The Indians, astounded at seeing four of their number dead, began a flight in their canoes down the river. The Spaniards followed, shooting at them with the arquebus. This scared them so that they left the canoes and jumped into the river. The Spaniards took some of the canoes and found food in them of the kind used by the Indians, for which they gave thanks to Our Lord, for it was many days since they had tasted anything but roots and herbs which they found on the banks of the river. These Indians had come from a river which is different from this one, and two of them, with two canoes, had been fishing when they saw the Spaniards and went to give the alarm to their village. So the people of the village came out by a creek which falls into the river, thinking to take or kill the Spaniards. The event turned out as you have heard. Gonzalo Díaz and Bustamente, after they had eaten, cut some crosses on trees near the river with their swords, so that if Gonzalo Pizarro and his people should come that way, they would know that they had been there and gone on. That night they resumed their voyage up the river, and the morning dawned very clear. Casting their eyes towards the south they saw a range of very high mountains, at which they rejoiced greatly for they thought it must be the Cordillera of Quito, or that which lies near the cities of Popayán and Cali. In that case the Spaniards would not be lost, for God our Lord would guide them to a Christian land. Presently they found some stones, at a rapid. Never before had they seen any in the more than 300 leagues that they had traversed. Having gone so far up the river, they determined to go back and see whether Gonzalo Pizarro and his people were coming. Leaving some of the food and canoes, they turned back down the river, and what had taken them eleven days to accomplish in going up, they now covered in a day and a half.
Gonzalo Pizarro continued to advance with his people, suffering terribly from famine, for now they had eaten all the dogs, numbering more than nine hundred, except two: one belonging to Gonzalo Pizarro, and the other to Don Antonio Rivera. They had also eaten most of the horses they had brought. The Spaniards were so tired and worn out, that they could hardly walk, while several died in the forest. Going down the river Gonzalo Díaz heard the noise of people cutting the trees with their swords. Very joyfully he landed at the spot the Spaniards had reached, and they were delighted to see each other. Gonzalo Pizarro was coming with the rear-guard, lest any of the Spaniards should drop and be left for dead. When Gonzalo Díaz heard this he got into the canoe again and went to meet him. We cannot describe the joy they felt at seeing each other, for Díaz had believed Pizarro to be already dead.[44] He and Bustamente related to Gonzalo Pizarro how they had come back to seek for him, because in going up the river they had encountered armed Indians, and God had delivered them out of their hands, and given them strength to kill four of them with the arquebus and cross-bow, making them take to flight and abandon their canoes, in which they found some food. They also reported having seen very high mountains and that they believed that they would there find inhabitants, or a road which would lead to a land of Christians. They also said they had found a great beach on the river, covered with stones. Gonzalo Pizarro rejoiced at this news. We will here leave off writing about him, to relate other important things which happened within the Realm.
[CHAPTER XXIII]
How his Majesty appointed Belalcázar as his Governor, and how he entered upon the government and arrested the Adelantado Andagoya.
IN the first book we mentioned how the captain Sebastián de Belalcázar, being on an expedition of discovery, arrived at the province of Bogotá, called the New Kingdom of Granada, where he found some Spaniards of Santa Marta, who were the first discoverers of those parts. Belalcázar, Fedreman, and the licentiate Jiménez embarked together in one ship, each one desirous that the government of the country should be given to himself. Although each one came to Spain with the intention of applying for it, their hopes were disappointed, for it was granted to Don Alonso de Lugo, Adelantado of the Canaries. When the captain Belalcázar arrived in Spain he found that his Majesty was absent, enjoying his immortal triumphs. It was easy for those who came to Spain to negotiate, in those days, as the lords of the Council favoured captains who approached them to seek posts; and Belalcázar, after he had submitted his report, was given the government of Popayán with the towns of Anzerma, Cartago, Cali, and Neyva, with all the territory as far as the boundaries of San Francisco de Quito. With these grants and favours he left Spain and came to Tierra Firme. At the city of Panamá he embarked in a ship, with those in his company, and landed near the harbour now called Buenaventura; whence he continued his journey to the city of Cali, where news of his coming as Governor had already arrived. Andagoya worked to obtain friends and interest and resist Belalcázar's entry, and strove for the support of the city magistrates and aldermen. Although they all raised his hopes and made great promises, they desired first to see Belalcázar there before their eyes, and then on his arrival to desert Andagoya and go over to him. For novelties please the people, who are always friends to anything new, and they like to see changes, especially among those who govern.
Many letters, with great promises, came to Belalcázar; and Andagoya, suspecting some persons, arrested them, and prepared to send men into the hill country to block the arrival. After some things had passed which I cannot now recount, and there had been emissaries and proposals, Belalcázar arrived at the city of Cali. There, lest he should have to decide by force who had the best title to govern, he put his men under arms; and Andagoya did likewise with those who supported him. They were almost coming to blows when some monks intervened. It was then agreed that the Governor Belalcázar should present his credentials to the municipality, and if they accepted them he was to be acknowledged as Governor, but if not, then Andagoya was to remain in office. By this time many who were at Cali had gone over to Belalcázar's side. After seeing his credentials the municipal delegates accepted him as Governor, and removed the Adelantado from office. A few days later Andagoya was made a prisoner and taken to the city of Popayán. Belalcázar then wrote to the captain Robledo, and sent Pedro de Ayala to take possession of the cities of Cartago and Anzerma, with orders that the city of Santa Ana, then called San Juan, was to be henceforth styled the town of Anzerma. Pedro de Ayala arrived at Cartago, where the captain Jorge de Robledo distributed what caciques were there, among the conquerors, and for those other Spaniards who received no repartimiento he determined to go and find Indians. So he proceeded from Cartago to the town of Anzerma, whence he wrote letters to Belalcázar, for he knew that certain persons, actuated by envy and malice, were speaking evil of him before Belalcázar and that Belalcázar approved—for he was a man of little knowledge and poor understanding, unable to take the measure of those who came with false or unjust statements. The captain Jorge Robledo, desiring to do what we have said, set out from Anzerma, taking as his ensign the captain Álvaro de Mendoza, a principal knight among those engaged in that campaign, who had served his Majesty for many years. With a hundred Spaniards, horse and foot, they left Anzerma, crossed the great river, and came to the village of Irra. Leaving the affairs of that government at this point, we will return to our principal subject, and relate how the licentiate Cristóbal Vaca de Castro was appointed in Spain to be Governor of Peru.
[CHAPTER XXIV]
How the alcalde Diego Núñez de Mercado arrived in Spain with news of the death of Almagro; how his Majesty deemed that event to be an ill service, and how he appointed the licentiate Cristóbal Vaca de Castro as Judge.