_PERU; THE PRESIDENT GASCA._
1545-1550.
The aged lieutenant of Gonzalo Pizarro, Carbajal, gave him perhaps the
wisest advice when he urged him to renounce his allegiance; pointing out
that in point of fact he had already done so, since he had encountered
the Viceroy in battle, slain him, and assumed his authority. He had no
favour or mercy to expect from the crown, and had but one course before
him, to proclaim himself king, supported as he was by the troops and the
people. He advised him likewise to unite himself in marriage to the
female representative of the _Incas_. But Gonzalo Pizarro, though he had
fought against the Viceroy for what he deemed his own rights and the
rights of others, was still at heart loyal to the crown. The course he
determined to adopt was the halting one of sending an embassy to Spain,
to vindicate his proceedings, and to ask a confirmation of his authority
in succession of his brother as Viceroy of Peru. Meanwhile news had
reached the mother country of the disorders proceeding in that land. The
Spanish Government heard with dismay of the effect produced by the
promulgation of the ordinances and of the unyielding conduct of the
Viceroy.
In 1545 the prince afterwards known as Philip II., then regent of Spain
during the absence of his father, called together a special council to
deliberate on the measures to be pursued for the purpose of restoring
order in _Peru_. The difficulties to be encountered in the way of
suppressing the rebellion by force naturally presented themselves to the
conclave, and it was accordingly resolved to endeavour to bring about an
arrangement by conciliatory measures. A full pardon was to be granted to
all such colonists as should make their submission, and due steps were
to be taken to make them perceive that it was to their interest, as it
was their duty, to return to their allegiance; and fortunately a man was
found to carry out this policy whose single agency was of more avail
than that of a fleet or an army. Pedro de la Gasca was of the
ecclesiastical profession, but had nevertheless borne arms. He had
filled with distinction several civil offices in Spain, and his
discretion no less than his ability pointed him out for the position of
agent to the crown in _Peru_, one of the most responsible missions ever
confided to any individual. Gasca seems indeed, according to the
estimate of all writers of history, to have been a model of
character--courteous in demeanour but firm in his course, as beseemed a
man who was strong in his rectitude of purpose. The choice made by the
prince and his council was immediately ratified by the Emperor, who
wrote to Gasca an autograph letter confirming it.
Gasca at once accepted the mission proposed to him, merely stipulating
for powers sufficient to admit of its full success. The powers which he
demanded were indeed so great that the ministers had not the authority
to grant them; but on an appeal to the Emperor, who was by this time in
Flanders, they were at once conceded. Gasca, now armed with greater
authority than had ever hitherto been entrusted to a vassal of the
Spanish crown, set sail for _Peru_ early in 1546, under the title of
President of the Royal Audience.[N] So modest was his train that only
three thousand ducats were expended in equipping him. Under the above
title he was placed at the head of every department in the colony. He
indeed had the warrant to exercise the same powers as the Emperor
himself; since he might declare war, appoint to all offices, and pardon
all offences. He was, however, to proclaim at once the revocation of the
obnoxious ordinances, and he might banish from _Peru_ such ecclesiastics
and others as might not be reached by the temporal authority. He had
unlimited orders on the treasuries both of _Panamá_ and _Peru_, and was
furnished with letters to the chief authorities requiring their support.
The Emperor and his advisers were safe in confiding these unbounded
powers on a single-minded man, whose only worldly ambition was the
bishopric which was held out to him, and which he declined to accept
until he should have returned after fulfilling his mission.
