While On The March, The
Advanced Guard Belonging To Almagro, By Means Of An Ambush, Made Pedro
Alvarez Holguin Prisoner,
Who had been sent out on discovery by Alvarado.
On learning this circumstance, Alvarado meant to have arrested Pedro de
Lerma, as he entertained suspicions that he was in correspondence with
Almagro; but Lerma had previously escaped to the enemy, carrying along
with him the signatures of all those who had joined him in the plot for
deserting to Almagro.
After the junction of Lerma, Almagro approached during the night to the
bridge of Abancay with one part of his army, where he knew that Gomez de
Tordoya and a son of Colonel Vilalva waited for him; and he detached at
the same time a large body of his troops to a ford of the river, where
those who had conspired in his favour along with Lerma had the guard. By
these men the troops of Almagro were received as friends, so that they
passed the river without opposition. Some of these conspirators contrived
during the night to throw above fifty lances belonging to the cavalry of
Alvarado into the river. Owing to all these circumstances, when Alvarado
proposed next morning to have attacked the enemy, he found himself
abandoned by the conspirators; and a considerable number of his own troops,
not being able to find their arms, did not come up in time for the attack.
By these means Almagro got an easy and bloodless victory, not a single
Spaniard being killed on either side, Rodrigo Orgognez only losing several
of his teeth by a stone thrown from a sling[12]. After the capture of
Alfonso Alvarado, the Almagrians pillaged his camp, and carried all the
adherents of Pizarro as prisoners to Cuzco, where they were harshly
treated. In consequence of this victory the partizans of Almagro were so
much elated, that they used to say the Pizarros might now retire from Peru
to govern the Mangroves under the equator.
In consequence of the victories which Alvarado had gained over the Indians
at Pachacamac and Lumichaca, as already mentioned, the Inca and Titu
Yupanqui were obliged to retire from before Lima, which they had in a
manner blockaded. By this circumstance the marquis found himself at
liberty to act in support of his interest at Cuzco; and having received
considerable reinforcements from various parts, he began his march for
Cuzco at the head of more than seven hundred men, horse and foot. In this
expedition, his only purpose was to succour his brothers against the
Peruvians, as he had not hitherto received information of the return of
Almagro from Chili, or any of those other events which had taken place, as
before related. Most of the troops by which the marquis was lately joined,
were sent by Don Alonso de Fuenmayor, archbishop and president of
Hispaniola, under the command of his brother Don Diego de Fuenmayor.
Besides these, Gaspar de Espinosa had brought some troops from Panama, and
Diego de Avala had brought others from Nicaragua. With this army the
marquis set out from Lima for Cuzco, taking the way of the plain, and
arrived in the province of Nasca, about twenty-five leagues from Lima[13].
At this place he received intelligence of the return of Almagro, the death
of one of his brothers and imprisonment of the other two, the defection of
Lerma, and the capture of Alvarado. He was sensibly affected by this
afflicting news; and considering that his troops were only prepared for
contending against Indians, he thought proper to return immediately to
Lima to take proper measures under the present emergency of his affairs.
Soon after his return to Lima, the marquis sent the licentiate Espinosa to
endeavour to bring about an accommodation with Almagro. Espinosa was
directed to represent to Almagro, that if his majesty were informed of the
disputes between them, and the evil consequences of these upon the
condition of the colony, he would assuredly recal both, and send some
other person to assume the government of Peru, who would reap the rich
fruit of their joint labours. If Almagro refused to listen to these
remonstrances, and to enter into a friendly accommodation, Espinosa was
instructed to request that he would set the brothers of Pizarro at liberty,
and would remain at Cuzco without attempting any farther hostilities,
untill they had laid a statement of their differences before his majesty,
and had received his final orders respecting the boundaries between their
governments. Espinosa was unable to persuade Almagro to agree to any
accommodation, and soon afterwards died. Leaving Gabriel de Roias as his
lieutenant in Cuzco, with the charge of Gonzalo Pizarro and Alonso de
Alvarado, Almagro descended into the plain with a considerable force,
carrying Ferdinand Pizarro along with him. He penetrated into the province
of Chancay, which is only twenty leagues from Lima, where he even
established a colony or garrison, in a place which was without any manner
of doubt within the province of the marquis.
On the return of the marquis to Lima, he made additional levies of troops;
giving out openly that he was reduced to take up arms against Almagro, who
had invaded his government. In a few days he assembled an army of seven
hundred men, among whom was a considerable body of musqueteers, which had
been brought from Flanders with the necessary arms and ammunition by Pedro
de Vergera, along with the troops of Diego de Fuenmayor. Hitherto there
had not been a sufficient number of musquets in Peru to form entire
companies of that species of troops; but on the present occasion the
marquis was enabled to arm two companies with that powerful weapon, one of
which was commanded by the before named Pedro de Vergera, who had been
formerly sent to discover the province of Bracamoras. Nugno de Castro was
appointed captain of the other company of musqueteers. Diego de Urbina,
nephew of the maestre de campo Juan de Urhina, was made captain of the
pikemen.
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Words from 185313 to 186317
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