of an 
 unlooked-for triumph, and he awoke all their pride and 
 courage by ridiculing their fears. He reminded them that 
 the Peruvians were heathen, while they were Christians, 
 and persuaded them that in conquering Peru they would 
 merit the approval of God, and receive the choicest blessings 
 of the Church. 
 
 Having thus suppressed the discontent which had begun 
 to spread in his camp, he called De Soto, his brother Her- 
 nando, and several others, into his tent. 
 
 A light flickered feebly on a rude table in the centre of 
 the tent. Seating himself on a stool, and motioning the 
 others to sit down also, the intrepid chief leaned his arms 
 upon the table, and his face assumed a serious and resolute 
 expression. 
 
PIZARRO AT CAXAMALCA. 107 
 
 "My comrades," said he, **we are, as you know, in a 
 desperate situation. To openly defy the Inca would be the 
 greatest folly. His army outnumbers us, it may be, a thou- 
 sand to one. It is fully equipped, composed of strong and 
 brave men, who would, fight desperately for their country. 
 We cannot throw down the gage of battle. Nor can we 
 retreat; to do so would be, at best, to have failed in the 
 great undertaking of our lives. Even if we got safely back 
 to Panama, we should be despised and hooted at, and find 
 ourselves impoverished, and perhaps outcasts. But we 
 should not get back. We cannot leave this country safely 
 except as conquerors. To turn and fly would be as certain 
 destruction as to march to-morrow with two hundred men 
 against a camp containing two hundred thousand." 
 
 " What then, commander, do you propose 1 " eagerly asked 
 the fiery-hearted De Soto. " Shall we remain Jiere at Caxa- 
 malca and defend ourselves to the last ? " 
 
 " We shall remain here, but not to enter upon a desperate 
 defence. I have thought of a plan by the execution of which 
 alone success is possible. To-morrow the Inca comes to visit 
 us in our camp. He will come with some force, to be sure, 
 but not a large one. He will not dream of any harm with 
 his great army lying but a league distant. When he comes 
 I shall take him prisoner." 
 
 " Take the Inca prisoner ! " exclaimed the others. 
 
 "Why not?" retorted Pizarro, looking sternly around. 
 ^' Have you forgotten Hernando Cortez 1 He went to 
 Mexico, as we have come to Peru, with a paltry force. 
 He found there, as we do here, a mighty prince surrounded 
 by a brilliant court and a vast army. He entered a city of 
 that prince as we have of the Inca ; he decoyed Montezuma 
 to his quarters ; he made him a prisoner ; and spite of 
 Montezuma's court and army and riches, Cortez became the 
 conqueror of Mexico." 
 
 ^' It is a perilous plan ! " cried De Soto. 
 
108 PIZARRO AT CAXAMALCA. 
 
 " But is not our situation perilous 1 " returned Pizarro. 
 "If Cortez succeeded, so may we. Had Cortez failed, his 
 fate would have been what ours will be if we too fail. 
 The most resolute daring alone will save us, and we might 
 as well risk our lives in strategy ^s in conflict or retreat. 
 At the least, once in possession of the Inca, we shall have 
 the strongest pledge of our safety. The Peruvians will not 
 dare to lay hands on us when by a single blow we can take 
 the Inca's life." 
 
 His comrades saw and felt the force of his words, and 
 offered no further objection. They declared themselves 
 ready and eager to take their share in the desperate plot, 
 and left the commander's tent to prepare for the morrow. 
 Sentries were mounted at every point which it was neces- 
 sary to guard, and lookouts were posted on the fortress 
 towers. The fires of Atahualpa's cam]) could be distinctly 
 seen on the hill and plain three miles away. The broad 
 highroad between the town and the camp was perfectly 
 visible as far as the river ; and had a Peruvian force ven 
 tured to approach by it, the alarm could have been given in 
 an instant, and the Spaniards called to arms. 
 
 But, as on the night before, nothing occurred to disturb 
 the rest of the adventurers. The faithful sentinels, as they 
 paced up and down, looked in vain for any signs of a hostile 
 attack ; and the soldiers, lying with their arquebuses loaded 
 at their side, forgot the terrible dangers of their situation in 
 profound slumber. 
 
 Pizarro alone did not close his eyes on the eve of his rash 
 attempt. He walked to and fro in his tent, his brow knit 
 in deep cogitation of the means by which he should put it 
 in execution. By morning he had thought it all out ; and 
 when the trumpets called officers and men to their breakfast, 
 he met them with a cheerful and confident mien. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 ATA HU A LP A A PRISONER. 
 
 THE sun, the deity of the Peruvians, rose bright and 
 warm on the morning of Saturday, November 16, 
 1532, as if to cheer his worshippers with his refulgence, and 
 to assure them of his celestial protection. 
 
 As his rays struck the white shining walls of Caxamalca, 
 they lit up a camp full of bustle and preparation. Pizarro 
 had now imparted his project to his men, and a new energy 
 seemed to animate their movements. In two halls, which 
 formed two of the sides of the square, and were connected 
 with it by a number of high doors, the Spanish cavalry, 
 mounted and armed, took up their positions. The main 
 body of the infantry occupied a third hall similarly situ- 
 ated ; while a small force under Candia was stationed in 
 the fortress that rose just above the square, with which it 
 communicated by a flight of stone stairs. When these dis- 
 positions had been made, the square seemed empty ; for these 
 soldiers were all hidden from view, and only Pizarro and a 
 few of his officers appeared in the open space. 
 
 Pizarro gave the order that no man should stir from his 
 place until he himself should wave a handkerchief as a 
 signal. When he did this they were to issue forth in reg- 
 ular lines, and perform whatever task their officers com- 
 manded. Their lives and fortunes, he told them, were at 
 
110 ATAHUALPA A PRTSONER. 
 
 stake, and hung upon the presence of mind and promptness 
 with which they should act at the decisive moment. 
 
 The armour worn by the soldiers had been newly bur- 
 nished, so that it shone brightly; bells had been fastened 
 to the harness of the horses; and the soldiers had been 
 regaled with an ample breakfast, that they might be in 
 condition for vigorous service. The final preparation was 
 the performance of mass by the priests, who prayed fer- 
 vently that the blessings of God might attend Pizarro's 
 design ; and the soldiers solemnly chanted a hymn at the 
 end. 
 
 The morning wore away, and yet there were no signs 
 of the Inca's approach. Pizarro began to grow uneasy. 
 He was greatly relieved when a sentry announced that a 
 Peruvian envoy had appeared at the gate, and asked to be 
 admitted to the Spanish chief. 
 
 " Let him enter," said Pizarro. 
 
 The Peruvian advanced cautiously, and glanced with 
 surprise around the almost empty square. He had ex- 
 pected to see an armament in brilliant array. Approaching 
 Pizarro with more confidence, he spoke to him through an 
 interpreter. 
 
 "The Inca has sent me to tell you that he will come and 
 see you, and that he will bring with him an armed force, 
 for your men that went yesterday to the royal camp were 
 armed. And he would have you send to him a Christian to 
 attend him hither." 
 
 " Tell your master that he may come when and how he 
 pleases, and he shall be welcomed as a friend and a brother ; 
 but I shall send him no Christian, since that is not our custom." 
 
 This envoy had not been gone long before another came 
 and sought an interview with Pizarro. He soon made 
 known his errand. 
 
 " The Inca does not wish to bring his soldiers all armed, 
 and some that will come with him will be unarmed. He 
 
ATAHUALPA A PRISONER. Ill 
 
 desires to lodge them in the town ; and he himself will 
 lodge here in the square, in the house called 'The House 
 of the Serpent/ because it is adorned with a serpent of 
 stone." 
 
 "So be it," replied Pizarro ; "only I pray that he may 
 come quickly, for I am anxious to see him." 
 
 The messenger hastened back to the Inca's camp ; and 
 early in the afternoon Pizarro, who had gone up into the 
 fortress to watch for Atahualpa's approach, observed the 
 plain alive with the Peruvian legions, who were evidently 
 forming and advancing upon the road towards Caxamalca. 
 A long body would march some distance along the road and 
 then halt until other troops came up with them. Pizarro, 
 as they came nearer, saw their plumes waving and their 
 banners floating in the air, and heard faintly the strains 
 of their strange, warlike music. 
 
 It seemed to him as if they would never cease pouring out 
 of the camp upon the road. Within an hour the highway 
 fairly swarmed with the Inca's troops, who approached in 
 disciplined order and in three distinct divisions. 
 
 At last the vanguard of the Peruvians reached a plain not 
 more than a third of a mile from the town. Here, Pizarro 
 remarked, they came to a halt, and the army gathered more 
 and more dense upon the plain. This puzzled him. Were 
 they about to form in battle array and descend upon him 
 in force ? or were they simply pausing for rest, or perhaps to 
 remain on the plain while the Inca paid his visit? The 
 last supposition proved to be correct. 
 
 A messenger presently came to Pizarro with word from 
 Atahualpa that he intended to stay on the plain that night, 
 and that he would visit him on the morrow. 
 
 This was not at all what Pizarro wished. His prepara- 
 tions to receive the Inca were all complete. If the Peruvian 
 monarch failed to come now his carefully laid scheme might 
 be defeated. 
 
112 ATAHUALPA A PRISONER. 
 
 So he sent back an earnest request that the Inca should 
 not delay his visit. 
 
 "Tell him," said Pizarro, "that I await him at supper, 
 and that I shall not sup until he comes ; and let him hasten, 
 that I may welcome him in the square before it is dark." 
 
 This pressing invitation seemed to have an immediate 
 effect. Pizarro knew that the Inca had decided to yield 
 to his request by the bustle and hurry in the Peruvian camp 
 which at once followed the messenger's return. 
 
 Presently a portion of the great mass of Peruvians began 
 to separate from the rest, and to move directly towards the 
 town. Pizarro hastened from point to point to tell his 
 oflBcers that the Inca was really coming, and to see for the 
 last time that everything was ready and in order. 
 
 Pizarro had scarcely returned to the square, where he took 
 up his position, surrounded by his brothers, De Soto, and a 
 few other officers, when the van of the Peruvian procession 
 entered the gate. This consisted of a crowd of Indians, at- 
 tired in curious costumes of many colours, the figures on 
 their tunics being alternate squares of white and red like a 
 chess-board. They carried in their hands large branches of 
 trees, whicli served as brooms with which to sweep the road 
 in the Inca's path. While some of them swept, others kept 
 stooping down, and with great rapidity and skill picked up 
 the straws and sticks that were strewn in the way. 
 
 These were followed at a brief interval by three battalions 
 of men in fantastic attire, who came along singing and danc- 
 ing; after whom advanced a brilliant company of warriors 
 of noble birth, wearing metal breastplates and crown -like 
 helmets of silver and gold, that glittered in the rays of the 
 fast-sinking sun. 
 
 Company after company now filed in quick succession into 
 the square, some wearing tunics of brilliant blue ; others 
 snow-white robes, and bearing maces of copper and silver ; 
 and yet others with jewelled helmets of skin, and arrayed in 
 
ATAHUALPA A PRISONER. 113 
 
 the gaudiest attire, and ornaments of gems and gold. None 
 of them seemed to be armed ; but it turned out that beneath 
 their tunics nearly all carried concealed small darts, slings, 
 and stones. There were, perhaps, five or six thousand. 
 
 At last there occurred a long break in the procession ; and 
 in another moment the Inca appeared, seated on a throne of 
 massive gold upon a lofty litter, and surrounded by other 
 litters on which sat many of his great nobles. It was a most 
 imposing sight to see this mighty monarch seated high above 
 the heads of those who surrounded him, the gorgeous plumes 
 that adorned his diadem waving and nodding in the air, the 
 blood-red fringe covering his swarthy brow, his long robe 
 falling in heavy folds over the sides of the glittering litter, 
 and a wide collar of large and dazzling emeralds fastened 
 about his neck ; while on either side of the litter gathered 
 a group of courtiers, more brilliantly arrayed than any who 
 had yet entered the square, and wearing coronets of silver 
 and gold. 
 
 As Atahualpa was borne forward, his countenance be- 
 trayed the serene expression of true majesty, that disdained 
 to show emotion even if he felt it. He glanced quietly 
 around, and looked at the little group of Spanish chiefs, who 
 awaited him at the farther end of the square, with an air of 
 quiet and confident dignity. 
 
 Following the cortege of the Inca came other battalions of 
 Peruvian troops, so that in no long time the square seemed 
 filled with them. A small fortress in one comer of the 
 square was occupied by several of these companies. Ata- 
 hualpa ordered the men who bore him to stop in the centre 
 of the open space. There he awaited Pizarro's movements. 
 
 No sooner had the litter come to a standstill than a Span- 
 ish monk named Friar Yicente, in his cowl, girdle of rope, 
 and rosary, and holding in one hand a large cross, and in the 
 other a Bible, advanced slowly towards the Inca, with a 
 Peruvian interpreter at his side. 
 (231) 8 
 
114 ATAHUALPA A PRISONER. 
 
 The Inca gazed at him curiously, and so did all the Peru- 
 vians. They had become used to the appearance of the 
 Spanish soldiers, but they had not before seen a monk. 
 
 The friar stood just beneath the litter, and, raising his 
 eyes to Atahualpa, began to speak in a solemn and measured 
 voice. The interpreter translated his words to the Inca. 
 
 "I am a priest of God," he said, **and teach Christians; 
 and I have come also to teach you. I teach what God tells 
 his people in this book. In the name of God and of the 
 Christians, I beseech you to be their friend. This is God's 
 will, and it will be for your good. Go and speak to the com- 
 mander, who is waiting for you." 
 
 Atahualpa, seeing the Bible, held out his hand to take it 
 The monk gave it to him closed. The Inca turned it over, 
 and looked at it curiously, and tried to open it, but did not 
 know how. Vicente, perceiving this, stretched out his hand 
 as if to show him ; when the Inca, frowning upon him, struck 
 him on the arm with the Bible, and at last succeeded in 
 opening it himself. No sooner had he done so than he threw 
 it angrily upon the ground, and, turning to the monk, an- 
 swered him through an interpreter : — 
 
 "I know well how you have acted on the way hither. 
 You have ill-treated my chiefs, and you have taken cloth 
 from my storehouses." 
 
 Vicente was astonished to hear this unfriendly speech, and 
 eagerly replied, — 
 
 " No, great sovereign ; they were Indians who took the 
 cloth, and our commander ordered them to be punished." 
 
 "I shall remain here," retorted Atahualpa sternly, "till it 
 has all been restored to me." 
 
 The monk then continued to exhort the Inca to submit to 
 the authority of the King of Spain, to become a Christian, 
 and to abandon the idolatry of the sun. At this Atahualpa's 
 eyes flashed ; and, turning proudly upon Vicente, he said, — 
 
 "I will never be the vassal of any potentate, however 
 
ATAHUALPA A PRISONER. 116 
 
 mighty. I will be friends with your royal master ; but I am 
 greater than he. I ^will npt be a Christian, but, as ever, 
 worship my deity who shines in the heavens, and who even 
 now sheds his parting rays upon me." 
 
 As he spoke, the Inca inclined his head toward the sun, 
 which was just sinking behind the distant hills. 
 
 Yicente despaired of making any impression upon the 
 Inca's mind, and turning, walked rapidly to the spot where 
 Pizarro was impatiently awaiting the result of his interview, 
 at the farther end of the square. 
 
 " Sir," exclaimed the monk, " the infidel casts the Bible 
 in the dust, and rejects my plea that he should become a 
 Christian ! See you not what is taking place 1 Why do you 
 treat longer with this proud dog, when the plain is covered 
 with Indians 1 Fall upon him, bold cavalier ! I absolve 
 you!" 
 
 Pizarro saw that the moment had come to put his bold design 
 in execution. Hastily putting on a thick cotton tunic, the 
 better to protect his person, and drawing his sword, he called 
 upon his companions to follow him, and pushed hurriedly 
 through the throng of Peruvians towards the Inca's litter. 
 As he went, he waved a white handkerchief above his head. 
 Advancing straight to the Inca, he roughly seized him by the 
 arm, and cried out in a stentorian voice, — 
 
 ''Santiago." 
 
 This was the watchword for action. Instantly guns were 
 fired from the fortress and the different halls, filling the 
 Peruvians with confusion and dismay. Out rushed the 
 Spaniards, mounted and on foot, charging fiercely upon the 
 bewildered courtiers and soldiers of the Inca, the horses riding 
 down the huddled and frightened groups, and the firing of 
 the guns creating clouds of smoke and a terrific uproar. 
 
 The poor Peruvians were completely taken by surprise, 
 and did not know which way to turn or what to do. Many 
 of them had arms hidden beneath their coats : but so sudden 
 
116 ATAHUALPA A PRISONER. 
 
 had been the onset of the Spaniards, that they had no time 
 to extricate them ; nor could they have used them if they 
 had. In the wildest panic they ran hither and thither, 
 shrieking out, and terrified beyond expression by the tramp- 
 ing of the horses, which now seemed to them indeed ferocious 
 monsters. Some hurried to the gates which issued from the 
 square into the streets of the town ; but there, alas ! they 
 found companies of Spaniards guarding the exits, who fired 
 upon the wretched Peruvians as they approached, killing and 
 wounding them, and driving them back into the square again. 
 
 While the foot-soldiers dealt deadly havoc with their guns, 
 the cavalry, plunging their horses among the groups that 
 crouched trembling near the walls, slashed right and left 
 with their sabres, and mowed the Peruvians down like grass. 
 
 Soon the square was filled with the bodies of the dead and 
 the dying,, with thick clouds of smoke, and the terrible din of 
 conflict. At one point only did the Peruvians attempt to 
 make a resolute stand. The sacred person of the Inca was 
 in danger. A crowd of nobles and soldiers, at the first 
 onset, had gathered close around the imperial litter, resolved 
 to defend the precious life of their sovereign to the last ex- 
 tremity. These heroic men fought desperately. They grasped 
 the Spaniards, hurled them from their steeds, struggled one 
 against a dozen, and for a time held them at bay. 
 
 All this time Pizarro, with drawn sword, kept a firm grip 
 on the Inca's arm. The litter swayed to and fro with the 
 shock of the conflict ; but the cavalier was determined that 
 his splendid prisoner should not escape him. At last the 
 heroic nobles, who had been so bravely defending the person 
 of their monarch, were subdued, and one and all of them lay 
 dead or wounded at the foot of the litter. 
 
 To rush upon the bearers of the litter and despatch them 
 was the work of a moment. The litter fell to tlie ground ; 
 and Pizarro now clutched Atahualpa, who tottered and nearly 
 fell with the shock, tightly by the arm. Some of the Span- 
 
ATAHUALPA A PRISONER. 117 
 
 iards, their thirst for blood fiercely aroused, were eager to 
 put the Inca to instant death ; but Pizarro had the presence 
 of mind to see that this would ruin his project. He protected 
 the Inca with his own body, and in doing so received from 
 one of his soldiers a slight wound in the hand. 
 
 By this time the havoc of the Peruvians was nearly over. 
 But few had escaped : almost the entire force which had 
 accompanied the unfortunate Inca within the square were 
 stretched upon its surface. 
 
