The Answer Of That Prince Gave Some Considerable Uneasiness To
Pizarro, As Having Rather A Menacing Appearance, More Especially
Considering That The Army Of The Peruvians Outnumbered His Own Small Force
In The Proportion Of One Or Two Hundred To One.
Yet as the general and
most of those who were with him were men of bold and determined resolution,
They encouraged each other during the night to act like men of courage and
honour, trusting to the assistance of God in the discharge of their duty.
They passed the whole night under arms, keeping strict watch round their
quarters, and in complete readiness for whatever might befal.
Early in the morning of the 16th November 1532, Pizarro drew up his small
body of men in regular order. Dividing his cavalry into three bodies,
under the command of his three brothers, Ferdinand, Juan, and Gonzalo,
assisted by the Captains Soto and Benalcazar, he ordered to keep
themselves concealed within their quarters till they should receive orders
to attack. He remained himself at the head of the infantry, in another
part of the inclosed court, having issued the strictest commands that no
one should make the smallest motion without his orders, which were to be
conveyed by the discharge of the artillery.
Atahualpa employed a great part of the day in arranging his troops in
order of battle, pointing out to each of the commanders where and in what
manner their divisions were to attack the Spaniards. He likewise sent a
detachment of 5000 Peruvian warriors under one of his principal officers
named Ruminagui, with orders to take possession of the defile by which the
Spaniards had penetrated the mountain, and to kill every one of them who
might endeavour to escape in that way[12]. Atahualpa having given all
these orders, began his march and advanced so slowly that in four hours
his army hardly proceeded a short league. He was carried in his litter in
the usual state, on the shoulders of some of the principal lords of his
court, having three hundred Indians marching before him in rich uniforms,
who removed every stone or other substance which might obstruct the way,
even carefully picking up the smallest straws. He was followed by a
numerous train of curacas or caciques, and principal officers of his court,
all carried in litters. The Peruvians held the Spaniards in small
estimation, they were so few in number, and imagined they could easily
make them all prisoners without presuming to make the smallest resistance.
One of the caciques had sent to inform Atahualpa not to stand in any awe
of the Spaniards, as they were not only few in number, but so effeminate
and lazy that they were unable to march on foot without being tired by a
very short distance, for which reason they travelled on the backs of
_large sheep_, by which name they distinguished our horses.
In the order already described, Atahualpa entered with all his army and
attendants into a large square or enclosure in front of the _tambos_ or
palace of Caxamarca; and seeing the Spaniards so few in number and all on
foot, as the cavalry remained in concealment, he conceived that they would
not certainly dare to stand before him or to resist his commands. Rising
up therefore in his litter, be said to his attendants, "These people are
all in our power, and will assuredly surrender." To which they all
answered that this was certainly the case. At this time, the bishop Don
Vincente Valverde advanced towards Atahualpa, holding a crucifix in one
hand and his breviary in the other, and addressed him to the following
effect.
"There is but one God in three persons who has created the heavens and the
earth and all that are therein. He formed Adam the first man out of the
dust of the earth, and afterwards made Eve his wife from a rib taken out
of his side. All the generations of men are descended from these our first
parents, by whose disobedience we have all become sinners, unworthy
therefore of the grace and mercy of God, and beyond the hope of heaven,
until Jesus Christ our Redeemer was born of the Virgin and suffered death
to purchase for us life and immortality. After our Lord had suffered a
shameful death upon the cross, he rose again in a glorious manner; and,
having remained a short time on earth, he ascended into Heaven, leaving St
Peter his vicar on earth, and after him his successors who dwell in Rome,
and are named popes by the Christians. These holy successors of St Peter
have divided all the countries of the world among the Christian kings and
princes, giving in charge to each to subdue that portion which has been
alotted to him. This country of Peru having fallen to the share of his
imperial and royal majesty, the emperor Don Carlos king of Spain, that
great monarch hath sent in his place the governor Don Francisco Pizarro,
now present, to make known to you on the part of God and the king of Spain,
all that I have now said. If you are disposed to believe all this, to
receive baptism, and to obey the emperor, as is done by the greatest
portion of the Christian world, that great prince will protect and defend
you and your country in peace, causing justice to be administered to all.
He will likewise confirm all your rights and liberties, as he is
accustomed to do to all the kings and princes who have voluntarily
submitted to his authority. But if you refuse this and choose to run the
hazard of war, the governor will attack you with fire and sword, and is
ready at this moment to do so with arms in his hand[13]."
When Atahualpa had listened to this discourse, very imperfectly rendered
by an ignorant interpreter, he answered, "That the whole of this country
had been conquered by his father and his ancestors, who had left it in
rightful succession to his elder brother the inca Huascar.
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