In July of the above-mentioned year Gasca landed in the New World, where
he was met by the intelligence of the defeat and death of the Viceroy
and of the absolute supremacy of Gonzalo Pizarro. In this perplexing
situation he steered his course with undeviating prudence and consummate
skill. At _Nombre de Dios_ he presented himself before the trusted
partisan of Pizarro, to whose care that place had been committed, not
with the military surroundings befitting the all-powerful _alter ego_ of
the Emperor, but as a humble ecclesiastic to whose admittance there
could be no objection. Never probably in the course of history has the
subtle effect of the sentiment of loyalty been more remarkably
manifested. There was nothing in the appearance of Gasca or of his
humble retinue to attract especial attention; yet no sooner was his
mission known than Pizarro’s trusted officer was at his feet placing his
powers in his hand. Once within the stronghold of the enemy, Gasca’s
moral influence was forthwith felt. In contact with his singular
powers--not those of mere oratory, but based on the foundation of the
highest moral and secular authority,--the position of the officer who
merely held his office in virtue of an order from the rebel Pizarro was
at once untenable. Indeed Mexia does not seem to have made the slightest
effort at impeding the progress of the President, who had with him the
consolatory balm of pardon for all repentant rebels.
This first step gained was everything for the mission of Gasca. His
advent was announced not, as had been that of the late Viceroy, as a
despoiler of the colonists and a stern enforcer of obnoxious decrees. On
the contrary, he came as a messenger of peace and conciliation, bearing
an unheard-of admission on the part of the crown in justification of the
colonists,--since the ordinances were repealed,--and granting full
pardon for past offences to all such as should again declare themselves
loyal subjects. Indeed Mexia, like Gonzalo Pizarro himself, and like
most of his followers, had found himself a rebel owing to accidental
circumstances and certainly not by design; and he was only too glad to
avail himself of so unexpectedly favourable an opportunity of
extricating himself from the disagreeable position into which
circumstances had led him. Gonzalo, by rejecting the advice of his
lieutenant Carbajal, had failed to bind all his followers to himself by
the common tie of their being compromised rebels.
Having thus acquired so important an ally on land, the next step of the
sagacious President was to obtain the command of Pizarro’s fleet of
twenty-two vessels which lay in the harbour of _Panamá_. It was under
the command of Hinojosa, an officer high in the confidence of Pizarro,
and who was as loyal to him as was compatible with his supreme loyalty
to his sovereign. But Pizarro was now destined to find that the same
arts which had been employed to corrupt his own loyalty to the crown
might again be made use of to seduce others from their loyalty to him.
Mexia was employed by the President for this purpose. In the conflict
of duties which were claimed from him on either side, Hinojosa asked to
be allowed to see the powers of the President, and he likewise inquired
whether they gave him authority to confirm Pizarro in the post he held.
The President evaded the question; whereupon Hinojosa sent to Pizarro to
acquaint him with his arrival and with the object of his coming.
But from the moment when Gasca had received a favourable opportunity for
stating his mission, his success was practically assured, carrying with
him as he did such ample moral force and such intellectual capacity to
wield it. The same vessel which bore to Pizarro the news of his advent,
carried likewise a Dominican who had been entrusted by Gasca with
manifestoes proclaiming the glad tidings of the abolition of the
ordinances, and of a free pardon to all rebels who should return to
their obedience. The President likewise sent letters to the prelates and
to the civic corporations. In short, the whole discipline, civil and
ecclesiastic, in which the Spaniard of the day had been trained, was at
once called into the service of the man whose singular ability proved
him to be more than able to cope with the Dictator of _Peru_, who
directed its civil government and commanded its army and fleet.
Gasca meanwhile calmly awaited the results of the measures he had
adopted, and his courtesy and intelligence did not fail to have their
due effect upon those with whom he was thrown into contact. Several
cavaliers of _Panamá_, as well as officers of the squadron, offered him
their services, and with their assistance the President was enabled to
open communication with the Spanish authorities in _Guatemala_ and
_Mexico_, whom he required to abstain from holding any communication
with the insurgents in _Peru_. By these means he acquired powerful
allies for the Spanish Government. Lastly, he prevailed on the governor
of _Panamá_ to supply him with a ship, in which he despatched a letter
from the Emperor to Gonzalo Pizarro, and likewise one from himself. The
former was couched in the most conciliatory terms, making every
allowance for the difficult circumstances in which the rebel chief had
been placed, and throwing the blame on the Viceroy. In his own letter
the President significantly remarked that the circumstances which had
led Pizarro into his present position no longer existed, since all that
the colonists had required when they appealed to arms was now conceded;
it only remained, therefore, to show their loyalty by resuming their
dutiful obedience. Should the contest be further prolonged, it would be
open rebellion against the crown, without the pretext of an excuse; and
against bringing about such a struggle the President invoked Pizarro’s
sense of honour and duty. These important despatches, with others, were
entrusted by the President to an adherent on whom he could rely, and who
was likewise charged to distribute further manifestoes.