 Atahualpa, as he was led away, seemed completely crest- 
 fallen and utterly dazed by what had been passing before 
 him. He hung his head, as one from whom all glory had 
 departed, who had tasted humiliation to the dregs. 
 
 Pizarro conducted his royal prisoner to his own quarters. 
 There Atahualpa was stripped of his gorgeous robe and jewels, 
 and dressed in a more simple Peruvian costume ; and then 
 he was brought into the apartment where Pizarro awaited 
 him at supper. 
 
 It was now night, and the table, with its fare of game, 
 fruit, and vegetables, was dimly lighted by torches borne by 
 a line of soldiers. Without, the dismal cries of the wounded, 
 and the bustle made by the Spaniards in securing the prisoners 
 that had been taken, might still be heard. 
 
 The Inca, with a sad, dejected face, took a seat, as he was 
 ordered, beside his captor ; but though tempting viands were 
 set before him, and he was still treated with some ceremony 
 and respect, he could not be persuaded to touch a morsel. 
 
 Pizarro, having finished supping, turned to his prisoner, 
 and spoke to him sternly through an interpreter : " Do not 
 deceive yourself, Inca of Peru. We are the subjects of a 
 mighty king, mightier than you. We have come to conquer 
 this land in his name, to make you his vassal, and to convert 
 you to be a Christian, so that you may not lead a heathen 
 life as you have done. This is why we, so few, have been 
 able to overcome your vast army." 
 
118 ATAHUALPA A PRISONER. 
 
 The Inca shook his head sorrowfully, and in an absent 
 way replied, "I was deceived by my captains. They told 
 me not to fear the Spaniards, but to come forward boldly 
 with my army and attack them. I desired to come in peace, 
 but they prevented me. I now see that the Spaniards are 
 brave and daring. I have suffered the fortune of war." 
 
 "You have nothing to fear," said Pizarro, "if you submit 
 to us quietly. I war only upon my enemies. If you keep 
 faith with me, I will protect you." 
 
 Pizarro, though brave and brilliant in exploits, was both 
 perfidious and cruel in his treatment of the Inca, and in his 
 proceedings in Peru. We may admire his courage and per- 
 severance, his self-reliance and military genius, but we cannot 
 but condemn many of his acts as barbarous and bloodthirsty, 
 and his objects as covetous and selfish. 
 
 While Pizarro was supping with the captive Inca, a body 
 of Spanish cavalry, excited by their triumph, ventured out 
 of the town, and pursued along the highway the Peruvians 
 who had succeeded in escaping from the square. They ap- 
 proached the broad field where Atahualpa's main army was 
 still bivouacked, and exulted to see that the camp was in the 
 utmost confusion, and that the Peruvian troops, seized by a 
 terrible panic, were making hasty preparations for flight. 
 
 They succeeded in taking a large number of prisoners. 
 Before, however, they could infuse new terror into the already 
 panic-stricken army, they were recalled to Caxamalca by the 
 shrill voices of the trumpets. Re-entering the square, they 
 found all their comrades drawn up in order, and Pizarro and 
 his lieutenants in their midst. 
 
 When the prisoners had been huddled together in the 
 buildings near by, and a watchful guard had been put over 
 them, Pizarro, standing upon the broken litter which, but a 
 few hours before, had brought the Inca in such state and 
 splendour to the square, addressed his little army. 
 
 *' Let us give hearty thanks, my comrades," said he, " for 
 
ATAHUALPA A PRISONER. 119 
 
 the great miracle we have this day performed. Without 
 God's aid we could not have entered this land at all, much 
 less hav« overcome so mighty a host. You have done nobly : 
 retire to rest, and sleep soundly on your laurels. But re- 
 member that, although the victory is ours, we must still be 
 vigilant. The Peruvians are defeated, but they are cunning 
 and skilful in war. They will strain every nerve to rescue 
 the Inca. There yet remains much to be done. This night, 
 and every night, the strictest watch must be kept, the 
 rounds must be gone regularly, and we must be prepared 
 for everything." 
 
 The soldiers were then dismissed to their quarters. The 
 unfortunate Inca was provided with a bed in Pizarro's own 
 chamber, and was allowed to have such of his women as he 
 chose to wait upon him. A watchful guard was put over 
 him ; although Pizarro was careful that Atahualpa should 
 not perceive those who guarded him. 
 
 The captor and the captive on that memorable night slept 
 side by side. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 THE INC A 'S DOOM. 
 
 THE broad square presented next morning a most dis- 
 mal aspect. The bodies of the massacred Peruvians, 
 in all their gay attire, lay strewn over the grass or piled up in 
 ghastly heaps under the bright rays of the sun. At least two 
 thousand of the Inca's nobles and soldiers were stretched out 
 there, the victims of Pizarro's snare, martyrs to their loyalty. 
 
 It was no light task to clear the square of its dreary 
 burden. The Peruvian prisoners were brought out under 
 guard, and compelled to dig pits, and to bury their dead 
 countrymen in them ; while the poor Inca looked mournfully 
 on from the window of his prison. 
 
 Pizarro knew that no time must be lost in following up 
 his bloody triumph. He despatched a force of thirty horse- 
 men to the camp where Atahualpa had awaited his coming, 
 three miles away, to disperse the remains of the Peruvian 
 army and seize such plunder as they could. 
 
 Though these cavaliers were so few, they found their 
 work an easy one. The camp was in the wildest confusion. 
 There yet remained thousands of Peruvian troops — enough 
 to have annihilated Pizarro and all his men, could they have 
 rallied and attacked him. But they had lost their chief, their 
 valiant monarch. There was no one to lead them ; and such 
 was their terror at what had taken place, that they thought 
 of nothinc: but fliorht. 
 
THE INCA'S DOOM. 121 
 
 The Spaniards captured many prisoners, among them a 
 number of women, some of whom were wives of the Inca. 
 They also took a great quantity of sheep which had been 
 collected to feed the Inca's army. But what most dazzled 
 and delighted Pizarro was the amount of treasure they 
 brought in. 
 
 Ill the Inca's pavilion they had found riches beyond their 
 expectations. Massive gold plates, jars, cups, and ornamen- 
 tal basins, necklaces, rings, and bracelets, and many large, 
 brilliant emeralds, were gathered, and laid by the cavaliers at 
 Pizarro's feet. This was only a foretaste of the wealth he 
 was destined to discover. 
 
 Pizarro was puzzled what to do with the great number of 
 Peruvian prisoners that had been taken. He could not 
 carry them with him, nor could he spare any of his men to 
 stay behind and guard them. So he ordered his soldiers to 
 choose such prisoners as they liked, to act as their servants ; 
 and the rest of the Peruvians he set free, to return to their 
 homes. Some of the more brutal of his soldiers wished to 
 slaughter them all, or at least to cut off their hands, and 
 thus render them unable to fight ; but Pizarro sternly re- 
 proved them, and declared that he would not be guilty of 
 such cruelty. 
 
 So many sheep were brought in that, after killing as many 
 as his army could eat and as could be preserved, he let the 
 rest loose on the mountains. Although he was eager to 
 continue his conquest, Pizarro remained some time at Caxa- 
 malca, in order to rest his men and to make every preparation 
 for a vigorous campaign. He hoped, too, to receive rein- 
 forcements from St. Michael, and perhaps from Panama ; 
 for he lost no time in sending home the news of his amazing 
 victory. Meanwhile he employed the time in strengthening 
 the fortifications of Caxamalca, and in erecting a church there, 
 with a view to settling it as a Spanish colony. 
 
 He availed himself of this period to converse often with 
 
122 THE INGA'S DOOM. 
 
 his royal prisoner, and to try to reconcile him to his lot. 
 Atahualpa's spirits, after the first few days, somewhat re- 
 vived. He learned to speak Spanish very quickly ; and 
 Pizarro taught him to play chess and cards, which the poor 
 captive seemed to enjoy very much. 
 
 The Inca also betrayed a great deal of enthusiasm in 
 learning to read and write Spanish. He was puzzled to 
 know whether the Spaniards were able to read by instinct, 
 or whether they had to learn as he did. So he one day 
 asked a soldier who was guarding him to write the word 
 " God " on his thumb-nail ; and when the soldier had done 
 so, Atahualpa went around and showed it to the other 
 soldiers, and asked them to read it. He was surprised to 
 hear them all read it alike. Pizarro happened to come in at 
 this moment ; and the Inca ran to him and held up his thumb, 
 and begged Pizarro to read it too. Pizarro looked at the 
 word, coloured up, and at last was forced to own that he 
 could not read. After this the Inca seemed to regard him 
 with less respect and awe than before. 
 
 On another occasion, when Pizarro and his royal captive 
 were sitting at the door of their quarters, Atahualpa became 
 very talkative, and gave Pizarro a long account of what had 
 happened in recent years in Peru. He told Pizarro about 
 his father Huayna Capac's wars ; how he and his brother 
 Huascar had quarrelled ; and how it came to pass that he, 
 and not Huascar, was reigning over the empire. Then after 
 sitting silent for some time in deep thought, the Inca said, — 
 
 " If you will let me go free, commander, I will not only 
 deliver my brother Huascar into your hands, but I will give 
 you gold enough to half fill a large room : you shall have 
 vases and jars, and bars of gold piled ten feet high. And I 
 will do yet more : you shall liave silver enough to fill a large 
 chamber twice over." 
 
 " How soon can you do this ? " 
 
 "In two months' time." 
 
THE INCA'S DOOM. 123 
 
 ** Whence will you obtain all this wealth ] " 
 ** At my capital of Cuzco, many leagues away." 
 " How long will it take your messengers to go thither ? " 
 "When they are sent on important errands they run 
 from village to village, and could reach Cuzco in fifteen 
 days.'' 
 
 " Very well : if you do as you say you shall be free." 
 The Inca sprang joyfully to his feet and beckoned to a 
 Peruvian who was standing near. 
 
 "Hasten to Cuzco," said he, speaking rapidly, "and order 
 my chief men there to send two thousand men hither, bear- 
 ing all the gold and silver they can carry." 
 
 The Peruvian started at once, and soon was seen trotting 
 along the highway, and disappearing at the turning of the 
 road. 
 
 Although the Inca was kept a prisoner, Pizarro permitted 
 him to have his wives to keep him company and his servants 
 to wait upon him. When his nobles came to visit him they 
 were freely admitted to his presence ; and Pizarro observed 
 that they came before their captive sovereign with the same 
 ceremonies of awe and reverence to which the Inca was 
 accustomed when in his glory. 
 
 It may be remembered that Atahualpa, not long before 
 Pizarro's arrival in Peru, had defeated and captured his 
 elder brother, the Inca Huascar, and had caused him to 
 be shut up in a distant fortress. 
 
 As soon as Huascar heard of Pizarro's victory he con- 
 trived to send a message to him, that if the Spaniards 
 would set him free he would give them twice as much gold 
 and silver as Atahualpa had promised. Unfortunately for 
 him, Atahualpa, who mortally feared his brother's release, 
 somehow heard of this offer, and resolved that Huascar 
 should be put to death. He was still more alarmed when 
 Pizarro declared that he would have Huascar brought before 
 him, and would decide between the brothers. 
 
124 THE INGA'S DOOM. 
 
 Atahualpa accordingly sent secret orders in all haste to 
 some of his nobles to kill Huascar ; and as they were bring- 
 ing him on the road to Caxamalca, Huascar was suddenly 
 seized near a river and hurled into the deep and rapid 
 stream, and he sank screaming into its waters. 
 
 Pizarro was enraged when he heard this, and swore to 
 himself that he would visit this crime upon Atahualpa's 
 own head. It was not so much that the rough Spanish 
 cavalier was shocked by the enormity of the deed as that 
 it gave him an excuse to deal w4th the captive Inca as he 
 pleased. 
 
 In due time the treasure promised by Atahualpa as his 
 ransom began to arrive ; and the eyes of the Spaniards 
 sparkled with avarice as they saw the glittering heaps of 
 golden plate, the ewers and basins and vases, and bars of 
 the pure precious metal, so heavy that it took three or four 
 men to lift them. 
 
 " It is indeed," they exclaimed, " a land of gold ! We 
 shall return laden with riches. Let us hasten and complete 
 the conquest of this wonderful empire ! " 
 
 Pizarro was as eager as the rest to push on ; but before 
 doing so he thought it wise that the country beyond sliould 
 be explored. Rumours had reached him of the gathering of 
 a Peruvian army with the intent to attack him and rescue 
 the Inca; and with his little force it was, above all, im- 
 portant to run as few risks as possible. 
 
 So he sent out his brother Hernando on an expedition 
 southward to explore the country, find out if there were 
 any evidences of resistance, gather what treasure he could, 
 and see what the disposition of the people was. 
 
 Hernando took with him twenty horsemen and as many 
 foot-soldiers, and finding broad and even highroads, marched 
 rapidly through the land as far as a great town called 
 Pachacamac, where he found a splendid temple erected to 
 a great Peruvian deity of the same name. Everywhere on 
 
THE INCA'S DOOM. 125 
 
 the way he was received with a friendly welcome that 
 amazed him. Sometimes the Peruvian villagers would 
 come out to meet him, singing and dancing, and playing 
 upon curious instruments ; sometimes he found banquets 
 already spread, with which to regale him and his comrades. 
 Nowhere was there the least sign of hostility to his advance. 
 
 Arriving at Pachacamac, Hernando marched straight to 
 the great temple of which he had heard so much ; and the 
 simple natives trembled with horror to see the Spaniards 
 tramp boldly into the sacred edifice, tear down the image 
 of their god, and shatter it to pieces on the pavement. 
 This Hernando did because he professed to be horrified by 
 the idolatry of the Peruvians, and wished to show them how 
 easily a Christian could destroy their most dread deities. 
 
 Having found, to his sore disappointment, that the trea- 
 sures of Pachacamac, which had lured him thither, had 
 been hurriedly removed and hidden by the priests, he 
 resumed his march, and crossing the Cordilleras, reached 
 another famous place called Xauxa. 
 
 On this march Hernando was more and more amazed at 
 every step to find how abundant were gold and silver in 
 Peru. While crossing the mountains some of the horses 
 lost their shoes ; and as Hernando found no iron, but plenty 
 of silver, he had silver shoes made for them. 
 
 He had scarcely arrived at Xauxa, which proved to be 
 a large and prosperous town, when he heard that a great 
 Peruvian general named Callcuchima, with no less than 
 thirty -five thousand men, was encamped a few miles distant. 
 This news was alarming ; but Hernando Pizarro was as 
 brave and bold as his brother, and he promptly sent to 
 the general and asked him to visit him at Xauxa. This 
 Callcuchima did ; and so far from thinking of attacking 
 the Spaniards, even with his large force, he allowed Her- 
 nando to persuade him to return with him and visit the 
 captive sovereign at Caxamalca. 
 
126 THE INCA'S DOOM. 
 
 Callcuchima was a noble, soldierly-looking old man, with 
 flowing white hair, and a stalwart, erect frame. As he 
 passed with Hernando Pizarro along the broad highroad 
 that led from Xauxa to Caxamalca, borne on a high litter, 
 and surrounded by a numerous array of attendants, the 
 simple people crowded by the roadside and greeted him 
 with the respect and awe due to his high military rank. 
 It was evident that he was one of the chief men of Peru. 
 
 It seems strange that so powerful and brave a general 
 should consent to leave a force of thirty-five thousand men 
 and submissively follow a mere handful of Spaniards to a 
 place where the captors of his sovereign were in command. 
 But it must be remembered that all Peru was panic-stricken 
 by Pizarro's bold stratagem and miraculous success. The 
 people looked upon the Spaniards, who had so easily over- 
 come the Child of the Sun, as beings more than human. 
 Their terrible weapons, their horses, those monsters upon 
 which they rode, appeared to prove that they were a higher 
 order of beings. This terror and fright extended through- 
 out the empire, and for a while paralyzed all resistance. 
 
 The march back to Caxamalca was made rapidly and 
 without obstacle. Hernando hastened to tell his brother of 
 the wonderful things he had seen ; of the submission of the 
 people everywhere ; of the shattering of the idol at Pacha- 
 camac ; of the abundance of gold, silver, and gems which 
 he had found at every turn ; and of his success in bringing 
 Callcuchima, the ablest of the Inca's generals, back with him. 
 
 The interview between the captive Inca and his faithful 
 old warrior was very touching. Before entering the pres- 
 ence of his unhappy sovereign, Callcuchima reverentially 
 took off his shoes, uncovered his gray head, and placed a 
 bundle on his back. Approaching the Inca, he prostrated 
 himself on the ground, and humbly kissed the royal feet and 
 hands. Then raising his hands aloft, as the tears streamed 
 dowai his wrinkled cheeks, he exclaimed with a sob, — 
 
THE INCA'S DOOM. 127 
 
 " Ah, would that I had been here ! then this great mis- 
 fortune would never have happened." 
 
 The Irica, however, betrayed no emotion. He greeted the 
 old soldier calmly, and after a brief interview dismissed him 
 with a haughty wave of his hand. 
 
 While Hernando was marching to Pachacamac and back, 
 Pizarro sent another expedition in a different direction. 
 All the treasure that Atahualpa had promised had not 
 arrived, and Pizarro was resolved to lose no portion of the 
 booty. So, demanding of the Inca a safe-conduct, he de- 
 spatched three cavaliers, who were accompanied by the 
 Inca's brother, to Cuzco, the capital of Peru, to hasten 
 the sending forward of the ransom, and to observe and 
 report what they saw on the way and in the city. 
 
 Soon after Hernando's arrival these cavaliers also returned. 
 They had fully as marvellous a tale to tell as Hernando. 
 Thanks to the Inca's orders to his people, they had every- 
 where been received with honour and hospitality. The 
 great road to Cuzco they described as a wonder of engi- 
 neering science ; and they had been carried over it almost 
 the entire way — a distance of six hundred miles — in chairs 
 on the shoulders of the natives. They had passed through 
 many large, handsome, flourishing towns ; and on their 
 arrival at Cuzco they had been welcomed with feasts and 
 sports, and had been luxuriously lodged in a splendid 
 palace. They described Cuzco in the most glowing colours. 
 They declared that the walls of the Temple of the Sun were 
 actually plated with massive gold, and that they them- 
 selves had taken from it no less than seven hundred golden 
 plates. 
 
 These cavaliers, indeed, brought back from Cuzco an im- 
 mense quantity of gold and silver, which they had taken, 
 despite the feeble resistance of the natives, from the temples 
 and convents. Their story, and the fresh . evidences they 
 produced of the incalculable wealth of Peru, only whetted 
 
128 THE INCA'S DOOM. 
 
 the cupidity of the Spaniards the more, and made them more 
 than ever eager to complete the conquest of the country. 
 
 Just about the time of the return of Hernando and the 
 cavaliers, an event occurred which was destined to have a 
 powerful influence on Pizarro's future career in Peru. 
 
