Celebrated Travels and Travellers, Part 1.: The Exploration of the WorldVerne, Jules
History
Celebrated Travels and Travellers, Part 1.: The Exploration of the World
Verne, Jules
Discoveries in geography; Explorers; Voyages and travels
Almagro left Chili in the greatest haste, crossed the stony and
sandy desert of Atacama, where he suffered as severely from heat and
drought as he had done in the Andes from cold and snow, penetrated
into the Peruvian territory, defeated Manco-Capac in a great battle,
and succeeded in approaching the town of Cuzco, after having driven
away the Indians. He then tried to get the town given up to him, on
the pretext that it was not included in Pizarro's government, and
violating a truce, during which the followers of the marquis were
taking a short rest, he entered Cuzco, seized both Ferdinand and
Gonzalo Pizarro, and had himself acknowledged as governor.
While this was going on, a considerable body of Indians invested
Lima, intercepted all communications, and annihilated the various
small bodies of troops which Pizarro sent at intervals to the aid of
the Spaniards at Cuzco. At this time he sent away all his vessels to
Panama to compel his companions to make a desperate resistance; he
recalled from Truxillo the forces under the command of Alonzo
d'Alvarado, and entrusted to the latter a column of 500 men, which
advanced to within several miles of the capital without having the
slightest suspicion that the town was now in the hands of
fellow-countrymen, who were fully determined to bar their passage.
But Almagro desired much rather to attract these new adversaries to
himself than to destroy them; he arranged therefore, to surprise
them and make them prisoners. He had now a fine opportunity in his
hands of ending the war, and making himself master of the two
governments by a single blow. Several of his officers had observed
this to him, and especially Orgonos, who proposed that the two
brothers of the "conquistador" should be put to death, and that
Almagro should advance by forced marches with his victorious troops
against Lima, where Pizarro, taken by surprise, would not be able to
resist him. But as a Latin poet says, "Jupiter makes dotards of
those whom he means to ruin." Almagro, who in so many other
instances had thrown aside all scruples, did not wish to put himself
in the wrong by invading Pizarro's dominions as a rebel, and he
quietly took the road back to Cuzco.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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