_How Don Diego de Almagro, hearing the news about Pero Alvarez,
left the city of Lima, by the advice of his captains, and of the
officers and men he took with him._
DON Diego and his followers were much alarmed at the news that Pero
Alvarez Holguin had been nominated General in the city of Cuzco, with
Gómez de Tordoya as Camp Master, as well as at the news respecting
the proceedings of Alonso de Alvarado and other occurrences. Their
principal men assembled to decide what should be done. Gómez de
Alvarado and Juan de Sayavedra were discontented that Juan de Herrada
should be the General, and that they should be under his orders,
he having been a common man and a private soldier. They were much
displeased with Don Diego, and although they were present at some of
the meetings, it was not willingly nor with the desire with which
they were credited. There were different opinions as to the course to
be pursued. Some thought that they should advance against Alonso de
Alvarado and rout him. Others were in favour of descending along the
coast road to capture or kill Vaca de Castro, and so to increase their
army as to be strong enough to defeat those who had shown themselves
to be enemies; then to wait and see how his Imperial Majesty would
dispose these affairs. If a rigorous mandate should be sent out
against them, they could then retreat beyond the river Maule. But
they were unable to agree upon any of those plans, and finally the
proposal of Cristóbal de Sotelo was deemed the best. It was that they
should go and meet Pero Alvarez Holguin and defeat him, as he could
not have more than three hundred men; and then from the plains march
to the important city of Cuzco, where they could gain information
of the arrival of Vaca de Castro, and of his further movements, and
learn the view he took of things. Having decided to quit Lima the
captains sent twelve Spaniards to the province of Jauja to speak
with the Guancas,[88] as they wished to pass through their province,
so as to ensure mutual trust and friendship with them, to arrange
about supplies, and to induce them to send advice of the coming of
Pero Alvarez and his party if they should hear of it. Don Diego and
his captains then began to collect arms, prepare powder, and make
arquebuses; holding war to be certain, and not doubting that many
of them must die, since they were so vengeful towards one another.
The banners were displayed and the beating of drums heralded the war
which the fifes proclaimed. And so all began to prepare for an early
departure from the city.
Oh! what it was to see the noble Spanish youth then in Lima about to
follow the banners of Chile. What a many cavaliers of good family,
so adorned with graces and talent, some of them of martial mien, and
holding their lives so cheap, provided that the gossip Fame would not
leave them in the obscurity of oblivion, nor immortal Memory omit to
bear witness in writing of their valour. Oh! he who has seen them
traversing territories only limited by the Strait,[89] must be able to
say that their fame is more than memorable, or failing in ability to
embrace all this, he could at least record their fortitude against
barbarous nations living in regions beyond where the sun pursues its
course.[90] And since I shall have to make mention of the names of
the principal leaders when I come to the cruel battle of Chupas, I
will hold over until then what the course of my work does not offer an
appropriate place for discoursing on here.
Now that all were ready to depart from Lima, furnished with all the
arms and horses that could be collected they summoned the factor Illán
Suárez de Caravajal and some others to go with them, and quitted the
city. The reverend Father Fr. Tomás de San Martín, Provincial of the
Dominicans, also went with them. Juan Alonso de Bádajoz was left at
Lima as deputy for the Governor.
Leaving Lima they marched until they were a league and a half from
the city, where they resolved to nominate their leaders. Although it
went against the grain with many, they yielded obedience to Juan de
Herrada[91] as their General, and other officers were appointed as
follows:
_Captains of cavalry_ Cristóbal de Sotelo
" " _Juan Tello_[92]
" " _García de Alvarado_[92]
_Captains of infantry_ DIEGO DE HOCES[91]
" " MARTINCOTE[91]
" " CARDENAS[91]
" " _Juan de Olea_[92]
_Serjeant Major_ _Suárez_[92]
_Ensign-general_ Gonzalo Pereyra
The whole force numbered 517 Spaniards, all very brilliant.[93] They
were mustered and passed in review, and it was found that there were
180 cavalry, 100 arquebusiers and musketeers, the rest pikemen with
some halberdiers, and they had five pieces of artillery.
At this time Juan de Herrada fell ill. It was said that the reason
was that Juan Balsa put poison into his food. But what is known
for certain is, that he was an old man, and for a year his weapons
had never quitted his person, and this illness came upon him as a
break-up. As it got worse he travelled with much difficulty. So they
went on until they came to Guarochiri; where the reverend Fr. Tomás de
San Martín and the captain Diego de Agüero left them, by permission of
Don Diego. Juan de Sayavedra and Gómez de Alvarado, and the factor,
went with them as far as Jauja, and returned from thence by stealth
to Lima. At Guarochiri Juan de Herrada became much reduced by his
illness, and seeing that he could not personally govern the camp, he
spoke with Don Diego and with the captains, and advised them to accept
the captains Cristóbal de Sotelo and García de Alvarado as Generals
and leaders. This was ill-planned advice, and could not turn out well.
An empire, however wide and great it may be, cannot be duly governed
by two heads. And how much the less so where there is only a handful
of people to be governed? But as it is not for me to represent the
things done by those who were in Peru at that time as having been
wisely and prudently ordered, I shall merely set them down as they
happened, and after the manner in which they ordered them.
FOOTNOTES:
[88] The Quichua tribe which inhabited the Jauja province.
[89] Of Magellan.
[90] _I.e._, the tropics.
[91] Actual murderers of the Marquis.
[92] Accomplices who waited outside.
[93] "_Muy lucidos._" It is to be feared that the prejudices of Cieza
de León were very strong.