 Almagro, Pizarro's friend at Panama, had heard rumours 
 of his earlier successes, and had at last managed to raise a 
 force of a hundred and fifty men. With these he hurriedly 
 set sail from Panama, and after a stormy voyage, in which 
 he and his men were nearly lost, succeeded in reaching the 
 little colony of St. Michael, which, as we have seen, Pizarro 
 had planted. There he heard the thrilling story of the 
 Inca's defeat and capture. 
 
 This news filled Almagro with impatience to reach Caxa- 
 malca and share Pizarro's splendid fortune. If the truth 
 must be told, Almagro had long suspected that Pizarro did 
 not intend to give him his due portion of the plunder and 
 power of the conquest. He feared that the commander's 
 real purpose was to reap all its fruits for himself ; and for 
 this doubt he seems to have had only too good reason. 
 
 Pizarro was surprised when one day his old friend 
 marched into Caxamalca at the head of a hundred and 
 fifty foot - soldiers and fifty cavalrymen, the latter having 
 joined him on the way. 
 
 Pizarro welcomed Almagro with a most cordial greeting, 
 and was delighted to see his little army increased by so 
 goodly a force of stalwart Spaniards. It was whispered 
 in his ear, indeed, that Almagro had really come, not to 
 aid him, but to compel him to divide his authority and his 
 treasure. But Pizarro paid but little heed to this warning ; 
 and establishing Almagro in the best quarters Caxamalca 
 afforded, he began at once to concert with him plans for 
 advancing to Cuzco and taking full possession of Peru. 
 
 A most pleasant task remained to be fulfilled before they 
 left Caxamalca. This was to divide up the great mass of 
 
THE INCA'S DOOM, 129 
 
 treasure which had been collected as the ransom of the Inca. 
 Several of the buildings in the great square were heaped up 
 and filled* with this treasure. It consisted of a great variety 
 of articles of gold and silver. There were not only goblets, 
 basins, vases, table-plate, utensils, the golden slabs that had 
 panelled the walls of the temples, and the heavy golden bars 
 which had formed their cornices, but solid golden fountains, 
 and birds, vegetables, and fruits carved in the precious metal. 
 
 In order to divide these dazzling riches, it was necessary 
 to melt them all down into square ingots, or bars ; and when 
 this had been done, and the whole had been weighed, it was 
 found that the value of the gold in possession of the Spajiiards 
 was about what the stupendous sum of fifteen millions of 
 dollars is at the present time ! The silver amounted also to 
 a very considerable sum. 
 
 The division of the spoils was then made with the most 
 solemn ceremony. First, a fifth of the whole was deducted 
 and set apart for Pizarro's sovereign, the Emperor Charles 
 the Fifth, which Hernando Pizarro was ordered to carry for 
 him to Spain. Then Pizarro received the principal share, 
 which in itself was a large fortune, besides the massive throne 
 of gold on which Atahualpa had been brought to Caxamalca. 
 Next came Hernando, De Soto, and the other principal 
 cavaliers, whose shares were much less than that of Pizarro, 
 but were nevertheless very large. The rest of the spoil was 
 divided among the cavalry, infantry, and other Spaniards, 
 various sums having been set apart for the Christian church 
 established at Caxamalca, and for the little colony of St. 
 Michael. 
 
 Almagro and his soldiers not having taken part thus far 
 in the conquest, did not share equally with the others, but 
 a goodly amount was nevertheless divided among them. 
 The good priest Luque, Pizarro's and Almagro's partner in 
 the expedition, had died at Panama, and his share was 
 therefore absorbed by the others. 
 
 (231) 9 
 
130 THE INCA'S DOOM, 
 
 The Inca had now fulfilled his promise, and paid his full 
 ransom. He therefore eagerly demanded his liberty. But 
 Pizarro, with many brave and good qualities, was unscrupu- 
 lous. Though he had solemnly agreed to set Atahualpa free 
 on payment of the ransom, he now refused to do so. His 
 excuse was that it would be dangerous to let the Inca 
 depart, lest he should assemble an army, arouse his empire, 
 and fall upon the Spaniards and destroy them. 
 
 A rumour now reached Pizarro's ears, which made him 
 more than ever determined not to release the Inca, and 
 which gave rise to a yet darker project in the conqueror's 
 mind. He learned that the Peruvians were rapidly muster- 
 ing and preparing to attack him, and that these preparations 
 were being made by the secret orders of the Inca himself. 
 A Peruvian noble, who desired to win Pizarro's friendship, 
 came to him stealthily one night, and said, — 
 
 " Atahualpa has sent to Quito and other provinces, with 
 orders to collect troops and march against you and kill you 
 all. The army is now very near this place. It will come 
 at night and attack and set fire to the camp. There are 
 two hundred thousand men in this army, and thirty thou- 
 sand Caribs besides, who eat human flesh." 
 
 Pizarro at once summoned the captive Inca to his pres- 
 ence ; and when Atahualpa, with grave and gloomy counte- 
 nance, appeared, he exclaimed, " What is this treason you 
 have done to me? I have treated you with honour and 
 indulgence, and have been a brother to you ; and you now 
 betray my trust." 
 
 " Why do you laugh at me ? " responded the Inca with a 
 disdainful smile. " When you speak to me you are always 
 joking. What am I, and all my peoiple, that we should 
 trouble such valiant men as you are ? Do not speak such 
 folly to me." 
 
 Pizarro, however, was by no means convinced of Ata- 
 hualpa's innocence ; besides, he needed some such excuse 
 
THE INCA'S DOOM. 131 
 
 as the rumours of an attack afforded to still keep the Inca 
 a close prisoner. 
 
 Every precaution was taken to prevent a surprise. Re- 
 ports kept coming in of a Peruvian rising, and the Spaniards 
 held themselves ready to repel an assault on their camp at 
 an instant's warning. The guard was doubled ; the soldiers 
 slept on their arms ; and De Soto was sent to reconnoitre 
 the country in the direction where the hostile force was 
 supposed to be gathering. 
 
 A great clamour now rose in the camp against the poor 
 Inca. The officers and soldiers loudly demanded that he 
 should be put to death, and this demand was warmly 
 seconded by Almagro and the new-comers. At first Pizarro 
 warmly resisted it. He called to mind his solemn promise 
 made to Atahualpa to set him free when the ransom was 
 paid. But he found the camp, with very few exceptions, 
 united against him. The Spaniards swore that the Inca 
 should be killed, even if it were done by stealth. They 
 declared that he was the cause of their present peril, and 
 that so long as he lived there would be no safety. 
 
 Pizarro finally found himself compelled to yield to the 
 ferocious clamour of his comrades. He reluctantly consented 
 that the Inca should be tried on the charges of inciting an 
 attack by his subjects upon the Spaniards, and of having 
 caused his brother Huascar to be assassinated. 
 
 The trial was a very brief one ; for the cause of the un- 
 fortunate Atahualpa was already lost, and his doom sealed. 
 Then came the moment for passing sentence upon him. 
 
 The Inca sat on a bench in the square before his relentless 
 judges, Pizarro and Almagro ; while a group of soldiers 
 formed a circle around them. Here and there in the group 
 might have been seen a Peruvian, in the curious dress of his 
 country, looking on eagerly, though he could understand 
 little of what was going forward. The Inca's eyes were 
 cast on the ground. He had quite lost heart, and felt but 
 
132 THE INCA'S DOOM. 
 
 too sure what would be his fate ; yet he preserved the same 
 serenity and dignity that he was wont to hold in the midst 
 of his gorgeous court. 
 
 Despite the protests of a few of the Spaniards, he was 
 found guilty, and was sentenced, as a heathen, to be burned 
 in the centre of the square. 
 
 The sun had gone down, and it was quite dark, when the 
 Inca, chained hand and foot, was slowly led from his quarters 
 to the centre of the square. Once more his face was calm, 
 and his bearing proud and kingly. At this last moment he 
 disdained to show emotion, or to plead again for life and 
 liberty. He stepped as firmly and with as much dignity as if 
 he had been leading a procession to the Temple of the Sun. 
 
 The square, lit up by flickering torches which were held 
 by lines of soldiers ranged around it, presented a weird and 
 awe-striking scene. 
 
 The Inca reached the fatal stake, to which he was securely 
 bound ; and the fagots were piled around him till they 
 reached his waist. 
 
 At this moment the monk Vicente advanced, and urged 
 Atahualpa to renounce idolatry, and become a Christian. 
 
 " If you do this," said the monk, " you will not be burned, 
 but will be strangled, and thus die like a Christian." 
 
 The Inca hesitated a moment, and then sorrowfully 
 bowed his head as a sign that he consented. The monk 
 hastily performed the ceremony of baptism, and, raising his 
 hands aloft, called upon Heaven to have mercy upon the 
 Inca's soul. 
 
 Then a noose was drawn around the Inca's neck, attached 
 to a stick behind. Atahualpa raised his dark eyes to the 
 firmament, and clasped his hands tightly. The stick to 
 which the noose was attached was suddenly twisted, a spasm 
 shot through the noble frame of the Peruvian monarch, and 
 in another instant his head dropped upon his breast. 
 
 Atahualpa was no more. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 PIZARRO CAPTURES CUZCO. 
 
 THE poor Inca had scarcely been buried when De Soto 
 returned from the expedition which he had under- 
 taken to find out whether there really was a Peruvian army 
 advancing against the Spaniards. 
 
 Pizarro then learned, too late, that he had put Atahualpa 
 to death on a false accusation. De Soto had found no army 
 gathered for a hostile purpose. The country was everywhere 
 quiet, and he had met with nothing but friendly welcome 
 wherever he had gone. It was clear that there was no in- 
 tention of attacking the Spaniards, and that Atahualpa had 
 not instigated any resistance to them. 
 
 This news filled Pizarro with shame and regret ; but re- 
 flecting that he could no longer restore Atahualpa to life, and 
 that, after all, he would always have been dangerous had he 
 been spared, the conqueror tried to drive the dead Inca from 
 his thoughts, and to turn his attention to the task yet before 
 him. 
 
 It happened that among the Peruvian prisoners at Caxa- 
 malca was a young brother of Atahualpa. His name was 
 Toparca ; and he was a mild and gentle person, who easily 
 submitted to the strong will of Pizarro. This prince Pizarro 
 resolved to declare the successor of his brother as Inca of 
 Peru. He thought it wise and prudent that there should be 
 a new Inca, and that he should be under his control. The 
 
134 PIZARRO CAPTURES CUZCO. 
 
 true heir to the throne was Manco, who, like Huascar, was 
 a half-brother of Atahualpa ; but Manco was in another part 
 of the empire, and Pizarro knew too little of him to acknow- 
 ledge him as Inca. 
 
 So young Toparca was duly crowned in the great square 
 with the diadem of scarlet fringe, the token of Peruvian 
 sovereignty, which had been snatched from Atahualpa's 
 brow ; and the Peruvians were all brought before him, and 
 required to do him humble homage as their future ruler. 
 
 At last the time had arrived to resume the career of con- 
 quest which had been so brilliantly begun. Pizarro found 
 that he now had at his disposal a force of not less than five 
 hundred veteran soldiers, of whom one hundred and sixty 
 were cavalry. They were well armed, and used to hardship ; 
 and one and all were eager to push forward in pursuit of the 
 almost limitless wealth which they believed to be gathered 
 in the heart of the land. 
 
 Leaving a sufficient garrison to hold Caxamalca, Pizarro 
 set forth upon the broad highway which led directly along 
 the slopes of the Cordilleras to the Peruvian capital. The 
 young Tnca Toparca and the aged Peruvian general Call- 
 cuchima accompanied the expedition to Cuzco. Pizarro rode 
 on a fiery white charger, in a full suit of armour and with 
 plumed cap, at the head of his army. At a little distance 
 behind came two litters, borne upon the shoulders of sturdy 
 Peruvians, and bearing Toparca and Callcuchima, who were 
 surrounded by a gaily dressed crowd of attendants, as if 
 they were still potentates, instead of being the puppets of 
 Pizarro. 
 
 The Spanish army must have looked finely, as the horse- 
 men, with their glistening sabres and helmets, curvetted and 
 caracoled along the broad and even highroad, and as the 
 ranks of the infantry, in brightly polished cuirasses and with 
 their long guns, marched vigorously forward in perfect line: 
 while a confused troop of Peruvians, attached to the force 
 
PIZARRO CAPTURES CUZCO. 135 
 
 as guides or servants, walked on either side and brought up 
 the rear. 
 
 There was now but little rough climbing by narrow paths 
 over forbidding crags and up well-nigh impassable steeps; 
 for, though much of the way was among the mountains, the 
 great road of the Incas rendered the passage of even the 
 difficult places comparatively easy. The march of the army 
 :\^as mainly across pleasant and smiling valleys, elevated 
 plains that overlooked fairy - like prospects, or by zigzag 
 windings through gorges and over mountain spurs. Some- 
 times the Spaniards reached heights where they shivered 
 with the cold ; but they speedily left them for more genial 
 regions below. At the end of the day's journey they always 
 found themselves at some town where there was ample ac- 
 commodation and shelter, where they could rest their weary 
 limbs beneath ample roofs, and where there never lacked 
 an abundance of provisions. 
 
 Nor did Pizarro for many days perceive any signs of re- 
 sistance to his triumphant advance. There was wild con- 
 fusion among the Peruvians, many of whom deserted the 
 villages along his route, carrying their treasure with them, 
 and hiding it away. In other places he was welcomed with^ 
 the humble submission due to a monarch. 
 
 It was after a long tramp that he and his comrades at last 
 came in sight of Xauxa, nestling in its beautiful valley. 
 This was the town which Hernando Pizarro had visited, and 
 near which he had found the old general Callcuchima at the 
 head of thirty-five thousand Peruvians. As the Spaniards 
 advanced towards the town, they for the first time saw a 
 large Peruvian force drawn up in hostile array to oppose 
 them. A rapid river flowed through the valley between 
 Pizarro's force and Xauxa, and it was on the opposite bank 
 of this river that the Peruvian soldiers were posted. 
 
 Pizarro, however, never once thought of retreating, or 
 even of pausing, but led his men boldly forward. No bridge 
 
136 PIZARRO CAPTURES CUZCO. 
 
 spanned the stream ; so Pizarro, waving to his troops to fol- 
 low, plunged into the water, and began to swim across. Soon 
 the river was alive with Spaniards buffeting the waves. The 
 Peruvians saw this bold action with dismay ; and after hur- 
 riedly discharging a shower of arrows and javelins, which fell 
 for the most part harmless among the Spaniards, they cried 
 out, and scampered away into the woods on the edge of the 
 town as fast as they could run. 
 
 Entering Xauxa without further opposition, Pizarro took 
 possession of the temple and some of the larger buildings, 
 where he quartered his troops. He was now far on his way 
 to the goal of his march ; and he resolved to rest awhile at 
 Xauxa, and to establish a garrison there. 
 
 Meanwhile the valiant De Soto was once more sent out to 
 reconnoitre the country in advance of them. Taking sixty 
 sturdy cavalrymen armed to the teeth, he proceeded rapidly 
 over the great road, confident of overcoming any resistance 
 he might encounter. 
 
 De Soto had not gone far before he was called upon to 
 match Spanish valour against that of the Peruvians. Every- 
 where he found that the villages had been burned and de- 
 serted, the road choked up with trees, the bridges torn down, 
 and the treasure carried off. One day, when he was riding 
 at the head of his horsemen through a narrow craggy pass, 
 he was suddenly surprised by a number of Peruvians, who 
 fell fiercely upon him from every side. For a time it seemed 
 as if the destruction of his whole force was inevitable. They 
 were completely hemmed in, and the arrows and spears fell 
 upon them like rain, maddening the horses and wounding 
 the men. But De Soto did not despair. Crying out to his 
 soldiers to plunge forward, he broke through the dense ranks 
 of the enemy, and safely gained an open plain. 
 
 But the danger was not yet over. The Peruvians emerged 
 from the mountain defiles in formidable numbers, and seemed 
 bent on renewing the attack. De Soto lost no time in send- 
 
PIZARRO CAPTURES CUZCO, 137 
 
 ing a message to Pizarro, apprising him of his danger ; and 
 happily, before the Peruvians were ready to again assail him, 
 the grateful shades of night fell upon the scene. 
 
 Dawn was just breaking when De Soto's party, who had 
 been sleeping soundly despite their danger, heard the clarion- 
 notes of bugles echoing among the hills. They responded by 
 the same means ; and their hearts beat high with joy as they 
 saw Almagro at the head of a large company of cavalry gallop 
 out of the mountains, hastening to their aid. 
 
 No sooner did the Peruvians see the increased force of the 
 strangers than they availed themselves of a thick fog which 
 hung over the hills to make their escape. 
 
 De Soto and Almagro then leisurely advanced over the plain, 
 ensconced their soldiers in a good defensive position, and sent 
 word to Pizarro that they would wait for him where they were. 
 
 Pizarro was greatly incensed when he heard of the attack 
 made upon De Soto's party. He had hoped to reach Cuzco 
 without resistance ; and he at once suspected the old general 
 Callcuchima, who was still with him, of having secretly in- 
 stigated the assault upon De Soto. 
 
 Ordering Callcuchima before him, he sternly charged him 
 with this, and added, — 
 
 "If you do not cause the Peruvians to lay down their 
 arms at once, you shall be burned alive." 
 
 The aged chief sullenly replied that he was innocent of the 
 charge ; but Pizarro put him under a strong guard. 
 
 A new misfortune now occurred. The young Inca, Toparca, 
 suddenly died. Pizarro was thus deprived of the authority 
 over the Peruvians which he hoped to exercise through this 
 royal puppet. 
 
 On setting out from Xauxa, he left his treasure in that 
 town, and a garrison of forty soldiers to guard it, and to 
 hold the place against the hostile Peruvians. After a brief 
 march the main body rejoined De Soto, whom they found 
 perfectly safe where he had posted himself. 
 
138 PIZARRO CAPTURES CUZCO. 
 
 Pizarro now thought it prudent to get rid of the old chief 
 Callcuchima. He brought him to trial, and after a hasty 
 hearing condemned him to be burned alive. A friar named 
 Valverde then attempted to convert the condemned man to 
 Christianity ; but the veteran quietly shook his head, saying, 
 **I do not understand the religion of the white men." 
 
 He was then led out and tied to the fatal stake. No 
 appearance of emotion altered his wrinkled features. He 
 was calm and silent ; and as the flames glided up and en- 
 veloped his venerable form, he cast his eyes heavenward, as 
 if appealing to the sun, which shone brightly down, to reward 
 him for his sufferings with heavenly joys. 
 
 Thus was the career of Pizarro stained with one more act 
 of barbarous cruelty. Not long after Callcuchima's execu- 
 tion, a brilliant array of Peruvians was seen approaching the 
 Spanish camp. As they came nearer, it was evident that 
 they were persons of high rank. They were attired in fine 
 cloths, and gold and jewels glittered on their persons. There 
 was no sign, moreover, that they were advancing with a 
 hostile intention. 
 
 Pizarro, with several of his oflBcers, went promptly forward 
 to meet them. A fine-looking young man, with large, dark 
 eyes, more richly dressed than the others, stepped out of the 
 group, and, bowing to Pizarro, addressed him. 
 
