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 UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS 
 
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The Inca. 
 
THE LAND OF THE INCAS 
 
 AND 
 
 THE CITY OF THE SUN. 
 
 THE STORY OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO 
 AND THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 
 
 BY 
 
 W. H. DAVENPORT ADAMS. 
 
 " When fierce Pizarro's legions flew 
 O'er ravaged fields of rich Peru" 
 
 Joseph Warton. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 ESTES AND LAURIAT, PUBLISHERS, 
 
 301-305 Washington Street. 
 

Preface. 
 
 IN the f.jllowing piges T seek to tell the stirring story 
 of thj Conquest of Peru. That story does not 
 assume the heroic proportions of the record of the Mexican 
 Conquest; and Pizarro, the conqueror, is, I admit, an 
 inferior figure to Hernando Cortes, — inferior as a com- 
 mander, a statesman, and an administrator, — inferior in 
 intellectual force and moral power. Yet the story has 
 many romantic and picturesque points, just as Pizarro 
 presents many characteristics which are worthy of analysis 
 and consideration. Moreover, while most historians 
 have done full justice to the great Spaniard who over- 
 threw the brilliant empire of Mexico, and have willingly 
 recognized his noble qualities, the conqueror of Peru has 
 been unfortunate enough to meet with artists who have 
 painted his portrait in the bbckest colours. It becomes, 
 therefore, an interesting study to trace his career with 
 fairness, to judge his actions with impartiality, and then 
 to dttermine whether we can endorse the traditional 
 verdict. I, for one, confess myself unable to do so. I 
 
8 PREFACE. 
 
 can find no proof of the ferocity and treachery of which 
 he has so fredy been accused. It seems to me that his 
 moral caUbre \\ as exactly that of his age ; that he neither 
 rose above nor sank below the avenge standard of his 
 time and country ; that though, like Cortes, he committed 
 some acts of cruelty, he was by no means a man of a 
 cruel disposition ; that though, like most public men of 
 his day, he was not too scrupulous in the fulfilment of 
 engagements, yet, on the whole, he was straightforward 
 and honest in his policy. I think he was capable of 
 much generosity towards an enemy, and of sincere attach- 
 ment to a friend : and it seems to me that in the quarrel 
 between Ah.nagro and himself, he contrasts very favour- 
 ably with that impulsive and impetuous soldier. Dr. 
 Robertson ascribes to him ''the address, the craft, and 
 the dissimulation of a politician," but he does not show 
 in what actions, or at what periods of his life, Pizarro 
 exhibited these qualities. Mr. Prescott speaks of " his 
 perfidious treatment of Almagro." The reader who does 
 me the honour to peruse the following narrative will judge 
 for himself whether the American historian's censure has 
 any foundation. 
 
 The principal English writers whom one naturally con- 
 sults for the life of Pizarro and the conquest of Peru are 
 Dr. Robertson, Mr. Prescott, and Sir Arthur Helps. I 
 have availed myself of their lucid ordering of facts, and 
 their shrewd and sagacious reflections ; but I have felt 
 it necessary to go back to the o igiiud authorities in 
 order to form an honest and intelligeiit estimate for my 
 own satisfactoin. The following pages, therefore, a.ssume 
 
 "^ 
 
PREFACE. 9 
 
 to be something more than a compilation from purely 
 EngHsh sources, and will be found, I hope, to present, 
 in some respects, a new and independent narrative. The 
 Spanish authorides of most value may be thus enume- 
 rated : Francisco de Xeres, the secretary of Pizarro, 
 *' Verdadera Relacion de la Conquista." There is a 
 French translation in the collection of M. Ternaux- 
 Campans (vol. iv., edit. 1837 — 1841); but no English 
 version of this very graphic and interesting chronicle is, 
 I believe, in existence. Garcilaso de la Vega (the son 
 of a Spanish cavalier and an Indian mother, the niece 
 of the Inca Huayna Capac), " Commentarios Reales " 
 (1609 — 1616). Of this there is a translation by Rycaut. 
 It is included also in Purchas's " Pilgrims " (vol. iv.) ; 
 and the Haklayt Society have published an elaborate 
 edition, under the care of Mr. Clement R. Markham. 
 Aug. de Zarato, " Historia del Descubrimiento y Con- 
 quista de la Provincia del Peru;" this has been trans- 
 lated into French (Paris, 1746). Fr. Lopez de Gomara, 
 " Historia General de las Indias" (ed. Barcia, 1749). 
 Auton. de Herrera, " Historia General de los Hichos de 
 los Castellanos en las Islas y Tierra Firma de Mai 
 Oceano" (1601). There is, I believe, an English trans- 
 lation by Stephens. Quintana, " Vidas de Espanoles 
 Celebpes." These are the writers whose materials neces- 
 sarily supply the foundation of all later historians ; but 
 both Mr. Prescott and Sir Arthur Helps have enriched 
 their respective works by reference to various manu- 
 scripts ; as, for instance, Sir Arthur Helps relies greatly 
 (perhaps too much so) on the " Carta de Vicento de 
 
I O PREFACE. 
 
 Valverdo al Emperador Carlos Quinto," written at Cuzco 
 in 1539 — 1 541; and Mr. Prescott on Pedro Pizarro's 
 " Descubrimiento y Conquista." They are valuable as 
 ''side-lights,'' but they scarcely affect our general con- 
 ception of the course of events, or materially modify our 
 judgments upon the men concerned in them. 
 
 In conclusion, I may be allowed to express my hope 
 that the concise and comprehensive summary herein 
 attempted will be found of some utility. It has at least 
 the merit of being no servile imitation or repetition of 
 its predecessors. 
 
Co^TEl^TS, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 PERU AND ITS PEOPLE. — THEIR RELIGION AND 
 
 GOVERNMENT 1 3 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 EARLY CAREER OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. — UNDER- 
 TAKES THE CONQUEST OF PERU ... 26 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE INVASION. — CAPTURE OF CUZCO, THE CITY 
 
 OF THE SUN 74 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 DEATH OF ATAHUALPA. — THE SPANISH SETTLE- 
 MENT. ]C5 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 SIEGE AND RELIEF OF CUZCO . . . • I4J 
 
12 ' CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTKR VJ. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 THE FEUD BETWEEN ALMAGRO AND PIZARRO. — 
 
 EXECUTION OF ALMAGRO . . . '179 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 EXPEDITION OF GONZALO PIZARRO, AND DISCOVERY 
 
 OF THE RIVER AMAZON. . . . . 20; 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 ASSASSINATION OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO . .232 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 -•- 
 
 Page 
 The Inca Frontispiece 
 
 PiZARRO AND HIS COMPANIONS COMING IN SiGHT 
 
 OF Seville 28 
 
 Altercation between Pizarro and Almagro . 60 
 
 Stone Idol of the Peruvians 64 
 
 Chilicuchima 100 
 
 Execution of Atahuallpa 114 
 
 Heroic Defence of Cuzco 162 
 
 Assassination of Pizarro 246 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 PERU AND ITS PEOPLE. — THEIR RELIGION AND 
 GOVERNMENT, 
 
 N the west coast of the 
 South Pacific Ocean 
 lies Peru, the ancient 
 ''land of the Incas." 
 Its western boundary is 
 the State of Ecuador, 
 its northern Bolivia, its 
 eastern the vast empire 
 of Brazil. Geographers 
 estimate its total area 
 at upwards of 500,000 
 square miles ; its ex- 
 treme length at 1,100 
 miles; its extreme 
 breadth, in the north, 
 at 780 miles, diminish- 
 ing in the south to fifty 
 Its coast line, owing to its numerous 
 
 B 
 
14 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 sinuosities, exceeds 1,700 miles; but for the greater part 
 is represented by steep and lofty cliffs, at the foot of 
 which the billows of the Pacific incessantly thunder; 
 and consequently the harbours are few, and, with the 
 exception of those of Callao and Paita, neither very 
 commodious nor very secure. The distinguishing phy- 
 sical feature of the country, determining its character, 
 climate, and resources, is the immense mountain system 
 of the Andes, which traverses its entire extent. This 
 system divides the surface into three distinct regions, 
 varying in temperature, in products, and in scenery. 
 First, there is the Littoral, or coast region, which rises 
 from the shore to the base of the mountains; arid, sandy, 
 and irregular, except where it is preserved in the deep 
 rich valleys, excavated and enriched by streams descend- 
 ing from the Cordilleras. The tracts lying between 
 these green oases are covered with a fine yellow sand, 
 which the wind frequently raises in huge columns of from 
 seventy to eighty feet in height, and hurries over the 
 sun-burnt soil. No rain falls in the greater part of the 
 Littoral. The south east trade winds, after passing over 
 the Atlantic, cross the wide forest lands of Brazil, and 
 fertilize them with abundant showers; but their vapour 
 is taken up and condensed by the heights of the Cor- 
 dilleras, which they crown with diadems of snow, and 
 they reach the Peruvian coast dry, cool, and pungent. 
 At night, however, the dews are ample and refreshing. 
 
 From the Littoral we ascend to the Sierra, the moun- 
 tainous belt which intervenes between the western base 
 of the maritime Cordillera and the eastern base of the 
 
THE ANDES MOUNTAIN CHAIN. 1 5 
 
 eastern Cordillera; in other words, it includes the two 
 ranges, or Cordilleras, of the Andes, over a breadth of 
 a hundred miles. These are connected by transverse 
 chains, and present every diversity of mountain scenery. 
 The eastern range, or Andes proper, attains its greatest 
 elevation towards the south ; the western range domi- 
 nates towards the north. Both are conspicuous for tower- 
 ing peaks, which rise to a loftier altitude than Mont Blanc; 
 for lofty table-lands, which rejoice in an invigorating air, 
 and wave with prodigal harvests of wheat and maize, and 
 rye and barley ; for green valleys and shady hollows, 
 which teem with heliotrope and lupine, fuchsia, salvia, 
 and calceolaria, rich in spontaneous growth. They do 
 not, however, present that profuse fertility of vegetation 
 •which is characteristic of the Himalaya, nor are they so 
 rich in animal life. The puma, or American lion, wanders 
 among their solitudes ; the lamaiergeir and the vulture 
 haunt their loftier summits ; the llama, the guanaco, and 
 the vicuna roam about their green sides and their shel- 
 tered valleys. The principal peaks are Sahama, 22,35c 
 feet; Parinacota, 22,030 ; Gualatieri, 21,900 ; Pomarape, 
 21,900; Cerequipa(i volcano), 20,320; Chipicani, 19,745 ; 
 Quenuta, 18,765 ; Coloro, 17,930; ApuCunaranu, 17.950 ; 
 and Vilcanoto, 17,525. The more remarkable table-lands 
 are the plain of Titicaca, in the centre of which lies the 
 great lake of Titicaca, at an elevation of 12,846 feet; the 
 knot of Cuzco, where several mountain-chains converge, 
 and with their grand barriers enclose a delightful area 
 of tropical valleys and luxuriant forests ; and the knot 
 of Pasco, the average altitude of which is 8,000 feet. 
 
I6 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 These and other table-lands yield luxuriant crops of 
 every European grain, and are frequently dotted with 
 populous towns and thriving villages. Nor is this a 
 modern condition of things ; for centuries prior to the 
 Spanish conquest these table-lands were inhabited by a 
 mysterious aboriginal race, bearing the same relation to 
 the Incas and the present inhabitants as the Etruscans 
 bear to the ancient Etruscans and the Italians of our own 
 days. 
 
 The third region, the Montana, occupying two-thirds 
 of the entire surface of the country, extends for some 
 hundreds of miles to the dubious and undefined boun- 
 daries of Brazil. The Amazon forms its northern boun- 
 dary ; Bolivia, its southern. Alluvial plains here alternate 
 with immense tracts of virgin forest, where animal and 
 vegetable life, unshackled by man, literally runs riot. The 
 virgin soil, never harassed by plough or harrow, is of 
 an amazing fertility. In the neighbourhood of the chief 
 streams are occasional farms, but, as a whole, this bound- 
 lessly fertile region awaits the coming of the agriculturist. 
 The forests consist of huge trees, some remarkable for 
 the beauty of their foliage, others for the excellence of 
 their timber; some for their fruit and flowers, others for 
 their odoriferous gums and resins. Luxurious parasites 
 and creepers climb up their trunks and festoon their 
 branches, and, springing from one to another, weave 
 everywhere an almost impenetrable network, through 
 which may be seen the flash of brightly coloured wings. 
 The trees attain an enormous stature, frequently to 120 
 and 150 feet, and their girth is proportionate. Immense 
 
IN THE FOREST. 1/ 
 
 ferns and brilliant orchids thrive among the rank under- 
 growth at their feet. In the deeper sylvan recesses the heat 
 is necessarily suffocating, for no refreshing breezes ever 
 make their way through the dense overhanging canopy 
 of greenness; while, after the periodical rains, the 
 moisture is so excessive that it rises like a thick mist 
 among the huge stems of the trees, and floats suspended 
 like a mountain-cloud. 
 
 A silence like that of the grave prevails in the leafy 
 wilderness during the day, but at sunset all the voices of 
 nature seem released from a magic charm, and bird and 
 beast simultaneously unite in what we may assume to be 
 a farewell chorus to the departing luminary. The night 
 is not less solemn in its hush than the day, but at the 
 first burst of dawn animal life is again stirred by one 
 common impulse. Occasionally, indeed, some nocturnal 
 prowler awakens a transient alarm, which spreads from 
 bough to bough and tree to tree, until all the forest echoes 
 with the clamour. More dreadful is the hurly-burly when 
 the storm-wind rushes on its furious path : then, in its 
 furious violence, the green tops of the trees are swayed 
 to and fro like reeds \ the darkness of midnight descends 
 upon the scene ; the streams, swollen by the rains, roar 
 through the resounding glades ; the vivid shafts of light- 
 ning reveal the nests of terror-stricken animals, scattering 
 in headlong flight through the forest depths, and by each 
 successive thunder peal moved with renewed panic. 
 
 Such is a brief outline of the physical geography of 
 Peru. West of the Andes it has no important rivers ; to 
 the east, its great streams, the Marafion, the Yucayali, the 
 
1 8 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 Purus, and the Huallaga, belong to the vast water-system 
 of the Amazons. Its vegetable products are so various 
 as to defy enumeration; its mineral resources have greatly 
 fallen off, but still include silver, lead, copper, and some 
 gold. The silver mines of Potosi once enjoyed a world- 
 wide reputation : they are comprised within the boun- 
 daries of Bolivia. Guano, and nitrate of soda and borax, 
 are now among the principal articles of Peruvian export. 
 
 The origin of the name of Peru is unknown ; nor are 
 we well acquainted with its earlier annals. Roughly 
 speaking, its history divides into three distinct eras— 
 the pre-Incarial, the period of the Incas, and the modern 
 or Spanish period. Of the pre-Incarial, the chief records 
 are the mighty ruins of Tia-Huanacu, on the shore of 
 Lake Titicaca; consisting of colossal idols, of huge pillars, 
 like those at Stonehenge, of masses of hewn stone, and 
 sculptured monolithic gateways. Some remains may also 
 be seen at Paclacamac, near Laina, where, at the epoch of 
 the Peruvian invasion, a gorgeous temple existed without 
 any image or visible symbol of a god. It was raised in 
 honour of a mysterious deity, Pachacamar, or the Earth- 
 beater; and no other deity seems to have been w^or- 
 shipped by the pre-Incarial race. 
 
 The beginning of the second period is shrouded in 
 mystery. But all conquering races have loved to claim 
 for themselves a divine original, and the Incarial Peruvians 
 in their traditions go back to one Manco Capac, who, 
 with his wife, Manca Ocollo, first presented themselves 
 on the shores of Lake Titicaca, declaring that they were 
 children of Cut i, or the Sun, and commissioned by that 
 
RISE OF THE PERUVIAN EMPIRE. IQ 
 
 glorious power to teach the ways of light and sweetness 
 to the native population. Manco carried in his hand a 
 wedge, or wand, of gold ; and announced that wherever 
 this wedge, or wand, on being struck upon the ground, 
 should sink into the earth, and disappear, the Sun had 
 commanded him to build his capital city. The pre- 
 destined spot proved to be the plain of Cuzco, and there 
 Manco Capac, the first Inca, founded the city of Cuzco. 
 He proceeded to instruct his followers in the rudiments 
 of industry and in the arts of social life. He established 
 a simple and humane legislation, and ordained that no 
 man should have more than one wife. The religion 
 which he inculcated centred in a worship of the Sun as 
 the vivifier of the heavens and the dispenser of all the 
 benefits of naiure; and he founded a religious commu- 
 nity of virgins who ministered in the national temples. 
 Meanwhile, Manca Ocollo taught the women to se^ and 
 spin and weave, and to lead pure and virtuous lives : 
 and the infant state flourished in such tranquil pros- 
 perity under the wise rule of those remarkable indi- 
 viduals, that it gradually drew towards it large numbers 
 of the aborigines. Before the death of Manco, thirteen 
 towns had risen to the east, and thirty to the west of 
 Cuzco. 
 
 After a reign of thirty or forty years, Manco, finding 
 that the end was at hand, assembled his principal sub- 
 jects, introduced his son and successor, and exhorted 
 them to preserve with reverent care the laws and institu- 
 tions to which they owed their happiness. He specially 
 urged upon them the duty of zealously maintaining their 
 
20 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 religious creed, and reminded his son that he was not 
 only the ruler but the high priest of his people. Sinchi 
 Roca, who ascended the throne aho it 1062, was of a 
 martial disposition, and added to his inheritance by 
 conquest. Succeeding Incas witnessed the rapid exten- 
 sion of the Peruvian kingdom by the attractive influence 
 of its prosperity. About 1453, the eleventh of the 
 dynasty, Tupac Inca Yupanqui, led his army southward, 
 crossed the great desert of Atacanca, and pushed his 
 southern frontier as far as the river Maule (in lat. 36° S.) 
 On his return he boldly crossed the Chilian Andes, and 
 by a difficult and dangerous route marched back to 
 Cuzco in triumph. Meanwhile, his son, Huayna Capac, 
 had led an army northward, crossed the Amazon, and 
 subdued the kingdom of Quito. He ascended the throne 
 in 1475, ^^^ under him the empire of the Incas reached 
 its meridian splendour, stretching from the tropic forests 
 of the Amazon to the temperate plains of Chili, and 
 from the sources of the Paraguay to the shores of the 
 Pacific. The centre and capital of this great territory 
 was Cuzco (i.e. "the navel"), whence, to the borders of 
 the kingdom, branched off four great highways, north 
 and south, and east and west, each traversing one of the 
 four provinces, or viceroyalties, into which Peru was 
 divided. The main road ran from Quito, through Cuzco, 
 into the recesses of Chili ; crossing rivers and chasms 
 upon bridges of plaited osiers, winding up steep pre- 
 cipitous ascents, and piercing in tunnels the solid rock. 
 It was nearly two thousand miles in length ; its average 
 breadth was twenty feet ; and it was paved with flags of 
 
THE PERUVIAN RELIGION. 21 
 
 freestone. At intervals of five miles it was studded with 
 posts, or small buildings, to each of which was attached 
 a small staff of runners, for the swift conveyance of 
 official despatches. 
 
 The government of the Incas was a paternal despotism, 
 a mild and prudent theocracy. The Inca, as representa- 
 tive of the race, was the head of the priesthood, and 
 presided over all religious festivals. He was the legis- 
 lator, the admin-strator, the source of all power and 
 honour. He levied taxes, and commanded the army. 
 His insignia of royalty was a peculiar head-dress, with a 
 tasselled fringe, and two feathers placed in it erect. The 
 religion which he taught was remarkable, in contradis- 
 tinction to that of Mexico, for its humane and gentle 
 character. The altar of the Sun was stained by no 
 human sacrifices ; the offerings heaped upon it were 
 plants and cereals, fruits and milk, and, on special occa- 
 sions, a lamb, or sheep, or goat. Such a religion neces- 
 sarily had its effect on the character of the people, who, 
 though under some of their Incas they accomplished 
 considerable conquests, were, on the whole, of a pacific 
 disposition. Their single cruel custom was one which 
 probably arose in the intimate connection existing between 
 the Inca and his people. When an Inca died, a large 
 number of persons suffered death — voluntarily, it would 
 seem, — in order that he might not enter the other world 
 without a retinue suitable to his rank. 
 
 Social distinctions in Peru partook of the primitive 
 simplicity of the government. The land was divided 
 into three portions, one of which was consecrated to the 
 
22 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 Sun, a second to the Inca, while the third belonged to 
 the People. The first share sufficed for the erection of 
 temples, the maintenance of the priesthood, and the 
 support of public worship. The second defrayed the 
 cost of the royal household and the expenditure upon 
 government purposes. The third was annually allotted 
 among the people in proportion to the rank and numbers 
 of each family. All three divisions were cultivated by 
 the people, who were summoned to their daily task by 
 an officer appointed for the purpose. Their work was 
 lightened by the sound of musical instruments, and the 
 singing of the national songs and ballads. The manu- 
 factures of the country and the mines were wrought on 
 the same principle, each person giving a certain pjrtion 
 of time, during which he was supported at the govern- 
 ment expense, to the needs of the Sun and the Inca. 
 This system seems to have been attended with some 
 beneficial results : the idea of mutual help and com- 
 munity of interest naturally stimulated a feeling of kin- 
 dred, and strengthened the bonds of humanity. The / 
 Peruvians formed one great family, actuated by the same^^ 
 sympathies, and labouring for the same object. On the 
 other hand, it tended to depress -them all to the same 
 level, to impede the progress of civilization, to prevent the 
 development of intellectual vigour, and to crush indi- 
 vidual effort and ambition. 
 
 Agriculture was the chief concern and occupation of 
 the Peruvians, but they gave a portion of their energies 
 to the cultivation of the arts necessary for the sup- 
 port and comfort of life. A word or two may be said 
 
AN INDUSTRIOUS PEOPLE. 23 
 
 as to their mode of building. This varied, necessarily, 
 with the various climatic conditions of the country : 
 beneath a tropical sky, only the lightest tenements were 
 required, but in the colder districts solidity and strength 
 of construction were carefully observed. Their houses, 
 made of sun-burned bricks, were square, about eight feet 
 high, and windowless. The palaces of the Incas and the 
 mansions of the nobles were on a somewhat larger scale, 
 and in the interior were lavishly decorated with plates 
 and bosses of silver and gold, and with figures of plants 
 and animals in the same metals. The Temple of the 
 Sun, at Cuzco, called Coricancha, or " Place of Gold,'' 
 excelled in magnificence any other building in the empire. 
 On the western wall, facing the eastern portal, was a 
 gorgeous representation of the orb of day, consisting of 
 a colobsal human face in gold, with golden rays ema- 
 nadng from it in every direction ; while all around the 
 building blazed with golden plates and bands, and golden 
 cornices and images, which, when the sunshine fell upon 
 them, shone with an almost intolerable intensity of 
 splendour. 
 
 The ingenuity of the Peruvians was also shown in 
 other departments of human labour. They not only 
 wrought in gold and silver, but they manufactured and 
 polished mirrors of shining stones. They had earthen 
 utensils of various forms and sizes, and also different 
 kinds of instruments. In ornamental articles they dis- 
 played considerable dexterity and taste ; and considering 
 their want ot proper tools, and the fact that they knew 
 nothing of the use of iron, their perseverance and patience 
 
24 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 must have been exemplary. Yet in these respects, as in 
 their character and government, they were far inferior to 
 the Mexicans ; their civilization was of a primitive and 
 unprogressive type. As they were under their first Inca, 
 so were they under their twelfth : and, had the empire 
 survived, so would they have been under their twenty- 
 fourth. They might multiply and extend, bat their social 
 system forbade that they should rise. In such a system 
 reform was impossible ; immobility was the very con- 
 dition of its existence ; the first external or internal shock 
 must necessarily involve it in utter ruin. It has been 
 well said that if the gentleness of the natives, and their 
 implicit obedience to the laws of the Incas, had been 
 the means of advancing them some few steps forward in 
 civilization, these very circumstances militated in other 
 respects against their further advancement in social life. 
 In Peru, as elsewhere, a "paternal despotism" meant 
 " popular enervation." The moral energies were sapped 
 and undermined by that kind of lifeless domesticity which 
 found neither stimulus for emulation nor necessity for 
 exertion. Satisfied with the mode of living they had 
 inherited, and a mode of living supposed to be approved 
 by their deity, they never dreamed of, never yearned 
 after, a higher order of things. Moreover, they were 
 bred in so absolute a conviction of the surpassing supe- 
 riority of the Incas, that they were averse to all kinds of 
 speculation. To criticise was irreverent; to doubt, pro- 
 fane. The superiority of the prince's judgment being 
 acknowledged by all his subjects, they never felt inclined 
 to investigate his infallibility. The reasoning faculties 
 
THE EUROPEAN INVASION. 2$ 
 
 were thus suffered to rust unused ; while the comparative 
 social comfort and actual tranquillity which the Peruvians 
 enjoyed satisfied them so completely, that they never 
 desired anything better. How could they pine for what 
 had never been presented to them? We repeat, then, that 
 though in amenity and the softer aspects of life superior 
 to the Mexicans, they were in all essential respects, and 
 in all the higher motives and purposes of national exist- 
 ence, inferior. 
 
 Such was Peru and the Peruvians when they first 
 became known to Europeans. The first ^^hite man 
 landed on the Pacific coast in 1516, or two years before 
 the death of Huayna Capac; but the storm of conquest 
 did not break upon Peru until sixteen years later. The 
 reigning Inca was then Huascar, son of Huayna Capac 
 who was engaged in hostilities w.th his brother Atahualpa, 
 to whom had been bequeathed the kingiom of Quito. 
 This intestine conflict greatly facilitated, as we shall see, 
 the con-juest of Peru by the Spaniards. 
 
CHAPTER 11. 
 
 ^r 
 
 i^ 
 
 EARLY CAREER OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. — UNDERTAKES 
 <»' THE CONQUEST OF PERU. 
 
 OWARDS the close of the fifteenth century was 
 born at Trujillo, a considerable town in Spain, 
 Francisco Pizarro. His father, Gonzalo Pizarro, 
 was a cavalier of high birth and good estate, 
 who had w^on distinct'on in the wars. His 
 mother was a peasant woman, with no attraction but her 
 personal beauty, who, it is said, gave birth to her son on 
 the bare stone steps of a church, and then took him to 
 her squalid hovel to share her poverty and shame. As 
 an illegitimate child, Pizarro, though he bore his father's 
 name, was never recognized by him, never admi^^ted to 
 his presence, never allowed ?ny portion of his wealth. 
 He was denied even the merest rudiments of education, 
 so that he could neither read nor write; and when he 
 emerged from childhood was placed in the low occupation 
 of a swineherd. There was in him, however, a natural 
 force of character, an inherent energy of intellect, which 
 would not be den-ed ; and, indeed, a meaner spirit 
 
PIZARRO AND THE SEAMAN. 2J 
 
 might have rebelled against the harsh conditions of his 
 lot, against the scanty rations of coarse food, the bed of 
 straw on a paved floor, the menaces and blows which 
 • were his daily portion. The blood of the Pizarros had 
 m it a hot, impetuous, masterful strain; and this his 
 father had conferred upon him, though he had denied 
 him his love and protection. When he was about fifteen 
 years old, and chafing more and more bitterly against 
 the yoke he bore, Trujillo was visited by an old wave- 
 worn, storm-beaten sailor, who had sailed with Columbus 
 on his ever-famous expedition of discovery. He was as 
 well pleased to talk as Pizarro was to listen, and into the 
 boy's ears poured a stirring tale of the adventures he 
 had undergone and the sights he had seen. He told him 
 how for many days and nights the great Genoese seaman 
 had led them across a shoreless sea, with nothing visible 
 but the heavens above and the waters all around ; how 
 the hearts of himself and his comrades had sunk within 
 them as they receded farther and farther from their native 
 land and plunged into a vast and apparently illimitable 
 waste ; how at last they were cheered by the welcome 
 signs of strange birds perching in the rigging, and strange 
 plants and fragments of wood floating on the waves; how, 
 one night, the keen eye of their leader detected the flash 
 of a light, like that of a torch or lantern, moving in the 
 dark obscurity before them ; how, next morning, the sailor 
 at the mast-top made the air ring with the joyous shout 
 of "Land ahead!" and how that land had proved to be a 
 bounteous shore, teeming with Nature's choicest products, 
 and rich, it was believed, in gold and silver and precious 
 
28 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 Stones, of which any man might have his share who carried 
 thither a brave heart and a ready sword. 
 
 So romantic a story ditl not fail to appeal to that love 
 of adventure which had hitherto lain dormant in the 
 young swineherd's nature. His eyes glowed and his 
 blood ran wildly while he mused upon what he had 
 heard, and contrasted the fair fortunes of the men who 
 crossed the seas to those new and wondrous regions with 
 his own dull an 1 uneventful lot. He resolved on the 
 earliest opportunity to abandon Trujillo and its ignominy, 
 and, if he could not join some expedition bound for 
 "far Cathay," to enter ihe Spanish army, and woo 
 des)tiny as a soldier. He communicated his intention to 
 two of his young companions, swineherds like himself; 
 and the three contrived one night to elude the vigi- 
 lance of their master, and, stealing out of Trujillo, fared 
 forth on foot for Seville. The way wks long and painful ; 
 though to Pizarro, who had a vivid imagination, there 
 was doubtless an infinite source of pleasure in the various 
 scenery tiirough which they passed ; the forest shades of 
 oak and chestnut, the glossy groves of olives, the breadths 
 of corn-field waving with a coming harvest, the bright 
 brook sparkling through the verdant pastures, the vine- 
 yaids bloommg with the purple ot tneir ripenmg clusters. 
 They traversed the Guadalupe Mountams, obtaining a 
 night's shelter and a frugal breakfast in the hut of a 
 kindly shepherd, who, after hearing Pizarro's eager antici- 
 pations of future fame, naively said, as he bade him fare- 
 well, " God prosper you ! and when you become a great 
 rpp^ain, remember the night you spent under the shep- 
 
UNDER THE GREAT CAPTAIN. 3 1 
 
 herd's roof." In due time they crossed the wide and noble 
 Guadiana, and entered the ancient town of Merida, which 
 sleeps in the shadow of its stately castle, unmindful of the 
 gay processions of cavaliers that once thronged its streets; 
 unmindful of the Roman legionaries once garrisoned 
 there by the Emperor Trajan. The ascent of the Sierra 
 Morena was next accomplished; then they gradually 
 descended into fertile and vine-clad valleys, and through 
 a landscape of picturesque beauty pressed on to 
 Seville. 
 
 A tall, robust lad of fifteen, with a well-knit frame, a 
 quick eye, and an air of activiy and daring, Francisco 
 Pizarro quickly obtained admission to the ranks of the 
 Spanish army. After a brief period of training, he was 
 despatched with his battalion to join the forces then in 
 Italy under Gonsalvo de Cordova, the " Great Captain," 
 who was fighting to restore King Ferdinand to the throne 
 of Naples. Pizarro was present at several engagements 
 with the French, and attracted the favourable notice cf 
 his superiors by his splendid courage, his promptitude of 
 action, and his faculty of endurance. After the capture 
 of Naples, and the expulsion of the French, the Spanish 
 army returned home, and Pizarro was rewarded by pro- 
 motion to the rank of lieutenant. We cannot doubt 
 that the military experience he gained in Italy proved of 
 vast service to him in the great enterprise to which he de- 
 voted his later life ; and there, too, he acquired that know- 
 ledge of men and manners essential to one who purposes 
 to become a leader of men. He remained in the army for 
 several years ; but when the prospect of active service 
 
32 
 
 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 faded away, he began to find the monotony of barrack- 
 life intolerable. He was before all things a man of 
 action ; to his quick, aspiring spirit rest was torture ; and 
 we may naturally conclude that his lack of education, 
 and consequent inability to engage his eager, strenuous 
 intellect in study, made the uniform dulness of parade 
 and drill all the harder to bear. The tales which circu- 
 lated throughout Sjiain of the treasures of the New 
 World lying open to every comer, revived the impression 
 made on his boyish mind by the story of the old follower 
 of Columbus. The thirst for wealth and power which 
 had infected half the }OUth of Spain, he felt as keenly as 
 any ; and happy was he when at last he obtained a place 
 in an expedition bound for Hispaniola, then the gate of 
 the Western Indies. He found himself there among 
 men with a love of adventure as fervent as his own, and 
 a courage scarcely less indomitable. Yet it was not long 
 before the masterfulness, so to speak, of Pizarro's cha- 
 racter asserted itself, and he came to be regarded as one 
 who would faithfully follow and gallantly lead. He stoodA 
 out among his companions as gifted with greater foresight, J 
 a sterner purpose, and a stronger will. About 1509 there 
 arrived in St. Domingo two Spanish cavaliers, to each of 
 whom had been given as his government a portion of the 
 mainland of the Isthmus of Darien. These were Alonzo de 
 Ojeda and Diego da Nicuesa. To prevent collision between 
 their interests and partisans, they agreed that the river 
 Darien should be the boundary line between their respec- 
 tive provinces ; between Uraba, which was Ojeda's, and 
 extended eastward to Cape de la Vela ; and Veragua, 
 
qjeda's misadventure. 33 
 
 which was Nicuesa's, and extended westward to Cape 
 Gracias a Dios. This agreement concluded, Ojeda pre- 
 pared to take possession of his province, collected a little 
 army, and invited Pizarro to accompany him as second 
 in command. He gladly assented, and on the loth of 
 November, 1509, Ojeda and his lieutenant sailed from the 
 fort of St. Domingo with two ships, two brigantines, three 
 hundred men, and twelve horses. 
 
 In four or five days Ojeda reached the place which the 
 Spaniards had named Carthagena, and setting aside the 
 warning of Juan de la Cosa, one of his officers, who had 
 visited the coast before, and knew that the Indians 
 were not friendly, resolved to disembark. Taking Juan 
 de la Cosa with him, because of his knowledge of the 
 country, he attacked the Indian town or village of Calu- 
 nar, and made seventy prisoners. Flushed with success, 
 he marched against the large town of Turbaco, and finding 
 it deserted, went in swift pursuit of its fugitive inhabitants. 
 But not keeping his men together, they were exposed 
 to a sudden assault from the Indians, who drove them 
 back to the shore, and with volleys of poisoned arrows 
 slaughtered the whole detachment except Ojeda and 
 another. Ojeda took refuge in the woods, where, next 
 day, a party of his men found him, speechless with 
 hunger, but with his red sword still in his hand, and the 
 dents, it is said, of three hundred arrows in his shield. 
 Soon afterwards, Nicuesa's fleet hove in sight, and the 
 two governors joining company, they landed a force of 
 four hundred men to punish the Indians for defending 
 their native country. Turhaco was burnt to the ground, 
 
34 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 and its unfortunate inhabitants— men, women, and chil- 
 dren — killed. 
 
 Nicuesa then sailed for his own province, and Ojeda 
 made for the Gulf of Uraba, where he landed on the 
 eastern side, and on a commanding eminence founded a 
 town, to which he gave the name of St. Sebastian. He 
 then sent his Indian prisoners, and the plunder of Calu- 
 nar and Turbaco, to St. Domingo, in order to obtain 
 more men and supplies. But, with the usual improvi- 
 dence of these Spanish adventurers, he had taken no 
 thought about feeding his men, and in a few days, having 
 exhausted their scanty stores, and being unable to obtain 
 any from the hostile Indians, he and his company suffered 
 all ihe anguish of famine. Happily there arrived off the 
 coast a vessel which its commander, Bernardino de 
 Talavera, hid stolen from the Genoese, and the bread and 
 meat and wine which he had collected Ojeda eagerly 
 bought. Ojeda seems to have been deficient in most of 
 the qualifications of a successful leader; but at all events 
 he was a cavalier of courage, and in repelling the attacks of 
 the Indians he was always one of the foremost. Noting 
 his temerity, ihey beguiled him into an ambuscade, and 
 poured in upon him their poisoned arrows, one of which 
 wounded him in the thigh. Such wounds were generally 
 considered mortal ; but Ojeda determined on acting as his 
 own surgeon, and invented a remedy which would have 
 tested the fortitude of a Stoic. Two plates of iron, heated 
 to a white heat, he bound on to his thigh, and yet he 
 refrained from even a groan ! His leg and thigh were 
 shrunken by the torture, and the heat so inflamed his 
 
A TliME OF TRIAL. 35 
 
 body that it was found necessary to expend a pipe of 
 vinegar in moistening the bandages which were afterwards 
 applied. 
 
 The supplies brought by Talavera were now exhausted, 
 and famine again laid its grasp upon the warriors at 
 St. Sebastian. It was evident to Ojeda that all would 
 perish, unless he returned to Hispaniola for recruits 
 and provisions. He appointed Pizarro governor in his 
 absence, and informed him and his people that if he did 
 not return within fifty days they would be free to aban- 
 don the set' lenient, embark on board the two brigan- 
 tines, and go where they would. He then set sail, but 
 saw the American coast no more. At St. Domingo he 
 could obtain no assistance, and some time afterwards 
 died neglected and in extreme want. For fifty dreary 
 days Pizarro waited, watching night and morning for the 
 expected sai's, living upon palm nuts and the flesh of 
 wild hogs, and losing many of his men through disease and 
 the poisoned shafts of the Indians. As the two brigantines 
 would not hold all his company, he was forced to 
 wait until death had reduced them to the required 
 number. Then, having killed and salted the surviving 
 horses for food, he embarked in one of the vessels, 
 placing a man named Vahuzuela in charge of the other. 
 
 They were scarce twenty leagues from the shore when 
 Vahuzuela's crazy craft — struck, it was supposed, by some 
 large fish — sunk suddenly. Pizarro, reserved for a great 
 destiny, sailed on to Carthagena, where he fell in with the 
 Bachiller Enciso, Ojeda's alcalde mayor, who, in igno- 
 rance of his master's fate, was wandering in search of 
 
36 inii LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 him with one hundred and fifty men, several horses, 
 arms, powder, and provision^. He c-ju d hardly be per- 
 suaded that Pizarro and his fuhowers had not deserted 
 Ojeda, and at first was disposed to put them in prison ; 
 but their wan faces and meagre bodies were powerful 
 witnesses to the truth of their story. Pizarro would have 
 dissuaded him from going to St. Sebastian, but the 
 Bachiller Enciso was resolute to fulfil what he conceived 
 to be his duty, and they all set sail. Just as he neared 
 St. Sebastian, his vessel struck on a rock and was dashed 
 to p-'eces : those on board saved themselves, but lost 
 their cattle and provisions. On getting ashore, they 
 found the fortress entirely destroyed, and were soon 
 reduced to extremities as miserable as those which 
 Pizarro and his party had previously suffered. In this 
 conjuncture, a certain adventurer and brilliant swords- 
 man, named Vasco Nunez de Balboa, informed the 
 sufferers that once before he had visited this Gulf of 
 Uiaba, but that he had landed on the western shore, 
 where a great river flowed through a fertile country; 
 and he added that as the Indians there did not make 
 use of poisoned arrows, he advised that they should all 
 make their way thither without delay. 
 
 His advice was so far adopted that the Bachiller Enciso, 
 with Vasco Nunez and a hundred men, set out for the said 
 river, which is now known as the Darien. They reached 
 it in safety, but found the Indians hostilely inclined, 
 and fought with thena a great battle, in which all the loss 
 was on the side of the hapless Indians, whose innoxious 
 arrows availed little against the arms and armour of the 
 
NICUESA REJECTED. 37 
 
 Spaniards. In an Indian town close by they obtained a 
 large supply of provisions, and much booty in gold. So 
 Enciso sent for the rest of his company from St. Sebastian, 
 and founded on the bank of the broad bright river the 
 town of Santa Maria d^ la Antigua del Darien. He 
 lacked the vigour, however, necessary for one who would 
 be a ruler of men. His community spUt into three 
 factions ; one remaining loyal to himself, another de- 
 claring for Balboa, and the third for Nicuesa. Eventually 
 the three came to an agreement to invite the last-named 
 to become governor, and sent deputies to him for that 
 purpose. Nicuesa was a man of hasty temper and scanty 
 prudence, and while accepting the invitation, he declared 
 that as the town of Darien lay within the boundaries of 
 his own province (which was true), he should confiscate 
 whatever gold Ojeda's men had acquired there. The 
 deputies hastened to make known this saying, and much 
 also concerning Nicuesa which they had gathered from 
 his followers, to the Darienites. They quickly repented 
 of the choice they had made, and, instigated by Balboa, 
 prepared to receive him as no invited governor was ever 
 received before. On his arrival, he found the shore 
 lined with armed men, who, when he attempted to land, 
 bade him in no courteous terms return to his own settle- 
 ment. He persevered, and next day was actually allowed 
 to disembark ; but they speedily seized upon him, and 
 turned him adrift, with seventeen faithful comrades, in 
 the craziest bark they could find. It was on the ist of 
 March, 151 1, that he put out to sea, and he was never 
 again heard of. 
 
38 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 The virtual ruler of Darlen was now Vasco Nunez de 
 Balboa, and to make his authority secure, he insisted that 
 Enciso should leave the settlement, either for Hispaniola 
 or Castile, as he liked best. Thereafter he ruled with a 
 firm hand, but not tyrannically. Hearing from some 
 Indians that gold was to be found at Cueva, about thirty 
 leagues distant, he sent Pizarro with six men to explore 
 the district. Half-way the natives, under one Cunaco, 
 fell upon the little band. Had they used poisoned 
 arrows, none could have escaped; but their shafts did 
 not slay, though they inflicted severe wounds; and Pizarro 
 fought with such splendid courage that he put them to 
 flight, and killed many, before he returned to Darien. 
 Balboa then set out with a hundred men to carry fire 
 and sword through the Indian province ; but all its 
 inhabitants had fled, and he could find not a single 
 victim. He next turned his arms against Careta, the 
 Cacique of Cueva, whose town he captured and plun- 
 dered, while the chief and his family he carried prisoners 
 to Darien. Wisely treating hitn with lenity, Balboa 
 gained in him a valuable ally, and entered into an 
 agreement by which he undertook to grow supplies for 
 the Spaniards on condition that they assisted him in his 
 war against a chief named Poncha. 
 
 This pact was duly carried out, and afterwards Balboa 
 extended his friendly relations to another Indian Cacique, 
 named Comogre, the ruler of a territory called Comogra, 
 on the sea-coast. Balboa paid him a visit, was hospitably 
 entertained, and presented with seventy slaves and 4,000 
 peros of gold. Some dispute arising in reference to 
 
BALBOA'S EXPEDITION. 39 
 
 its division, Comogre's son exclaimed, '' How is it 
 Christians, that you quarrel for so small a thing as this ? 
 If you have so keen a lust for gold that in order to 
 obtain it you trouble and disquiet the peaceful nations 
 of these lands, and, enduring all kinds of pain and 
 labour, banish yourselves from your own homes, I will 
 show you a country where you may satisfy your thirst. 
 But for this purpose it is necessary that you should be 
 more in number than you are now, for you would have 
 to fight your way against powerful princes, foremost 
 among whom is the King Jubanania, whose country, 
 abounding in gold, is distant from our country six suns." 
 He added that this country lay towards a great sea, and 
 southwards ; and this was the earliest information which 
 the Spaniards obtained of Peru and the Pacific. 
 
 It was not Balboa's fortune, however, to reach the 
 golden land of the Incas, though he lived to see the 
 vast ocean which washed its rocky coast. Some months 
 elapsed — months spent in adventure and exploration of 
 which I have no space to sum up the record ; after 
 which, receiving from Hispaniola a reinforcement of a 
 hundred and fifty men, and his appointment as Captain- 
 General, he undertook the daring enterprise of searching 
 for the Southern Sea. His little army consisted of a 
 hundred and ninety well-armed men ; he took a number 
 of slaves to act as porters, and several bloodhounds. 
 Francisco Pizarro accompanied him as second in com- 
 mand. They left Darien early in September, 1513 ; went 
 by sea to Careta's territory ; crossed into that of Poncha, 
 whom he conciliated by presents of trinkets, looking- 
 
40 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 glasses, and hatchets; and then began the ascent of the 
 mountain range that, traversing the isthmus, Unks together 
 the Rocky Mountains of the northern division of the con- 
 tinent with the Andes of the southern division. Entering 
 the country of a chief named Quanqua, they found the 
 Indians arrayed in battle to oppose them ; but the fire- 
 arms of the Spaniards put them to a bloody rout. So 
 great was the slaughter that the field reminded those who 
 saw it of the shambles. 
 
