[16] According to Robertson, II. 334, after an unsuccessful attempt to cross the mountains by the direct road from Lima to Cuzco, Ferdinand marched southwards in the maritime plain to Nasca, whence he penetrated by the defiles of the mountains in that quarter.--E.
On the following day, after the solemnization of the mass, Ferdinand Pizarro marched his army into the plain of Cuzco in order of battle, and advanced towards the city, intending to gain possession of some high ground which overlooked the citadel. Ferdinand and his troops flattered themselves, from their great superiority in numbers, that Almagro would not risk a battle, and were even anxious to spare the effusion of Christian blood on the present occasion, in which the natives of the same country and subjects of the same sovereign were preparing to destroy each other, instead of uniting in a common cause for the general good of all. Orgognez was actuated by a different principle, and had occupied the only passage by which the troops of Pizarro could approach towards Cuzco, in which he had drawn up his troops and artillery with much judgment, under cover of a marsh, across which it was necessary for the troops of Pizarro to pass before they could attack his position. Immediately on reconnoitring the order of the enemy, Ferdinand Pizarro ordered captain Mercadillo to advance with his cavalry to a proper place for keeping the Indians in check in case they should attempt to attack his army while engaged in battle with Orgognez, and whence likewise he might be able to give succour where necessary during the approaching engagement. Before the Spaniards began to engage, the Indians on both sides skirmished with each other. The cavalry of Pizarro endeavoured to pass the morass, and being opposed by a squadron of Almagro's horse, the musketeers belonging to Pizarro advanced in front of their own horse and soon compelled the adverse cavalry to give ground. On seeing this successful commencement of the battle, Pedro de Valdivia, a maestre de campo of the marquis, assured his friends that the victory was their own. While the troops of Pizarro were passing the marsh, the Almagrians plied their artillery, and by one discharge five men belonging to Pizarro were brought down. But Pizarro pressed on under cover of a close fire from his musketeers, and passed both the marsh and a rivulet beyond, and drew up in good order on the firm ground, every one of the captains having been previously instructed how to proceed with their divisions before the engagement commenced. As Pizarro noticed that the pikemen in the army of Orgognez carried their pikes high, he gave orders to his musketeers to fire a little high, by which means in two vollies they broke above fifty of the enemies pikes[17]. At this time Orgognez ordered his army to advance to the charge, and observing that several of his divisions hesitated, being held in check by the fire of the musqueteers, he moved on himself at the head of his main body, directing his attack to that part of the enemy where Ferdinand Pizarro was seen at the head of his squadrons. Orgognez apparently despairing of the battle, called out while advancing, "Follow me who will! I go in the name of God to do my duty, and to seek an honourable death!" While Orgognez was advancing, Gonzalo Pizarro and Alonso Alvarado observed that his flank was uncovered, and accordingly made an immediate charge, by which above fifty of the Almagrians were overthrown. Orgognez was wounded by a musket-ball in the head, which broke through his beaver; notwithstanding which he killed two men with his lance, and wounded one of Pizarros servants in the mouth whom he mistook for the general, as he was finely dressed. For some time the engagement was extremely severe and the combatants were mingled together; but at length the troops of Pizarro forced the Almagrians to take to flight after they had a considerable number killed and wounded.
[17] Garcilasso informs us that the musketeers of Pizarro used a kind of chain shot on this occasion; their leaden bullets being cast in two hemispheres connected together by several links of a small iron chain.--E.
Almagro being sick, took no part in the battle, which he observed from a height at some distance, and on seeing his troops take to flight, exclaimed, "I thought we had come out to fight like valiant soldiers, not to run away like cowards." He immediately withdrew to the citadel of Cuzco, to which place he was pursued by Gonzalo Pizarro and Alonso Alvarado, and made prisoner. Orgognez was taken prisoner by two of Pizarros horsemen, who were leading him away when a third came up who bore him a grudge for some injurious treatment, and cut off his head. Several others who had surrendered were slain in this manner by personal enemies, in spite of every endeavour by Ferdinand Pizarro and his officers to protect them. The soldiers of Alvarado especially, ashamed and irritated by the defeat they had formerly sustained at the bridge of Abancay, were eager for revenge, and put many of the Almagrians to death in cold blood. Captain Ruy Dias had taken up a prisoner behind him on horseback, on purpose to protect him, when one of his own troopers run him through with his lance.
When the Indian servants of the two armies saw that the battle among the Christians was ended, they too gave over fighting, and fell to plundering the dead, whom they stripped of their clothes and valuables, even pillaging several who were yet alive, but unable to defend themselves because of their wounds; and as the conquerors were entirely taken up in pursuing their victory, the Indians had it in their power to do as they pleased, so that they entirely stripped everyone whom they found on the field of battle. The Spaniards, both victors and vanquished, were so worn out and fatigued by their exertions in this battle, that they might have been easily destroyed by the Indians who were present, if they had dared to attack them according to their original intention; but they were so busied in plundering the killed and wounded, that they neglected the opportunity of avenging themselves on their oppressors. This decisive battle was fought on the 6th of April 1538, in a plain called Cachipampa or the field of salt by the Indians, about a league to the south of the citadel of Cuzco, near a salt spring from which the inhabitants make great quantities of salt; and as these salt works are in the neighbourhood of the field, this engagement has been always known by the name of the battle of Salinas, or of the salt works[18].