 " I am Manco," said he, ** the brother of the murdered 
 Huascar, and the true Inca of Peru. I come to you not as 
 an enemy, but as a friend, to seek your aid and protection 
 in my attempt to regain my rightful throne." 
 
 "You are right welcome," returned Pizarro heartily, re- 
 joiced to find once more an Inca in his power. " Go with 
 us, and you shall obtain your royal rights." 
 
 The young prince and his attendants at once joined the 
 train of the Spaniards, and together they marched rapidly 
 forward towards Cuzco. The greater part of the way had 
 now been traversed : and one afternoon Pizarro, riding at the 
 
PIZARRO CAPTURES CUZCO. 139 
 
 head of his little army, came suddenly by a turn in the road 
 in full sight of the noble capital of the Incas. At last the 
 goal of his weary journey was before him. It only remained 
 to enter and take possession of the ancient and beautiful city 
 founded by the Children of the Sun. 
 
 It was so near dark that Pizarro thought it wise to defer 
 his entrance into Cuzco until morning. His troops therefore 
 bivouacked in a field a mile or more from the city. There 
 seemed little reason to fear an attack during the dark hours. 
 There were no vestiges of a hostile preparation ; the people 
 round about seeming dazed and wonder-stricken, rather than 
 incensed, by the arrival of the Spaniards. A strict guard 
 was kept, nevertheless, throughout the camp ; while the 
 soldiers, full of high spirits and eager expectation, slumbered 
 soundly on their arms. 
 
 The sun had just risen, bright and glorious, over the city 
 devoted to his worship, when the army of adventurers was 
 formed in disciplined order to enter its gates. Pizarro divided 
 his forces in three bodies, the cavalry under De Soto forming 
 the van. The centre division was led by the commander 
 himself, and the rear by one of his brothers. In this order 
 the command was given to march ; and the troops, their 
 armour glistening in the sunlight, their plumes waving in 
 the fresh morning air, their banners flying and flapping, and 
 their trumpets sounding clear, loud blasts among the hills, 
 advanced with sturdy step into the streets of Cuzco. 
 
 The streets were crowded with an immense crowd of 
 Peruvians, attired in the most brilliant variety of colour; 
 their curious head-gear, indicating the province from which 
 each came, especially attracting the attention of the Spaniards. 
 The multitude seemed dazed at the appearance of the stran- 
 gers, but not at all disposed to resent their entrance. The 
 young prince Manco was carried at Pizarro's side on a litter, 
 and as he passed he was greeted with the shouts of the 
 people, who hailed him as their sovereign. 
 
140 PIZARRO CAPTURES CUZCO, 
 
 Pizarro inarched directly to the great public square in the 
 centre of the city. On the way the Spaniards were exceed- 
 ingly struck by the noble edifices, the towers and temples, 
 the palaces and vast private residences, the well-built streets 
 crossing each other at right angles, the blooming gardens, the 
 brightly painted walls, the sparkling river which ran directly 
 through the city, spanned by handsome stone bridges, and, 
 looming on a crag high above the houses, the frowning for- 
 tress of the Incas. 
 
 The square itself was surrounded by a number of low 
 buildings, and by several palaces. In these Pizarro lodged 
 his officers ; while the troops encamped in their tents in the 
 broad open space, which they found to be neatly paved with 
 small pebbles. 
 
 Pizarro lost no time in taking full possession of Cuzco, and 
 surmounting the fortress, the palaces, and the great Temple 
 of the Sun with the royal banner of Spain. His occupation 
 of this great city had been achieved without the shedding of 
 a drop of blood ; and as the days passed he found no obstacle 
 in the hostility of the natives. 
 
 The soldiers were eager to discover and seize the enormous 
 treasures which, as they rightly guessed, were gathered in 
 the capital. Pizarro forbade them to invade the private 
 dwellings of the people ; but they freely entered the temples 
 and palaces, without scruple tore down the golden plates and 
 ornaments that glittered on the walls, and (to their shame 
 be it said), in their greed for gold, invaded the tombs of the 
 dead, and robbed the corpses of their adornments. Hid 
 away in caverns and stored in the public magazines, they 
 found a bewildering mass of golden vases and other utensils, 
 fine cloths, golden sandals, and a superabundance of grain 
 and other food. 
 
 All the treasure thus found was brought into the square, 
 melted down, and divided, as before, proportionately among 
 the officers and men ; and when this had been done, the 
 
PIZARRO CAPTURES CUZCO. 141 
 
 humblest and most obscure Spaniard among them might 
 count himself a rich man. The soldiers found themselves so 
 rich, indeed, that they began to gamble furiously ; and many 
 a soldier thus played away in a week the fortune he had 
 won by long hardship and suffering, and found himself a 
 beggar again. 
 
 One of the first things that Pizarro did, after gaining full 
 possession of Cuzco, was to cause the young prince Manco 
 to be crowned with all state and pageantry as Inca of Peru. 
 
 All the ancient ceremonies attending the coronation of an 
 Inca were scrupulously performed. Manco's brow was en- 
 circled with the "borla" or red fringe ; his nobles and soldiers 
 paid him the wonted homage ; his accession was loudly pro- 
 claimed by the royal heralds ; and Manco and his real master 
 Pizarro pledged each other's health in brimming golden gob- 
 lets of Peruvian wine. Meanwhile the light-hearted people 
 of Cuzco feasted, sang, and danced as of old, forgetting that 
 they were thus celebrating the conquest and servitude of 
 their native land. 
 
 Pizarro's energies were indefatigable. No sooner did he 
 thus find himself in full and undisputed possession of Cuzco 
 than he began to establish himself and his comrades as the 
 rulers of Peru. He set up a new government in Cuzco, of 
 which two of his brothers were members. He retained a 
 show of the ancient customs and institutions of the empire ; 
 but he secured the real power for the Spaniards. He took 
 for himself the title of " governor ; " and feeling that much of 
 his power over his soldiers was due to their religious enthu- 
 siasm, and that the belief that it was a pious work to convert 
 the heathen even by force of arms had done much to achieve 
 the conquest, he caused a cathedral to be built upon the 
 public square, and turned the " House of the Yirgins of the 
 Sun " into a Catholic nunnery. 
 
 It was while he was thus engaged in transforming Cuzco 
 into a Spanish city that he heard rumours of the approach 
 
142 PIZARRO CAPTURES CUZCO. 
 
 of a hostile force of Peruvians, under the command of Quiz- 
 quiz, one of Atahualpa's ablest generals. 
 
 He at once despatched Almagro with some cavalry and 
 the young Inca Manco with some native troops to oppose 
 him. Almagro surprised Quizquiz in his camp. The en- 
 counter was short and sharp. Quizquiz retreated hastily to 
 Xauxa, whither he was pursued by Almagro. The Peruvian 
 was there so utterly defeated that his soldiers, enraged at 
 his failure, killed him with their own hands. Almagro and 
 the Inca then returned in triumph to Cuzco. 
 
 But meanwhile Pizarro heard of a far more formidable 
 attempt to contest his newly-obtained power. His conquest, 
 though so magnificent and seemingly so complete, was des- 
 tined to be perpetually disturbed by turmoil and conflict. 
 Henceforth the conqueror was to know no rest except in the 
 grave. The news which he had received might well alarm 
 him ; for he would now probably have to contend, not with 
 hordes of semi-civilized Peruvians, but with hardy and dis- 
 ciplined troops of his own countrymen. 
 
CHAPTER XYI. 
 THE CITY OF THE KINGS. 
 
 PEDRO DE ALYARADO was a cavalier of renown, 
 who had been one of the lieutenants of Cortez in his 
 conquest of Mexico, and had distinguished himself by many 
 deeds of daring and valour. At the time of Pizarro's con- 
 quest he was governor of Guatemala, in Central America. 
 It was with glistening eyes and beating heart that this 
 Alvarado heard the stories of Pizarro's fortune, of the fabu- 
 lous wealth he had found and seized, and of the ease with 
 which, once across the Cordilleras, he had completed the 
 conquest of the Peruvians. 
 
 These stories fired Alvarado's ambition and lust of gold. 
 He hastened to recruit a force of ^^f^ hundred men, got to- 
 gether a fleet of twelve large ships, and embarked for the 
 southern coast. He knew that Pizarro had royal authority 
 to take possession of Peru ; but he pretended to think that 
 this authority did not give Pizarro the right to conquer the 
 northern kingdom of Quito. This he proposed to conquer 
 himself. 
 
 Alvarado and his forces landed at the Bay of Caraques, 
 and at once took their march across the mountains. And 
 now they began to suffer the same miseries which Pizarro 
 and his men had undergone. The intense cold froze them ; 
 their provisions gave out, and many of them died of hunger 
 by the dreary roadside ; and they were suffocated by the 
 
144 THE CITY OF THE KINGS. 
 
 ashes and cinders vomited up by the volcanoes near which 
 they passed. 
 
 When the Spanish chief emerged into a milder climate, he 
 found that he had but a fourth of his once valiant little army 
 left. He had managed to persuade a large body of natives 
 to follow his fortunes : of these, too, many had perished in 
 the snowy passes ; while only a few of his horses had sur- 
 vived the terrible journey. 
 
 It was soon after Alvarado had thus with great difficulty 
 crossed the Cordilleras that Pizarro learned of his approach. 
 No time was to be lost. It was clear that Alvarado had 
 come for no friendly purpose. He must be met and repulsed 
 without delay. So Almagro, in whose military skill Pizarro 
 greatly trusted, set out at once with a small force, and directed 
 his way rapidly to the little colony of St. Michael, where he 
 expected that additional troops would join him in his expedi- 
 tion against Alvarado. 
 
 On reaching St. Michael, however, Almagro was extremely 
 surprised and enraged to hear that Benalcazar, the cavalier 
 whom Pizarro had left in command of the colony, had gone 
 off on an expedition on his own account. Almagro was now 
 in a sad dilemma. The few men he had brought with him 
 comprised too feeble a force with which to contend with the 
 presumptuous Alvarado. But the intrepid little Almagro 
 was not easily discouraged by an unforeseen obstacle. 
 Though now growing old, he was still full of pluck and 
 vigour. He set out promptly in the direction whither 
 Benalcazar had gone, and, after a long march, found him 
 at last with his troops at a town called Riobamba, which 
 Benalcazar had attacked and taken in the hope of seizing 
 some golden treasure for himself. Benalcazar had no 
 thought of resisting Almagro, and, joining their forces on 
 some table-lands near Riobamba which lay directly in Alva- 
 rado's path, they awaited his coming. 
 
 It was not long before Alvarado and his soldiers made 
 
THE CITY OF THE KINGS, 145 
 
 their appearance. Both armies were drawn up, and con- 
 fronted each other in battle array. But before the conflict 
 began, the two chiefs thought it wise to meet and attempt 
 a reconciliation. While Almagro was talking with Alva- 
 rado in his tent, the soldiers on both sides mingled freely 
 together ; and Alvarado's followers, dazzled by the stories 
 told by the others, were eager rather to go with them to 
 Cuzco as friends, and share their good luck, than to fight 
 them as foes. 
 
 Alvarado, too, was persuaded that it was not for his 
 interest to defy Pizarro. Almagro offered him a sum of 
 money, that was in itself a large fortune, if he would give 
 up his enterprise and make over to Pizarro his ships, stores, 
 and troops. The invader at last accepted the offer. The 
 two little armies joined ranks and marched southward to- 
 gether in the friendliest manner possible. 
 
 Pizarro had meanwhile left Cuzco with a considerable 
 force, and, taking the young Inca with him, had marched 
 to the sea-coast to defend it from Alvarado's ships. To 
 his brother Juan he confided the rule of the capital during 
 his absence. On reaching Pachacamac, he learned with joy 
 that Alvarado had yielded to Almagro, and he sent to Alva- 
 rado to come and visit him. Ere long the expedition arrived 
 at Pachacamac. The two cavaliers heartily embraced each 
 other, and Pizarro ordered a brilliant series of festivities to 
 be prepared in honour of their reconciliation. There were 
 great banquets and brave tournaments, and the rejoicings 
 continued for many days. Then Alvarado, full of friend- 
 ship for Pizarro, departed for Guatemala, there to live 
 luxuriously on his newly gotten wealth. 
 
 All seemed once more fair before Pizarro. The Peruvians 
 still remained submissive to him ; the young Inca was his 
 obedient puppet ; no storm seemed to be brewing for him in 
 any part of the horizon. He now had leisure to turn his 
 thoughts to a project he had conceived from the time he had 
 (231) 10 
 
146 THE CITY OF THE KINGS, 
 
 first reached Cuzco. This was to transfer the capital from 
 that city to some site nearer the sea-coast. Cuzco, hemmed 
 in among the mountains, was too remote and difficult of 
 access. Pizarro needed a capital easily to be approached, 
 and capable of nourishing the commerce which he hoped to 
 build up between Peru and Panama. 
 
 The spot which he chose for the new city was in the 
 lovely valley of the river Rimac, about twenty -five miles 
 from its mouth. Here, on one bank of the picturesque 
 stream, whence the lower spurs of the Cordilleras could be 
 seen on the north and east, amid a soft, even, and temperate 
 climate, refreshed by gentle south-west breezes from the 
 Pacific, and cooler currents from the snowy mountain crests, 
 Pizarro founded, in January 1535, what he named as "The 
 City of the Kings ; " but we now know it as Lima, still the 
 most beautiful city on the Pacific coast of South America. 
 An army of Spanish soldiers and Peruvian artisans was set 
 to work laying the foundations and building up the new 
 capital. The whole country round about was alive with the 
 busy labour of the builders. Streets crossing each other at 
 right angles, wide and straight, quickly grew up on the 
 sunny plain ; a noble public square was laid out, on the 
 sides of which rose a lofty cathedral, a palace for Pizarro 
 himself, and many other public edifices. The city was sur- 
 rounded by a massive wall, twelve feet high and ten thick, 
 made of dried clay, to resist not only hostile attacks, but the 
 throes of earthquakes ; and a bridge of five arches, with 
 seats on the piers for the people to sit upon, spanned the 
 Rimac. 
 
 Pizarro remained on the spot to overlook the building of 
 his new capital. He went every day through the fast-grow- 
 ing streets, inspected the ramparts and buildings as they 
 rose higher and higher, and always had a pleasant and 
 encouraging v/ord for the groups of workmen as they 
 toiled. 
 
THE CITY OF THE KINGS. 147 
 
 Meanwhile he was puzzled to know what to do with his 
 friend Almagro. He knew well that he had agreed to share 
 his conquest with that valiant little cavalier, and that he 
 had not by any means done him justice. So he sent 
 Almagro back to Cuzco, and gave him authority to fit out 
 an expedition, and to invade the regions south of the Peru- 
 vian capital, assuring him that whatever conquests he should 
 make in that direction should be secured to him. 
 
 Almagro accordingly hastened to Cuzco, where he assumed 
 command until Pizarro should return, and until his own 
 plans for further conquest should be ripe for execution. 
 
 After dividing the treasure taken from Atahualpa's camp 
 at Caxamalca, Pizarro had sent his brother Hernando, with 
 the fifth of it due to the Emperor Charles the Fifth, back to 
 Spain. Hernando was received at home with the utmost 
 cordiality. The emperor welcomed him with great honour, 
 was delighted to receive so much gold, and listened with 
 admiration to his tale ; and when he had finished, the 
 monarch conferred on Pizarro the governorship of Peru, 
 granted him power to make conquests two hundred miles 
 further southward, and created Hernando himself a knight 
 and an officer of his royal court. 
 
 The emperor's favours did not stop here. He further gave 
 Hernando leave to raise and equip a new force, and ordered 
 his officers to aid him in this task. Besides these favours to 
 the Pizarros, the emperor granted to Almagro the right to 
 make conquests for six hundred miles south of Pizarro's 
 government. The gold that Hernando had brought, and 
 the thrilling stories he told of the riches of Peru, caused a 
 great excitement in Spain, and large numbers eagerly flocked 
 to his standard. Hernando put to sea with his new arma- 
 ment, and after a very tempestuous voyage reached Nombre 
 de Dios. There terrible privations and suflerings awaited 
 his company. They found no food on their arrival ; and 
 before food could reach them, large numbers died of actual 
 
148 THE CITY OF THE KINGS. 
 
 starvation. Many of them returned to Spain ; others 
 struggled on, and finally reached Peru ; and among the 
 latter was a friend of Almagro, who carried him the tid- 
 ings of the grant which the emperor had made to him. 
 
 Almagro, though he had professed the strongest friendship 
 for Pizarro ever since his arrival at Caxamalca, really felt 
 aggrieved that Pizarro, instead of dividing equally with him 
 the territory and riches of Peru, took the lion's share of 
 both. His disappointment and anger at this bad treatment 
 had all along rankled in his breast. When, therefore, he 
 learned that the emperor had given him the right to conquer 
 and govern the country south of that ruled by Pizarro, he 
 resolved to show his temper and independence. Being now 
 in command at Cuzco, he claimed that that city itself lay 
 within the territory conceded to him by the emperor ; and 
 this brought about a bitter quarrel between him and Pizarro's 
 two brothers, Juan and Gonzalo, who were at Cuzco, and 
 who had commanded the city until Almagro's arrival. 
 
 Pizarro heard of Almagro's new pretensions with great 
 alarm. He sent to his brothers in all haste, and told them 
 to resume their command of the city ; and learning that the 
 dispute became more fierce every day, he soon followed his 
 messenger, and himself hurried to Cuzco. 
 
 The governor was received with joy both by his brothers 
 and by the natives. He treated Almagro with all the 
 warmth of an old friend, and by his persuasive words and 
 manner soon succeeded in patching up the quarrel. Once 
 more Almagro yielded to the wishes of his old comrade. 
 Pizarro prevailed on him to abandon, or at least postpone, 
 his claim to Cuzco, and told him that he would aid him in 
 raising an expedition to invade the southern country ; and 
 ere many weeks had passed, Pizarro was relieved to see his 
 rival march away at the head of a considerable force, leaving 
 him to enjoy his power in Peru without molestation. 
 
 Pizarro, having set matters to rights at Cuzco, returned 
 
THE CITY OF THE KINGS. 149 
 
 eagerly to the coast to watch the building of the City of 
 the Kings. He delighted in this change from the din and 
 turmoil of war to the more quiet task of founding cities 
 and making ready for the peaceful commerce which he 
 hoped to establish. After all his wanderings, the trials of 
 his marches, and the fierce excitements of his conquest, he 
 welcomed the repose and gentler cares which now absorbed 
 him. Not only did he found and build Lima, but several 
 other cities and towns along the coast, one of which he 
 named Truxillo, after his native place, and which is to-day 
 a flourishing sea-port. He was suddenly startled from these 
 pleasant occupations by an event which, almost without 
 warning, threatened all that he had with so much difficulty, 
 valour, and bloodshed won. 
 