 At Quanqua's town, or village, Balboa left his invalided 
 men, and taking with him some Indians as guides, he 
 continued his laborious ascent of the rugged sierras. 
 On the 25 th of September, 15 13, he was near the summit 
 of a peak from which, so the Indians told him, the great 
 southern ocean was visible. Halting his soldiers, Balboa 
 went forth a" one to ascend the topmost height ; and, first 
 of the men of the old world, looked out upon the vast 
 Pacific, which, in the course of years, was to be furrowed 
 by the great commercial highways of nations. Having 
 gazed his fill upon the shining waters, he called to his 
 men to come up ; and Pizarro was the second to stand 
 upon the airy summit. Balboa then addressed his 
 soldiers : " You see here, cavaliers and children mine, 
 how our desires are being fulfilled, and that the end 
 of our labours approaches. That, indeed, we ought 
 to accept as certain ; for as all that King Comogre's 
 son told us of this sea has proved to be true, so 
 I feel assured will all that he has told us of incom- 
 parable treasures in it. God and His blessed Mother, 
 through whose help we have come hither to behold 
 
VIEW OF THE PACIFIC. 4I 
 
 this sea, will favour us that we may enjoy all that it 
 contains."* 
 
 Sir Arthur Helps, in reference to this remarkable 
 incident, which forms one of the landmarks in the 
 world's history, observes that " every great and original 
 action has a perspective greatness, not alone from the 
 thoughts of the man who achieves it, but from the 
 various aspects and high thoughts which the same action 
 
 * This rwtable episode in the annals of discovery touched the 
 imagination of Keats, and in one of his sonnets he has a fine reference 
 to it, though he unfortunately confuses Cortes, the conqueror of 
 Mexico, with Nunez de Balbao : — 
 
 ** Like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes 
 He stared at the Pacific, and all his men 
 Looked at each other with a wild surmise, 
 Silent, upon a peak in Darien." 
 
 It has also suggested a fine stirring ballad by Mr. Buchanan Read :— 
 
 ** From San Domingo's crowded whart 
 
 Fernandez' vessel bore. 
 To seek in unknown lands afar 
 
 The Indian's golden ore ; 
 And hid among the freighted casks, 
 
 Where none might see or know, 
 Was one of Spain's immortal men, 
 
 Three hundred years ago ! 
 
 " But when the fading town and land 
 
 Had dropped below the sea, 
 He met the captain face to face, 
 
 And not a fear had he ! 
 * What villain thou ? ' Fernandez cried, 
 
 ' And wherefore serve us so ? ' 
 *To be thy follower,' he replied, 
 
 Three hundred years ago. 
 
42 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 will continue to present and call up in the minds of 
 others to the end, it may be, of all time. And so," he 
 adds, "a remarkable event may go on acquiring more and 
 more significance. In this case, our knowledge that the 
 Pacific, which Vasco Nunez then beheld, occupies more 
 than one-half of the earth's surface, is an element of 
 thought which in our minds lightens up and gives an 
 awe to this first gaze of his upon those mighty waters. 
 To him the scene might not at that moment have suggested 
 much more than it would have done to a mere con- 
 
 " He wore a manly form and face, 
 
 A courage firm and bold ; 
 His words fell on his comrades' hearts 
 
 Like precious drops of gold. 
 They saw not his ambitious soul ; 
 
 He spoke it not — for, lo ! 
 He stood among the common ranks 
 
 Three hundred years ago. 
 
 ** But when Fernandez' vessel lay 
 
 At golden Darien, 
 A murmur, born of discontent, 
 
 Grew loud among the men : 
 And with the word there came the act ; 
 
 And with the sudden blow 
 They raised Balboa from the ranks, 
 
 Three hundred years ago. 
 
 '* And while he took command beneath 
 
 The banner of his lord, 
 A mighty purpose grasped his soul, 
 
 As he had grasped the sword. 
 He saw the mountain's fair blue height 
 
 Whence golden waters flow ; 
 Then with his men he scaled the crags, 
 
 Three hundred years ago. 
 
BALBOA'S CAPTIVE. 43 
 
 queror ; indeed, Peter Martyr likens Vasco Nunez to 
 Hannibal showing Italy to his soldiers." It seems to 
 us that the writer misconceives the effect which the 
 view of the Pacific, as it lay before him in the noontide 
 glow like a huge shield of burnished silver, must have 
 had on the imagination of Balboa. He did not know 
 its vast dimensions ; but he knew at least that it was a 
 mighty sea, and the very vagueness of his knowledge 
 would invest it with the greater sublimity. A strange 
 romance attached to the world's oceans in those credulous 
 
 " He led tliem up through tangled brakes, 
 
 The rivulet's shining bed, 
 And through the storm of poisoned darts 
 
 From many an ambush shed. 
 He gained the turret crag — alone, 
 
 And wept ! to see below 
 An ocean boundless and unknown. 
 
 Three hundred years ago. 
 
 " And while he raised upon that height 
 
 The banner of his lord, 
 The mighty purpose grasped him still, 
 
 As still he grasped the sword. 
 Then down he rushed with all his men, 
 
 As headlong rivers flow, 
 And plunged breast-deep into the sea, 
 
 Three hundred years ago. 
 
 *' And while he held above his head 
 
 The conquering flag of Spain. 
 He waved his gleaming sword, and smote 
 
 The waters of the main. 
 For Rome ! for Leon ! and Castile I 
 
 Thrice gave the cleaving blow ; 
 And thrice Balboa claimed the sea, 
 
 Three hundred years ago." 
 
44 '^HE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 days ; and Balboa would look upon the Pacific with 
 wild dreams of marine monsters, of enchanted islands, 
 of mysterious music, passing throu;;h his brain. With 
 these would mingle even wilder dreams of golden shores 
 which lay ready to yield up their opulence to the adven- 
 turer's sword ; while, like a true Spaniard, he would not 
 fail to think of ignorant peoples to be included in the 
 Spanish empire, and converted to the religion of the 
 Cross. 
 
 After his brief oration to his men, Balboa hastened to 
 take formal possession, on behalf of his sovereign, of the 
 Pacific and all that was in it, and with cairns of stones 
 and crosses made of the trunks and branches of trees he 
 raised memorials of the event. He then pushed forward 
 into the territory of an Indian chief called Chiapes, 
 who at first attempted resistance, but was quickly 
 defeated, and afterwards, according to Balboa's states- 
 manlike fashion, conciliated, and made a friend of. 
 Balboa, like Columbus, was careful, so far as circum- 
 stances allowed, to treat the Indians humanely, and to 
 gain their confidence ; there is less blood upon his fame 
 than upon that of any of the Spanish conquerors, and 
 he was second only to Cortes in political sagacity. Thus 
 he loaded the Indian guides whom he had brought 
 from Quanqua's country with presents, and sent them 
 back in safety — a mode of procedure which secured 
 the confidence of those whom he hired from Chiapes. 
 Before he resumed his march, he despatched Pizarro, 
 Alonzo Martin, and some others, to find the nearest way 
 to the sea-shore. This was soon done ; and Alonzo on 
 
TAKING POSSESSION OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC. 45 
 
 the beach discovered a couple of canoes far above what 
 seemed the limit of the waters. But the tide gradually 
 crept up to the canoes, and Alonzo, entering one of 
 them, called to his companions to bear witness that he 
 was the first to enter upon the Southern Sea. They 
 returned with their information to Balboa, who imme- 
 diately marched down to the shore, at the head of eighty 
 of his men. With his sword at his side, and his shield 
 on his arm, he strode into the waters up to his thighs ; 
 and summoned his followers to testify that he touched 
 with his body, and took possession of, this sea for the 
 kings of Castile, and would defend their right to it 
 against all comers. That the natives who dwelt upon 
 its shores should have any claim to it seems never to 
 have occurred as possible to the haughty Spaniard ! 
 
 With Chiapes our bold and wise adventurer had 
 cemented so strict a friendship that when, with a restless 
 energy * inferior only to that of Cortes, he resolved to 
 explore the gulf now known by the name of San Miguel, 
 Chiapes, though warning him that at that period of the 
 year the navigation was hazardous, accompanied him. 
 Balboa asserted, with ready faith, that God would cer- 
 tainly assist them in the enterprise, inasmuch as great 
 service to Him and large increase of the true faith would 
 result from it, by means of the great treasures which, he 
 said, had to be discovered to enable the kings of Castile 
 to wage war against the infidels. The warning of Chiapes 
 proved correct ; Balboa was caught in terrible storms, 
 
 * Las Casas says of him, that " he could not be quiet even v/hile 
 his bread was being baked/' 
 
 D 
 
46 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. ^ 
 
 which threatened the destruction of the expedition ; but 
 he reached the territory of a chief called Tumaco, and 
 was kindly entertained. The chief presented him with 
 two hundred and forty large pearls, and ordered his 
 people to fish for more. This pearl fishery the Spaniards 
 prosecuted with much zest ; after which Balboa set out 
 on his return for Darien, passing through the territories 
 of the caciques whom his policy had rendered friendly 
 and obedient. 
 
 He arrived at Darien on the 29th of January, 15 14, 
 having been absent for four months, less two days. There 
 he continued to rule with mingled firmness and mildne s, 
 Pizarro still acting as second in command, for several 
 months. But towards the end of the summer a great 
 expedition arrived from Spain, under the leadership of 
 Pedrarias de Avila, to whom the Court of Spain, ignoring 
 the services of Balboa, had entrusted the government of 
 Darien. He landed with eighteen hundred men, spVn- 
 didly equipped ; and, as Balboa had scarce one-third 
 that number, he refrained from offering any oppositicn. 
 Pedrarias was not a wise man, and as a governor he did 
 nothing that he ought to have done, while what he did 
 he had better have left undone. But our business here 
 is not with his doings or misdoings. At first there was 
 little peace between hiui and Balboa, but the newly- 
 appointed Bishop of Darien interfered to effect a recon- 
 ciliation ; and after much discussion it was. agreed that 
 Pedrarias should give his daughter in marriage to 
 Balboa, on her arrival from Spain, and that Balboa should 
 lead an expedition to the Pacific. He began his prepa- 
 
AMONG THE PEARL FISHERS. 4/ 
 
 rations with indefatigable energy, but past differences 
 arose between him and the jealous Governor, whose 
 suspicions were aroused by some of Balboa's careless 
 utterances. He sent Pizarro to arrest him in the Isle of 
 Tortoises. He was charged with insubordination, dis- 
 obedience, and treason, found guilty, and beheaded. 
 Such was the unfortunate end of a man second only to 
 Columbus and Cortes among the heroes of American 
 discovery and conquest. 
 
 The command of the Pacific expedition was given by 
 Pedrarias to a cousin of his, named Morales ; but as he 
 was wholly ignorant of the country and its inhabitants, 
 Pedrarias associated Pizarro with him. The two leaders 
 crossed the isthmus and reached its western shore in 
 safety. Leaving half their force on the mainland, they 
 set out in canoes for a group of islands famous among 
 the Indians for their pearl fishery. The natives offered a 
 vehement opposition as they disembarked on the largest, 
 and there was much hard fighting before the Spaniards 
 effected a lodgment. Their search for pearls was rewarded 
 by a large number, conspicuous for their size and beauty ; 
 they also obtained much gold ; and, loaded with this 
 booty, the whole company returned triumphant to 
 Darien. Pedrarias, when he saw such irrefragable evi- 
 dence of the affluence of the west coast, and was told of 
 the amenity of its climate and the beauty of its scenery, 
 hastened to remove thither his seat of government ; 
 and, accompanied by Pizarro, he crossed the isthmus, 
 and founded, at the head of a sheltered bay, the famous 
 town of Panama. There Pizarro, who had grown rich 
 
48 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 in his various expeditions, built himself a house, and 
 bought lands, and maintained a retinue of servants ; for 
 he was a man who deh'ghted in external show and bravery 
 — who loved to surround himself with the pomp and 
 circumstance of wealth. But he bore in his memory 
 the words of the young Indian cacique, and his thoughts 
 constantly turned towards that fair southern land beside 
 the waters of the Pacific where boundless treasures 
 awaited the disposal of the fortunate adve. turer. He 
 longed in his heart to play the first part in some great 
 expedition, and to acquire as world-wide a fame as his 
 kinsman Cortes, the conqueror of Mexico. He felt that 
 he possessed the capacity for command, and that fortune 
 could put before him no opportunity to which he would 
 prove unequal. In the prime of life, with a rich store of 
 experience as a soldier and an explorer, stalwart in body, 
 vigorous in mind, he scorned to think of any enter- 
 prise as too difficult for his accomplishment. 
 
 While he was indulging his fancy in dreams of a 
 glowing future, the scene of which was always the golden 
 land of the south, there arrived at Panama a sea captain 
 named Andagoya, after a long but not a prosperous 
 voyage in a southward direction. He had to tell of a 
 Jong extent of coast, covered at intervals by fair green 
 islands ; of a sd thern range of mountains running 
 parallel to the sea-line, and wich snow crowned peaks, 
 shutting out, apparently, the countries that lay beyond ; 
 and of a land abounding in precious metals, of the wealth 
 of which he was informed by all the natives with whom 
 he had opened communicaiions. This exciting narrative 
 
THE THUEE ADVENTURERS. 49 
 
 finally determined PIzarro to undertake the conquest of 
 the rich southern land ; but as he was not wealthy- 
 enough to fit out an expedition wholly at his own cost 
 he made knoyn his designs to one of his associates, a 
 soldier of fortune like himself, Diego de Almagro. As 
 Almagro plays an eminent part in the strange drama 
 we are about to unfold, a word or two may be said in 
 description of his character. His birth was as obscure 
 as his comrade's ; he had been trained in the hard 
 experiences of military life, and in a long career of service 
 had amassed considerable wealth. Frank, generous, and 
 open-hearted, he was as courageous as Pizarro ; but as 
 a military leader he was inferior to him, and he did not 
 possess his mastery of the minds of men ; he had neither 
 his fertiUty of resource, his subtlety of policy, or his 
 knowledge of the world. The two associates secured the 
 co-operation of an opulent ecclesiastic, named Hernando 
 de Luque, the vicar of Panama ; a man whose feverish 
 ambition could not be concealed by his priestly robes, 
 and who now, in the hope of gratifying his ambition, 
 agreed to furnish the greater portion of the necessary 
 expenditure. It was agreed that the booty acquired 
 should be divided into three equal shares ; that Pizarro 
 should lead the first armament, that Almagro should follow 
 with supplies and reinforcements, and that De Luque 
 should remain at Panama to superintend the general in- 
 terests of the expedition. The approval of Pedrarias, the 
 Governor, was next obtained ; and then the three asso- 
 ciates met to consecrate, by the highest act of religious 
 worship, their contemplated invasion and subjugation of 
 
50 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 an unknown and unoffending people. After saying mass, 
 the priest divided the Holy Host into three portions, of 
 which he assumed one himself and administered the 
 others to his companions. It was supposed that the 
 Divine sanction and benediction were thus secured to 
 their daring enterprise, one of the objects of which was, 
 of course, the conversion of the conquered peoples to the 
 Christian Church ; for the humblest and most violent of 
 the Spanish freebooters always looked upon himself as 
 charged with the solemn mission of a propagator of the 
 faith. No doubt it was an ample satisfaction to his 
 conscience, t' at if he robbed the Indians of their gold, 
 he gave them in place of it a breviary and a rosary; 
 if in one hand he brandished the sword of extermination, 
 in the other he pat forward the crobs of redemption. 
 The mixed motives which govern human action are 
 always an interesting subject of philosophical analysis ; 
 but surely never was there a stranger combination than 
 in the minds of the Spanish conquerors of the New 
 World ; never was there a combination which would 
 belter repay the critical investigator. 
 
 On the morning of the 14th of November, 1524, after 
 a solemn celebration of high mass in the cathedral, 
 Pizarro, with the Covernor at his side, marched at 
 the head of his men to the sta-shore, followed by nearly 
 the whole population of Panama. Amid a storm of 
 shouts and acclamations, he took leave of Pedrarias, 
 embraced his friends Almagro and Luque, and, with a 
 small company of one hundred and twelve adventurers, 
 embarked en board a couple of small vessels that had 
 
ALONG THE COAST. 51 
 
 been fitted up for his voyage. The wind was fair, and 
 without delay he weighed anchor, shook out his canvas, 
 and firing a farewell from his guns, put out to sea. After 
 a short stay at the Isle of Pearls, he steered to the south- 
 ward, and, coming to the mouth of a river, sailed up it for 
 about six miles, where he landed. The neighbourhood 
 proved to be dreary and desolate in the extreme — a wide 
 tract of swamp, surrounded by a barren region of desert ; 
 and after some days spent in fruitless exploration, Pizarro 
 was glad to re-embark and continue his voyage, A 
 second landing, further south, yielded no more favour- 
 able result, and the dauntless captain sailed onward to 
 the south ; but a great storm arose, and for six or seven 
 days and nights the small and crazy ships, leaking in 
 every seam, were tossed to and fro on the raging waters. 
 It is marvellous that Pizarro, who was no seaman, should 
 have weathered such a gale in safety ; probably the very 
 smallness and lightness of the Spanish vessels contri- 
 buted to their safety. At last the hurricane subsided, 
 only to expose the adventurers to a new terror. The 
 ships had been provisioned for a very few days, as it was 
 supposed they would be able to pick up fresh supplies 
 along the coast. They had been seriously delayed by 
 the storm ; the provisions had fallen short, and famine 
 stared Pizarro in the face. Each man's rations were 
 reduced to two ears of corn, and Pizarro hastened back 
 to the inlet where he had effected his second disem- 
 barkation. Without delay he set to work to repair and refit 
 his ships, while some of his men, now reduced to only 
 eighty in number, started inland in various directions, 
 
52 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 across swamp and desert, to see If any natives could be 
 found, or supplies of food collected. Every effort failed ; 
 and Pizarro, resolute not to return to Panama unsuccessful, 
 despatched one of his ships, under a faithful adherent 
 named Montenegro, to procure provisions at the Isle of 
 Pearls, while he himself and the larger proportion of 
 the crews endured as best they could the miseries of 
 that desolate shore. 
 
 He expected that Montenegro would return within a 
 fortnight ; but the third week came, and no Montenegro! 
 The third week passed, and no welcome sail hove in 
 sight ; the fourth week glided by, — slowly enough, you 
 may be sure, to men racked with hunger and burning 
 with thirst, — to men exposed to every inclemency of the 
 weather, and weakened by exposure to the malaria of the 
 swamps, — and still the longed-for succour did not arrive. 
 Only the fortitude, the courage, and the moral ascend- 
 ency of Pizarro enabled his men to sustain the long 
 agony with patience ; but they never upbraided him. 
 They were silent even when they drank the poisonous 
 water that stagnated in the rank morass ; even when they 
 fastened their teeth in the tanned cowhide that coated 
 the ship's pumps ; even when they devoured the acrid 
 berries of the palm and the briny seaweed which the 
 kindly waves cast up on the beach ; for Pizarro's noble 
 example inspired them with a similar heroism of endu- 
 rance. He ate what they ate, and drank what they 
 drank ; he waited upon the sick, and administered the 
 few medicines he had at his disposal ; he arranged soft 
 beds of leaves and grass for them to lie upon j he assisted 
 
THE PORT OF FAMINE. 53 
 
 in the erection of huts for their shelter ; he had for every 
 one a cheerful word and a hopeful smile, and that brave 
 earnest look which goes to the heart like an inspiration- 
 One day, while he was thus engaged, two of his men 
 brought him the startling intelligence that, a great way 
 off, they had seen a light moving through the trees. 
 1 aking with him twelve armed men, he started at once in 
 the direction indicated, and came upon a cluster of Indian 
 huts, in which he discovered a store of cocoanuts and 
 maize. Who shall tell the joy of the little company when 
 he and his men returned to their wretched settlement 
 laden with such a promise of life ? 
 
 It was then the forty-seventh day since Montenegro's 
 departure ; happily it witnessed his return. He brought 
 with him a good supply of corn and pork ; and having 
 refreshed themselves with a hearty meal, the whole body 
 prepared to take leave of the Port of Famine {Puerto de 
 la Hambre)^ where they had buried no fewer than twenty- 
 seven of their number. After a short voyage they put 
 into an inlet, which they named Puerto de la Candaleria, 
 because it was Candlemas Day (the Feast of the Purifica- 
 tion) on which they arrived there. It was no place, 
 however, for a permanent settlement., Swarms of mos- 
 quitoes infested it, and the climate was so damp that it 
 rotted their broad-flapped hats and the linen vests which 
 they wore over their armour. Penetrating into a wood, 
 they came upon a small Indian town ; it was deserted, 
 but they found some ornaments of gold, some maize, 
 and roots, and pork ; also, in vessels at the fire, the 
 significant evidence of cannibalism in human feet and 
 
54 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 hands. They quickly departed from so uninviting a 
 neighbourhood, and landed next at a place called the 
 Pueblo Quemado^ Here they discovered an abundance 
 of provisions in another deserted town, which stood upon 
 an eminence, in a position capable of defence. Pizarro 
 was disposed to occupy it until he was reinforced, and 
 able to continue his southward advances, but was foiled 
 by an untoward event. He despatched Gil de Monte- 
 negro on a foray to secure some of the Indians as hostages 
 and guides; but they proved to be of a warlike race, and 
 in a large body attacked the Spaniards, killing two, and 
 wounding several. Their own losses, however, were very 
 considerable, so that they feigned to retreat ; and making 
 a swift circuit, suddenly pounced upon Pizarro and the 
 few men who were with him. Pizarro fought like a 
 Paladin. The Indians, perceiving that he was the leader, 
 directed the full force of their assault upon him. He 
 received severe wounds, and was brought to the ground ; 
 but speedily recovering himself, he maintained the fight, 
 and, with his men, held his ground until Montenegro 
 arrived, and drove the Indians into swift retreat. 
 
 Pizarro had now but one ship at his disposal, and this 
 leaked sorely. Provisions were again running short ; his 
 followers were sadly thinned by death and disease, and 
 he recognized the hopelessness of pursuing the expe- 
 dition with such inadequate means. Still, such was his 
 stubborn perseverance, such the tenacity with which he 
 clung to a purpose once resolved upon, that he would 
 not return to Panama, but halted on the way at Chicama, 
 opposite the Isle of Pearls. It was a sickly, humid 
 
Altercation between Pizarro and Almagro. 
 
THE TWO COMMANDERS. 5/ 
 
 inhospitable spot, where the rains seemed perpetual ; but 
 it answered Pizarro's object, and he disembarked his 
 men, sending on his treasures to Pedrarias, with the 
 golden ornaments he had found, and a narrative of all 
 that had transpired. Rivera, touching at the Isle of 
 Pearls, learned that Almagro had passed with reinforce- 
 ments, and sent the welcome intelligence to Pizarro. 
 Almagro, meanwhile, had kept along the coast, searching 
 for his associates ; had landed at the Pueblo Quemada, 
 and after a sharp fight had captured the Indian town, 
 and had sailed onward to the river San Juan. But dis- 
 covering no traces of Pizarro, he had hastened back to 
 the Isle of Pearls. There he was informed of the where 
 abouts of Pizarro, and the two commanders eventually 
 met at Chicama. Each had a long and stirring chronicle 
 to relate ; but the relation did not sink their spirits, and 
 it was with much alacrity determined that the expedition 
 should not be abandoned, but that Almagro should 
 return to Panama to enlist more volunteers, while Pizarro 
 remained at Chicama. Only a " terrible perseverance" 
 Avould have come to such a resolution in the face of all 
 the sufferings the Spaniards had endured ; in face of the 
 melancholy fact that out of a hundred and eighty-two 
 men who had joined the ranks of Pizarro and Almagro 
 respectively, one hundred and thirty had perished in the 
 short space of nine months. 
 
 Almagro made his way back to Panama, where he met 
 with a most ungracious reception from Pedrarias. De 
 Luque once more exerted his influence, and the Governor 
 was finally persuaded into issuing his licence for the levy 
 
58 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 of additional recruits; but his indignation against Pizarro, 
 whom he blamed for the loss of life that had taken place, 
 was so great that he insisted on joining Almagro with 
 him in the command. Two ships were bought and fitted 
 out, and with a hundred and ten men, arms, stores, and 
 provisions, Almagro once more set sail from Panama. 
 Having rejoined Pizarro, the two friends steered south- 
 ward with resolute hearts, and arrived at a river near the 
 San Juan, which they named the Cartagena. There they 
 surprised an Indian town, took some prisoners, and a 
 quantity of gold. But they did not fail to see that their 
 forces were insufficient to carry out the enterprise they 
 had undertaken. There was treasure to be had, and a 
 great country to be colonized, if the men could be got. 
 Again Almagro was sent back to Panama in one of the 
 ships, while Pizarro established himself on the banks of 
 the San Juan. He sent Ruiz, his pilot, with the other 
 vessel, on a cruise to the southward, and in the interval 
 satisfied his restless nature by excursions into the interior. 
 It is a striking proof of the ascendency he had obtained, 
 that his men consented to the labours and underwent the 
 hardships he imposed upon them. In his journeys they 
 penetrated dense and almost impervious forests, traversed 
 dangerous marshes, clambered up rocky banks. They 
 were harassed by incessant clouds of mosquitoes, stung 
 by snakes, attacked by alligators, and wounded by Indian 
 arrows. Hunger they had to endure, and fatigue, and 
 tropical rains. It was a welcome stimulus to their jaded 
 spirits when Ruiz returned with tidings full of promise. 
 He had discovered the Island of Gallo and the Bay of 
 
DISCOVERIES OF RUIZ. 
 
 59 
 
 San Mateo ; and while sailing in a south-westerly direc- 
 tion had fallen in with a kind of raft, or flat-bottomed 
 boat, propelled by a lateen sail, which had on board 
 pottery, and finely-wrought woollen cloths, and ornaments 
 of silver and gold,"^ besides two young men and three 
 women, natives of a place called Tumbez. These spoke 
 to him, apparently by signs, of a king named Huayna 
 Capac, and of a city of Cuzco, where gold was plentiful. 
 Ruiz sailed on until, south of the equinoctial line, he 
 came to a town called Jalongo ; thence he made his way 
 back to Pizarro, brimming over with stories of a wonderful 
 region, where the green mountain-sides were dotted with 
 flocks of sheep (llamas), and the towns were adorned 
 with palaces and temples, and the districts were traversed 
 by broad-paved highways of the solidest construction. 
 
 Ruiz had not been back many days before Almagro 
 arrived from Panama, where he had fortunately found 
 a new Governor installed, Don Pedro de los Rios ; had 
 enlisted forty new men, and collected a fresh supply ot 
 provisions.t Pizarro and his pale-faced companions 
 
 * They had also implements for testing and weighing the precious 
 metals. 
 
 t Oviedo gives an amusing account of the withdrawal of Pedrarias 
 from his share in the expedition. One day, while he was settling 
 accounts with the ex-governor, before his residencia^ or examina ion, 
 took place, Almagro entered, and said, " Senor, already your lord- 
 ship knows that in the armada to Peru you are a partner with Captain 
 Francisco Pizarro, and with the schoolmaster. Don Fernando de 
 J-uque, my companions, and with myself, and that you have not put 
 anything in it, while we have spent our estates and those of our 
 friends." And he proceeded to ask him for cattle and money, or 
 that he would at least pay \\hat was due of his share, nnd gi\e up 
 
60 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 gladly took leave of the mangrove swamps of San Juan, 
 and turned their faces towards the magnetic south. But 
 misfortune still dogged their course ; they were assailed 
 by heavy tempests, and compelled to put into the Bay 
 of San Mateo to refit. The question. What shall we do 
 with it ? again forced itself upon the consideration of the 
 two commanders. Should they not abandon an enter- 
 prise which the very heavens seemed to prohibit ? If it 
 were to be prosecuted, must they not obtain more men ? 
 Pizarro proposed that this time he should return to 
 Panama for reinforcements, and that Almagro should 
 remain, — an offer which led to hot words, and nearly to 
 blows. Both drew their swords ; but Rivera, the trea- 
 surer, and Ruiz, the pilot, interposed ; the friends remem- 
 bered their ancient friendship, and embraced one another. 
 It was agreed that Almagro should make one more effort 
 at Panama, and that Pizarro should take up his quarters 
 in the island of San Gallo. 
 
 There is a striking passage in Sir Walter Raleigh's 
 *' History of the World," in which he commends the 
 patient virtue of the Spaniards. " Seldom or never," he 
 
 the partnership. Pedrarias angrily replied that Almagro would not 
 so have addressed him had he not been quitting the government, 
 and that had not such been the case, he would have called him and 
 Pizarro to account for the lives that had been lost. Instead of making 
 any payment he demanded four thousand pesos as compensation for 
 surrendering his share in the partnership. Ultimately he consented 
 to take in discharge of his claim one thousand pesos, and an 
 agreement to that effect was signed between him and Almagro ; a 
 significant proof of the confidence maintained by the latter, nolwiih- 
 standing every disaster, in the eventual success of the expedition. — 
 OviEDO, ■' Historia Generali," 1. 29, c. 23. 
 
A CLANDESTINE LETTER. 6l 
 
 says, " do we find that any nation hath endured so many 
 misadventures and miseries as the Spaniards have done 
 in their Indian discoveries ; yet, persisting in their enter- 
 prises with an invincible constancy, they have annexed 
 to their kingdom so many goodly provinces, as being 
 the remembrance of all dangers past." Of this patient 
 virtue no more splendid example was ever given than 
 that afforded by Pizarro and Almagro ; but all Pizarro's 
 soldiers were not of the same mettle, and a certain man 
 called Sarabia was dexterous enough to conceal in a bale 
 of cotton, which Almagro's ship unwittingly conveyed to 
 Panama, a letter to the Governor, setting forth the losses 
 they had sustained, and the sufferings they had endured, 
 and beseeching him to take pity upon them. The petition 
 ended with four lines of doggrel, which obtained a wide 
 circulation in the Indies : — 
 
 *' Pues Seiior Gobernador, 
 
 Mirelo bien por entero 
 Que alia va el Recogedor, 
 Y aca queda al Carnicero."* 
 
 When this letter fell into the hands of Don Pedro de la 
 Rios he was greatly indignant, forbade the levy of more 
 men for the slaughter-house, and despatched a lawyer 
 named Tafur, with two ships, to fetch from the island of 
 Gallo all who were dissatisfied with the expedition. Not 
 even so crushing a blow as this could break down Pizarro's 
 
 Thus freely imitated : — 
 
 " May the lord governor 
 Have pity on our woes ; 
 For here remains the Butcher, while 
 To him the Salesman goes." 
 
 E 
 
62 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 heroic perseverance. Addressing his soldiers, he said 
 that those who wished to return should by all means 
 do so ; but that he was sorry to think that by such a 
 course they would bring upon themselves harsher suffer- 
 ings and bitterer want than any they had yet experienced, 
 and lose that which they had laboured for, just as, in his 
 belief; they were on the point of discovering something 
 which would satisfy and enrich them all. And he 
 reminded them of the hopeful intelligence they had 
 obtained from the Indians taken prisoners by Bartolome 
 Ruiz. He concluded by expressing the pleasure he felt 
 in knowing that whatever they had suffered, he had not 
 shrunk from being the principal sufferer, preferring always 
 that he himself should want than that they should ; and 
 so, he said, it always would be. 
 
 There was a general cry, however, that they should 
 depart. Tafur, who behaved throughout with great im- 
 partiality, showed no desire to put any pressure upon 
 their inclinations ; and drawing a line across the vessel's 
 deck, he took up his station at one end, and placed 
 Pizarro and his soldiers at the other. Those, he said, 
 who were decided on returning to Panama should cross 
 the line, and come to him ; those willing to remain would 
 stay by Pizarro's side.* It was found that only fourteen 
 
 * The following picturesque verses by an American pen will 
 probably be new to most of our readers : — 
 
 ** Pizarro's crimes of perfidy and blood, 
 So largely due to training, time, and race, 
 Obscure the brilliance of the hero still ; 
 Yet once, at least, immortally he stood, 
 Sublime in utterance, sublime in will, 
 While looking awful Peril in the face, 
 
" UNDER WHICH KING, BEZONIAN ? " 63 
 
 heroes clung to their veteran commander. Among those 
 were the pilot, Ruiz, and Pedro de Candia. 
 
 As soon as Tafur had departed, Pizirro and his four- 
 teen gallant companions removed to the island of 
 Gorgona, which was less open to an attack from the 
 Indians, and there they waited for Almagro, praying 
 
 *• He calls his men, and at the leader's word, 
 Their presence answers quick, though sore deprest. 
 All further ventures would they now resign, 
 But lo ! Pizarro traces with his sword 
 Along drear Gallo's sand the telling line 
 From west to east, and thus his band addrest : * — 
 
 " • On that side, comrades, toil and hunger wait, 
 Battle and death — for some their lives must lose ; 
 On this side, truly, safety lies ; but ah ! 
 On that the glory of a splendid state, 
 On this but poverty and Panama. 
 Now. as becomes the brave Castilian, choose ! 
 
 " ' As for myself, I go towards the south ; 
 Let who will follow :' and he passed that bound 
 Like Rubicon, enduring, though in sand ! 
 Spurred by the doughty foot and daring mouth, 
 Then followed thirteen of his little band ; 
 The die was cast, — at length Peru was found ! 
 
 " When powers that serve thee flag, since foiled so long. 
 Summon them, soul ! Draw what Pizarro drew ; 
 Point to that land of riches, this of lack ; 
 Speak as he spake, then cross the line as strong, 
 Leaving poor Panaina behind thy back. 
 To find at last the glory of Peru !" 
 
 Charlotte Fiske Bates. 
 
 The reader will not fail to note that Miss Bates is not quite accurate 
 in her details. The moral she draws is, however, unaffected by this 
 negligence. 
 
 » Some authorities represent the division as being made on the sandy shore. 
 
64 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 daily, — with that simple piety which lay deep at the hearts 
 of those adventurous men, rough and even cruel as they 
 were, — and subsisting upon shell-fish and seaweed, the 
 refuse of the shore. Patiently enduring the severest 
 hardships, they waited for five months; every morning 
 when they awoke, and every evening before they retired 
 to rest, scanning the horizon with eager eyes in quest of 
 Almagro's vessel. At last a ship hove in sight; she 
 came from Panama, and she brought supplies, but no 
 men ; the Governor had refused to allow another enlist- 
 ment, — and we can hardly blame him, when we consider 
 how terrible a fatality had attended the expedition. He 
 had also sent orders for Pizarro and his men to return 
 in six months. 
 
 The stern adventurer resolved, nevertheless, on one 
 more struggle with fortune ; and persuading the crew of 
 the Panama ship to join the enterprise, he cheerily 
 steered away to the south-east under full sail, confident 
 that he would yet realize the fruition of his hopes. 
 After touching at several unimportant villages, he landed 
 on a small island, near the mainland, to which he gave 
 the name of Santa Clara. It proved to be a sacred 
 place, to which the inhabitants of the mainland some- 
 times resorted to offer sacrifices. There was a great 
 stone idol, fashioned to resemble a man, but with the 
 head like a cone ; there were also rich gifts of gold and 
 silver, wrought in various shapes, and exquisitely woven 
 mantles, dyed yellow, the mourning colour of the 
 Peruvians. Resuming his voyage, Pizarro met with five 
 rafts, bound on a hostile expedition against the island of 
 
Stone Idol of the Peruvians. 
 
ARRIVAL AT TUMBEZ. 6/ 
 
 Puna ; but he bade them accompany him to Tumbez, an 
 important town on the mainland, and sent the men 
 ashore with a message to its rulers. Considerably- 
 astonished were they by the appearance of the Spanish 
 vessel, and of the white and bearded men on board; but 
 they determined to show their hospitality to the strangers, 
 and despatched a rich present for them in charge of a 
 personage of distinction whom, from the shape of his 
 ears — an artificial deformity, adopted as a sign of rank — 
 they called an Orejon. Between this Orejon and Pizarro 
 ensued much interesting conversation, and when he went 
 on shore he was accompanied by Alonso de Molina, as 
 Pizarro's representative, and a negro. 
 
 If the aspect of a white man had startled the people 
 of Tumbez, they were still more surprised at that of a 
 black man, and made vigorous attempts at that pro- 
 verbially useless operation, washing a blackamoor white. 
 Keen, too, was their astonishment at some animals — 
 two swine, a cock, and a few hens — which the Spaniard 
 brought as a gift ; when the cock crew, they asked what 
 it said ! But the surprise and astonishment of the people 
 of Tumbez did not equal the surprise and astonishment 
 with which Alonso de Molina regarded the indications of 
 Peruvian civilization that surrounded him ; and he re- 
 turned to the ship to tell with wonder of the well-built 
 aqueducts, of the stone houses, of a fortress with six or 
 seven walls, of the vessels of silver and gold. To obtain 
 a confirmation of Molina's story, Pizarro sent ashore 
 Pedro de Candia, a tall cavalier of goodly presence, who, 
 clothed in shining armour, with his sword by his side 
 
6S THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 his shield in his left and a wooden cross in his right 
 hand, strode through the principal street of Tumbez, the 
 observed of all observers. I suppose it was as a test of 
 his courage that the people let loose upon him two wild 
 animals, apparently a puma and a jaguar. At all events, 
 he showed no discomposure, and the animals displayed 
 no inclination to attack him. After this wonderful proof 
 of the white man's superiority, the natives literally bowed 
 down before him. They led him in procession to see 
 the palace and the temple, where gold — gold — gold, on 
 every side and in every shape, met his enraptured eyes. 
 The gardens, he observed, were adorned with animals 
 carved in gold, and flowers and plants beautifully 
 imitated in the same metal. Before he left, they asked 
 him to make his gun "speak ; " and setting up a board, 
 he fired at it. The loud report, the flash, the smoke, 
 and the board shivered into fragments, overpowered the 
 Indians ; some, falling on their knees, hid their faces in 
 their hands ; others shrieked ; others fled in a panic of 
 fear. So, in a blaze of glory, the noble Greek took his 
 departure, and returned on board. 
 
 Pizarro was now satisfied that the fulfilment of his 
 bravest dreams was at hand. He sailed, however, a 
 little further south, passing Collaque, and reaching 
 Puerto de Santa, where he met with a cordial reception, 
 and was entrusted with a couple of Indian youths to go 
 with him and learn the Castilian language. These boys 
 were christened Martin and Felipillo. He also obtained 
 some //amas (sheep, the Spaniards called them), vessels 
 of gold and silver, and various specimens of Indian 
 
PIZARRO RETURNS TO PANAMA. 69 
 
 taste and ingenuity. Then he crowded on all sail for 
 Panama, arriving there towards the end of 1527. He 
 had been abse'nt nearly three years ; and, as Robertson 
 remarks, " no adventurer of the age suffered hardships 
 or encountered dangers equalling those to which he was 
 exposed during this long period. The patience with 
 which he endured the one, and the fortitude with which 
 he surmounted the other, exceed whatever is recorded in 
 the history of the New World, where so many romantic 
 displays of these virtues occur." 
 
 At Panama he met with a reception worthy of his 
 deserts; and the narrative of his expedition excited both 
 surprise and admiration. But the Governor steadily 
 refused to sanction another attempt, alleging that the 
 colony was not strong enough to engage in the conquest 
 of so mighty an empire as that of Peru. The three 
 associates, however, were more than ever convinced 
 that their enterprise was destined to be crowned with 
 success, and were determined not to be shut out from 
 the immense fortune that awaited their disposal. They 
 resolved to appeal for assistance and approval to an 
 authority much higher than the Governor's ; to lay their 
 petition at the feet of the King himself, the potent 
 Charles V. For this delicate mission Pizarro was 
 selected ; and it was agreed that he should solicit the 
 royal permission to equip a new expedition, that he 
 should obtain for himself the dignity of governor, for 
 Almagro that of lieutenant-governor, and for Luque the 
 high office of bishop in the country which they intended 
 to conquer. So reduced were the resources of the three 
 
70 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 friends that it was with difficulty they raised the money to 
 defray the cost of Pizarro's voyage to Europe. Scarcely 
 any fact, perhaps, affords a more striking illustration of 
 the boundless audacity which led them to meditate the 
 conquest of a great and powerful kingdom. It was 
 probably this lack of means which decided them in 
 sending Pizarro alone ; for Luque, it is evident, would 
 have preferred that he should have been accompanied. 
 by Almagro. " Please God, my children," he exclaimed, 
 " that you do not steal the blessing one from the other, 
 as Jacob did from Esau. I would that you had gone 
 both together." 
 
 Pizarro arrived safely in Spain. But his cup of bitter- 
 ness was not yet full. He had not long been ashore 
 before he was arrested and thrown into prison at the 
 suit of the Bachiller Enciso, in connection, I suppose, 
 with Ojeda's disastrous expedition. By some means or 
 other he speedily obtained his release, and made his 
 way to Seville, where he obtained admission to the 
 presence of the Emperor. His stalwart bearing, his 
 grave deportment, and the natural air of dignity which 
 marked him out as a leader of men, produced a favour- 
 able impression ; and the impression was deepened by 
 the force and simplicity with which he narrated his 
 sufferings, described his adventures, and indicated his 
 prospects. Charles V. viewed with interest the speci- 
 mens he had brought with him of Peruvian workman- 
 ship, the llamas, and the ornaments of gold, while the 
 courtiers seemed never to weary of contemplating the 
 Indians who had accompanied Pizarro to Spain. Among 
 
A VISIT TO SPAIN. 71 
 
 the visitors to the Imperial Court at this time was 
 Hernando Cortes, the famous conqueror of Mexico. 
 He was a distant relation of Pizarro ; admired his 
 dauntless courage and stubborn perseverance, and strongly- 
 supported his suit to the Emperor. That suit was 
 entirely successful. The Emperor, by a formal " capitu- 
 lation " (as it was called), gave his imperial sanction to 
 the projected expedition against Peru, of which country 
 Pizarro was appointed Governor- General and Adelantado 
 for life, with an ample salary ; the extent of his domi- 
 nions being defined as two hundred leagues down the 
 coast, from Tenumpuela to Chincha. Luque was ap- 
 pointed Bishop of Tumbez, and Almagro commander 
 of the same place ; while Ruiz was invested with the 
 sonorous title of Grand Pilot of the Southern Ocean. 
 The heroic men who had remained faithful to Pizarro in 
 the island of Gallo were created hidalgos^ and Pizarro, 
 as a knight of the Order of Santiago, was admitted to 
 the ranks of chivalry. On his part he agreed to raise 
 two hundred and fifty soldiers at his own expense, and 
 he undertook to set out for Peru within six months from 
 his arrival at Panama. 
 
 It is said that a prophet receives no honour in his own 
 country, or from his own kinsmen ; but Pizarro, on 
 visiting Trujillo, was warmly received by his brothers, 
 and they entertained so full a confidence in him and 
 his prorhises that they agreed to sell their estates and 
 embark the result in his enterprise. There were four 
 of them — Hernando (the only legitimate one), Juan, 
 Gonzalo, and Martin ; all men of thews and muscles, 
 
72 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 brave as lions, and prompt of action, while Hernando 
 was almost equal to Francisco himself in mental power 
 and daring. Their united resources, however, were in- 
 adequate to the end in view ; and even with some help 
 from Cortes, Pizarro was unable to enlist more than one 
 hundred and twenty-five men ; so that, after obtaining 
 his patents from the Crown, he was compelled to steal 
 out of the port of Seville, in order to elude the scrutiny 
 of the king's officers, who were charged to examine 
 whether he had fulfilled the stipulations of his contract. 
 His little flotilla of three small ships crossed the 
 Atlantic in safety, and in the summer of 1530 arrived 
 at Nombre de Dios, on the side of the isthmus opposite 
 to Panama. Here Almagro and De Luque were wait- 
 ing to receive him, and learn the result of his missioQc 
 Luque was well satisfied, for the bishopric was all he 
 had desired or expected ; but Almagro waxed indig- 
 nant when he found himself virtually ignored in the dis- 
 tribution of honours. Nor was he well pleased at the 
 arrival of Pizarro's brothers, which he not unnaturally 
 regarded as a circumstance unfavourable to his interests. 
 Pizarro, however, was determined not to risk the ruin of 
 the enterprise by dividing his authority. After much 
 angry discussion, which left its evil effects on the minds 
 of both, it was agreed that Pizarro should give up his 
 office of Adelantado to Almagro, wh ch still left him the 
 sole military and civil authority, and pledge himself not 
 to promote his brothers until Almagro's claims had been 
 fully satisfied. 
 
 This difficulty removed, the confederacy was formally 
 
DEPARTURE OF THE EXPEDITION. 73 
 
 renewed on its original terms, namely, that each associate 
 should share the expenses, and that the profits accruing 
 from it should be equally divided. The preparations 
 were then pushed forward with the utmost alacrity ; so 
 that Pizarro was able to set out from Panama on the 
 28th of December, 1530, in three small ships, carrying 
 one hundred and eighty-three men and thirty-seven 
 horses. He was accompanied by his three stalwart 
 brothers, Ferdinand, Juan, and Gonzalo, and by his 
 maternal uncle, Fran* isco de Alcantara, a cavalier of 
 dauntless courage and inflexible intrepidity. Almagro 
 was left at Panama, to follow, as soon as possible, with a 
 reinforcement. 
 
 One hundred and eighty-three men, of whom thirty- 
 seven were mounted, — such was the force with which 
 Pizjrro proposed to conquer a great and wealthy king- 
 dom, which, at the epoch of his invasion, is supposed 
 to have had a population of many millions. But the 
 Spaniards had learned to feel an implicit confidence in 
 their superiority over the American people, and the won- 
 derful successes of Cortes in Mexico had raised this 
 confidence to the highest pitch. It was largely in their 
 favour that Peru was divided and weakened by internal 
 dissensions, while there can be no doubt that its inhabi- 
 tants were vastly inferior to the Aztecs in all martial 
 qualities. 
 
CH^APTER III. 
 
 THE INVASION. — CAPTURE OF CUZCO, THE CITY OF 
 
 THE SUN. 
 
