Don Diego and his captains did not sleep during this time; on the contrary, they were thinking over further topics before deciding what they should do. They saw that they could not now, with the enemy so near, get into Guamanga without difficulty, and that it would be better to put that scheme aside and give battle; so, after commending themselves to God, they resolved to fight. Don Diego, seeing that the battle was inevitable, mounted his horse, with his lance in his hand, and, turning to the soldiers, addressed them thus: "Oh captains, to whom I owe so much, and soldiers so valorous! the battle must be fought, for the enemy is at hand. Bear in mind that to-day is the day when fortune promises us the government of the country, with full vengeance on our enemies and the best _repartimientos_ for yourselves, so do not fail to smite those who have shown themselves to be our enemies. You know that neither has it been my desire nor yours to do anything contrary to the service of the King, and that in the end it will rest with your arms to condemn the loser as a tyrant, and the conqueror will be held to be loyal." Saying these words and others, he exhorted his friends to prepare for the battle they had to fight. [Illustration: THE COUNTRY around GUAMANGA] [Illustration: SITE of the BATTLE OF CHUPAS 1542 Hakluyt Society: Series II, vol. 42] [DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY AROUND THE BATTLE FIELD OF CHUPAS. By C. R. M. The position of the battle of Chupas is interesting. Prescott and Helps had not a true idea of it. Prescott wrote of "the bloody _plains_ of Chupas," and "the neighbouring lowlands known as the _plains_ of Chupas": Helps as "the _valley_ of Chupas." These are quite wrong terms for the place. Chupas is neither a plain nor a valley, but a farm on a lofty Andean spur. The city of Guamanga (now called _Ayacucho_) is in 13° 8´ S. Lat., 72° 2´ W. Long., and 8660 feet above the sea. There is a small plain outside the town to north-west, called the _Pampa del Arco_, but the battle field was miles away, on the other side. Guamanga is at the western base of the great maritime cordillera, its slopes descending in long spurs, with intervening ravines, to the city and its neighbourhood. The scene of the battle was high up, 9,500 feet above the sea, extending over two of these spurs and the ravine between them.