Although Large Quantities Of Gold And Silver Arrived Every Day After
This Agreement, The Spaniards Could Not Be Satisfied That The Promise Of
Atahualpa Would Ever Be Fulfilled.
They began even to murmur at the delay,
alleging that the time which had been fixed by Atahualpa for
The
accomplishment of his promise was already past; and they alleged that he
had fallen upon this scheme on purpose to gain time for the assemblage of
a new army, with which to attack them at unawares. As Atahualpa had
considerable sagacity, he soon noticed the discontent of the Spaniards,
and asked Pizarro the reason. On being informed, he made answer that they
were in the wrong to complain of the delay, which was not such as to give
any reasonable cause for suspicion. They ought to consider that Cuzco,
from whence the far greater part of the gold had to be brought, was above
200 _large_ leagues distant from Caxamarca by an extremely difficult road,
by which all the gold had to be carried on the shoulders of the Peruvians,
and that very little time had elapsed for the accomplishment of so
laborious a work. Having thus endeavoured to explain the cause of delay in
payment of the ransom, he requested that they would satisfy themselves on
the subject by inspection that he was actually able to perform his
engagement; after which they would not think much of its being delayed a
month more or less. For this purpose, he proposed that he should depute
two or three of the Spaniards, who might go to Cuzco, having orders from
him to be shewn the royal treasures in that city, of which they would then
be able to bring back certain information to satisfy the rest.
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