 IZARRO'S perseverance was at length crowned 
 with success. It might almost be supposed 
 <tL(2G)^* that fortune had grown weary of struggling 
 *^f ** against a man who showed so absolute a con- 
 tempt of all that she had done ; for in thirteen 
 days his ships voyaged safely to the Bay of San Mateo, 
 which he had previously been unable to reach in as many 
 months. He immediately landed his litde force, and set 
 out on his march southward along the coast, so that he 
 might easily retreat to his ships if too heavily pressed, 
 or receive any reinforcements which might arrive from 
 Panama. Like a true leader, he placed himself in the 
 van, and undauntedly pursued his way over swamp and 
 bog, and across chasm and torrent ; never showing any 
 sibin of weariness or depression, and inspiring his fol- 
 lowers with something of his own heroism. On reachina: 
 the town of Coaque he ordered an immediate assault, but 
 the flash of the muskets and the tramp of the horses so 
 affrighted the Indians that they stayed not to meet his 
 charge, but fled headlong into the woods. A rare booty 
 
ON THE THRESHOLD. 75 
 
 in gold, silver, and emeralds — a kind of foretaste or 
 anticipation of the treasures of Peru — was found at 
 Coaque, greatly inspiriting the adventurers ; and Pizarro 
 hastened to send one of his vessels with a portion of the 
 spoil to Panama, persuaded that it would facilitate the 
 despatch of reinforcements. Another vessel he despatched 
 to Nicaragua, to make a levy- among the soldiers of 
 fortune collected in that colony. Then he resumed his 
 march to the south, but as the road lay over a sandy 
 waste, and under a blazing sun, the Spaniards suffered 
 severely. An infectious disease spread through their 
 ranks ; they went to bed well at night, but woke in the 
 morning strangely sick and feeble, and disfigured by 
 horrid ulcers. They also experienced a deficiency of 
 provisions, and as they passed but few villages, and these 
 deserted, they could obtain no fresh supplies. Yet, 
 as Helps remarks, all their miseries were amply repaid by 
 the delay which caused them, as far as regarded the 
 ultimate success of the undertaking. " Each day that 
 Pizarro's men were wasting away by sickness (their losses 
 being told by units), the Peruvians were busy in destroy- 
 ing their thousands, and in sapping the basis of their 
 empire, by a civil warfare, carried to the extreme of 
 barbarous hostility." 
 
 About seven months had elapsed since his departure 
 from Panama when Pizarro, one day, descried a ship 
 bearing down upon the coast. He ordered his standard- 
 bearers to hasten along the shore and wave their ban- 
 ners. These were seen by the stranger, which soon 
 afterwards brought-to at an easy distance from the beach^ 
 
^6 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 and dropped anchor. To the great joy of the Spaniards 
 she was laden with provisions, and she had on board some 
 officers, despatched by the Emperor, to accompany the 
 expedition. A few days later, when they had marched 
 onwards to the harbour of Puerto Viejo, another ship 
 arrived, bringing thirty foot soldiers, under a veteran 
 named Belalcazar. The reinforcement was small in itself, 
 but it strengthened and confirmed Pizarro's hopes, and he 
 gave the word to march. Some of his soldiers, however, 
 were so charmed by the grateful shades of Puerto Viejo, 
 with its luxuriant vegetation and luscious fruit, with its 
 bland yet refreshing air, with its glorious prospects of 
 a silver-shining ocean if they looked before them, and a 
 grand range of snow- crowned mountain heights if they 
 looked behind them, that they were fain to linger there, 
 and in this Eden of the Pacific coast to found a colony. 
 The desire for repose was natural after the hardships and 
 fatigues they had undergone, but Pizarro was no lotus- eater 
 — a resdess activity consumed him. The vision of the 
 Peruvian kingdom was always before his eyes, and in a 
 spirited speech he called on his soldiers to persevere in 
 their great enterprise. Like Tennyson's Ulysses, he felt 
 that he could not "rest from travel," but must drink ''life 
 to the lees." We can imagine that he may have used to 
 himself some such words as the poet's hero uses : — 
 
 " Souls that have toil'd, and wrought, and thought with me, — 
 That ever with a frolic welcome took 
 The thunder and the sunshine, and opposed 
 Free hearts, free foreheads, — . . . 
 Death closes all : but something ere the end, 
 Some work of noble note, may yet be done. " 
 
FORWARD TO PUNA. 77 
 
 A swift march brought the invaders to the well-known 
 shores of the Bay of Guayaquil, which embraces within 
 its waves the islands of Puna and Santa Clara. On 
 the opposite bend of the bay stood the town of Tumbez, 
 with its domed roofs flashing in the sun. To gain pos- 
 session of this town was one of Pizarro's principal objects. 
 But while he was meditating an attack, messengers arrived 
 from the cacique of the island of Puna, offering him 
 hospitality. The offer was accepted through the Indian 
 interpreters, whom he had carried to Panama that they 
 might learn Spanish, and who were now attached to his 
 expedition. A number of large balsas, or rafts, each pro- 
 pelled by a huge brown sail, conveyed the Spaniards, with 
 their horses and baggage, across the strait that separated 
 the mainland from the green shores of Puna, where a 
 splendid reception awaited them. The natives, who were 
 dressed in cloaks of the gayest colours, and bedizened 
 with golden ornaments, welcomed them with fantastic 
 dances and the sounds of rude musical instruments, enter- 
 tained them to a banquet of fruits and vegetables, and 
 allotted to them as their quarters a green hill-side, stretch- 
 ing down through the forest to the sunny shore. Here 
 Pizarro and his men remained for some time, until it was 
 ascertained through the interpreters that the chiefs of the 
 island were preparing to attack them, though of the cause 
 of so violent a change of sentiment the contemporary 
 historians of the expedition give us no inkling. Pizarro 
 endeavoured to anticipate the attack, and surrounding 
 the chief cacique's house took him and his sons prisoners, 
 and conveyed them to his camp. But by this blow the 
 
 F 
 
78 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 islanders were rather angered than intimidated, and just 
 before dawn they assailed the Spanish position in great 
 force, raining upon it incessant volleys of darts and 
 arrows. Pizarro immediately replied with a volley of 
 musketry, and a fierce struggle ensued, which lasted for 
 some hours. Several Spaniards and some of the horses 
 were wounded, but their superiority was fully established, 
 and from a field strewn with their dead and dying the 
 Indians retreated in great disorder, pursued by the 
 Spanish horsemen. Profiting by his victory, Pizarro 
 swept the island with fire and sword ; plundering the 
 villages, burning the houses, seizing upon any article of 
 value. He sent to the stake or the scaffold ten of the 
 principal inhabitants, but released the cacique, on the 
 ground that he had taken no share in the outbreak, and 
 to the intent that he might reassemble the scattered and 
 terrified natives in their villages. 
 
 Having exhausted the island of all its treasures, Pizarro 
 resolved to proceed to Tumbez. He sent his baggage 
 across the bay on rafts, each having three armed men on 
 board; he himself, with his soldiers and horses, embarked 
 in three of his own ships. On arriving at Tumbez he 
 took possession of the town, which he found partly in 
 ruins and deserted ; but was surprised to see nothing of 
 his rafts. Sending out reconnoitring parties, he ascertained 
 that the Indians had seized and broken up his rafts, 
 carried off their cargoes, and killed the Spaniards in 
 charge of them. He immediately despatched Hernando 
 Pizarro, with eighty foot soldiers and forty cavalry, to 
 pursue and punish the offending Indians. Hernando 
 
MARCH OF THE INVADERS. 79 
 
 crossed a broad deep river on a great raft, overtook the 
 people of Tumbez, and slaughtered them without mercy. 
 Having read this terrible lesson to the unfortunate Indians, 
 the Knight of the Order of Santiago quitted Tumbez on 
 the 1 8th of May, and resumed his southward march. He 
 had previously been joined by the famous Hernando de 
 Soto with a hundred cavaliers and some horses, and his 
 little army therefore presented quite a formidable aspect. 
 Many of the Indian villages received him hospitably, and 
 these were well treated ; at others, as at Almotuxe and 
 Cachera, he slew the curacas, or chiefs, and principal 
 inhabitants, in pursuance of his cruel, but not ineffective, 
 policy, of striking terror into the hearts of all opponents. 
 
 On arriving at Tangarala he found himself in a fair 
 green valley, through which a shining stream poured its 
 clear waters into the Pacific. Near its mouth, and on a 
 gendy-sweUing knoll, he resolved to found a colony, and 
 set his men to v/ork to fell timber and collect heavy blocks 
 of stone ; after which he traced the boundaries of his new 
 town ; divided the surrounding lands amongst those of 
 his soldiers whom he intended to settle there; apportioned 
 to each of them a certain number of Indians ;* and 
 erected a church, store-houses, and a small fort. To this 
 settlement its founder gave the name of San Miguel (or 
 St. Michael). 
 
 Here Pizarro tarried for several months. It is notice- 
 
 * A plan ' ' judged to be useful to religion and profitable to the 
 natives, that the new inhabitants might be maintained and the Indians 
 instructed in the faith, conformably to the orders of His Majesty, 
 until it should be decided what was most suitable for the service of 
 God and of the king, and most advantageous to the natives." 
 
8o THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 able, by the way, that in the conquest of Peru he showed 
 none of that immense and inexhaustible energy which 
 Cortes had shown in his conquest of Mexico. He was 
 tenacious, persevering, patient in the execution of his 
 designs, but he infused into them no special vigour or 
 animation. His progress from San Mateo was as leisurely 
 as that of a king engaged in a calm survey of the resources 
 of his kingdom ; had in it none of the rapidity and fire 
 and resistless impetuosity of a conqueror bent on the 
 acquisition of a mighty territory. This difference between 
 Pizarro and Cortes was due entirely to a difference of 
 temper and character ; for the conditions under which 
 the former invaded Peru were far more favourable than 
 those under which Cortes invaded Mexico. Cortes had 
 to be constantly on his guard against the jealous intrigues 
 of the authorities at Cuba ; had no means of obtaining 
 continual supplies of arms and provisions ; had no such 
 depot to fall back upon as Pizarro had at Panama. 
 Pizarro, moreover, acted under the direct commission of 
 Charles V., — Cortes was without the imperial sanction. 
 Again, the warriors of Mexico were well armed, well led, 
 and fought with wonderful resolution and courage ; while 
 the Peruvians were inefficiently equipped for war, and un- 
 fitted for it by their irresolute and peaceable disposition. 
 The conquest of Peru, therefore, remarkable as it was in 
 many of its features and in its results, was inferior in bold- 
 ness of design and grandeur of execution to the conquest of 
 Mexico ; just as Pizarro was inferior in energy, in military 
 skill, and organizing ability to Cortes. The distinctive 
 feature of his character was his strenuous perseverance. 
 
CIVIL WAR IN PERU. 8 1 
 
 However frequently repulsed and beaten, he was always 
 ready to renew his efforts. He worked slowly — he worked 
 with an imperfect idea of what he wanted, but he con- 
 tinued to work. From the first he had determined on 
 the conquest of Peru, and to this object he adhered with 
 a pertinacity of resolution that commands our admi-.* 
 ration. 
 
 While at San Miguel, Pizarro obtained some insight 
 into the internal affairs of Peru. We have seen that 
 Huayna Capac, the twelfth Inca, left two sons, to one of 
 whom, Huascar, or Guascar, he bequeathed his kingdom 
 of Peru ; to the other, Atahuallpa (his offspring by a 
 second wife) his kingdom of Quito. This division of the 
 empire was unacceptable to the Peruvians, and, encou- 
 raged by their support, he commanded his half-brother 
 to renounce the throne of Quito. On the other hand, 
 Atahuallpa had gained over the veterans of his father's 
 army, and at their head he marched against Huascar, 
 defeating him in battle and taking him prisoner. For 
 politic reasons the victor spared his brother's life, but he 
 put to death all princes of the royal blood on whom he 
 could lay hands. This civil war was in progress when 
 Pizarro landed in the country, and therefore it was 
 that his progress met with no opposition from its chief 
 authorities. He was allowed to penetrate almost to the 
 centre of the empire before its power was put forth to 
 check his career. And now, as if Fortune had determined 
 upon favouring him as lavishly as she had previously 
 persecuted him sorely, Huascar sent messages to him, 
 soliciting his aid against Atahuallpa, whom he denounced 
 
82 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 as a rebel and an usurper. The acute mind of Pizarro 
 detected at once the advantages to be gained from this 
 divided state of the kingdom which he had invaded, 
 and he determined, without waiting for Almagro's long' 
 expected reinforcements, to push forward, while intestine 
 discord neutralized the Peruvian power against foreign 
 enemies. By taking part with one or other of the com- 
 petitors, as circumstance might dictate, he would place 
 himself in a position eventually to crush both. 
 
 Leaving a small garrison in San Miguel, he set out, on 
 the 24th of September, at the head of 102 foot soldiers, 
 of whom twenty were armed with cross-bows and three with 
 muskets, and sixty- two horsemen, for Caxamalca, where 
 he understood that Atahuallpa was then residing. Vv^hen 
 about half way on his march, he was met by envoys from 
 Atahuallpa, who brought him a present and some pro- 
 visions, and the information that their master had been 
 victorious over his enemies. A courteous reply was 
 returned by the Spanish captain. Continuing his march, 
 and resting every night in the fortified stations erected by 
 the Incas at regular intervals along the great Cuzco road, 
 he crossed the territory of a cacique named Cinto. Thence 
 he diverged to the right, and ascended the mountains by 
 a pass which a handful of men might have defended 
 against an army; but whether Atahuallpa believed in the 
 peaceful mission of the Spaniards, or confidently relied 
 on his vast numerical superiority, he made no attempt 
 to hold it. On the summit of the pass more messages 
 came from the Inca ; he desired to be apprised of the 
 day of Pizarro's arrival, in order that he mi^^ht arrange 
 
PIZARRO AND THE ENVOYS. SS 
 
 for the supply of abundant provisions to his troops at the 
 very stations on their march. The envoys also repeated 
 the particulars of Atahuallpa's success in the war against 
 his brother, and of Huascar having been taken prisoner, 
 Pizarro answered, that to all ambitious men it happened 
 as if had happened to Huascar ; not only did they not 
 attain what they had wickedly aimed at, but they lost 
 also their own property and persons, — a sententious obser- 
 vation, the applicability of which, as a commentary on 
 his own career, he did not then foresee. He proceeded 
 to say that he knew Atahuallpa to be a great king, but 
 his own master, the king of Spain, was lord of the whole 
 world, and his very servants were greater princes than the 
 Inca of Peru. This mighty monarch had sent him thither 
 to bring the people to a knowledge of the true God ; 
 and, with the few Christians who were his companions, he 
 had already conquered more potent kings than Atahuallpa. 
 If the Inca, he added, wished to be his friend, and to 
 receive him as a friend, well and good : he would assist 
 him in his wars, and he should be allowed to remain on 
 his throne, as he, Pizarro, intended to cross the country to 
 the other sea. On the other hand, if he wished for war, 
 Pizarro would wage it against him as he had waged it 
 against the caciques (or curacas) of Puna and Tumbez ; 
 but he would make war upon none, he would do harm 
 to none, who did not bring it upon himself. 
 
 Pizarro resumed his march, and next day arrived from 
 Atahuallpa the first messenger, a person of dignity, with 
 the most cordial assurances from Atahuallpa of friendship 
 and hospitality. He undertook to accompany the Spanish 
 
84 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 army to Caxamalca. It was on Friday, the 15th of 
 November, at the hour of vespers, that they entered the 
 town, which was built at the foot of a mountain-spur, 
 where the level extended about three miles in breadth. 
 Two rivers flowed through the neighbouring valley; over 
 each was a bridge, conducting to the town. Clos& to 
 the entrance was a great square, with houses abutting 
 upon two sides of it. These houses were very spacious, 
 and surrounded by walls of masonry about eighteen feet 
 high. Their roofs were formed of straw and timberc 
 The interior in each case was divided into several blocks, 
 each block consisting of eight chambers, and having its 
 own entrance. In front of the square, facing the plain, 
 rose a fortress of stone 3 and above the town, on the hill- 
 side, was a larger fortress, with a triple enclosure. It 
 was in the great square that Pizarro posted his troops, 
 while he despatched Hernando de Soto, with twenty 
 horsemen, to inform the Inca of his arrival, and invite 
 him to pay him a visit. Soon after, he sent his brother 
 Hernando with twenty more, to support De Soto if any 
 violence should be attempted. 
 
 De Soto was admitted at once to the presence of the 
 Inca, whom he found sitting at the entrance of his tent, 
 surrounded by a number of his chiefs and women. He 
 wore the characteristic Incarial head-dress, " a tassel of 
 wool, which looked silk, of a deep crimson colour {de 
 color de carmin), two hands in breadth, set on the head 
 with fringes, which descended to the eyes ; a long fine 
 woollen robe clothed his person, and his wrists and 
 fingers blazed with ornaments of gold." While De Soto, 
 
THE ENVOYS AND THE INCA. 85 
 
 through an interpreter, delivered Pizarro's message, he 
 steadily fixed his eyes upon the ground, and neither 
 moved nor spoke. One of his nobles replied; but at 
 this crisis Hernando Pizarro arrived, and to the Spanish 
 captain's brother Atahuallpa himself condescended to 
 speak. He said that May9ahilica, a curaca of his, on 
 the banks of the river Turicara (that is, near San Miguel), 
 had sent him word of the evil manner in which the 
 Spaniards had used his ciiracas, putting them in chains. 
 The same chieftain, he added, had informed him that the 
 Spaniards were indifferent warriors, and that he had killed 
 three of them and a horse. Notwithstanding these things 
 he intended on the morrow to visit the Spanish general, 
 and he would be a friend to him and his soldiers. The 
 blood of Hernando Pizarro kindled to fever-heat at the 
 insult thrown upon the courage of the Spaniards. The 
 people of San Miguel, he exclaimed, were as hens, and 
 one horse was sufficient to subdue their whole country. 
 When the Inca saw them fight he would be able to judge 
 whether they were cowards. His brother, the Governor, 
 he said, was well disposed towards the Inca, and if he 
 were troubled by any enemy the Governor would send at 
 once to conquer him. The Inca replied, that at five 
 days' journey were some troublesome Indians whom he 
 could not subdue, and the Christians might go there and 
 assist his loyal people. The horsemen, answered the 
 vehement Hernando, — the horsemen would suffice for 
 the work, if he set his Indians to hunt out the fugitives. 
 At which speech, as we do at a vaunt of the silliness of 
 which we are convinced, Atahuallpa quietly smiled. 
 
86 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 De Soto and Hernando, with their cavaliers, returned to 
 Pizarro, who took up his quarters for the night in the 
 palace of the great square, placing his captain of artillery 
 and a couple of guns in the fortress. He instituted a vigi- 
 lant watch, as he secretly mistrusted Atahuallpa's friendly 
 professions. Early in the morning, more messengers 
 arrived to say that the Inca would arrive in the evening, 
 and that as the Spaniards had come armed to his royal 
 camp, he should come with arms also. " Let him come 
 as he pleases," — quoih the Spanish captain. 
 
 About midday the Inca removed his camp to within 
 half a mile of Caxamalca, and sent yet another envoy to 
 state that he should come without arms, but with a full 
 retinue, and take up his quarters in a house in the town 
 called " the House of the Serpent." Pizarro then made 
 final preparations for his reception. He knew not 
 whether to expect peace or war, but was resolute not to 
 be taken by surprise. The guns in the fortress were 
 trained to bear upon the Peruvian army encamped in 
 the plain below the town. The foot-soldiers were posted 
 at intervals along the streets leading into the great square. 
 The cavalry, with their horses saddled and bridled, 
 remained on the alert in the palace. Pizarro himself 
 quietly kept to his own apartments, having with him twenty 
 picked cavaliers ; for he was resolved, if the Inca came 
 with treacherous intent, to imitate Cortes in his dealings 
 with Montezuma — to seize his person, and hold him as 
 a hostage. The dusky twilight was deepening and dark- 
 ening into night, when the captain went round his posts, 
 and addressed his men in frank and soldierly language. 
 
ARRIVAL OF ATAHUALLPA. 8/ 
 
 He bade them, since they could not fight in the open 
 field, make strongholds of their hearts. There were no 
 others for their protection, nor any succour but that of 
 God, who helped and defended in the greatest dangers 
 those who were engaged in His service. Let them think 
 nothing of the numbers accumulated before them. Though 
 five hundred Indians might be opposed to one Christian, 
 let them show that courage which brave men on such 
 occasions were wont to show, and God would be on 
 their side. At the moment of attack they were to charge 
 the enemy with vehemence and swiftness, and the cavalry 
 were to be mindful that in the rush their horses did not 
 strike against one another. 
 
 Apprehending that Atahuallpa designed to attack them 
 under cover of night, Pizarro sent to hasten his arrival, 
 on the plea that he was waiting to entertain him to 
 supper, and could not sit down until he made his appear- 
 ance. The Inca then prepared to enter the town in 
 great pomp. In the van were three hundred Indians, 
 attired in tunics of many colours— crossed like chequers 
 — and carrying in their hands huge branches of trees, 
 which they used as brooms to sweep clear their monarch's 
 path. Next came three bodies of minstrels in fantastic 
 costumes, singing the soft Peruvian melodies, and dancing 
 the strangest imaginable measures; who were followed 
 by the warriors of noble birth, with their metal cuirasses 
 avid helms of gold and silver reflecting gorgeously the 
 last purple rays of the sunset. Then marched five or 
 six thousand of the main body of the Peruvian army ; 
 some wearing tunics of vivid blue, others robes of snowiest 
 
88 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 white, and bearing maces of copper and silver ; others, 
 again, in helmets of skin, that flashed with jewels, and 
 their persons curiously arrayed with gems and gold. 
 Apparently all were unarmed, but in reality they wore 
 concealed beneath their tunics small darts and slings, 
 and bags of stones {porras pequtnas, e Jiondas^ ebeloas con 
 piedras). The Inca himself at length approached ; sitting 
 on a throne or litter, adorned with plumes of various 
 colours, and almost covered with plates of gold and 
 silver studded with precious stones, he was borne upon 
 the shoulders of his principal attendants. Behind him 
 came the chief officers of his court, carried in the same 
 manner; and the procession was closed with additional 
 battalions of Peruvian troops. 
 
 On reaching the centre of the square, the Inca bade 
 his attendants halt. Immediately Pizarro's chaplain, 
 Father Vincent Valverde, advanced, with a crucifix in 
 one hand and a breviary in the other. As he approached, 
 Atahuallpa inquired of one of those Indians who, from 
 supplying them with provisions, knew something about 
 the Spaniards, who and what he was. The man answered 
 that he was " the captain and guide of talk, the minister 
 of the Supreme God, Pachacamac, and His messenger." 
 Father Vincent, having made an obeisance, addressed to 
 the Peruvian a remarkable discourse ; remarkable in itself, 
 and no doubt more remarkable still in the version ren- 
 dered by the uneducated interpreter. It was divided 
 into two parts ; the first theological, the second political. 
 In the first he traced the doctrine of the Creation, the 
 fall of Adam, the origin of sin, the incarnation, sufferings 
 
FATHER VINCENT'S MONOLOGUE. 89 
 
 death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the appointment 
 of St. Peter as Prince of the Apjstles, the transmis- 
 sion of his ApostoUc power and his office as Vicar of 
 God to the Popes, who then, now, and always (he said) 
 had taken, and continued to take, much pains in preach- 
 ing and teaching to men the Word of God. In the 
 second part he narrated the donation made to the King 
 of Castile by Pope Alexander VI. of all the regions of 
 the New World, in order that, having conquered their 
 inhabitants, and driven out from among them all rebels 
 and obstinate persons, he might govern them wisely, and 
 bring them to the knowledge of God, and to the obe- 
 dience of the Church. Accordingly the King had sent 
 forth his captains, who had subdued and converted to 
 the true religion the great islands and the realm of Mexico, 
 and had now chosen for his lieutenant and ambassador 
 Don Francisco Pizarro, that the kingdoms of the Inca 
 might receive the same benefits which those other lands 
 had received, and that a perpetual alliance might be 
 concluded between him and the Majesty of Spain. This 
 alliance the Father explained as meaning that Atahuallpa 
 should acknowledge the supreme jurisdiction of the Pope, 
 give up idolatry, submit to the King of Castile as his 
 lawful sovereign, and pay him an annual tribute. If he 
 refused he would be harassed with war and fire and 
 blood {con guerra, a fuego y a sangre). Yea, if with an 
 obstinate mind he resisted, he might take it as a fact 
 most certain, that as anciently Pharaoh and all his army 
 perished in the Red Sea, so would he and all his Indians 
 be destroyed by the Spanish arms. 
 
90 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 At the close of the priest's oration, the Inca uttered 
 a deep Atac (Alas !) ; but, mastering his emotion, he 
 proceeded to reply in dignified and moderate language. 
 He observed that he was lord of the dominions over 
 which he reigned by hereditary succession ; that he could 
 not conceive how a foreign priest should presume to 
 dispose of lands that had never belonged to him. He 
 declared that he would not pay tribute to the King of 
 Spain ; nor would he abandon his worship of the Sun, 
 the immortal deity whom his ancestors had reverenced, 
 for that of the God of the Spaniards, who was liable to 
 death. The Spaniards, he said, or is represented as 
 saying, had more gods than the Peruvians, who adored 
 only Pachacamac, the Supreme God, with the Sun as 
 his subordinate, and the Moon as the sister of the Sun. 
 He added that, of many of the matters related by the 
 priest*" he had never heard before, and he did not now 
 understand their meaning : where had he learned things 
 so extraordinary? "In this book," replied Father Val- 
 verde, handing to him his breviary. The book was 
 clasped, and Atahuallpa was unable to open it. The 
 priest stepped forward to do this for him ; but the Inca, 
 construing his movement into one of disrespect, struck 
 him on the arm, torn open the book, glanced at some 
 of the pages, and flung it contemptuously on the ground. 
 He then said that he well knew what cruel deeds the 
 
 * Valverde's harangue, according to Robertson, is evidently a 
 translation or paraphrase of the form, concerted by a junto of Spanish 
 divines and lawyers in 1509, for explaining the claim of their king 
 to the sovereignty of the New World. 
 
THE SPANISH ATTACK. 91 
 
 Spaniards had committed on their march ; how they 
 had ill-treated his chiefs, and pillaged his storehouses. 
 Valverde replied that it was some Indians who had been 
 guilty of those offences, and that Pizarro had ordered 
 them to be punished, and was willing to make restitution. 
 "I will stay here," rejoined the Inca, "until you restore 
 to me all that you have taken from my land." 
 
 The Father returned to the Governor, and informed 
 him of all that had occurred, giving it as his opinion 
 that further delay was unsafe, and implying that the 
 sword must be called in to effect a settlement. It is 
 probable that up to this moment Pizarro had thought of 
 the capture of the king as an expedient which in certain 
 circumstances might be forced upon him, but had hardly 
 made up his mind to adopt it. The priest's words turned 
 the balance. Putting on a thick cotton tunic as a defence, 
 and taking his sword and buckler, he sent word to his 
 brother Hernando that the moment had come ; the latter 
 signalled to the captain of artillery; and amid the roar 
 of cannon and the blaze of trumpets, the Spanish horse- 
 men rushed to the charge. Pizarro made straight for 
 the Inca's litter, followed by his chosen band of cavaliers ; 
 but such was the impetuosity of his onset, that only four 
 were close up to him when, cutting his way through 
 the Peruvian body-guard, he seized the unfortunate 
 Atahuallpa by the left arm, shouting the famous war-cry, 
 "Santiago!" With deadly swords his comrades slew 
 the bearers of the litter, which fell to the ground, and 
 immediately the person of the Inca was secured; his 
 robe, in the melee^ being torn to pieces, and his diadem 
 
92 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 rent in twain. The Peruvians were so taken by surprise, 
 that they had neither the opportunity nor the presence 
 of mind to make use of their weapons. Terrified by the 
 tramping and snorting of the horses, they ran hither and 
 thither in wild confusion, and were slaughtered without 
 resistance. If they rushed frantically to the gates of 
 the square, they found them guarded by companies of 
 Spaniards, who fired upon them, killing and wounding, 
 and drove them back upon the panic-stricken crowd, to 
 perish like sheep in a slaughter-house. The carnage 
 lasted until nightfall, when the darkness like a shroud 
 descended upon upwards of two thousand dead.''' 
 
 Not a Spaniard was wounded, except Pizarro, who in 
 the scuffle around the Inca's litter received a slight 
 injury in the hand. Three thousand Peruvians were 
 made prisoners. 
 
 After the massacre was over, Pizarro caused the Inca 
 to be re-clothed according to his rank, and endeavoured 
 to comfort him by the assurance that he had fallen into 
 merciful hands, and that he had no need to feel ashamed 
 of having been conquered by one who, like himself, had 
 done great deeds. The misfortunes that had befallen 
 him and his people were of his own seeking, inasmuch 
 as he had come with a large army, and had treated with 
 scorn the Word of God. Therefore, the Lord had per- 
 mitted his pride to be humbled, and had taken care 
 that no Christian should be wounded by an Indian. 
 
 * This is the number given by Pizarro's secretary and biographer, 
 Xeres ; but Garcilasso de la Vega raises it to a total of five thousand, 
 and Sancho to seven thousand. 
 
CAPTURE OF THE INCA. 93 
 
 Atahuallpa, it is said, replied that he had been deceived 
 by his captains, who had told him not to fear the Spaniards, 
 but to go boldly forward with his army and attack them. 
 He had wished to come in the guise of peace, but they 
 had prevented him. 
 
 On receiving the reports of his lieutenants, all testifying 
 to the completeness of his success, and to the fact that none 
 of the Spaniards had been killed or wounded, Pizarro 
 gave thanks to God, saying, that so great a victory must 
 be regarded as a miracle due to His favour. He then 
 ordered his troops to retire to their quarters, but that a 
 strict watch should be maintained. 
 
 At supper the conqueror and the conquered sat at the 
 same table. Atahuallpa's couch was placed in Pizarro's 
 chamber; he was not subjected to the indignity of bonds, 
 nor was any other guard posted than that which usually 
 attended upon the governor. As soon as morning came, 
 a squadron of thirty horsemen was despatched to recon- 
 noitre, and to plunder the Inca's camp; from which 
 congenial occupation they returned laden with goM, 
 silver, emeralds, and provisions. The gold alone, when 
 melted, yielded no less a sum than 80,000 pesos. They 
 told P-zarro that they had observed among the dead 
 some who had not fallen beneath Spanish weapons, and 
 Atahuallpa acknowledged that these had been put to 
 death by his orders, because they had been frightened 
 by De Soto's horse. For when that gallant cavalier 
 went on his errand to the Inca, he had thought fit to 
 display the excellent qualities of his famous white charger. 
 At his bidding it had reared and bounded, had wheeled 
 
 G 
 
94 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 and curvetted, had dashed across the field like a flash 
 of lightning, and suddenly halted so near the Inca, that 
 the foam from its mouth had sprinkled his royal robe. 
 He himself, like a true king, had shown no sign of 
 astonishment or alarm; but there were many who fled 
 in terror btfore a monster of which they had hitherto 
 had no knowledge. Poor wretches ! they were cruelly 
 punished for their not unnatural cowardice. Their punish- 
 ment, however, did not reassure their countrymen, who 
 to the last were greatly affrighted by the Spanish horses, 
 which played in the conquest of Peru almost as important 
 a part as their riders. 
 
 The disposal of his numerous prisoners was a matter 
 of great anxiety to Pizarro. He shrank from the ghastly 
 proposal of some of his officers, that the fighting men 
 among them should be slaughtered in cold blood. He 
 was cruel from policy rather than from inclination. 
 Eventually he gave his soldiers leave to select such 
 prisoners as they chose to act as their servants ; the rest 
 he set at liberty. In like manner, of the large number 
 of sheep brought in, those not killed were allowed to 
 wander away among the mountains. Having despatched 
 messengers to Panama with the tidings of his victory, he 
 employed his soldiers in strengthening the fortifications 
 of Caxamalca, and in erecting a church, being unwilling 
 to advance into the interior until the long-expected rein- 
 forcements arrived. Meanwhile he taught Atahuallpa 
 to play at chess and at cards, in order that the hours of 
 his captivity might prove less irksome. The Inca, a 
 man of quick intelligence, soon learned to speak Spanish, 
 
A DOUBTFUL STORY. 95 
 
 and showed a vigorous industry in endeavouring to read 
 and write it. Much perplexed to know whether the 
 Spaniards acquired a knowledge of their language by- 
 natural instinct, or by toil and pains as he did, he one 
 day asked one of his guards to write the word "God" 
 on his thumb-nail; and when the soldier had done as 
 he wished, he went round among the other soldiers and 
 asked them to read it. Great was his surprise to find 
 that all of them read alike. Pizarro at this moment 
 came upon the scene; whereupon the Inca held up to 
 him his thumb, and begged him to read what was written 
 on it. With a blush, it is said, Pizarro was forced to 
 own that he could not. Thenceforth the Inca, we are 
 told, regarded him with considerably diminished awe and 
 respect. 
 
 Such is the common story ; but 'if seems to us very 
 apocryphal. In the first place, that every common 
 soldier should be able to read must be accepted as an 
 almost marvellous occurrence ; in the second, it is surely 
 improbable that a man of Pizarro's ability, in the position 
 in which he was placed, should not have mastered that 
 one Spanish word necessarily in common use, and dear 
 to every devout Spaniard. Thirdly, there can be no just 
 reason for supposing that Atahuallpa would attach any 
 special importance to a knowledge of reading and \mtmg, 
 or that Pizarro's deficiency in this respect would lessen 
 his respect for the master of the Spanish battalions, the 
 general who wielded at his will those terrible horsemen 
 and fatal guns. Atahuallpa was a king, not a school- 
 master, and would judge Pizarro by his material power, 
 
96 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 and not by his possession of the ''elements of educa- 
 tion." 
 
 In the conversations that occurred between the Spanish 
 captain and his prisoner, Pizarro gained a large amount 
 of information respecting the internal condition of Peru. 
 He learned that Atahuallpa's army had captured the 
 great city of Cuzco, and taken prisoner his half-brother 
 and rival, Huascar ; he was soon afterwards apprised 
 that the latter had been put to death, and that thus 
 Atahuallpa was sole lord of both Peru and Quito. On 
 his part, he informed the Inca that all the Peruvian 
 territories, and the rest of the New World, belonged, by 
 right of the Papal donation, to the Emperor, Charles V., 
 whom he must thenceforth acknowledge as his superior. 
 This Atahuallpa readily promised ; and having observed 
 the Christian greed of gold, he added, that if he would 
 set him free, he would fill the room in which the two 
 were conversing, up to a mark which he made on the 
 wall, with gold, — vases, and jars, and bars of gold, piled 
 nine feet high.* And this ransom he undertook to collect 
 in two months' time. Pizarro eagerly accepted the 
 splendid proposal, and a line at the stipulated height 
 was drawn all round the room, which measured twenty- 
 two feet in length by sixteen feet in breadth. 
 
 Atahuallpa, longing for liberty, and perhaps for revenge, 
 sent in all haste to Cuzco, and Quito, and other places, 
 where gold had been accumulated in large quantities for 
 the decoration of the houses of the gods or the palaces 
 of the Incas, with instructions to his officials to remit 
 
 * The height was half as much again as a man's ordinary stature.. 
 
ARRIVAL OF ALMAGRO. 9/ 
 
 what was necessary for making up his ransom to Caxa- 
 malca. And such was the loyal obedience of the 
 Peruvians, that though their sovereign was a prisoner, 
 they executed his orders with the utmost alacrity.* It 
 may be assumed that it was their hope of releasing him 
 by this means, which prevented the Peruvians from 
 attempting any other method, which would probably 
 have endangered his life ; hence, though the military 
 force of the empire was still unbroken, no preparations 
 were made, no army was assembled, to crush the invaders, 
 and avenge the massacre of Caxamalca. Pizarro's little 
 army remained unmolested. The opportunity soon 
 passed ; for Almagro, m the middle of December, landed 
 at Concibi, near Coaque, with a large reinforcement. 
 About the same time three caravels, with volunteers on 
 board, arrived from Nicaragua; so that, in all, 160 
 Spaniards, with 84 horses, were preparing to join the 
 conquerors at Caxamalca. 
 
 Pizarro then felt strong enough to despatch his brother 
 Hernando to collect the remainder of the ransom, and 
 to observe the movements of the Peruvian troops. He 
 took with him some arquebusiers and twenty horsemen. 
 Wherever he went, his march lay through a rich and 
 fertile country, whose inhabitants appeared contented 
 and prosperous ; the signs were numerous of a peaceful 
 and advanced civilization. Along the great paved cause- 
 way, which might well be termed one of the wonders of 
 
 * The reader will be reminded of the efforts of the people of 
 England to ransom Richard I. from the hands of the German 
 Emperor, 
 
98 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 the world — the famous road which for upwards of a 
 thousand miles crossed the summit of the Sierras, bridg- 
 ing chasms and rivers, ascending precipices, descending 
 rugged declivities — he rode towards Pachacamac. At every 
 village he was received with dances and merry-makings ; 
 at all the stations he was freely supplied with llamas, 
 maize, firewood, and a stimulating drink called chica. He 
 observed that the Peruvians were a religious people, 
 strict in the performance of the rites and ceremonies 
 of their Sun-worship; but while most of their temples 
 were dedicated to the Sun, others were reserved for 
 *' Cuzco the Ancient, father of Atabaliva." In the houses 
 of the Sun virgins ministered, the altars being stained 
 with the blood of llamas, and libations of chica poured 
 upon the earth. 
 
 Through a populous and fertile country Hernando 
 descended to Pachacamac, where, as at every point of 
 his route, he was greeted with a friendly welcome. He 
 found it to be a large and well- peopled town on the sea- 
 shore, much of the importance of which was owing to 
 the fame of its ancient temple. To this temple such 
 reverence attached, that the Indians spoke of it with 
 bated breath, and very reluctantly. The whole of the 
 country round about contributed to its support. It was 
 of ample dimensions, with large courts and extensive 
 precincts, but dim and squalid. In a great court outside 
 the temple were the houses of the virgins. No votary 
 was admitted into the first inner court unless he had 
 prepared himself by a twenty days' fast ; nor into the 
 second until he had fasted for a year. There it was 
 
AN ACT OF ICONOCLASM. 99 
 
 that the chief priest, in a sitting posture, and with his 
 head covered, received the disciples who had completed 
 this prolonged initiation. To him they declared their 
 desires or necessities ; and the subordinate ministers, or 
 "Pages of God," retired to an inner chamber to commune 
 with the divinity, who expressed to them his anger or 
 satisfaction, and through them gave orders for offerings 
 and sacrifices. " I believe," says Hernando Pizarro, "that 
 they do not talk with the Devil, but that these ministers 
 of the chief priest deceive the caciques, and this I endea- 
 voured to find out. It happened that one of them, so a 
 cacique told me, had said that he was told by the Devil 
 that the caciques ought not to be afraid of our horses, 
 which might frighten, but could do no harm. I put this 
 man to the torture, but he clung so fiercely to his evil 
 creed, that nothing more could be wrung from him than 
 that he really believed the idol to be a god." 
 
 To convince the caciques of the deception under which 
 they grovelled, he strode boldly into the >acred recesses 
 of the temple, tore down the idol from its place of 
 honour, and shattered it in pieces. It is probable, how- 
 ever, that this act of iconoclasm had far less effect on the 
 minds of the Peruvians than tlie terror of the Spanish arms. 
 We do not desert our gods because they are broken by 
 the hands of others It i only when they abandon us 
 that we are convinced of their feeb'eness and folly. 
 
 To the great disappointment of the Spaniards, the 
 priests had removed and concealed the treasures ofPach- 
 acamac on hearing of their approach ; and learning that the 
 chief Peruvian general, Chilicuchima, was encamped near 
 
100 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 Xauxa with a large army, Hernando marched in that direc- 
 tion. Every mile that he advanced filled him with greater 
 wonderment at the prosperity of the country, where want 
 and poverty seemed utterly unknown, and gold and silver 
 were as plentiful as in fairy tales. In crossing the moun- 
 tains some of his horses lost their shoes, and as no iron 
 was to be found, Hernando caused them to be re- shod 
 with silver. On his arrival at Xauxa, a large and prosperous 
 town, he entered into communication with Chilicuchima, 
 and easily persuaded him to return with him to Caxa- 
 malca, to pay his respects to his captive sovereign. After 
 a successful expedition, in which, strange to say, no blood 
 had been shed, Hernando rode again into Caxamalca, on 
 the 25th of March, 1533, accompanied by the Peruvian 
 general, and bringing with him twenty-seven loads of gold 
 and two thousand marks of silver. 
 
 Chilicuchima is described as a robust old man, of 
 soldierly aspect, tall, and with long white hair. His mode 
 of approaching his sovereign indicated the profoundest 
 reverence. At the palace gate he uncovered his head, 
 took off his shoes, and placed a burden on his shoulders. 
 The caciques who attended him did the same. Entering 
 the royal presence, he raised his hands to the sun, and 
 gave thanks that he had been permitted the happiness of 
 seeing his sovereign again. With the tears streaming 
 down his furrowed cheeks he prostrated himself on the 
 ground, and kissed his face, his hands, his feet. The 
 Inca preserved an impassive demeanour, though it is said 
 that he cherished a profound regard for his great captain. 
 He addressed him calmly, as befitted a descendant of the 
 
<_ 
 
 ^-VVnv-.^^':;^' -■ 
 
 -J 
 
 Chilicuchima. 
 
EMBASSY TO CUZCO. lOI 
 
 Sun, and, after a brief interview, dismissed him with a 
 haughty wave of the hand. 
 
 During Hernando Pizarro's absence at Pachacamac and 
 Xauxa, his brother despatched three cavaliers to Cuzco, 
 to receive its contribution to the promised ransom, and 
 report upon the appearance and condition of the country. 
 The three chosen were Pedro Moguer, Francisco de 
 Zarate, and Martin Baeno. Escorted by the Inca's 
 brother, and conveyed in luxurious litters, they travelled 
 the whole distance of six hundred miles, through a country 
 which astonished them by its multiplied evidences of pros- 
 perity. On their arrival at Cuzco they were welcomed 
 with feasts and dances and songs, and splendidly lodged 
 in a magnificent palace. These unaccustomed honours 
 proved too much for the self-restraint of the Spanish 
 soldiers, and they behaved with so much incontinency, 
 indiscreetness, and grossness — I borrow the words from 
 a Spanish writer — as effectually to disabuse the Indians 
 of their first simple belief that they were the sons of the 
 gods {hijos de Dios), and to impress them with the idea 
 that they were a new scourge sent from heaven in punish- 
 ment of their sins. At one time the Cuzcans contemplated 
 killing them, but forbore out of their dread of Atahuallpa's 
 vengeance, or their fears for his safety, ani made haste to 
 free themselves from the humiliation of their presence 
 by conceding all that they demanded. The defect of 
 Pizarro as a statesman is shovn in his selection of mes- 
 sengers so unfit for the task committed to them. Cortes 
 would have converted such a mission into a means of con- 
 ciliating and attaching the Peruvian people, and would 
 
102 THE LAND OF THE INC AS. 
 
 have been careful that his envoys should be men worthy 
 of representing the Spanish nation, and capable of ad- 
 vancing its interests.* 
 
 The three soldiers returned to Caxamalca with glow- 
 ing tales of the wonders they had seen. They spoke of 
 Cuzco as if it had been a city of gold, an earthly paradise, 
 that " Dorado" which had figured in the old legends and 
 romances. They declared that the walls of the Temple of 
 the Sun shone resplendent with vast plates of gold, of 
 which they themselves had carried off no fewer than 
 seven hundred ; and that it was adorned with an image 
 of the orb of day, all wrought in gold, with rays of gold, 
 which it dazzled the eyes to look upon. 
 
 On the 14th of April, during their absence at Cuzco, 
 Almagro and his reinforcements marched into Caxa- 
 
 * " We may well pause to consider the sufferings of the inhabitants 
 of Cuzco,. as having something peculiar in them, even for the Indies. 
 Their city, in their eyes a Paris, a Rome, and a Jerusalem, was 
 fondly, devotedly, adoringly regarded by them. At any caravanserai, 
 the traveller who was journeying from Cuzco took the precedence — 
 belonging to a superior fortune — of the Peruvian who was only ap- 
 proaching the sacred city. But now Cuzco was desolate and cast 
 down, for in a few brief weeks it had suffered the two greatest evils 
 known in the life of cities. It had recently been occupied by a con- 
 quering army of its own people, and had experienced all that the 
 bitterest civil discord let loose in a town can inflict upon it. Hardly 
 had this storm swept over the devoted city, when it was to encounter 
 the frigid insolence of alien victors, who knew nothing of its manners* 
 its religion, or its laws. Was it for this that, by incredible labour' 
 the stones had been adjusted in its palaces so as to appear like the 
 cleavage of the natural rock ? Was it for this that its Temple of the 
 Sun towered conspicuous above all other temples, merely to attract 
 upon it the lightning of destruction from all sides?" — Sir Arthur 
 Helps, " Spanish Conquest in America," vol. iii., pp. 561-62. 
 
