The scenery we passed the next day was very similar to what I have
already described; but the valley, which, on being contrasted with the
snowy region we had just left, appeared so attractive, was, I found,
when seen by the morning light, owing to its high elevation, a very
barren and desolate place.
We rode on for some hours through scenery such as I have before
described, when in the afternoon, as we were beginning to fancy that we
were near the termination of our day's journey, we entered a deep gorge,
with the dark rocks towering up, wild and rugged, on either side of us.
It was just such a place as one might have expected an ambush to have
been placed in; as a few resolute men might have held the road, aided by
others sheltered by the rocks, against a whole army attempting to pass.
An oppressive gloom invaded the spot, and the air seemed damp and heavy,
as if the warming rays of the sun had never penetrated below the tops of
the cliffs.
I was riding on in advance of the main body, when, on reaching the spot
where the gorge opened somewhat, I saw at a considerable distance before
me what I took to be a mark on the cliff in the shape of a horse with a
rider. As I advanced, however, I perceived that it was a lonely man on
horseback. He was too far off, standing as he was in shade, for me to
distinguish his dress or appearance. He seemed to be stationary, as if
watching our approach. A sharp turn in the road shut out the view
beyond him. Had I been an old soldier, I should have fallen back on my
companions and reported what I had seen; but I fancied that the horseman
was a traveller like ourselves, and so I continued to ride carelessly
on. I was very nearly falling a victim to my neglect. I had advanced
some two hundred yards farther, when my friends reached the spot from
which I had first caught sight of the horseman. He was still there, but
no sooner did he see them than he wheeled round his horse and
disappeared behind the cliffs. This I thought suspicious. My first
impulse was to gallop on to overtake the man; but fortunately the chief
guide had just then come up with me, and urged me not to go on. I
therefore shouted out to my friends to let them know what I had seen,
and reined in my steed till they came up. The information did not
hasten the advance of any of the party; indeed some of them were
evidently anxious to cede the post of honour in the van to their
friends. The cry of "The Montoneros, the Montoneros!" arose from every
mouth. Some tumbled off their horses, as if to shelter themselves
behind them from the expected volleys of the dreaded banditti; others
sat still and began to count their beads; and not a few turned their
horses' heads preparatory to running away. I must do the padre the
justice to say that he looked as brave as any of them, except a few who
advanced to the front.
"Where are the enemy, David?" asked my father, who led them on.
"I only saw one man, whom our friends here have multiplied into a band
of Montoneros," I replied.
"Come on, my friends, then!" exclaimed my father. "If the man my boy
saw is a robber, he and his companions are more likely to run away than
to attack us, if we show a bold front."
His words and tone of confidence restored the fast evaporating courage
of the party; and having halted to get them into something like order,
with the armed men in front and the baggage mules and their drivers in
the rear, we again moved forward. We had not, however, advanced far,
when the man I had before seen again appeared; and directly afterwards a
troop of horsemen wheeled round the sharp angle of the rock, and with
loud cries galloped rapidly towards us.
"Steady, steady, for your lives!" shouted my father, as he saw in many
of our companions strong evidence of a disposition to turn round and
fly. "If we break our ranks, we are lost."
That the horsemen now approaching were banditti, I had no doubt, from
their varied and fantastic dresses, the different hues of their faces,
and their wild appearance. We could not escape them, even had we been
better mounted than they were, as the baggage mules in the rear would
have prevented us. This they probably calculated on, or perhaps they
would rather we had escaped and left them our baggage, which was what
they most wanted, with the exception, perhaps, of our horses. They
invariably appropriate the best horses they can find, as it is important
for them to be well mounted. My father and I, two Spaniards, a mestizo,
and our chief Indian guide, formed the first rank. When we saw the
Montoneros, and could no longer doubt their intentions, we halted and
presented our firearms. These were of various lengths and calibres, and
some were better fitted to frighten an enemy than to do harm. When the
Montoneros saw the determined front we presented, they checked their
speed, but it was only for an instant.
"Do not fire until they get close to us," cried my father.
