Seeing the willingness of the people who were with him to serve his
Majesty, and their great zeal, and having had news of the coming of
the Licentiate Vaca de Castro, he sent messengers to let the Judge
know that he had raised the banner for the King, and had assembled two
hundred men, well armed and provided, ready to serve his Majesty and
to punish the atrocious crime perpetrated at Lima by the murder of
the Marquis. Vaca de Castro was urged to hasten his journey, and join
the royal forces as soon as possible. Some portion was stationed for
defence against the enemy amongst the great rugged mountains and many
rivers, and also to allow those who wished to come and serve their
King to do so without danger. Being so instructed, the messenger,
whose name was Pedro de Orduña, set out to find Vaca de Castro. Having
despatched this messenger, Alvarado sent another one to Moyobamba.
He was to call upon captain Juan Pérez de Guevara, who had gone to
settle certain Spaniards in those parts, to leave the new settlement
they were forming, for a time, and to come to him, for the Realm had
been thrown into great confusion owing to the men of Chile having
murdered the Marquis in the city of Lima. Having heard this news,
settlers came from all parts to serve under the banner of the loyal
captain. When Alonso de Alvarado saw how his force was increasing,
he resolved to send Iñigo López Carillo, with another soldier, with
money to buy arms and horses at Truxillo secretly, through the help
of friends he had in that city. These two travelled with much haste,
and arrived at Truxillo, placing Indians at intervals along the
route so as to be able to send back any communications that might be
necessary. Having arrived near the city, they left the Chachapoya
Indians they brought with them, secreted, and went themselves to the
monastery of Our Lady of Mercy. They gave the friars an account of
their mission, and presented letters from Don Alonso de Alvarado. The
friars very cunningly bought some breast-plates and coats of mail and
other arms at the city of La Frontera, as well as iron for making
more, spending a large sum of money at Alvarado's expense. After the
arms had been purchased and were got in readiness, they were removed
at night by means of the Chachapoya Indians, and the envoys set out
for where Alvarado was stationed, leaving letters to the municipality
and other bodies and principal people of Truxillo, urging them to
eschew friendship with Don Diego, who, on a plea of avenging his
father's death, had seized the government with great tyranny; and to
join forces with himself, for when Vaca de Castro should arrive he
would punish Don Diego. At this time Villafranca was lieutenant for
Almagro at Truxillo, and he received news of how the captain Alonso de
Alvarado had raised the banner for the King.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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