Ferdinand De Soto, The Discoverer of the Mississippi: American Pioneers and PatriotsAbbott, John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot)
History
Ferdinand De Soto, The Discoverer of the Mississippi: American Pioneers and Patriots
Abbott, John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot)
Florida -- History -- To 1565; Soto, Hernando de, approximately 1500-1542
"Uncover yourself;" said De Soto, "unless you are ashamed to look a
human being in the face." Then with the point of his sword he struck
off his hat, exclaiming:
"Is it not enough that I have disgraced myself in the eyes of the
world by becoming your companion and confederate, making myself
accessory to your crimes, and protecting you from the punishment you
deserve. Have you not heaped infamy enough upon me, without
dishonoring me by the violation of my pledges, and exposing me to the
suspicion of being connected with the most cruel and causeless murder
that ever set human laws and divine justice at defiance? I have
ascertained, what you well knew before I left Caxamarca, that the
report of the insurrection was utterly false. I have met nothing on
the road but demonstrations of good will. The whole country is quiet,
and Attahuallapa has been basely slandered. You, Francisco Pizarro,
are his slanderer, and you are his murderer.
"To prove that I have had no participation in the deed, I will make
you accountable for his death. Craven and prevaricating villain as you
are, you shall not escape this responsibility. If you refuse to meet
me in honorable combat, I will denounce you to the king of Spain as a
criminal, and will proclaim you to the whole world as a coward and an
assassin."
Pizarro was both, an assassin and a coward. He stood in awe of his
intrepid lieutenant. He did not dare to meet him in a personal
rencontre, and he well knew that De Soto was not a man to be taken by
force or guile, as he could immediately rally around him the whole
body of his well-drilled dragoons. He therefore began to make excuses,
admitted that he had acted hastily, and endeavored to throw the blame
upon others, declaring that by their false representations they had
forced him to the act.
In the midst of the dispute, Pizarro's brothers--for there were two in
the camp--entered the tent. De Soto, addressing the three, said:
"I am the champion of Attahuallapa. I accuse Francisco Pizarro of
being his murderer." Then throwing his glove upon the floor, he
continued:
"I invite any man who is disposed to deny that Francisco Pizarro is a
coward and an assassin, to take it up."
The glove remained untouched. De Soto turned upon his heel
contemptuously, and left the tent, resolved, it is said, no longer to
have any connection whatever with such perfidious wretches. He
immediately resigned his commission as lieutenant-general and
announced his determination to return to Spain. But alas, for human
frailty and inconsistency, he was to take with him the five hundred
thousand dollars of treasure of which the Peruvians had been
ruthlessly despoiled. Perhaps he reasoned with himself,
"What can I do with it. The Inca is dead. It would not be wise to
throw it into the streets, and I surely am not bound to contribute it
to the already enormous wealth of Pizarro."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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