On came the banditti, their horses' hoofs clattering over the hard road,
while uttering loud and discordant yells, they waved their swords above
their heads. They made their intentions very manifest of cutting us to
pieces if they could; so we felt perfectly justified in trying to knock
them out of their saddles.
Many of our party gave themselves up for lost; and certainly the
appearance of the banditti was enough to make a stout heart
uncomfortable, to say the least of it. Their untrimmed moustaches and
long hair escaping from under their broad-brimmed hats, their fierce
countenances and dark flashing eyes, the many hues of their skins, and
their motley costume, gave them altogether a very savage look, which was
increased by the fiery bloodshot eyes of their horses, whose shaggy
manes and the fringe of their housing streamed in the wind, while their
riders shook their weapons, and shrieked out threats of destruction on
our heads.
"Steady, my men, and fire when I do," cried my father, levelling his
rifle; in which I, Jose, and the rest, followed his example. The
Montoneros had got within a dozen paces of us, when we gave the word.
We fired together, our friends behind handing us their still loaded
weapons. Two of the robbers rolled in the dust, and the horse of a
third was shot dead, and fell across the road, so as somewhat to impede
the progress of those behind. On they came, however, and were up to us
as we fired our second round, and received a discharge of their carbines
in return. Some of the shot took effect on our companions in the rear,
who, instead of reloading the firearms, threw them down and endeavoured
to escape. In an instant the banditti were upon us. My father's horse
was shot under him. I saw Jose knocked over; and then I recollect
nothing that happened for some minutes, except a confusion of sounds,
shouts, and shrieks and groans. When I returned to consciousness, my
first thought was for my father. He was not near me, but I saw Jose at
no great distance, leaning on his arm, as if unable to move, and looking
along the road the way we had come. I turned my eyes in the same
direction, towards which the tide of the fight had gone. A few of our
companions were still contending against a greatly superior number of
the banditti, most of whom, however, were engaged in a work more
congenial to their taste, that of plundering our baggage. I could not
doubt that my father was among the combatants; for without his example I
did not think the others would have fought, and I trembled for his fate.
I tried to rise, to rush to his assistance, or to die with him; but I
found I was too weak to stand, much less to use a weapon. I gave up all
for lost, for I perceived that the resistance of the gallant little band
of my friends was every instant growing weaker; while the robbers were
quitting their plunder to join their assailants. Meantime some of the
baggage mules were trotting off in the direction where Jose and I lay;
seeing which, some of the banditti came in pursuit of them. On seeing
that I was alive, a savage-looking fellow lifted his carbine, and was
about to give me a quietus on my head with the butt of it, while another
threatened to perform the same office for Jose, when a shout, different
from any I had before heard, reached my ears.
"Los Indios, los Indios!--the Indians, the Indians!" cried the brigands;
"fly, fly, or we are lost!"
I looked up; for when I thought my brains were about to be dashed out, I
had instinctively shut my eyes. What was my surprise to see the cliffs
on either side of the road, and which I had thought inaccessible,
swarming with Indians, mostly dressed in their ancient costume, and
armed with bows and slings, with which they sent a shower of arrows and
stones among our enemies! Several of them were wounded; and the
suddenness of the attack threw them into confusion. Before they could
recover from it, the Indians came leaping down the cliffs, and threw
themselves between the three parties of the robbers, while others
advanced along either end of the road, so as completely to hem them in.
With the wildest fury, animated apparently by the most deadly hatred,
the Indians rushed on our assailants, who, though they fought for their
lives, could not withstand the onset.
