Meantime the young Inca Manco had been laying plans for revolt, goaded to desperation by the insults which he and his people suffered from the Spaniards. Not only were the temples robbed, the practice of his religion being forbidden, but gross treatment was shown to the priests and all manner of outrages were committed. The women of the convents were turned into the streets to become the prey of a vicious soldiery. Twice the Inca made his escape, and the second time he succeeded in collecting a large army, but their arrows and sling-stones made little impression on the Spanish coat of mail, and only their copper-tipped lances and battle-axes of the same material served in the fight; these weapons they used so dexterously that the enemy was forced to retreat to Cuzco, which the Indians promptly surrounded and set on fire, preferring to burn their holy city to the ground to seeing it in possession of the hated conquerors. Their revolt was so determined and persistent that Pizarro became alarmed and sent reinforcements and supplies to his countrymen, who were in dire straits for several weeks, shut up in the half-demolished city, while the Indians held possession of the fortress of Sacsahuaman and all the mountain passes around. Manco himself occupied the fortress of Ollantaytambo, which the Spaniards attacked unsuccessfully, being forced to retreat to Cuzco without effecting his capture. Although the Spanish arms finally prevailed and the Inca’s forces were scattered, this proud and heroic prince continued to harass the usurpers of his kingdom for years, so that his name was held in terror by the colonists, until he was at last assassinated by a party of Spaniards to whom he had given shelter in his camp.