Gonzalo Pizarro was reduced to prodigious straits in consequence of the desertion of Orellana, both by the want of provisions and the difficulty of passing the rivers in his course; besides which Orellana had carried away with him a great quantity of gold, silver, and emeralds, which he converted to his own use in making his solicitations at the court of Spain, and in fitting out his expedition for the conquest and settlement of Amazonia. On his arrival at the place where Orellana had been ordered to leave the canoes, for the purpose of facilitating the passage of certain rivers which fall into the great Maranon, Gonzalo and his people were exceedingly embarrassed, and had to make other canoes with much difficulty to enable them to cross over, that they might continue their journey. When they came afterwards to where the two large rivers joined209, and where Orellana ought to have waited for them, they found a Spaniard who had been left at this place by Orellana, because he had opposed the continuation of the voyage, and preferred to wait in that place for his general210. By his account, Orellana had renounced his dependence on Gonzalo Pizarro, meaning to proceed to discover the river in his own name and authority, and had prevailed on the people who accompanied him to elect him of new for their captain.
By the loss of their vessel Gonzalo and his men were deprived of every means of procuring provisions from the Indians, as all the mirrors, bells, and other baubles for trading with the natives of the country had been put on board the bark. In this hopeless and discouraging situation, above four hundred leagues distant from Quito, they came to the immediate resolution of returning to that city; although, from the length and difficulty of the way, through forests and marshes, they had very little hope of ever getting back, and could hardly expect to escape dying of famine in the mountains and deserts over which they had to pass. In fact above forty actually died of famine during the march. After recommending themselves to the mercy of God, they began their march in great dejection; and as the way in which they came from Peru was full of difficulties and destitute of provisions, they took another road in their return, altogether at hazard, which they did not find in any degree better than the former211. Before reaching Peru, they were under the necessity of killing all their remaining horses to keep themselves from starving, and even to eat all their dogs. In the course of this journey likewise, they were reduced to the necessity of feeding on certain strings, or twining plants, a good deal like the tendrils of vines, which they found in the woods, and which had the taste of garlic. During this march a wild cat or a turkey sold for four dollars, and one of the sea-birds named Alcatraz, formerly mentioned as being very bad eating, brought a dollar or more, although reckoned very unwholesome.
Some short time before Gonzalo got to Peru intelligence of his return had reached Quito, on which the inhabitants collected a considerable number of swine and Peruvian sheep which they sent off to meet him. They sent off at the same time a good many horses, and a supply of clothes for Gonzalo and his officers. This seasonable supply met them above fifty leagues from Quito, and one may easily judge that it was received with much joy, especially the provisions. The whole party, from the general to the private soldier, was almost entirely naked; as, from the almost continual rains to which they had been exposed, and the other hardships of their journey, their clothes were all rotten and torn to rags, and they were reduced to the necessity of covering themselves with the skins of beasts. Their swords were all without scabbards, and almost destroyed with rust. Their legs and arms were torn and scratched by the brushwood, thorns, and brakes, through which they had travelled; and the whole party were so pale, lean, and worn out with fatigue and famine, that their most intimate acquaintances were hardly able to recognize them. Among all their privations, what they felt the most unsufferable, was the want of salt, of which they had not been able to procure the smallest supply for above two hundred leagues.
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 Europe212.
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.
209
The river Napo joins the Maranon in lat. 3° 20' S. and long. 70° W. But we are uncertain whether this were the place where Orellana deserted, as there are many junctions of large rivers in the course of the vast Maranon. The two greatest of its tributary streams are the Negro which joins in long. 60° W. from the north, and the Madeira in long. 58° W. from the south. –E.
210
Garcilasso preserves the name of that faithful Spaniard, Hernando Sanchez de Vargas, a young gentleman of Badajoz. –E.
211
We learn from Garcilasso that this new road was on the north side of the river, Napo probably, and consequently that they had kept the south side in their way eastwards. –E.
212
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.