 The young Inca Manco, whom Pizarro had left at Cuzco 
 under the care of his two brothers, had up to this time 
 submitted patiently to the conqueror's superior power. He 
 had quietly consented to serve him while appearing to enjoy 
 the dignity and authority of his royal ancestors. But Manco 
 was really a proud and courageous youth. In secret he 
 repined at his abject condition. He mourned the humilia- 
 tion and oppression of his mild and thrifty people. He 
 rebelled at heart against the arrogant despotism of the 
 stranger. He could not see without rage and horror the 
 temples desecrated, the palaces pillaged, and the riches of 
 his country carried away by the cargo to a foreign land. 
 During Pizarro's absence on the coast, Manco formed the 
 bold resolution to escape from his Spanish masters, to 
 summon the down-trodden Peruvians to his standard, and 
 to lead them himself against the oppressors. For some 
 time he sent secret messages to the chiefs in different 
 parts of the empire, with whom he planned a great revolt. 
 When this plan was ripe Manco made ready to fly from 
 Cuzco. 
 
 One night he disguised himself as a peasant, and at a 
 
150 THE CITY OF THE KINGS, 
 
 favourable moment slipped out of the palace, and made 
 his way rapidly through by-streets into the suburbs. This 
 he was able to do the more easily as Juan and Gonzalo 
 Pizarro, his guardians, had grown careless in watching him, 
 and were busy looking after the plunder they were constantly 
 collecting in the city. 
 
 Manco, with one or two faithful attendants, hastened to 
 a thicket of low brush two or three miles from Cuzco, where 
 he intended to remain concealed until his chiefs could join 
 him. He had scarcely reached this shelter, however, when 
 the galloping of horses was heard ; and before the young Inca 
 could conceal himself, Juan Pizarro rode into the brush, 
 followed by several horsemen, and arrested him. 
 
 It appears that certain Peruvians who were hostile to 
 Manco had suspected his design and had watched him ; and 
 no sooner had he escaped than they ran and told Juan. 
 
 Manco was at once taken to the great fortress over- 
 looking the city, where he was imprisoned under a strong 
 guard. 
 
 It was at this moment that Hernando Pizarro, that 
 brother of the conqueror who had been to Spain with the 
 emperor's share of the treasure, returned to Peru. After 
 visiting the governor at the City of the Kings, he repaired to 
 Cuzco, of which he took command. 
 
 Hernando, though by nature a stern, headstrong, cruel 
 man towards his own soldiers, was the most gentle of all the 
 Spaniards in his treatment of the Peruvians. He alone had 
 succeeded in winning the friendship of poor Atahualpa, and 
 had bitterly opposed that Inca's execution. On his return 
 to Cuzco, he took the same care to cultivate the good-will of 
 the captive Manco. He ordered the strictness of his con- 
 finement to be relaxed, and sent him the choicest viands 
 that Cuzco afforded. Then he released him from imprison- 
 ment altogether, and made a companion of him. Manco, 
 with great craft, took advantage of Hernando's leniency. 
 
THE CITY OF THE KINGS. 151 
 
 He still dreamed of liberty, and of delivering Peru from 
 the invader. 
 
 One day the Inca said to Hernando, — 
 
 "Sir, I know of some secret caves where an immense 
 amount of treasure is hidden. They are among yonder 
 mountains ; and if you will send me thither with a small 
 escort, I will speedily bring all this treasure to you." 
 
 Hernando's insatiable love of gold disarmed his usual 
 caution. Forgetting the Inca's previous escape, he let him 
 go as he proposed, sending two Spaniards with him. Once 
 more Manco found himself free ; nor did he hesitate to 
 avail himself of the opportunity. Ten days elapsed, and 
 Hernando still awaited in vain his return with the pro- 
 mised treasure. Then Hernando became alarmed, and sent 
 out his brother Juan at the head of sixty horsemen in search 
 of the royal fugitive. 
 
 Juan rode at full gallop out upon the highroad, directing 
 his way straight towards the mountains. He had not gone 
 more than six or eight miles when he met the two Spaniards 
 who had accompanied Manco returning in all haste to the 
 city. 
 
 "Captain," they cried, "go no farther. The Peruvians 
 have risen by thousands, and are preparing to march on 
 Cuzco. The mountains are swarming with warriors. From 
 every direction they are flocking to the Inca's standard. 
 He is in their midst, and will lead them against us." 
 
 Despite this startling news, Juan resolved to advance 
 some distance farther. On reaching a river, he saw on the 
 opposite bank a great number of Peruvian troops. With 
 all the rashness and fire of a Pizarro, he plunged his horse 
 into the stream, and his comrades promptly followed him. 
 Climbing the opposite bank, they set fiercely upon the Peru- 
 vians, and after a hot fight succeeded in driving them back 
 among the hills. Juan then encamped upon the plain. 
 
 The next mornin^^ a siffht which miojht well fill him with 
 
152 THE CITY OF THE KINGS, 
 
 dismay greeted his eyes. Looking towards the mountains, 
 he saw the defiles swarming with dense masses of Peruvian 
 warriors, and presently he was assailed by clouds of javelins 
 and arrows. He fought bravely all day, and succeeded in 
 keeping his innumerable foes at bay; but, perceiving that 
 the Peruvian host was constantly increasing, he at last gave 
 up in despair, recrossed the river, and retreated in all haste 
 upon Cuzco. At this juncture he received an urgent message 
 from Hernando, urging him to return without delay, and 
 apprising him that Cuzco was already besieged by an immense 
 army of Peruvians. 
 
 As he approached the city, he saw that this was but too 
 true. It seemed to be completely surrounded by the vast 
 throng of besiegers. But he dashed forward, and, scattering 
 the Peruvians right and left, succeeded in entering Cuzco 
 without accident. 
 
 A terrible danger now hung over the Spaniards ; and their 
 valiant chief was far away on the sea-coast, as yet in happy 
 ignorance of the threatened ruin of his conquest. 
 
CHAPTER XYII. 
 THE SIEGE OF CUZCO, 
 
 AS the next morning dawned, and the brothers looked 
 from their watch-towers, the city seemed enveloped, 
 as far as eye could reach, by a mighty multitude of Per- 
 uvian braves. The plains, valleys, and hill-tops seemed 
 covered with them ; while the wild warlike music that re- 
 sounded from their camps, and the fierce cries that every 
 now and then arose among them, could not but make even 
 the valiant Spaniards shudder. 
 
 Hernando had a force of only two hundred men, including 
 both cavalry and infantry, and a thousand Peruvians, who, 
 though devoted to the conquerors, could be of but little use 
 in an encounter with such an army as was gathered around 
 the city. To attack the besiegers was useless ; he could only 
 wait until succour came from outside. 
 
 But it soon became apparent that the enraged besiegers 
 did not intend to wait to starve out the Spaniards. They 
 attacked the city from every side with intense ferocity. 
 Showers of arrows, stones, and spears rained upon every 
 street and building. But this was not the worst. The 
 assailants shot into the midst of the city burning arrows and 
 red-hot stones, and ere long many of the buildings were in 
 flames. The Spaniards could make no effort to stop the 
 conflagration. Happily they were encamped in the open 
 square, where they were protected from the flames, and 
 
154 THE SIEGE OF CUZCO. 
 
 escaped being burned alive ; but in a few hours Cuzco blazed, 
 little better than a lurid ruin, all around them. Xhe flames 
 raged and leaped from tower to tower, from street to street. 
 Lofty edifices fell with a deafening crash ; and when at last 
 the fire had devoured all it could reach, scarcely a public 
 building, except the great Temple of the Sun and the Con- 
 vent of the Virgins, remained. 
 
 Made desperate by this disaster, and by the terrific storm 
 of missiles that never ceased to fall, Hernando led his gallant 
 band again and again beyond the walls, and frantically at- 
 tacked the besiegers. But each time that they sallied forth 
 they were driven back with thinned ranks ; and at last they 
 were forced to abandon all hope of driving their countless 
 assailants away. 
 
 The Peruvians now stormed the fortress that rose above 
 the city, and, after a desperate conflict with a handful of 
 Spaniards, succeeded in capturing it. This disaster made 
 the hearts of the Spanish soldiers sink with discouragement. 
 They begged their leaders to abandon Cuzco, to break at all 
 hazards through the dense ranks of the enemy, and so escape 
 to the sea-coast. But Hernando Pizarro was made of sterner 
 stuff*. He would not yield up a city it had cost so much to 
 take, and he animated his faltering colleagues anew by his 
 stout and unyielding spirit. 
 
 To retake the great fortress was now an absolute necessity. 
 It seemed an impossible task, for the ramparts rose on a 
 steep crag on the side of Cuzco, and could only be reached 
 by storming it in the rear. But Hernando resolved that 
 the attempt should be made, and to his heroic brother Juan 
 he committed the dangerous duty of making it. 
 
 Juan set out about sunset with a picked body of cavalry. 
 Deceiving the enemy by the direction in which he sallied 
 from the city, he suddenly turned, rapidly marched to the 
 rear of the fortress, and fearlessly assailed it. The conflict 
 was long, desperate, and bloody. The brave Juan always 
 
THE SIEGE OF CUZCO, 166 
 
 appeared at the head of his men, wielding his sword with 
 the strength of a giant, and dealing deadly havoc among the 
 foe. The parapet was taken, and Juan, springing upon it, 
 shouted to his men to follow. At this moment a large stone, 
 hurled at him with enormous force, struck him on the head. 
 He fell with a groan, but soon rose on his knees, and con- 
 tinued to urge his men forward. The blow was a fatal one. 
 Juan was taken back to Cuzco, and, after lingering some 
 days, died in his brother's arms. 
 
 After a most heroic and protracted contest, the great for- 
 tress was taken. But the Spaniards were still in a desperate 
 position. Weeks had passed, and no succour came. They 
 heard with a shudder that the whole country had risen ; that 
 Pizarro, instead of being able to come to their relief, was 
 himself in danger ; and that reinforcements were constantly 
 being added to the besieging army. To add to the horror of 
 their position, food began to fail them. The provisions in 
 the city had been largely consumed by the fire, and it was 
 rarely that they could, by making excursions outside the 
 walls, capture enough food to last them a day. There seemed 
 nothing before them but death, either by starvation, or, what 
 was as bad, by the savage and avenging hands of the people 
 they had conquered. 
 
 Meanwhile Pizarro, on the sea- coast, was attacked by an- 
 other Peruvian force. Luckily he had with him a small but 
 intrepid company of cavalry, and as soon as the foe appeared 
 on the plain through which the river Rimac runs, he ordered 
 the cavalry to sally out upon them. The attack was short 
 and sharp, and resulted in a complete rout of the Peruvians. 
 But Pizarro soon learned the terrible news from Cuzco ; and, 
 although he had escaped danger himself, he became very 
 much alarmed for its safety. Collecting all the men he could 
 spare, he sent them forward to relieve, if possible, the Peru- 
 vian capital. But one and all of these expeditions failed to 
 reach the besieged city. They went forth only to meet with 
 
156 THE SIEGE OF CUZCO. 
 
 a tragic fate. One by one they were hemmed in and cut off 
 by the now infuriated Peruvians, who gave them no quarter, 
 but slaughtered them without mercy. The few who escaped 
 from these marches brought back harrowing tales of the 
 massacre of their comrades. At last Pizarro found he could 
 send no more troops away without leaving his new and fair 
 City of the Kings to certain destruction. 
 
 He was at his wits' end to know what to do. The whole 
 fruit of his victories seemed about to be snatched from him. 
 It appeared doubtful, indeed, whether any Spaniard would 
 escape alive from Peru. The soldiers he still had with him 
 clamoured to return to Panama ; which was yet possible, for 
 several ships rode at anchor at the mouth of the Rimac. 
 But Pizarro's stout soul was not subdued even by the disas- 
 ters and perils which surrounded him on every hand. Instead 
 of using the ships to retreat from his hard-won conquest, he 
 sent them back to Panama and Guatemala with the most 
 earnest appeals to the governors of those places for aid. He 
 begged them to despatch troops, and save the wealth, power, 
 and honour of the Spanish dominion in Peru ; and promised 
 Alvarado, who had come as his enemy and returned his 
 friend, to share all the conquests they might thenceforth 
 make together. 
 
 While Pizarro was making these frantic efforts to restore 
 his imperilled fortunes, the devoted garrison of Cuzco held 
 out manfully. They bore their privations like heroes, and 
 neglected no opportunity, miserable as was their situation, 
 to deal a blow at their besiegers. By their obstinacy they 
 finally wore out the Inca and his army. After Cuzco had 
 been beleaguered for five months, Manco, finding it difficult 
 to feed so enormous a body of troops, and anxious that the 
 fields should be sown, sent home large numbers of his soldiers, 
 while he remained before Cuzco with the rest. 
 
 The Spaniards at once availed themselves of this relaxa- 
 tion of the enemy's hold. They sallied in bold bands out of 
 
THE SIEGE OF CUZCO. 167 
 
 the city, scoured the country around, gathered grain and 
 other provisions, and returned laden with these welcome 
 stores to 'their quarters. They attacked the Peruvians again 
 and again, ruthlessly riding them down with their horses, 
 mowing them down with their guns, and sweeping them 
 down with their sharp Toledo sabres. 
 
 Hernando now resolved to attempt the recapture of the 
 young Inca Manco. It was a rash project : for Manco's 
 quarters were in a lofty fortress, perched upon an almost 
 inaccessible cliff, and he was perpetually surrounded by the 
 bravest legions of his army. Hernando, however, was not 
 easily dismayed. He chose eighty of his hardiest and bravest 
 cavalry, and one night sallied forth, crossed the river, and 
 at early dawn climbed the steep towards the fortress. No 
 sooner did the Peruvians espy him than they hurled down 
 upon h'im a perfect tempest of stones and arrows. The Span- 
 iards held their ground desperately for awhile ; but the num- 
 bers of the enemy were too great, and their resistance was 
 too hot, to allow Hernando to approach the ramparts, and 
 he was forced to retreat. He succeeded in reaching Cuzco 
 safely, but not until he had lost a large part of his valiant 
 cavalry. 
 
 While the Spaniards were thus engaged in heroically bat- 
 tling against one peril — the uprising of the Peruvians — an- 
 other and greater peril menaced them from a distance. They 
 had not overcome the fierce assaults of the Inca's subjects 
 before they were called upon to resist a more formidable at- 
 tack from their own countrymen. 
 
CHAPTER XYIII. 
 ALMAGRO'S REVOLT, 
 
 ALMAGRO, when the Peruvians thus attacked the 
 Spaniards at Cuzco, was far on his way southward 
 with his stalwart band of adventurers. The plucky little 
 cavalier, though now nearly seventy years old, and enfeebled 
 by disease as well as age, was resolved, if possible, to make a 
 conquest as rich as that of Pizarro ; and he pushed bravely 
 on, in the hope of finding in the south another golden land 
 like Peru. 
 
 His hopes, however, were destined to be frustrated. For 
 awhile he and his men advanced cheerily along the great 
 highway that led from Cuzco to the southern limits of the 
 Inca's empire ; but as soon as they left it, and entangled 
 themselves in the rude and savage mountain passes, their 
 progress was slow and painful. 
 
 It was not long before they began to endure terrible suffer- 
 ings. It grew so bitterly cold that their fingers and toes 
 froze, and dropped off. In those dreary and desolate wilds 
 they could find no food ; and the poor fellows were at last 
 reduced to feed upon the corpses of their horses, while the 
 Peruvians who were with them devoured their comrades 
 who fell dead from hunger or cold by the wayside. Every- 
 where they went, they found that the natives had burned 
 their huts and provisions, and had fled from the pathway of 
 the stranger. 
 
ALMAGRO'S REVOLT. 159 
 
 The few Peruvians that Almagro succeeded in capturing 
 he subjected to the most ferocious cruelties. He forced them 
 to carry his ammunition and clothing, and when they resisted 
 he caused them to be burned alive. 
 
 After going a distance of three hundred miles, and failing 
 to find any of the treasure he hoped to obtain, Almagro was 
 forced to turn back, and march northward again. His ex- 
 pedition was a sad failure, and the only desire of his suffering 
 soldiers was to get back safely to Peru. In returning they 
 were forced to cross a dreary desert; but the prospect of 
 once more reaching a land of riches and plenty buoyed them 
 up, and they pushed rapidly forward towards Cuzco. 
 
 When Almagro had come within about a hundred and 
 fifty miles of that city, he heard news of the Peruvian rising 
 and of the siege of Cuzco. It at once occurred to him that 
 he might take advantage of this state of things. He had by 
 no means given up his claim to Cuzco ; and now, more than 
 ever, when he had failed to conquer a new country for him- 
 self, was he resolved to possess the capital of Peru, and be- 
 come its ruler. He therefore hastened forward ; and his 
 soldiers, who were warmly devoted to him, eagerly hailed this 
 prospect of the stirring action of conflict again. 
 
 When Almagro came near the Inca's camp, he sent to 
 Manco, and asked for an interview with him. The young 
 Inca received Almagro in his camp, and pretended to wel- 
 come him as a friend ; but no sooner had the Spanish chief 
 departed than the Peruvians prepared to resist him. 
 
 Manco marched against him with no less a force than fif- 
 teen thousand warriors. But the doughty Almagro was pre- 
 pared for him. After a sharp battle, the Peruvians were 
 repulsed and routed. 
 
 Almagro now resolved to lose no time in attacking Her- 
 nando Pizarro at Cuzco. Advancing with his brave little 
 army upon the city, he availed himself of a dark, tempestuous 
 night to storm it. He found but little opposition. The 
 
160 ALMAGRO'S REVOLT. 
 
 force under Hernando had greatly dwindled during the long 
 siege, and Almagro took possession of the great square almost 
 without the shedding of a drop of blood. 
 
 Among his officers was a very brave and energetic cavalier, 
 who was faithfully devoted to Almagro's cause. The name 
 of this cavalier was Orgonez. 
 
 Orgonej no sooner found himself in Cuzco, than, choosing 
 a band of tried soldiers, he hastened to the palace where 
 Hernando Pizarro and his brother Gonzalo had their quarters. 
 Both Almagro and Orgonez heartily hated Hernando, whose 
 haughty bearing and domineering temper had often deeply 
 offended them. Orgonez attacked the palace furiously ; but 
 Hernando was defended by a gallant company of about 
 twenty men, who desperately resisted the attack. 
 
 At last Orgonez, finding that he could not take the palace, 
 ordered his soldiers to set fire to it. Presently it began to 
 blaze up. It was' no longer possible for those inside to re- 
 main ; and Hernando and his followers rushed out, and were 
 at once seized by their assailants. Hernando himself had 
 scarcely emerged from the door when the whole roof of the 
 great building fell in with a deafening roar. 
 
 Although Almagro was at last master of Cuzco, he was in 
 great peril of losing it again ; for at Xauxa, forty miles away, 
 was encamped a body of five hundred Spaniards, under a 
 general named Alonzo de Alvarado, which had been sent by 
 Pizarro from Lima for the succour of his brothers. 
 
 Almagro saw that he must lose no time in attacking 
 Alvarado. The latter had his camp on the banks of a river, 
 opposite a bridge. At some distance farther down was a 
 ford, where he had also taken pains to leave a guard. It 
 happened that among his officers was one named Lerma, 
 who was secretly a friend of Almagro. To this treacherous 
 man Alvarado owed the misfortune w^hich soon overtook 
 him. 
 