ARRIVAL OF ALMAGRO. IO3 
 
 malca. However agreeable this arrival might be to the 
 Spaniards, it was alarming to the Inca, who saw the power 
 of his enemies largely increased; and as he knew neither 
 the source whence they derived their supplies, nor the 
 means by which they were conveyed to Peru, he could 
 not foresee (says Robertson) to what a height the inun- 
 dation that poured in upon his dominions might attain. 
 As a matter of fact, had the Inca been a man of any 
 political sagacity, he would have seen in the arrival of 
 Almagro the fulcrum on which to rest a successful effort 
 for the deliverance of his country. He would have de- 
 tected the rising jealousy between the two Spanish leaders, 
 and availed himself of it to further his own purposes. 
 Nothing, however, is more remarkable in the history of the 
 conquest of the New World than the fact that two great, 
 opulent, and civilized nations fell before a handful of in- 
 vaders, without producing a single man capable of initiat- 
 ing and conducting a vigorous defence, of stimulating his 
 countrymen to a patriotic resistance. 
 
 Almagro, since Pizarro's return from Spain, had sus- 
 pected him of an intention to arrogate to himself an undue 
 share both of power and plunder. That Pizarro cared 
 much for plunder I do not believe; but a marked feature 
 of his character was his love of power, and that he intended 
 to keep the government of the empire in his own hands 
 cannot be doubted. The time had not come, however, 
 when he could afford to quarrel with his colleague ; and 
 on his arrival at Caxamalca he received him with every 
 demonstration of sincere respect and cordiality, and 
 lodged him in the best quarters. Moreover, as his brother 
 
I04 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 Hernando, a cavalier of good blood and fine manners, 
 was not slow in exhibiting his scorn of the rough un- 
 lettered adventurer, Pizairo resolved to send him on a 
 missicHi to Spain, in order to present any premature dis- 
 ruption of the confederacy. He jH^epared, therefore, for 
 a division of the treasure which had been collected for 
 Atahuallpa's ransom, that the King's fifth might be ascer- 
 tained and conveyed to Seville by Hernando. Gold had 
 been accumulated in such shapes and quantides as the 
 most vivid imagination had failed to conceive in its 
 least sober dreams. Goblets of gold, \^ases of gold, slabs 
 and basir.s and ^ires of gold, utensils of gold, rings 
 and bracelets of gold, panels of gold wrenched fi-om the 
 walls of the :t - heavy golden bars which had formed 
 their cornices, fountains of gold, and birds, fiuits, and 
 vegetables of gold, — gold everywhere; much of it ex- 
 quisitdy wrought, all without alloy : — 
 
 " Gcdd ! fine qcM I both ydlov and xed ; 
 Bcitez I : 1 -I'-jsa, poUdted and raL* 
 
 All this mass was nt :tf c o^rn into square ingots or 
 bars, and then weighed It was found to represent in 
 -?alue 1,326,539 pesos ;* or, as money is now valued, 
 about ;^3,5oO;Ooo.t A fifth having been set apart for 
 the king, Pizarro received the next great share (57,222 
 pesos), along with the massive throne of gold on which 
 Ari -i- ' ;. :.i.i been brought to Caxamalca; his brother 
 Hernando (with 31,080 pesos), De S::./ (with 17,740 
 
 * A peso was woifh aboet 4s. S^d. ; or, at . ent value ai 
 
 VL'-' -: - zX fire times iSaeX rr ri, 
 
 t 7it;^ "2.- also silver 10 the r^i-'z -Ji ^i.iiz, rij.rk=. 
 
AN ENORMOUS BOOTY. 105 
 
 pesos), and the other principal cavaliers came next in the 
 distribution. Then each horse-soldier received 8,SSo 
 pesos j and each foot-soldier between 3.000 and 4,000. 
 To Almagro,* in recognition of his share in the enter- 
 prise, 100,000 pesos were allotted; and 20,000 pesos were 
 divided among his soldiers, who had borne nothing of 
 the heat and burden of the day. A sum of 2.220 pesos 
 was set apart for the new Christian church of San Fran- 
 cisco, at Caximalca ; and 15,000 pesos for the colony 
 of San Miguelt (July 25th). 
 
 " There is no example in history," says Robertson,:t 
 " of such a sudden acquisition of wealth by mihtary 
 service, nor was ever a sum so great divided among so 
 small a number of soldiers. Many of them, having 
 received a recompense for their services far beyond their 
 most sanguine hopes, were so impatient to retire from 
 ^fatigue and danger, in order to spend the remainder of 
 their days in ease and opulence, that they demanded 
 their discharge with clamorous importunity. Pizarro, 
 
 * Luque had died at Panama a short time before Almagro's de- 
 parture. 
 
 f As is always the case, this vast increase of individucil wealth was 
 attended by a great increase in the price of the articles in general 
 demand. A horse could not be bought for less than 1,500 pesos ; a 
 sheet of paper cost 10 pesos ; a bottle of wine, 70 pes is ; even a head 
 of garlic (a con Ument almost indispensable to the Spaniard), half a 
 peso. It is recorded by Oviedo as one of the results, and certainly 
 the most curious, of the shower of gold which had descended on the 
 Spaniards, that instead of debtors avoiding their creditors the reverse 
 prevailed, and creditors hid themselves in order to evade payment I 
 Such a state of things has never obtained in our day. 
 
 J Robertson, "Conquest of America," vol. ii., p. 310. ^^<rv Gar- 
 cilasso de la Vega. pt. 2. lib. i.. c. 3S. 
 
I06 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 sensible that from such men he could not expect enter- 
 prise in action nor fortitude in suffering, and persuaded 
 that wherever they went the display of their riches would 
 allure adventurers, less opulent but more hardy, to his 
 standard, granted their suit without reluctance, and per- 
 mitted above sixty of them to accompany his brother 
 Hernando." Yet as these were veterans, and accustomed 
 to serve under his standard, he must have regretted their 
 departure, which weakened materially his force in com- 
 parison with that enlisted by Almagro ; and his ready 
 compliance with their demand is one of those instances 
 of generosity which brighten his stormy career. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 DEATH OF ATAHUALLPA. — THE SPANISH SETTLE- 
 ^K MENT. 
 
 RAVING paid a magnificent and right royal 
 ransom, Atahuallpa naturally demanded to 
 be set at liberty.* I have no doubt that this 
 was the original intention of Pizarro ; that he 
 would have released him under such con- 
 ditions as would have ensured his subordination to the 
 Spaniards ; but the arrival of Almagro and his men 
 brought about a complete change of affairs. From the 
 
 * Atahuallpa was well treated in his captivity. He was attended 
 by his wives and concubines, who waited on him at table, and dis- 
 charged the various duties about his person. Indian nobles were 
 stationed in his ante-chamber, though they never entered his pre- 
 sence, unless summoned. His table was served with gold and silver 
 plate. His dress, which he changed frequently, was a robe made 
 of the skins of bats, or a mantle of the finely-woven wool of 
 the viaiiia. Upon his head* he wore the llatitre^ a woollen 
 turban of the most vivid colours, and round his forehead was 
 twisted the emblematic borla. He was taught to play with dice, 
 and in the game of chess he became very expert. In truth, he 
 wanted nothing but that which the captive wants most of all — ■ 
 freedom. — See Pedro Pizarro's graphic narrative, App., Prescott, 
 ii , 458, 459. 
 
I08 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 first they were inimical to the Inca, partly, perhaps, from 
 a jealous feeling that he should have been captured by 
 Pizarro and his soldiers ; partly because they feared that 
 whatever gold might come in would still be claimed as a 
 portion of his ransom. This unfavourableness of senti- 
 ment was early detected by Atahuallpa. who, when 
 Hernando Pizarro took leave of him, exclaimed, '* I am 
 sorry that you are going; for when you are gone, I know 
 the fat man and the one-eyed man " — that is Riquelma, 
 the King's treasurer, and Almagro — " will combine to 
 kill me." He had another and even more powerful 
 enemy in the interpreter Felipillo, who, to the intense 
 wrath and shame of the Inca, had presumed to fall in 
 love with one of his concubines, — an offence against 
 the monarch's dignity which he felt very keenly. Thus 
 it came to pass that the question of the disposal of 
 Atahuallpa was much discussed in the camp, under 
 influences which did not bode him well. About the 
 same time rumours reached Pizarro of the gathering of 
 the Peruvian army, as if it had suddenly awakened from 
 its long lethargy, and designed to strike a blow for the 
 national independence. Brave as the Spanish captain 
 was, and conscious of the superiority he derived from the 
 arms and discipline of his men, he knew that they were 
 but a handful in the midst of miUions, and that at any 
 time a well-conceived combination or a skilful surprise 
 might set aside the superiority on which he relied, and 
 overwhelm him with ruin. He could not afford, there- 
 fore, to throw away a single chance, and the release of 
 Atahuallpa might have been such a chance, as it would 
 
A DIFFICULT SITUATION. IO9 
 
 have afforded the Peruvians a centre, a rallying-point, so 
 to speak, and a legitimate and, in their beUef, Heaven- 
 sent leader. On the other hand, if he held hiai pri- 
 soner, he was liable to a thousand annoyances and 
 anxieties; Atahuallpa would naturally intrigue for his 
 liberation or to effect his escape, or the Peruvians would 
 be incited to some desperate attempt on behalf of their 
 imprisoned monarch. Pizarro was perplexed and uneasy ; 
 for throughout his Peruvian expedition he was a close 
 copyist of Cortes, and here was a dilemma in which he 
 had no example of Cortes to guide him. In adopting 
 the principle that whatever was expedient was just 
 (" Y esto tenia per justo, pues era provechoso "), he 
 adopted one which Cortes was not fond of recognizing. 
 
 His hesitation is shown by the circumstance that he 
 published a formal and official document, fully dis- 
 charging the Inca of further obligation in respect to the 
 ransom, though its exact terms had not been, and 
 perhaps never would have been, fulfilled. Yet, at the 
 same time, he expressed an opinion that considerations ot 
 safety and security rendered necessary the detention of 
 the Inca until additional reinforcements came from Spain. 
 While he thus wavered, the rumours of an Indian attack 
 revived ; an army, it was said, was assembling at Quito, 
 and would be supported by 30,000 Caribs ; and many 
 tongues connected with this menacing movement the 
 name of Atahuallpa. When Pizarro repeated the story 
 to Chilicuchima, the grey-haired veteran pronounced it a 
 calumny. Pizarro next went to the Inca himself: " What 
 treason is it you are meditating against me ? against nie, 
 
 H 
 
no THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 who have treated you with honour, and trusted in your 
 words as in those of a brother ? " " Why do you mock 
 me?" repHed the Inca ; " why are you always saying these 
 jests of me ? What are we, I and my people, — how can 
 we conquer mtn so valiant as yours? Do not cast 
 these gibes at me." This he said (we are told) with great 
 composure, but he did not convince Pizarro, who re- 
 membered that he had often spoken with the same 
 coolness and astuteness, so that the Spaniards had been 
 surprised to see such prudence in a barbarian (" en vu 
 hombre barbaro tanta prudencia "). 
 
 Perceiving that he had not removed the general's 
 suspicions, Atahuallpa again asserted his innocence. 
 " Am I not," he said, " a captive in your hands ? 
 How could I conceive such a design as you speak of, 
 when I should be the first victim ? And little do you 
 know of my people if you think they would enter upon 
 it without my orders, when the very birds in my domi- 
 nions would not dare to fly in opposition to my will." 
 
 But the belief of the troops in a general rising of the 
 natives deepened every hour. A large force, it was said, 
 had been concentrated at Guamachucho, some ninety 
 miles from the camp. - Pizarro seems to have shared 
 their apprehensions. He caused the Inca to be loaded 
 with fetters ; he doubled his patrols, and went the rounds 
 in person to see that vigilant watch was kept. The 
 soldiers slept on their arms ; the horses were all saddled 
 and bridled in readiness for immediate service. What 
 was more to the purpose, two Indian spies were sent 
 out to reconnoitre the enemy's position. They returned 
 
THE INCA BROUGHT TO TRIAL. Ill 
 
 with the information that the Peruvian army was slowly 
 advancing through a mountainous district ; that Atahu- 
 allpa had at first ordered it to retreat, but had afterwards 
 cancelled the order, and named the hour and place at 
 which the attack was to be delivered, saying that if it 
 were delayed he should be put to death. The soldiers, 
 and especially those of Almagro's party, were more 
 clamorous than ever, and openly declared that Atahu- 
 allpa's death was essential to the safety of the Spaniards. 
 They were supported by Riquelma the treasurer, and 
 other royal officers, who had accompanied Almagro to 
 the camp. Pizarro still shrank from so extreme a measure 
 as the death of his prisoner, and Hernando de Soto and 
 a few others nobly protested against it, asserting that 
 there was not sufficient evidenced of his guilt. It occurred 
 to Pizarro to despatch Soto at the head of a small force 
 to reconnoitre the country about Guamachucho, and 
 ascertain if the rumours of warlike movements were 
 based on fact or fictitious. But while Soto was absent 
 there came to the camp at Caxamalca a couple of 
 Indians, who were attached to the Spanish army, and 
 they declared that the Peruvians were only three leagues 
 from Caxamalca, and would attack on that or the 
 following night. The excitement then became so intense 
 that Pizarro consented to bring the Inca to immediate 
 trial. The usual formalities were observed. Pizarro 
 and Almagro presided as judges; a doctor of laws acted 
 for the prosecution ; and an advocate was assigned to 
 the prisoner. Twelve charges, drawn up in the form of 
 interrogatories, were preferred. Of these the most impor- 
 
112 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 tant were, that the Inca had ordered the assassination 
 of his brother, and fomented a conspiracy against the 
 Spaniards. He was also accused of idolatrous and 
 adulterous practices, and of lavishly and unprofitably 
 expending the revenues of the kingdom since the con- 
 quest, of prosecuting unjust wars, and wasting his estates 
 upon his kinsmen. It can hardly be said that any of 
 these matters came within the cognizance of an invading 
 power, except the alleged conspiracy ; but they seem to 
 have been formally investigated. The principal wit- 
 nesses were the two Indians, whose evidence was wholly 
 unsupported ; the judges, however, declared Atahuallpa 
 guilty, and sentenced him to be burnt at the stake. He 
 was offered another form of death if he embraced Chris- 
 tianity — a religion which could hardly have been recom- 
 mended to him by the conduct of its Spanish professors ! 
 An angry discussion followed the declaration of the 
 sentence. Many of the Spaniards protested against its 
 being carried out. They were not insensible to the claims 
 of honour, justice, and good faith, and insisted that 
 Pizarro was bound by the promise he had given. They 
 even suggested that the Inca should be transferred to 
 Spain, where the charges against him could be examined 
 by the proper tribunals. They denied the authority of 
 the court that had condemned him, and impugned the 
 validity of the evidence brought before it. In all this 
 they were fully justified ; the trial was a gross outrage on 
 the law of nations ; their sole error lay in supposing that 
 any Spanish tribunal had a right to sit in judgment on 
 an independent prince. Their courageous and manly 
 
SENTENCE UPON THE INCA, II3 
 
 protest failed, however, against the bloodthirstiness and 
 panic fears of the majority,*" and all that remained for 
 them was to record in writing their sense of the iniquity 
 of a procedure which has left an indelible blot on the 
 Spanish name. 
 
 We acknowledge much force, however, in the reasoning 
 of the historian that this vehement debate, and the large 
 majority against Atahuallpa, militate against the com- 
 mon belief, that his death was the result of a previous 
 and stern resolve on the part of the Spanish commander. 
 I am convinced that Pizarro shared in what was obviously 
 the opinion of most of his soldiers, that the Inca had 
 secretly ordered military preparations, and that he re- 
 garded his death as an urgent measure of self-preserva- 
 tion. It must be admitted that this argument does not 
 absolve him from the guilt attaching to so cruel and 
 unprecedented an outrage, but it furnishes an excuse 
 which will be accepted by persons capable of calmly 
 considering the position of the Spaniards, and the hopes 
 and fears by which they were swayed. The whole 
 transaction is an illustration of the great truth which 
 common experience is continually demonstrating, that 
 one ill deed inevitably leads to another, that good cannot 
 come out of evil. The invasion of Peru was the initial 
 crime, and it necessitated a long series of crimes over 
 the record of which our shocked humanity may well turn 
 pale. 
 
 When the sentence was communicated to the Inca 
 his emotion was uncontrollable. With tears in his eyes, 
 
 * The majority numbered 350 ; the minority, 50. 
 
114 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 he exclaimed : " What have I or my children done 
 that I should meet such a fate ? " Turning to Pizarro, 
 he continued, reproachfully: ''And from your hands \ 
 You, who have received so much kindness and friend- 
 ship from my people — you, with whom I have shared 
 my troubles — you, whom I have loaded with benefits ! " 
 He implored him to spare his life, promising double the 
 ransom already paid, if only time were given him to collect 
 it, and offering any guarantee that might be required for 
 the safety of the Spanish army, down to the meanest 
 soldier. Pizarro listened to this touching appeal with 
 tears. "I myself," says an eyewitness, "saw the general 
 weep." But though he wept, he did not — perhaps he 
 could not — relent ; and when Atahuallpa found that 
 death was inevitable, he prepared to meet it with a 
 dignity worthy of his rank and race. 
 
 By sound of trumpet the Inca's doom was proclaimed 
 in the great square of Caxamalca ; and two hours after 
 sunset, on the 29th of August, it was carried into execu- 
 tion. Atahuallpa was brought to the place in chains, 
 with Father Valverde, who had affixed his signature to the 
 sentence, by his side, actively labouring to convert him 
 to Christianity, even at the last hour. When the royal 
 victim was bound to the stake, with the faggots heaped 
 around him, the Father held up a cross, imploring him 
 to embrace it and be baptized, and promising that if he 
 did so the painful death to which he had been sentenced 
 should be commuted for the milder form of the garrote. 
 This argument proved effectual ; he consented to abjure 
 his own religion, and receive baptism. The ceremony 
 
Execution of Atahuallpa. 
 
DEATH OF ATAHUALLPA. II5 
 
 was performed by Valverde, and the new convert re- 
 ceived the name of Juan de Atahuallpa. He then 
 expressed his desire that his remains might be interred 
 .with those of his maternal ancestors at Quito, and com- 
 mended his young children to the care and protection of 
 Pizarro. With stern composure he submitted himself 
 to the hands of the executioner, and was suddenly 
 strangled, while the Spanish soldiers around him mut- 
 tered their Credos for the welfare of his soul."^ His 
 body that night was exposed in the great square, and on 
 the following morning interred with solemn funeral pomp 
 in the Church of San Franciso. Pizarro and the prin- 
 cipal cavaliers attended in mourning garb, and the troops 
 listened attentively to the service read and chanted by 
 Father Valverde. In the middle of it a loud lamenta- 
 tion was heard outside the church, the doors were sud- 
 denly burst open, and many Indian women, the wives 
 and sisters of the murdered Inca, swept up the central 
 aisle, and with tears and sobs prostrated themselves 
 around the corpse. They piteously protested that the 
 
 * Atahuallpa was of a handsome countenance and fine presence, 
 with blood-shot eyes and a fierce expression, tall, robust, and well 
 proportioned. His air was commanding, but not without a touch of 
 refinement. " He is accused of having be^n cruel in his wars, and 
 bloody in his revenge. It may be true, but the pencil of an enemy 
 would be likely to overcharge the shadows of the portrait. He is 
 allowed to have been bold, high-minded, and liberal. All agree 
 that he showed singular penetration and quickness of perception. 
 His exploits as a warrior had placed his valour beyond dispute. 
 The best homage to it is the reluctance shown by the Spaniards to 
 restore him to freedom. They dreaded him as an enemy, and they 
 had done him too many wrongs to think that he would be their 
 friend." — Prescott, i., 444-45. 
 
Il6 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 funeral rites of their lord should have been celebrated 
 in the Peruvian fashion, and expressed their desire to 
 sacrifice themselves on his grave, and accompany his 
 spirit to the golden land of the Sun. The Spaniards 
 informed them that Atahuallpa had died in the Christian 
 religion, and that the God of the Christians required no 
 human sacrifices. They were then excluded from the 
 church, but several, on retiring to their residences, 
 carried out their vows, and by committing suicide con- 
 firmed their devotion to the murdered prince. 
 
 A day or two later, Hernando de Soto returned ; and 
 great was his indignation when he was informed of the 
 cruel deed done in his absence. Repairing at once to 
 the presence of Pizarro, he found him with a large felt 
 sombrero, by way of mourning, drawn down over his 
 eyes, his attitude and bearing suggestive of sorrow, and 
 perhaps remorse. With a soldier's abruptness, he said 
 to him : " You have acted rashly, for Atahuallpa was 
 falsely accused. There was no army at Guamachucho, 
 nor did I anywhere see the signs of insurrection. If it 
 were necessary to bring the Inca to trial, he should have 
 been sent to Castile, to be judged by the Emperor. I 
 would have pledged myself to have seen him safely on 
 board ship." Pizarro acknowledged his precipitancy, 
 and threw all the blame on Riquelme, Valverde, and 
 the more pertinaciou-; members of the majority, who, in 
 their turn, recriminated against Pizarro. The quarrel 
 was loud, violent, and prolonged ; but as they could not 
 bring the dead back to life, the contending parties at 
 length subsided into silence. 
 
THE RIVAL INCAS. 11/ 
 
 Pizarro's next step was to name a successor to the 
 late Inca, and after some consideration he selected a 
 younger brother of Atahuallpa, who was accordingly 
 crowned with the royal barla, and received the homage 
 of such Indians as remained in or about Caxanialca. 
 Pizarro probably hoped that a young man without ex- 
 perience, owing the crown to his favour and support, 
 would prove a plastic and willing instrument in his 
 hand ; while the task of government would be rendered 
 much easier if apparently sanctioned by that supreme 
 authority so long an object of reverence to the Peruvians. 
 On the other hand, the people of Cuzco and the sur- 
 rounding country acknowledged Manco Capac, a brother 
 of Huascar. To neither belonged that absolute power 
 which the sovereigns of Peru had previously enjoyed ', 
 for the captivity and death of Atahuallpa had broken up 
 the old order before a new one was ready to take its 
 place, and the bonds of allegiance in the various pro- 
 vinces had been loosened, if not dissolved. So many 
 of the royal house had been put to death by Atahuallpa, 
 that not only had their influence in the state diminished 
 with their number, but the veneration attaching to a 
 supposed sacred race had considerably decreased. 
 Hence it arose that in different parts of the empire 
 men of ambition seized upon as much authority as their 
 resources permitted, and exercised a jurisdiction to which 
 they had no claim. In Quito, Ruminavi, the late 
 Inca's chief commander, arrested the brother and 
 children of his unfortunate sovereign, slew them without 
 pity, and refusing allegiance to Toparca and Manco 
 
Il8 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 Capac alike, endeavoured to form an independent king- 
 dom. 
 
 One sad consequence of this sudden revolution was 
 the moral disorder which speedily convulsed the state. 
 Relieved from the heavy pressure of the Inca's power, 
 the Indians gave way to the most violent excesses. 
 Villages were burnt, palaces and temples were pillaged 
 and destroyed ; their treasures wasted, scattered, or con- 
 cealed. The Peruvian attributed a new importance to 
 the precious metals when he saw the value put upon 
 them by his conquerors; and thus a simple-minded 
 pastoral community was suddenly infected with the 
 greed of gain. Formerly reserved for religious decora- 
 tion or state purposes, gold and silver were now regarded 
 as private property, and hoarded up and buried in caves 
 and forests. The amount secreted by the natives is sup- 
 posed to have largely exceeded that which fell into the 
 hands of the Spaniards. " What the Inca gave the 
 Spaniards," said some of the Indian nobles to Benal- 
 cazar, the conqueror of Quito, "was but as a grain of 
 corn compared with the heap before him.'^ 
 
 Recognizing that he had no longer to deal with an 
 organized and united state, but with a community broken 
 violently asunder by the disappearance of the authority 
 which had held it together and formed its strength, 
 Pizarro prepared to continue and complete the work of 
 conquest. He had at his disposal a force of nearly 
 500 veteran soldiers, of v/hom 160 were horsemen. 
 They were well-equipped, inured to adventure, and full 
 of spirit. At their head, early in September, he set out 
 
MARCH OF THE SPANIARDS. II9 
 
 from Caxarnalca, which he left in charge of a sufficient 
 garrison. His route lay along the magnificent causeway 
 which crossed the slopes of the Cordilleras to the ancient 
 city of Cuzco. In the van of his little army he rode 
 triumphantly, mounted on a noble white charger; and 
 at a short distance behind came two superb litters, bear- 
 ing Toparea and Chilicuchima, each surrounded by his 
 usual attendants. Next followed the Spanish horsemen 
 on their prancing steeds — stalwart men were they, 
 with all the true Spaniard's pride of port — and the sun 
 glancing brightly from their shining shields and polished 
 helms, they made a gallant sho.v. Bat scarcely less 
 brave the appearance of the infantry in their steel 
 cuirasses, as, with bow or arq lebuse in hand, or massive 
 pike, they marched along with solid, steady tramp. The 
 rear was brought up by a crowd of Peruvians, men 
 and women, who acted as guides, servants, or baggage- 
 porters. 
 
 The great road of the Incas carried them easily across 
 smooth and level valleys, dotted with prosperous villages 
 and brightened by crystal streams, — over elevated plains 
 that breathed a fresh pure air, and commanded glorious 
 views of the sea on one hand, and the white masses of 
 the mountains on the other, — around precipitous cliffs 
 which seemed ready to crush the daring traveller with their 
 nodding crags, — through wooded gorges, where at mid- 
 noon a twilight obscurity prevailed, — and down descents 
 which, bat for this wonderful paved causeway, must have 
 been impassable to cava ry. It was when the road 
 climbed the mountain-side in steep zi^-zags, almost 
 
120 THE LAND OF THE INC AS. 
 
 resembling a tier of steps, that the horsemen found their 
 progress difficult, and were compelled to dismount and 
 lead their chargers by the bridle. Every evening, when 
 the army halted, they found ample supplies prepared for 
 them, and convenient shelter. Hence there was little 
 suffering, except when they crossed the rough pinnacles 
 of the Cordilleras, and breathed the different air of the 
 iced mountain-tops. Then they underwent some incon- 
 venience from the cold ; for, in order that they might 
 march more quickly, they had left all superfluous baggage, 
 and even their huts, at Caxamalca. The bleak blasts 
 penetrated the stout harness of the soldiers ; but the 
 poor Indians of the plains, accustomed to a warm soft 
 climate, and scantily clothed, suffered most severely. 
 The rude experiences through which the Spanish veterans 
 had passed seemed to have hardened them, body and mind. 
 The Spaniards met with no molestation from the 
 enemy. As they marched along, the peasantry came 
 forth to see them, but their impulse was curiosity rather 
 than hatred. Occasionally, however, they came upon 
 ruined bridges and the blackened remains of burned 
 villages ; and the Indian scouts brought Pizarro word of 
 small bodies of the natives, armed, hovering on his track, 
 or lying concealed in the ravines and the covert of the 
 woods. It was not until he reached Xauxa that he 
 met with any show of opposition. A Peruvian force, 
 posted on the opposite bank of the river, prepared to 
 dispute his passage ; but the Spaniards plunged into the 
 water, made their way across, and, with great slaughter, 
 drove their opponents into flight 
 
DE SOTO CAUGHT IN AN AMBUSH. 121 
 
 Of Xauxa, in connection with Hernando Pizarro's visit, 
 we have already spoken. " It was seated," says Prescotr, 
 "in the midst of a verdant valley, fertilized by a thousand 
 little rills, which the thrifty Indian husbandman drew 
 from the parent river that rolled sluggishly through the 
 meadows. There were several capacious buildings of 
 rough stone in the town, and a temple of some note in 
 the times of the Incas. But the strong arm of Father 
 Valverde and his countrymen soon tumbled the heathen 
 deities from their pride of place, and established in their 
 stead the sacred effigies of the Virgin and Child." 
 
 Pizarro halted here to found a Spanish colony, for 
 which the she was favourable. Meanwhile he despatched 
 De Soto, with sixty horsemen, to explore the road to 
 Cuzco, and restore such bridges as he found demolished. 
 As he advanced he found the people more prompt to 
 manifest their hatred of the strangers ; and at Bilcas, 
 in a mountain dehle, was engaged in a sharp struggle, 
 which cost him the lives of two or three of his troopers. 
 A fierce contest awaited him in the pass of Vilcaconga, 
 across the river Apurimac. Caught in an ambush, he 
 and his men were called upon to fight for dear Hfe ; from 
 cavern and thicket the enemy issued, with loud shouts 
 of war, and poured in upon them a storm of missiles. 
 Men and horses were toppled over in the fury of the 
 onset ; and the foremost files, retiring on those not yet 
 up the ascent, spread disorder and destruction in their 
 ranks. In vain De Soto endeavoured to rally them ; 
 their horses were confused and maddened by the inces- 
 sant missiles, and in vain endeavoured to free them- 
 
122 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 selves from the enemy, who ckmg desperately to their 
 limbs. In the distance rose a broad and open bit of 
 tableland. De Soto saw that his only hope of safety 
 lay in reaching it. Clasping his helmet and lowering his 
 spear, he struck his spurs deep into his horse's flanks, 
 shouted the old battle-cry of Spain, and followed and 
 supported by his men, cut his way right through the 
 swarm of dusky warriors and gained the level beyond. 
 
 Then both parties paused, as if by signal, to take a 
 moment's breathing-time ; and the Spaniards hastened 
 to water their horses in a stream that flowed close 
 by. Again De Soto galloped to the charge; again 
 the Indians received it with admirable steadiness, 
 showing no dismay even at the appearance of the 
 snorting, trampling, furious horses ; and it was night 
 alone that put an end to the fighting. Both sides 
 withdrawing from the ground, they took up their stations 
 within an ea=;y distance of each other, so that in the hush 
 of the night they couki clearly hear each others' voices. 
 The two armies looked forward with very different fee 1- 
 ings to a renewal of the fight on the morrow. The 
 Spaniards were discouraged and alarmed by a strength 
 and steadiness of resistance which they had never ex- 
 pected. 1 hey had lost some of their bravest cavaliers; 
 one by a blow from a Peruvian battle-axe, which had 
 cloven his skull from the ciown to the chin, thus attesting 
 the excellence of the weapon and the strength of the arm 
 that yielded it. Several horses had been killed; f*^Wj 
 either of the men or horses, had escaped without a wound; 
 and the Indian aUies had suflered still more severely. 
 
MARCH OF ALMAGRO. I23 
 
 From the orderliness and steadiness of the assault De 
 Soto concluded it had been directed by some expe- 
 rienced chief, — perhaps by the Indian commander Quiz- 
 quiz, who was reputed to be in that neighbourhood with 
 a considerable army. The Spaniard, however, did his 
 best to raise the spirits of his men ; reminding them 
 that though weary with a long march, and their horses 
 exhausted, they had kept the enemy at bay, and that, 
 refreshed by a night's rest, they might confidently hope 
 to turn the tide of battle on the morrow; reminding 
 them also " to trust in the Almighty, who would never 
 desert His faithful followers in their extremity." 
 
 And so it proved, for Pizarro, having information of 
 the dangerous state of the country, and the rapid gather- 
 ing of bodies of armed Indians, had grown alarmed for 
 the safety of his lieutenant. Accordingly he sent forward 
 Almagro, with the bulk of the remaining cavalry, to 
 support and succour him; and he, advancing by forced 
 marches, reached the foot of the Vi"caconga river on 
 the very night of the engagement. From his spies he 
 heard of the day's fighting, and though his horses were 
 blown and weary he pushed forward to find De Soto. 
 The night was densely dark ; and to apprise his comrade 
 of his approach, he sounded his trumpets on the march. 
 Cheerily their martial notes rang through the defiles, 
 and, repeated by the mountain echoes, infused fresh 
 courage into the heart of every bat tie- worn cavalier, while 
 De Soto's silver bugles pealed a shrill reply. Before the 
 day dawned the two companies of Spaniards were united. 
 
 By the morning light the Peruvians saw their extended 
 
124 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 array, and dismayed by its strength, took advantage of 
 the heavy mist which hung about the mountains to 
 accorapUsh their retreat. Ahuagro and De Soto then 
 continued their march until they cleared the defiles ot 
 the mountains, when, entrenching themselves in a strong 
 position, they awaited the arrival of Pizarro. 
 
 Pizarro, on receiving information of their safety, rejoiced 
 exceedingly ; and, in the true Crusader spirit,"^ caused 
 mass to be said and thanksgiving made, because heaven 
 had showered its favours upon the Christians throughout 
 the mighty enterprise. It seemed certain that the attack 
 on De Soto's party had been organized and directed by 
 some man of authority; and suspicion fell upon the 
 veteran ChiHcuchima, who was believed to maintain a 
 secret correspondence with Quizquiz. Pizarro hastened 
 to accuse him of the conspiracy, reproaching him with 
 ingratitude towards the Spaniards, who had treated him 
 with so much liberality, and assuring him, with a sern 
 frown, that if he did not cause the Peruvians to lay down 
 their arms at once, he should be burnt alive so soon as 
 they reached Almagro's encampment. 
 
 The aged chief coldly replied that he knew of no con- 
 spiracy, and that so long as he remained a prisoner he 
 could have no influence over his countrymen. Pizarro 
 then ordered him to be put in irons, and placed a strong 
 guard over him. 
 
 * Pizarro and his men were scarcely less Crusaders than gold- 
 hunters. They were impelled by a strange medley of motives ; 
 some, mean and worldly ; others, noble and spiritual ; a greed of 
 gain, a love of adventure, a lust of power, and a desire to convert 
 the heathen to Christianity. 
 
A BEAUTIFUL VALLEY. 1 25 
 
 Before setting out from Xauxa Pizarro sustained a 
 new misfortune in the death of Toparca, the young Inca. 
 It was the result, apparently, of the prince's continued 
 brooding over the sorrows of his race and dynasty, 
 but the Spaniards attributed it to the machinations of 
 Chilicuchima.* 
 
 Leaving a garrison of forty men to guard his treasure 
 in Xauxa, and defend the town against any Peruvian 
 attack, Pizarro marched to effect a junction with Almagro 
 and De Soto, and with his united forces entered the vale 
 of Xaquixaguama, about five leagues from Cuzco. " This," 
 we are told, " was one of those bright spots so often 
 found embosomed amidst the Andes, — the more beau- 
 tiful from contrast with the savage character of the 
 scenery around it. A river flowed through the valley, 
 affording the means of irrigating the soi'l, and clothing it 
 in perpetual verdure ; and the rich and flowering vege- 
 tation spread out like a cultivated garden. The beauty 
 of the place and its delicious coolness commended it as 
 a residence for the Peruvian nobles, and the sides of the 
 hills were dotted with their villas, which afforded them a 
 grateful retreat in the heats of summer. Yet the centre 
 of the valley was disfigured by a quagmire of some 
 extent, occasioned by the frequent overflowing of the 
 waters ; but the industry of the Indian architects had 
 constructed a solid causeway, faced with heavy stone, and 
 connected with the great road, which traversed the 
 whole breadth of the morass." 
 
 * The allegation that he died of chagrin at the subordinate position 
 in which Pizarro placed him is made by Velasco (of Quito), and by 
 no other writer. 
 
 I 
 
126 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 Here Pizarro halted and refreshed his troops. Here, 
 too, he brought Chilicuchima to trial — if trial that 
 mockery could be called, in which the judge and accuser 
 were one, and the sentence was decided upon before the 
 evidence was heard or the prisoner's guilt established. 
 He was condemned to be burnt alive.* " Some thought 
 it a hard measure," remarks Herrera ; ''but those who 
 are governed by reasons of state policy are apt to shut 
 their eyes against everything else." The sole reason of 
 state policy that could have impelled Pizarro to commit 
 this indefensible act must have been his determination 
 not to leave the Peruvians with any man of authority or 
 eminence to act as their leader and rally them against 
 their oppressors. With his usual anxiety to save the 
 souls of those who fell victims to Spanish greed or fear, 
 Father Valverde accompanied Chilicuchima to the stake, 
 and pressed upon him the arguments always at his 
 command in favour of conversion : through the waters of 
 baptism he would pass into the bliss of Paradise. Chili- 
 cuchima simply replied, " I do not understand the 
 religion of the white man ; " nor, as it was practised by 
 the conquerors and their priest,t could he be expected 
 to do so. He suffered death with unaffected heroism ; 
 
 * Mr. Prescott does not see why the Spanish conquerors so often 
 resorted to this cruel mode of execution. Because, I suppose, they 
 looked upon the Peruvians as heretics, and death by fire was, in 
 Spain, the traditional punishment of heresy. 
 
 •j- The inferiority of Valverde, in character and conduct, to the 
 wise and humane chaplain of Cortes needs no comment. A similar 
 inferiority is stamped upon all the personages connected with the 
 conquest of Peru. 
 
APPEARANCE OF MANCO CAPAC. \2J 
 
 neither sigh nor groan escaped him, and with his last 
 breath he uttered the sacred name of Pachacamac. His 
 followers endeavoured to shorten his tortures by piling 
 fresh fuel on the faggots which blazed around him. 
 
 A few days later, and the Spanish camp was surprised 
 by the appearance of a young Peruvian noble, richly 
 attired, surrounded by great pomp, and attended by a 
 gorgeous retinue. This was Manco Capac, brother of 
 the unfortunate Huascar, and the sole legitimate claimant 
 of the borla of the Incas. Finding it impossible to stay 
 the progress of the invaders, he politicly claimed their 
 protection ; and after asserting his title to the throne, he 
 solicited the aid of Pizarro in securing it. The Spanish 
 commander was well pleased to act with the sanction of 
 a native prince ; the death of Toparca he had felt as a 
 serious misfortune, and he, therefore, received Manco 
 with an unaffected and eager cordiality, assuring him 
 that the King of Spain had sent him to Peru for the 
 special purpose of vindicating Huascar's claim to the 
 throne, and chastising his rival. 
 
 With the young Inca and his attendants in his train, 
 Pizarro advanced upon Cuzco. In passing through the 
 mountain- defile that forms the approach, he encountered 
 a body of the Peruvians, whom, after a sharp contest, he 
 beat off, and towards sunset his army debouched on the 
 green slope in front of the ancient city. Beautiful it 
 looked as it lay in the purple and golden splendours of 
 the setting sun, — the great luminary to whose worship it 
 was consecrated, — with the shadowy forms of the moun- 
 tains holding it in their soft embrace. Pizarro deferred 
 
128 THE LAND OF THE IN CAS. 
 
 his entry until the following day, the anniversary of his 
 entry into Caxamalca, November 15th, 1533. Vigilant 
 watch was kept during the night, lest a surprise should be 
 
 attempted; and early in the morning Pizarro drew up 
 his little army in three divisions, placing himself at the 
 head of the centre, with De Soto and his brilliant horse- 
 men in the van. Then with banners waving and trumpets 
 blaring victoriously, with the sheen of arms and the 
 flutter of plumes and the tramp of steeds, he passed 
 through the gates of the City of the Sun, and filed into 
 its principal street. All along the route were assembled 
 crowds of Peruvians, dressed in their many-coloured 
 costume, and wearing their distinctive head-gear, which, 
 by its fashion, indicated the province from which they 
 came. They gazed with silent wonder at the Spaniards 
 as at a mysterious race of beings, whose origin it was 
 impossible to determine ; the arms, the shining armour, 
 the white complexions, the firm and martial tread, the 
 military music, the neigh and clatter of the horses, all 
 moved their curiosity, perhaps their dread ; but they 
 broke into loud acclamations when their young prince 
 appeared in his sumptuous Htter, borne by the side of 
 the Spanish general. To Spaniards and Peruvians alike 
 the spectacle must have presented the strangest features. 
 In the contact of the Old World with the New, of the 
 higher and more developed with the lower and more 
 imperfect civilization, there was always much to interest ; 
 but its deeper meanings would not be apprehended by 
 any of those who took part in the scene as actors or 
 spectators. They would remark only its external and 
 
THE SPANIARDS ENTER CUZCO. I3I 
 
 more obvious characters, which, indeed, were striking 
 enough and numerous enough to attract and reward 
 attention. 
 
 Pizarro made directly for the great square, in order to 
 secure a strong defensive position for his troops. It was 
 surrounded by several low ranges of buildings, including 
 the palaces of the Incas, and in one of these, which was 
 surmounted by a tower, he took up his quarters, and 
 provided lodgings for his officers. The soldiers were 
 encamped, at least for the first few weeks, in their tents in 
 the broad open//<3rs«, which was neatly paved with pebbles; 
 and their horses were picketed by their side. Without 
 delay the great banner of Spain was hoisted on the ram- 
 parts of the fortress, — which was built of hewn sl- ne on 
 a rocky height dominating the city, — on the palaces, 
 and on the Temple of the Sun ; a sign to all who looked 
 upon it of the lost independence of the kingdom of the 
 Incas. For the administration of the city, Pizarro made 
 the necessary arrangements ;* but at this time the con- 
 tentment and tranquillity of the inhabitants were such 
 as to relieve him from all anxiety. He wisely prohibited 
 the soldiery from entering the houses of the people, but 
 they were allowed to plunder the temples and palaces 
 of their decorations. They even despoiled of their gems 
 and ornaments the royal mummies in the temple of 
 Coricancha; for vast as was the treasure of Cuzco, it 
 
 * He assumed for himself the office of " Governor," and created a 
 kind of supreme magistracy or civil jurisdiction (the eight Regidores\ 
 of which two of his brothers were members (Gonzsdo and Juan), 
 March 24th, 1534. 
 
132 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 did not come np to the extravagant anticipations of the 
 Spaniards. In some instances they tortured the inhabit- 
 ants to wring from them a con^'ession of the places in 
 which they had concealed their wealth. They disturbed 
 the repose of the dead, and spoiled the graves of the 
 precious articles which household affection had deposited 
 there. No expedient was omitted, no place left unex- 
 plored, that promised to swell the total of their boot}^ 
 When all was collected, the greediest among them had 
 no cause to be dissatisfied. There were vases of pure 
 gold, beautifully wrought ; plates and bars of gold, four 
 golden llamas, and ten or twelve female figures made of 
 fine gold, as large as life, and as beautiful and well- 
 proportioned as if they had been alive. There were also 
 bars of solid silver, richly tinted robes of cotton and 
 feather- work, slippers and sandals of gold, and women's 
 dresses composed entirely of golden beads. When the 
 gold was all melted down, and the division made — after 
 the King's fifth and the shares of Pizarro and Almagro 
 had been reserved — each horse-soldier received six thou- 
 sand pesos of gold, and each infantry-soldier half that 
 sum. * 
 
 This splendid booty, added to the spoil divided at 
 Caxamalca, elevated the commonest soldier to the posi- 
 tion of a millionaire ; but it was of little benefit except 
 to the sober-minded and prudent individuals, who, con- 
 tented with so splendid a reward of their labours, withdrew 
 
 * ^ancho, who succeeded Xeres as Pizarro's secretary, estimates 
 the vA'hole amount at 580,200 pesos of gold, and 215 000 marks of 
 silver, which would give a smaller share to each solditr. 
 
MANCO CAPAC CROWNED. 1 33 
 
 from the enterprise, and returned to Spain to enjoy it in 
 tranquillity. "^^ 
 
 This delicate matter of the distribution of the booty 
 being satisfactorily settled, — and its fairness seems to 
 have been universally acknowledged, — Pizarro's next care 
 was to obtain a national recognition of Manco Capac as 
 the lawful sovereign of Peru. He accordingly caused 
 him to be publicly invested wath the borla, observing all 
 the traditional ceremonies, and celebrating the event with 
 all the ancient pageantry. He and the young prince 
 pledged each other in goblets of chica ; the mummies 
 of the dead Incas were paraded through the public 
 square, each with its gorgeous retinue, and seated in its 
 place at the banquet-table \ with dances and songs and 
 feasts the populace were entertained most lavishly. But 
 
 * Prescott says : *' The sudden influx of so much wealth, and 
 that, too, in so transferable a form, among a party of reckless 
 adventurers little accustomed to the possession of money, had its 
 natural effect. Ft suppHed them with the means of gaming, so 
 strong and common a passion with the Spaniards that it may be 
 considered a national vice. Fortunes were lost and \^■on in a single 
 day, sufficient to render the proprietors independent for life ; and 
 many a desperate gamester, by an unlucky throw of the dice or 
 turn of the cards, saw himself stripped in a few hours of the fruits 
 of years of toil, and obliged to begin over again the business of 
 rapine. Among these, one in the cavalry service is mentioned, 
 named Leguizano, who had received as his share of the booty the 
 image of the Sun, which, raised on a plate of burnished gold, spread 
 over the walls in a recess of the great temple, and which, for some 
 reason or other, — perhaps because of its superior fineness, — was not 
 recast like the other ornaments. This rich prize the spendthrift lost 
 in a single night ; whence it came to be a proverb in Spain, Jtiega 
 el Sol antes que amanezca, 'Play away the Sun before sunrise.'" — 
 History of the Conquest of Peru ^ i., 479. 
 
134 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 at least one novel feature was introduced, which to a 
 proud people would have communicated a deep pang. 
 The royal notary read a formal assertion of the supremacy 
 of the house of Castile, and required its acknowledgment 
 by all present. The act of homage was then performed 
 by each person waving the royal banner of Castile twice 
 or thrice with his hands. \Ve may conjecture that while 
 thus publicly proclaiming his dependence, the young 
 Inca was secretly resolving to throw off the yoke at the 
 earliest possible opportunity. 
 
