Now this was the time when the funeral obsequies of the old Marquis
ought to have been celebrated, but rather was it signalised by the
commencement of the shedding of the blood of those who had spilled
so much of his that his life ebbed away. The youthful Governor began
to taste the bitter draughts which tyranny carries in its toils, for
with it neither does friend prove loyal nor enemy merciful. Better had
it been for him and his accomplices to await the Judge's coming and
not have put the Marquis to death in that atrocious way. Even after
his death no honour was shown him, as the reader has seen. On the
contrary, the body was thrust into the bowels of the earth as if it
had been that of a vile and contemptible man. With reference to this
I would quote that speech of the Constable of Castille, Grand Master
of Santiago, Don Alvaro de Luna. Seeing that there was a large hook
placed where he was to be put to death, he asked the executioner what
it was there for. The executioner said that it was to hang his head on
after he was dead. Don Alvaro replied, snapping his fingers, "After I
am dead do what ye will with the body and head," meaning that at the
moment of decapitation his soul would pass to where his deeds during
this life had merited that it should.
Captain Francisco de Chaves, finding that Juan de Herrada had taken
the Indian girl out of his house, against his will, took it as an
affront, and an insult to himself. Arming himself and mounting his
horse he went to the house of Don Diego de Almagro. They say that
Chaves told Don Diego to take back the horse and arms he had received
at his hands, but now brought back, for that he wanted them no longer,
nor looked upon Don Diego as his friend. One insult had been put
upon him by Don Diego's father and he had paid him well for it, the
other was from the son, and he would pay him too. They say that he
alluded to what happened at Guaytara when he was suspected of dealing
with Hernando Pizarro, but this I was never able to verify nor can I
believe, for Francisco de Chaves always showed himself a loyal friend
to the Adelantado and an enemy to Hernando Pizarro.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account