When Don Diego discovered the trick which had been imposed on him, he resumed the pursuit of Holguin with as much celerity as he could: But Holguin had sent a quick messenger to Alonso de Alvarado, requesting him to hasten to his assistance, which Alvarado did without delay with all his own troops and several of the inhabitants of Truxillo. On the junction of these officers a few davs afterwards, Don Diego discontinued the pursuit, and returned towards Cuzco. Holguin and Alvarado sent off immediately to inform Vaca de Castro by letter of all the preceding events, and counselled him to advance without delay to join them, as they were in sufficient force to make him master of the country when strengthened by his authority. At this time Juan de Herrada expired at Jauja, and Don Diego detached a part of his army to the low country of Peru to collect those of his party who were at Arequipa and other places. His officers plundered the city of Arequipa, and dug up every where about the monastery of the Dominicans in search of treasure, as they were informed that the inhabitants of that city had concealed their valuable effects in that convent.
Vaca de Castro had reached Peru with much difficulty and fatigue. The voyage from Panama was exceedingly tedious and tempestuous, and the vessel in which he sailed lost all its anchors. Having at last reached the harbour of Buenaventura at the bottom of the bay of Choco on the coast of Raposo, he went from thence by land to the frontiers of the government of Benalcazar, who commanded in Popayan, and thence to Peru. He suffered much hardship and fatigue in that journey, both from the length and difficulty of the way and the scarcity of provisions, so that he fell sick as being quite unused to such fatigues. Yet as the death of the marquis and the subsequent events were already known in Popayan, de Castro continued his journey with as little delay as possible, that he might endeavour by his presence to remedy the disorders of the country. Although Vaca de Castro had been sent to Peru ostensibly to investigate into and take cognizance of the death of Almagro, and of the subsequent transactions, without any order to deprive the marquis of the government, or even to suspend his authority; yet he had been furnished with a secret commission, by which he was authorized to assume the government, in case the marquis should die during his voyage, or after his arrival, and to exercise all the functions of that high office, till the emperor might give orders to the contrary. By the authority of this commission, he was received in the camp of Holguin and Alvarado as governor. He was accompanied thither by several persons who had joined him on his first arrival in Peru, particularly by Captain Lorenzo de Aldana, who had been lieutenant governor of Quito under the marquis. He sent before him Captain Pedro de Puelles, to make preparations for carrying on the war. He sent likewise Gomez de Royas to Cuzco, with orders to the magistrates and inhabitants of that city to receive him as lieutenant. Royas used so much diligence and address that he arrived at Cuzco and was received and acknowledged in the command of that place before Don Diego could reach it with his army.
When Vaca de Castro passed through the province of Bracamoras on his way from Quito to Truxillo, Captain Pedro de Vergara, who was then occupied in reducing that province, and had even fortified himself in a strong post on purpose to defend himself against Don Diego, joined him with all his men. At Truxillo the new governor was joined by Gomez de Tordoya, who had quitted the camp in consequence of a dispute with Holguin. He was joined likewise at Truxillo by Garcilasso de la Vega and some other gentlemen. By all these means, when Vaca de Castro left Truxillo to repair to the camp of Holguin and Alvarado, he had already collected a well armed force of more than two hundred men, all ready to obey his orders. Immediately on his arrival at the camp, Holguin and Alvarado received him with every demonstration of joy, giving up to him their standards and all other marks of authority; all of which he restored, except the royal standard, which he retained for himself. Having appointed Holguin to the command of the army, as maestre de campo general, he ordered him to march forwards to Jauja, and to wait there till he himself might return from Lima, where he proposed going that he might establish its government in proper order, and on purpose to collect men, arms and ammunition. He gave orders to Holguin, that Captain Diego de Royas should always precede the army about twenty leagues, with a detachment of thirty horsemen, to gain intelligence of the motions of the enemy. At the same time he sent back Diego de Mora to Truxillo, to take the command in that city. De Castro thus took every proper precaution for the successful issue of his expedition, with as much prudent foresight as if he had been all his life enured to warlike affairs.
When Don Diego found that Holguin had escaped from his pursuit, as formerly related, he went to Cuzco with his army, where Christoval de Sotelo, whom he had detached there before him, had already taken possession of the city, and had displaced the magistrates who had been established there under the authority of the new governor. Immediately on the arrival of Don Diego at Cuzco, he made every exertion to provide artillery and gunpowder for the farther prosecution of the war. Both of these warlike articles are easily made in Peru. As to artillery, there is abundance of metal for that purpose, and there were also several persons in Cuzco who were perfectly well acquainted with the manner of founding cannon: These were Levantines or Greeks, several of whom had come to Peru out of respect for Pedro de Candia, who was master of the ordnance to Don Diego. Powder was likewise easily made in great abundance, as saltpetre is to be had in every part of that country of excellent quality. At the same time he had defensive armour made for those of his people who were in want, forming corslets and helmets of silver mixed with copper, which answered amazingly well, and, were made by the native artists, who fabricated every kind of arms in imitation of, and as good as those of Milan. By these means, and by collecting all the arms throughout the whole country, every one of his men was at least provided with a coat of mail, a cuirass or corselet, and a helmet227. In this manner Don Diego was enabled to equip two hundred musqueteers, and to establish several companies of men at arms, as hitherto in Peru, hardly any thing had been seen of that kind, the cavalry being all light horse except a very few.
While these preparations were going on, an unfortunate quarrel arose between the captains Garcias de Alvarado and Christoval de Sotelo, in which they drew their swords and Sotelo was slain. As both of these captains were principal leaders in the Almagrian party, and had many friends and partizans in the army, this unfortunate affair occasioned much strife, and had nearly occasioned a battle between the friends of the two combatants; but Don Diego appeased them with some difficulty, and by using a great deal of address. But as Garcias de Alvarado plainly perceived that Don Diego took the death of Sotelo much to heart, whom he dearly loved, and feared lest he might take measures afterwards of revenge, he endeavoured to take precautions in the meantime for his own safety, and for this purpose proposed to have assassinated Don Diego. With this view he one day invited Don Diego to dinner, intending to have put him to death during the entertainment. Don Diego accepted the invitation, but when the appointed day came, having some suspicion of what was intended, he sent an excuse for his absence, on pretence of being indisposed. As Garcias had provided every thing for the execution of his design, he went with several of his friends to endeavour to prevail on Don Diego to come to the entertainment. While on his way, he met a soldier named Martin Carillo who advised him to stay away from the house of Don Diego, who he was fully persuaded intended to put him to death. He continued his purpose however, and received a similar advice from another soldier a little farther on. Yet he persisted in going to the house of Don Diego, and even went up to his chamber, where he found him on a day-bed under pretence of being unwell. This visit seemed to be expected, as Don Diego had several armed men concealed in a neighbouring room.
227
Garcilasso says, that on this occasion, the Inca Manca Capac, who had retired to the mountains, in remembrance of the friendship which had subsisted between him and the elder Almagro, provided Don Diego with large quantities of armour, swords and saddles, which had been formerly taken from the Spaniards, sufficient to arm two hundred men. –E.