Don Diego de Almagro was imprisoned in the house of Hernando Pizarro,
in a rather strong room which existed there, and Vaca de Castro's
captains took care that he should not escape. After he had been there
for some days, he began to seek for some means of escape, intending
to take refuge at Viticos with the Inca Manco, and believing that,
by adopting this course, his life might be saved. Certainly not a
few felt regret that the lad should be put to death. The captains
Gaspar Rodríguez de Camporredondo and Pedro Anzures de Castro, who
were the favourite advisers of Vaca de Castro, would not hear of the
execution not taking place. When Don Diego learnt this, he treated,
as secretly as possible, with a page of his, for the purchase of two
horses, the swiftest he could find. He was to have them ready in the
river which flows through Cuzco close to his place of confinement, at
a certain hour of the night. Some persons who knew about the purchase
of the horses told Vaca de Castro, who, when he knew it, ordered Don
Diego to be removed to the house of captain Gabriel de Rojas, and
there he was watched with more care than before. The Governor Vaca de
Castro took the opinions of some of his captains and friends as to
what should be done with Don Diego. To all it seemed that the best
course would be to put him to death, both on account of the crime he
had committed and in order to safeguard the Realm and prevent the
occurrence of fresh trouble. An indictment against him was drawn up,
he was condemned to death, and the sentence was ordered to be notified
in his presence. Don Diego replied by appealing to his Majesty, or,
in the first instance, to the President and Judges of the _Audiencia_
then accredited in Tierra Firme. He was told that this appeal could
not take place; and, having made his protests, he retorted that since
they would not allow his appeal, but insisted on putting him to death,
he cited Vaca de Castro to appear before the Judge of Heaven, our God,
where all would be judged without prejudice or passion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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