On arriving in the kingdom of Quito, where every thing they stood in need of was brought them, they knelt down and kissed the ground as a mark of gratitude and satisfaction, and returned thanks to God for their preservation from so many dangers. Such was their eagerness for food after so long famine, that it became necessary to regulate their supply, and only to allow them to eat by little and little at a time, till their stomachs became accustomed to digest their food. As there had only been sent from Quito a sufficiency of horses and clothes for Gonzalo and his officers, they refused to avail themselves of either, not choosing to enjoy any advantages which they could not share with their soldiers, by which they rendered themselves extremely popular and gained their affection greatly. They arrived at Quito in the morning, and went immediately to church to hear mass, and to give thanks to God for their delivery from so many and severe evils; after which every one retired to his quarters, to refresh and clothe themselves according to their means. This country of Los Canelos, whence the cinnamon is procured, is immediately under the equinoctial line, similar in that respect to the Molucca islands, whence cinnamon is brought into Spain and other parts of Europe[11].
[11] It is hardly necessary to say that cinnamon comes only from Ceylon, not from the Moluccas; and that so entirely different was the substance sought for in this disastrous expedition from cinnamon, that it is now entirely unknown in Europe; unless it be the Canella alba, now only used as a light aromatic of small value by druggists.
Zarate is generally loose and confused in his accounts, and almost entirely neglectful of dates. We learn from the History of America that this unfortunate expedition lasted near two years, and that two hundred and ten Spaniards and four thousand Indians perished during its continuance, only eighty Spaniards returning to Quito. Garcilasso says that two thousand of the Indians returned along with the Spaniards, and served them during the hardships of the journey with the most affectionate fidelity, supplying their extreme necessities with herbs, roots, and wild fruit, and with toads, snakes, and other reptiles, which the Spaniards greedily devoured, or they must have died for want of food.--E.
SECTION V.
Conspiracy of the Almagrians and Assassination of Pizarro.
On his return to Quito in 1541, Gonzalo Pizarro received accounts of the most afflicting nature. When, as formerly related, Don Diego Almagro was put to death at Cuzco by Ferdinand Pizarro, a son whom Almagro had by an Indian woman was sent to reside in Lima. This young man, who was named after his father Diego Almagro, was of a graceful appearance, handsome, generous, and excelling in all the martial exercises, being particularly graceful and dexterous in riding the manage horse. His literary education likewise had been so carefully attended to, that he was considered as more versant in these things than his situation required. Juan de Herrada, formerly mentioned, to whose care he had been especially confided by his father, undertook the care of educating young Almagro in the capacity of his governor, and had been particularly watchful and successful in the charge. Their house in Lima was the rendezvous of such friends and partizans of the late Almagro as remained unemployed in Peru, and had been excepted from the division of lands and Indians after the defeat of their party, as the adherents of the Pizarros would not, and their dependents dared not to have any intercourse with them.
After the voyage of Ferdinand Pizarro to Spain, and the setting out of Gonzalo Pizarro upon his disastrous discovery of Los Canelos, Herrada and the younger Almagro, being now left at entire liberty by the Marquis, who before had held them in a species of imprisonment, began to take measures for the execution of an enterprize they had long contemplated. For this purpose they secretly provided arms and every thing that appeared necessary for their project of revenging the death of the elder Almagro. Their partizans were farther animated to the accomplishment of this design from resentment for the death of several of their friends and companions, who had been cut off during the late civil war. The marquis had often used his endeavours to reconcile Almagro and Herrada to his authority by gentle means, and by the offer of his friendship and patronage to them and their adherents; but finding all his advances ineffectual, he deprived Almagro of the moderate repartition of Indians which had been assigned to him, on purpose to prevent him from continuing to form a party by the application of his fortune to the support of the malcontents. All these precautions were ultimately ineffectual, as the Almagrians were so closely united among themselves, that all their property was in a great measure held common among the members of their party, even every thing that the individuals acquired by play or otherwise being thrown into a common stock in the hands of Herrada to serve their general expence. Their numbers increased daily, by the accession of all who were dissatisfied by the administration of the marquis, or who thought their merits overlooked in the distribution of property and employments. They secretly increased their store of arms, and took measures for securing the success of their plot.
