CHAPTER X
News comes of the victory won by the Spaniards, even to their putting the Indian army to flight. They command that a chain be placed about the neck of Chilichuchima, holding him to be a traitor. They cross the Rimac[54] and all reunite once more at Sachisagagna,[55] where they burn Chilichuchima.
This news reached the Governor near the last river, as I have said, and he, without showing any change in his countenance, communicated it to the ten horsemen and twenty peons whom he had with him, consoling them all with good words which he spoke to them, although they were greatly disturbed in their minds, for they thought that if a small number of Indians, relatively to the number anticipated, had maltreated the Christians in such a manner in the first action, they would bring upon them still greater war on the following day when their horses were wounded and when the aid of thirty horsemen, which had been sent to them, had not yet arrived among the Spaniards. But all showed that they knew how to place their hopes in God, and they arrived at the river which they crossed in balsas, swimming the horses, because the bridge was burned down. And the river being very full, they delayed in crossing it the rest of that day and the next one until the hour of siesta when the Governor, smiling [determined] to set out without waiting for the Indian allies to cross.[56] [Just then] a Christian was seen coming, and when all saw him from afar, they judged that the captain with the horsemen had been routed and that this man was bringing the news in his flight. But when he had arrived in the presence of the Governor, he gave great consolation to the minds of all with the news that he brought, relating that God Our Lord, who never abandons his faithful servants even in the direst extremities, ordained that while the captain with the others [of his company] was passing that night cautiously and encouraging his men for the combat on the morrow, the Marshal arrived with the reënforcements of thirty horsemen which had been sent, and these, together with the ten others whom they had left behind, made forty altogether, and when all perceived this, the first group felt as much pleasure as if they had resuscitated that day [just lived through], holding it to be certain that the victory would be theirs on the following day. When day had come, which was Sunday, they all mounted at dawn, and, disposed in a wing formation in order to present a better front, they attacked the rear of the Indians who, during the night, had determined to attack the Christians, but who, in the morning, seeing so many soldiers, thought that some aid must have come to them during the night, on account of which, not having the courage to put on a bold front, and seeing that the Spaniards were coming up the slope in pursuit of them, turned their backs and retired from mountain to mountain. The Spaniards did not follow them because the land was rough, and besides, a mist arose which was so thick that they could not see one another, and yet withal, on the slope of a hill, they killed many of the enemy. At this juncture, a thousand Indians in a squadron commanded by Quizquiz arrived in aid of the Indians who, seeing the Christians on horseback and so warlike, judged it time to withdraw to the mountain.[57] At the same time, the Christians assembled in their [the Indians'] fort, whence the captain had sent this messenger to the Governor to tell him that he would await him there until he should arrive. When this news was heard by the Governor, he rejoiced greatly over the victory which God Our Lord had given him when he least expected it, and without delaying an instant he ordered that all should go forward with the dunnage and the remaining Indians, because, jointly with this news, he had received warning that in the retreat of this hostile force of soldiers, four thousand men had split off from the rest, and that therefore he should proceed cautiously, and should also be very sure that Chilichuchima was arranging and commanding all this and was giving advice to the enemy as to what they were to do, and that, on this account, he should bear himself with caution. When the Governor had finished his day's march, he had chains put upon Chilichuchima and said to him: "Well you know how I have always borne myself toward you and how I have always tried [to be generous with you], making you the captain who should rule all this land until the son of Atabalipa should come from Quito in order to be made lord [of it], and although I have had many causes for putting you to death, I have not wished to do so, believing always that you would mend your ways. Likewise, I have asked you many times to urge these hostile Indians, with whom you have influence and friendliness, to calm themselves and lay down their arms, since, although they had done much harm and had killed Guaritico[58] who came from Xauxa at my command, I would pardon them all. But in spite of all these admonitions of mine you have wished to persist in your evil attitude and intentions, thinking that the advice which you gave to the hostile captains was powerful enough to make your wicked design succeed. But now you can see how, with the aid of our God, we have always routed them, and that it will always be so in the future, and you may be very sure that they will not be able to escape nor to return to Quito whence they came, nor