Pizarro took the royal seal with him, and embarked in March 1545. Landing at Santa he marched to Truxillo, where all the troops were assembled, going thence to the province of Collique. He had 600 men, horse and foot, about the same number as the Viceroy but Pizarro’s were more experienced soldiers. Supplies of all kinds were got together in Collique, and arrangements were made for carrying water across the deserts. On his approach to Piura, the Viceroy made a rapid retreat into the mountains. Pizarro, without entering Piura, followed in pursuit. Each day the work became more severe. Many stragglers from the Viceroy’s force were captured. Reaching Ayahuaca Pizarro halted to rest his men and obtain supplies. The Viceroy continued his march to Quito. Pizarro resumed the pursuit, but the mountain route was extremely difficult. At last he sent Carbajal ahead with 50 mounted men, who reached the enemy’s camp at 4 A.M. The Viceroy got his men into some order and continued his march. At dawn, when he saw the small number of his pursuers, he turned to attack them. His men were perishing with cold and hunger, and Carbajal declined the combat. Fresh troops joined Pizarro under Juan de Acosta[72], and the Viceroy was so closely pressed that he fled with 60 mounted men. He reached Tumibamba where he put his Camp Master Ocampo and several others to death, on suspicion of traffic with the enemy--the captains Geronimo de la Serna and Gaspar Gil. The Viceroy marched from Tumibamba to Quito without difficulty, where he put three more officers to death. Pizarro sent Juan de Acosta to follow the Viceroy with 60 cavalry. Gonzalo Pizarro had sent Francisco de Almendras to Charcas as his Lieutenant, a staunch adherent. He put a citizen of Chuquisaca named Gomez de Luna in prison for some speech against Pizarro’s rule. The municipality ordered him to be released, upon which Almendras went to the prison and had him strangled. Many people were furious, especially a citizen named Diego Centeno. He made a plot with others (Luis de Mendoza, Alonso Perez de Esquivel, Alonso de Camargo, Hernan Nuñez de Segura, Lope de Mendieta, Juan Ortiz de Zarate) to murder Almendras[73]. This they did, and then declared for the King, appointing Diego Centeno their Captain-General. Alonso de Toro marched against him from Cuzco. When the news reached Gonzalo Pizarro near Quito, he sent Carbajal to put down the insurrection. The indefatigable old man set out with an escort of 20 men. He collected men on the way at Truxillo and Guamanga, and then took the route by Lima to Arequipa, thence to Cuzco where he found Alonso de Toro. He marched against Centeno who retreated before him. Carbajal gave him no rest, and hunted him down to the coast.