Some months passed away whilst Gasca and the governor of _Panamá_ still
awaited the decisive reply from _Peru_. Indeed Pizarro’s situation was
such as to make him hesitate. He was still comparatively a young man,
being forty-two years of age, and he found himself in the most dazzling
position which any Spaniard not born in the purple could hold, and to
which, moreover, he fancied he had a right as being the successor of his
brother. Were he to resign this he would not only lay down that
position, but he would put himself in the absolute power of another,
before whom he would doubtless be charged with crimes that might be held
to cancel the offers of pardon for past offences conveyed to him by the
Emperor and the President. He had learned with no small apprehension the
coming of the latter; but he was so simple as to be misled by the
unostentatious manner in which the President had made his appearance. He
ignored alike his personal qualities and the moral force which he
represented. Having before him two plain roads, either of which might
have led him into safety, if not into the ultimate realization of his
ambition--that is to say, being free to choose either to make his
submission to the President, or to appeal to arms against the crown,--he
took the half-way course of keeping the President at a distance whilst
he should meanwhile send an embassy to Spain to vindicate his past
proceedings and solicit a confirmation of his authority, a course which
could not but lead to his ruin.
Gasca was meanwhile put off by a letter, signed by seventy of the
principal citizens of _Lima_, expressing their regret that he had
arrived too late, and their opinion that, should he now continue his
journey, his presence would only be the signal for the renewal of
disturbance. But the result of Pizarro’s embassy to Spain was widely
different from that which he had anticipated. No sooner had his
ambassador, Aldana, been admitted into the presence of the President at
_Panamá_ than the embassy was at an end. The envoy now for the first
time learned the full powers of the President, and likewise the full
nature of the concessions made by the crown to the colonists. The
ambassador, though sincerely devoted to Pizarro, instantly showed the
example of submitting to the crown, whilst he wrote to his chief at
_Lima_ earnestly counselling him to do likewise. This example was
followed by Hinojosa, the governor of _Panamá_, by whose submission
Pizarro’s fleet was placed at the disposal of Gasca. On November 19th,
1546, Hinojosa and his officers, having delivered up their commissions,
received them back from Gasca on taking the oath of allegiance.
Possessed of _Panamá_ and the fleet, Gasca could now afford to take more
active steps. He raised men and collected supplies, taking care that the
soldiers were duly paid. He had no difficulty in obtaining loans on
credit, and he made use of his powers to summon assistance from
_Guatemala_ and _Mexico_. Much good-will was shown on all sides in
getting his expedition ready; but up to the latest moment the President
employed every means in his power to induce Pizarro, ere it should be
too late, to make his submission to the crown. With this object he sent
in advance Aldana, with four ships, to the coast of _Peru_, with
authenticated copies of his commission to be delivered to Pizarro. That
chief, who as yet but dimly discerned the effect which was being slowly
but surely produced by the proclamation of Gasca, called his councillors
to aid him in determining what reply should be sent, or what course
adopted, in reference to the letters of the Emperor and the President.
His two chief advisers were Carbajal, a warrior of fourscore years, and
Cepeda, a lawyer who had come out to the New World as one of the
Audience of the late Viceroy. The former, with the wisdom of years,
clearly discerned the nature of the situation and advised his master
accordingly; but the lawyer, knowing as he did that he had appeared in
arms against the Viceroy, whom he had been sent out to advise, trembled
at the situation in which he should find himself were Pizarro to yield,
and therefore used all his skill in persuading him to adopt a defiant
course. Unfortunately for all concerned, his counsel prevailed.
