CHAPTER XLIX

    How Don Diego de Almagro, hearing the news about Pero Alvarez, left the city of Lima, by the advice of his captains, and of the officers and men he took with him.

DON Diego and his followers were much alarmed at the news that Pero Alvarez Holguin had been nominated General in the city of Cuzco, with Gómez de Tordoya as Camp Master, as well as at the news respecting the proceedings of Alonso de Alvarado and other occurrences. Their principal men assembled to decide what should be done. Gómez de Alvarado and Juan de Sayavedra were discontented that Juan de Herrada should be the General, and that they should be under his orders, he having been a common man and a private soldier. They were much displeased with Don Diego, and although they were present at some of the meetings, it was not willingly nor with the desire with which they were credited. There were different opinions as to the course to be pursued. Some thought that they should advance against Alonso de Alvarado and rout him. Others were in favour of descending along the coast road to capture or kill Vaca de Castro, and so to increase their army as to be strong enough to defeat those who had shown themselves to be enemies; then to wait and see how his Imperial Majesty would dispose these affairs. If a rigorous mandate should be sent[167] out against them, they could then retreat beyond the river Maule. But they were unable to agree upon any of those plans, and finally the proposal of Cristóbal de Sotelo was deemed the best. It was that they should go and meet Pero Alvarez Holguin and defeat him, as he could not have more than three hundred men; and then from the plains march to the important city of Cuzco, where they could gain information of the arrival of Vaca de Castro, and of his further movements, and learn the view he took of things. Having decided to quit Lima the captains sent twelve Spaniards to the province of Jauja to speak with the Guancas,[88] as they wished to pass through their province, so as to ensure mutual trust and friendship with them, to arrange about supplies, and to induce them to send advice of the coming of Pero Alvarez and his party if they should hear of it. Don Diego and his captains then began to collect arms, prepare powder, and make arquebuses; holding war to be certain, and not doubting that many of them must die, since they were so vengeful towards one another. The banners were displayed and the beating of drums heralded the war which the fifes proclaimed. And so all began to prepare for an early departure from the city.

Oh! what it was to see the noble Spanish youth then in Lima about to follow the banners of Chile. What a many cavaliers of good family, so adorned with graces and talent, some of them of martial mien, and holding their lives so cheap, provided that the gossip Fame would not leave them in the obscurity of oblivion, nor immortal Memory omit to bear witness in writing of their valour. Oh! he who has seen them traversing territories only limited by the Strait,[89] must be able to say that their fame is more than memorable, or failing in ability to embrace all[168] this, he could at least record their fortitude against barbarous nations living in regions beyond where the sun pursues its course.[90] And since I shall have to make mention of the names of the principal leaders when I come to the cruel battle of Chupas, I will hold over until then what the course of my work does not offer an appropriate place for discoursing on here.

Now that all were ready to depart from Lima, furnished with all the arms and horses that could be collected they summoned the factor Illán Suárez de Caravajal and some others to go with them, and quitted the city. The reverend Father Fr. Tomás de San Martín, Provincial of the Dominicans, also went with them. Juan Alonso de Bádajoz was left at Lima as deputy for the Governor.

Leaving Lima they marched until they were a league and a half from the city, where they resolved to nominate their leaders. Although it went against the grain with many, they yielded obedience to Juan de Herrada[91] as their General, and other officers were appointed as follows:
Captains of cavalry     Cristóbal de Sotelo
      "                "     Juan Tello[92]
      "                "     García de Alvarado[92]
Captains of infantry     Diego de Hoces[91]
      "                "     Martincote[91]
      "                "     Cardenas[91]
      "                "     Juan de Olea[92]
Serjeant Major     Suárez[92]
Ensign-general     Gonzalo Pereyra

The whole force numbered 517 Spaniards, all very brilliant.[93] They were mustered and passed in review, and it[169] was found that there were 180 cavalry, 100 arquebusiers and musketeers, the rest pikemen with some halberdiers, and they had five pieces of artillery.

At this time Juan de Herrada fell ill. It was said that the reason was that Juan Balsa put poison into his food. But what is known for certain is, that he was an old man, and for a year his weapons had never quitted his person, and this illness came upon him as a break-up. As it got worse he travelled with much difficulty. So they went on until they came to Guarochiri; where the reverend Fr. Tomás de San Martín and the captain Diego de Agüero left them, by permission of Don Diego. Juan de Sayavedra and Gómez de Alvarado, and the factor, went with them as far as Jauja, and returned from thence by stealth to Lima. At Guarochiri Juan de Herrada became much reduced by his illness, and seeing that he could not personally govern the camp, he spoke with Don Diego and with the captains, and advised them to accept the captains Cristóbal de Sotelo and García de Alvarado as Generals and leaders. This was ill-planned advice, and could not turn out well. An empire, however wide and great it may be, cannot be duly governed by two heads. And how much the less so where there is only a handful of people to be governed? But as it is not for me to represent the things done by those who were in Peru at that time as having been wisely and prudently ordered, I shall merely set them down as they happened, and after the manner in which they ordered them.