I mentioned that at some distance from me I had observed a few of my
friends, among whom I had no doubt was my father, hard pressed by a
number of the robbers, who seemed intent on their destruction. The
latter had now to defend themselves from the Indians; and my father and
his party attacking them in return, they were either cut down at once,
or attempted to escape by flight. A few of the more determined had
fought their way back to where I lay, and I fully expected to receive my
death-wound from some of them, as the fight passed over me, when I felt
myself lifted in the arms of an Indian who I saw was dressed in the
costume of a Peruvian chief; and just as the combatants reached me, he
carried me out of the _melee_, and bore me up the cliff to a spot which
none were likely to reach. As he placed me on the ground, I caught a
sight of his countenance, and recognised the fugitive whom we had
protected, the Indian, Manco Tupac Amaru. Before I had time to utter a
word of thanks, he had again leaped down the cliff and joined in the
combat. Some ten or a dozen of the robbers, who were still on
horseback, and had kept together, were attempting to cut their way along
the road among the mass of Indians who opposed them. Being well
mounted, and with superior weapons, they had a great advantage; but the
Indians were inspired with a courage I little expected to witness. They
rushed in upon them, cut their bridles, and dashed their spears in their
faces; and seizing them by their clothes, hung on them, in spite of the
cuts and thrusts of their swords, till they dragged them from their
saddles. No quarter was given; the instant a robber was unhorsed he was
speared; and before the tide of the fight had rolled on many yards, not
one was left alive. Many of our party had fallen. Indeed I was
surprised to observe, nor could I account for it, that the Indians took
no pains to preserve the lives of the Spanish travellers, though they
did their utmost to protect the Indian guides. The padre and two or
three others alone escaped. The road below me indeed presented a sad
spectacle; for, as far as I could see, it appeared strewed with the
corpses of my late companions--of robbers and Indians, many of whom had
fallen in the last desperate struggle. I looked anxiously for my
father, and my heart beat with joy as I saw him coming along the road,
and evidently looking for me. My preserver, Manco, had observed him;
the recognition was mutual, and they soon approached the spot where I
lay. I need not describe my father's feelings at finding that I was
alive. I endeavoured at first to conceal the pain I suffered, and which
made me fancy that my thigh must have been broken. At length, however,
I could not help giving expression to the anguish I experienced.
"Wait a few minutes," said the Indian chief, "and when I have performed
some duties which are urgently required, I will cause my people to form
a litter to transport you to a place of safety. What has occurred must
remain secret for a time. I can trust you; but some of the people in
your company who have escaped, might betray our proceedings to the
authorities. Their lives are safe, but we must keep them prisoners till
they can no longer injure us by being at liberty."
Neither my father nor I could understand what he meant, and before we
could ask an explanation, he had left us. We watched his movements, and
saw him place each of the survivors of our party between a guard of four
armed Indians. Some of his followers took charge of the baggage mules;
others lifted up the dead bodies of their friends; while the rest were
busily employed in collecting the arrows and the other Indian missiles
and weapons; and they then again formed in marching order. A few had
constructed a litter, and brought it to the foot of the cliff, down
which Manco, with my father's aid, now conveyed me.
"I wish to have no sign of our having taken share in the fray," observed
the Indian. "The lions and condors will take good care that none shall
discover how those men died."
As he spoke, I looked up, and observed several of those mighty monsters
of the air hovering above our heads, ready to pounce down on their prey
as soon as we should have left them to enjoy their banquet undisturbed.
At a sign from Manco, whom the Indians seemed to obey with the greatest
zeal and respect, they lifted up my litter, and bore it along at a rapid
rate. My father mounted a horse which was brought him, Manco rode
another, and the priest was accommodated with a mule; but the rest of
the Spaniards were compelled to walk, except poor Jose, who was carried,
as was I, on the shoulders of some Indians; but they did not seem at all
to like the office, nor to regard the rest of their prisoners with any
feeling of good-will. Every arrangement was made with great
promptitude; and as I watched from my litter the Indian warriors filing
before me, I could scarcely help thinking that I saw a portion of the
very army which the great Incas were accustomed to lead to victory.
We proceeded along what might be called the high road for some miles,
when we struck off across the mountains to the left, the latter part of
the time being guided by torches, for it had become too dark otherwise
to see our way. At last we arrived at a small hut, built on the side of
a rugged mountain. It afforded shelter from the cold night-wind; and as
many as it could hold took up their quarters within it, while the
remainder bivouacked without.
Fortunately for me, the padre was something of a surgeon, and on
examining my leg, he assured me that my leg was not broken, but only
severely bruised, and that perfect rest with fomentations would recover
it. It was impossible, however, to obtain that rest, as we journeyed on
without stopping, except for our meals and a few hours' rest at night,
for several days; and though I was carried all the time, the jolting of
my litter, as we ascended or descended the steep hills, was very
inconvenient. But the Indians collected a variety of herbs, and making
a decoction of them, fomented my leg whenever we stopped, so that the
swelling gradually subsided, and the pain diminished.