will you ever again see Cuzco[59] because as soon as I have arrived at the place where this captain is with my soldiers, I shall cause you to be burned alive because you have known how to keep so ill the friendship which, in the name of Caesar,[60] my lord, I have agreed upon with you. Have no doubt that this will be done unless you urge these Indian friends of yours to lay down their arms and come in peace, as I have asked you to do many times before." To all these reasonings Chilichuchima listened attentively without returning a word. But always firm in his obstinacy, he [at length] replied: "that those captains had not done as he had ordered them to do because they did not wish to obey him, and, for that reason he had not remained to make them understand that they must come in peace," and with such words he excused himself from what was attributed to him. But the Governor, who already knew of certain of his dealings, left him with his evil thoughts and did not return to speak to him upon the matter. Then, having crossed the river in the afternoon, the Governor went forward with those soldiers and arrived by night in a village called Rimac[61] a league from that river. And there the Marshal arrived, with four horsemen, to wait for him, and after they had talked together, they set out the next day for the camp of the Spaniards where they arrived in the afternoon, the captain and many others having come out to meet them, and all rejoiced greatly at seeing themselves all together again. The Governor gave each one thanks, according to his merits, for the valour they had shown, and all set out together in the evening and arrived two leagues further on at a village called Sachisagagna.[62] The captains informed the Governor all that had happened, just as I have related it. When they were all lodged in this village, the captain and the Marshal urged the Governor to do justice on Chilichuchima, because he ought to know that Chilichuchima advised the enemy of all that the Christians did, and that he it was who had made the Indians come out of the mountains of Bilcas, exhorting them to come and fight with the Christians who were few and who, with their horses, could not climb those mountains save step by step and on foot, and giving them, at the same time, a thousand other counsels as to where they were to wait and what they were to do, like a man who had seen those places and who knew the skill of the Christians with whom he had lived so long a time. Informed of all these things, the Governor gave orders that he was to be burned alive in the middle of the plaza, and so it was done, for his chiefs and most familiar friends were those who were quickest in setting fire to him.[63] The religious[64] tried to persuade him to become a Christian, saying to him that those who were baptized and who believed with true faith in our saviour Jesus Christ went to glory in paradise and that those who did not believe in him went to hell and its tortures. He made him understand this by means of an interpreter. But he [Chilichuchima] did not wish to be a Christian, saying that he did not know what sort of thing this law was, and he began to invoke Paccamaca[65] and captain Quizquiz that they might come to his aid. This Paccamaca the Indians have as their God and they offer him much gold and silver, and it is a well-known thing that the demon is in that idol and speaks with those who come to ask him something.[66] And of this matter I have spoken at length in the relation which was sent to H. M. from Caxamalca. In this way this captain paid for the cruelties which he committed in the conquests of Atabalipa, and for the evils which he plotted to the hurt of the Spaniards and in disservice of H. M. All the people of the country rejoiced infinitely at his death, because he was very much abhorred by all who knew what a cruel man he was.[67]
CHAPTER XI
A son of the cacique Guainacaba[68] visits them; they agree upon friendship with him, and he tells them of the movements of the army of hostile Indians with which they have some encounters before entering Cuzco, where they establish as lord the son of Guainacaba.[69]
Here the Spaniards rested that night, having set good guards, because they were given to understand that Quizquiz was close by with all his men. And on the following morning, came to visit the Governor a son of Guainacaba and a brother of the dead cacique Atabalipa,[70] and the greatest and most important lord who was then in that land; and he had ever been a fugitive so that those of Quito might not kill him. This man said to the Governor that he would aid him to the extent of his power in order to drive from that land all those of Quito, who were his enemies and who hated him and did not wish to be the subjects of a foreign people. This man was the man to whom, by law, came all that province and whom all the caciques of it wished for their lord. When he came to see the Governor, he came through the mountains, avoiding the roads for fear of those of Quito, and the Governor received him with great gladness and replied to him: "Much does what you say please me, as does also finding you with so good a desire to expel these men of Quito, and you must know that I have come from Xauxa for no other purpose than to prevent them from doing you harm and free you from slavery to them, and you can believe that I have not come for my own benefit