It was not long after the departure of the messenger of Gasca, by whom
Pizarro had sent back the rejection of his terms, that the latter
received news of the defection from his cause both of the governor of
_Panamá_ and of his ambassador to Spain; and these unwelcome tidings
were followed by certain indications that they were but the precursors
of similar defections from his cause in other quarters. In fact, he was
enveloped by a cloud of enemies in which quarter soever he might look.
Gonzalo Pizarro, however, though wounded by the desertion of his friends
on whom he had relied, yet, having thrown in his lot with the rebels who
should adhere to him, determined to trust to the hazard of the die. He
summoned his captains to his aid, reminding them of their obligations,
and that their interests were identical with his own. He enforced levies
in the capital, and soon saw himself at the head of a thousand men. He
was supported by the veteran warrior Carbajal, and literally no money
was spared in equipping his army. It was a desperate cause; and Pizarro
and his men were reckless. There was a prevailing impression that his
cause was a losing one, and consequently defections from his ranks were
frequent.
The squadron under Aldana (Pizarro’s ambassador to Spain) was now off
_Callao_, the commander having been welcomed at all the ports of _Peru_
at which he had landed, receiving at the same time numerous promises of
assistance on the part of those who were nominally Pizarro’s officers.
Aldana, who had no rival ships to oppose him, caused copies of the
President’s manifestoes to be circulated amongst the citizens of _Lima_,
and they were not long in producing their effect, for indeed few persons
there had been aware of the full powers entrusted to Gasca. The only
general thought was for each one to secure his own safety. It was a case
of _sauve qui peut_. Some escaped to the forests; some took refuge with
the fleet; and others, essaying to escape, did not succeed in doing so,
but fell into the hands of the subordinates of Carbajal, from whom they
had little to hope. In this dilemma, Pizarro, seeing that whilst he
should remain at _Lima_ every day would add to the desertions from his
cause, resolved to occupy _Arequipa_, where, however, owing to the
frequent desertions, he found that his force did not muster more than
five hundred men.
[Sidenote: June 1547.]
Pizarro and his forces having quitted _Lima_, the gates of the city were
forthwith opened to Aldana, as the forerunner of the President. Gasca
himself, however, had sailed from _Panamá_ on April 10th, 1547. He
encountered a stormy voyage, during which he displayed his habitual
coolness and perseverance. In due time his storm-battered vessels
arrived at _Tumbez_, where he was received with open arms; indeed
thenceforth he was master of the situation, and had only to instruct his
officers to execute his orders. He made his way towards _Xauxa_, where
he was later joined by reinforcements from all quarters. On his arrival
there the war was, in point of fact, to all appearance terminated, for
he found advices to the effect that Gonzalo Pizarro was hemmed in on
every side. In reply to the offers of service which he received, he had
given a general rendezvous of _Caxamalca_, to which place he despatched
Hinojosa with the soldiers at his disposal, with orders to take command
of the levies and to join him at _Xauxa_. He then proceeded towards the
same place by way of _Truxillo_. The President now found himself in
sufficient strength to counter-order the force which he had summoned to
his assistance from _Guatemala_ and _Mexico_.
[Sidenote: 1547.]
Meanwhile Pizarro had come to the determination to evacuate _Peru_ and
fall back upon _Chili_, which territory was beyond the jurisdiction of
the President. But the passes lying on his route were held by Centeno
with a force greater than his own, and who had declared for the
President. Centeno had been his subordinate officer, and he tried, in
the first place, the effect of negotiation. This, however, leading to no
result, he marched against his force, which was encamped on Lake
_Titicaca_. On October 26th the hostile forces met. Pizarro’s troops
were about half as numerous as those of his opponent, his cavalry only
numbering one-third of the horsemen opposed to him; but this inequality
was compensated for in that of the opposing leaders. Whilst Centeno was
so ill as to be compelled to delegate the command of his troops to
others and to await the result off the field in a litter, his opponents
were under the skilled leadership of Pizarro and Carbajal. Pizarro
himself commanded the cavalry, placing himself at its head in a
gorgeously-decorated suit of mail, which made him the most conspicuous
object on the field.
