Some Even Of The Inhabitants Of Cuzco Got Copies Of The Proclamation, In
Consequence Of Which Several Of Them Repaired Secretly To Lima To Offer
Their Services To The Viceroy, As Will Be More Particularly Specified In
The Sequel.
By their means the viceroy became acquainted with the
transactions at Cuzco, on which account he found himself under
The
necessity of using every effort to increase his forces by means of
additional levies; for which purpose he fortunately possessed ample funds,
as Vaca de Castro had embarked upwards of 100,000 crowns which he had
drawn from Cuzco to transmit to the king, which the viceroy took
possession of and employed for the equipment and pay of his troops. He
appointed Don Alfonso de Montemayor and Diego Alvarez de Cuero, who was
his own brother-in-law, captains of horse; Martin de Robles and Paul de
Menezes captains of foot; and Gonzalo Diaz de Pignera captain of
musqueteers. Vela Nunnez, his own brother, was made captain-general of the
troops. Diego de Urbina maestre de campo, or major general, and Juan de
Aguire serjeant-major, or adjutant general. Without including the citizens,
his army amounted to 600 men; of whom 100 were cavalry, 200 musqueteers,
and the remaining 300 armed with pikes. On purpose to arm these soldiers,
he caused a considerable number of musquets to be made, some of which were
of iron, and others of cast metal, which he procured by melting down some
of the bells belonging to the great church.
Besides frequently exercising his troops to perfect them in their
discipline, he occasionally caused false alarms to be given that he might
ascertain their disposition towards him, as it was much suspected that the
majority were by no means hearty in the cause. Having some suspicion of
Vaca de Castro, the former governor, whom he had lately allowed to be a
prisoner at large on parole not to leave the city, and believing that he
had some secret intelligence with his former friends and dependents, the
viceroy ordered a false alarm one day about noon, reporting that Gonzalo
was near at hand; and when the troops were all assembled in the great
square, he sent his brother-in-law, Diego Alvarez de Cueto to arrest Vaca
de Castro. At the same time he arrested Don Pedro de Cabrera, Hernan Mexia
de Gusman, Lorenco de Aldana, Melchior Ramirez, and Baltazar Ramirez his
brother-in-law, all of whom he sent prisoners on board a ship comanded by
Jeronimo de Zurbano. A few days afterwards, he set Lorenco de Aldana at
liberty, and sent off Cabrera and Mexia to Panama, and the two Ramirez to
Nicaragua. Vaca de Castro remained prisoner in the ship, neither he nor
any of the rest being informed of what they were accused, nor were any
informations or law-processes made respecting them. While these civil
discords were going on, two ships loaded with merchandise arrived at the
port belonging to Arequipa[5], both of which were purchased by Gonzalo
Pizarro, with the intention of employing them to transport his artillery,
and for getting possession of the harbour of Lima, and seizing the ships
belonging to the viceroy, believing that whoever was master of the sea
along the coast of Peru must command the country, by having it in his
power to land in any unguarded place and to do all the mischief he pleased,
on account of the prodigious extent of coast.
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