 Almagro, leaving a garrison at Cuzco, issued forth with 
 
ALMAORO'S REVOLT. 161 
 
 the rest of his troops to assail Alvarado, and Orgonez went 
 with him. On approaching the river, he received a message 
 from Lerma, who apprised him of the ford lower down the 
 river, and advised him to pretend to attack the bridge, 
 but to really lead his main force to the ford, and cross 
 there. 
 
 No time was lost in following out this plan. Almagro 
 advanced upon the bridge, as if about to attack it; but as 
 soon as night fell, he sent the greater part of his force down 
 to the ford under Orgonez, while he himself remained at the 
 bridge with the rest. 
 
 Orgonez quickly led his men into the shallow water, and, 
 after a sharp fight with those who were guarding the ford, 
 (in the course of which he himself was severely wounded in 
 the mouth), succeeded in getting a footing on the opposite 
 shore. Alvarado soon learned what was going on, and 
 hastened down the bank, too late, to defend the passage of 
 the ford. Then Almagro, seizing his chance, forced his way 
 across the bridge, fell upon Alvarado in the rear, and, after 
 a brief though desperate encounter, defeated him, and took a 
 large number of his soldiers prisoners. 
 
 All this while Pizarro remained at Lima, the ^* City of the 
 Kings," impatiently awaiting the aid he had summoned from 
 Panama and Guatemala. 
 
 After living in this distressing suspense for several months, 
 which seemed an age to him, his eyes were delighted with 
 the arrival of some ships, which brought a goodly reinforce- 
 ment of soldiers, and were, besides, laden with cargoes of pro- 
 visions, ammunition, and clothing. The soldiers were under 
 the command of a renowned cavalier named Espinosa, who 
 heartily devoted himself to Pizarro's service. 
 
 Pizarro hastened to organize another army for the purpose 
 
 of marching to Cuzco and raising the siege of the Inca. 
 
 Though he had grown sick of war, and longed to live in 
 
 peace in his new city, which was now built, and was fast being 
 
 (231) 11 
 
162 ALMAGRO'S REVOLT. 
 
 filled up by Spanish settlers, his dauntless soul could not rest 
 until he had crushed all opposition to his rule. 
 
 He set out at last at the head of about five hundred men, 
 two hundred and thirty of whom were cavalry. But he had 
 scarcely left the valley of the Rimac when the news reached 
 him of Almagro's sudden return, his capture of Cuzco, and 
 his crushing triumph over Alvarado. With the quickness of 
 his military instinct, Pizarro saw that it would not be safe 
 to advance farther, with so small a force as he had, against 
 his victorious rival. So he returned to Lima, and resolved, 
 as the part of prudence, to send an envoy to Almagro, and, 
 if possible, to come to terms with him. He despatched 
 Espinosa to him ; but Almagro was flushed and insolent with 
 success, and instead of listening to Pizarro's proposals, put 
 himself at the head of a large force, and marched straight 
 towards Lima. No longer content with Cuzco, the old cava- 
 lier's towering ambition now extended to the mastery of all 
 Peru. 
 
 Almagro carried Hernando Pizarro, closely guarded, along 
 with him. Orgonez, whose hatred for Hernando knew no 
 bounds, begged the chief to kill him, instead of taking him 
 on the expedition. 
 
 *' A Pizarro," urged Orgonez, **was never known to forget 
 or forgive an injury ; and you will surely rue the day if you 
 let Hernando live." 
 
 Hernando's lot since his capture had been a hard one. He 
 had been closely confined in a dungeon, and had been scantily 
 fed. But his jailers allowed him one consolation. Among 
 Almagro's most trusted officers was a certain Diego de 
 Alvarado, a brother of the cavalier who some time before 
 had attempted to invade Peru, as has been related. This 
 Alvarado became Hernando's constant companion in prison, 
 and they beguiled the time by gambling. In this bad occupa- 
 tion, Hernando won a large sum of money from Alvarado ; 
 but when the latter offered to pay his debt, Hernando re- 
 
ALMAGRO'S REVOLT. 163 
 
 fused to take it. This made Alvarado his fast friend, and 
 he was destined to do him afterwards more than one valuable 
 service. 
 
 Almagro, with a formidable body of troops, marched 
 rapidly across the country, and soon made his appearance 
 in the lovely valley where Lima, Pizarro^s new capital, 
 stood. 
 
 Pizarro had no sooner learned Almagro's near approach 
 than he sent a gentle message to him, proposing an interview. 
 To this Almagro consented. 
 
 On a balmy afternoon in November, the two Spanish 
 chiefs, once such devoted friends, but now enemies at heart, 
 met on the verdant banks of the Rimac, each surrounded by 
 a picked band of cavaliers. Almagro, as soon as he saw 
 Pizarro, started forward with a smile on his lips, and 
 stretched out both his hands, as if to welcome the governor 
 with all his old cordiality ; but Pizarro drew himself up 
 proudly, put his hands behind his back, and made a cold and 
 haughty bow. Then turning upon Almagro with flashing 
 eyes, he exclaimed, — 
 
 "Why have you seized my city of Cuzco, and cast my 
 brothers into prison? What means this hostile armament 
 that you have brought hither ? " 
 
 Almagro replied sharply that Cuzco was his by right, and 
 that he was resolved to defend it. The dispute grew warmer 
 and warmer, until the cavaliers seemed about to come to 
 blows; w^hen Almagro, looking around suspiciously, and 
 fearing that Pizarro's attendants were about to rush upon 
 him, turned on his heel, mounted his horse, and hurried off 
 to his camp. 
 
 In spite of this quarrel, the two cavaliers did not at once 
 attack each other. They continued to send messages to and 
 fro, and at last came to terms on the matters in dispute 
 between them. It was agreed that Almagro should keep 
 possession of Cuzco until fresh instructions came from the 
 
164 ALMAGRO'S REVOLT, 
 
 emperor ; and that, on the other hand, Hernando Pizarro 
 should be set free. 
 
 Almagro hastened to the tent where Hernando was kept 
 under guard, and with a generous impulse grasped him by 
 the hand. 
 
 *' You are free from this moment," said the old cavalier. 
 "Let us bury all our disputes, and live henceforth as 
 friends." 
 
 "Nothing," replied Hernando, delighted to recover his 
 liberty, "would suit me better." 
 
 The two then cordially embraced ; and Hernando, mount- 
 ing a horse which Almagro provided for him, galloped away 
 to his brother's camp. Pizarro greeted him with affectionate 
 warmth, led him into his tent, and regaled him with the best 
 dishes the country afforded. 
 
 The next day Pizarro called a council of his principal 
 officers. Dauntless and determined as he was, he had one 
 very grave defect. He was deceitful, and made light of his 
 plighted faith. He had solemnly agreed witli Almagro upon 
 the terms of peace between them, and had by this means 
 procured Hernando's freedom. But now he proposed to 
 break his pledges, and to send Almagro word that he did not 
 intend to fulfil his agreement. At first Hernando, who had 
 been so leniently dealt with by Almagro, objected to this ; 
 but his voice was overcome by that of the other cavaliers, 
 who one and all clamoured to march against the other camp. 
 
 As soon as Almagro received Pizarro's message that he 
 would not abide by the treaty, he hastened to retreat from 
 the valley, and to get back to Cuzco as quickly as he could. 
 He feared every moment, lest, unprepared as he was, Pizarro 
 should attack him, and he was anxious to reach the capital 
 before his enemy. 
 
 Poor Almagro was in a sad plight. He was now not only 
 old, but broken down by a long-lingering and incurable 
 disease. At this critical moment in his fortunes he could 
 
ALMAGRO'S REVOLT. 166 
 
 not even walk, and had to be carried on a litter across the 
 arid deserts and over the rugged and dangerous mountain 
 passes. 
 
 He succeeded, however, in reaching Cuzco before his 
 enemy, and in all haste prepared to defend himself. It was 
 full time ; for he had only been at Cuzco a few days when a 
 formidable array of troops, with armour shining and flags 
 flying, appeared in the dim distance, winding down the 
 mountain defiles towards the city. It was Hernando Pizarro, 
 to whom his brother had committed the command of the 
 army, while he himself remained at Lima. 
 
 At first Almagro thought that he would remain with his 
 force inside Cuzco, and defend it from the fortress and 
 ramparts. But his faithful ofiicer Orgonez persuaded him 
 to adopt a different plan. Orgonez proposed to march with 
 the five hundred men at their disposal outside the city, and 
 await Hernando's attack on a plain about three miles off! 
 Almagro himself, sick, feeble, and foreboding disaster, re- 
 mained in Cuzco, while Orgonez took command of the troops. 
 
 The scene was a thrilling one, as with slow, steady, 
 measured tread the serried ranks of Hernando's soldiers 
 advanced down the green slopes, their banners and plumes 
 floating in the air, their trumpets sounding, and their 
 armour glistening in the sunlight. As the sun set, he 
 took up his position on the banks of a small river which 
 separated him from Orgonez's force. Presently the watch- 
 fires, lit up in both camps, showed each where the other was, 
 and cast a fitful and lurid glare over the hills and plain. 
 
 By dawn of the next day the trumpets had called Her- 
 nando's soldiers to their ranks. His infantry was drawn 
 up in the centre, and his cavalry occupied the flanks. 
 When they had formed in order of battle, two priests 
 walked slowly to the front, arrayed in the robes of their 
 office ; two small altars were set up, and the priests chanted 
 the mass, and gave the soldiers a solemn benediction. 
 
166 ALMAOmrS REVOLT, 
 
 Then the order was given to " Forward march ! " The 
 little army advanced as if by a single motion. They boldly 
 waded into the stream, and ascended tlie other side. A 
 wide swamp now lay between them and the enemy ; but 
 they marched straight on, unchecked either by the sinking 
 soil or by the volleys of cannon with which Orgonez had 
 begun to welcome them. 
 
 In an instant, as it seemed, the two armies came together 
 with a furious rush. On the surrounding hills swarms of 
 Peruvians watched with wonder and delight this deadly 
 onset of Spaniard against Spaniard. The conflict raged 
 with desperation. Both Hernando and Orgonez performed 
 prodigies of valour. At last Orgonez fell to the ground, his 
 horse being shot under him. In a moment he was sur- 
 rounded by a crowd of his enemies. Raising his head 
 proudly, he asked, — 
 
 " Is there a knight here to whom I can surrender 1 " 
 
 A mean-looking soldier stepped forward and held out his 
 hand. Orgonez delivered him his sword. No sooner had he 
 done so than the wretch who received it, drawing a dagger, 
 plunged it into the brave cavalier s heart up to the hilt. 
 
 For a moment there was confusion in the ranks of Al- 
 magro's soldiers. They had lost their leader. But another, 
 not less valiant, took his place. Lerma put himself at their 
 head, and called aloud to them to follow him into the fray. 
 Enraged at the dastardly deed by which Orgonez had died, 
 Lerma wildly searched over the battle-field for Hernando 
 Pizarro. He thirsted to wreak his vengeance upon him. 
 ' Hernando, who was as fearless as he, hastened to meet 
 Lerma. They charged full at each other with their lances, 
 and each fell at the shock of the other's weapon. The 
 wounded cavaliers were picked up by their adherents, and 
 the tide of battle swept between them and parted them. 
 
 As the conflict raged, Almagro, lying upon a litter, 
 watched its course from a hill near by. He knew that 
 
ALMAGRO'S REVOLT. 167 
 
 upon its result hung his fate. If his soldiers prevailed, 
 he would be master of Peru ; if they were routed, it 
 would be utter ruin to him. What was his agony when 
 he heard that his faithful Orgonez had fallen under an 
 assassin's blow ! and what his dismay when, on Hernando's 
 troops charging furiously his defenders, he saw the latter 
 break their ranks and fly bewildered in every direction ! 
 The battle had been decided against him, and there was 
 nothing left for him but to try to save his life. He with 
 difficulty got on the back of a mule, ill as he was, and 
 rode in all haste to the fortress. But he was speedily 
 followed by a band of Hernando's soldiers, rudely seized, 
 put in irons, and brought to the same palace where he 
 had imprisoned Hernando. There he was cast into a 
 dark, damp dungeon. 
 
 Hernando entered Cuzco in triumph, and unresisted. 
 Once more he found himself encamped on the great 
 square where he had sustained the siege of the Peruvians, 
 master of the city, and with Almagro as his captive. 
 
 The fate of the brave Lerma, who had taken Orgonez's 
 place as the leader of Almagro's troops, deserves to be 
 told. He was carried by his conquerors, pierced by no 
 less than seventeen wounds, from the battle-field into the 
 city. There he was laid in the house of one of his friends. 
 As he was reclining on his bed, smarting and feeble from 
 his wounds, a rough soldier, whom on one occasion he had 
 struck in a moment of anger, entered the apartment. Walk- 
 ing up to Lerma's bedside, and shaking his fist in his face, 
 he cried, — 
 
 " Once you struck me a blow. I have come to wash it 
 away with your blood ! " 
 
 Lerma raised himself on his elbow, and replied that when 
 he was well he would settle the account with the man. 
 
 "No!" retorted the wretch; *'I will not wait Now is 
 the moment for my revenge." 
 
168 ALMAQRO'S REVOLT, 
 
 With this he plunged a sword deep into the wounded 
 cavalier's body ; and Lerma, falling back, and throwing up 
 his arms, expired. Five years after, the ruffian was hung 
 for having committed this dastardly outrage. 
 
 Hernando was puzzled to know what to do with his cap- 
 tive Almagro. To set him free would be to kindle anew 
 the fires of civil war between the conquerors of Peru ; to 
 keep him in prison was to tempt his adherents to rescue 
 him. Almagro, when he had Hernando in his power, had 
 spared him, in spite of the eager advice of Orgonez to 
 put an end to his life ; and Hernando hesitated to repay 
 this generosity by executing his prisoner. 
 
 One day he went to visit Almagro in his dungeon. Tlie 
 gray-haired cavalier lay suflfering on a pallet of straw. 
 Disease and privation had reduced him to a mere skeleton. 
 
 " Cheer up ! " said Hernando. " As soon as my brother 
 the governor comes, you shall be released. You shall be 
 sent whither and how you will." 
 
 Almagro was comforted by his captor's words, and still 
 more so when Hernando sent him every day the nicest 
 dishes that graced his own table. 
 
 But, despite these promises and attentions, Hernando at 
 last resolved that Almagro must die. The old man was 
 amazed, a few days after Hernando's visit to him, to find 
 himself rudely seized by two soldiers, and dragged out of 
 his dungeon. They told him that he was about to be tried 
 for treason and conspiracy. He could scarcely believe his 
 ears. Nevertheless, he submitted meekly to the rough treat- 
 ment of the soldiers, and soon made his appearance before 
 his judges. 
 
 The trial had already been concluded, and he had been 
 sentenced to death. For a moment the poor old cavalier 
 was unmanned. 
 
 " I cannot believe," he cried, " that such an outrage will 
 be committed upon me ! " 
 
ALMAGRO'S REVOLT. 169 
 
 Restored fco his dungeon, he sent to Hernando, imploring 
 him to qome and see him. - When Hernando appeared, Al- 
 magro fell at his feet, and, with tears streaming down his 
 withered cheeks, implored him to spare his life. 
 
 "Think," he pleaded, "what friendship there has been 
 between your brother and me ! what services I rendered 
 him when he was poor and without authority ! Oh, spare 
 my gray hairs as I spared you, and let me live out in peace 
 the brief existence that still remains to me ! " 
 
 But his enemy was relentless. Glancing coldly at the old 
 man grovelling at his feet, Hernando said with a sneer, — 
 
 **I am surprised to see you behave so unlike a brave 
 cavalier. You need have no hope of being spared. Prepare 
 to die. Your doom is sealed, and you had best make ready 
 to meet it." 
 
 With these harsh and cruel words Hernando turned on 
 his heel and left him. 
 
 Almagro had a son, named Diego, whom he greatly loved 
 — a fair young man of one or two and twenty. To him the 
 old man bequeathed the power he had derived from the 
 emperor, and all his property he left to his sovereign. 
 
 The next day after Almagro's unhappy interview with 
 Hernando, the great square was strongly guarded by several 
 companies of infantry with loaded guns. Hernando feared 
 lest Almagro's friends in Cuzco, hearing of his intended fate, 
 should rise and seek to prevent it by force of arms ; for 
 there were many of his adherents in the city who detested 
 the Pizarros. At the same time, the houses of these adher- 
 ents were strictly watched. 
 
 Almagro was aroused by two persons entering his dungeon. 
 One was a priest, who carried a book, and slowly approached 
 his bedside. The other was a villainous-looking man, who 
 kept his face concealed, and who carried something — Almagro 
 could not see what — in his hand. 
 
 The priest, in a low voice, urged Almagro to think of his 
 
170 ALMAGRO'S REVOLT. 
 
 soul, telling him that his hour was come. Then, kneeling 
 beside him, the priest uttered a long and solemn prayer. 
 Rising to his feet, he withdrew to a corner of the prison. 
 
 The strange man now came forward, and, without saying 
 a word, bound the miserable old man hand and foot. He 
 fastened the fatal noose around the shrivelled neck, and, 
 leaping behind him, twisted the stick to which the noose 
 was applied. Almagro gasped, quivered, and fell stark and 
 stiff to the ground. 
 
 So ended the famous friendship between Almagro and 
 Pizarro. Thus did Pizarro's brother cruelly requite the 
 indispensable aid which Almagro had lent towards the con- 
 quest of Peru. 
 
 No sooner was the old cavalier dead than his body was 
 brought out into the square and laid on a bier in the centre. 
 A herald in a loud voice announced his end through the 
 streets, and the next day all that remained of the old man 
 was entombed in the new church which the Spaniards had 
 built at Cuzco. 
 
 While this bloody deed was being done, Pizarro was on 
 his way from Lima to Cuzco. In due time the news of his 
 old comrade's fate reached him. When he heard it he 
 seemed overcome with emotion. His body shook with 
 agitation, and he retired pale and silent to his tent. For 
 several days his soldiers did not catch a glimpse of his 
 face. 
 
 Almagro's son Diego had hastened to Pizarro, and pleaded 
 for his father's life ; and Pizarro had told him to fear 
 nothing, for he would protect the old man's gray hairs. 
 The youth, made happy by this promise, had gone on 
 cheerfully to Lima ; and there he heard with intense grief 
 that, in spite of all, his father was no more. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 THRILLING ADVENTURES OF GONZALO. 
 
 PIZARE/O entered Cuzco with great pomp and magni- 
 ficence. He had not been in the capital of the Incas 
 since he had captured it ; and in the meantime many mo- 
 mentous events had happened there. Now the Peruvians 
 seemed once more crushed and disheartened. Almagro's 
 revolt had been subdued : the old chief lay in his grave. 
 It seemed as if there were now no obstacle in the way of 
 Pizarro's absolute rule over the Inca's empire. 
 