Having arrived within firing distance of each other, the veteran
Carbajal, deeming his situation favourable, resolved to halt and to
receive the enemy’s attack. The experienced officers on either side saw
that their advantage lay in keeping back, but whereas the trained
musketeers on Pizarro’s side were under the immediate control of the
veteran by whom they had been drilled, the impetuous soldiers of Centeno
were not only without his restraining voice, but were further urged on
by a senseless friar, who, forgetting that he was not in the pulpit,
took upon himself to declare, in the words of ancient Scripture, that
the Lord had delivered the enemy into their hands. His exclamation was
premature, but it had the effect of urging Centeno’s soldiers forward
and of bringing them within the full force of the opposing fire.
Carbajal restrained his men until their antagonists were within a
hundred yards of them. The volley which was then fired decided the day.
Two hundred men are said to have fallen at the first discharge, which
was followed by a second. On the other part of the field, where the
cavalry contended, the result was different. Centeno’s horse being
vastly superior in number, rode down their opponents, and Pizarro
himself, though performing everything that skill and valour could
effect, was compelled to spur his charger out of the scene of struggle.
He was pursued, and had to defend himself in single combat until he was
rescued by some of the men of Carbajal. The victorious cavalry tried
again and again in vain to break the flank of Carbajal’s arquebusiers.
The victory remained with Pizarro, who, with his followers, sat down to
the feast which had been prepared in their opponents’ tents. It was
estimated that more than two-thirds of Centeno’s men were killed or
wounded; he himself escaped by flight. After this victory, Pizarro,
being now recruited by considerable numbers, resolved to make his way
to _Cuzco_, where he was received by the inhabitants in triumph, and
where he resolved for the present to establish his quarters.
As might be expected, the unlooked-for news of Pizarro’s victory at
_Huarina_ fell like a thunderbolt on the court of the hitherto
successful President. Gasca, however, was careful to put a good face on
his disappointment, whilst he lost no time in adopting such measures as
were best calculated to repair the disaster. Taking advantage of his own
superiority of force, he resolved to march without delay against his
opponent. He had before him a difficult and dreary march, but in its
course he was cheered not only by the assurance that Pizarro’s victory
had not had the effect of dispiriting the country, but also by the
arrival in his camp, from various quarters, of several distinguished
captains--of Benalcazar, the conqueror of _Quito_; of Valdivia, with
laurels fresh from the conquest of _Chili_; and of Centeno, who had
escaped through the forest and _sierra_, and who, restored to health,
was burning to retrieve his late mischance.
[Sidenote: 1548.]
It was the spring of the following year when Gasca mustered his forces
for the final march on _Cuzco_. He now had two thousand men, which, it
must be remembered, was a larger number than any European force that had
hitherto been assembled in arms in _Peru_. They were commanded by
Hinojosa. The first obstacle of importance which that officer had to
encounter was the passage of the river _Apurimac_, one of the most
considerable tributaries of the _Amazons_, and the bridges over which
had been destroyed by order of Pizarro. Gasca, however, being apprised
of this, had sent forward to select a suitable spot from which to throw
a bridge across the stream, which was found at _Cotopampa_, whilst
materials for a like purpose were laid down at two other points with a
view to misleading the enemy.
The officer sent on in advance to _Cotopampa_ had received positive
commands to delay the actual construction of the bridge until he should
be in sufficient strength to carry it through forthwith to completion;
but he was so zealous that he took it upon himself to disregard his
orders and to set about the operation at once. The bridge itself was to
be one of those structures common in the Northern _Andes_, formed of
cables of osier, thrown from side to side of the bank, and across which
planks are laid. As such a bridge is swayed to and fro or upwards and
downwards by the tramp of men, by burdens being borne across it, or by
the wind, it is apt to inspire a feeling of insecurity both on the part
of the traveller and on that of the onlooker from the shore, but it is
in reality quite as safe a means of transit as is many a more solid
structure. Gasca having heard with alarm that the work was going on,
hastened his march in order to support his officer; but ere he had
reached the river, information was brought to him that the enemy had cut
the cables on the opposite bank. Valdivia was accordingly sent forward
with two hundred men, whilst the main body hurried its pace. That
energetic officer, on reaching the stream, at once procured some native
boats, by means of which he passed his men over to the other side. He
being now in considerably greater force than Pizarro’s men, the latter
retreated with all speed to _Cuzco_, to report the affair to their
chief.