 The Spanish Governor, when the festivities were con- 
 cluded, was at leisure to complete the organisation of 
 his conq-uest ; and, unlettered as he was, his strong 
 natural intellect enabled him to do his work well and 
 thoroughly. To secure the settlement of a sufficient 
 number of Spaniards, he liberally distributed the houses 
 and lands he had confiscated from the Incas. He pro- 
 vided for the police and good order of the city. The 
 interests of religion occupied him largely. In the great 
 plaza he laid the foundation of a stately cathedral. On 
 the site of the once splendid Temple of the Sun rose a 
 spacious monastery ; and the House of the Virgins of 
 the Sun was replaced by a Roman Catholic nunnery. 
 He encouraged the Fathers of St. Dominic and other 
 missionaries in their zealous, if not always well- conceived, 
 exertions for the conversion of the people; so that schools, 
 and churches, and monasteries sprang up with wonderful 
 rapidity. 
 
 From these peaceful labours, in which the conqueror 
 is seen at his best, — ])rudent, moderate, and far-seeing, — he 
 
DEFEAT OF QUIZQUIZ. 1 35 
 
 was called away by the efforts of some of the bolder 
 Peruvian captains to arrest and even turn back the tide 
 of Spanish conquest. A considerable force, under Quiz- 
 quiz, had concentrated in the neighbourhood of Cuzco. 
 Pizarro sent against them some squadrons under Almagro, 
 and a large body of Peruvians under the young Inca, 
 who, as the soldiers of Qaizquiz belonged to the Atahuallpa 
 faction, readily took part in the expedition. Almagro 
 acted with his usual promptitude and decision. By swift 
 marches he surprised the hostile camp; by repeated 
 blows he drove the enemy back upon Xauxa ; where he 
 fought a great battle, which, like all previous encounters 
 between the natives and their invaders, ended in the 
 total defeat of the former. Quizquiz fled to the tablelands 
 of Quito, and his own soldiers, weary of a campaign in 
 which they suffered heavily, and gained not even honour, 
 put him to death. 
 
 A greater danger than any hostile demonstration of 
 the Peruvians next threatened the conquerors ; for it 
 seemed to involve the possibility of a hazardous conten- 
 tion with their own countrymen. The reader acquainted 
 with the enterprise of Cortes and the conquest of Mexico 
 will remember that one of his boldest lieutenants was 
 Don Pedro de Alvarado, and that he was rewarded for 
 his services wiih the appointment of Governor of Guate- 
 mala. To this restless and aspiring warrior rumour bore 
 the tidings of Pizarro's success in Peru, and of the appa- 
 rently unlimited wealth which his fortunate sword had 
 won. Both hii ambition and his avarice were stimulated 
 by the news ; and understanding that the expedition of 
 
136 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 Pizarro had been confined to Peru, he resolved on the 
 conquest of Quito, which, as Atahuallpa's early residence 
 and inheritance, might be supposed to abound in treasure. 
 He justified his design by the pretence that Quito lay 
 within the borders of his province of Guatemala. Levy- 
 ing volunteers and preparing a large fleet, he sailed for 
 the Bay of Caraques, where, in March 1534, he landed 
 with the finest army that had yet been seen in the New- 
 World — an army consisting of 270 foot, and no fewer 
 than 230 horse, all splendidly equipped. 
 
 At the outset, however, he blundered. It was a neces- 
 sity that he should take a route different to that of Pizarro, 
 and he determined on crossing the mountain by the 
 direct path ; a passage which, even in the best season — 
 and Alvarado had not chosen the best season — is one 
 of formidable difficulty. Deserted by his native guide, 
 he plunged into the recesses of the Cordilleras, and 
 ascended those frozen heights in a painful and laborious 
 march. Caught in violent storms of snow and hail, his 
 soldiers, accustomed to the warm climate of Guatemala, 
 suffered terribly; and their Indian attendants, still less 
 fitted to endure excessive cold, perished by hundreds. 
 The horsemen were frozen in their saddles, rigid as 
 statues. The infantry cuuld scarcely drag their benumbed 
 limbs over the rugged ground and through the accumu- 
 lating drifts. Their provisions failed them, and they 
 disputed eagerly with the condors for the carcases of 
 their exhausted and half-famished horses. When Alva- 
 rado descended the other side of the fatal heights, 
 into a milder atmosphere, his once splendid army was 
 
ALMAGRO'S EXPEDITION. 1 3/ 
 
 reduced by three-fourths, and he had only a few horses 
 left. 
 
 As soon as Pizarro was apprised of Alvarado's expe- 
 dition, he despatched Almagro to encounter it. He 
 could spare him only a small company, but he was 
 directed to proceed by San Miguel, and to reinforce 
 himself with a portion of its garrison. On reaching San 
 Miguel, he was dismayed to learn that the commander, 
 Benalcazar, had started on an expedition of his own. 
 He, too, had been fired by the stories which reached 
 1-im of the riches of Quito, and with a hundred and forty 
 sokiiers, and some Indian auxiUaries, had undertaken its 
 conquest. Crossing the tableland of Quito, he encoun- 
 tered the Peruvian General, Ruminavi, in the neighbour- 
 hood of Riobamba, and after much desperate fighting 
 won a complete victory. Entering the city in triumph, 
 he hoisted the flag of Castile on its walls, and re-named 
 it, in honour of his general, San Francisco del Quito; 
 but, to his intense mortification, he found that its trea- 
 sures had been removed, or had existed only in fiction. 
 Meantime Almagro had rapidly followed in his track, his 
 fiery spirit unquenched by the snows of nearly seventy 
 winters. He was several times opposed by the Indians, 
 but his impetuous courage scattered them in every direc- 
 tion, and at Riobamba he united his Httle company with 
 Benalcazar's force. Then he awaited the approach of 
 Alvarado. The latter, as we have seen, had undergone 
 grievous misfortunes; and when he found himself opposed 
 by a veteran soldier like Almagro, showed a manifest 
 disposition to treat rather than to fight. His men also, 
 
138 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 mixing with their compatriots, and hearing glowing reports 
 of the beauty and wealth of Cuzco, were inclined to 
 abandon his standard, and rally to Pizarro's. In these 
 circumstances the task of Almagro was easy, and he 
 offered Alvarado a sum of 100,000 pesos, on condition 
 that he made over his ships, troops, and supplies. The 
 offer was not exceptionally liberal, but Alvarado accepted 
 it ; and the negotiation depended only on the approval 
 of Pizarro, 
 
 The Governor, leaving his brother Juan, with ninety 
 men, in charge of Cuzco, moved forward to meet Almagro 
 and Alvarado, who had descended to the sea-coast, and 
 in the valley of Pachacamac the three Spanish com- 
 manders came together. Pizarro instantly confirmed the 
 agreement made by his colleague, and the stipulated 
 sum was duly paid. After a merry round of chivalrous 
 pastimes and sumptuous banquets, Alvarado re-embarked 
 for his government of Guatemala, and Almagro departed 
 to take the government of Cuzco. Pizarro was thus at 
 liberty to determine on the site of the future capital of 
 the great empire which he had conquered for the crown 
 of Spain. His sagacity perceived that Cuzco, hidden 
 among the mountains, was too remote from the coast to 
 become the centre of a commerce which must be exclu- 
 sively conducted by sea. On the other hand, San Miguel 
 was too far north. What was wanted was a site well 
 sheltered, well provided with water, in a fertile country, 
 and of easy access to merchant-vessels ; and such a site 
 he found in the valley of Rimac, or, as the Spaniards 
 called it, Lima, where a broad river, at a distance of two 
 
THE CITY OF THE KINGS. 1 39 
 
 leagues only from the sea, expanded into a noble tidal 
 estuary, forming a natural harbour of the most com- 
 modious character. Its central position afforded it an 
 easy communication with all parts of the country. Its 
 climate was soft, equable, and temperate ; for, though 
 only twelve degrees from the Equator, it was refreshed 
 and invigorated by the south-west breezes from the Pacific, 
 or the colder currents that swept down the snowy sides 
 of the Cordilleras. And, finally, the slopes on either 
 side were crowned with fertility, and the surrounding 
 scenery mingled the elements of the sublime, the beau- 
 tiful, and the picturesque. 
 
 On the Epiphany festival, January 6th, 1535, Pizarro 
 laid the foundation of his new capital, which he christened 
 Ciudad de los Reyes^ or the City of the Kings. His con- 
 temporaries, however, preferred the modified Indian 
 name, which posterity also has accepted, and it is as 
 Lima that this beautiful city still figures in the map of 
 the world. He laid it out on a plan of almost mathe- 
 matical symmetry. The general outline was that of a 
 triangle, the base of which was the river, whose healthful 
 waters were, by means of stone conduits, to be distributed 
 through all the principal streets. These streets were of 
 ample width, and intersected each other at right angles ; 
 they were so contrived as to afford space for a large 
 garden to every house, and for public squares. Almost 
 in the centre was defined the plaza, which was to be 
 surrounded by the cathedral, the palace of the governor, 
 the palace of the municipality, and other public build- 
 ings, the foundations in every case being constructed 
 
140 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 with a solidity that has defied " the assaults of time," 
 and even the more formidable shock of earthquakes. 
 The whole was surrounded by a massive wall of sun- 
 burnt clay, twelve feet high and ten feet thick ; and a 
 bridge of five arches was thrown across the river Rimac. 
 Pizarro pressed forward the work with all his energy. 
 He delighted in it. Advancing years had tempered his 
 martial ardour; success had satisfied his adventurous 
 spirit ; and he was fain to crown his career with the 
 " victories of peace." He felt that in this fair new city 
 he was erecting a permanent monument of his fame ; 
 and he urged his labourers to redouble their toil by his 
 rewards and encouragements. From a distance of more 
 than a hundred miles he collected his Indian workers ; 
 and the Spaniards also laid by the sword, and took up 
 the spade, the pickaxe, or the mason's trowel. In the 
 superintendence of this peaceful enterprise he was inter- 
 rupted, however, by ill news from Cuzco. We have 
 recorded the departure of Hernando Pizarro to Spain, 
 with the King's fifth of the booty of Peru. On his 
 arrival at the Spanish Court, the conqueror was received 
 with a cordial welcome. The tale he had to tell, and 
 the gold he brought, secured him a favourable hearing 
 from Charles V., who willingly granted to Pizarro all the 
 concessions he had asked. The governorship of Peru 
 was bestowed upon Francisco Pizarro, with leave and 
 licence to make conquests two hundred miles further 
 southward. Father Valverde was created Bishop of Cuzco. 
 Hernando himself was made a knight of Santiago, and 
 an officer of the royal Court. Nor was Almagro forgotten. 
 
THE IMPERIAL DECISION. I4I 
 
 At Hernando's instigation, he was empowered to discover 
 and occupy the American mainland for a distance of 
 two hundred leagues from the southern limit of Pizarro's 
 territory. Finally, Pizarro was made a Marquis; and 
 the Emperor with his own hand addressed a letter to the 
 two great captains, praising their prowess, and acknow- 
 ledging their services. 
 
 With a large and well-equipped armament, Hernando, 
 towards the end of 1534, sailed from the coast of Spain. 
 He reached Nombre de Dios in safety, but no preparation 
 had been made for his coming, and much time was 
 wasted in collecting the necessary supplies before he 
 could cross the mountains, and hasten to rejoin his 
 brother. Meanwhile his forces suffered much from want 
 and disease ; many perished ; others, weary of the delay, 
 made their way across the isthmus and into the Peruvian 
 territory. Among these was an agent of Almagro, who 
 overtook him as he was entering Cuzco, and acquainted 
 him With the grant made to him by his sovereign. 
 Pizarro's brothers, in deference to his command, imme- 
 diately resigned the government of Cuzco to the Mariscal 
 (as he was thenceforth styled) ; but, inflated by his new 
 authority, the latter at once declared that, by virtue of 
 the royal grant, Cuzco fell within his jurisdiction, and 
 asserted his sole right to it. This was not the case, as 
 the Emperor had considerably extended the boundaries 
 of Pizarro's government; but the full despatches had not 
 as yet arrived, and Almagro acted on his agent's assump- 
 tion. When the Governor was informed of his comrade's 
 usurpation, he sent instructions to his brothers to resume 
 
 K 
 
142 
 
 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 the government of the city; and a bitter feud broke out, 
 dividing the soldiers, the civihans, and even the Indian 
 population into two factions, which evinced a disposition 
 to settle their respective pretensions by the arbitrament 
 of the sword. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 7rS^ 
 
 SIEGE AND RELIEF OF CUZCO. 
 
 IZARRO marched at once to Cuzco, where the 
 Spaniards and natives aUke received him with 
 a cordial welcome. In his conduct towards 
 the frank and impetuous Almagro he showed 
 a consummate prudence, and avoided any 
 occasion of quarrel. He treated the possession of Cuzco 
 as a question that could not be discussed until both 
 parties had before them the Emperor's despatches ; and 
 urged Almagro, while it was in abeyance, to carry his 
 conquering sword southward into the territory of Chili. 
 The influence of some common friends seconded his 
 efforts to prevent a rupture ; and at length the agreement 
 between him and Almagro was renewed, and confirmed 
 " with an oath and great affirmations," though there were 
 not wanting stipulations that betrayed their secret dis- 
 trusts. Thus it was provided that neither of the con- 
 tracting parties, in their communications to the Emperor, 
 should slander or disparage the other ; and that neither 
 
144 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 should correspond with the Spanish Government without 
 the other's knowledge. In conclusion, they supplicated 
 the anger of heaven against the one which should first 
 violate the solemn bond, invoking upon his head the 
 most terrible punishment, the destruction of his family 
 and property in this life, and in the next the ruin of his 
 soul."^ The whole was formally recorded by the notary, 
 and attested by two witnesses, on the 12th of June, 1535. 
 The sanction of religion was also obtained, Almagro and 
 Pizarro partaking of the Host as administered to them 
 by Father Bartolome de Segovia. The permanence of a 
 compact may well be doubted when the parties to it 
 are evidently so conscious that their interest lies in its 
 disruption. 
 
 Shortly afterwards Almagro set out on his enterprise 
 against Chili, f and Pizarro returned to his peaceful and 
 prosperous labours at Lima. He planted several other 
 settlements along the Pacific coast, always at points 
 which indicated his keen intelligence in the selection 
 of them ; one, in honour of his birthplace, he named 
 Truxillo. He continued also the process of dividing 
 lands and Indians among his followers, invariably insist- 
 ing on their humane and generous treatment of the 
 
 * *' Con todo rigor de justicia permita la perdicion de su anima." 
 t Before he went he strongly recommended Pizarro to send his 
 brothers back to Castile, insisting on their imperious manners and 
 hasty tempers, and expressing his willingness that out of the joint 
 treasure Pizarro should compensate them as liberally as he pleased. 
 The Governor, however, knew that they were faithful, and he 
 answered that they respected and loved him like a father, and 
 would give no occasion of offence. 
 
PERUVIAN REVOLT. I4S 
 
 Indians, and making their religious instruction a special 
 duty. While he was thus engaged, a wholly unexpected 
 event aroused the fears of the Spaniards. To all out- 
 ward seeming the conquest of Peru was complete, and 
 its inhabitants apparently acquiesced in the revolution 
 that had taken place, a revolution which had destroyed 
 their independence, broken up their social system, de- 
 graded their religion, and wrecked their liberties. The 
 Inca himself was virtually a prisoner in Spanish hands, 
 mocked with the shadow of power, compelled to move 
 like a puppet at the bidding of his master. The Spaniards, 
 therefore, were under little alarm as to any national insur- 
 rection, especially after the defeat of the Indian generals 
 Quizquiz and Ruminavi. The keener was their surprise, 
 and the more profound their indignation, when a for- 
 midable revolt broke out towards the end of April 1536. 
 It was soon after the depatture of Almagro for the 
 south that Hernando Pizarro, having overcome his diffi- 
 culties at Nombre de Dios, arrived at Lima with the 
 despatches from the King of Spain (July 1535). These 
 conclusively proved that Cuzco was within the Peruvian 
 territory, or Nuevo Castilla, as the Spaniards called it, 
 and under the authority of Pizarro. In return for the 
 Imperial favours, Hernando had prom'sed to raise in 
 Nuevo Castilla a voluntary contribution, or benevolence, 
 towards the expenses of the Emperor's wars ; but he soon 
 discovered that the Spanish settlers and soldiers were 
 wholly averse to any such co>tly manifestation of loyalty. 
 They had regularly paid their fifths, and was not that 
 enough ? Hernando shrewdly replied that they had paid 
 
146 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 them out of the ransom of Atahuallpa, and that, as he 
 was a royal person, his ransom of right belonged to the 
 Emperor. Eventually, by a dexterous employment of 
 persuasion, entreaty, and menace, the Marquis raised 
 nearly the amount required ; and to complete it he sent 
 Hernando to replace his brother Juan in the government 
 of Cuzco, and levy a contribution. 
 
 On his arrival at Cuzco, Hernando found both his 
 brothers, Juan and Gonzalo, absent on an expedition to 
 subdue some refractory chiefs. When they returned, he 
 brought the subject of the benevolence before the muni- 
 cipality, and by the application of considerable pressure 
 succeeded in extracting a certain amount of gold. He 
 was engaged in melting it down, when news arrived of 
 an outbreak in the district of Collao, and of the return of 
 Villacma, the high priest who had accompanied Almagro's 
 expedition. Hernando immediately inquired of the Inca 
 if the news were true ; and was answered in the affirma- 
 tive. The Inca added that Villacma had returned because 
 he had been sorely ill-treated by Almagro's followers, 
 and he asked Pizarro's permission to go forth from the 
 city to meet him. This was granted ; the two great 
 Peruvians met, and returned together to Cuzco, to dis- 
 course upon their common causes of discomfort, and to 
 meditate upon the chances of a successful outbreak. 
 Ignorant of the conspiracy that was being nursed, Her- 
 nando readily gave his consent when the Inca and some 
 of his chiefs solicited permission to repair to the valley 
 of Yucay to celebrate certain ceremonies in memory of 
 his illustrious father, Huayna Capac, who was there 
 
THE INCA'S appeal. I47 
 
 interred. On the i8th of April, 1536, the Inca, accom- 
 panied by Villacma, quitted Cuzco, ostensibly on this 
 pious errand. Two days elapsed, and a Spaniard from 
 the country brought the surprising intelligence that the 
 Inca, instead of going to Yucay, had gone to Ares, about 
 forty miles distant, among the mountains, and that he 
 suspected him of a design to revolt. Hernando paid no 
 attention to this warning, but sent a messenger after the 
 Inca to request him to hasten his return, that he might 
 accompany him on an expedition to chastise the rebellious 
 caciques of Collao. The Inca, however, in his mountain 
 fastnesses, could treat the Spaniard's message with con- 
 tempt, and reveal the noble design he entertained of 
 delivering his country from the burden of foreign oppres- 
 sion. He assembled the chiefs and principal persons of 
 the surrounding district; made a vigorous appeal to their 
 patriotism, their loyalty, their religious sentiment ; spoke 
 to them, we can hardly doubt, of their violated altars, 
 of their plundered hearths, of the wrongs done to their 
 wives, their daughters, their sisters; of the insults levelled 
 at their priests, and the pollution inflicted on the sacred 
 virgins of the Sun ; and then, two large golden vessels 
 brimful of wine being placed before them, he exclaimed: 
 " I am resolved not to leave a Christian alive in all this 
 jand, and therefore in the first place I shall lay siege to 
 Cuzco. Whoever amongst you will serve me in this 
 must stake his life upon it. Drink!"* 
 
 * " Yo estoi determinado de no dexar Cristiano a vida en toda a 
 tierra, y para este quiero primero poner cereo en el Cuzco. Quien 
 de vosotros pensare servirme en este, ha de poner sobre val caso la 
 vida. Beva." — Vicente de Valverde. 
 
148 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 A few words may here be said in description of the 
 city which witnessed the last scene in the tragic drama 
 of the Peruvian conquest It was constructed on a 
 plan of extraordinary regularity, which probably suggested 
 to Pizarro the plan of Lima. The streets intersected one 
 another at right angles, so that the blocks of buildings 
 formed perfect parallelograms. Each street was refreshed 
 by a large stone conduit of water passing through its 
 centre. There was a great square, of which the principal 
 fcaure was the palace of the late Inca, Huayna Capac, 
 with its gateway of many-coloured marbles ; a palace so 
 extensive that it afterwards provided quarters for the 
 chief among the Spanish "conquistadors." Adjacent to 
 it were three other palaces, with painted fronts and a 
 profusion of sculptured decoration. Three sides of the 
 square were lined by covered buildings, like arcades, in 
 which the great state festivals and religious ceremonies 
 were celebrated during bad weather. The city was 
 divided into four quarters, corresponding to the four 
 provinces of the empire ; * and when the men of any 
 particular province came up to Cuzco, they were re- 
 quired to assemble in the outskirts of their proper quarter. 
 
 Most of the houses were built of stone ; some of bricks 
 burnt in the sun. The roofs were covered with wooden 
 tiles thatched with rush- work. In the poorer streets were 
 houses built of clay and reeds. Numerous squares and 
 spacious openings served as the lungs of the city, and, 
 by admitting an ample volume of fresh air, favoured the 
 public health. 
 
 * Antisuyo, Chinchasuyo, Collasuyo, Condesuyo. 
 
THE FORTRESS AT CUZCO. 149 
 
 Two streams, entering the city under bridges provided 
 with flood-gates, traversed its entire extent in artificial 
 channels, lined and paved with masonry. 
 
 Towards the north, on a high sierra,* a spur of the 
 mighty Cordillera, rose a strong fortress, the remains of 
 which, to this day, awaken the traveller's wonder. On 
 the side facing the city, where the steepness of the 
 precipice was almost sufficient protection, it was defended 
 by a massive wall, about twelve hundred feet in length. 
 On the other side, where the slope rendered access com- 
 paratively easy, it was surrounded by three semicircular 
 walls at a considerable distance from each other, built 
 with salient and retiring angles, twenty-one in number. 
 " On the top of the walls were terraces forming ramparts. 
 These terraces had breastworks, so that the Peruvians could 
 fight almost undercover." The narrowest rampart was of 
 such a width that three carriages could pass abreast. 
 
 The fortress itself consisted of three detached towers, 
 arranged in a triangle, the apex of which was occupied 
 by the principal tower, a circular keep of four stories, 
 with ample windows that overlooked the court. This 
 was the Inca's residence, and fitted up with royal splen- 
 dour. The other two towers were devoted to the 
 accommodation of the garrison, which consisted always 
 of members of the noble families of Peru, commanded by 
 an officer of the blood royal ; these towers were rectan- 
 gular in shape. The three were connected by subter- 
 ranean galleries, and similar galleries communicated with 
 the city and the palaces of the Inca. The hill, indeed, 
 
 * Its name was Sacsahuaman. 
 
I50 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 was completely honeycombed with galleries and cham- 
 bers. 
 
 Galleries, walls, towers, — all were built of stone, and 
 on a scale of Titanic vastness. The Spaniards said that 
 not even the Bridge of Segovia, or the other buildings 
 which Hercules and the Romans had made, were worthy 
 to be compared to the citadel of Cuzco. The blocks of 
 masonry formed a kind of rustic-work, being rough-hewn 
 except towards the edges, which were finely wrought ; 
 they were not arranged in regular courses, but smaller 
 blocks filled up the interstices between the greater. 
 Many of the stones measured as much as thirty-eight feet 
 in length by eighteen feet in breadth, and were six 
 feet thick.* 
 
 As soon as he was convinced of the Inca's defection, 
 
 * " We are filled with astonishment when we consider that those 
 enormous masses were hewn from their native bed, and fashioned 
 into shape, by a people ignorant of the use of iron ; that they were 
 brought from quarries, from four to fifteen leagues distant, without 
 the aid of beasts of burden ; were transported across rivers and 
 ravines, raised to their elevated position on the sierra, and finally 
 adjusted there wiih the nicest accuracy, without the knowledge of 
 tools and machinery familiar to the European. Twenty thousand 
 men are said to have been employed on this great structure, and 
 fifty years consumed in the building. However this may be, we see 
 in it the workings of a despotism which had the lives and fortunes 
 of its vassals at is absolute disposal, and which, however mild in its 
 general character, esteemed those vassals, when employed in its 
 service, as lightly as the brute animals for which they served as a 
 substitute." — Frescott, " History of the Conquest of Peru," i. i6, 17. 
 " An eyewitness says : ' I measured a stone at Tiaguanaco, twenty- 
 eight feet long, eighteen feet broad, and about six feet thick ; but in 
 the wall of the fortress of Cuzco, which is constructed of masonry, 
 there are many stones of much greater size.' It appears from 
 
THE INCAS ARMY. 151 
 
 Hernando despatched his brother Juan, with fifty horse 
 men, on an attempt to recover possession of his person ; 
 but secure among his mountains, Manco was able to baffle 
 the pursuit of the Spaniard, who was speedily recalled 
 to Cuzco to succour his brother. For, from every pro- 
 vince the Indians had gathered at their monarch's 
 summons, until around the capital was arrayed a force 
 of not less than two hundred thousand men, — a splendid 
 military spectacle, on which the Spaniards could not but 
 look with admiration, in spite of their consciousness of 
 peril. The plains, the slopes and summits of the moun- 
 tains, every valley and defile were bright with the pomp 
 of banners and the sheen of spears. Juan and his little 
 company of cavaliers passed through their ranks un- 
 molested, — perhaps because the Peruvians were not 
 unwilling that as many victims as possible should enter 
 
 modern research that some of these stones were fifty feet long, twenty- 
 two feet broad, and six feet thick. How they were conveyed thither 
 is a problem which has exercised ingenious men since the conquest. 
 But the works of despotic monarchs of the olden time, who could 
 employ an army to fetch a single stone, have always astonished 
 more civilized nations, accustomed to a reasonable economy in the 
 use of human labour." — Sir Arthtir Helps ^ " Spanish Conquest in 
 America," iv., 29. What seems at least as great a problem is the 
 object intended to be served by the construction of such large 
 ramparts, since it does not appear that the kingdom of the Incas 
 was at any time exposed to foreign invasion or civil commotion. 
 Against what enemy was such Cyclopean masonry raised ? In the 
 work itself, however remarkable, there was nothing marvellous. 
 Given an unlimited command of human strength, and an indefinite 
 duration of time, and Stonehenge might be raised to the summit of 
 the Peak ! The Peruvians did not build for a single reign ; the 
 task was taken up by a long succession of generations, and monoto- 
 nously carried on until completed. 
 
152 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 the net prepared for them, — and were eagerly welcomed 
 by Hernando Pizarro, who even with this reinforcement 
 could muster only two hundred horse and foot, besides 
 a thousand Indian auxiliaries ; and the struggle began. 
 
 By day it was formidable to look out upon the forest 
 of spears which surrounded the city; but by night the 
 scene was rendered even more imposing by the immense 
 number of watch-fires that blazed on the hill-top and in 
 the valley, as numerous as " the stars of heaven in a 
 cloudless summer night." Just before dawn, the echoes 
 resounded with the clang of the musical instruments of 
 the Peruvians ; after which they began the day's action 
 with volleys of missiles of every description. Among 
 them were burning arrows and red-hot stones wrapped in 
 cotton that had been steeped in some bituminous sub- 
 stance, and these, flashing through the sky like shooting 
 stars, fell upon the thatched roofs and set them on fire. 
 From all parts of the city leaped vivid tongues of flame ; 
 the conflagration spread to the interior of the houses ; 
 and soon over the scene hung a canopy of lurid smoke, 
 which the wind rolled onwards slowly in dusky billows, 
 reddened by the reflection of the sea of fire beneath. 
 The heat became so intense, that the air seemed to 
 choke and scorch like the breath of a volcano. 
 
 Pizazzo had posted his men in the great square ; partly 
 under tents, and partly in the palace-hall of the Inca 
 Viracocha, on the present site of the cathedral. Thrice 
 during that first day of combat — Saturday, May 6th — the 
 roof caught fire ; but though the Spaniards made no 
 effort to extingui h it, the flames died out and did but 
 
THE SIEGE OF CUZCO. 153 
 
 little harm. Therefore there were many devout-minded 
 soldiers willing to ascribe " the miracle " to the inter- 
 vention of the Blessed Virgin, who had been seen, on 
 white wings upborne, hovering over the spot on which 
 was to be raised a temple to her honour. Happily, the 
 Spanish force sustained no injury from the spreading 
 flames, which could not invade the open area of their 
 encampment ; but their spirits were depressed by the 
 dreary spectacle of the burning city, and the shouts and 
 yells of the Indians gathered on the hillsides all around. 
 For several days and nights the flames continued their 
 work of devastation, until one-half the city was a mass 
 of blackened ruins. Palace and hovel, tower and temple, 
 all were destroyed. But among the few large buildings 
 that escaped were the " House of the Sun " and the 
 " House of the Virgins;" while still the gray fortress on 
 its rocky height rose superior to the menace of peril. 
 
 While the conflagration raged the Indians were per- 
 sistent in their attacks. To prevent the cavalry from 
 charging them they dug holes and raised barricades > 
 and sometimes with dexterous aim they flung the /ass(? 
 at horse or rider, entangled him in its coil, and brought 
 him to the ground. Under cover of the fire and smoke 
 they made sudden dashes forward, displaying an un- 
 expected courage and impetuosity ; and when they were 
 driven back, fresh battalions poured down into the fight, 
 until it seemed as if the Spaniards must be overwhelmed 
 by sheer weight of numbers. Never in all the annals of 
 chivalry did the Spaniards bear themselves more bravely. 
 Tearing down the barricades, they made a clear path for 
 
154 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 their horsemen, who rode in among the masses of the 
 enemy and slaughtered them piteously with sword or 
 spear. But they could scarcely hold their ground, and 
 each attack they delivered or repulsed cost them some 
 life they ill could spare. Herjiando was the soul of their 
 defence. Wherever the enemy's pressure was greatest, 
 he might be seen, contending in the front of the affray. 
 He hastened from point to point, like one incapable of 
 fatigue ; with a word of encouragement for a comrade, 
 with a deadly stroke for a foe. Bitterly did he regret his 
 want of forethought in not occupying the fortress on 
 the rock, from which the continual showers of missiles 
 added much to the embarrassment of his soldiers; but 
 he allowed no sign of doubt or regret to appear, and 
 fought on as if victory were the inevitable result of the 
 struggle. 
 
 It was needful that so firm a soul should maintain the 
 unequal contest, for the rumours that penetrated into 
 their camp of the national character of the insurrection, 
 and its wide extent, unnerved the hearts of many. It 
 was said that the Spanish colonists scattered among the 
 plains and valleys had all been murdered ; that no relief 
 could be brought up from the coast, because the Peru- 
 vians had possession of all the passes ; that siege had been 
 laid to Lima and Trnjillo and San Miguel, and that these 
 and other places could not long hold out ; and, to pre- 
 pare the Spaniards to give credence to these reports, eight 
 or ten human heads were rolled into the plaza, by whose 
 pallid features, though set fast in death, they recognized 
 the countenances of some of their former brothers in 
 
THE SIEGE OF CUZCO. 1 55 
 
 arms.* Overcome by so painful a testimony to the suc- 
 cess of the revolt, there were not a few who came to 
 regard resistance as hopeless. Such, too, it seemed to 
 the dauntless spirit of Hernando Pizarro, unless he could 
 abate the fury of the attack. For this purpose, he selected 
 some twenty of his bravest fighting men, and made a sortie 
 along the Condesayo road. Wheeling round upon the 
 Indians from that province, he charged them with so 
 much vehemence that they fled in disorder to the rugged 
 fastnesses of the sierra; but there they rallied again, re- 
 formed their ranks, and renewed the battle. Thence 
 Hernando was recalled to the plaza by the increasing 
 energy of the fight, which began to tell on the wearied 
 Spaniards. The enemy allowed them no time to rest ; 
 their assaults still continued ; and Vellacma, who com- 
 manded the fortress, never intermitted his showers of 
 darts and stones and arrows. In the city, the Indians 
 posted themselves upon the blackened walls of the desolate 
 houses, and thence kept up the attack. So that neither 
 by night nor day did the Spaniards dare to cease for a 
 moment from their vigilance, so ceaseless was the battle, 
 and so various the ways in which it was pressed. Atone 
 time they were compelled to destroy the barricades and 
 fill up the pits with which the Indians sought to impede 
 the progress of their cavalry ; at another, to demolish the 
 channels through which they were directing upon them 
 the horrors of an inundation. 
 
 Thus for six days the struggle continued. The Indians 
 
 * A similar expedient was adopted by the Mexicans during the 
 siege of Mexico. 
 
156 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 were masters of nearly the whole of the city, and not a 
 few of the Spaniards now advised that it should be 
 abandoned, and that they should endeavour to cut their 
 way through the invading ranks of the enemy, hazarding 
 all upon one final effort. Then said Hernando, in cheer- 
 ful tones, ** I know not, Senors, why you wish to do this; 
 for to my mind there is not, nor has there been, any cause 
 of fear ; " and in the evening he summoned his captains 
 and principal officers to receive a stern, cold reprimand. 
 " I have called you together, gentlemen," he said, " be- 
 cause it appears to me that the Indians daily load us with 
 greater disgrace, and I believe that this is due to the 
 weakness of certain among us who openly preach that 
 the city ought to be given up. But if you, Juan Pizarro, 
 are of such an opinion, whence came your courage to 
 defend it against Almagro, when he sought to rebel ? and 
 as for you, Riquelme " — the treasurer — " it would seem to 
 be a heinous thing for you to talk in this fashion, when 
 you are charged with the custody of the King's fifths, and 
 are compelled to give an account of them, with the same 
 obligation as he has who is in charge of a fortress. And 
 for you other Senors, who are Alcaldes and Regidors, to 
 whom the execution of the law is committed in this city, 
 it IS not for you to commit so great a folly as to deUver 
 it into the hands of these 'tyrants.'" He added, "It 
 would be a pitiful thing to tell of me, Hernando Pizarro, 
 that from any motive of fear he abandoned the territory 
 which his brother, Don Francisco Pizarro, had conquered 
 and colonized. Wherefore, gentlemen, in the service of 
 God and the King, sustaining our houses and lands, let 
 
THE TWO BROTHERS. 1 57 
 
 US die rather than desert them. If I am left alone, I will 
 repay with my Hfe the obligation which lies upon me, 
 rather than have it said that another gained the city and 
 that I lost it. Remember, that with vigour we may gain 
 what appears impossible ; and that without vigour even 
 that which is easy becomes difficult." 
 
 To this vigorous appeal the Spaniards responded with 
 renewed courage, and it was unanimously agreed that the 
 defence should be continued so long as there was one 
 stalwart arm to wield a sword. Then Hernando spoke out : 
 " The men are weary and the horses exhausted ; in our 
 straitened condition it is impossible for us to hold the 
 city two days longer, and it is imperative upon us to 
 gain the fortress or to perish. Once the fortress is ours, 
 the city is secure. To-morrow morning, therefore, I will 
 take all the horsemen that remain, and capture that 
 fortress." They answered, that the horsemen were ready 
 to a man to die with him, or conquer. But Juan Pizarro, 
 though suffering from a severe wound, interposed: **It 
 was my fault that the fortress was not occupied, and I 
 vowed that I would take it whenever it became necessary 
 to do so. Ill would it seem, therefore, if, while I am 
 alive, any other should undertake the duty for me." 
 
 The discussion ended in Hernando Pizarro giving way 
 to his brother. Fifty men were selected to compose the 
 forlorn hope, and Gonzalo, Pizarro, and a cavalier named 
 Ponce de Leon, went as subordinate officers. 
 
 At dawn of day the gallant fifty were mounted and 
 ready to start. Hernando, before they set out, instructed 
 his brother on leaving the city to ride along the Inca's road, 
 
 L 
 
158 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 from Cuzco to Los Reyes, for about a league, in order 
 to wheel round and gain the open ground immediately 
 beneath the fortress, where the action of the cavalry 
 would not be impeded by barricades or pit-falls. In the 
 meantime, he proceeded with the remainder of his little 
 force to attack a formidable work which the Indians had 
 erected with the view of preventing the Spaniards from 
 escaping to the plain. This work was held by twenty 
 thousand Indians from the province of Chinchasuqo, who, 
 when they saw the advance of the Spaniards, cried to one 
 another, " Ihose Christians with the good horses are 
 flying ; the others which remain are the sick.* Let us 
 allow these to draw off, and then we can kill them all." 
 In the skirmish that ensued, the Indians did not evince, 
 perhaps for this reason, their usual desperate courage, 
 and Juan Pizarro and his fifty cleared the defence, and 
 hastened to fulfil their mission. Hernando retreated with 
 eager alacrity to the great square, to encounter another 
 immense body of Indians, who had penetrated thither 
 in his absence, and whom he charged with such determi- 
 nation that they took to flight. 
 
 Let us now follow Juan Pizarro. For three miles, as 
 directed, he rode along the Los Reyes road ; then, 
 wheeling to the right, he crossed the ridges until he 
 reached the open ground in front of the fortress, scatter- 
 ing the enemy before him as he advanced, and opening 
 up a communication between himself and his brother in 
 
 * ''Aguelles Cristianes que ticum les cavalles buenos se van 
 huyendo, y estes que quedan son les dolientes." — Vicente de 
 Valverd . 
 
JUAN PIZARRO'S ATTACK. 1 59 
 
 the city. Hernando thereupon despatched to his assist- 
 ance the Spanish infantry and the Indian auxiUaries, with 
 a message warning him not to attack until nightfall, when 
 he might hope to surprise the enemy ; and begging him 
 not to hazard his own p.rson in the struggle. For his 
 wound prevented him from wearing his helmet, and to 
 enter the combat without that protection would be mad- 
 ness. Juan, however, disregarded his brother's advice in 
 both particulars. He threw the enemy off their guard by 
 making a pretence of bivouacking for the night ; and 
 then sent his brother Gonzalo to carry some outworks in 
 front of the fortress These, however, proved to be so 
 strongly defended that he was compelled to hasten in 
 person to support the attack. Both brothers led the 
 charge with so undaunted a valour that it served as an 
 inspiration to their men, who seemed converted for the 
 nonce into paladins of romance, invulnerable and irresist- 
 ible; and forward they w^ent with a rush that carried them 
 right up to the wall of the principal building. Encouraged 
 by this brilliant success, Juan Pizarro pushed his enter- 
 prise farther. The entrance was an outwork projecting 
 from the body of the fortress ; on each side it was enclosed 
 by a low wall, but it was open at the top so that it might 
 be commanded from the battlements ; it had an outer 
 gate corresponding with the principal gate of the fortress. 
 Beneath this outwork the defenders had dug a deep pit- 
 fall, in which they hoped to entrap the Spanish horse; 
 but they were driven back in such numbers, and in such 
 confusion, by the impetuosity of the Spaniards, as to fill 
 up with their own bodies that which their own hands had 
 
l6o THE LAND OF THE INC AS. 
 
 made. Across the bridge thus strangely provided poured 
 the Christian warriors, with Juan Pizarro, Uke a true knight 
 errant, leading them through the storm of arrows and 
 javelins aud stones ; but at this moment a stone crashed 
 upon his unprotected head, and struck him to the ground. 
 Still with cheerful voice he continued to direct and animate 
 his men ; but the Indians came up in such masses to 
 renew the defence that retreat was unavoidable, and the 
 Spaniards, as they slowly fell back, carried their wounded 
 leader with them. He survived but a fortnight, and died 
 in great pain, though with all the courage of a Pizarro.* 
 
 On the following morning, Hernando reconnoitred the 
 fortress, and came to the conclusion that, owing to the 
 height of the wall, it could not be carried without scaling- 
 ladders. As many hands as could be spared from the 
 task of resisting the enemy were occupied all day in mak- 
 ing them; while Gonzalo and Ponce de Leon struggled 
 resolutely to maintain the forward position won by such 
 strenuous energy. The Inca having reinforced the army 
 with five thousand of his best troops, the attack was 
 almost overwhelming; and we cannot but feel a combined 
 surprise and admiration that a mere handful of Spaniards 
 succeeded in repulsing it. By evening the scaling-ladders 
 were finished, and while the horsemen protected their 
 
 * He was the most amiable and humane of the Pizarros, and the 
 soldiers loved him dearly. Zarate says of him : " Fue gran perdida 
 en la tierra, porque era Juan Pizarro mui valiente, i experimentado 
 en las guerras de los Indios i bien quisto, i amado de todos." This 
 is no light praise, We may note here the strong brotherly affection 
 which existed among the Pizarros, redeeming some of the darker 
 features of their characters. 
 
DEFEAT OF THE PERUVIANS. l6l 
 
 flanks, the foot soldiers hastened to the assault as fresh 
 and vigorous and eager as if the conflict had only just 
 begun, instead of having already lasted thirty hours. The 
 Indians were disheartened by this marvellous energy on 
 the part of their assailants, whom it seemed impossible to 
 weary or overcome. Moreover, their supplies of stones 
 and darts began to fail them, and Hernando saw with 
 pleasure that the defence was rapidly slackening. Villac- 
 ma, the high priest, saw it also. He shrank before the 
 ardour of these unconquerable white men, and resolved 
 upon flight. With some of his more immediate followers 
 he stole out of the fortress, on the side which faced the 
 river, and by secret winding paths among the rocks and 
 precipices effected his escape, unknown to and unmo- 
 lested by the Spaniards. He then withdrew his division, 
 the Chinchasayans, and hastened to report to the Inca 
 the capture of the fortress. 
 
 The capture, indeed, though not complete, could not 
 be long delayed. The walls were still guarded by a 
 brave Inca noble, and by a few heroic warriors, who, with 
 him, had pledged themselves to their royal master in the 
 golden cup, and were resolute to fulfil the pledge. He 
 was a man of stalwart thews and muscles, and strode to and 
 fro along the battlements, armed with a Spanish buckler 
 and cuirass, stripped from some dead enemy, and wielding 
 a heavy mace, studded with bosses or knobs of copper. 
 With this formidable weapon he struck down all who 
 ventured to oppose him. *' There is not written," says 
 the chronicler, *' there is not written of any Roman such 
 deeds as he did." It is said that wiih his own hand he 
 
l62 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 slew some of his countrymen who proposed a surrender. 
 Had the Inca's army been wholly composed of men 
 like him, the conquest of Peru would never have been 
 accomplished by Pizarro. As each Spaniard who mounted 
 the scaling-ladder gained the topmost round, he rushed 
 upon him and hurled him to the ground beneath, for his 
 strength was not inferior to his courage. Nor was his 
 energy inferior to his strength; he was at every point 
 most threatened with peril. Hernando, respecting his 
 valour, gave orders that, if possible, he should be taken 
 alive, and generously treated. But the chief, at last 
 perceiving the defence was over, that his men were slain 
 or exhausted, and that the Spaniards were swarming up 
 their scaling-ladders all around the rampart, prepared to 
 die. He hurled his mace down among his foes : in 
 token of despair, he took some earth in his hands, bit it, 
 and covered his head with it, in such anguish and heart- 
 sickness as no words can describe. Then, wrapping his 
 mantle around him, he threw himself headlong from the 
 summit of the tower he had so valiantly defended, 
 unwilling to endure the spectacle of the triumph of the 
 enemy.* 
 
 The fortress was won ; but the position of Hernando 
 Pizarro's little force was still sufficiently perilous, and 
 their leader knew that it would not be safe to relax ever 
 
 * The narratives of Pedro Pizarro and Vicente de Valverde differ 
 considerably in their details of the siege. The former is closely 
 followed by Prescott ; the latter by Sir Arthur Helps, We have 
 attempted to combine them in a consistent record, so that nothing 
 of importance should be om.itted. 
 
Heroic Defence of Cuzco. 
 
HERNANDO'S SUCCESSES. 163 
 
 SO little in his activity until he had more effectually 
 secured it. While his followers were still elated with 
 their triumph, he led them against the Chinchasayan 
 Indians, and the onset was made with so much vehemence 
 that they were thrown into the most extreme confusion, 
 and fled, leaving the ground covered with dead bodies. 
 On the following day he was not less successful in an 
 attack upon the Collasayans ; and on the third day he 
 assailed and defeated the Condesayans ; so that he had 
 cleared the plain of his enemies, and opened up a com- 
 munication with the surrounding country. Even then 
 he did not rest. He was not blind to the possibility 
 that he and his little force might be the only Spaniards 
 left in all Peru, or, at least, that Lima might have been 
 besieged at the same time as Cuzco ; that, consequently, 
 the Marquis could not forward any reinforcements, and 
 that therefore their trust must be put in their own good 
 swords. It was true that Almagro and a well-equipped 
 army were in Chili, but Hernando knew that his feelings 
 towards the brothers of Pizarro were the reverse of 
 friendly. No ; he must be his own resource ; or, as he 
 told his men, they must make their hearts broad enough 
 to bear whatever burden might be put upon them. 
 "Since God had been pleased," he said, "to give them 
 the glorious victory by which they had gained the fortress, 
 and saved the city from a state of siege, he was of opinion 
 that, in order to secure the enjoyment henceforward of 
 some rest and peace, and to strengthen their hold on 
 the city, they ought to collect supplies of provisions from 
 the valley of Sacsahuana, For if they did not seize upon 
 
l64 THE LAND OF THE INXAS. 
 
 the maize growing there, the Indians might anticipate 
 them, and they would then have to obtain their suppUes 
 from a distance." His soldiers listened with grim flices 
 to this appeal, for they were battle-worn and in need of 
 rest; but they obeyed, like true men, and with a sufficient 
 following Gonzalo set out for the fertile valley. In five 
 days he returned, followed by a long train of Indian men 
 and women, laden with the precious maize. 
 
