At this time a gentleman named the licentiate Rodrigo Niño, a native
of Toledo, arrived from Spain. He and one Francisco de Orihuela came
to find the Marquis, Orihuela bringing despatches and the licentiate
to be an advocate in the _residencia_. Just then, too, a trumpeter who
had been in the service of the Marquis was killed. They also arrested
Hurtado, whom they found in the house of the Bishop Don Garcí Díaz.
They gave the officials, to be inventoried, certain gold and jewels
found in a closet of the Marquis's house. A man left Lima and went
to inform Alonso de Cabrera, Chamberlain of the Marquis, of what
had occurred. Don Diego ordered all the papers and documents of the
Marquis to be collected. Among other things they found a will he had
made before he died. Among the papers there were letters from the
_Comendador Mayor_, Don Francisco de los Cobos, and from Dr. Beltrán,
and the Cardinal, and other Grandees of Spain favourable to the
Marquis.
It seemed well that news of the death of the Marquis should be sent to
Cuzco, to Gabriel de Rojas and other friends of Don Diego's father,
that they might be aware of it, and it is said that an appointment as
Lieutenant was sent to Gabriel de Rojas. There was a very diligent
man in Lima named Juan Diente, who was ordered to go to Cuzco with
the news. He went all that way on foot in five days, a thing that
seems almost incredible. But many witnesses are yet alive who know
to be true what I here affirm, that Juan Diente travelled the 120
leagues from Lima to Cuzco in five days,[76] over a road so rough and
wearisome, and in parts snow-covered as we have described elsewhere.
Some say, however, that Indians carried him on their shoulders over
the greater part in a hammock.
FOOTNOTE:
[75] Cieza de León always calls the half-caste son of the Adelantado
Don Diego de Almagro by the name 'Don Diego.' Others call him Almagro
the lad (_el mozo_). He was born at Panamá, the son of Almagro by an
Indian woman of Panamá who was his servant, and called Ana Martínez.
He was probably born in 1518. Francisco Martín de Alcántara, the half
brother of the Marquis, brought the half-caste boy to Peru in 1535,
when his age was seventeen, and treated him as one of his family,
in his house at Lima. Later he was sent to Cuzco to meet his father
returning from Chile. He was with his father until the battle of Las
Salinas. It was then decided to send him to Lima under the care of
Gómez de Alvarado and Juan de Herrada. At Jauja they met the Marquis
Pizarro, who treated the lad as his own son, and ordered him to be
well cared for, and lodged in his house. This continued for a long
time. But such crowds of discontented Almagrists were always coming
there, that at last the Marquis sent the lad to another lodging in
Lima.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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