Pizarro meanwhile, like the typical soldier of fortune of that age, had
been enjoying the hour of sunshine, forgetful of the past, and not too
much troubled about the future. Although no one ever questioned his
leadership, he was not a leader to dispense with counsel; and his two
chief advisers were still Cepeda and Carbajal. The advice he had of late
received from each seems to have been the reverse of that which they had
respectively given him when it was a question of the terms in which he
should reply to the letters of the Emperor and of Gasca. Whilst Carbajal
on the one hand now advised him to abandon _Cuzco_ and retreat to the
mountains, leaving an impoverished city behind him, he was urged by
Cepeda on the other hand to make terms with the President. But Pizarro
rejected either advice. He was, in fact, determined to stand the hazard
of the die. The fortune which had stood his friend under the desperate
circumstances in which he had been deserted by Orellana on the
_Amazons_, and which had lately come to his rescue against enormous odds
in his late engagement, might still stand him in good stead.
But in fact his fortune in these later times was in the sagacious advice
and experience of Carbajal. It was the forethought and skill of that
veteran that had won the victory of _Huarina_, and had Pizarro now
listened to his voice he might still have continued lord of _Peru_. When
the tidings came that the enemy were across the stream, the veteran saw
that the moment had arrived which was to decide the struggle. He felt
that he was the man to profit by the opportunity, and he pleaded with
his commander to be allowed to go forward to the scene of action. In an
evil hour for himself Pizarro refused his request, saying that he could
not spare him so far away. Meanwhile the work of the bridge was rapidly
pushed forward, and long ere the young cavalier who had been put in the
place of Carbajal had reached his destination, the President’s force was
in a position to defy him.
There was now only a question of the choice of a spot on which the final
battle was to be fought. Pizarro determined to abandon _Cuzco_ and to
await his opponents in a valley five leagues distant. Even at this
moment the President, having crossed the _Andes_ and the river
_Apurimac_, and being in force greatly superior to that of his
antagonist, showed his utter absence of personal ill-feeling towards the
latter, and also perhaps his appreciation of the difficulties which had
brought him into his present position, by giving him one last chance of
safety. By an emissary of his own he renewed the assurance of pardon to
Pizarro in case he should lay down his arms and submit. Such at least
is the statement of two Spanish historians, and it is in accordance with
the character of the President. At length, on the morning of the 8th of
April, the two opposing forces came within sight of each other. The
numbers on either side were the reverse of large according to our ideas
of the present day; but numbers do not always denote the importance of a
battle, and we should remember that a similarly small European force at
_Plassey_ decided the fate of Hindostan. It may be remarked that the
native Peruvians, for the most part, espoused the cause of Pizarro.
The President wisely left the conduct of the battle to his military
officers, who were perfectly competent for the purpose, and he showed
his habitual good sense in withdrawing, with his priests and civilians,
out of the immediate range of action. The commanders on his side,
Hinojosa and Valdivia, were a match for the military skill of Carbajal;
and Pizarro himself had more in him of the daring, dauntless cavalier
than of the strategic leader. As he had faced the situation with all its
consequences plainly set before him, resolving fully to abide them, we
cannot bestow much sympathy upon him in his present plight, though we
must admire his unshaken courage and constancy. At the decisive moment
of his fate he had taken the advice of Cepeda in resisting, in
opposition to that of Carbajal; and it was the wretch Cepeda who now
betrayed him by galloping over to the enemy in the face of both armies.
But this act, although it was contagious, perhaps did Pizarro no
considerable harm, for his fate was already sealed.