 The siege, which the Peruvians had interrupted in 
 order to celebrate their usual New Moon ceremonies, 
 now recommenced, and the prudence of Hernando 
 Pizarro's poUcy became apparent, inasmuch as it enabled 
 the Spaniards to maintain the defence with vigour. For 
 twenty days the Indians persisted in their attacks, and 
 then again desisted to offer their usual monthly sacrifices. 
 Hernando Pizarro took advantage of this new respite to 
 assume the offensive, and he attacked the Indians in 
 their encampments with great success and cruel slaughter. 
 But for a third time the hosts of the enemy closed round 
 Cuzco, and the Spanish commander determined on a 
 singular but terrible scheme. Humane as he had ahvays 
 shown himself in his treatment of the natives, and humane 
 as certainly was his natural disposition, necessity forced 
 upon him a resolve worthy of an Attila. He ordered 
 his men, in their p' rsuit of the enemy, to kill all the 
 Indian w^omen they fell in with, so as to deter the sur- 
 vivors from coming to serve their sons and husbands.* 
 
 * *' Heraando Pizarro . . . mando a todos los E^paiioles que en 
 los alcances dexaseii niugor a vida porque colerando miedo las que 
 quedason libres, no vendrian a servir a suo marides y hijos."— 
 
 \lCENT£ DE VaLVERD 
 
A WAR OF EXTERMINATION. 1 65 
 
 This sanguinary but sagacious device had all the success 
 which its author anticipated; and the Indians eventually 
 abandoned the si^ge, husbands fearing to lose their wives 
 and sons their mothers, while the women dreaded the 
 merciless swords of the Spaniards. 
 
 Hernando, with characteristic vigour, immediatel) under- 
 took the offensive. He gave his men no rest, but day 
 after day, in one direction or another, led them against 
 the Indians, as if bent on a war of extermination. On 
 one occasion, having defeated a body of Indians, he 
 found among the spoil a couple of packages ; and on 
 opening them, discovered in one the grisly burden of six 
 heads of Spaniards, and in the other numerous tattered 
 letters. From these he ascertained that the Marquis had 
 sent reinforcements from Lima to Cuzco, and as none 
 had arrived, he could not do otherwise than conclude 
 that they had been cut ofif. To connrm his suspicions, he 
 put some of his prisoners to the torture, and wrung from 
 them the information that the various parties of Spaniards 
 despatched from Lima had all been severally surrounded 
 and slain, so that the Inca could boast as trophies twG 
 hundred heads of Christ^'an warriors, and one hundred 
 and fifty skins of horses. The poor wretches in theii 
 agony also declared that the Spaniards had embarked 
 from Los Reyes, and quitted the country. This was nof 
 true, though the Marquis had been in such peril that the 
 Indians may possibly have believed that he could have 
 had no other resource. 
 
 That such tidings should involve the small Spanish 
 garrison of Cuzco in profound depression might well be 
 
1 66 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 expected. Hernando Pizarro, however, did not lose 
 heart, and he hastened to revive the spirits of his fol- 
 lowers. " Noble and very valorous gentlemen," he said, 
 " I am greatly surprised, and not without reason, that 
 you who so greatly esteem honour should show any sign 
 of weakness at a time when you have need for the utmost 
 fortitude. Now is the time, when Indian affairs are 
 doubtful, to show your desire to gain distinction in the 
 service of your Prince. If the bad news we have heard 
 be true in every particular, which may not be the case, 
 remember that your dead comrades have fallen in God's 
 service, and in the defence of these kingdoms. That 
 the Governor has departed is a thing for which we should 
 be glad, inasmuch as it leaves more glory for us Deeply 
 as I am indebted to my illustrious brother, I am not 
 sorry that he will have no share in the victory which I 
 intend to win ; that is, in the retention of these pro- 
 vinces. We have ample provisions to maintain us for a 
 year and a half: we will sow more grain in the proper 
 season, and then we shall be able to hold this city for 
 six years. Right well pleased shall I be if, in all that 
 time, no succour comes from beyond the seas, so that 
 we may suffice in ourselves alone." 
 
 In pursuance of his brave resolve, Hernando renewed 
 his expeditions against the Indians, dis])laying, in their 
 conduct, the highest skill and most splendid courage. 
 In one of them, having captured a large number of 
 Indians and carried them into Cuzco, he adopted the 
 cruel expedient of cutting off the right hands of four 
 hundred, and sending the mutilated wretches to the 
 
A YEAR OF WARFARE. 1 6/ 
 
 Inca. The Indians were so dismayed by this evidence 
 of his relentless courage, that they withdrew all their 
 forces from those districts, and the Spaniards, accord- 
 ingly, were less severely harassed. Yet each month, 
 after their usual religious festivals, the Indians renewed 
 their attacks ; and as it was Hernando Pizarro's policy 
 always to despatch an expedition when the Indians 
 retired on these occasions, it fell out that, during that 
 year of the war, not for a single day did the whole 
 Spanish garrison rest. As fast as one company returned 
 from its raid, another company issued forth to carry 
 fire and sword into some other quarter. 
 
 Prescott remarks that these contests were not confined 
 to large bodies of troops (on the Spanish side " large 
 bodies" could not possibly be collected !), but skirmishes 
 took place between smaller parties, which sometimes 
 assumed the form of personal combat. Nor were the^ 
 combatants always unequally matched ; the Peruvian 
 warrior, with sling, bow, and lasso, often proved no 
 contemptible antagonist for the mailed horseman, whom 
 he sometimes even ventured to encounter, hand to hand, 
 with his formidable battle-axe. "The ground around 
 Cuzco became a battle-field, like the vega of Granada, in 
 which Christian and pagan displayed the characteristics 
 of their peculiar warfare ; and many a deed of heroism 
 was performed, which wanted only the song of the 
 minstrel to shed around it a glory like that which rested 
 on the last days of the Moslem in Spain." 
 
 In one of his expeditions Hernando met with a reverse. 
 "With eighty picked horsemen, and a small body of veteran 
 
1 68 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 infantry, he had set out for a place called Tambo, in the 
 hope of surprising and capturing the Inca, Manco. He 
 reached Tambo unperceived and unopposed, but found the 
 Peruvian position much stronger than he had expected. 
 The lofty hill on which the palace-fortress stood was cut 
 into steep terraces, each defended by a solid rampart of 
 stone and sunburnt brick. Only on one side it sloped 
 gradually towards the river Yucay; and there Hernando 
 resolved to deliver his attack. Crossing the river, he took 
 the fortress in the rear, and, under cover of the night, 
 wound his way up the acclivity. But his approach had 
 been observed ; and, on his coming within bowshot, the 
 wall was suddenly alive with dusky figures, among whom 
 could be seen the Inca, directing the defence. The- 
 morning air rang with the Indian war-whoop, and a tremen- 
 dous storm of all kinds of missiles clashed and clattered 
 about the heads of the Spaniards. Incited by their leader, 
 who had much of his brother's tenacity of purpose, they 
 twice attempted to renew the assault ; but the Indian's 
 force was too overwhelming, and they were compelled to 
 retreat sullenly, with clou<is of Indians hanging upon their 
 rear until they came within sight of the walls of Cuzco. 
 
 We must now glance for a moment at the position of 
 affairs in Los Re}es, or Lima. As soon as the Marquis 
 was apprised of the revolt of the Inca and the siege of 
 Cuzco, he despatched to his brother's assistance a body 
 of men under Gonzalo de Tapia ; but they were inter- 
 cepted by the insurgents and slain to a man. The same 
 fate befell three other detachments and their leaders, so 
 that the Spanish force in Peru was considerably weakened. 
 
SIEGE OF LOS REYES. 169 
 
 Some weeks elapsed before Pizarro became aware of 
 these losses, and as no news arrived from Cuzco, he 
 feared the worst. To maintain his hold upon Peru 
 would be, he foresaw, a task of no little difficulty ; and 
 he sent an urgent summons to one of his most trusted 
 lieutenants, Alonzo de Alvarado, whom he had ordered 
 to conquer the province of Chacapeyas, to return to his 
 assistance. He also implored the Governors of Panama, 
 Nicaragua, Guatemala, and New Spain to forward rein- 
 forcements, that his fair conquest of Peru might not be 
 lost to the crown of Castile. By this time a host cf 
 Indian fighting- men had swarmed around Los Reyes ; 
 it was estimated that they numbered fully fifty thousand, 
 under the command of a great Inca noble, Teyyupangui. 
 At first the Marquis decided to go out and attack them ; 
 but on further reflection he deemed the risk too great, 
 and resolved to awiit the onset behind the recent ram- 
 parts of Los Reyes. 
 
 Teyyupangui had pledged himself to the Inca to 
 capture the city or perish in the effort. He addressed 
 his men in martial language, appealing to their patriotic 
 pride and religious feelings. He designed, he said, to 
 force his way that day into the Spanish city, and to kill 
 all the Spanish inhabitants. Then they would take their 
 wives, marry them, and have children by them fitted for 
 war. But none, he added, were to accompany him who 
 would not swear that if he died they should all die, and if 
 he fled they all should flee. There were none among his 
 captains who refused this pledge ; and with a great 
 pageantry of banners, the army moved forward to the 
 
170 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 attack. Their immense numbers poured over the walls 
 and into the streets, Teyyupangui marching in front, 
 with his spear in his hand. But as soon as they were 
 on level ground, the Spanish horsemen effected a brilliant 
 charge, which carried them through the Indian ranks 
 like a hurricane through a grove of palms. Their track 
 was shown by a long line of the dead and dying, who 
 included Teyyupangui and his captains. The Indians fell 
 back, disheartened; the Spaniards repeated their charge, 
 and soon the plain was dark with the flying companies 
 of the broken army. Next day they retired into the 
 mountains, and Los Reyes was out of danger. 
 
 Shortly after this great victory, Alonzo de Alvarado 
 arrived, and the Marquis was able to despatch him, with 
 one hundred horsemen and one hundred and fifty foot- 
 so! diers, to chastise the Indian insurgents in the province 
 of Xauxa, but not to advance unto the relief or recapture 
 of Cuzco until he had been reinforced. This was in the 
 month of October. Scattering the Indians before him 
 Alvarado arrived at Xauxa, where he waited for four 
 months, according to the Marquis's instructions. 
 
 Again the scene changes, and we must follow in the 
 track of Almagro the Maiiscal, whom we last saw at the 
 head of an expedition destined for the conquest of Chili. 
 Along the great road of the Incas he marched until he 
 reached the Chilian frontier; after which he plungred 
 into the pathless defile- of the Cordilleras, and with pain 
 and labour continued his progress southward. To the 
 eye of the artist the scenerv of the Andes is a succession 
 
ALMAGROS CHILI EXPEDITION. I/I 
 
 of grand and imposing effects ; great torrents roll down 
 the rugged declivities, and in vast shining cataracts 
 tumble into seemingly fathomless abysses ; dense forests 
 of pine climb up the sides of the ravines, and fill the 
 echoes with a mighty rushing sound ; broad spaces 
 of tableland, without tree or shrub, seem the chosen 
 battlefields of contending winds ; and far up into the 
 deep blue sky, higher than even the condor's wing can 
 soar, rise the white forms of the mountain-peaks. But 
 to the leader of armed men all this is a weariness and 
 a snare ; he knows that each feature of sublimity will 
 involve him in some loss of life. Almagro's followers 
 had worse enemies to struggle with than the Indians ; 
 their continual foes were the intense cold, which chilled 
 their blood and benumbed their limbs, and famine, which 
 paralyzed their energies and depressed their spirits. The 
 Spaniards were forced to feed on the frozen carcasses of 
 their horses ; their Indian attendants and followers, less 
 fortunate, on the dead bodies of their countrymen. 
 Happy, therefore, was their commander when he emerged 
 upon the warm and ferule valley-plain of Coquimbo, 
 where he and his soldiers could enjoy unbounded plenty 
 and secure repose. 
 
 When he had recruited the energ:es of his men, he 
 sent an officer forw rd, with a small force, to reconnoitre 
 the country towards the south. Meantime, the remainder 
 of his little army arrived, under the bold fierce soldier 
 Rodrigo de Orgonez, who brought with him the royal 
 warrant conferring on Almasro the governorship of all 
 lands conquered south of Peru. It was immediately 
 
172 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 argued by Almagro's intimates that Cuzco must lie 
 within the Hmits of his territory, and they strenuously 
 urged him to retrace his steps and reclaim from Pizarro 
 that golden city. In this they were supported by 
 Almagro's soldiers, who were already weary of a region 
 which seemed bare of gold and silver, and held out no 
 promise of either profit or pleasure. When the recon- 
 noitring party returned with the information that, after a 
 march of one hundred and fifty leagues, they had lighted 
 upon no rich settlements, no populous and wealthy 
 towns, no temples and palaces blazing with gold or 
 gems, the clamour in the camp redoubled, and Almagro, 
 who had never a firm command over his men, was 
 fain to yield to it. Abandoning his designs upon 
 Chili, he wheeled round his army, and prepared to 
 march back upon Cuzco, — to which, it is clear, he had 
 neither a legal nor a moral claim. Shrinking from a 
 fresh experience of the mountain route, he took his way 
 along the coast, which compelled him to traverse the 
 great desert of Atacama. In avoiding Scylla, he had 
 fallen into Charybdis. The desert proved as inhospitable 
 as the mountains ; it demanded, like the mountains, its 
 toll of dead from the rash adventurers who had pro- 
 faned its solitudes ! But the wonderful hardihood and 
 astonishing energy of the Spaniards carried them through 
 every trial, and they reached at length the picturesque 
 town of Arequipa. Here, at a distance of sixty leagues 
 from Cuzco, he learned that the Peruvians had risen 
 against the invaders, and that the young Inca, with a 
 still formidable army, lay between him and the capital. 
 
DEFEAT OF THE PERUVIANS. 173 
 
 At the same time the news of his approach was carried 
 to Hernando Pizarro, who could not doubt, from the very 
 fact of the Mariscal's return, that he came as an enemy. 
 
 Almagro, however, did not at once march upon Cuzco. 
 He arranged, through his emissaries, a meeting with 
 the Inca in the valley of Yucay, and with half his force, 
 or about two hundred and forty men, proceeded to the 
 rendezvous, while he ordered the other half to take up 
 their quarters at Urcos, about twenty miles from Cuzco. 
 Hernando at the same time issued from the capital, and 
 encamped with his small force in the vicinity. The 
 Peruvians, observing the proximity of the two camps, 
 not unnaturally concluded that they understood each 
 other, and that Almagro's negotiation with the Inca was 
 a subtly-devised plot to get possession of his person. 
 They made a sudden assault, therefore, with firtsen 
 thousand men, on the Spaniards in the valley of Yucay ; 
 but these veterans had kept a vigilant outlook, and were 
 prepared for the shock. The Inca's army was driven 
 back with great slaughter, and Almagro then hastened to 
 concentrate his forces at Urcos. Thereupon he sent an 
 embassy to its municipality, presenting a copy of his 
 credentials from the Crown, and requiring them to recog- 
 nise him as their governor. The authorities professed 
 themselves unable to decide between the rival claimants,* 
 and asked for time to investigate the question. A truce 
 was accordingly arranged between the contending parties 
 
 * Cuzco, however, was unquestionably within the limits of 
 Pizarro's jurisdiction, which, indeed, extended half a degree further 
 south. 
 
 T-'I 
 
174 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 of which Pizarro availed himself to open up negotiations 
 with Ahnagro. He insisted on the importance of peace 
 being preserved between them, as, otherwise, all would 
 be lost, and the Inca would recover his supremacy over 
 the country. He offered to receive him in the city with 
 all honour, and intimated that his quarters had been 
 suitably prepared for his accommodation. And more 
 particularly did he urge that a messenger should be 
 despatched to the Marquis in order that he might come 
 and settle matters without bloodshed. 
 
 Almagro returned an evasive answer, and on Monday, 
 the i8th of April, 1537, moved forward to a position 
 within three leagues of the city. Hernando Pizarro once 
 more invited him to enter it as a friend. " Tell him," 
 was the reply, " that I will not enter the city except as 
 my own, nor lodge in any lodgings but those where he 
 is, — that is, in the Governor's apartments." Yet again 
 did Hernando Pizarro attempt to bring about an arrange- 
 ment, enlarging on the perils that might arise from 
 further action on the part of the Indians, and sohciting 
 Almagro to preserve the peace until the Marquis should 
 arrive. Almagro, who seems to have been greatly influ- 
 enced by his lieutenant, Orgonez, replied that he held 
 his government from the Emperor, and was determined 
 to enter his own capital. And, raising his tents, he 
 moved forward within a bowshot of the city. Hernando 
 still desired to avoid hostilities ; and calling a meeting 
 of the Council, he obtained their consent to his proposal 
 that an Alcalde, accompanied by two Regidors, should 
 repair to Almagro, and, in the Emperor's name, require 
 
ALMAGRO'S CLAIM TO CUZCO. 175 
 
 of him that he should not disturb the city, but that if 
 he possessed powers from his Majesty, should present 
 them before the Council, in order that they might judge 
 of their extent. To so moderate a request Almagro 
 could not return a refusal, and accordingly a truce was 
 proclaimed for twenty-four hours. On the following morn- 
 ing he laid his powers before the Council (Hernando, at his 
 request, having been excluded), who, after due considera- 
 tion, decided that they were ready to obey the Emperor's 
 orders ; and that, as his Majesty had allotted to Almagro 
 for territory two hundred leagues reckoning from the 
 boundary-line of Don Francisco Pizarro's, and as the 
 said territory had not been set out or defined, and as 
 Don Francisco Pizarro had occupied Cuzco as within 
 his government, the division-line of the two governments 
 should be carefully ascertained by " pilots " or experts ; 
 and that, until this had been done, Almagro should 
 refrain from forcing an entrance into the city, and bring- 
 ing ruin upon both parties. When the division was 
 settled, if Cuzco proved to be within Almagro's juris- 
 diction, they would loyally accept him as Governor. 
 
 In a storm of rage Almagro ordered his soldiers to 
 prepare to attack the city, and Hernando immediately 
 summoned his men to the defence. But another effort 
 was made by the loyal Treasurer and a licentiate named 
 Prado, to avoid armed collision; and their entreaties 
 induced Almagro to extend the truce until the hour of 
 Vespers next day (Wednesday). 
 
 The weather was severe, and the snow lay on the 
 ground. The soldiers longed for the shelter and con- 
 
176 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 venient accommodation of the city ; and there were 
 rumours abroad that iVlvarado, with a large body of men, 
 was marching to the assistance of Hernando Pizarro. 
 Of these circumstances Orgonez and others availed them- 
 selves to persuade Almagro into an immediate attack. 
 They commented on the unfavourable character of their 
 position, and pohited out that while every day might 
 increase Pizarro's strength, every day would diminish 
 Almagro's. To his eternal dishonour, Almagro, in whose 
 character there was a fatal element of weakness, yielded 
 to this counsel, and at midnight suddenly pushed 
 forward his soldiers into the great square. Orgonez, 
 with a large body of infantry, hastened to surround the 
 dwelling of Hernando, who, with his brother Gonzalo, 
 was lodged in one of the large public halls built by the 
 Emperor. Hernando Pizarro was in bed when the alarm 
 was given; but he sprang up has il , donned his armour, 
 and prepared to make a stout defence. About twenty 
 soldiers stood by him, and for some time the assailants 
 made but little progress. Blood was shed on both sides, 
 when Orgonez, enraged at the gallant resistance, seized 
 a torch, and set fire to the thatched roof of the hall. 
 The flames spread rapidly, and as the burning timbers 
 fell in upon the brave little garrison, the two Pizarros 
 were compelled to surrender. They were thrown into 
 captivity in the House of the Sun, and put in chains. 
 
 Almagro began to govern Cuzco with a high hand, 
 and to bear with a sharp pressure on the members of the 
 Pizarro faction. Presuming on his new position, he sent 
 envoys to Alonzo de Alvarado's camp, requiring him to 
 
"DEAD MEN NEVER BITE." I// 
 
 recognize him as legitimate master of the city. In reply, 
 Alvarado, who had received reinforcements from the 
 Marquis, and was at the head of two hundred cavalry 
 and five hundred foot, put the envoys in irons, and sent 
 to Los Reyes for instructions."^ Almagro, in the inter- 
 val, had made another effort to negotiate with Manco, 
 but failing, he invested Manco's brother, Paullo, with 
 the bo}-la^ and thus obtained the services of some ten 
 thousand Indian auxiliaries. With those, and his Spanish 
 soldiers, he moved against Alvarado. His lieutenant, 
 Orgonez, recommended him before his departure to 
 behead the Pizarros, declaring that while they lived his 
 life would never be safe ; and adding, in the words of an 
 old proverb, " Dead men never bite."t The Mariscal 
 was ill affected towards Hernando, but he hesitated at 
 such a deed of murderous violence. Moreover, apart 
 from all political considerations, he was unwilling to put 
 a sea of blood between himself and his old associate the 
 Marquis, the influence of their long friendship not having 
 wholly decayed. He contented himself, therefore, with 
 placing a strong guard over his prisoners before he quitted 
 the city. He was encouraged in his design by the 
 treachery of Pedro de L^rma, one of Alvarado's principal 
 officers, who had secretly entered into communication 
 
 * The Marquis, on receiving the in''ormation brought by Alvarado's 
 horsemen, sent him strict orders not to move on Cuzco : but, unfor- 
 tunately, his messengers did not leave Los Reyes in time to prevent 
 the march. 
 
 f "El muerto no mordia." — Herrera, "Hist. General," 
 dec. vi., lib. ii., c. 8. 
 
178 
 
 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 with him, and promised to join him in person, and 
 to bring several partisans. This man informed him 
 of all the particulars of Alvarado's movement, and 
 of the position he had taken up at the Bridge of 
 Abangay.''' 
 
 * See the account in Garcilasso de la Vega's " Commentaiios 
 Reales" (2nd pt.), lib. ii., c. 34. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE FEUD BETWEEN ALMAGRO AND PIZARRO. — 
 EXECUTION OF ALMAGRO. 
 
 LVARADO had posted his men on Ihe further 
 bank of the Rio de Abangay, opposite the 
 bridge, while a ford lower down was guarded 
 vVJ/^ by a detachment. At nightfall Almagro ordered 
 "i^ his artillery to open fire, and his Indians to 
 
 keep up a continual shouting and discharge of missiles, 
 so as to delude the enemy into a belief that he intended 
 to force the passage of the bridge; while through the 
 darkness he led three hundred horsemen to the ford, 
 and there, with the guidance of Pedro de Lerma's men 
 crossed unopposed, but not without losing some of his 
 troopers m the rapid current. Immediately he attacked 
 the detachment on the river-bank, who had been misled 
 by the traitors, put them to the rout, and advanced 
 towards the bridge. By this time the alarm had been 
 given, and Alvarado, with about fifty men, was hastening 
 to support the guard at the ford, when he encountered 
 Almagro's soldiers — who, on account of the roughness 
 of the ground, had dismounted —in the narrow belt of 
 
l8o THE LAND OF THE INCAS. --- 
 
 ground lying between the sierra and the river. Here a 
 gallant fight took place, in which the Almagrists got the 
 worst. Perceiving this, they cried to one another, " To 
 the hills! Let us gun the hills!" But Alvarado saw 
 that if they occupied the hills they could cut him oT 
 from his camp and intercept his communications with 
 Pizarro; wherefore, followed by a few of his veterans, he 
 climbed the heights with all speed. Almagro's men, 
 however, not less swift- footed than himself, reached the 
 summit as quickly; so that Alvarado found himself 
 hopelessly outnumbered, and unable to prolong the 
 contest. A prisoner, he was carried down to the bridge, 
 which Almagro's infantry had successfully forced, and 
 there was no alternative but for all his little army to 
 surrender (July 12th). 
 
 Orgonez, always athirst for blood, advised the execu- 
 tion of Alvarado, but Almagro would not consent; and 
 on the 14th of July he marched back to Cuzco in triumph, 
 with a long array of prisoners. Here his successes did 
 not end ; for his lieutenant, Orgonez, soon afterwards 
 defeated the Inca's army, and very nearly captured the 
 Inca himself; and his brain dizzying with his triumphs, 
 he began to think of claiming even Los Reyes as within 
 the boundaries of his government.* Such an exaltation of 
 spirit is often observed in men who have risen to power 
 and prosperity just before their fall. But Almagro must 
 have been strangely ignorant of the tenacity and reso- 
 
 * His troops partoolf of their leader's arrogance, and were heard 
 to say that they would not leave one Pizarra {i.e., a " a slate") to 
 stumble over. 
 
PIZARRO'S ADVANCE. l8l 
 
 lution of his great rival, who now, after a long interval 
 of comparative inaction, reappears on the scene. 
 
 Francisco Pizarro had waited with calm patience for 
 the reinforcements which alone could enable him to 
 strike a decisive blow. Slowly they arrived ; and among 
 them, at last, came his old associate, the Licentiate 
 Caspar de Espinosa, with two hundred and fifty horse 
 and foot. He also received from Cortes, the great 
 Mexican conqueror, a vessel laden with supplies and 
 provisions, and, as a special token of friendship, a costly 
 wardrobe for himself. 
 
 With a force amounting to four hundred and fifty men, 
 about equally divided into horse and foot, the Marquis 
 quitted Lima and began his march upon Cuzco. He 
 had advanced but a few leagues, when he received the 
 astounding intelligence of Almagro's abandonment of Lis 
 expedition to Chili, the seizure of Cuzco, the imprison- 
 ment of his brothers, and the defeat at Abangay. These 
 reverses did not shake his indomitable courage; but 
 apprehending that Almagro's success might embolden 
 him to attack Lima, he returned in all haste to the 
 capital to strengthen and complete its defences. He 
 felt very keenly the injustice with which he had been 
 treated by his comrade of many years ; personal feelings, 
 however, never affected Pizarro's line of policy, and 
 he determined, before drawing the sword, to extend 
 "the olive branch" of p: ace to his powerful rival. For 
 this purpose he sent to him an embassy, consisting cf 
 Caspar de Espinosa, the Licentiate de la Cama, the 
 Factor Suarez de Carvajal, and Diego de Fuenmaya, 
 
l82 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 men of position and moderation, in whose discretion 
 both parties might fairly trust. They repaired to Cuzco ; 
 but Almagro, either under the influence of Orgonez, or 
 inflated by his unaccustomed authority, would listen to 
 no terms of accommodation. He insisted not only upon 
 the possession of Cuzco, but upon that of Los Reyes. 
 In vain Caspar de Espinosa pointed out the futility of 
 his pretensions ; Almagro declared he would maintain 
 them with his sword. In vain the Licentiate enlarged 
 on the injury to the interests of the Crown, which must 
 result from a collision between the Marquis and himself. 
 In vain he argued that the American continent afi"orded 
 ample scope for the exercise of his ambition, without his 
 entering upon a course of action, for the sake of a few 
 leagues more or less, which would offend high Heaven, 
 irritate the King, and fill the world with scandal and 
 disaster. Almagro would make no concession, would 
 hear of no compromise. The Licentiate turned angrily 
 on his heel : *' Soon will you learn," he exclaimed, " the 
 force of the old proverb, ' The conquered conquered, and 
 the conqueror undone.'"* 
 
 Soon afterwards the negotiations came to an abrupt 
 close, through the sudden death of Espinosa, which was 
 attributed, however, entirely to natural causes. The 
 influence of his cool judgment and sagacity removed, 
 there was no longer any barrier to the violence of both 
 factions. Carrying Hernando Pizarro with him, — for he 
 feared his daring character and fertility of resource, — and 
 
 * " El vencido vencido. y el vencidor perdido." 
 
ALMAGRO AND ORGONEZ. 1 83 
 
 leaving in prison at Cuzco his brother Gonzalo, and 
 Alonzo de Alvarado, Almagro at once began his move- 
 ment upon Los Reyes. He had got no further than the 
 valley of Lanasca, when messengers rode after him with 
 the intelligence that Gonzalo Pizarro and Alvarado had 
 bribed their guards, and effected their escape. Orgonez 
 immediately advised him to put Hernando to death : "A 
 Pizarro," he said, " was never known to forget an injury ; 
 and that which they have already received from you is 
 too deep to be forgiven." But Almagro seems still to 
 have cherished some vague hope of an accommodation 
 with the Marquis, and hesitated to commit a crime which 
 must have rendered it impossible. He was confirmed 
 in this disposition by the influence of Diego de Alvarado, 
 of whom, in his calmer moods, he frequently took counsel. 
 Diego was a gallant, an accomplished, and a generous 
 cavalier. He had had friendly relations with Hernando, 
 and strongly protested against his execution. " It would 
 not only," he said, " influence to the utmost the passions 
 of the Pizarrists, but would provoke the indignation of 
 the Court of Castile." Almagro listened to his milder 
 words, and spared Hernando. No doubt, as a matter of 
 policy, Orgonez was right. Almagro had gone too far 
 to recede, and his safety lay in going farther. When a 
 man once enters on a course of violence, it becomes 
 equally impossible for him to go back or to stand still ; 
 the accumulating impetus of his violent actions hurries 
 him onward fatally, and whether he attempts to arrest 
 his progress, or whether he yields to the power behind 
 him, ensures, sooner or later, his destruction. It was 
 
1 84 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 probable that a reconciliation might be effected with the 
 Marquis ; old associations and motives of policy might 
 incline him to a peaceful settlement ; but Almagro should 
 have known that Hernando Pizarro would never forget 
 the indignity that had been put upon him. 
 
 Towards the end of August, Almagro reached the vale 
 of Chincha, where, in imitation of Pizarro, he laid the 
 foundation of a town to which he gave his own name. 
 By this time the resources of his rival had wonderfully 
 increased ; reinforcements had arrived from all quarters, 
 and he had had the pleasure of welcoming the fugitives 
 from Cuzco ; so that he found himself at the head of one 
 thousand men-at-arms, of whom not the least formidable 
 was a contingent of one hundred and fifty well- equipped 
 arquebusiers. He felt strong enough to make a final 
 effort at negotiation ; and after a prolonged correspond- 
 ence between Almagro and himself, it was agreed that 
 their dispute should be referred to an arbiter, and that 
 this arbiter, with the assistance of " pilots,'^ should fix 
 the boundaries of their respective territories. The arbiter 
 chosen was the Provincial Fray Francisco de Bobadilla, 
 of the Order of Mercy. Needless to say that the fiery 
 Orgonez objected strongly to both the arbitration and the 
 arbiter ! His objections, however, were set aside ; and 
 Bobadilla and his *' pilots" repaired to an Indian town 
 called Mala, which was situated about midway between 
 Los Reyes and Chincha, and there summoned each 
 Governor to appear before him, attended by twelve horse- 
 men only. 
 
 Pizarro and Almagro hastened to obey ; but so much 
 
MEETING OP THE CAPTAINS. 185 
 
 had occurred to shake the confidence of the Pizarrists, 
 that they induced Gonzalo Pizarro, unknown to the 
 MarquiSj to move the army forward in the direction of 
 Mala. The two great captains met in the presence of 
 Bobadilla on the 13th of November. There is a difference 
 in the accounts of the method of their meeting : one 
 authority representing it as very friendly, so that they 
 shed tears and exchanged affectionate greetings ; another 
 declaring that Pizarro assumed his haughtiest demeanour 
 when Almagro, doffing his bonnet, advanced " in his 
 usual open manner," to salute his ancient comrade. 
 We have little doubt that the former statement is true ; 
 and it seems that the two Governors were on the point of 
 coming to an amicable understanding, when an unfortunate 
 incident — one of those mysterious "chances" which so 
 often in life break up the subtlest schemes and baffle 
 the most assured hopes — changed the entire current of 
 their destiny. It is said that Francisco de Godey, one 
 of Gonzalo's captains, apprised the Almagrists of the 
 danger impending over them by singing a couplet of an 
 old ballad — 
 
 *' Tiempo es el caballero, 
 
 Tiempo es de andar de aqui ; " 
 
 and that therefore an Almagrist, named Juan de Gayneau, 
 hastily entered the apartment where the Governors were 
 in conference, and whispered'in Almagro's ear that he was 
 the dupe of some intended treachery. Without a word 
 of farewell or explanation, the Mariscal turned his back 
 on his rival, strode down the stairs, mounted a horse 
 
1 86 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 which Juan de Gayneau had brought for him, and rode 
 rapidly away. 
 
 This unexpected occurrence proved to be the turning- 
 point of the fortunes of both Ahuagro and Pizarro. In 
 vain the Marquis sent word next day that the advance 
 of his army had been without his knowledge or permission, 
 and begged Almagro to return and complete their inchoate 
 arrangement. He rejected every advance, and wrapped 
 himself in a cloak of secrecy and suspicion. Without 
 further reference to either party, the arbiter then pro- 
 nounced his award, which was entirely in Pizarro's favour, 
 and, indeed, it is impossible for the impartial historian 
 to see how it could have been otherwise. He declared that 
 Cuzco lay within the t ^o hundred and seventy-five leagues 
 which the Emperor had defined as the limit of Pizarro's 
 territory, and must therefore be surrendered to him; and, 
 at the same time, he decided that Hernando Pizarro 
 should be released on condition that, within six weeks, 
 he left the country for Spain. Both parties were to retire 
 within their respective territories, and lay down the sword. 
 
 The Almagrists broke out into a frenzy of rage when 
 this award became known to them. They denounced it as 
 unjust, and calumniated the arbiter as a hireling of Pizarro's, 
 while Orgonez renewed his demand for Hernando Pizarro's 
 head. Almagro himself protested that he should dis- 
 regard the arbiter's decision. But wiser counsels pre- 
 vailed. The good influence of Diego de Alvarado was 
 brought to bear on the impetuous temper of his aged 
 leader, while the Marquis, anxious for the life of his 
 brother, and the preservation of Spanish interests in 
 
A TREATY OF PEACE. 1 8/ 
 
 Peru, was fully prepared to make any reasonable con- 
 cessions. The arrangement finally effected was as fol- 
 lows : That Chinclia should be evacuated ; that Cuzco 
 should, so to speak, be neutralised until the King's 
 decision as to its ownership could be obtained ; that 
 Almagro should prosecute his conquests southward, and 
 Pizarro northward; that Hernando Pizarro should be 
 liberated on condition that he left the country in six 
 weeks; and that Pizarro should place one of his ships at 
 Almagro's disposal. When these terms were made known 
 to Orgonez, that truculent cavalier gave way to a storm 
 of passion. " Never," he said, " v/ere the perfidious in 
 want of excuses for not fulfilling their promises ! " And, 
 lifting up his beard with his left hand, he drew his right 
 across his throat with a significant gesture, exclaiming : 
 "Orgonez, Orgonez, this is what thy fidelity to thy master 
 will cost thee !'' 
 
 Almagro, however, adhered to the conditions of his 
 pact. He repaired in person to Hernando Pizarro's place 
 of confinement, and made known to him that he was at 
 liberty, embracing him with much fervour, and expressing 
 a hope that "all past feuds would be forgotten, and that 
 thenceforward peace and good-fellowship might prevail." 
 Hernando replied that it would not be his fault if it were 
 not so, for he desired nothing better ; and he swore by 
 his honour as a knight that he would faithfully fulfil the 
 stipulations of the treaty. The Mariscal then conducted 
 him to his quarters, and entertained him right hospitably, 
 together with his principal officers, some of whom after- 
 wards escorted him half way to his brother's camp 
 
1 88 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 Almagro's son, Don Diego, and the Alvarados rode with 
 him all the way, and were courteously received by the 
 Marquis, who bestowed upon them many gifts, and in 
 particular lavished his attentions on the young Diego. 
 Thus it seemed to the ordinary observer as if the storm 
 had completely passed over ; the air was clear, the angry 
 voices of the battling winds were hushed. But those 
 whose eyes were keener did not fail to see that threaten- 
 ing clouds still hung upon the distant horizon. 
 
 On the day of Hernando's release arrived an envoy 
 from the Court of Spain, one Pedro de An^urez, bearing 
 important despatches. Important indeed, for they re- 
 opened the quarrel which seemed to have been satisfac- 
 torily composed, by providing that each governor should 
 hold the territory he had conquered and settled ("conquis- 
 tado y pobludo ") until the Emperor made some other 
 arranj^ement. The Marquis immediately accepted this 
 decision as fatal to Almagro's pretensions; nor could there 
 be any doubt that Cuzco was within his conquests, and 
 that Los Reyes had been founded by himself. To Almagro, 
 therefore, who had retired to the valley of Zangala, and 
 was bent on colonizing it, he intimated that their treaty 
 was at an end, and that he must abandon all further claim 
 to Cuzco, which the imperial decision had now definitely 
 made over to the Marquis's government. At the same 
 time he forbade the departure of Hernando to Spain, and 
 released hiin from his engagements to Almagro, as engage- 
 ments that could not apply when the conditions were 
 wholly altered. Hernando, however, submitted reluctantly, 
 feeling that he had pledged his knightly honour, and 
 
HERNANDO ADDRESSES HIS SOLDIERS. 1 89 
 
 fearing the imputations that the Almagrists would throw 
 upon his good faith. But he did not refuse to take 
 the command of his brother's army, which advanced as 
 far as Chincha. 
 
 Some time was wasted in the mutual recriminations of 
 the two parties, but on the close approach of the Pizarros, 
 Almagro withdrew to Guaytara, a mountain pass which 
 offered an almost impregnable strategical position. 
 Pizarro's soldiers followed, a'ter lis ening to an animated 
 address from Hernando. " To all of you," he said, " the 
 bounty shown by the Emperor to the Governor, my 
 brother, is fully known ; and though, before this imperial 
 mandate arrived, the justice on our side was manifest, his 
 Majesty's new confirmation of it gives us still greater 
 certainty. On our side, then, I repeat, we have justice; 
 on Almagro's there is greed. You are now about to show 
 your fidelity to my brother, but also your loyalty to the 
 Crown; and if you replace this province under the imperial 
 authority, doubt not that a liberal reward will await 
 your services. I know well," he continued, " that I do 
 greatly err, when there are so many cavaliers and soldiers 
 zealous in the cause of their prince, to insist on their 
 obligation to serve him, inasmuch as I cannot magnify it 
 so much as to make it equal to your desire to show it by 
 your deeds. Therefore, in that conviction, I will leave to 
 the future the demonstration and proof of your loyalty, 
 and your sense of the justice of our cause. But if any 
 among you be in need of arms or horses, I pray you tell 
 me, and I will cause him to be provided according to 
 his wants; for as many of you, noble gentlemen and 
 
 N 
 
190 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 cavaliers, have come from afar, you may be deficient in 
 some things." 
 
 Encouraged and satisfied by this generous speech, the 
 Pizarrists moved cheerfully forward, though Almagro 
 refused to believe that they would attack an almost im- 
 pregnable position, which was defended by a large body 
 of Indian auxiliaries as well as by a division of his own 
 troops. The rest of his army was entrenched in the 
 rear at Guaytara. Hernando, however, observed that the 
 heights above the pass were not very strongly guarded, 
 their inaccessibility being considered a sufficient defence. 
 To the brave and persevering nothing is impossible. In 
 the evening twilight Hernando took with him three 
 hundred men, and by a circuitous route rode to the foot 
 of the sierra. Having dismounted, they began to climb 
 the mountain — three miles of laborious ascent. A 
 traitor in Pizarro's camp had revealed the design to 
 Almagro's men, and they stood prepared to meet the 
 rash intruder, though never befieving that he would ac- 
 complish his enterprise. Through the darkness, however, 
 he made his way, followed by his soldiers with patient 
 alacrity. Early in the morning about five or six Pizarrists 
 gained the summit, and raised a shout of " Viva el Rey!" 
 with such vehement exultation that the Almagrists sup- 
 posed the whole army to be upon them, and fled in 
 confusion. It was midday, however, before the three 
 hundred reached the summit. Almagro, thus taken in 
 flank, had no alternative but to retreat. He was followed 
 with more ardour than prudence by the Pizarrists, and 
 the tide of war was nearly turned against them, Almagro 
 
ALMAGRO-AT CUZCO. I9I 
 
 having drawn up his forces in admirable order to stay 
 Iheir progress and crush their confused and breathless 
 battalions. Hernando, with his soldier's eye, detecting 
 the danger, advised an immediate retreat, and withdrew 
 the army in safety to the valley of lea, where the brothers 
 remained for several weeks, refreshing and reorganizing 
 their forces. Then the Marquis, who began to feel the 
 weight of years, returned to Los Reyes, leaving Hernando 
 to prosecute the campaign. 
 
 Ahnagro next turned his thoughts towards Cuzco, with 
 the \iew of occupying it before the Pizarros could reach it. 
 He was so enfeebled at this time by disease and old age 
 that he was obliged to be carried in a litter ; and on 
 reaching Bilcas his illness became so severe that he was 
 detained for three weeks before he could resume his march. 
 It was, therefore, the middle of April 1538, before he 
 arrived in the vicinity of the capital of the Incas. With 
 a sudden outburst of his old energy, he made vigorous 
 preparat'ons for holding it against the Pizarros. '' In 
 Cuzco," we are told, " nothing was heard but the sound 
 of trumpets summoning to reviews, and the hammering of 
 silver on the anvil, for of that me^al it was that they made 
 their corslets, cuirasses, and arm-pieces, which, using 
 double the quantity of silver that they would have used of 
 iron, they rendered as strong 'as if they had come from 
 Milan.'" Nor were picks and spades idle, for earthworks 
 were thrown up at every weak point of the defences. Pro- 
 visions were also collected from all the country round ; 
 scouts were posted on the high grounds to give notice of 
 the approach of the enemy ; and the clang and murmur of 
 
192 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 martial industry seemed to fill every echo, and were borne 
 on every wind. 
 
 Breaking up his camp at lea, Hernando Pizarro ordered 
 a general advance. On reaching the valley of Lanasca, 
 he reviewed his men ; and a goodly show they made in 
 their new equipments. They mustered in all six hundred 
 and fifty ; of whom two hundred and eighty were horse- 
 men, the remainder cross-bowmen, arquebusiers, and pike- 
 men. Well pleased with their appearance, and satisfied 
 of their fidelity, he advanced slowly and cautiously towards 
 Cuzco, in order to guard against a surprise. All marched 
 in full armour, so that they could give battle at any 
 moment. The journey was tedious, for the rivers were 
 swollen with the early thaws of spring, and to find a ford 
 it was often necessary to ascend high up their course. 
 Hernando insisted on the strictest discipline, and not a 
 {qw of his men deserted because he punished them for 
 robbing the natives. We have seen that Almagro had 
 resolved on defending the city ; but on Hernando's ap- 
 proach, his commander, Ordonez, changed his mind, and 
 confiding in his superior numbers, resolved to issue forth 
 from the city, and act on the offensive. So it came to 
 pass that when the Pizarrists reached an elevated plain, 
 south of Cuzco, called Las Salinas (or " the Salt Pits "), 
 they found Almagro's forces drawn out to oppose their 
 progress, with their front covered by a marsh and a small 
 stream, their flanks protected by horsemen and six small 
 cannon, or falconets. On the hill-side, near the Inca's 
 road, were posted the Indians, fifteen thousand strong, 
 under the Inca PauUo. Orgofiez himself was in com- 
 
THE EVE OF THE BATTLE. 193 
 
 mand of the cavalry, who all wore white vests over their 
 armour. 
 
 Slowly traversing the plain, the Pizarrists halted on the 
 southern side of the little stream which trickled across the 
 glittering plain. Here, as the sun was sinking, they took 
 up their quarters for the night, purposing to come to blows 
 with their enemies on the morrow. "The rumours of 
 the approaching battle," says the historian.* " had spread 
 far and wide over the country ; and the mountains and 
 rocky heights around were thronged with multitudes of 
 natives, eager to feast their eyes on a spectacle where, 
 whichever side were victorious, the defeat would fall on 
 their enemies. The Castilian women and children, too^ 
 with still deeper anxiety, had thronged out from Cuzco to 
 witness the deadly strife in which brethren and kindred 
 were to contend for mastery. The whole number of the 
 
 * Prescott, ii., 103, 104. So, too, Sir Arthur Helps: — "We 
 should judge but poorly of these combats in South America, if we 
 estimated them according to the smallness of the number of men 
 engaged on each side, and not according to the depth and amount 
 of human emotion which they elicited. There was more passion in 
 the two little armies now set over against each other, than is to be 
 found in vast hosts of invading soldiers combating for objects which 
 they scarcely understand. I have no doubt the hatred in these bands 
 of Almagrists and Pizarrists greatly exceeded anything that was to 
 be found in the ranks of the French and Spaniards that fought at 
 Pavia. Even in religious wars, there has hardly existed greater 
 fierceness than amongst these Spanish conquerors, where each man 
 in the army was an aristocrat, fighting for lands, houses, slaves ; and 
 whose angry soul was often largely occupied by the remembrance of 
 slights and injuries received from men in the opposite ranks, well 
 known to him. It appears at first a slur upon the good sense of Her- 
 nando Pizarro, and a sad inconsistency, that he, being a commander, 
 
194 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 combatants was insignificant ; though not as compared 
 with those usually engaged in these American wars. It is 
 not, however, the number of the players, but the magni- 
 tude of the stake, that gives importance and interest to 
 the game ; and on this bloody game they were to play for 
 the possession of an empire. The night passed away in 
 silence, unbroken by the vast assembly which covered the 
 surrounding hill-tops. Nor did the soldiers of the hostile 
 camp<5, although keeping watch within hearing of one 
 another, and with the same blood flowing in their veins, 
 attempt any communication. So deadly was the hate in 
 their bosoms ! " 
 
 It was Saturday, the 26th day of April, 1538. 
 