[18] In Zarate the date of this battle is given as the 26th of April, in which he is followed by Robertson; but Garcilasso carefully notices the mistake, and assures us that it was fought on the 6th of the month.--E.
After this decisive victory, Ferdinand Pizarro used every means to conciliate the officers of Almagros army who had survived the battle, that he might engage them in the party of the marquis, and being unsuccessful, he banished several of them from Cuzco. Being unable to satisfy the demands of all those who had served him on the late occasion, as many of them thought so highly of their own merits that the government of Peru would hardly have been a sufficient reward in their own estimation, Ferdinand Pizarro resolved to separate the army, sending it away in various detachments to discover and conquer those parts of the country which had not been hitherto explored and reduced. By this measure, he at the same time rewarded his friends by giving them opportunities to distinguish and enrich themselves, and got rid of his enemies by sending them to a distance. On this occasion Pedro de Candia was sent with three hundred men, part of whom had belonged to Almagro, to conquer the country of Collao, a mountainous district which was said to be extremely rich. Not being able to make any progress in this country on account of the difficulty of the roads, he had to return; besides which his troops became mutinous, chiefly at the instigation of one Mesa, who had been commissary of artillery under Almagro, and was encouraged by the other soldiers of Almagro who served on this expedition. On this, Candia arrested Mesa and sent him to Ferdinand Pizarro with the evidences of his guilt. This circumstance, combined with information of conspiracies in several other places, which had for their object to free Almagro from prison and to give him possession of Cuzco, satisfied Ferdinand Pizarro that the country would never be in quiet while Almagro lived.
Ferdinand accordingly brought Almagro to trial, in which he was convicted of giving occasion to all the preceding disorders, of which he was the first and chief cause; having begun the war by several acts of hostilities; having taken forcible possession of the city of Cuzco by his own private authority, where he put several persons to death merely for opposing his unlawful usurpation; and having marched in hostile array into the province of Chincha, which incontestibly belonged to the province assigned to the marquis. When sentence of death was pronounced, Almagro said every thing he could think of to excite the compassion of Ferdinand Pizarro that he might spare his life. He represented that the marquis in a great measure owed his present greatness to him; as he had advanced the greatest proportion of the original funds for the discovery of Peru. He desired Ferdinand to recollect, that when he was a prisoner in his hands, he had set him at liberty contrary to the representations of his officers, who advised that he should be put to death: And that though he, Pizarro, might have been ill treated while a prisoner, that had been done without his orders or knowledge. He intreated him to consider his very advanced age, which would soon bring him to the grave, without the disgrace of a public punishment. Ferdinand expressed his astonishment that one of such great courage should shew so much fear of death, which was now inevitable, and desired him to submit to the will of God like a good Christian, and to meet death with the courage of a gentleman and a man of honour. Almagro replied, that be ought not to be surprised at seeing him afraid of death, being a man and a sinner, since even Jesus Christ had evinced a fear to die. All this however was of no avail, as Ferdinand caused him to be beheaded.
After the execution of Almagro, Ferdinand Pizarro went to Collao, where he punished Mesa for having excited mutiny among the troops of Candia; after which he sent the three hundred men under the command of Peranzures to reduce the country which had been assigned to Pedro de Candia. These troops had to march by a most difficult and dangerous route among morasses and uncultivated places, where they thought to have perished of famine. Ferdinand remained in Collao, which he reduced. This is a level country containing several gold mines, but so cold that it produces no maize, the natives living principally on a root named papas, which resembles truffles. This country likewise abounds in those Peruvian sheep which have been formerly described[19]. About this time the marquis came to Cuzco, to which place Ferdinand went to confer with him, leaving his brother Gonzalo Pizarro to continue his conquest. Gonzalo advanced into the province of the Charcas[20], where he was attacked by a great body of Indians and reduced to great straits, insomuch that Ferdinand set out from Cuzco to his assistance with a body of horse. On this occasion, on purpose to encourage these succours to use every possible expedition, the marquis gave out that he meant to go in person to relieve his brother Gonzalo, and actually went two or three days journey from Cuzco. When Ferdinand arrived at Charcas, he found that Gonzalo had already extricated himself from his difficulties, having defeated and dispersed the enemy. They continued together for some time reducing the country, having frequently to fight with the Indians, till at last they took their chief prisoner, named Tixo[21], on which the natives universally submitted. Ferdinand and Gonzalo now returned to Cuzco, where the marquis distributed settlements to every one sufficient to maintain them in ease and comfort.
[19] Collao in the text is probably Cailloma of modern maps, a very elevated valley at the head of one of the branches of the Apurimac. The marshy country beyond, to which Candia and Peranzures were sent on discovery, is called Musu by Garcilasso, and was probably the Pampas or marshy plains of the Mojos or Muju, to the east of the Andes, nearly in the latitude of Cailloma--E.