The leaders on either side gave the word for the advance; but the humane
President, anxious to spare the shedding of blood, ordered his men to
halt, since the rebel host from its frequent desertions was evidently
falling to pieces. The Spaniards on Pizarro’s side deserted him in
various directions; some went to seek pardon from the President ere it
should be too late; others made for the mountains. Pizarro himself,
seeing that there was but one thing for him to do, gave up his sword to
the first officer of rank whom he encountered, and by him he was
conducted into the presence of the President. The latter, we are told,
inquired severely why he had thrown the country into such confusion? why
he had revolted? why he had slain the Viceroy? why he had usurped the
government? and finally, why he had refused the repeated offers of
grace? On his reply, in which he attempted to justify himself, he was
ordered into close confinement. Thus terminated the culminating
encounter between the royal forces and those of Pizarro, in which the
latter on the plain of _Xaquixaguana_, like those of the Assyrian of
old, though “unsmote by the sword,” yet “vanished like snow.”
Gasca, having sent an officer to _Cuzco_ to restrain the excesses which
were to be expected, had next to concern himself with the trial of
Pizarro and of Carbajal. It was of course a mere form, since they were
taken in the act of opposing the royal forces in arms; and there could
be no question of mercy, since they had both failed to avail themselves
of the offers of the royal clemency repeatedly made. They were
accordingly executed; Carbajal, who is said to have been eighty-four
years of age, receiving his fate with the utmost indifference, and
Pizarro meeting death with the dignified courage which he had ever
shown. The estates of both were confiscated. It is satisfactory to add
that the traitor Cepeda, though his head was not placed upon the block,
yet was not allowed to go free. The President was indeed urged to send
him to execution, since it had been by his advice that Pizarro had first
refused the offers of grace; but Gasca refrained from doing so on
account of the service which Cepeda had rendered the royal cause by his
opportune desertion. He was accordingly sent a prisoner to Spain, where
he was tried for high treason: during the progress of his trial he died
in prison. It may be of interest here to remark that the fate which
attended so many of the conquerors of _Peru_, spared neither Centeno,
Hinojosa, nor Valdivia, the three foremost leaders on the side of the
President, all of whom were soon afterwards cut off. The President
thought it sufficient, in the interests of justice and of example, to
execute Acosta and three or four other cavaliers who had surrendered
with Pizarro. He then broke up his camp and marched to _Cuzco_.
On his arrival at the late capital of the _Incas_, Gasca had before him
the task of winding up the affairs incident to the rebellion. Some dozen
cavaliers, having been tried and condemned, were executed, whilst others
were sentenced to minor punishments; but on the whole, considering the
dimensions of the rebellion and the obstinacy of the insurgents in
refusing grace, the President certainly does not seem to have acted with
undue severity: a stern example was needed. He had now to apportion the
rewards that were due to his followers, who, as usually happens in such
cases, were not bashful in claiming them. Retiring from _Cuzco_ to a
neighbouring valley, attended only by the Archbishop of _Lima_ and by
his secretary, Gasca now devoted three months to a patient examination
of the respective claims laid before him, and to elaborating a fair
scheme of compensation.
This heavy task completed, the President could now retire to _Lima_,
leaving his written decision with the archbishop, to be by him
communicated to the army. The effect produced by the document on those
respecting whose interests it was to decide, was of course one of
disappointment. Each man valued his own services at his own price, and
all were displeased at the fancied unfair preference given to others. It
required some trouble and even some examples on the part of the
commander at _Cuzco_ to repress the tumult of discontent thus
occasioned. Gasca was received by the inhabitants of _Lima_ not only
with the manifestations of loyalty which were his due as representing
the crown, but likewise with every demonstration of gratitude and
affection. His entry into the city was, however, strictly in the
character of a priest and civilian, and no way in that of a warrior.