 At early dawn, Hernando Pizarro assumed his surcoat 
 of orange-damask, and donned his plumed helm; not 
 only that he might be known by his own men, but that 
 he might easily be recognized by the enemy. As bold 
 a warrior as he was a skilful leader, he intended to be 
 
 should give way to such feelings in his own case, while he strove to 
 restrain the fuiy of others ; and his orange-damask surcoat and floating 
 white feather seem but childish emblems in a general.* But the spirit 
 of the times must not be forgotten. It was only in the preceding year 
 that the outwardly sedate and almost always cautious Chailes the 
 Fifth, in the presence of the Pope and the College of Cardinals, had, 
 after a passionate speech, prettily challenged the King of France to 
 personal combat, staking Burgundy or Milan on the issue of the 
 encounter. It is hardly to be wondered at, therefore, that Hernando 
 Pizarro should give his personal enemies the means of knowing 
 where he was to be found in the battle." — " History of the Spanish 
 Conquest," iv., loi, 102. 
 
 * Hardly ; when Henry of Navarre (" Henri Quatre of France") wore a snow- 
 white plume at the battle of Ivry that his soldiers might recognize him. 
 
THE PIZARRISTS AND THE ALMAGRISTS. I95 
 
 foremost in the fray, and to avenge upon some of the 
 Almagrists the contumely they had poured upon hhn 
 during his imprisonment. His trumpets having sum- 
 moned his men to arms, he proceeded to array them ; 
 the infantry, which formed his chief strength, so large a 
 number being armed with arquebuses, in three com- 
 panies in the centre, under Gonzalo Pizarro ; the horse- 
 men, in two divisions, one on each flank, under Alonzo 
 de Alvarado and Pedro Angurez. A small reserve was 
 placed under the command of a captain named Merca- 
 dillo. This order of battle having been formed, two 
 priests, splendidly robed, advanced to the front, and set 
 up two small altars, at which they chanted the mass and 
 gave the benediction. Pizarro then despatched a notary 
 to Almagro, formally requiring him to deliver up the city 
 of Cuzco ; and having discharged this useless ceremony, 
 he addressed some words of advice to his valiant soldiers. 
 He alluded briefly to the personal outrage his brother and 
 himself had undergone at Almagro's hands ; reminded 
 them that Cuzco had been unjustly wrested from the 
 Marquis's possession ; and pointed to it, as its towers and 
 V alls shone in the morning sun, as the prize of their heroic 
 eff"orts. But it was not necessary, he said, to cheer or 
 encourage them ; rather did they need in their great 
 ardour to be restrained. He begged them to moderate, 
 with the patience that on such occasions was needful, 
 their desire for victory. They answered with a tre- 
 mendous shout, and Hernando led them at once into 
 action. They waded the stream and struggled through a 
 marsh on the opposite side, their arquebusiers repl}ing 
 
196 THE LAND OF THE INC AS. 
 
 with terrible effect to Almagro's artillery, and dealing 
 death and wounds among his spearmen. Under cover 
 of their steady fire, Hernando and his horsemen gallantly 
 rode forward. Orgonez, to oppose them, massed his 
 squadrons together, and exclaiming: "O Divine Word, 
 let those follow me who please, but I go to die," spurred 
 against his antagonists. The shock was furious, but the 
 Pizarrists bore it undauntedly, and the combatants were 
 soon fighting hand to hand, cheering one another with 
 their battle-cries of " El Rey y Almagro " and " El Rey y 
 Pizafro," with which mingled the yells of Almagro's Indian 
 auxiharies from the height whence they looked forth upon 
 the encounter. 
 
 However injudicious as a councillor, Orgonez was a 
 brave and chivalrous soldier, and in this, his last battle- 
 field, his courage shone conspicuously. Mistaking a 
 cavaher, from the colour of his surcoat, for Hernando 
 Pizarro, he rode his horse at him full tilt, and bore him 
 down with his lance. A second he slew in the same 
 manner, and a third, who was shouting " Victory I " he 
 clave with his sword. In the heat of the melee he was 
 smitten in the forehead by a chain-shot fiom an arquebus, 
 which penetrated the bars of his visor, and momentarily 
 stunned him. Before he had fully recovered hmiself, his 
 horse was killed under him, and though he contrived to 
 spring to the ground, he was quickly surrounded and 
 overpowered. Looking round with a haughty glance, he 
 said : " Is there no knight to whom I can surrender ? " 
 One Fuentes, a menial of Pizarro, presented himself 
 as if in answer to the question. Orgonez delivered him 
 
DEFEAT OF THE ALMAGRISTS. 197 
 
 his sword, whereupon the wretch drew his dagger and 
 stabbed his defenceless prisoner to the heart. The head 
 was struck off, stuck on a pike, and afterwards exhibited 
 in the great square of Cuzco as the head of a traitor. 
 
 Not less eminent in the bloody strife was Hernando 
 Pizarro ; his terrible lance seemed to carry everything 
 before it, and his white plume shone above the clashing 
 shields and swords and the waving helms like a meteor. 
 Pedro de I.erma, the traitor, endeavouring to rally the 
 Almagrist cavalr}', made his way towards his enemy, and 
 charged him with fell rancour ; but his lance, missing 
 the rider, struck Hernando's horse, and bore it to its 
 knees, whereas Hernando's spear transfixed the thigh of 
 his opponent. In the fierce affray that followed Pedro 
 de Lerma was unhorsed, and left on the field with many 
 wounds. Hernando, on foot, defended himself with ready 
 courage, until his soldiers swept around him, and rescued 
 him from the increasing number of his enemies. 
 
 By his headlong charge, Orgoiiez had uncovered the 
 flank of his infantry, and Gonzalo Pizarro charged with 
 complete success. The Almagrists gave way in great 
 confusion, and took to flight with rapid feet, pursued by 
 Gonzalo, who hunted them into the sierra. A few of 
 Alniagro's horsemen sought to prolong the contest, but 
 one by one they were killed, wounded, or unhorsed, and 
 those who survived were compelled to yield. Brought 
 before Hernando Pizarro, he gave orders that theu: Hves 
 should be spared, thinking that the second victory which 
 remained for him to win was a victory over himself, in 
 repressing the dictates of private vengeance. Almagro, 
 
198 THE LAND OF THE IN CAS. 
 
 reclining in a litter, had watched the eddying fortunes 
 of the two hours' fight, and on seeing it go against him, 
 had succeeded in mounting a mule, and riding off to 
 take shelter in the citadel of Cuzco. Thither he was 
 followed by Alonzo de Alvarado, who carried him in 
 triumph into the city, where he was thrown into irons, 
 and (such are the strange contrasts of human life !) 
 imprisoned in the same chamber of the palace in which 
 he had imprisoned the two Pizarros. It is recorded that 
 one of the Pizarrist captains, seeing the Mariscal for the 
 first time, and scornfully observing his mean bearing and 
 ill-favoured countenance, lifted his arquebus to kill him, 
 exclaiming, " Is this the man for whom so many cavaliers 
 have perished ? " But Alvarado struck up his arquebus, 
 and forbade him to fire. 
 
 The battle of Las Salinas cost Almagro's party the 
 lives of one hundred gallant soldiers. No account is 
 given of the wounded, but their number could not have 
 been less. Almost all the wounds were in the jaw ; for 
 the strong and complete armour of the Spaniards 
 effectually protected every part of the body. The 
 fortune of the day was decided in favour of the Pizarros, 
 partly by Hernando's brilliant bravery and skilful conduct, 
 but more by the heavy and deadly fire of his veteran 
 arquebusiers, who had been trained in the Netherlands 
 wars. It must be acknowledged that Pizarro used his 
 victory leniently. We do not read of any executions or 
 murders ; he treated his prisoners with courtesy, and he 
 ordered that everything plundered on the day of battle 
 should be restored to its owner. To gratify his lieu- 
 
ALMAGRO IN PRISON. I99 
 
 tenants, and diminish the large number of soldiers of 
 both parties assembled in Cuzco, he encouraged them to 
 undertake the discovery and reduction of such provinces 
 as had not hitherto submitted to the Spmiards. Alonzo 
 de Alvarado set forth to conquer the Chacapoyas ; Pedro 
 de Vergara to conquer the Beacamores ; and Mercadillo 
 the district of Xauxa. Pedro de Candia was ordered on 
 an expedition to the Andes, in which he was joined by 
 many of the Almagrists ; who, however, when at a distance 
 of about tweiity leagues from the city, on the pretence 
 of " re-organizing their ranks," entered into a nego- 
 tiation with the captain of the arquebusiers, who had 
 the custody of Almagro, to favour his escape, offering 
 him 15,000 castellanos as a reward, and 1,000 castel- 
 lanos for each of his men. The captain, however, 
 reported the treacherous offer to Pizarro, who imme- 
 diately arrested the traitors, and sent peremptory orders 
 to Pedro de Candia to proceed on his expedition. 
 
 At the urgent solicitations of Almagro, Hernando 
 Pizarro visited him in prison. He did his best to 
 console the unfortunate captive, who gave way to inces- 
 sant moans and tears ; reminding him that such reverses 
 of fortune frequently occurred to valiant persons, and 
 urging him to display the fortitude which alone was 
 worthy of his greatness. He added an assurance that 
 he should be kindly treated, and that if Pizarro did not 
 speedily come to the capital, he would take it upon 
 himself to release him and furnish him with the means 
 of reaching his brother's quarters. 
 
 Hernando kept his word until he found that Almagro 
 
200 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 was intriguing with Pizarro's officers, after which he was 
 more closely confined and vigilantly guarded, while the 
 King's officials instituted a foraial process against him, 
 and began to collect evidence.* This transaction occu- 
 pied nearly four months, and Hernando Pizirro's object 
 in it seems to have been to obtain justification for send- 
 ing Almagro back to Spain. As a prisoner, the Mariscal 
 must always be dangerous ; if set at liberty, he would 
 become the centre of new conspiracies ; what, then, was 
 to be done with him? The Almagrists, as it was, did 
 not cease in their efforts to secure his release ; and at 
 last their plots compelled Hernando to take some decisive 
 action. 
 
 Summoning a meeting of the municipal council, to 
 which he mvited his most experienced and sagacious 
 officers, he laid before them the proofs he had obtained 
 of a dangerous movement against the public peace. 
 Already they knew, he said, the particulars of the 
 troubles created by Don Diego de Almagro's men, and 
 also by many of his own men, who, because he had 
 compelled them to restore the booty they had taken in 
 battle, and because of offers made on the Mariscal's 
 part, had united with them. And now he had received 
 the letter which he had placed in their hands, to the 
 effect that Don Pedro de Candia had approached within 
 .nine leagues of the city, at the head of three hundred 
 and fifty men, whose words showed that they came in 
 a rebellious mood. They, the magistrates, were, like 
 
 * The evidence collected spread, we are told, over two thousand 
 folio pages. 
 
DECISION OF THE COUNCIL. 201 
 
 himself, responsible for the welfare of his Majesty's 
 service and the peace of the city ; and as it was possible 
 that violent anger or prejudice might dispose him to do 
 something of which they would disapprove, he asked 
 them to look at the position of affairs, at the danger 
 which might occur, and the punishment there might be 
 for it ; aad, as men of honour and good judgment, 
 advise him what course to adopt, so that his Majesty 
 might be served and the peace of the city maintained. 
 And as it might be that some of them would not deliver 
 their opinions with perfect freedom in his presence, he 
 would retire from the council. He entreated them 
 carefully to consider what advice they gave, for only 
 upon that advice would he act ; rather would he err in 
 following the comTnon opinion, than succeed by follow- 
 ing his own. Very fair and impartial this, no doubt; 
 but it must be remembered that Hernando was address- 
 ing the nominees of his brother, and the captains in his 
 brother's army, all of whom had nothing to gain from 
 Almagro and much to lose from Pizarro. 
 
 After a decorous interval, Hernando was invited to 
 hear the decision of the council. We slirewdly suspect 
 that he was fully prepared to find that it went against 
 Almagro. Pronounced guilty of levying war against the 
 Crown, of entering into conspiracy with the Inca, and of 
 dispossessing the King's governor of his city of Cuzco, 
 he was condemned to suffer death. Hernando called 
 them to witness that, before God, he had discharged his 
 conscience by submitting the matter to their final judg- 
 ment. Though he had given it as his conviction, that 
 
202 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 if this thing were not done the land would be lost, and 
 the lives of all imperilled, he had expressed at the same 
 time his belief that they, the members of the council, 
 would pronounce an honest and unbiassed opinion. They 
 probably understood the real significance of Hernando's 
 disclaimer of responsibihty, and replied, that meriting 
 death as Almagro did, it was well to pass sentence upon 
 him, and to carry out the sentence, as otherwise they 
 would be involved in a serious calamity. 
 
 All that night, says the historian, Hernando Pizarro 
 kept two hundred men in his quarters, to meet any attack 
 which Pedro de Candia might be emboldened to deliver, 
 and at early morn he repaired to Almagro, advising him 
 that it was necessary for completing the process that he 
 should make his confession. This he did, and admitted 
 the justice of the accusations brought against him, while 
 offering various excuses for, and explanations of, different 
 parts of his conduct. 
 
 The confession completed, formal sentence was recorded 
 against him, and a friar was employed to prepare him for 
 death. He was greatly overcome by the announcement ; 
 old and enfeebled, he still clung to life, and vehemently 
 protested against the injustice done him. He appealed, 
 he said, to the Emperor; but Hernando would not permit 
 the appeal to be received. Then he solicited an interview 
 w th his stern adversary, and with the most piteous sup- 
 plications besought him to spare his life. He reminded 
 him of his old and long association with his brother, and 
 the services he had rendered him and his family in their 
 earlier career. He alluded to his labours in the cause 
 
ALMAGRO PLEADS FOR HIS LIFE. 203 
 
 of his king and country, and implored him to spare his 
 grey hairs, and not to deprive him of the short remnant 
 of an existence from which his enemies had now nothing 
 more to fear. Hernando replied that he was surprised 
 to see Almagro comport himself in a manner so unworthy 
 of a brave cavalier. His fate was no worse than had 
 befallen many a soldier before him ; and, since God had 
 given him the grace to be a Christian, he should make 
 use of the brief time remaining to him to close his 
 account with heaven.* Almagro continued his entreaties, 
 reminding Hernando of his clemency towards himself. 
 *"Twas a hard requital," he said, ''for having spared 
 his life so recently under similar circumstances, and that, 
 too, when he had been repeatedly urged by those around 
 him to take it away." He concluded by asking him to 
 consider his age and infirmities, and begging him to allow 
 his appeal to the Emperor, so that he might spend in 
 prison the few sad days which might still be his to repent 
 of, and mourn over, his sins. In vain: the stern captain 
 quitted the apartment, and gave orders that the priest 
 should attend to receive Almagro's confession. But no 
 confession would Almagro make unless Hernando granted 
 him another interview. Hernando reluctantly conceded 
 it, for he was not without compassion, though stern of 
 purpose ; and he declared that, though Almagro's crimes, 
 had been very great, he would not have sentenced him 
 but have sent him to the Emperor, had it not been for 
 the constant intrigues of his partisans. He added, some- 
 
 * This speech is recorded by Herrera, but its authenticity may 
 well be doubted. Hernando was cruel, but not brutal. 
 
2C4 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 what scornfully, an expression of his wonder that a man 
 of his proved courage should show so much fear of death. 
 Almagro gently replied — and it is the best and most 
 touching speech of his upon record — that since our Lord 
 Jesus Christ feared death, it was not to be marvelled at 
 if he> a man and a sinner, feared it. He spoke, however, 
 to deaf ears ; his doom was fixed. And when he saw 
 that it was so, like the Duke of Monmouth, after grovel- 
 ling at the feet of James II., he recovered all his fortitude 
 and manly spirit, and cahiily prepared to meet his end. 
 He made his confession ; bequeathed his estates and 
 treasure to the Emperor ; and, as the royal grant 
 empowered him to name his successor in the governor- 
 ship, he devolved the office on his son, appointing Diego 
 de Alvarado as administrator of the province during his 
 son's minority. Through the intercession of some of the 
 Spanish cavaliers, and perhaps from fear of an outbreak 
 on the part of the Almagrists, he was spared the disgrace 
 of a public execution, and put to death in his prison by 
 the garotte. His body was afterwards exhibited in the 
 great square, when, in fulfilment of the original sentence, 
 his head was cut off. A herald proclaimed the crimes 
 for which he had suffered ; and his remains were after- 
 wards conveyed to the house of his friend Hernan Ponce 
 de Leon (July 8th, 1538). On the following day they 
 were interred in the church of Our Lady of Mercy, and, 
 as if to show that he had been actuated by no motive of 
 private vengeance, Hernando Pizarro, with his brother 
 Gonzalo, attended the funeral among the principal 
 mourners. 
 
EXECUTION OF ALMAGRO. 205 
 
 The execution of Almagro remains as an indelible blot 
 on the fame of Hernando Pizarro. Not that Almagro 
 was innocent of the crimes imputed to him. It is certain 
 that he violated the conditions imposed by the Emperor 
 in taking forcible possession of the city of Cuzco. To 
 further his own ends, he was ready to enter into an 
 alliance with the Inca which might have fatally imperilled 
 the interests of Spain. He invaded the jurisdiction of 
 the King's governor, and took up arms against him. It 
 is difficult to say what more he could have done than 
 he did to justify the charge of treason which Hernando 
 raised. But his trial was an exercise of arbitrary autho- 
 rity which cannot be defended. Hernando was not even 
 in his brother's position ; he held no warrant or official 
 jurisdiction from the Crown ; and it was obviously his 
 duty to have transferred his prisoner to Los Reyes, whence 
 he might have been sent to Spain to be tried by a proper 
 tribunal. Moreover, when he him.self was in Almagro's 
 hands, his life had been spared under circumstances of 
 considerable provocation, and the remembrance of this 
 fact should have made him unwilling to incur the reproach 
 of ingratitude. Yet, when all this has been admitted, 
 the impartial historian will find some excuse, if no jus- 
 tification, for Hernando's action. Almagro had given 
 grave cause of offence. It was not only that Pizarro had 
 conquered Peru by his own indomitable tenacity and 
 inexhaustible courage ; it was not only that he held his 
 governorship direct from the Crown; it was not only 
 that Almagro had not been unfairly treated in the division 
 of honours and territories ; but that in the position of 
 
 O 
 
206 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 the Spaniards in Peru such disloyalty as his might have 
 involved the whole colony in irreparable ruin. To 
 Hernando Pizarro, at least, this was only too evident, 
 and we believe that in ordering the execution of Almagro 
 he consulted no private feeling, but was honestly actuated 
 by a regard for the public interest. " 
 
 We confess ourselves unable to understand Mr. Pres- 
 cott's partiality for this very small and vulgar hero, whose 
 chief recommendation seems to have been a certain Tree- 
 handedness which ensured his popularity with the common 
 soldiers. History records no examples of the excellent 
 qualities with which Mr. Prescott credits him. To call 
 him "the hero of a hundred battles" is a more than 
 poetical exaggeration; for, in truth, he had but small 
 experience of warfare. He showed no skill as a leader 
 of men, no capacity as a military commander, no ability 
 as an administrator, and it is certain that by him the 
 conquest of Peru could^ never have been accomplished. 
 He did not even accomplish the conquest of Chili, and 
 in all his expeditions commiited the most serious and 
 signal errors. The truth would seem to be that to invest 
 the portrait of Pizarro with the desired shadows, it was 
 necessary to illuminate that of Almagro with imaginary 
 lights ; and yet his eulogist after all is constrained to 
 admit that it is doubtful whether he possessed " those 
 uncommon qualities, either as a warrior or a man, that, 
 in ordinary circumstances, would have raised him to 
 distinction." It may safely be asserted that, had it not 
 been linked with Pizarro's, his name would never have 
 passed the lips of men. 
 
CHAPTER VIT. 
 
 EXPEDITION OF GONZALO PIZARRO, AND DISCOVERY OF 
 <■]}. THE RIVER AMAZON. 
 
 jN receiving intelligence of the victory of Las 
 Salinas, the Marquis Pizarro set out from Los 
 Reyes for Cuzco. At Xauxa he was met by 
 Almagro's son Diego, whom Hernando had 
 sent to the coast, and found him under 
 grievous alarm and anxiety as to his father's probable 
 fate. He rectived him kindly, and reassured him by 
 his earnest declarations that no harm should befall his 
 father, between whom and himself, he said, he hoped the 
 old friendship might^be re-established. The young man 
 then went on his way to Los Reyes, where, by Pizarro', 
 orders, he was lodged in his house, aa 1 treated as his son. 
 It was not until he reached the Bridge of Abangay 
 that the Marquis heard of the execution of Almagro. 
 He was profoundly affected by the news, for which he 
 was wholly unprepared ; and he stood for a long time, 
 with his eyes fixed on the ground, weeping. Mr. Prescotts 
 absolutely without foundation, holds him equally account- 
 able with Hernando for the death of his associate. He 
 
208 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 chooses to suppose that he was perfectly aware of all 
 that took place at Cuzco, and in communication with his 
 brother respecting Almagro's fate. But this was impos- 
 sible. Almagro's capture, sentence, and execution fol- 
 lowed in such quick succession that there could have 
 been no time for messengers to pass between the two 
 cities. For our own part, we doubt whether, even if it 
 had been possible, Hernando would have consulted his 
 brother, of whose friendship for Almagro he was well 
 aware. It is worthy of notice that whenever Hernando 
 was on the stage, the Marquis played a more or less 
 subordinate part. Hernando had not the wonderful 
 tenacity, the extraordinary perseverance and patience of 
 Francisco ; but, in some respects, his was the stronger 
 character. His will was certainly more powerful, and he 
 always prevailed in whatever course he advocated. As 
 to the relations between Almagro and the Marquis, some 
 writers charge the latter with gross ingratitude ; but it 
 does not appear that the charge has any real justifica-. 
 tion. It was Pizarro who bore the burden and heat of 
 the day, and he was certainly entitled to the larger 
 reward. When all America was supposed to be teeming 
 with gold and silver, he no doubt thought that Almagro's 
 southern territory would yield him a treasure equal to 
 that which Peru had yielded ; and the Court of Spain 
 appears to have considered the division equitable. T^he 
 tendency of most historians is either to whitewash an 
 historical personage until no speck or stain can be 
 detected on his armour, or to blacken him until he 
 stands repulsive in a mask of inordinate hideousness. 
 
THE MARQUIS ENTERS CUZCO. 209 
 
 Pizarro has been chosen to undergo the latter process, 
 but really without affording sufficient grounds. He was 
 not an angel of light, but he was not a monster of dark- 
 ness. He was a man of many merits and some failings ; 
 like most of his race and time, he placed no great value 
 upon human life, nor was he over scrupulous in the fulfil- 
 ment of promises. But, on the whole, he did not treat 
 Almagro unfairly ; he showed himself, on more than one 
 occasion, mindful of their long association and old com- 
 radeship ; and we beUeve that Ahnagro's hfe would have 
 been spared if he had reached Cuzco earlier. As a mere 
 matter of policy, he would have seen that the death of 
 Almagro did not mean the annihilation of Almagro's 
 faction, and that it could not fail to be resented by the 
 Court of Spain as an illegal exercise of authority. 
 
 The Marquis considered it advisable, in support of his 
 office, to make a public entry into Cuzco, at the head of 
 his train of cavaliers, with the pomp of banners and 
 amid the martial music of trumpets and clarions. He 
 found both his brothers absent on an expedition against 
 the Indians in the vicinity of Lake Titicaca. On their 
 return, he despatched Gonzalo to undertake the subjuga- 
 tion of the tribes of Charcas; and when he had accom- 
 plished the difficult task, rewarded him and Hernando 
 with a grant of land in the neighbourhood of Porco, 
 known to be rich in minerals. Hernando worked the 
 mines with much skill and on an extensive scale, but 
 did not discover the vast treasures of silver Potosi which, 
 all unknown to him, lay, with their "potentiality of 
 wealth," within his limits. As soon as he had amassed 
 
210 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 a sufficient fortune, he prepared to return to Spain and 
 defend himself against the charges which, at Court, 
 Diego de Alvarado and other partisans of the unfortunate 
 Almagro were pressing against him. Before his depar- 
 ture he strongly advised his brother to beware of the 
 *'men of Chili," as the Ala^agrists were called ; desperate 
 men, he said, who would allow nothing to interfere 
 between them and their revenge. He urged him not to 
 allow them to assemble in any number within fifty miles 
 of his person, and to maintain always and everywhere a 
 strong bodyguard. " I shall not be here," he added, 
 with a touch of pathos, "to watch over you." But 
 Pizarro, who was far from being suspicious, made light 
 of his brother's alarms. There was no cause, he said, 
 for fear ; moreover, every hair on the head of Almagro's 
 followers was a guarantee for his safety. 
 
 Hernando Pizarro embarktd at Los Reyes in the 
 summer of 1539. He reached the Spanish cuast in 
 safety, and proceeded to Valladolid, where he met with 
 but a cold reception. Diego de Alvarado had been 
 before him, and he who first tells his tale has always an 
 advantage over the later comer. Hernando, however, 
 was nothing disheartened, and by dint of repetition of 
 his justification, and by, we may assume, a judicious 
 distribution of presents, he suspended for awhile the 
 opinion of his judges. The delay so irritated Diego 
 de Alvarado that he endeavoured to settle the points 
 at issue by challenging Hernando to mortal combat. 
 The challenge fell to the ground through the sudden 
 death of the challenger which happened within five days 
 
THE INCA MANCO CAPAC. 211 
 
 Pizarro, however, did not wholly escape. On the ground 
 that by releasing the Inca Manco he had facilitated the 
 Indian rebellion, and because he had violated the law by 
 his execution of Almagro, he was deprived of his order 
 of Santiago, and thrown into prison at Medina del Campo, 
 where he was detained for twenty years. In 1560 he 
 obtained his release, and was allowed to spend the 
 remainder of his long life in the tranquil enjoyment of 
 a considerable fortune. He lived to the ripe old age of 
 one hundred years. 
 
 The Marquis was now the sole ruler of Peru ; but he 
 had much difficult and laborious work to accomplish 
 before his authority could be considered as firmly esta- 
 blished. Encouraged by the feuds which had broken 
 out among his conquerors, the Inca Manco quitted his 
 mountain fastnesses, and with a considerable force posted 
 himself in the sierra between Cuzco and the coast; 
 maintaining a warfare resembling that of the Scotch 
 borderers in the troublous old times of the long struggle 
 between England and Scotland ; making sudden forays 
 on the plantations of the Spanish settlers, burning their 
 houses and granaries, carrying off their cattle, and 
 murdering men, women, and children who fell into his 
 hands. Several detachments were sent against him, but 
 these he defeated, or ensnaring them in an ambush, 
 cut them to pieces. Pizarro, therefore, placed a con- 
 siderable force under his brother Gonzalo, and ordered 
 him to march against this persevering foe. Whenever 
 the Spaniards brought him to bay, they defeated him, 
 but his knowledge of the country always enabled him to 
 
212 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 effect his escape ; and the Marquis found himself com- 
 pelled to adopt a different policy. For this purpose he 
 established settlements in the heart of the disaffected 
 country — settlements which assmned the character of 
 military colonies. " The houses were usually built of 
 stone, to which were added the various public offices, 
 and sometimes a fortress. A municipal corporation was 
 organized. Settlers w^ere invited by the distribution of 
 large tracts of land in the neighbourhood, with a stipu- 
 lated number of Indian vassals to each. The soldiers 
 then gathered there, sometimes accompanied by their 
 wives and famiUes ; fur the women of Castile seem to 
 have disdained the impediments of sex, in the ardour 
 of conjugal attachment, or, it may be, of romantic 
 adventure. A populous settlement rapidly grew up in 
 the wilderness, affording protection to the surrounding 
 territory, and furnishing a commercial depot for the 
 country, and an armed force ready at all times to 
 maintain public order." 
 
 Among the settlements thus formed were the Villa de 
 la Plata, or *' City of Silver," in the mining district of 
 Charcas ; Guamsnga, midway between Lima and Cuzco ; 
 and Arequipa, on the shore of the Southern Sea. 
 
 The force of character and rough mental activity of 
 Pizarro were strikingly illustrated by his labours at this 
 period — labours which would have been remarkable in 
 any man, but were specially remarkable in a man who 
 had received no liberal culture, and from his youth up 
 had been engaged in arduous and difficult enterprises. 
 Returning from Cuzco to Los Reyes, he addressed 
 
THE PERUVIAN MINES. 21 3 
 
 himself to the task of encouraging the development of 
 the resources of the country. To agricultural industry- 
 he paid special attention, and had the sagacity to 
 import the seeds of the different European grains, which, 
 before long, yielded luxuriant crops. He took measures 
 to facilitate commercial intercourse with the Spanish 
 colonies lying north of Peru. He sedulously promoted 
 the working of the mines, which already began to make 
 such returns that the commonest articles of life fetched 
 extravagant prices, and the only things of small value 
 seemed to be the precious metals themselves. But as 
 these changed hands they found their way to Spain, and 
 rose to their true standard as they passed into the general 
 European currency. So the Spaniards discovered that 
 after years of adventure and suffering they had found 
 at last that Land of Gold and Silver, that long-dreamed- 
 of " El Dorado," which had inspired men to such deeds 
 of noble note. In rapidly increasing numbers emigrants 
 entered the country, and extending in every direction, 
 gradually assured the supremacy of the Spanish govern- 
 ment. 
 
 This influx of adventurers enabled Pizarro to carry out 
 his projects for the fuller colonization of the country. 
 He despatched Pedro de Valdivia on an expedition to 
 conquer Chili, which proved entirely successful ; and his 
 brother Gonzalo to the southern district of Callao, after 
 which he sent him to discover the region of cinnamon 
 that was supposed to lie beyond the Andes. 
 
 Gonzalo Pizarro has been described as, in ability and 
 breadth of view, inferior to his two elder brothers. 
 
214 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 Neither did he show himself equally " cool and crafty " in 
 his policy ; but he was equally resolute, intrepid, and 
 energetic. He had a handsome person, open and 
 engaging features, a free soldier- like address, and a 
 generous temper ; so that he was the idol of his fol- 
 lowers. His spirit was high and adventurous, and he 
 had the faculty, so important in a leader of men, of 
 being able to infuse that spirit into others, and thus 
 almost to ensure the success of any enterprise he under- 
 took. He was an excellent captain, prompt in decision, 
 fertile in resources, and calm and self-reliant in the hour 
 of danger. His expedition across the Andes calls for a 
 brief notice in these pages. 
 
 In order to increase his brother's authority, Pizarro 
 appointed him Governor of Quito, and in January 1540 
 he set out from the capital of his government with three 
 hundred and fifty Spaniards and four thousand Indian 
 auxiliaries. Of the Spanish division one hundred and 
 fifty were mounted. All were well equipped ; the sup- 
 plies were abundant ; and to guard against famine, an 
 immense herd of swine followed in the rear of the aimy. 
 At first the route presented no obstacles ; but on entering 
 the province of Quixos, Gonzalo plunged into the ravines 
 of the Andes, and difficulties beset him at every step. 
 As he ascended into the loftier regions, his army suffered 
 much from the icy winds that swept down the rugged 
 declivities of the mountain-range ; and great alarm was 
 caused by a sudden and tremendous earthquake, which 
 seemed to threaten the disruption of the entire mountain- 
 system. In one place the earth was rent asunder by 
 
GONZALO PIZARRO'S EXPEDITION. 21 5 
 
 Nature's violent agony, while streams of sulphurous 
 water poured forth, and a large village was toppled 
 headlong into the abyss. 
 
 They experienced a change of climate as they descended 
 the eastern slopes of the Cordilleras, and, in the lowlands, 
 were almost suffocated by the intense heat ; while day 
 after day, and night after night, storms of thunder a id 
 lightning, issuing from the gorges of the sierra, beat about 
 their laborious path. For u^^wards of six weeks they made 
 their way through a deluge of rain, until, wet to the skin 
 and weary with incessant toil, they could scarcely drag 
 along their feeble limbs. After wading through many 
 a swamp and mountain-torrent, they reached a country 
 which they called Caiielas, "Land of Cinnamon." It was 
 covered with immense forests of trees bearing the fragrant 
 and precious bark, but their remoteness from the ordinary 
 channels of commerce rendered them valueless to the 
 discoverers. From the natives, however, they learned 
 that at a distance of ten days' journey lay a fair and 
 fertile region, abounding in gold, and inhabited by popu- 
 lous natives. Thither, though he had already reached the 
 limits fixed by the Marquis for his expedition, Gonzalo 
 Pizarro resolved to lead his soldiers, who, on their part, 
 wherever he led were well content to follow. 
 
 Pursuing their adventurous march, they entered upon 
 broad tracts of gum savannahs, terminated by forests, 
 which, as they drew near, seemed to assume the likeness 
 of an impenetrable barrier of vegetation. Trees of stu- 
 pendous height and girth, some of them measuring thirty 
 feet, and more, in diameter^ were hung with festoons of 
 
2l6 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 tiarras and creepers, which spread from bough to bough, 
 and interwoiind with one another, and rose high above 
 even the highest trunk, to blend in one vast green canopy, 
 while beneath flourished a mighty jungle of ferns and 
 bushes and undergrowth of every kind, through which 
 the traveller was forced to hew his way with axe or 
 sword. The passage of this luxuriant tropical wilderness 
 was a grievous trial to Pizarro's little army. Their pro- 
 visions, spoiled by the weather, had long since failed, and 
 the live-stock they had taken with them had perished or 
 been consumed, or had made their escape in the woods 
 and mountain-passes. They had with them at their de- 
 parture from Quito nearly a thousand dogs, including 
 some of that fine breed of bloodhounds which in the West 
 Indian Islands had been used for hunting down the natives. 
 On these they lived for awhile, though their lean carcasses 
 furnished but a sorry food ; afterwards they subsisted as 
 best they could on the herbs, berries, and roots which 
 they gathered in the forests. 
 
 At last Pizarro reached a town and country called Coca, 
 which was inhabited by a more civilized and kindly race, 
 so that he was able to recruit his men with liberal supplies 
 of provisions. After resting for nearly two months he 
 resumed his march, and reached the banks of the broad 
 Napo, one of the main branches of the great Amazonian 
 system of rivers. Along its verdurous banks he took his 
 way, in the hope that they would afford a practicable route, 
 but found the density of the thickets, which descended 
 to the very edge of the water, a serious impediment. After 
 proceeding for about fifty leagues, the Spaniards suddenly 
 
FALLS OF THE NAPO. 217 
 
 heard an awful rushing noise, such as they had never 
 heard before. For six leagues further they advanced, 
 while the din constantly increased, and the furious river 
 surged past them in flashing rapids, growing ever more 
 and more violent, until they came to a point where it 
 suddenly hurled its flood of waters over a precipice 
 twelve hundred feet in height,* and filled the air with 
 masses of glittering foam. " The appalling sounds," says 
 Prescottjf "which they had heard for the distance of six 
 leagues, were rendered yet more oppressive to the spirits 
 by the gloomy stillness of the surrounding forests. The 
 rude warriors were filled with sentiments of awe. . . . No 
 living thing was to be seen but the wild te^ ants of the 
 wilderness — the unwieldy boa, and the loathsome alligator 
 basking on the borders of the stream. The trees tower- 
 ing in wide-spread magnificence towards the heavens, the 
 river rolling on in its rocky bed as it had rolled for ages, 
 the solitude and silence of the scene, broken only by the 
 hoarse fall of waters or the faint rustling of the woods,— 
 all seemed to spread out around them in the same wild 
 and primitive state as when they came from the hands of 
 the Creator." 
 
 At a distance of forty leagues from this wonderful " fall 
 of waters," the Spaniards saw with surprise that the great 
 river so contracted its volume as to pass through a narrow 
 cutting in the rock, not more than twenty feet broad. At 
 this point they resolved to effect their passage to the other 
 
 * This estimate is the exaggeration suggested by the excited im- 
 agination of the travellers. 
 
 f Prescott's "Conquest of Peru," ii,, 144, 145. 
 
2l8 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 side, and constructed a sufficient bridge by throwing the 
 huge trunks of trees across the chasm, which, narrow- 
 as it was, descended to the dizzy depth of two hundred 
 fathoms. The men and horses crossed in safety ; only 
 one hfe was lost, that of a soldier, who, venturing to look 
 down into the awful gloom, turned giddy, lost his footing, 
 and was seen no more. 
 
 After puttmg to flight a band of hostile Indians, the 
 Spaniards entered a region called Guema, wretched in its 
 poverty, utterly Without resources, and scantily peopled, 
 where they were again compelled to sustain nature on the 
 meagre fare of herbs, roots, and the young buds of trees. 
 Death and disease were busy among them, but Pizarro 
 held on his dauntless way, deceived by the ignis fatuus 
 of a rich and fertile country, which constantly moved 
 before his imagination. He came at last into a country 
 which was less savagely inhospitable than the barren 
 Guema; a country where the Indians lived in huts, clothed 
 themselves in cotton garments, and cultivated crops of 
 maize. To his wayworn and half-famished soldiers, who 
 had lost everything but their courage, it seemed a veritable 
 Eden, — that earthly Paradise of which most of us, in our 
 lifetime, enjoy at least a brief experience ; and they were 
 well please i to linger among its groves and fields as long 
 as seemed good to their restless commander. To him, 
 after surveying the country round about, and finding it to 
 be a region of swamp and lake, of stream and forest, came 
 the thought of constructing a brigantine, on board of 
 which he might embark his invalids and baggage. It 
 was a bold thought, and to carry it into execution was a bold 
 
FRANCISCO DE ORELLANA. 219 
 
 task. To obtain the needful ironwork it was necessary to 
 erect a forge ; and as it was the rainy season, all the work 
 had to be done under cover. For fuel he cut down the 
 trees of the forest ; nails he obtained from the shoes of 
 the horses which had died on the march, or been killed 
 for food. Instead of pitch he used gum distilled from the 
 trees ; for oakum he made use of the rags and tatters of 
 the uniforms of his soldiers. Robinson Crusoe himself 
 displayed not more ingenuity in his imaginary island than 
 Gonzalo Pizarro on the banks of the Napo. He not only 
 projected, but he executed ; he laboured with his hands 
 as zealously as any one of his men ; now at the forge, 
 now in the wood, now making charcoal, now collecting 
 resin. His example inspired his men to surpass them- 
 selves in willing industry and cheerful endurance ; and in 
 less than two months the brigantine was completed, and 
 launched upon the broad waters of the Napo. 
 
 The command was given to a cavalier of Trujillo, one 
 Francisco de Orellana, of whose courage and capacity 
 Gonzalo had a high opinion, and on whose loyalty to 
 himself he placed full reliance. The sick were embarked, 
 and the baggage, and the expedition was then resumed ; 
 Gonzalo Pizarro bravely marching at the head of his 
 soldiers along the river bank ; while the brigantine, and 
 four canoes which had also been constructed, slowly sailed 
 down the stream. Frequently the army crossed from 
 one side to the other, by means of this flotilla, when the 
 passage through the forest became very difficult, and the 
 transit generally occupied a couple of days. In this way 
 they progressed slowly and wearily for week after week, 
 
220 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 always looking forward to that land of golden abundance 
 which they never reached. The further they advanced, 
 the further they seemed to recede. Hunger again cast 
 its gaunt shadow over their path. All their provisions 
 had long ago been consumed ; they had devoured the 
 last of their horses; they were reduced to gnaw at the 
 leather of their belts and saddles — to feed upon toads, 
 serpents, Hzards — to stifle the pangs of appetite with 
 roots and herbs and berries.* 
 
 For two months Gonzalo and his followers persevered 
 in their painful enterprise. Then they learned of a rich 
 and populous country, at ten days' journey, where the 
 river they had followed so long (the Napo) poured its 
 waters into a greater river, which flowed towards the east. 
 This intelligence they gathered partly by signs and partly 
 by some words and phrases which Pizarro's Indians were 
 able to interpret. After some consideration, Gonzalo re- 
 solved to halt his weary men, who were spent with fatigue 
 and hunger, and send Orellana, with the brigantine, down 
 to the meeting of the waters, to obtain supplies, and, after 
 landing the sick and the baggage, to return with them 
 to Gonzalo and the army. Orellana, with fifty soldiers, 
 pushed off into mid-stream, where the current was swiftest, 
 and sailed away witTi such rapidity that in three days he 
 accomplished eighty leagues. He reached the point of 
 confluence, but instead of a fertile and hospitable country, 
 
 *' Yeruas y rayzes, y fruta siluestre, sapos, y culebras, y otras 
 malas sauandijas, si las auia por aquellas montafiasque todo les hazia 
 buen estomago a los Espaiioles ; que peor les yua con la falta de cosas 
 tan viles." — Garalasso la Vega, " Com. Real ," pt. 2, lib. iii., c. 4. 
 
ORELLANAS TREACHERY. 221 
 
 found one that was barren and desolate. There were no 
 provisions accessible, he could scarcely find sustenance for 
 himself. What then was to be done ? To force his way up 
 the river, against a current of such extraordinary violence, 
 would occupy a twelvemonth ; should he abandon his 
 barque and return by land to his leader's camp ? The 
 latter was the only alternative possible to an honourable 
 cavalier with a sense of duty ; but unfortunately, in all the 
 Spanish expeditions, a demoralising influence got abroad, 
 weakening the ties between men and officers, between 
 officers and commander. Every adventurer was always 
 seeking to gain the mastery for himself. So it came to 
 pass that Orellana conceived the idea of throwing off 
 Pizarro's authority ; and he proposed to his followers that 
 they should abandon their countrymen in the forest, sail 
 down the mighty river formed by the junction of the Napo 
 and the Coca, — a river running through lands of immense 
 wealth, — and, gaining the great ocean, return to Spain, 
 laden with glory and treasure. At first, this gross and 
 cowardly desertion of their chief and their comrades- 
 in-arms was scouted by Orellana's company, but by 
 degrees the prospect of new adventures and great gain, 
 and the certainty of deliverance from their present wretch- 
 edness, converted to his views all but a single cavalier, 
 Hernan Sanchez de Vargas. *' Among the faithless, faith- 
 ful only he ! " Procuring his election as captain, Orelkna 
 began his daring voyage, leaving Vargas alone in the 
 great wilderness — to die, it might be, a martyr to duty. 
 The brigantine sailed rapidly, and, favoured by fortune, 
 escaped all the perils which beset the navigation of the 
 
 P 
 
222 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 Amazon. Many times she was in danger of being wrecked 
 on its rocks or in its rapids, but she threaded her way 
 securely. The bold mariners were frequently harassed 
 by the warlike tribes on the borders of the river, who 
 attacked them whenever they attempted to land, and 
 followed in their wake in their canoes. Some of them 
 were accompanied in fight by their women, who bent their 
 bows with vigour ; hence, with a remembrance of the old 
 Greek legend, the Spaniards called that country the land 
 of the Amazons. 
 