At length we reached a collection of deserted huts, among rugged and
inaccessible crags, with the snowy peaks of the Andes towering high
above us. The lower parts of the mountains were clothed with pine
trees; and long grass grew on the borders of several streams which run
through the neighbouring valley. With the pine trees the Indians formed
rafters to the cottages, and thatches with the long grass and reeds. In
a short time they thus rendered them in some degree habitable. I
observed that though my father was allowed to go where he liked, the
rest of the party were narrowly watched, so that they could not attempt
to make their escape. When he spoke to Manco on the subject, and
expostulated with him on detaining the rest of the travellers, the
Indian chiefs reply was short but firm.
"It is necessary for the sake of Peru that they should be kept
prisoners," he observed; "had it not been for you and the padre, they
would probably have lost their lives. I can trust you if you will give
me your oath not to betray what has occurred or what you suspect, but I
cannot trust them. When your son is able to move, you shall proceed on
your journey; but they must remain here till it is safe to set them at
liberty."
"I do not seek to pry into your secrets, and should be guilty of the
greatest ingratitude by saying a word even to injure you or your
people," said my father. "I am doubly anxious to reach Cuzco, lest my
family not hearing of me from thence, should become alarmed."
"Write a few lines to assure your family of your safety, and it shall
reach them long before they could hear from you were you to write from
our ancient capital. Trust that to me," answered Manco, and he was
afterwards found as good as his word.
The observations which the Indian chief let fall made me suspect that
some plan was forming among the Indians to emancipate themselves from
the Spanish yoke; and when I mentioned my surmises to my father, I found
that he was of the same opinion, but he warned me not to mention my
thoughts to any one.
"The less we know on the subject the better for us," he observed.
"Living under the protection of the Spanish government, it might be our
duty to warn them of danger, while it is equally our duty not to betray
those who have trusted us."
"A curious sort of protection they afford us, when they allow bands of
robbers, who were near cutting our throats, to scour the country
unmolested," I answered. "For my part, I think the Indians would be
perfectly right to emancipate themselves from the galling chains which
enthral them."
"But were they to make the attempt, they could not do so," said my
father. "The discipline and gold of a civilised people will always in
the end prevail over a half savage one, in spite of their bravery and
resolution."
Our conversation was interrupted by the entrance of Manco. No longer a
hunted fugitive, he now walked with the air of a chieftain, his costume
also being that of an Inca noble of old. Although the dress had long
been disused, except on festive occasions, he had now assumed it to give
him greater authority among his countrymen.
We found at the huts a considerable number of women and children, some
of them belonging to the Indians who were with us, and some, I
concluded, related to others who were absent. They were evidently
collected here to be beyond the reach of the Spaniards, and to avoid the
flagitious Repartimiento and Meta, the more rigid imposition of which
was about that time, I knew, causing great discontent among the people.
The Spaniards, long accustomed to treat the Peruvians as inferior
beings, destitute alike of feeling and courage, forgot that even a worm
will at times turn and attempt to bite the foot that presses it.
I had observed at times a larger number of persons than had accompanied
us to the village; and I remarked several strangers, dressed in skins
and feathers, who came and went, and again speedily returned, as if they
had gone only to a short distance. I told our host that I had observed
this, and inquired where the people came from.
"From a place where the foot of a white man has never trod," he replied.
"If you were strong and well. I might take you to it, and might show
you wonders you little expect to behold, so fully do I trust; but the
time may come when, free of danger, I may gratify your curiosity."
I expected that he alluded to one of those ancient villages which I had
heard of as existing in the heart of the mountains, and never discovered
by the Spaniards; where the inhabitants had continued in the enjoyment
of liberty, and the laws and customs of their ancestors. I had often
wished to visit one of those remnants of antiquity, and I became doubly
eager to do so, on finding myself in the proximity of one of them; but
Manco assured me that it would be utterly impossible to conduct me there
for a long time to come.