Their conduct, however secretly pursued, being known among many, came at length to the knowledge of some friends of the marquis, who endeavoured to put him on his guard against the machinations of his enemies. But he, confiding in his honour and good faith, judged of others by himself, and refused to listen to this advice; saying that it was proper to leave these unfortunate men in peace, who were already sufficiently punished by the shame of their defeat, the public hatred, and the poverty to which they were reduced. So much were the Almagrians encouraged by the patient indulgence of the marquis, that their chiefs used even to pass him in public without saluting him or giving him any token of respect; and one night some of them had the audacity to affix three ropes to the gibbet, one of which was stretched towards the palace of the marquis, another towards the house of his lieutenant, and the third to that of his secretary. Even this insolence was forgiven by the marquis, in consideration of their misery and the unhappy situation of their affairs. Profiting by this indulgence, the Almagrians assembled together almost openly, several of their party who were wandering about the country without property or employment, coming to Lima from the distance even of two hundred leagues. They resolved upon putting the marquis to death; yet waited to hear from Spain what judgment might be given in the case of Ferdinand Pizarro, who was there thrown into prison as accused, of the murder of Don Diego Almagro; and to prosecute whom Captain Diego Alvarado had gone home and was actively engaged in soliciting his trial and punishment. When the conspirators learnt that his majesty had appointed the licentiate Vaca de Castro to proceed to Peru, on purpose to examine into all the past disorders, but without orders to prosecute the death of Almagro with that rigorous severity which they wished and expected, they resolved upon the execution of their long concerted enterprize. They were anxious, however, to learn exactly the intentions of Vaca de Castro, as the intended assassination of the marquis was by no means universally approved among the Almagrians. Several of the gentlemen belonging to the party, although much incensed at the death of Almagro, were anxious only for redress by legal means, and in a manner that might be conformable with the pleasure and service of the sovereign. The chiefs of this conspiracy who were now assembled in Lima, were Juan de Saavedra, Alfonso de Montemayor, Juan de Gusman controller, Manuel de Espinar treasurer, Nugnez de Mercado agent, Christoval Ponce de Leon, Juan de Herrada, Pero Lopez de Ayala, and some others. In this assemblage, Don Alfonso de Montemayor was deputed to wait upon Vaca de Castro; and accordingly set out with letters of credence and dispatches to meet Vaca de Castro at the beginning of April 1541. After his arrival at the place where Vaca de Castro then was, and before he proposed to return to his employers, news was brought of the assassination of the marquis. On this occasion, Montemayor and some others of the Almagrian party, who were not concerned in the murder, remained with Vaca de Castro till after the defeat of the younger Almagro in the battle of Chupas, preferring the service of their sovereign, in whose name and authority de Castro acted, to their individual resentments.
So public had the measures of the conspirators become in the city of Lima, that several persons gave notice of their intentions to the marquis, and advised him to employ a guard for the protection of his person: But he always said that the lives of others would guard him from violence, and that he was resolved to give no cause for suspecting that he used precautions of defence against the judge whom his majesty was sending to Peru. On one occasion, Juan de Herrada complained to the marquis of a report that he meant to put all the friends of Almagro to death. The marquis assured him that the report was entirely groundless; and when Herrada mentioned that the marquis was collecting a great number of lances and other arms, as a confirmation of the report that these were intended against the Almagrians, the marquis replied in the gentlest terms, that these arms were by no means intended to be used against him or his friends. He even presented Herrada with several oranges which he pluckt for him, which were then esteemed a high delicacy, as they were the first that were grown in Peru; and told him privately, that if he were in want of anything, he had only to give him notice, and he might depend on being provided for. Herrada kissed his hands, and thanked him for his kindness, going away delighted with the assurance that the marquis seemed to have no suspicion whatever of the conspiracy.
On arriving at his house, where the principal conspirators waited for him, it was determined to kill the marquis on the following Sunday, as they had not been able to put their design into execution on the festival of St John[1] as they at first intended. On the Saturday immediately preceding, one of the conspirators revealed the circumstances of the plot in confession to the curate of the great church of Lima. The curate went that same evening to communicate the intelligence to Antonio Picado, secretary to the marquis, who immediately carried the curate to Francisco Martinez de Alcantara, the marquises brother[2], where the marquis then was at supper together with his children[3]. On being informed of the urgent business on which they came, the marquis rose from table and retired to another room, where the curate informed him of every thing he had learnt respecting the conspiracy. The marquis was at first considerably agitated by his intelligence: but after a moments reflection, he said that he could not credit the story, as Herrada had been with him only a few days before, and had conversed with him with much humility; for which reason he was convinced that the man who now brought this intelligence had some secret end to serve, and had invented this story to assume merit. He sent however, for his lieutenant, the doctor Juan Velasquez[4] meaning to consult with him; but as Velasquez was ill in bed, the marquis went to his house, and told him all that he had heard. Velaquez used every argument to convince him that the story was false, and that he had nothing to fear. Taking up his rod of office, he declared that no one dared to revolt so long as he held that badge in his hand, and that the marquis might rest in security. He may be said in some measure to have kept his word; for when the Almagrians came next day to kill the marquis, Velasquez made his escape over a window, and took his rod of office in his teeth, that he might use both his hands to assist himself in his descent.
[1] The festival of St John the Evangelist is on the 5th May but the assasination of the Marquis did not take place till the 26th June 1541.--E.