Francisco García de Tovar again urged that they should occupy the summit, for otherwise they would be in great danger; and he took the fact that they had not seen a single Indian that day to be a bad sign. When Francisco García de Tovar said this, the Spaniards were making their way towards the slopes and level spaces near there: but Juan de Ampudia saying "Let us go where I said, for it is only a short way off" they went on contrary to the advice of Tovar. They moved off in very great sadness, for neither did the men speak, nor the horses neigh, nor the dogs bark. As they marched thus they heard a great yelling of the Indians who, when they saw the route the Spaniards were taking, rejoiced because they felt sure they would kill and eat them all; having a great quantity of huge stones to roll down, which they had collected on the summit. As soon as the Spaniards had reached the declivities, the Indians began to hurl down so many and such large stones that the former, from fear of them, divided themselves into four or five parties. Then the Indians renewed their terrible yelling, hurled their darts, and asked if the Spaniards were nice and fat, for none of them would escape death. Juan de Ampudia and Tovar went together, telling Hernán Sánchez Morillo to go with the horses until he could get clear of the declivity. At this time the Indians came down to attack the Spaniards, who, though divided and in such small numbers, fought with a valour and desperation that can scarcely be believed. But God was with them and on their side, and this being so they performed such famous deeds as these we relate, and others greater, as indeed they always do. After they had killed many Indians, they saw that the others were taking fright at what they had witnessed, and the horsemen, having got over a difficult pass, were in a position to join in the assault against the Indians and help their own companions.
Francisco García de Tovar received three wounds, and he and Juan de Ampudia had managed to keep together with sixteen other Spaniards. After having defeated the Indians who first came down, they set off to repel another large batch of them. Although the Spaniards fought as at first, and killed some of the enemy with cross-bows, yet the Indians were so numerous that by no manner of means could the foot-soldiers advance. They had to retreat and join the horsemen who were now nearing them. While they were doing this the captain Juan de Ampudia, being a fleshy man, could not keep up with the others. The Indians overtook him and pierced his body with many lances, so that he died in great misery. They stripped the body, without even leaving his linen drawers. Juan de Ampudia was a native of Jerez de la Frontera. Then the horsemen came up and inflicted great loss on the Indians. They gained the summit and called on the rest of the Spaniards to come up, as there was nothing to fear. All who had come with Juan de Ampudia were wounded or quite worn out, as the reader may easily imagine. With much trouble they all assembled on the heights, and greatly did they rejoice at seeing themselves there, embracing each other as if they had not met for many days. The only killed were Juan de Ampudia and one other Spaniard, besides a Morisca and a few friendly Indians of our party.
Then there was a fresh attack by more than twenty thousand Indian warriors, with the intention of killing all the Spaniards and finishing them. Seeing this state of affairs, after having cast the body of Juan de Ampudia into a river, to prevent the Indians from eating it, they determined to return to Popayán. In order that the Indians might think they were still there, they left the tents standing and tied some of the dogs to poles, that the Indians, hearing them barking, might have no suspicion that their masters had gone. And so it was. They fled with such speed that they covered in that one night what it had taken them four days to do, in coming. Next day, though the Indians followed, they could not overtake them. And so they marched until they arrived at Popayán, where there was great grief for the death of the good and brave captain Juan de Ampudia.
[CHAPTER XIV]
How the Adelantado Don Pascual de Andagoya entered the cities, and was received by them as Governor.
HERE I would have concluded my account of the events which occurred in this province, in order to turn the narrative to what happened to the Marquis Don Francisco Pizarro; but it will tend to the clearness of both the one subject and the other if I write touching the arrival of Andagoya. Let the reader remember that we mentioned that officer's arrival at Panamá, and that his Majesty appointed him to the government of the Rio de San Juan, which is in the land of Tierra Firme on the confines of Peru; and that, notwithstanding his Majesty's order that he was not to encroach upon any tract settled or explored by any of the captains of the Marquis Don Francisco Pizarro, he did that same, although it was in disobedience to the royal command. At that time the port of Buenaventura was scarcely discovered. So he took experienced pilots with him who, by their art, might seek a port by which to enter that land. With the people he had assembled, he left Panamá and sailed on until he arrived at the Isle of Palms. After some things that happened, his ships entered a bay into which many rivers which rose in the mountains emptied themselves. From the position of the harbour, the opinion was that the city of Cali would be found inland. So he began to travel by one of the roughest and most difficult roads that is to be found in any part of the world. After having suffered great hardships, and lost all the horses, he reached the city of Cali and was well received by the inhabitants. Andagoya presented the commission he brought with him, declaring that he came to do much good and to maintain justice for all. After reading it, but without asking to see his instructions, nor considering that there was no river called after San Juan in that land, they received Andagoya as Governor and Captain-General: in which they acted very foolishly.
As soon as the Adelantado had been received at Cali, he heard of the captain Jorge Robledo's mission to explore, and also that he had founded a city in Anzerma. So he sent Miguel Muñoz to take possession of that city in his name, and ordered its designation to be changed from Santa Ana to San Juan. He also sent to take possession of Popayán, and was acknowledged without any opposition in that city. He wrote to Robledo by Miguel Muñoz, making him great offers. When Muñoz arrived at Anzerma, and presented the Adelantado's commissions, he was acknowledged there as he had been in Cali. He heard from the Indians that Robledo, and we who were with him, were not far off, having passed the river; and on receipt of this news many wrote letters giving an account of what was happening. Miguel Muñoz returned to give an account to Andagoya of what he had done on his behalf. The latter, feeling that the way in which he had occupied the cities did not leave him secure, and fearing that Belalcázar, who had peopled and founded them, would return to them as Governor, made great haste to collect evidence and witnesses against the latter, believing that in this way he would discomfit Belalcázar, and that his Majesty and the members of his Council would confer no favours on him. Leaving the Adelantado busy with these intrigues, we will return to Robledo, and tell how he explored the province of Quinbaya and founded the city of Cartago there.