We had now spent a week at the huts, and I was so far recovered as to be
able to mount a horse and move about on foot with the aid of a stick;
and as my father was very anxious to proceed on his journey, we agreed
to start the following day. On hearing that we were about to depart,
the other travellers wished to accompany us; but the Indians would not
hear of it, and, I observed, kept a stricter watch than usual over them.
Manco showed great unwillingness to part with us.
"Go as you desire it, my friends," he said. "You are at liberty to do
as you judge best; but for your own sake, as well as mine, I would have
had you remain. However, as go you must, I will send some of my people
to escort you on your way; and one of them shall follow you as your
servant till you return home. He will obey you in all things, but you
must not blame him if he is absent during a few hours at times from you.
You must pay him no wages, but you must not send him from you; and if
you are asked where you found him, say in a mountain village, and that
he wished to come with you to see the world."
The next morning our new attendant made his appearance. He was a small,
active-looking man, of a lightish rusty-red colour. His dress was much
as is usually worn at the present day, consisting of loose trousers of
coarse brown cloth, fastened round the waist by a girdle, and a woollen
shirt of a dark blue colour. His poncho, which served as his outer
garment, was of alpaca wool of the same hue as his shirt; and on his
head he wore a broad-brimmed hat, while his sandals were of untanned
leather, just covering his toes, and secured by a thong round the ankle.
He took charge of a mule laden with our clothes and a supply of
provisions.
Manco took an affectionate farewell of us as we were mounting our horses
at the door of the hut. He pressed our hands as he said--
"We may meet again, dear friends, at some future time, when the children
of the sun may dare to lift up their heads in the land where their
fathers ruled. Till then, farewell."
We found, a little farther on, a band of a hundred men, well armed with
muskets and rifles, ready to escort us; and a young man of the Inca
family, their leader, told us that they were to accompany us to help us
to cross the difficult barriers which surrounded the spot we were in,
and to watch us till we reached the neighbourhood of Cuzco.
Accustomed as I was to mountain scenery, I should not before have
thought it possible for any four-footed animals to climb up the rugged
precipices, over which the Indians led and pushed our horses and mules.
In some places they were literally hauled up with ropes, and let down
again on the other side. My kind guides assisted me up and down also,
though I had nearly recovered my usual strength. A number of streams
crossed our path, adding not a little to its difficulties.
Our animals were generally driven into the water and compelled to swim
across, being then hauled up on the other side. We passed by means of a
curious kind of bridge called a Huano. It was formed of a thick rope,
which is carried by means of a lighter line across the chasm. The
lighter line was carried across by some powerful swimmer, or by a man
holding on to the mane of one of the horses or mules. On the rope ran a
roller, to which was fastened a piece of wood, and to the wood the
passenger was secured; the transit was made more easy by two light
lines, by which the piece of wood was drawn from side to side. Several
of the Indians went first across. I watched them in their dizzy
transit, and I thought, if the rope breaks, what will become of them?
When it came to my turn to cross, I held my head as high as I could, and
crossed my legs over the thick rope, which I grasped with my hands. I
did not dare to turn to look into the deep gulf below; for strong as my
nerves were, I felt that if I did, I should have let go my hold. I was
not sorry to find my head knocking against the shrubs and rocks on the
opposite side. My father followed me; and then the whole body, one by
one, passed over. Having got into rather less intricate country, the
captain of our escort told us that from this place forward we must no
longer remain in company, though he had orders from his chief to watch
us till all probability of danger was past.
Accordingly, my father and I, and our new Indian servant, prepared to
proceed alone. We were still several days' journey from Cuzco. We
slept as before at those most wretched of all inns the Indian tambos,
though wherever we stopped we could not help remarking that we were
treated with more than usual kindness and respect, which we suspected
was owing to our being under the special protection of their chief.
That also we were not deserted by our guardians, we had reason to know.
On more than one occasion I had observed one or two figures hovering on
the brow of some hill, or appearing from behind trees, bushes, or rocks.
I perceived once one of them started up close to us. I pointed him out
to our attendant, who had likewise seen him. With a significant look he
answered, "Fear not them--they will not injure us."
We encountered but few travellers, and I do not recollect any other
occurrence worthy of being narrated daring our journey.