If you believe that my subjects will undertake any
thing against you without my consent, you are ill informed of the absolute
authority I possess over all my subjects, and the perfect obedience which
it is their glory to render me on all occasions. So to speak, the birds do
not dare to fly, nor the leaves to move upon the trees without my orders;
and how then shall my subjects presume to go to war against you without my
consent."
All that he could urge was of no avail, as his death was absolutely
resolved upon, although he offered to place hostages of the highest
consideration in the hands of the Spaniards, whose lives should be
answerable for any of the Christians who might be slain or ill treated by
his subjects. Besides the suspicions already mentioned, which were alleged
against Atahualpa, it is said that he was accused of the death of his
brother Huascar. He was condemned to die, and his sentence was executed
without delay. In his distress, he was continually repeating the name of
Ferdinand Pizarro; saying, if he had been present, he would not have
allowed him to be thus unjustly put to death. Shortly before his death, he
was persuaded by Pizarro and Valverde to submit to the ceremony of
baptism[21].
"While Almagro and his followers openly demanded the life of Atahualpa,
and Philippillo laboured to ruin him by private machinations, that unhappy
prince inadvertently contributed to hasten his own fate.