 Amid the sounding of trumpets and the flying of banners, 
 at the head of a brilliant array of soldiers, he marched 
 through the streets, which still bore evidence of the great 
 conflagration which had swept through them, to the great 
 square. He was attired in a rich suit of velvet, which 
 Cortez had sent him as a present ; he wore a hat from 
 which floated lofty plumes of various colours ; on his fingers 
 and breast jewels glittered ; and although he was some- 
 what grizzled, and his face clearly betrayed the lines of 
 care and advancing age, he still looked a valiant and stal- 
 wart knight. 
 
 His first task was to bring order out of the confusion 
 which still existed at Cuzco, and to establish his govern- 
 ment on a firm foundation. Resolved to suppress Almagro's 
 party altogether, he seized their estates and banished their 
 principal chiefs from the city. It was necessary, too, that 
 
172 THRILLING ADVENTURES OF GONZALO. 
 
 he should take measures to retain the good-will of the 
 Emperor Charles the Fifth, for whom he had conquered 
 so vast a territory, and gained so valuable a treasure. 
 
 He accordingly ordered that a large quantity of gold and 
 silver should be collected ; and when this was done he 
 despatched his brother Hernando to Spain with it. Her- 
 nando set sail for Mexico, crossed that country, and pro- 
 ceeded home with the magnificent gift intended for the 
 sovereign. Before leaving *Pizarro he had said to him, — 
 
 '^Beware of Almagro's men. I shall not be here to de- 
 fend you. They are bitterly resolved upon revenge ; and 
 if you do not keep strict watch, they will deal you a foul 
 blow.'' 
 
 Had Pizarro heeded his brother's words, so earnestly 
 spoken, he might have escaped the terrible fate which soon 
 overtook him. 
 
 Meanwhile the Peruvians, who mourned the desolation 
 and confusion into which their once happy country had 
 been plunged by the Spaniards, began once more to be 
 troublesome. The Inca Manco could not rest easy while 
 his power and capital remained in the hands of the con- 
 querors ; and one day Pizarro was alarmed to hear that 
 he had taken up a position with a large force in the moun- 
 tains westward from the city. 
 
 No time must be lost in frustrating the Inca's hostile 
 design ; so Pizarro sent out his brother Gonzalo at the 
 head of a large body of troops to oppose him. 
 
 Gonzalo was the sole own brother still left with Pizarro in 
 Peru. Juan had been killed in the siege of Cuzco. Her- 
 nando was far on his way to Spain with the emperor's 
 treasure. Alcantara, who remained, was only a half-brother. 
 Gonzalo most of all resembled the conqueror. He was a 
 bold cavalier, a skilful soldier, an admirable horseman, and 
 had a cordial off-hand way with him that endeared him to 
 his followers. He was, besides, the handsomest of all the 
 
THRILLING ADVENTURES OF GONZALO. 173 
 
 Pizarros, and his noble bearing and kindly manner made 
 him a favourite both in court and camp. 
 
 But with all his spirit and daring, Gonzalo did not suc- 
 ceed in overcoming or capturing the Inca. Every time he 
 met him in the open field, Manco was routed ; but he fled 
 into the mountain fastnesses, whither Gonzalo could not 
 follow him. 
 
 Then Pizarro sent envoys to the Inca to see if he could 
 not make peace with him ; but one of his messengers was 
 murdered by the Peruvians, and Pizarro was forced to 
 abandon his attempt. 
 
 During all this time many colonies of Spaniards from 
 Panama and other settled places farther north had been 
 pouring into Peru. The stories of the conquest, of the 
 wealth of the country, the fertility of the tropical fields, 
 the excellent harbours, aroused the ambition and enterprise 
 of hundreds both at the isthmus and in Spain itself; and 
 large numbers hastened to avail themselves of the opening 
 afforded by Pizarro's rule to go to the new possessions of 
 their sovereign, and establish themselves in the towns and 
 villages both along the coast and in the interior. Many of the 
 settlers married Peruvian women, and these were the ances- 
 tors of the " half-breeds " who are still so numerous in Peru. 
 
 Pizarro encouraged the new-comers, and heartily welcomed 
 them to Peru. Returning to Lima, his beloved "City of 
 the Kings," he once more devoted himself to the growth of 
 that place, and to the planting of colonies in other parts of 
 the country. Lima had grown in a short time as if by 
 magic. It was now a busy, flourishing town, with many 
 fine buildings, an imposing public square, a noble bridge, 
 spacious quays along the river -side, and regular streets 
 stretching out in every direction, and growing longer and 
 more thickly settled every week. Its inhabitants comprised 
 both Spaniards and native Peruvians, the latter being in 
 most cases the slaves and servants of the former. The 
 
174 THRILLING ADVENTURES OF GONZALO. 
 
 harbour of Callao, but a few miles from Lima, where the 
 river Rimac flowed into the sea, was now gay with its 
 fleets of ships anchored in the roadstead, and w^ith the 
 constant arrivals and departures. Trade was fast growing 
 up between the young colonies and the isthmus. The 
 ships brought provisions, arms, and clothing, and took back 
 cargoes of gold, silver, and precious stones, wool, tropical 
 spices, fruits, and vegetables. Pizarro founded a city called 
 Guamanga, half-way between Cuzco and Lima, fortified it 
 with strong walls, and built it of stone. He also established 
 two other good-sized cities, one of which he called the " City 
 of Silver," and the other " Arequipa," near the coast. 
 
 It gladdened the conqueror's heart to see these busy, 
 thriving communities growing up around him. He was 
 now growing old. His hair and beard, once of raven 
 blackness, were grizzled ; his swarthy face was lined with 
 wrinkles ; but his stalwart frame was as erect and noble 
 in bearing as ever. He had taken as the companion 
 of his later years a beautiful Peruvian girl, a daughter of 
 the very Inca Atahualpa whom he had put to death ; and 
 he saw a family of young children growing up around him. 
 Boundless wealth was now his. He lived in a stately 
 palace which he had built for himself on the great square at 
 Lima ; and there he lived in pomp and luxury, surrounded 
 by a multitude of guards and attendants, his apartments 
 adorned with brilliant hangings and rich furniture, and his 
 table provided with the daintiest dishes of Peru and the 
 finest wines of Spain. Of his riches he was very lavish. 
 He loved to accumulate gold, not to hoard it, but to spend 
 it generously. He provided festivities for the people, and 
 often displayed a royal pageantry before their eyes. 
 
 His power, too, seemed absolute. There were now so 
 many Spaniards in Peru, so many strongly-fortified towns, 
 and such complete armaments, that the natives were over- 
 awed ; and there seemed to be no danger that the Inca, with 
 
THRILLING ADVENTURES OF GONZALO, 175 
 
 all his hosts, could ever rid his country of the intruders. 
 Pizarro gave laws to the whole empire. The emperor, on 
 hearing of his conquest, had conferred upon him the title of 
 Marquis ; and thus the once shabby little runaway of Tru- 
 xillo took his place among the haughty grandees of Spain, 
 whose families had been of noble rank for centuries. 
 
 Pizarro enjoyed watching the growth of his colonies fully 
 as much as he had gloried in the din and excitement of the 
 battle-field. In every way he sought to promote the prosperity 
 of the settlers. He caused cargoes of seeds to be brought 
 from Europe and distributed amongst them. He saw to it 
 that the gold and silver mines were diligently worked, and 
 thus made to increase rapidly the riches of the people. He 
 sent out gangs of workmen to quarry stone, which served 
 to build new towns ; and as fast as the new towns were 
 founded, settlers flocked in to fill them up. 
 
 It was while Pizarro was engaged in these peaceful pursuits 
 that he sent his brother Gonzalo on an expedition which 
 proved to be one of the most romantic and perilous that the 
 Spaniards had ever undertaken in Peru. Gonzalo, to his 
 great joy, was appointed by his brother governor of Quito, 
 the northern kingdom, which had been conquered by the 
 Inca Huayna Capac shortly before Pizarro's arrival in Peru. 
 At the same time, Pizarro told Gonzalo to take a large force 
 across the Cordilleras, and make an excursion to the coun- 
 tries on the eastern side of the mountains. One of his objects 
 was to try to find the cinnamon groves, which, the Peruvians 
 said, grew in great abundance beyond the giant range. 
 
 Gonzalo desired nothing better than to enter anew on a 
 career of adventure. He was somewhat younger than Pi- 
 zarro, and his daring spirit pined for the excitements of danger 
 and conflict. Having got together a force consisting of two 
 hundred foot-soldiers, one hundred and fifty horsemen, and 
 four thousand Indians, he marched rapidly to the foot of the 
 mountains, and began to creep up their rugged defiles. 
 
176 THRILLING ADVENTURES OF GONZALO. 
 
 Soon he and his companions began to suffer all the distresses 
 incident to a wild and strange mountain region. They clam- 
 bered painfully over the pathless crags and through the dense, 
 entangled forests. As they mounted higher and higher they 
 shivered with cold, which grew at every step more intense ; 
 until, near the summits, they struggled through the heaped-up 
 snow and across slopes of glaring ice. Scarcely had they 
 begun to descend on the eastern side, when they were horri- 
 fied by a tremendous shock, which cast many of them sud- 
 denly upon the ground. The mountain cracked, and then 
 yawned open, and sulphurous flames burst through the fis- 
 sures. It was a terrible earthquake, and every moment 
 Gonzalo expected to be swallowed up with all his company. 
 Escaping this peril, they descended the rugged slopes, to find 
 themselves below overwhelmed with a heat as distressing as 
 the cold had been above. Terrific tempests of thunder and 
 lightning broke over their heads, and tornadoes swept across 
 the slopes, which almost carried the adventurers ofi* their 
 feet. 
 
 To crown all, their provisions began to give out ; nor, in 
 the wild and desolate country in which they found themselves, 
 could they find any food fit to assuage their hunger. They 
 soon became so famished that they killed and ate some dogs 
 they had brought with them, and were finally reduced to 
 chewing herbs and roots, and trying to digest the leather 
 belts they wore around their waists. Gonzalo was on the 
 point of giving up in despair, and retracing his steps as best 
 he could to Peru, when some of the natives, whom his men 
 had captured and brought to him, revived his spirits by 
 telling him of a land full of gold, silver, and cinnamon, which 
 lay some distance beyond. Plucking up his courage, and 
 inspiring that of his men by the picture he drew of their 
 coming good fortune, he once more pushed vigorously forward. 
 
 They ere long came to vast groves of cinnamon, and stripped 
 ofi" the aromatic bark with delight. But they could not take 
 
THRILLING ADVENTURES OF GONZALO, 177 
 
 it with them, and were forced to be content with the discovery, 
 leaving it to future expeditions to gather its fruits. They 
 marched on and on ; yet no such land of gold and plenty as 
 had been reported to them rejoiced their eyes. At last they 
 were relieved to come in sight of a broad, sweeping river, 
 one of the largest the Spaniards had ever seen, called the 
 "Napo." Here they hoped to find settlements and a plenty 
 of food. They struggled with diflSculty along the banks, 
 which were so overgrown with dense brush that they could 
 scarcely break through it. Suddenly they came to a roaring 
 cataract, where the waters of the river plunged headlong for 
 hundreds of feet through an awful chasm ; while below, as 
 far as eye could reach, stretched out a series of boisterous 
 rapids. Beyond these the river became more narrow ; and 
 here Gonzalo resolved to cross over to the other bank, in the 
 hope that the way along it might be easier. But he found 
 progress on that side quite as difficult. At last, seeing that 
 many of his men were weary beyond endurance, and that it 
 was almost impossible to carry all the baggage, the idea struck 
 him to build a kind of boat with which to transport the 
 weaker men and their burdens. 
 
 Timber was felled, and the shoes of the horses were beaten 
 into rude nails ; the gum of the trees served as pitch ; and 
 the torn coats of the soldiers were used to fill the seams in 
 the rude vessel. It was soon finished, and ready to be 
 launched upon the river. 
 
 Among Gonzalo's chief officers was one named Orellana, 
 who had come from Truxillo, Pizarro's own town. Gonzalo 
 placed the utmost confidence in this man, and confided to 
 him the command of the boat. Having chosen the less 
 hardy half of his force, he caused them to embark with the 
 greater portion of the baggage ; and having ordered Orellana 
 to proceed down the river so slowly that those on shore 
 could keep up with the boat, Gonzalo marched with the rest 
 along the bank. 
 
 (231) 12 
 
178 THRILLING ADVENTURES OF GONZALO. 
 
 Their hardships were far from over. Their provisions 
 were now nearly exhausted, and the poor fellows were forced 
 to chew the leather of their belts, and" even to eat toads, 
 lizards, and snakes to keep themselves alive. 
 
 In this desperate situation Gonzalo would have turned 
 back had he not kept hearing that some distance ahead was 
 a flourishing land, watered by a larger river than the Napo, 
 into which the latter emptied. He finally made up his mind 
 to go no farther, but to send Orellana forward with a small 
 force to explore the country beyond, and bring him back 
 word whether there really existed such a land as the natives 
 told him of. 
 
 One morning the boat was pushed out into the rapid 
 stream. Orellana was upon it, with fifty chosen soldiers. 
 No sooner had the craft struck the current than it sped 
 swiftly away, and soon disappeared in the distance. 
 
 Gonzalo and those who remained with him had nothing to 
 do but to exist as well as they could, and await patiently 
 Orellana's return. They spent much of their time in weary 
 search after food, of which they could only find the most 
 wretched and scanty supply. After a lapse of a week with- 
 out any signs of Orellana, Gonzalo began to grow impatient. 
 What could have become of the boat and its occupants? 
 Day after day passed, and yet no boat appeared. The days 
 lengthened into weeks, the weeks into months; and still 
 Orellana did not return. Gonzalo's patience was at length 
 exhausted. Calling together the miserable remnant of his 
 force, he ordered them to resume their march. He resolved 
 to go forward at least as far as the junction of the rivers. 
 It was a terrible journey, and the adventurers sujSered untold 
 tortures of hunger, heat, and sickness, many of them dying 
 in agony by the way. It took no less than two months for 
 them to reach the place where the Napo emptied into the 
 larger river. This larger river was the famous Amazon. 
 
 Here still they heard no news and saw no signs of Orel- 
 
THRILLING ADVENTURES OF GONZALO, 179 
 
 lana. They found themselves in a wild and desolate region. 
 And now a new danger threatened them from the ferocious 
 savages whom they saw hovering in multitudes on the hills 
 and edges of the woods. 
 
 One day, as Gonzalo was sitting gloomily in the midst of 
 his forlorn camp, he was astonished to see a gaunt, cada- 
 verous-looking white man, his clothes hanging in tatters and 
 strings about his body, come feebly creeping out of the forest. 
 The man was so weak and thin that he could scarcely drag 
 himself forward. Several of Gonzalo's soldiers hurried up 
 to him, and, supporting him with their arms, brought him to 
 the captain. 
 
 "Who are you?" exclaimed Gonzalo, looking earnestly at 
 him. " And how came you, a white man, a Spaniard, in this 
 desolate wilderness"?" 
 
 " I am Sanchez de Yargas," replied the man faintly ; " a 
 cavalier and a soldier, though you see me in this sad plight." 
 
 " Ah ! I know you well, poor cavalier. You are one of 
 those who went with Orellana. Tell me," added Gonzalo, 
 rising in his eagerness and peering into the man's face, 
 " where is Orellana?" 
 
 " Give me food and drink," returned Yargas, " and let me 
 rest upon this bank, and I will tell you." 
 
 Having voraciously swallowed such miserable fare as the 
 camp still provided, Yargas, reclining wearily upon the 
 sward, told the story of Orellana's adventures, and revealed 
 to Gonzalo the dismal news of what had become of him. 
 
 " We sailed very rapidly down the river," said he, " and 
 reached this place, the junction of the rivers, in three days. 
 But when we got here, we found the country savage and un- 
 fruitful, as you see. We were almost in despair. Our food 
 gave out, and we thought we should all starve to death. 
 Then Orellana called the chief officers together, and told 
 them what he had resolved to do. It w^as useless, he said, 
 to try to get back to Gonzalo again ; the current was against 
 
180 THRILLING ADVENTURES OF GONZALO. 
 
 us, and we could never reach the place from which we started. 
 Orellana therefore declared that he had made up his mind to 
 continue straight on down the river to* the ocean, to cross 
 the Atlantic, and reach Spain. I cried out earnestly against 
 this, and told him how perfidious it would be to leave you 
 and your comrades in this wilderness to die of hunger or of 
 the poisoned shafts of the savages. But Orellana grew very 
 angry with me, and, telling me that I should not go with 
 him, embarked on board the boat with the rest, and sailed 
 away on the great river, leaving me here to starve." 
 
 Gonzalo's blood ran cold as he heard of Orellana's base 
 treachery and desertion. Ere this, no doubt, the miscreant 
 had reached the ocean, and was on his way to Europe. No 
 hope remained that he would return, and save them from 
 what seemed their impending doom. 
 
 The sequel of Orellana's voyage may be told here. After 
 escaping many dangers, he at last traversed the whole length 
 of the Amazon. He launched boldly out upon the waters of 
 the Atlantic, and succeeded in reaching Spain. There he 
 told wonderful stories of what he had seen and heard of the 
 lands through which he had passed, and, resolved to make 
 the most of his discoveries, easily persuaded a force of five 
 hundred men to return with him to the banks of the Amazon. 
 But he died on the way out; and his followers, disheartened, 
 returned to their native country. 
 
 Nothing remained for Gonzalo, after it became certain that 
 he should not see Orellana again, but to turn his face west- 
 ward, and make his way back, if possible, over the desolate 
 country and the perilous range of the Cordilleras to Quito. 
 At first his soldiers, on learning his decision, were in despair. 
 But Gonzalo had all his brother's power of persuasion. The 
 soldiers loved him, for he always shared their every hard- 
 ship, and was gentle and indulgent with their faults. He 
 held out to them the prospect of returning to home and 
 comfort, and perhaps riches, so temptingly, that their mur- 
 
THRILLING ADVENTURES OF GONZALO. 181 
 
 murs soon ceased, and they asked nothing better than that 
 he shoujd lead them back. The trials and difficulties with 
 which the party had to contend on their homeward march 
 may be judged, when it is said that they were more than a 
 year returning to the land of Quito. No peril or distress 
 known to adventure was sj)ared them. Often they were 
 forced to fight for their lives against hordes of swarthy and 
 half-naked savages, who burst suddenly upon them in the 
 densely wooded ravines, or dashed down upon them from 
 behind sheltering boulders. Many a Spaniard and Peruvian 
 fell wounded and poisoned by their envenomed arrows, and 
 lay writhing in agony till death released them. Nor were 
 the savages their only assailants. Wild beasts howled about 
 their camp at night, and now and then leaped from the 
 boughs or the jungles upon them, tearing their victims from 
 limb to limb. Now they were horrified to hear the ominous 
 rumbling under the earth which betokened an earthquake, 
 and stood still with terror as they saw great fissures crack 
 in the ground, puffing forth sulphurous smoke and flame. 
 Terrific tempests burst upon them in places where they could 
 find no shelter from the unwonted violence of the wind and 
 rain. Their clothes rotted and hung in rags upon their 
 emaciated, half-fed bodies ; their arms rusted in their hands. 
 For want of food they suffered day by day and week by 
 week. They ate everything that they could chew, however 
 noisome and unsavoury. Even their belts and knapsacks 
 had become exhausted with much frantic chewing ; and they 
 were at last so wofully reduced that they struggled fiercely 
 with each other over a toad or a snake, as if it were a de- 
 licious morsel. 
 
