This Visit Seemed To Be Expected, As Don Diego Had Several Armed
Men Concealed In A Neighbouring Room.
Garcias de Alvarado and his followers went into the chamber of Don Diego,
to whom Alvarado said; "I hope, my lord, that your indisposition is of
little importance.
You must rise and shake it off, and you will be the
better of some exercise and amusement. Come along with us, and though you
eat little, your presence will give pleasure to the company who expect
you." Don Diego agreed to go, and called for his cloak, being already
armed with his sword and dagger. While the company in the room made way by
going out, and Garcias de Alvarado went immediately before Don Diego,
Pedro de Onnate and several others who were instructed, shut the door, and
seizing on Garcias told him he was their prisoner. Don Diego drew his
sword, with which he wounded Garcias, saying that he must be slain, not
taken prisoner; and immediately Juan Balsa, Alfonso de Saavedra, Diego
Mendez the brother of Rodrigo Orgognez, and several others who were
concealed in the next room, rushed out and put Alvarado to death with many
wounds.
On the news of this event spreading through the city, it occasioned much
dissatisfaction and some appearances of an insurrection which might have
had very fatal consequences; but Don Diego went immediately out into the
great square, where he succeeded in appeasing the people, and the friends
of Alvarado were forced to be quiet. Immediately after this, on purpose to
give employment to his troops, and because he heard that Vaca de Castro
had joined Holguin and Alonso Alvarado, he marched out from Cuzco, meaning
to seek out and give battle to the royalists. His army on this occasion
was the most numerous and best appointed that had hitherto been seen in
Peru, consisting of 250 horse, 200 musqueteers, and 250 pikemen, many of
these being armed with halberts, and all remarkably well provided with
defensive armour, especially all his cavalry, who, besides coats of mail,
had back and breast-pieces of iron. Besides these, he had a great train of
artillery, and was accompanied by Paul, the brother of the Inca who had
been raised to the Peruvian throne by the elder Almagro. The assistance of
this chief was of great importance to Don Diego on the present occasion,
as his Indians always went a considerable way before the army, and obliged
the natives of all the districts through which they passed to supply
provisions for the troops, and to furnish people for carrying the baggage
and other necessary services. In this manner Don Diego proceeded for about
fifty leagues to the province of Vilcas, where he learnt that the royal
army was only thirty leagues distant from him.
While Vaca de Castro was in Lima, he procured a number of musquets to be
made by the workmen of that city, and made every other preparation in his
power to strengthen his army.
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