VI. 1532. unembarraffed with any care that could divert BOOK him from oppofing his progrefs. But at this time, the two competitors, though they received early accounts of the arrival and violent proceedings of the Spaniards, were fo intent upon the operations of a war, which they deemed more interefting, that they paid no attention to the motions of an enemy, too inconfiderable in number to excite any great alarm, and to whom, it would be easy, as they they imagined, to give a check when more at leisure. it, and ad By this fortunate coincidence of events, He avails whereof Pizarro could have no forefight, and off of which, from his defective mode of intercourfe vances. with the people of the country, he remained long ignorant, he was permitted to carry on his operations unmolefted, and advanced to the centre of a great empire before one effort of its power was exerted to stop his career. During their progress, the Spaniards had acquired fome imperfect knowledge of this ftruggle between the two contending factions. The first complete information with refpect to it, they received from meffengers whom Huafcar fent to Pizarro, in order to folicit his aid against Atahualpa, whom he represented as a rebel and an ufurper 134 VI. 4532. it BOOK Pizarro perceived at once the importance of this intelligence, and forefaw fo clearly all the advan, tages, which might be derived from this divided ftate of the kingdom, which he had invaded, that, without waiting for the reinforcement which he expected from Panama, he determined to push forward, while inteftine difcord put out of the power of the Peruvians to attack him with their whole force, and while, by taking part, as circumftances fhould incline him, with one of the competitors, he might be enabled with greater eafe to crufh both. Enterprising as the Spaniards of that age were in all their operations against Americans, and distinguished as Pizarro was among his countrymen for daring courage, we can hardly suppose, that after having proceeded hitherto flowly, and with much cau tion, he would have changed at once his system of operation, and have ventured upon a meafure fo hazardous, without fome new motive or profpect to justify it. State of his forces. As he was obliged to divide his troops, in order to leave a garrifon in St. Michael, fufficient to defend a ftation of equal importance as a place of retreat in cafe of any disaster, and as a port for receiving any fupplies which should come from Panama, he began his march with a very flender and ill-accoutred train of followers, They They confifted of fixty-two horfemen3, and a hundred and two foot-foldiers, of whom twenty were armed with cross-bows, and three with muskets. He directed his courfe towards Caxamalca, a fmall town at the distance of twelve days march from St. Michael, where Atahualpa was encamped with a confiderable body of troops. Before he had proceeded far, an officer dispatched by the Inca met him with a valuable present from that prince, accompanied with a proffer of his alliance, and affurances of a friendly reception at Caxamalca. Pizarro, according to the ufual artifice of his countrymen in America, pretended to come as the ambaffador of a very powerful monarch, and declared that he was now advancing with an intention to offer Atahualpa his aid against those enemies who disputed his title to the throne". BOOK 1532. Peruvians their de As the object of the Spaniards in entering Ideas of the their country was altogether incomprehenfible to concerning the Peruvians, they had formed various con- figns. jectures concerning it, without being able to decide whether they fhould consider their new guests as beings of a fuperior nature, who had vifited them from fome beneficent motive, or as * See NOTE XIII. 7 Herrera, dec. 5. lib. i. c. 3. Xeres, p. 189. VI. 1532. BOOK formidable avengers of their crimes, and enemies to their repose and liberty. The continual profeffions of the Spaniards, that they came to enlighten them with the knowledge of truth, and lead them in the way of happiness, favoured the former opinion; the outrages which they committed, their rapaciousness and cruelty, were awful confirmations of the latter. While in this ftate of uncertainty, Pizarro's declaration of his pacific intentions fo far removed all the Inca's fears, that he determined to give him a friendly reception. In confequence of this refolution, the Spaniards were allowed to march in tranquillity across the fandy defert between St. Michael and Motupè, where the most feeble effort of an enemy, added to the unavoidable diftreffes which they fuffered in paffing through that comfortless region, must have proved fatal to them. From Motupè they advanced towards the mountains which encompaffed the low country of Peru, and paffed through a defile fo narrow and inacceffible, that a few men might have defended it against a numerous army. But here likewife, from the fame inconfiderate credulity of the Inca, the Spaniards met with no oppofition, and took quiet poffeffion of a fort erected for the fecurity of that See NOTE XIV. important VI. 1532. important station. As they now approached BOOK near to Caxamalca, Atahualpa renewed his profeffions of friendship; and as an evidence of their fincerity, fent them prefents of greater value than the former. Caxamalca. ON entering Caxamalca, Pizarro took pof- Arrive at feffion of a large court, on one fide of which was a house which the Spanish historians call a palace of the Inca, and on the other a temple of the Sun, the whole furrounded with a strong rampart or wall of earth. When he had posted his troops in this advantageous station, he difpatched his brother Ferdinand and Hernando Soto to the camp of Atahualpa, which was about a league diftant from the town. He inftructed them to confirm the declaration which he had formerly made of his pacific difpofition, and to defire an interview with the Inca, that he might explain more fully the intention of the Spaniards in vifiting his country. They were treated with all the refpectful hofpitality usual among the Peruvians in the reception of their moft cordial friends, and Atahualpa promised to vifit the Spanish commander next day in his quarters. The decent deportment of the Peruvian monarch, the order of his court, and the reverence with which his fubjects approached his perfon and obeyed his commands, aftonished thofe 7 |