 Orellana and his men were the first of the human race 
 to cross the vast Southern Continent from east to west, 
 and descend the mighty river Amazon, a voyage of two 
 thousand five hundred miles. Reaching the ocean, 
 Orellana sailed to the Island of Cubaqua or Trinidad, 
 where, with the riches put on board the brigantine, he 
 purchased a vessel, and sailed to Spain. At court he 
 was well received ; his gifts procured him a friendly hear- 
 ing, and his narrative of the wonderful discoveries he 
 had made a royal licence to fit out a new expedition. 
 The great river which he had successfully navigated 
 received his name, and was long known as the Orellana, 
 though now men call it, less appropriately, the Amazon. 
 The spirit of adventure still glowed in the breasts of the 
 Spaniards, and he quickly found himself at the head of 
 five hundred men, eager to carve out their fortunes in 
 the heart of South America. But his treachery met at last 
 with its Nemesis ; he died on the outward passage, and 
 the lands which he had discovered eventually fell into the 
 hands of Portugal. If we cannot admit, with Robertson 
 
GONZALO PIZARRO. 223 
 
 that the base crime he committed " is, in some measure, 
 balanced by the glory of having ventured upon a navi- 
 gation of near two thousand leagues, through unknown 
 nations, in a vessel hastily constructed with green 
 timber, and by very unskilful hands, without provisions, 
 without a compass or a pilot," — if we cannot admit that 
 success can ever wash out the stain of an evil deed, we 
 may nevertheless do justice to the stern and self-reliant 
 courage which dictated such an enterprise, and the patient 
 intrepidity which conducted it to a fortunate termination.* 
 Let us return to Gonzalo Pizarro. Weeks elapsed, 
 and there was no sign of Orellana or the brigantine. 
 Reconnoitring parties were despatched in search of thsm, 
 but returned without any intelligence. It does not seem 
 to have occurred to Pizarro that his lieutenant had 
 
 * " His courage and alacrity supplied every defect. Committing 
 himself fearlessly to the guidance of the stream, the Napo bore 
 him along to the south, until he reached the great channel of the 
 Maragnon. Turning with it towards the coast, he held on his course 
 in that direction. He made frequent descents on both sides of the 
 river, sometimes seizing by force of arms the provisions of the fierce 
 savages seated on its banks, and sometimes procuring a supp'y of 
 food by a friendly intercourse with more gentle tribes. After a long 
 series of dangers, which he encountered with amazing fortitude, and 
 of distresses which he supported with no less magnanimity, he reached 
 the ocean, where new perils awaited him. These he likewise sur- 
 mounted, and got safe to the Spanish settlement in the island of 
 Cubagua ; from thence he sailed to Spain. The vanity natural to 
 travellers who visit regions unknown to the rest of mankind, and 
 the art of an adventurer solicitous to magnify his own merit, con- 
 curred in prompting him to mingle an extraordinary proportion of 
 the marvellous in the narrative of his voyage. He pretended to have 
 discovered nations so rich that the roofs of their temples were covered 
 
224 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 deserted him ; but, after a long delay, he came to the 
 conclusion that Orellana had been unable to ascend the 
 river, in consequence of the strength and velocity of its 
 current, and he resolved therefore to make his way to 
 the junction of the rivers, in the hope he should find 
 him established there with an abundance of provisions. 
 By his example and his cheerful speeches he encouraged 
 his men to construct some canoes and rafts ; and then, 
 partly by land and partly by water, he conveyed them 
 over the distance of two hundred leagues to the spot 
 where the Napo pours its tributary waters into the 
 mightiest of American rivers. The journey occupied 
 two months, and involved a pitiful sacrifice of life j and 
 what was the dismay, the anger of the survivors, when 
 they fell in with their half-starved comrade, Sanchez de 
 Vargas, and learned from him tlie story of Orellana's 
 
 with plates of gold, an^ descriljed a republic ot women so wailike 
 and powerful. a> to have extended their dominion over a considerable 
 tract of the fertile plains which he had visited. Extravagant as those 
 gains were, they gave rise to an opinion that a region abounding 
 with gold, distinguished by the name of El Dorado, and a community 
 of Amazons, were to be found in this part of the New World ; and 
 such is the propensity of mankind to believe what is wonderful, that 
 it has been slowly and with difficulty that reason and observation 
 have exploded those fables. The voyage, however, even when 
 stripped of every romantic embellishment, deserves to be recorded 
 not only as one of the most memorable occurrences in that adven- 
 turous age, but as the first event which led to any certain knowledge 
 of the extensive countries that stretch eastward from the Andes to 
 the ocean." — Robertson^ "Conquest of America, '" iii.. 349. 350. The 
 ** Expedition of Gonzalo Pizarro" and the "Voyage de Francesco 
 de Orellana" have been edited for the Hakluyt Society (1859) by 
 Mr. Clement R. Markham, with valuable notes. 
 
A NOBLE SPEECH. 22^ 
 
 treachery! The stoutest veteran felt his heart sink 
 within him : only Gonzalo Pizarro maintained his usual 
 courage and resolution, and with heroic spirit faced the 
 terrible difficulties that surrounded them. He sought to 
 reassure his followers by praising them for the constancy 
 and patience they had exhibited ; he sought to inspire 
 them by dweUing on the old traditions of Castile. They 
 were twelve hundred leagues from Quito, it was true ; 
 well, what was their obvious course? To return to 
 Quito : what they had already done they could do again. 
 To remain in the heart of the wilderness, or to advance 
 further eastward, was equally impossible ; this, then, was 
 their sole resource, and he bade them adopt it without 
 hesitation. He spoke of the immortal renown with which 
 such an achievement would invest their names. He would 
 lead them back, he said, by another route, and it might 
 well be assumed that sooner or later they would come 
 upon that land of teeming plenty of which they had so 
 often heard ; and they would have, at least, this reflection 
 to console them, that every league they accomplished 
 would be a league nearer home. Let them act but as 
 men and soldiers ; let them put aside unmanly fears 
 and despondency ; the brave heart would support and 
 strengthen the failing body ; difficulties met in the right 
 spirit were already half conquered ! 
 
 To this ardent speech, the speech of a man of the true 
 heroic temper,"^ Pizarro's soldiers listened with eagerness. 
 It is natural for all of us to breathe more freely when we 
 
 * It is noticeable that all the Pizarros were men of mark ; Gonzalo 
 "^and -Hernando must have risen anywhere into fame and influence. 
 
228 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 find our leader confident and self-reliant. A battle is 
 seldom lost if the commander is seen to feel assured of 
 victory. Moreover the force of Pizarro's conclusion could 
 not be doubted. It was evident that the course he advised 
 was the only course that promised even a chance of safety; 
 and the soldiers, as they prepared to adopt it, felt kindling 
 within them a glowofCastilian pride. They, the sons of the 
 warriors who had humbled the Crescent on many a battle- 
 field, would show themselves worthy of their ancestors in 
 fortitude and courage. The enthusiasm of their leader 
 communicated itself— for enthusiasm is contagious — to 
 their own bosoms, especially as they put their entire trust 
 in him, and knew and owned that he deserved their devo- 
 tion ; for from the very beginning of the expedition he 
 had been foremost in its perils and its labours. He had 
 shared with them in their privations, and instead of 
 claiming the privileges of his rank, had thrown in his lot 
 with the meanest soldier. He had borne his part in the 
 toil and burden of the march ; he had given of his own 
 miserable allowance to his famished followers ; he had 
 gently and patiently ministered to the wants of the sick ; 
 and with all this, he had shown not only the qualities of 
 a generous comrade, but those of an able captain ; he 
 had repressed disorder, encouraged the despondent, and 
 rewarded the brave; he had been cool and calm in 
 danger, undaunted by difficulty, fertile in resource. 
 
 Striking somewhat to the north, Gonzalo Pizarro led 
 his little band of followers through a country less beset 
 with difficulties than that which they had previously tra- 
 versed. But it must be remembered that such distresess 
 
ARRIVAL AT QUITO. 229 
 
 as they encountered, their increasing feebleness rendered 
 them less and less able to endure. Their only sustenance 
 was the scanty food they collected in the forest, or were 
 able to obtain in the scattered Indian settlements. Pidful 
 was the fate of those whose strength gave way, for nothing 
 could be done to help them, and with a sad heart Pizarro 
 was forced to leave them to perish in the wilderness. 
 The survivors persevered, though their failing limbs could 
 scarcely drag along their attenuated bodies, and they 
 seemed rather a company of spectres, let loose from some 
 region of awe and terror, than the remains of a gallant 
 body of Spanish cavaliers and fighting men. They per- 
 severed; and in June 1542, after an absence of more 
 than two years, once again assembled on the lofty plains 
 in the neighbourhood of Quito. But how difierent, as 
 it has been said, — how different their aspect from that 
 which they had worn when issuing from the gates of the 
 same capital to commence their expedition, with high 
 romantic hope and in all the bravery of military array ! 
 Their horses gone ; their weapons broken, rusted, or 
 thrown aside because they were too weak to carry them ; 
 their shrunken limbs imperfectly clothed with the skins 
 of wild beasts ; their long, matted, and uncleansed locks 
 hanging wildly down upon their shoulders ; many of 
 them grey and grizzled with anxiety and suffering and 
 want ; their faces burned and darkened by exposure to 
 the tropical sun ; their bodies wasted and weakened by 
 famine, and sorely disfigured with scars — one might have 
 supposed that the charnel-house had disgorged its inmates, 
 as they plodded forward drearily, with the wandering, 
 
230 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 uncertain step of men drunken or dizzy ! Of the four 
 thousand Indians who had accompanied Pizarro from 
 Quito more than half had perished ; of the Spaniards 
 only eighty returned. 
 
 The Christian settlers in Quito, hearing of their arrival, 
 came out to meet them, and with a curious exhibition 
 of sympathy, on perceiving their destitute appearance, 
 partially stripped themselves of their own clothes, that 
 their countrymen might not be too painfully reminded of 
 the depth of wretchedness to which they had sunk. They 
 listened, with tears, to the pathetic tale they had to tell, 
 and re-entered the town in company with them ; all 
 hasting, as if moved by one common impulse, to the 
 church, where they offered their devout thanksgivings to 
 the Almighty Providence that had miraculously preserved 
 them through so long a succession of perils. 
 
 Thus ended the expedition to the Amazon, in which, 
 it must be owned, Gonzalo Pizarro proved himself worthy 
 of the eulogium passed upon him by an historian by 
 no means partial to his family : " Finalmente, Gon9alo 
 Picarro entro en el Quito, triunfando del valor, i sufri- 
 miento, i de la constancia, recto, e immutable vigor del 
 animo, pues hombres humanos no se hallan haver tanto 
 safrido, ni padecido tantas desventuras."^ 
 
 * Herrera, " Historia General." dec. vii., lib. iii., c. 14. Herrera 
 is by no means a safe authority as regards the career and conduct of 
 the Pizarros. He seems to have derived his facts from informants 
 strongly prejudiced against them. Many of his statements are appa- 
 rently the offspring of a vivid imagination, and the speeches which 
 he puts into the mouths of his personages are often inconsistent with 
 their true character. 
 
STARTLING EVENTS. 23 1 
 
 If the tale the followers of Pizarro had to tell to the 
 people of Quito was a strange and stirring one, they, 
 in return, had a story to relate which could not fail 
 to astonish its hearers. When Gonzalo left Quito in 
 1540, his brother the Marquis was sole ruler of Peru, 
 wielding an apparently unquestioned authority, which, 
 with characteristic vigour and energy, he was extending 
 into newly conquered territories. He returned, in 1542, 
 to find the government in the hands of a stranger, Blasco 
 Nunez Vela, who as viceroy held his commission from 
 the King ; and to learn that his brother, the conqueror 
 of Peru, had perished by the assassin's dagger in a quarrel 
 with the Almagrist faction. 
 
 The chain of events that led to this tragical occurrence 
 we shall now proceed to trace. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 ASSASSINATION OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. 
 
 USIED in the development of the resources of 
 the country, and in fostering and protecting the 
 interests of the Spanish colonists, the Marquis 
 gave but little heed to the proceedings of the 
 Almagrist faction. Whether it was that he 
 despised them, or considered it hopeless to attempt their 
 conciliation, or was over-confident in his ability to foil 
 their machinations, certain it is that he treated them with 
 profound indifference. Or it may be that, conscious of 
 his innocence of the death of Almagro, he did not sup- 
 pose that their vengeance would be directed against one 
 who had given them no special cause of complaint. At 
 all events, he made no attempt either to attach them to 
 his side, or to crush them utterly. He allowed them to 
 go where they would and do as they would, so that before 
 long upwards of two hundred of these "men of Chili " 
 (as they were called) gathered in Los Reyes, where they 
 found a suitable leader in Almagro's former major domo, 
 Juan de Rada ; and a centre of hope, pride, and ambi- 
 tion in the young Almagro, who was now grown up to 
 the age of manVood, and was gifted with all the qualities 
 
PLOTS OF THE ALMAGRISTS. 233 
 
 that secure the affections of soldiers. He was bold, 
 liberal, frank of speech and manner, of a graceful person, 
 and skilled in all martial exercises. That the Marquis 
 should have permitted so dangerous a rival to remain in 
 Los Reyes, and to have drawn around him a group of 
 needy and desperate cavaliers, is a proof that he was 
 by no means so astate and suspicious as some English 
 historians have represented. He has been censured for 
 not purchasing their support for himself by presents and 
 favours, but it seems to be forgotten that he could have 
 done so only at the expense of his own loyal adherents. 
 There is no evidence that they were in any way debarred 
 from earning a decorous livelihood like any other 
 Spaniards, and the truth seems to be that they had so 
 long lived upon Almagro's lavish and thoughtless bounty, 
 that any kind of industry had become irksome to them. 
 Their extreme poverty is frequently illustrated by a 
 repetition of Herrera's absurd anecdote, that twelve 
 cavaliers, formerly officers of distinction under Almagro, 
 lodged in the same house, and having but one cloak 
 amongst them, wore it alternately ; he whose turn it was 
 to appear in public donning it for the occasion, while the 
 rest, for want of a decent dress, remained at home. The 
 anecdote is obviously a fiction. We can find no evidence 
 that the Marquis confiscated the property of any of the 
 men of Chili ; and it is certain that even the young 
 Almagro was suffered to retain a considerable portion of 
 his father's estates. 
 
 The greater the indulgence with which Pizarro treated 
 them, the bolder waxed the men of Chili. They felt no 
 
234 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 gratitude to the Governor for sparing their lives — for not 
 restraining their freedom, but were continually plotting 
 the means of overthrowing him, and elevating the young 
 Almagro in his place. The friends of Pizarro warmly 
 remonstrated with him for his excess of leniency, and 
 warned him to be on his guard against the enemies who 
 were secretly aiming at his destruction. " Poor devils ! " 
 he replied, " fortune has behaved to them but scurvily, 
 we will not trouble them further." And he went about 
 freely, despising even the commonest precautions ; with- 
 out an attendant he would ride to all parts of the town, 
 and even into the neighbouring country. 
 
 While the Almagrists were thus engaged in weaving 
 the meshes of secret conspiracy, tidings reached Los 
 Reyes that the Court of Spain had appointed Vaca de 
 Castro as a special judge or commissioner to inquire into 
 the affairs of Peru. The Marquis was disturbed by the 
 unexpected intelligence ; but he gave orders that the 
 representative of the Crown should receive a splendid 
 welcome when he landed, and that fitting accommodation 
 should be prepared for him on his route. Great was the 
 exultation of the Almagrists, for they confidently antici- 
 pated that the new functionary would revenge them upon 
 Pizarro, and they despatched one of their number, Don 
 Alonzo de Montemayor, to meet him, and lay before him 
 a statement of their grievances (April 1541), that he might 
 be prepared to redress them without delay. 
 
 Months passed, however, and nothing was heard of his 
 arrival. At last a vessel coming into port brought the 
 intelligence that most of the ships of the royal squadron 
 
JUAN PIC ado's bravado. 235 
 
 had foundered in the heavy storms on the coast, and it 
 was at once assumed that Vaca de Castro had perished 
 with them. This was a new disappointment to the men 
 of Chih, whose exasperation against Pizarro seems to 
 have been whetted by a calamity in which he had 
 obviously no share. Their rage attained to such propor- 
 tions that they no longer made an effort to conceal it. 
 If they met the Governor in the street they would turn 
 sullenly away, and neglect the ordinary courtesy of 
 doffing their bonnets. On one occasion, the inhabitants 
 of Los Reyes found that the public pillory in the great 
 square had been decorated with three ropes, to which 
 were attached labels bearing the names of Pizarro, Velas- 
 quez, the Alcalde Mayor, and Juan Picado, the Marquis's 
 secretary, while the ends were so arranged as to point to 
 their respective houses. We are told that Picado was 
 specially obnoxious to the discontented cavaliers, because 
 all communications to the Governor passed through his 
 hands, and as the latter could not read or write, it was 
 suspected that the secretary coloured them according to 
 his private likings or animosities. However this may be, 
 he seems to have been of a bold and aggressive disposi- 
 tion ; and to show his contempt for the insult levelled 
 at him and his master, he rode, splendidly dressed, 
 through the street in which the young Almagro lived, 
 wearing a cap that bore in the front of it a medal of 
 gold embossed with a fig in silver, and the significant 
 label, " For the men of Chili." * It is strange that so 
 
 * That is, a fig for the men of Chili ! See Garcilasso de la Vega, 
 part 2, lib. iii., c. 6. 
 
236 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 poor a jest should have deeply incensed the Almagrist 
 cavaliers. 
 
 The hostile feelings evinced by the faction, and their 
 increasing desperation, attracted the attention of the 
 Indians, and many of them conveyed secret warnings to 
 the Marquis and his friends. It was on account of these, 
 perhaps, the rumour arose that Pizarro had begun to 
 purchase lances with which to re-equip his soldiers. At 
 the same time it was observed that Juan de Rada, poor 
 as he professed to be, had bought a new coat of mail ; 
 which, among the Spaniards, appears to have been always 
 the precursor of some deed of violence. 
 
 With that candour which was characteristic of Pizarro, 
 though he has been so often stigmatized as '' cunning " 
 and ** crafty," he sent for Juan de Rada. We are told 
 that when the Almagrist chief obeyed the summons he 
 found the Marquis in his garden, inspecting some orange 
 trees which he had caused to be planted. They re- 
 minded him probably of the fair orange-groves of his 
 native land. " What is this, Juan de Rada," exclaimed 
 the Marquis, "which I hear of your buying arms to 
 kill me ? '•* 
 
 "Not so," answered the cavalier ; "but I have purchased 
 two cuirasses and a coat of mail for self-defence." 
 
 " But why should you need such armour now more 
 than at any other time ? " 
 
 " Because," replied Juan de Rada, " they tell us, and 
 it is indeed well known, that your lordship is purchasing 
 lances with which to slay us all. Let your lordship make 
 an end of us ; and, indeed, as you have commenced by 
 
THE MARQUIS AND THE ALMAGRIST. 2^^ 
 
 destroying the head, I know not why you should have 
 any respect for the feet." 
 
 " It was neither thought nor deed of mine by which 
 Almagro fell." 
 
 " It is also said," continued Juan de Rada, "that your 
 lordship intends to kill the judge who is coming from 
 Spain ; but if such be your design, and you are resolved 
 to slay all the party of Ahuagro, at least spare Don Diego, 
 for I assure you he is innocent. Banish him, and I will 
 accompany him wherever fortune may carry us," 
 
 At these atrocious charges the Marquis was hotly 
 indignant. 
 
 "Who has made you," he exclaimed, ''believe of me 
 such vile treachery and shameful wickedness ? Of no 
 such thing have I ever had any thought, and I am more 
 desirous than you are that thi^ judge should come. Nay, 
 he might have been here already, if he had embarked in 
 the galleon I sent for him. As to the tale about the 
 spears, this is the truth. The other d ly, when I w.is out 
 hunting, among the whole company was not to be found 
 one with a spear. Therefore I ordered my servants to 
 buy one, and they have bought four. Would to Go ^, 
 Juan de Rada, that the judge was here, so that these 
 falsehoods might have an end, and that God might make 
 the truth manifest." 
 
 For the time, at least, the Governor's frank address, 
 and open, unhesitating speech, had their influence upou 
 Juan de Rada. He answered, "By heaven, my lord, 
 but these stories have plunged me into debt for upwards 
 of five hundred pesos, which I have spent in buying 
 
 Q 
 
238 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 armour. Well, I have now, at all events, a coat of mail 
 to defend me against any who may wish to do me harm." 
 
 " Please God, Juan de Rada," answered Pizarro, mildly, 
 *' nothing of the kind will be done by me." 
 
 Here the conversation ended, and Juan de Rada was 
 about to take his leave, when Pizarro's jester, who had 
 been present, remarked, " Why do you not give him some 
 of these oranges ? " For as they were the first that had 
 been ripened by the sun of Peru, they were highly valued. 
 
 " You say well," answered the Marquis, good humour- 
 edly ; and he gathered half-a-dozen of the golden fruit and 
 gave them to Juan de Rada, with the remark, that when he 
 wanted anything he should come and tell him. Then 
 Juan de Rada kissed the Marquis's hands, and the two 
 parted apparently on the friendliest terms. 
 
 So Pizarro thought ; but the impression made on Juan 
 de Rada by his frankness and good temper soon passed 
 away, and he once more plunged into the projected con- 
 spiracy. Again Pizarro was apprised of the murderous 
 designs of his enemies; he trusted, however, in the good 
 understanding established with Juan de Rada, and the 
 influence and authority of his position. Among others, 
 he was cautioned by a priest, but he told him the report 
 was without foundation ; that it was no better than an 
 Indian saying ('•' decho de Indios "), and that his in- 
 formant had invented it to get a horse or some other 
 present. The same, or another priest, betook himself to 
 Picado, and informed him that he had his information 
 from one of the conspirators, who, in his confession, had 
 revealed the sin that troubled him. Picado communi- 
 
FOREWARNED, BUT NOT FOREARMED. 239 
 
 ♦ 
 
 cated it to Pizarro, but the latter, as if misguided by Fate 
 to his own destruction, treated it as of no account. " It 
 is the priest's device," he said ; " he wants to be made a 
 bishop."* After reflecting upon it, however, he deemed 
 it advisable to mention it to Velasquez, the Alcalde 
 Mayor; who, instead of ordering the arrest of the con- 
 spirators, and adopting measures to ascertain the accuracy 
 of the report, dismissed it lightly, with the infatuated 
 vaunt, " Be under no apprehension, my Lord Marquis, 
 of any injury befalling you so long as I ho d the rod of 
 justice." 
 
 That same evening, as Pizarro was retiring to bed, he 
 was informed by his page that the general voice of the 
 city said he would be attacked on the following day by 
 the men of Chili. "Boy," he said, "these things are 
 not for you to talk about." 
 
 Next morning the warning was conveyed by several 
 pages ; and Pizarro roused himself from his security so 
 far as to give directions to the Alcalde Mayor to arrest 
 the principal Almagrists. But he showed no urgency 
 or insistency in the notice; and as the Alcalde was 
 wrapped up in the false infatuation of measureless 
 egotism, he made no haste to act upon his instructions. 
 
 The next day was Sunday, and Pizarro's friends pre- 
 
 * "Pues un dia antes un sacerdote clerigo Ilamado Benao fue de 
 noche y avisso a Picado el secreptaro, y dixole, ' Mariana Domingo, 
 quando el Marquez saliere a misa, tienen concertado los de Chile de 
 matar al Marquez y a vos y a sus amigos. Esto me a dicho vno en 
 connsion, para que os venga a avisar.' Pues savido esto Picado se 
 fue luego y lo conto al Marquez, y el le rrespondio, 'Ese clerigo 
 obispado quiere.'" — Pedro Pizarro. 
 
240 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 vailed upon him not to go to mass, lest some sudden 
 attack should be hazarded. After mass, the leading 
 inhabitants of Los Reyes waited upon him to pay their 
 respects. The levee occupied some time; and at its 
 conclusion the Marquis retired to his chamber, in com- 
 pany with his brother Martin, his Alcalde Mayor, and his 
 old friend, Francisco de Chaves. 
 
 Juan de Rada and his associates, early on Sunday 
 morning, assembled in Almagro's house, and anxiously 
 awaited the hour when the Governor should issue from 
 the church. Their alarm and their disappointment were 
 equally great when they heard that he had not gone to 
 mass, as was his custom, but had remained at home, 
 through illness, as some reported. They immediately 
 concluded— for guilt is quick of suspicion — that their 
 design had been detected, and that their ruin was in- 
 evitable. Contradictory opinions prevailed ; some urged 
 that they should immediately disband, in the hope that 
 Pizarro would overlook, or might still be ignorant of, 
 their intrigue ; others proposed that they should strike 
 the fatal blow at once. The more desperate, as is usual 
 in such cases, carried along with them their weaker com- 
 rades. Springing from his bed, Juan de Rada hastily put 
 on his armour, and in a few animated words called upon 
 them to avenge the death of Almagro, and seize the 
 supreme power in Peru, or at least to act in self-defence. 
 With loud acclamations they responded to his appeal.* 
 
 * A somewhat different version is given by Herrera, who says 
 that one of the band of conspirators threw open the doors, rushed 
 out, and called on his comrades "to follow him, or he would openly 
 
THE ALMAGRIST CONSPIRACY. 241 
 
 A white flag was hung from the window, as a signal to 
 their confederates to arm and hasten to their support.^ 
 
 Mr. Prescott remarks that these arrangements could 
 hardly have been concealed from Almagro, since his own 
 quarters were the appointed place of rendezvous. Yet, he 
 adds, with strange inconsistency, there is no good evidence 
 of his having taken part in the conspiracy. And with 
 greater inconsistency he refers to Almagro's letter to the 
 Aiidiencia of Panama, in which he states that, provoked by 
 intolerable injuries, he and his followers had resolved to 
 take the remedy into their own hands, by entering the 
 Governor's house and seizing his person. It is certain, 
 from the intimate relations existing between Juan de Rada 
 and himself, that he must have been aware of the conspi- 
 racy, and, indeed, he was the person who chiefly expected 
 to profit by it And we think it important to point out 
 that never was conspiracy less justified by actual circum- 
 stances. No pretence is made by any of those involved 
 in it that the Marquis was responsible for the death of 
 the elder Almagro ; and all that they could allege against 
 him was that he had confiscated a portion of his estates, 
 and that he refused to bestow largesses on them, the 
 " men of Chili," who had been foremost in violating his 
 
 declare for what purpose they had met ; " and by this promptitude 
 of action overcame their indecision. — "Hist. Gen.," dec. vi., lib. x., 
 c. vi. 
 
 * According to one authority, the day on which the attack should 
 be made was still not settled, when a cavalier, named Pedro de San 
 Millan, broke in upon Juan de Rada, exclaiming, ' ' What aileth 
 you ? In t\TO hours they will be upon us to cut us to pieces, for so 
 the Treasurer Kic^uelme has just declared !" 
 
242 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 jurisdiction, and had invaded the territory allotted to 
 him by the Croun. Wrongs of this kind, however hard 
 to bear, are not to be righted by the assassin's dagger ; 
 while a temperate representation of them to the CastiUan 
 Government would assuredly have obtained redress. But 
 putting aside the personal aspect of the question, we 
 have to consider the political bearings of the crime 
 accomplished by the Almagrist faction. Under the pious 
 and sagacious rule of Pizarro, the conquered provinces 
 were rapidly settling down in tranquillity and order. 
 Their resources were undergoing a swift process of deve- 
 lopment. New towns were springing up ; new channels 
 of industry were being opened. Commerce was rapidly 
 extending, and already the ships of busy traders were 
 beginning to resort to the Peruvian harbours. The con- 
 spirators, in their blind desperation, were prepared to. 
 upset this prosperity, this peace, this growing wealth ; 
 Were prepared to overthrow the fabric so carefully con- 
 structed, though they had absolutely nothing to put in its 
 place. They had no leader to succeed to the seat of 
 Pizarro ; Almag^o was young and inexperienced, and not 
 one among the rude, rough cavaliers who formed his 
 pariy commanded the confidence or respect of the Spanish 
 community. The worst consequences of their act were 
 neutralised by the opportune arrival of Vaca de Castro, 
 which efiected the immediate establishment of an orderly 
 government ; but even as it was, Peru was deluged 
 for some years with Spanish and Indian blood. Its 
 progress was arrested, its prosperity seriously impaired 
 There can be little doubt that the future of Peru would 
 
JUAN DE RADA AND HIS ACCOMPLICES. 243 
 
 have been immeasurably brighter and more auspicious if 
 Pizarro had lived to complete the work in which he was 
 so actively engaged. The crime of which Juan de Rada 
 and his associates were guilty was not only a crime against 
 the individual, but a crime against the State. It was a 
 deed of murder without justification and without excuse, 
 and as such Heaven visited it with a severe retribution, 
 for in less than eighteen months the Almagrist faction 
 had ceased to exist ; on the bloody field of Chupas 
 (September i6th, 1542) its hopes and ambition were 
 crushed for ever. ^^^---^^ 
 
 Issuing in a disorderly company from Dptt^iego de 
 Almagro's house, the conspirators, withTjuan de Rada at 
 their head, brandished their swords, and raised the cry 
 of " Viva el Rey ! Down with the traitor ! Down with 
 the tyrant who has caused the death of the King's 
 judge!"* It was the hour of dinner, which in those 
 primitive days took place at noon. Hence there were 
 but few persons in the streets, and these, with true Spanish 
 phlegm, observed quietly to one another, "They are going 
 to kill the Marquis," or, "They are going to kill Picado." 
 That no one interfered was due, perhaps, to the little 
 respect which the early Spanish settlers felt for authority, 
 or to the fact that the Almagrists were well armed, and 
 known to be desperate men. As they crossed the plaza, 
 or great square, one of them named Gomez Perez went 
 round about a little to avoid a pool of water that lay in 
 his path, whereupon Juan de Rada dashed hastily through 
 it, and turning fiercely on his comrade, exclaim.ed, 
 * Herrera, dec. vi,, lib. x., c. 6 ; Zarate, Hb. iv.. c. 8. 
 
244 I'HE LAND OF THE IN CAS. 
 
 *'What! we are go'ng to bathe ourselves in human 
 blood, and are you afraid to wet your feet in water ? Go 
 back, sirrah ! you are not the man for the task we have 
 before us."* And he insisted upon his returning. 
 
 Pizarro's palace occupied the opposite side of the plaza. 
 It was approached through two courtyards ; the entrance 
 to the outer was protected by a massive gate, which 
 might readily have been defended against a hundred men 
 or more. Unfortunately it was open, and the conspirators 
 poured into the inner yard, still raising their cry of blood. 
 There they were met by some of the Governor's Indian 
 attendants, one of whom was struck down, while the 
 others hastened to the house, exclaiming, " Help, help ! 
 the men of Chili are coming to kill the Marquis ! " 
 
 Pizarro had just finished dinner, and was conversing 
 quietly with some of his friends who, after mass, had 
 looked in to pay their respects, and make inquiries 
 after his health. Among these were his half-brother, 
 Don Martin de Alcantara, Velasquez the Alcalde, Don 
 Gomez de Luna, Francisco de Chaves, the Bishop-elect 
 of Quito, and about fifteen of the principal cavaliers of 
 the place. Some of them, alarmed by the din of voices 
 in the courtyard, left the saloon, and hurried down to 
 the first landing on the stairway, to inquire into the 
 cause. No sooner was it revealed to them by the cries 
 
 * " Gomez Perez, por haver alii agua derramada de una acequia 
 rodeo algun tanto por no mojarse ; reparo en ello Juan de Rada, y 
 entrandose atrevido por ol agua le, dijo, "Banios a baiiarnos en sangre 
 humana, y rehusais mojaros los pies en agua ? Ea olveos.' Hizolo 
 volver, y no asistio al hecho." 
 
ATTACK UPON PIZARRO. 245 
 
 of the Indians, than they retreated into the house; and 
 thence, as they were unarmed, by a window that over- 
 looked the gardens they easily effected their escape. 
 Among these prudent gentlemen was the Alcalde 
 Velasquez, who, in order to use his hands in his descent, 
 held his wand of office in his mouth ; thereby, says the 
 chronicler, sharply, being careful to fulfil his assurance 
 to Pizarro that no harm should befall him while he held 
 the rod of justice in his hands ! '^ 
 
 The Marquis, on hearing the nature of the outbreak, 
 preserved his usual composure, and called to Francisco 
 de Chaves, who was in the outer apartment opening on 
 the staircase, to secure the door, while his brother 
 Martin and himself put on their armour. We agree 
 with the historian that if De Chaves had been as calm 
 as his master, and had coolly obeyed the order coolly 
 given, all would yet have gone well, for the door could 
 have been easily held against a stronger force than the 
 conspirators brought with them, until Pizarro's soldiers 
 could have come to his support. But De Chaves, in 
 his impatience or his surprise, half opened the door, and 
 began to parley with the Almagrists, who, throwing 
 themselves upon him, slew him, and flung his dead body 
 down the stairs. For a moment their further progress 
 was stayed by his attendants; but these, too, were 
 quickly slaughtered, and Rada and his comrades, shout- 
 
 * " En lo qual no paresce haver quebrantado su palabra, porque 
 despues huiendo (como adelante se dira) al tiempo, que quisieron 
 matar al Marques, se hecho de vna ventama abajo a la huerta, 
 llevando la vara en la boca." — Zarate^ " Conq. del Peru," lib. iv., c. 7. 
 
246 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 ing, ''Where is the Marquis? Death to the tyrant!" 
 strode through the hall into the adjoining chamber, 
 where Don Martin was assisting his brother to put on 
 his harness. 
 
 Don Martin, perceiving that the assassins had gained 
 the entrance to the apartment, sprang to the doorway, 
 and assisted by two of Pizarro's pages, and a faithful 
 cavalier, Don Gomez, sought to beat them back. The 
 struggle was desperate ; though with nineteen against 
 four, the result could not be doubtful. Two of the con- 
 spirators, however, paid with their lives the just penalty 
 of their bloodthirstiness. But Alcantara and his com- 
 panions were mortally wounded. 
 
 At length, Pizarro, unable, in the pressure of the 
 moment, to adjust the fastenings of his cuirass, flung it 
 aside, wrapped one arm in his purple robe, and snatching 
 up a spear, rushed to his brother's support. Too late ; 
 covered in blood, Alcantara sank swooning to the floor. 
 The Marquis was now about seventy years of age, but 
 time had not dulled his courage, though it had impaired 
 his physical strength. He faced his enemies with a 
 stern brow and flashing eyes, dealing desperate blows, 
 while he cried, " What ho ! ye traitors and cowards, 
 have you come to murder me in my own house ? " Two 
 of the assailants fell before him ; but the others renewed 
 the assault, responding to his upbraidings with the 
 shout of " Down with the tyrant ! " The doorway being 
 secured, Pizarro was able to hold it for some minutes, 
 until his companions were overpowered, and Juan de 
 Rada, with a burst of impatience, calling out, " Kill 
 
Assassination of Pizarro. 
 
DEATH OF THE MARQUIS. 249 
 
 him ! kill him ! why this waste of time ? " thrust one 
 of his associates, Narvaez, upon Pizarro's spear, and 
 forced his way into the room. The Marquis defended 
 himself most gallantly, until receiving a wound in the 
 throat, he reeled, and fell to the ground. Juan de 
 Rada and some others then thrust their swords into 
 the great captain's body. " Jesu ! " he exclaimed, as the 
 last word he uttered in this life ; and dipping his finger 
 in his blood, he traced a cross upon the floor and kissed 
 it. At that moment a base wretch, named Borregan, 
 dashed a water- jug, which he had snatched from the 
 table, upon his prostrate head ; and as if this final insult 
 were too much for his proud spirit, the Conqueror of 
 Peru fell upon his face and died.* 
 
 Waving their blood-stained swords, in that frenzy of 
 excitement which frequently follows upon the commis- 
 sion of a desperate deed, the murderers rushed into the 
 street, and raised a loud shout of " Long live the King ! 
 
 * Dr. Robertson's account differs from the text in some unim«= 
 portant particulars : — " The Governor, whose steady mind no form 
 of danger could appeal, starting up, called for arms, and com- 
 manded Francisco de Chaves to make fast the door. But that 
 officer, who did not retain so much presence of mind as to obey 
 this prudent order, running to the top of the staircase, wildly asked 
 the conspirators what they meant, and whither they were going? 
 Instead of answering, they stabbed him to the heart, and burst into 
 the hall. Some of the persons who were there threw themselves 
 from the windows ; others attempted to fly ; and a few, drawing 
 their swords, followed their leader into an inner apartment. The 
 conspirators, animated with having the object of their vengeance 
 now in view, rushed forward after them. Pizarro, with no other 
 arms than his sword and buckler, defended the entry ; and sup- 
 
250 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 the tyrant is dead ! Long live the Governor Almagro ! 
 and now shall justice be done ! " From all quarters 
 flocked the men of Chili to gather round the banner 
 thus uplifted, until they numbered upwards of two 
 hundred, armed, and ready for the most violent actions. 
 A guard was posted at the houses of the leading 
 Pizarrists, and their persons were taken into custody. 
 As for the palace of Pizarro, and the residence of his 
 secretary Picado, they were immediately pillaged, and 
 a large booty of gold and silver was found in the former. 
 Picado sought an asylum in the house of Riquelme, the 
 royal treasurer, who, however, hastened to betray him, 
 and he was dragged forth, amid shouts and execrations, 
 and flung into prison. The people of the city were 
 sternly bidden to keep within doors. The public treasury 
 was seized, and the wands of office were wrested from 
 the hands of the Alcaldes, who had been appointed by 
 the murdered Governor. 
 
 A general feeling of terror pervaded the whole city, 
 
 ported by his half-brother Alcantara, and his little knot of friends, 
 he maintained the unequal contest with intrepidity worthy of his 
 past exploits, and with the vigour of a youthful combatant. * Courage,' 
 cried he, ' companions I we are yet enow to make these traitors 
 repent of their audacity.' But the armour of the conspirators pro- 
 tected them, while every thrust they made took effect. Alcantara 
 fell dead at his brother's feet ; his other defenders were mortally 
 wounded. The governor, so weary that he could hardly wield his 
 sword, and no longer able to parry the many weapons furiously 
 aimed at him, received a deadly thrust full in his throat, sank to the 
 ground, and expired." — " Conquest of America," ii., 354-5. Our 
 0'v\'n account has been carefully put together from a comparison of 
 the various original authorities. 
 
A SECRET BURIAL. " 2$ I 
 
 and everybody contemplated with alarm the prospect of 
 a reign of spoliation and cruelty under the dominance of 
 the Almagrists. But, for the time, there was no one to 
 lead an organized opposition. To appease the excite- 
 ment, and recall the successful conspirators to a sense of 
 decency, the Brethren of the Order of Mary assembled 
 in solemn procession, and bore aloft through the streets 
 the sacred host. 
 
 Rada and his followers, however, were content with 
 the victory they had gained, and sheathed their bloody 
 swords. The municipality at their summons recognized 
 young Almagro as Governor, and being set on horseback, 
 he was escorted through the city by his cavaliers, with 
 much enthusiastic shouting and the martial sounds of 
 trumpet and clarion. 
 
 For some hours the corpses of Pizarro and his fol- 
 lowers lay unhonoured and unnoticed. Some mean 
 spirits there were who would fain have dragged the great 
 conqueror's body to the market-place, and fixed his 
 head upon the public gallows. But Almagro was more 
 generous, and privately granted permission to Pizarro's 
 friends to give it a decent burial. Apprehensive of 
 violence, Pizarro's wife, a faithful attendant, and a few 
 Indians, wrapped the body in a cotton cloth and re- 
 moved it to the cathedral, where, in an obscure corner, a 
 grave was hastily dug, and by the light of a few tapers 
 the last offices of the Church were hurriedly discharged.* 
 
 * A few years later, when order and a settled government were 
 once more established in Peru, the remains of its conqueror and dis- 
 coverer were deposited in a richly-wrought coffin, and interred in the 
 chancel of the cathedral under a stately monument. Again, in 
 
252 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 The obvious reflection to which such an incident gives 
 rise is summed up in the old and bitter words, Vanitas 
 vanitatiim I History abounds in similar illustrations of 
 the nothingness of human ambition, of the fickleness of 
 what men call Fortune, of the sudden calamity that so 
 frequently overtakes prosperous power. At noon that 
 day Pizarro seemed secure in the enjoyment of almost 
 boundless authority ; millions trembled at his frown ; 
 with liberal hand he could reward the faithful or chastise 
 the presumptuous. Wealth was his, though he did not 
 care to accumulate it ; and fame, though it is probable 
 that this he valued even less. He was master 
 of the vast and affluent territories which he had con- 
 quered by the patient and strenuous exercise of fortitude, 
 courage, and capacity. Such was Pizarro at noon ; and 
 yet as the sun sank below the golden rim of the Pacific, 
 a fearful little group of humble followers were huddling 
 his corpse, gashed with many a wound, and streaked 
 with blood, into a secret tomb ! 
 
 " Such," says the historian, " was the miserable end 
 of the Conqueror of Peru, — of the man who, but a few 
 hours before, had lorded it over the land with as abso- 
 lute a sway as was possessed by its hereditary Incas. 
 Cut off in the broad light of day, in the heart of his 
 own capital, in the very midst of those who had been his 
 companions in arms, and shared with him his triumphs 
 
 1607, when a new and more sumptuous cathedral was erected a 
 second translation took place, and Piza^ro's bones were laid by the 
 side of those of the best viceroy whom Spain ever bestowed on 
 Pizarro's conquest, the able and amiable Mendoza. 
 
PIZARRO'S DESCENDANTS. 253 
 
 and his spoils, he perished like a wretched outcast. 
 * There was none, even,' in the expressive language of 
 the old chronicler, ' to say, God forgive him / ' " * 
 
 We may conjecture that Pizarro was nearly seventy 
 years old at the time of his death ; and though he had 
 lived a life of extraordinary adventure and constant 
 exertion, his eye was not dimmed nor his strength 
 abated ; he retained all the energy and vigour of his 
 youth, all the tenacity and resolution of his manhood. 
 He was never married ; but by an Inca princess of the 
 royal blood, a daughter of Atahuallpa and granddaughter 
 of Huayna Capac, he had two children, a son and a 
 daughter. Both survived him ; though the son did not 
 live to attain manhood. The daughter, Francisca, accom- 
 panying her mother to Spain, became the wife of her 
 uncle, Hernando Pizarro, then in captivity at Medina 
 del Campia. This strange and unnatural marriage 
 necessarily received the sanction of the Roman Church. 
 The title and estates of the great Marquis were not 
 inherited by his illegitimate children ; but in the reign of 
 Philip IV., and in the third generation, the Marquisate 
 was revived in favour of Don Juan Hernando Pizarro, 
 who, in acknowledgment of the illustrious services of 
 his ancestor, was created Marquis of the Conquest, 
 Marques de la Conqtiisfa, and received a liberal pension 
 to enable him to maintain his dignity. It is said that 
 
 * " Murio pidiendo confesion. i haciendo la cruz, sin que nadie 
 dijese, ' Dios te perdone.' " — Gomara, "Hist, de las Ind.," c. 144. 
 Prescott, ii., 170; Helps, iv., 141, 142; Dr. Robertson, iii., 355 j 
 Zarate, lib. iv., v. 8. 
 
 R 
 
254 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 his descendants, still bearing this honourable title — 
 which recalls the occurrence and interest of a remarkable 
 enterprise — are to this day to be found at Trujillo, in 
 the ancient province of Estremadura, the cradle of the 
 noble family of the Pizarros. 
 
 A portrait of the conqueror is preserved in the old 
 viceregal palace at Lima. He was tall in stature, well- 
 proportioned, with a striking and attractive countenance, 
 a natural air of command, and much suavity of address. 
 Though he raised himself to his high position and pride 
 of place entirely by the exercise of the consummate 
 qualities of perseverance, patience, and daring, he filled 
 it like one to the manner born. The influence which 
 he exercised over his rude soldiery and independent 
 cavaliers is extraordinary ; almost alone of Spanish con- 
 querors, he was untroubled by insubordination, and even 
 Almagro, when in his company, contentedly submitted 
 to his will. He had none of the Spaniard's usual weak- 
 ness for splendid dress ; unlike Cortes, his fellow-con- 
 queror, he had no taste for pomp or pageant ; his usual 
 costume on public occasions was a black cloak, a 
 citizen's ordinary dress, a white hat, and white shoes ; 
 the last, it is said, in imitation of Gonzalo de Cordova, 
 the " Great Captain," of whose character he was a pro- 
 found admirer. 
 
 He was a man of great moderation in all things ; he 
 drank but little, and ate sparingly; and he usually rose an 
 hour before dawn. Capable of great endurance, he shrank 
 from no amount of labour, and the minutest details of 
 every transaction received his personal attention. He 
 
CHARACTER OF PIZARRO. 255 
 
 has occasionally been spoken of as avaricious, but all 
 the evidence extant seems to point in an opposite direc- 
 tion. Assuredly, he left behind him no accumulated 
 fortune. Whatever he acquired, — and his share of the 
 plunder of Peru was necessarily considerable, — he ex- 
 pended upon public improvements and great architectural 
 works. He was very liberal towards all who served him ; 
 and none ever did him a kindness without finding that 
 it was not forgotten. His activity was almost boundless; 
 to the last day of his life he was engaged in public 
 affairs, and during the brief period of his authority in 
 Peru he initiated a thousand useful and practical 
 schemes. Not less conspicuous was his largeness of 
 view; though without culture or even the rudiments of 
 education, he showed himself capable of appreciating 
 the wants of a country and the best methods of develop- 
 ing its resources. But the most distinctive feature of 
 his character, that which marks him out among the great 
 adventurers and explorers of his time, was his constancy 
 of purpose — that tenacity to which I have already 
 alluded — that firm, inexpugnable grasp of the object to 
 be attained, the work to be accomplished. It has been 
 well said that in his first expedition he gave a striking 
 evidence of it among the dreary marshes and mangroves 
 of Choco. Though his followers were pining around 
 him, blighted by the dread malaria, wasting before an 
 invisible enemy, unable to do battle in their own defence, 
 he never faltered, never hesitated; grimly self-reliant, 
 he persevered to the end. And so it was throughout 
 that stormy career, the record of which forms so 
 
2S6 THE LAND OF THE INCAS. 
 
 picturesque a chapter in the history of the New 
 World. 
 
 The perusal of that chapter has wrested from a by no 
 means too favourable writer the following testimony : — 
 '* When we contemplate the perils he braved, the suf- 
 ferings he patiently endured, the incredible obstacles he 
 overcame, the magnificent results he affected with his 
 single arm, as it were, unaided by the government, — 
 though neither a good, nor a great man in the highest 
 sense of that term, it is impossible not to regard him as 
 a very extraordinary one." This we take to be the de- 
 cision at which all impartial judges must arrive. 
 
 We append the poet Southey's inscription for a monu- 
 ment at Trujillo : — 
 
 * * A greater name 
 The list of glory boasts not. Toil and pain, 
 Famine, and hostile elements, and hosts 
 Embattled, failed to check him in his course ; 
 Not to be wearied, not to be deterred, 
 Not to be overcome. A mighty realm 
 He overran, and with relentless arm 
 Slew or enslaved its unoffending sons, 
 And wealth and power and fame were his rewards." 
 
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