CHAPTER LXII

    How, when Don Diego de Almagro arrived at the city of Guamanga, Martín Carrillo, his Camp Master, killed Baltanas; and of his departure from Guamanga for Cuzco, and how he supplied himself with arms, and constructed artillery.

DON Diego de Almagro arrived at Guamanga, and went to the place where lodgings had been prepared for him, and all the inhabitants made a show of great zeal for his service, so that he should not carry them off with him. The city was nearly deserted, however, the rest of the inhabitants having joined Pero Alvarez. His Ensign[208]-general, Gonzalo Pereira, because they had not found him a lodging promptly enough, went to the public square in a great rage, and, seeing the gibbet which was set up in the centre, he leaned his standard against it, and with no little arrogance, as if he ought to be thought of before his commander, exclaimed that here should be his lodging, since he was not fit for anything better, for they had given him none. Judgments are of God, and in them he shows His great power. Here was this officer, carrying the standard as an emblem and precious object, and resting it against the gallows, where, afterwards, all the captains and principal persons who followed the party of Almagro were put to death by judicial sentence. Don Diego was very angry when he heard of it.

The office of Camp Master had devolved on Martín Carrillo.[103] At Guamanga he had arrested Baltanas on some not very important charge, and while the man was being escorted as a prisoner, some of his friends came out to rescue him. When Don Diego knew of it, he grasped his sword and said that Martín Carrillo should not be interfered with, but that he should be left to execute justice. Martín Carrillo put Baltanas into his tent. The captain Juan Balsa and others went to prevent them from killing him, but when Martín Carrillo saw them coming he ordered a negro to stab his prisoner. Thus was murdered Baltanas, who was a great friend of Cristóbal de Sotelo. Although Don Diego approved of his death, the Camp-master Carrillo was afraid of Sotelo, and, therefore, began to make great friends with García de Alvarado, who had not yet started for Arequipa. Carrillo represented to him that Sotelo wanted to be above everybody and to have no equal, and other similar things; and as Alvarado's mind[209] was inflated with pride, little was needed to enlist his sympathies, and arouse his hatred for Sotelo. After these things, Don Diego set out for Cuzco with all his following, but first he sent García de Alvarado to Arequipa to collect more men and arms.

Continuing his journey, Don Diego arrived at Cuzco, where he met with a grand reception, and he and all his men were lodged in the city. A few days afterwards, Diego Méndez came to the town of Plata, where he treacherously captured Antón Alvarez, a resident of the place, and seized all the gold and silver there was in the mines of Porco and in that region; and with all these spoils he took the road to Cuzco. When he drew near, the Governor went out to welcome him, and was very delighted because he brought such a good supply of money to pay the soldiers with. All the men that could be collected were thus brought together, and Cristóbal de Sotelo managed everything extremely well. They were so well supplied with all there was in the land that many had enough and to spare, while none went short. The captains had tables set up in their houses, where the soldiers usually took their meals. But Don Diego and all his followers knew full well that they could retain neither lives nor estates unless they could successfully defend them. After Holguin had passed beyond Jauja many lost heart, and some would have been glad not to be in Cuzco; others, however, with Don Diego, wanted to strengthen their forces in such wise that their enemies would not be able to triumph over them. They, therefore, determined to prepare themselves and make ready a stock of arms. They collected a vast quantity of copper, and Pedro de Candía offered to cast several heavy pieces of artillery. He gave out that he wished to serve Don Diego in that war, although afterwards he seemed to favour the other side. The first moulds he made for the new cannon were very large, but[210] they got him to have them made smaller. It was now known that Vaca de Castro had joined Pero Alvarez at Guaraz, so they set to work with all possible speed and no little industry. Some brought the copper, others made the charcoal, others prepared the furnaces, and in a short time they had turned out six large and well-made cannon. This, too, notwithstanding that Pero de Candía's castings proved failures three or four times—designedly as it seemed to all, because he repented of having said that he knew how to make them. The excuse he gave was that the metal cooled too quickly, and that the bellows would not work properly.

As soon as the artillery had been cast, orders were given to collect more than 300 silversmiths to repair and make arquebuses and other arms, under the superintendence of Juan Pérez, a very ingenious man who had had charge of the cross-bowmen in the battle of Las Salinas, as we before related. He understood the business so well that the arquebuses he turned out were as good and trusty as if they had been made in Vienna. They made many military saddles of steel, with silver on the pummels and cantles, and finished them with many ornaments and coverings of coloured silk. They also made very gaily painted lances, with their guards and very fine points of adamant, many corselets of silver and gold, and smart well-made helmets of the same, and all other necessary arms for thirty-five[104] men-at-arms ready to join battle.