CHAPTER XLVII

    How the Governor Vaca de Castro on his way to Quito arrived at a village called Carangue and there received letters from the captain Alonso de Alvarado, by which he learned that Alvarado had risen against Almagro, in the name of the King; from which news he derived great pleasure.

VACA de Castro was now very anxious to reach Quito, in order to increase his force, and to receive more complete news. Pressing forward he made such good progress that he quickly arrived at Carangue, which is fourteen leagues from Quito. Here a messenger met him with news that gave him no little joy. Looking over the letters he[161] received, he learnt that the captain Alonso de Alvarado, who was Lieutenant for the Marquis in the city of La Frontera, had raised the banner in the royal name as soon as he heard of the murder, holding it to have been a shameful deed by which his Majesty would be ill served, and had himself collected all the troops he could, and stationed himself in a strong position prepared for defence, where it would be very difficult for the enemy to injure him. Vaca de Castro now gained complete knowledge of all that we have just related, which Alonso de Alvarado sent to tell him. All those who came with the Governor saw the letters and heard the news; and they held what Alvarado had done to be a good beginning, and the news to be gladsome. Vaca de Castro then sent the messenger back with all speed to the Chachapoyas provinces, where Alvarado was, with a copy of the royal Cedula and a gracious letter praising the step Alvarado had taken in raising the royal banner, and saying that no less was to be expected from so gallant and loyal a cavalier. The Governor also desired that news of his own coming should be sent to Lima, Cuzco, and all the other principal places in Peru. Soon after despatching this messenger, the Governor Vaca de Castro arrived in the city of Quito, where he was very honorably received, and with great solemnity, as Governor and Captain-General. As soon as he was established there, he proceeded to send other messengers to all quarters of the Realm, that his arrival in it might be known, and announcing that he was then at Quito.

Diego Maldonado, a citizen of Cuzco, arriving on the coast and hearing of the death of the Marquis, and that Don Diego had assumed the r?le of Governor, it seemed to him undesirable to go farther. He, therefore, proceeded to Quito to join the Governor Vaca de Castro. Diego de Peralta, and other settlers in Peru, did the same. Although the Adelantado Belalcázar came with the Governor, he did[162] so not willingly, be it understood, owing to the reasons already explained; but he always relied upon the opinion of Lorenzo de Aldana, and was guided by his counsel. Report quickly spread the news to the maritime towns of Puerto Viejo, Guayaquil, and San Miguel, of the arrival of Vaca de Castro at Quito, and of how he had been received there as Governor and was making a call for troops. Many, with the desire to serve his Majesty, went to join him; and others, who had been neutral, came forward at the King's call and for his service, and they therefore went to Quito to accompany Vaca de Castro and serve under him.

When the Governor heard that Gonzalo Pizarro had gone to explore the Canela with more than 200 men, and among them many accustomed to war, he called one Gonzalo Martín, a citizen of Quito and an old conquistador, and ordered him to go with twenty or thirty men, well equipped, and push into the Canela by the same route as Gonzalo. He was diligently to endeavour to inform Gonzalo of the murder of his brother the Marquis by the men of Chile, and that he, Vaca de Castro, had come in the King's name to govern the province and execute judgment on the guilty. He, therefore, called upon Gonzalo Pizarro to return with the men under his command, to help punish Don Diego for what he had done. But although this Gonzalo Martín succeeded in getting the message through to Gonzalo, he was not himself able to reach him. Vaca de Castro also heard that the captain Pedro de Vergara was in the region of Bracamoros with troops. So he sent one Sandoval, with eight or ten Spaniards, to carry word of his arrival and to warn Vergara that the interests of the King's service required him to proceed at once with his men, and join in marching against Don Diego, who had occupied Lima. Although the province of Chaparra and the Paltas were in revolt, and the natives were very daring, Sandoval and his men passed through all the disturbed country, crossing[163] by rugged tracks over difficult mountain ranges, until they reached the place where Captain Vergara was, and told him the news they brought and what had happened in the land. When Vergara heard all this, being desirous of serving the King against the murderers of the Marquis, he prepared to set out from thence.