As He Was In A Manner Besieged By So Large A Force Of The Enemy In Lima,
The Marquis Concluded
That his brothers and all the other Spaniards in
Cuzco had certainly been slain, and that the insurrection was so
General
that the inhabitants of Chili had likewise destroyed Almagro and his army.
In this emergency, both that his Spaniards might not expect to save
themselves by sea, and to convince the Peruvians that he had no intention
to leave the country, he sent off all his ships to Panama. At the same
time he sent notice to the Viceroy of New Spain and all the other
governors in America and the West Indies of the perilous state of affairs
in Peru, intreating them to send him assistance. In these letters, he is
said not to have shewn his usual firmness, and it is reported that this
was occasioned by the earnest solicitations of many of those around him.
He sent orders at the same time to the commandant of Truxillo to abandon
that place, and to come to his assistance with all the armed men and
horses he could collect, sending off the women and children and all their
valuable effects to the province of Tierra firma. But before the execution
of these orders, the captain Alfonso de Alvarado arrived at Truxillo with
the troops he had taken along with him for the conquest of the province of
the Chachapoyas, whence he had been recalled by orders from the marquis.
Leaving a part of his troops for the defence of Truxillo, Alvarado marched
with the rest to Lima, where the marquis appointed him lieutenant-general
of his army, in place of Don Pedro de Lerma, who had hitherto enjoyed that
office. This gave great offence to Lerma, and was the occasion of his
revolt, as shall be mentioned in the sequel.
As the marquis was now reinforced by a considerable number of troops, he
thought himself in condition to send assistance to those parts which were
in greatest danger, and detached therefore Alfonso Alvarado with three
hundred horse and foot, who pillaged several districts with very little
resistance from the Indians. But about four leagues from the city of
Pachacamac, he was violently attacked by the Indians, whom he defeated
with considerable slaughter; after which he continued his march towards
Cuzco. On this march the army of Alvarado suffered great hardships in
passing across a large extent of desert country, five hundred Indians who
attended as servants perishing of thirst; and it is said that all the
Spanish infantry must have died of thirst and fatigue, if they had not
been relieved by the activity of the cavalry in bringing them water from a
distance. After reaching the province of Jauja, Alvarado was joined by
Gomez de Tordoya with two hundred horse and foot, who had been sent after
him. His force being augmented to five hundred men by this reinforcement,
Alvarado proceeded to the bridge of _Lumichaca_, where he was surrounded
by a numerous army of hostile Indians.
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