After Having
Overcome This Obstacle, He Arrived In Safety At Quito, Where He Proceeded
To Make Preparations For His Expedition To Los Canelos.
On account of the hostile conduct of the Guanucos towards Gonzalo, and
because the curacas or caciques of that
Province, in conjunction with
those of the Conchucos had made frequent attacks on the city and province
of Truxillo, in which they killed all the Spaniards they could meet with
and pillaged the country, not even sparing their Indian neighbours, the
marquis sent a detachment of troops under Gomez de Alvarado to make a
conquest of Guanuco, with orders to establish a settlement in that country
to keep the natives under subjection. In their military expeditions, the
Peruvians of Guanuco carried an idol along with them, named Cataquilla, to
which they made offerings of all whom they massacred or made prisoners,
and of the spoil which fell into their hands. They persisted for a long
time in their barbarous hostilities, till at length, Miguel de la Cerna
raised a considerable force in Truxillo, with which he joined Francisco de
Chaves. With these forces conjoined, they fought successfully against the
Indians of Guanuco and reduced them to subjection.
When Gonzalo Pizarro had completed the preparations for his expedition, he
set out from Quito in the year 1540 at the head of 200 Spaniards well
equipped, of whom the half was cavalry[3]. He was attended by 4000
friendly Indians[4], and by a flock of 4000 animals, consisting of swine
and Peruvian sheep, to serve as provisions, and to carry the baggage and
ammunition of the army. After passing a place called Inca, the boundary of
the conquests of Huana Capac towards the north and east, Gonzalo arrived
in the country of the Quixos, where he was opposed by the natives, but
they all disappeared one night, without the Spaniards being able to make a
single prisoner. On the retreat of the Indians, Gonzalo and his troops
took possession of their deserted habitations in which they rested for
some days. While here, the country was visited by a dreadful earthquake,
accompanied by prodigious thunder and lightning and an immense fall of
rain. The earth opened in many places and swallowed up above five hundred
houses. By the excessive rains, which continued forty or fifty days, a
river in the neighbourhood of the Spanish quarters became so swollen that
it was quite impassable, in consequence of which the troops suffered much
from famine, as they were unable to get across the river in search of
provisions. On the cessation of the tempest, Gonzalo had to cross a
prodigious ridge of mountains, on the top of which they suffered such
extreme cold that many of their attendant Indians were frozen to death.
And as no provisions or shelter could be had in that elevated region, he
made haste to arrive in the province of Zumaco[5] which is situated at the
foot of a volcano. As provisions were found here in abundance, the army
halted in this place for refreshments. In the mean time Gonzalo went with
a small party of troops to endeavour to find out a passage through the
forest. He at length reached the banks of a river named Coca, whence he
sent for the remainder of his people to join him from Zumaco. During two
months that the army remained in this country, it never ceased raining day
or night, so that they never had a sufficient interval in which to dry
their clothes.
In this province of Zumaco the trees are found which afford cinnamon.
These trees are very large and have leaves resembling the laurel. Their
fruit grows in clusters, consisting of a nut resembling the acorn of the
cork tree, but larger, and containing a number of small seeds. The fruit,
leaves, bark, and roots have all the taste and flavour of cinnamon; but
the best consists of the shell or nut which contains the seeds. In the
whole of that country vast numbers of these trees are found wild in the
woods, growing and producing fruit without care; but the Indians cultivate
them with much attention in their plantations; and these cultivated trees
produce a much better cinnamon than those trees which grow wild. This
cinnamon is in great request among the natives, and is exchanged by the
inhabitants of Zumaco with the neighbouring tribes, receiving in return
provisions and other things of which they are in want.
Leaving the greater part of his people in the country of Zumaco, as has
been already said, Gonzalo penetrated into the country with much
difficulty, accompanied by the most vigorous of his men, and guided by the
Indians, who frequently gave him false accounts of the country in advance,
on purpose to get him away from their own district. Thus the people of
Zumaco informed him that the country beyond theirs was well peopled and
had abundance of provisions; but he found it extremely barren and very
thinly inhabited. Having penetrated to the province of Coca upon a large
river of that name, he remained there about six weeks, waiting the arrival
of the rest of his people from Zumaco, all the while treated in a friendly
manner by the cacique of the district.
After his troops were all assembled at Coca, Gonzalo marched along the
course of the river, till at last he arrived at a place where it fell over
a cataract of above 200 fathoms making a noise that could be easily heard
at six leagues distance. A few days march below that place, the whole
waters of the river became confined in a rocky channel not exceeding
twenty feet wide, while the rocks were at least 200 fathoms in height
above the water, and perfectly perpendicular. After a march of fifty
leagues along the banks of this river, the Spaniards could find no place
where they might possibly cross over, except at that narrow rocky channel,
where a considerable number of Indians opposed their passage.
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