because I was in Xauxa, sure of having war with them and I had an excuse for not making this long and difficult journey. But knowing the injuries they were doing to you, I wanted to come to rectify and undo them, as the Emperor my lord commanded me to do. And so, you may be sure that I will do in your favor all that seems suitable for me to do. And I will do the same to liberate from this tyranny the people of Cuzco." The Governor made him all these promises in order to please him so that he might continue to give news of how affairs were going, and that cacique remained marvellously satisfied, as did also those who had come with him. And he [Manco] replied: "Henceforth I shall give you exact information concerning all that they of Quito do in order that they may not inconvenience you." And in this manner he took leave of the Governor, saying: "I am going to fish because I know that tomorrow the Christians do not eat flesh, and I shall encounter this messenger who tells me that Quizquiz is going with his men to burn Cuzco and that he is now near at hand, and I have wished to warn you of it in order that you may fix upon a remedy." The Governor at once placed all the soldiers upon the alert, and, although it was already noon, when he knew the needs of the situation, he did not wish to delay even to eat, but journeyed with all the Spaniards straight toward Cuzco, which was four leagues from that place, with the intention of establishing his camp near the city so as to enter it early the next day. And when he had travelled two leagues, he saw rise up in the distance a great smoke, and when he asked some Indians the cause of it, they told him that a squadron of the men of Quizquiz had come down a mountain and set fire [word missing]. Two captains went ahead with some forty horsemen to see if they could catch up with this squadron, which speedily joined with the men of Quizquiz and the other captains who were on a slope a league in front of Cuzco waiting for the Christians in a pass close to the road. Seen by the captains and Spaniards, they [the Indians] could not avoid an encounter with them, although the Governor had them made to understand that they [the Spaniards] would wait for the rest to join them, which they would have done, were it not for the fact that the Indians incited each other with much spirit to encounter them. And before they [the Spaniards] could be attacked, they fell upon them on the skirt of a hill, and in a short time they routed them, forcing them to flee to the mountain and killing two hundred of them. Another squad of cavalry crossed over another slope of the mountain where were two or three thousand Indians who, not having the pluck to wait for them, threw down their lances in order to be able to run the better, and fled headlong. And after those first two squads broke and fled, they [the Spaniards] made them flee to the heights; and [at the same time] two Spanish light horsemen saw certain Indians return down the slope, and they set themselves to skirmish with them. They perceived that they were in great danger, but they were helped, and the horse of one of them was killed, from which the Indians derived so much encouragement that they wounded four or five horses and a Christian, and they made them retreat as far as the plain. The Indians who, until then, had not seen the Christians retire, thought that they were doing it in order to attract them to the plain and there attack them as they had done at Bilcas, and they said so among themselves and were cautious, not wishing to go down and follow them. By this time the Governor had arrived with the [rest of] the Spaniards and, as it was already late, they set up their camp on a plain, and the Indians maintained themselves an arquebuse-shot away on a slope until mid-night, yelling, and the Spaniards spent all that night with their horses saddled and bridled. And the next day, at the first ray of dawn, the Governor arranged the troops, horse and foot, and he took the road to Cuzco, with good understanding and caution, believing that the enemy would come to attack him on the road, but none of them appeared. In this way the Governor and his troops entered that great city of Cuzco without any other resistance or battle on Friday, at the hour of high mass, on the fifteenth day of the month of November of the year of the birth of our Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Christ MDXXXIII. The Governor caused all the Christians to lodge in the dwellings around the plaza of the city, and he ordered that all should come forth with their horses to the plaza and sleep in their tents, until it could be seen whether the enemy were coming to attack them. This order was continued and observed for a month. On another day, the Governor created as lord that son of Guainacaba, for he was young, prudent and alive and the most important of all those who were there at that time, and was the one to whom that lordship came by law. And he did it so soon in order that the lords and caciques should not go away to their own lands which were divers provinces, and some very far away, and so that the natives should not join those of Quito, but should have a separate lord of their own whom they might reverence and obey and not organize themselves into bands. So he commanded all the caciques to obey him [Manco] as their lord and to do all that he should order them to do.[71]