_How the men of Chile plotted to murder the Marquis, and how
one of them named Francisco de Herencia gave notice of it at
confession. Of the great heedlessness of the Marquis, and of
what further happened until those of Chile went out to kill him._
Happy should I be if I could get through some part of my story without
having to relate mournful things and cruel deaths, but we cannot make
the pen shun or turn back from the work we have commenced; for my
writing is not to please the living, but to be a faithful witness of
what happened, for future ages. Now I have to tell the story of the
death of the Marquis Don Francisco Pizarro, a fate in no way fitted
for a man of such great merits--and who had served his royal master
so long in those Indies, and who in his own person had discovered so
great, rich, and prosperous a country as Peru is; where such great
riches of gold and silver, unequalled in any other part of the world,
have been found. But there was the death of the Adelantado Don Diego
de Almagro, which he could have prevented if he had so willed.[55]
The festival of St. John being past, Juan de Herrada conversed in
secret with Don Diego. He spoke of the arrival of Vaca de Castro,
and declared that he came out from Spain suborned with money sent by
the Marquis. Even if that were not so, he suspected that the Marquis
wanted to kill them; so that, to deliver himself from the one and the
other, he resolved to anticipate and murder the Marquis first, and
thus avenge the death of the Adelantado Don Diego de Almagro. Don
Diego was very young--a virtuous youth and one of great pretensions
and ambition, considering that he came of such humble parentage. He
had a heart capable of undertaking any great deed, but he was so
boyish that he was not adapted for personally ruling over people, nor
to command a troop. He replied to Herrada that before deciding upon
anything he should consider well what there was to be done. On the
same day many of those belonging to his party consulted together, and
the upshot was that they would murder the Marquis in any way they
could. The captain Cristóbal de Sotelo was opposed to this decision,
saying that nothing should be done until the arrival of the Judge.
He argued that although it was publicly announced that he was coming
with nothing beyond his commission, he might secretly have other more
extensive powers. Should he not do rightful justice, but lean to the
side of the Marquis, they might both be killed. Owing to what Sotelo
said, they put off, for the time being, doing that on which they had
resolved.
After the consultation one of those who were present named Francisco
de Herencia, told it all, at confession, to a priest named Henao.
This priest saw that it would be a great evil to the kingdom and its
inhabitants if the Marquis should die in that manner, that God and
his Majesty would be ill served, that terrible disorder would ensue
among the Spaniards, and that a still worse civil war would be the
consequence. He determined to avert these evils by apprising the
Marquis, who was going that evening to sup at the house of his brother
Francisco Martín de Alcántara, with his children. Before he went there
he, with Antonio Picado, his secretary, called at the house of Doctor
Juan Blázquez, his lieutenant. Pizarro desired him to be watchful,
as there was a report that the men of Chile were intending to rise,
and even talked of killing him. He added that those persons must be
brought to book, and that occasion should be taken for administering
justice. The doctor replied that while the wand of justice was in his
hands the Marquis might sleep in peace, and not imagine that any one
would move to do him a disservice. After this the Marquis went to the
house of his brother. Soon afterwards the secretary, Antonio Picado,
came to the room with blanched features, bringing a man who would not
come forward, as he did not wish to be recognized. Stepping up to the
Marquis, Picado asked him to get up, as that man was the priest Henao,
and came to warn him that the men of Chile intended to murder him. The
Marquis got up, and went across to Henao and heard from him all that
he had to tell. He replied that someone, in the hope that his warning
would obtain for him a present of a horse or other reward, had related
the story, but that it was all Indian gossip. The priest protested,
saying that he stood by what he had done, and declared that he could
not be so remiss as to be mistaken in so momentous a matter. The
Marquis returned to the table very pensive, and did not eat any more.
After a short time he returned to his house, and Antonio Picado went
to his, to dance with a girl friend he had there. This was wrong, for
if he had given notice of what had passed, and of the suspicion there
was, to the friends of the Marquis, it might have been that the murder
would have been prevented. Yet if it was a Divine judgment, as we must
believe, no human effort could have averted it.
The Marquis lay down on his bed, thinking over what Henao had told
him. On that night the Licentiate Caravajal got word of the plots
of the men of Chile, and sent for Juan de Herrada, telling him that
he must be on his guard not to do anything which would cause more
trouble. Herrada answered, with dissimulation, that nothing was
contemplated that would be injurious to the Marquis, for they awaited
the arrival of the Judge, believing that he would administer justice.
The Licentiate, though Juan de Herrada had justified himself, sent to
advise the Marquis that he had better go out well accompanied, and
cherish that distrust of the men of Chile that their doings merited.
FOOTNOTES:
[55] Prescott concurs in thus fixing the blame for the death of
Almagro. Sir Arthur Helps does not. The evidence of the Bishop of
Quito, who was with the Governor, is conclusive that Pizarro had no
knowledge of the intention of his brother to put Almagro to death,
until he reached Abancay, when it was too late.
My own conviction is that Hernando Pizarro had no such intention, but
that he was going to deliver Almagro to his old friend Don Francisco
Pizarro, to deal with him as he thought best. But when he discovered
the dangerous plot to assassinate himself and liberate Almagro, he
was convinced of the necessity of passing the death sentence on the
old Adelantado. He had no doubt whatever of its justice. It was quite
in keeping with Hernando's stern and self-reliant character that he
should take the responsibility solely on himself. He knew that his
brother would not consent, yet he believed that it was a political
necessity. Don Francisco Pizarro must thus be entirely exonerated
from any responsibility for the execution of Almagro, whatever Cieza
de León may assert on evidence derived from unauthentic gossip. The
Bishop of Quito completely refutes him.