upon Ch. 9. threw themselves out of the window, which opened B. XVII. the garden. Amongst them was Doctor Velazquez, who, as he leaped from the window, held his wand of office in his mouth, so that it was afterwards jestingly said, that he was right in telling his master, the Marquis, that he was safe as long as he, Doctor Velazquez, held the rod of office in his hands. rators at The conspirators pressed through the hall to the room where the Marquis himself was. He had found time to throw off his purple robe, to put on a cuirass, and to seize a spear. In this extremity there were by his side his half-brother, Francis Martin de Alcantara, a gentleman named Don Gomez de Luna (not hitherto mentioned), and two pages. Pizarro was then about seventy years old. He had commanded small companies of Spaniards, making head on the field against innumerable Indians, and had felt no doubt about the result. But now, with two men and two The conspilads, he had to contend for his life against nine- tack the teen practised soldiers. The heroic courage of Marquis. the Marquis did not desert him at this last moment. He fought valiantly, while he denounced, in the boldest words, the treachery and the villainy of his assailants. They only exclaimed:-"Kill him! kill him! let us not waste our time." Thus the mortal contest raged for a short period. At length, Juan de Rada thrust one of his companions forward upon Pizarro's spear, and gained an entrance into the room. The combat was now soon closed. Martin de Alcantara, Don Gomez de Luna, and the two pages, The Mar quis slain by the men of Chili. 142 Death of the Marquis Pizarro. B. XVII. fell slain by the side of Pizarro, who still conCh. 9. tinued to defend himself. At last, a wound in the throat brought him to the ground. While lying there, he made the sign of a cross upon the ground, and kissed it. He was still alive, and June 26, was asking for a confessor, when some base fellow dashed a jug upon his prostrate face; and, on receiving that contemptible blow, the patient endurer of wearisome calamities, the resolute discoverer of long-hidden lands, the stern conqueror of a powerful nation, breathed his last. 1541. CHAPTER X. ARRIVAL OF VACA DE CASTRO-HE DEFEATS THE Ch. 10. THE conspirators, with their swords in their B. XVII. hands, rushed out into the great square, shouting, "Live the King, the Tyrant is dead, let the land be placed in the hands of justice." The rest of the men of Chili gathered round their comrades. Diego de Almagro was set on horseback, and proclaimed Governor. The houses of the Marquis, of his brother, and of the Secretary, were plundered. The inhabitants were ordered to keep within doors. The public treasure was seized upon, and the wands of office were taken away from the Alcaldes who had been appointed by the late Governor. The Bishop, and the Monks of the Order of Mercy, did what they could to allay the tumult, and to render the proceedings of the conspirators less dangerous to their fellow-townsmen. The monks brought out "the Host," and went in procession with it through the streets. Finally, a meeting of the Town Council was called. Almagro was received as Governor of Peru, and despatches were sent off to the principal cities announcing the fact. B. XVII. 144 Arrival of Vaca de Castro in Peru. This revolution in favour of the Almagristas Ch. 10. did not take place without considerable opposition in Los Reyes, in Cusco, and in other places; but this opposition was greatly borne down by the vigour of the principal conspirator, Juan de Rada. Vaca de Castro. Meanwhile the long-expected Judge, Vaca de Arrival of Castro, arrived at Popayan, in the northern parts of Peru. His detention, upon which so much misfortune depended, had been caused by the loss of an anchor, in his voyage from Panamá to Peru. Then commenced a series of miserable transactions throughout the kingdom, such as mostly happens when the supreme power is handed from faction to faction, each faction having attained its momentary superiority by some signal deed of violence. "I could wish," says the historian HERRERA, "that this part of my history could tell of battles well fought out, of warlike stratagems, of sieges, and of all those military events which take place in just wars, instead of disloyalties, homicides, robberies, and other crimes." The King's authority, however, in the person of his Judge, Vaca de Castro, ultimately prevailed. This was likely to be the case, as Vaca de Castro had not only the advantage of the King's name, but also the good wishes of the Pizarro faction, some of whom were to be found in every town and district. Vaca de Castro moved down the country to the south, his army increasing as he went along, until he entered the valley of His Proceedings against Almagro. 145 Ch. 10. Chupas, where he found himself in close proximity B. XVII. to the rebel army. Vaca de Castro sent a message to the young Almagro, requiring him to disband his army and join the Royal Standard, promising a full pardon if he should obey this summons. At the same time, however, he sent a common soldier, disguised as an Indian, with letters for some of the principal persons in Almagro's camp. The ground was covered with snow, and the tracks of this spy were observed. He was seized |