At _Lima_, the capital, a fresh series of business awaited him, for he
had now to devise a new government to replace that of Pizarro; but being
himself _facile princeps_ in affairs, and being accompanied by able
judges, he was enabled soon satisfactorily to despatch an immense amount
of business. Nor were the natives neglected, the President devoting his
sedulous attention to bettering their condition. He did not omit to send
his own agents into different parts of the country, to inspect the
allotments and ascertain the manner in which the Peruvians were treated,
taking their statements from themselves. As the result of the
information thus obtained, Gasca and his council drew up a system of
taxation for the Peruvians, which might be a standard of appeal. He did
not see his way to relieving them, under present circumstances, from the
obligation of personal service, which proposed measure had indeed been
the cause of the recent rebellion; but he was careful to provide that
their service should be less burdensome than that which they had endured
under the sway of the _Incas_. Their condition, in short, though not in
all respects such as philanthropy might wish, was put on as good a
footing as colonial exigencies might admit of. Indeed all the firmness
of the government was needed to admit of the new regulations being
peacefully acquiesced in.
Gasca likewise introduced reforms into the municipal government of the
cities; and by financial and other arrangements placed the
administration of the colony on such a basis as might afford a fair
field for his successors to work on. He had been fifteen months in
_Lima_ and nearly three years in _Peru_; and his work being now
accomplished, he was able to turn his face toward Spain, with the
satisfaction of having been enabled to pay off the loan he had
contracted for the war, exceeding nine hundred thousand _pesos_. He had,
moreover, saved a million and a half _ducats_ for the Government. The
President Gasca had indeed proved himself fully deserving of the
confidence which had been reposed in him by the Emperor and his
advisers. He was a rare instance even amongst the best governors or
statesmen of any country or of any period--one who, like General Gordon
in our own time, was unconventional and utterly indifferent to the
allurements of wealth, or indeed to any other call but that of honour
and duty. Before his departure one more instance of his purity of
character--if one were needed--was afforded. The Indian _caciques_,
conscious of the benefits which he had rendered their people, and
conscious also of the value which all Spaniards hitherto had placed upon
the precious metals, offered him a large amount of gold plate in token
of their gratitude. On Gasca’s natural refusal to accept it, the poor
_caciques_ feared they had fallen under his displeasure. This is not the
instance referred to. A number of the colonists, no less grateful for
the same reasons, wished to show their esteem in a like manner, and made
up a purse for the President of fifty thousand _castellanos_. There
could be no harm, they said, in his accepting this on leaving, as it
could not be offered with a view to induce favour for the future. When
the President returned it, the colonists, without his knowledge,
concealed twenty thousand _castellanos_ on board his vessel, which sum,
on his arrival in Spain, not wishing to offend them by returning the
donative, he distributed amongst the most needy relatives of the donors
whom he could discover.
[Sidenote: 1550.]
In January 1550 the President embarked for _Panamá_, being followed to
the shore by crowds of persons of all ranks and ages, who were alike
anxious to render him this last mark of their esteem. In March he was
enabled to convey his treasure across the Isthmus, and arrived in safety
at _Nombre de Dios_. There he equipped a fleet of nineteen vessels to
transport himself and the royal treasure to Spain. Four years had
elapsed since his departure from Seville. So delighted was every one,
from the highest to the lowest, at the complete success of his mission,
that Gasca was summoned to attend the Emperor at Flanders, where, after
profuse acknowledgments of sincere imperial gratitude, he received the
only material worldly reward agreeable to him, in the shape of the
bishopric of Palencia, at which place he passed the remainder of his
life.
NOTE.--Chapters VI., VII., X., and XI. of vol. I. are founded on
“The History of the Conquest of Peru;” by William H. Prescott.
Bentley. 1850.
On “The Spanish Conquest in America;” by Arthur Helps. John W.
Parker & Son. 1855.
On “History of America;” by William Robertson.
On “_Histoire des Etablissemens des Européens dans les deux
Indes_;” par Raynal (Abbé G. F.)
On “Life of Pizarro;” by Sir Arthur Helps. 1869.
On “_Historia general del Peru_;” Garcilasso de la Vega.
On “_Relacion de los descabrimientos de F. Pizarro y D. de
Almagro_;” Navarrete, vol. V.
And on “_History of the New World_;” by Girolamo Benzoni.