Almagro Halted At This Place With
Half His Troops, And Sent On The Rest Under Gomez De Aivarado, Who
Proceeded Sixty Leagues Farther; But Was Forced To Return To Almagro, In
Consequence Of The Severity Of The Weather.
After the departure of Almagro from Cuzco, the Inca Manco Capac and his,
brother Villaoma entered into a plot for massacring all the Spaniards in
Peru on a certain day.
Manco Capac had engaged execute to that part of the
conspiracy which had for its object the destruction of Almagro and his
troops, but which he was unable to accomplish. What was done by his
brother will be related afterwards. Philipillo, the Peruvian interpreter
who has been formerly mentioned, was acquainted with this conspiracy, on
which account he made his escape from Almagro, and being pursued and taken
was condemned to be quartered. Before his execution, he confessed that he
had unjustly procured the death of Atahualpa, that he might thereby secure
to himself one of the wives of that unhappy prince, of whom he was
enamoured.
About two months after the arrival of Almagro in Chili, one of his
captains named Ruy Dias came to him with a reinforcement of a hundred men,
and informed him that all the natives of Peru had revolted and had
massacred most of the Spaniards in that country. Almagro was much grieved
at this intelligence, and resolved immediately to return, that he might
chastise the revolters and restore the country to obedience; meaning
afterwards to send one of his captains with a sufficient force to reduce
Chili. He accordingly set out on his return, and was met on his way by
Rodrigo Orgognez, who brought him a reinforcement of twenty-five men, and
was soon afterwards joined by Juan de Herrada with a farther reinforcement
of a hundred. Herrada brought him likewise the letters patent of the king,
by which he was appointed governor of two hundred leagues of country
beyond the boundaries assigned to Pizarro. This new government which was
granted to Almagro was directed to be named the New Kingdom of Toledo, and
that of Pizarro, the New Kingdom of Castille. Having said at the
commencement of this section, that Almagro carried with him from Cuzco on
this expedition a force of 570 Spanish troops; it must be remarked that
such was his intention, but that in reality he had only 200 men along with
him, after which his army was made up nearly to the intended number by the
different reinforcements of which we have made mention.
In the march of Almagro into Chili, his army suffered excessive hardships
from hunger and thirst. Besides their other fatigues, they had often to
encounter Indians of great stature, clothed in the skins of sea-wolves and
seals, who used the bow and arrow with great strength and address. But the
most severe circumstance during this march was the intense cold which they
encountered in passing over some mountains covered with snow. In
particular, several of the soldiers belonging to Ruy Dias and a good many
horses were frozen to death; and so excessive was the cold, that when
Almagro returned towards Cuzco five months afterwards, several of the
bodies of those who had been frozen to death were found upright and
leaning against the rocks, still holding the bridles of their horses,
which were likewise frozen, and their flesh still remained as sweet and
uncorrupted as if they had only just expired, insomuch that the troops
used the flesh of these horses as food on their return to Peru.
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