 Of course the poor creatures died by the hundred of 
 hunger, disease, and very weariness. Some were killed by 
 sunstroke in the plains ; others were frozen to death by the 
 bitter winds of the mountain heights. 
 
 When Gonzalo led his forlorn party down the sunny 
 
182 THRILLING ADVENTURES OF GONZALO, 
 
 slopes that Jed to Quito, there were scarcely two thousand 
 Peruvians left of the four thousand he had led over the 
 Cordilleras. Of the three hundred and fifty Spaniards, only 
 eighty survived to tell the shocking story of their sufferings. 
 As the people came out of Quito to greet their return, wives 
 and children, searching eagerly in the gaunt and feeble band 
 for husbands and fathers, failed to recognize them when 
 they saw them, so horribly had their forms and features 
 changed. But the poor fellows were glad enough to get 
 home again, to sit in their houses, and receive the loving 
 care of their families ; and almost all who returned survived 
 their hardships, and were restored to health. 
 
 But Gonzalo, who had now been aw^ay for more than two 
 years, and had not heard a word of news since his departure, 
 was overwhelmed with horror and grief by an event which 
 had taken place during his absence, and which seemed to 
 have completely changed the fortunes of the family of 
 Pizarro. A crushing misfortune had overtaken them which 
 it appeared no energy or courage could retrieve. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 THE DEATH OF FIZARRO. 
 
 AFTER Gonzalo's departure, Pizarro remained at Lima, 
 happy in the midst of his young family, busy build- 
 ing up his colonies, and having no longer any reason to fear 
 that his rule would be again attacked by the Inca and his 
 now scattered and overawed troops. His security seemed 
 to be complete : no cloud dimmed the horizon of his power 
 and glory. 
 
 But he was, quite unconsciously, really in the greatest 
 danger; and suddenly, almost without warning, this peril 
 was to burst upon him and overwhelm him.- 
 
 The young son of Almagro, Diego, was living in Lima, in 
 a large house on the same square where stood Pizarro's 
 palace. He was left in absolute freedom, to go and come 
 as he pleased ; and he indulged in a great deal of luxury 
 and display. 
 
 Besides Diego himself, there were numerous old friends 
 and adherents of Almagro in Lima and in the settlements 
 along the neighbouring sea-coast. Many of the veterans 
 who had followed the old cavalier to the south still survived ; 
 and while they revered his memory, they devotedly attached 
 themselves to the fortunes of his young and handsome son. 
 Almagro had made his son the heir to his claim upon Cuzco, 
 and upon an equal share of the conquest of Peru. 
 
 All the while that Pizarro was absorbed in the settle- 
 
184 THE DEATH OF PIZARRO, 
 
 ments, these friends of Almagro, who one and all detested 
 Pizarro, were engaged in conspiring against him. Diego's 
 house became their common rendezvous, and almost every 
 night a large company of cavaliers met there to plot against 
 the governor. They could not forgive the execution of 
 Almagro, and they were determined to avenge it at the risk 
 of their lives. 
 
 Every now and then Pizarro received hints of these secret 
 meetings, and was warned by his friends of the bitter feeling 
 shared by all of Almagro's party ; but he recklessly made 
 light of these alarms, and declared that his enemies were too 
 weak and scattered to be feared. 
 
 "Oh, poor wretches ! " he would say with a pitying smile, 
 "they have had bad luck enough ; we will let them alone." 
 
 He neither took any precautions against their hostility, 
 nor did he attempt to win their friendship. He simply 
 treated them with contempt, and went his way and attended 
 to his affairs as if they were not in existence. 
 
 Among Pizarro's favourites was a man named Picado, his 
 secretary — a very necessary officer indeed, as Pizarro could 
 neither read nor write. This Picado was a very arrogant, 
 pompous, strutting fellow, who put on a great many airs and 
 made a great display in his dress. He was especially hateful 
 to Almagro's party, because he never lost an opportunity to 
 ridicule and insult them. He used to go by Diego's house 
 in a very ostentatious way, and display placards in his gaudy 
 hat, with some contemptuous epithet for them. He domi- 
 neered over them every day, believing himself to be safe 
 under the cover of Pizarro's power, and sure that the " men 
 of Chili," as Almagro's men were called, would not dare to 
 resent his indignities. 
 
 Picado's daily insults, however, drove the hostile cavaliers 
 to desperation. Hating Pizarro, they could not bear the 
 insolence of his puppet. They only became more firmly 
 resolved than ever to put an end to Pizarro's rule. 
 
THE DEATH OF PIZARRO. 185 
 
 One night twenty of Almagro's most daring and devoted 
 followers met at Diego's house. They gathered around a 
 long table, at the head of which the young, frank, rosy face 
 of Diego appeared. By his side sat a very dark and fierce- 
 looking cavalier, with long raven locks streaked with gray, 
 a heavy moustache, and large glittering black eyes, named 
 Juan de E-ada. A dim lamp cast a feeble light through the 
 apartment. The conspirators were one and all closely 
 muffled in their capacious cloaks. 
 
 They talked long in low and earnest tones, Rada speaking 
 the most often and the most vehemently. Diego scarcely 
 spoke a word, but listened intently to all that was said. 
 E-ada proposed a project which startled his companions. He 
 urged it with fierce words and violent gestures ; and finally 
 the rest assented to it. There was one among them, how- 
 ever, who in his heart revolted from it, and who secretly 
 resolved that it should not be executed. 
 
 Rada's plan was to waylay Pizarro on the following 
 Sunday as he was returning to his palace from mass at the 
 cathedral, to strike him down, and assassinate him in the 
 street. 
 
 This decided upon, the conspirators separated, to meet 
 again on Sunday morning at Diego's house. 
 
 The cavalier who was secretly resolved to balk the con- 
 spirators had no sooner parted from the rest than he hastened 
 to a priest, to whom he was in the habit of confessing. 
 
 To the priest he disclosed the whole conspiracy. The holy 
 man was startled, and at once hastened to Pizarro's palace. 
 There he met the secretary Picado, and informed him of the 
 danger that threatened his master. Picado carried the story, 
 in great alarm, to Pizarro. What w^as his amazement when 
 Pizarro broke into a loud laugh ! 
 
 "Oh, rest easy, Picado ! " he cried. " Don't you see that 
 this is a very cunning trick of the priest ? All he wants is 
 to be made a bishop !" 
 
186 THE DEATH OF PIZARRO. 
 
 Pizarro deemed it prudent, however, to apprise the judge 
 of what he had heard, and to abstain from going to the 
 cathedral on the appointed Sunday morning. The judge, 
 after inquiring into the matter, came to the conclusion that 
 tliere was no such conspiracy as had been reported ; and re- 
 pairing to Pizarro, he said, — 
 
 "Fear nothing, marquis. No harm shall come to you 
 while I hold the rod of justice in my hands." 
 
 On Sunday the conspirators met early at Diego Almagro's 
 house. They were one and all armed to the teeth, and their 
 faces betrayed a dark and stern resolution. Rada went 
 from one to the other to see if each one was prepared for 
 his part, and animated their purpose by his vehement words. 
 
 Diego's house stood, it chanced, next door to the cathe- 
 dral ; so that the conspirators, by peeping cautiously through 
 the windows, might easily see the people going in and out 
 of the sacred edifice. With bated breath they watched the 
 cathedral door, and scanned each figure, as, dressed in Sab- 
 bath finery, the worshippers assembled. It was a lovely 
 morning in the latter part of June, and all Lima seemed to 
 have turned out to the morning mass. Spanish cavaliers 
 came sauntering along in groups in their silken or woollen 
 capes and plumed hats, stopped a moment to chat in the 
 doorway, and then entered. Little knots of dark-eyed, 
 black-haired Peruvian women, decked out with gaudy orna- 
 ments of gold, silver, and gems, and with gowns striped or 
 checked with all the colours of the rainbow, made their way 
 leisurely to the Christian church, whose creed, after the 
 example of their Spanish husbands or masters, they had not 
 unwillingly embraced. 
 
 But as the conspirators peered anxiously from beliind the 
 curtains, they saw no signs of Pizarro. In vain they looked 
 for his dazzling retinue, or tried to recognize his tall figure 
 among the comers. He did not appear. 
 
 '' Perhaps, after all, " whispered Rada hoarsely, " we have 
 
THE DEATH OF FIZARRO. 187 
 
 failed to espy hiin as he went in. He will doubtless issue 
 forth when mass is over." 
 
 There was an interval of breathless suspense. The min- 
 utes seemed hours, as the " men of Chili," their hands 
 grasping their swords, remained huddled near the window. 
 At last the congregation issued forth again. They came out 
 slowly as they had gone in^ but it was not long before the 
 cathedral was deserted. A few stragglers alone lingered 
 about the door, or stopped on the great square for a pleasant 
 chat. 
 
 Kada, deadly pale, turned and gazed at his confederates. 
 Had Pizarro been warned of their plot 1 If so, they were 
 ruined. There was not a moment to be lost. They must de- 
 cide at once either to make a desperate venture, or to fly for 
 their lives. Several of the cavaliers urged the latter course. 
 
 " Perhaps," they said, *' Pizarro is still ignorant of our 
 attempt. But he will soon hear of it. Let us make our 
 escape from Lima while we can." 
 
 Kada drew himself up, and glared fiercely upon those who 
 thus proposed flight. 
 
 " No ! " he cried. "It is too late to draw back. We must -■ 
 go on to the end. Let us at once, without an instant's delay, 
 go and attack the tyrant in his palace." 
 
 Then drawing his sword and striding rapidly to the door, 
 he added, — 
 
 " Follow me ! We will issue into the street, declare 
 aloud our intention, and call upon the people to come to our 
 aid." 
 
 With this he threw open the door and rushed out. The 
 others followed their daring leader with one accord. 
 
 " Death to the tyrant ! long live the king ! " cried Eada, 
 as he appeared on the square. A few stragglers stopped, 
 open-mouthed with amazement. In another moment a small 
 crowd had collected ; and several cavaliers drew their swords, 
 and repeating Rada's cry, joined the group of conspirators 
 
188 THE DEATH OF PIZARRO. 
 
 Pizarro's palace stood just across the square, and thither the 
 party hastily bent their steps. It is said that, as they were 
 going, one of the conspirators came to a puddle of water, 
 and stepped around it. Rada perceived this, and ex- 
 claimed, — 
 
 " What ! are you afraid of wetting your feet ? You are 
 about to wade up to your knees in blood ! " 
 
 It took but a minute or two for the conspirators to reach 
 the gate of Pizarro's lordly dwelling. This gate was a very 
 high and heavy one, built for defence as well as for conveni- 
 ence. It conducted into a spacious court-yard, and this led 
 to still another court-yard within. Had the gate been shut, 
 it is probable that the plot would have failed. But Pizarro 
 did not seriously suspect anything ; and the great gate, as 
 usual, was wide open. 
 
 Rada, sword in hand, boldly entered, followed by the rest. 
 He passed quickly through the first court-yard, and made his 
 way without resistance into the second. The conspirators 
 were now terribly excited, and kept shouting as loud as they 
 could, *' Death to the tyrant ! " 
 
 Some of Pizarro's attendants, lounging in the inner court- 
 yard, became terror-stricken. Rada struck one of them with 
 his sword, and he fell howling with pain upon the pavement. 
 Another, as soon as he had gathered his senses, rushed wildly 
 into the palace, crying out, — 
 
 " Help, help ! Almagro's men are coming to murder the 
 marquis !" 
 
 The servant ran upstairs, burst open the doors, and with- 
 out ceremony plunged into the apartment where his master 
 was. 
 
 Pizarro was seated at table, quietly dining with a few of 
 his friends. There were Alcantara his half-brother, Velas- 
 quez the judge, the bishop, and his secretary Picado. Dinner 
 was just finished, and the party were lingering over the fruit 
 and wine. The terrified cry of the servant, and the fierce 
 
THE DEATH OF PIZARRO. 189 
 
 shouting in the court-yard, roused them from their placid 
 enjoyment. One of the guests hastened down the stairway, 
 but ahuost immediately returned, saying that the palace was 
 indeed attacked by traitors. 
 
 At this the judge and one or two others ran out into a 
 corridor in the rear, and let themselves down into the 
 garden. The judge, as he clambered over, held the rod of 
 justice, which he had with him, in his mouth : so it was true 
 that harm only came to Pizarro when the judge no longer 
 "held the rod of justice in his hands." 
 
 Meanwhile the fearless Pizarro did not for a moment think 
 of flight. Rising leisurely from the table, with set teeth and 
 an unmoved countenance which did not even grow pale, 
 he summoned Chaves, one of his chamberlains, and ordered 
 him to close and bar the door of the antechamber which 
 led into the corridor that the conspirators were now ap- 
 proaching. 
 
 " I only wish," said he quietly, " to hold the miscreants off 
 until Alcantara and I can buckle on our armour." 
 
 Passing across the room, he took his armour from the wall, 
 and began to encase himself in it. Alcantara with firm hand 
 helped him, and then put his own armour on. 
 
 Unhappily Chaves neglected to obey his master's com- 
 mand. Instead of closing and securing the antechamber 
 door, his curiosity got the better of him, and he held it ajar 
 so as to observe the conspirators as they mounted the stair- 
 case. Seeing this with a glance of his quick eye, Rada rushed 
 forward, closely followed by his confederates, and burst the 
 door open. 
 
 At this moment Alcantara, issuing from the dining-room, 
 saw that the conspirators had forced their way into the ante- 
 chamber. Calling hoarsely to several cavaliers and pages 
 who were near by, he threw himself upon Rada; the rest 
 joined arms, and a terrible and desperate combat ensued. In 
 a moment two or three men lay stretched on the floor. But 
 
190 THE DEATH OF PIZARRO. 
 
 Alcantara, wounded by half-a-dozen sword-thrusts, continued 
 to struggle fiercely. 
 
 Pizarro meanwhile was standing in the dining-room, in 
 vain trying to fasten on his armour. At last he angrily 
 threw down his cuirass, and winding one arm in the folds 
 of his cloak, so as to use it as a kind of shield, with the 
 other he drew his sword, and boldly advanced upon his 
 assailants. 
 
 Before they knew of his presence, Pizarro was dealing 
 terrific blows with quick and heavy hand on every side of 
 him. He fought with the strength and ferocity of a tiger ; 
 it seemed as if, old as he was, all the iron strength of his 
 youth had been restored to him. One after another the 
 conspirators fell, stricken to the earth by his overwhelming 
 blows. 
 
 " What, vile traitors ! " he cried in a stentorian voice, " do 
 you come to murder me in my own house ? " 
 
 For a moment his assailants seemed cowed and stunned 
 by his impetuous attack. But now the brave Alcantara lay 
 writhing and dying on the blood-stained floor. Pizarro's 
 other defenders had also fallen, mortally wounded. He alone 
 maintained himself against the murderers. 
 
 Rada, impatient to see his foe still struggling, cried out, 
 " Let's have done with this ! Death to the tyrant ! " 
 
 At the same time, seizing one of his comrades, he hurled 
 him bodily upon Pizarro, who seized the man by the throat, 
 and ran him through the heart with his sword. But as he 
 did this, Rada quickly advanced and plunged his dagger deep 
 in Pizarro's throat. In an instant four or five swords were 
 buried in the hero's body ; and crying out " Jesu ! " Pizarro 
 fell headlong upon the floor. 
 
 Gasping for breath, while the blood spurted from his mouth 
 and wounds, he lifted himself upon one elbow, and his fast- 
 glazing eyes glared around him. Then leaning over and 
 dipping his finger in a pool of his blood, he with difficulty 
 
THE DEATH OF PIZARRO. 191 
 
 drew a cross on the floor. He bent down, and pressed his 
 lips upon the sacred symbol. One of the conspirators now 
 dealt him a final blow with his sword. 
 
 Pizarro sank back : a slight shudder ran through his frame, 
 and he ceased to breathe. 
 
 Rada and his followers, waving their blood-streaked swords, 
 ran out into the street, and scattered through the city, shout- 
 ing, " The tyrant is dead ! The laws are restored ! Long 
 live the emperor and our governor Almagro ! " 
 
 The city was soon aroused to the wildest dismay and con- 
 fusion. The adherents of Almagro rallied at his house, and 
 soon a body of three hundred soldiers was formed to defend 
 his title and person. Pizarro's palace, and the houses of his 
 principal officers and friends, were plundered by the victorious 
 . party ; and the secretary Picado was seized and cast into 
 prison. 
 
 Meanwhile some of Pizarro's bitterest enemies clamoured 
 to have the dead hero's body dragged to the market-place, 
 and there hung in disgrace on the public gallows. But 
 Almagro would not consent to this. The corpse was tenderly 
 taken up by some of Pizarro's mourning attendants, and 
 quietly placed in an obscure grave in the cathedral, with a 
 hurried funeral ceremony at the dead of night. Years after- 
 wards the coffin was taken from its resting-place, and de- 
 posited in a magnificent tomb near the high altar ; and Pi- 
 zarro's remains now lie in the new cathedral at Lima, which 
 was built a half-century after his death. 
 
 Such was the sudden and violent end of the heroic soldier 
 and great conqueror, Francisco Pizarro. He was somewhat 
 over sixty years old at the time of his death, which took 
 place on the 26th of June 1541. He had lived long enough 
 to prove his intrepid valour on rrfany a hard-fought field ; to 
 acquire for Spain, with but a handful of followers, one of the 
 noblest and richest possessions in the world ; and to gain for 
 himself as much power and renown as any man ever achieved 
 
192 THE DEATH OF PIZARRO, 
 
 in a career of conquest over a less civilized empire. While 
 he was sometimes cruel, and too often perfidious, he was also 
 beyond most men impetuous in action, persevering against 
 the most formidable obstacles, temperate in living, lavish 
 with his wealth, possessed of wonderful endurance, noble and 
 soldierly in bearing, self-confident, resolute, and true to his 
 kin and his friends. He is one of the greatest figures in 
 history, and his name must live long as one of the world's 
 foremost heroes. 
 
 For many years after Pizarro's death, Peru continued to 
 be the scene of fierce conflicts between rival Spanish aspirants 
 to its rule. War and conspiracy wrought long confusion in 
 the land ; but at last it became once more orderly and settled, 
 and was governed by viceroys sent out by the Spanish mon- 
 archs. The native Peruvians never succeeded in restoring 
 their Inca to the throne of his ancestors, the Children of the 
 Sun. The country remained under Spanish dominion for 
 nearly three centuries. It was conquered by Pizarro in 
 1532, and it became independent of Spain by the success of 
 a revolution which took place in 1821. For more than half 
 a century Peru has been a republic. But the beautiful land 
 still retains many vestiges of the long and prosperous reign 
 of the Incas, as well as of the rude and devastating conquests 
 of Pizarro ; and these remain as monuments at once of its 
 ancient grandeur and power, and of its degradation under 
 the heels of the conquering stranger. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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