ians, to arms; the word of God is infulted; BOOK avenge this profanation on those impious dogs "." VI. 1532. tacks the PIZARRO, who, during this long conference, Pizarro athad with difficulty restrained his foldiers, eager Peruvians, to seize the rich spoils of which they had now fo near a view, immediately gave the fignal of affault. At once the martial mufic ftruck up, the cannon and muskets began to fire, the horse fallied out fiercely to the charge, the infantry rufhed on fworn in hand. The Peruvians, astonished at the fuddenness of an attack which they did not expect, and difmayed with the deftructive effects of the fire-arms, and the irresistible impreffion of the cavalry, fled with universal confternation on every fide, without attempting either to annoy the enemy, or to defend themselves. Pizarro, at the head of his chofen band, advanced directly towards the Inca; and though his nobles crowded around him with officious zeal, and fell in numbers at his feet, while they vied one with another in facrificing their own lives, that they might cover the facred perfon of their fovereign, the Spaniards foon penetrated to the royal feat; and Pizarro and seizes feizing the Inca by the arm, dragged him to the ground, and carried him as a prifoner to his See NOTE XV. the Inca. quarters, VI. 1532. BOOK quarters. The fate of the monarch increased the precipitate flight of his followers. The Spaniards pursued them towards every quarter, and with deliberate and unrelenting barbarity continued to flaughter wretched fugitives, who never once offered to refift. The carnage did not ceafe until the clofe of day. Above four thousand Peruvians were killed. Spaniard fell, nor was one wounded but Pizarro himself, whofe hand was flightly hurt by one of his own foldiers, while ftruggling eagerly to lay Dejection of the Inca. hold on the Inca. Not a fingle THE plunder of the field was rich beyond any idea which the Spaniards had yet formed concerning the wealth of Peru, and they were fo tranfported with the value of the acquifition, as well as the greatness of their fuccefs, that they paffed the night in the extravagant exultation natural to indigent adventurers on such an extraordinary change of fortune. AT first the captive monarch could hardly believe a calamity which he fo little expected to be real. But he foon felt all the misery of his fate, and the dejection into which he funk was in proportion to the height of grandeur from • See NOTE XVI. VI. 1532. which he had fallen. Pizarro, afraid of lofing BOOK all the advantages which he hoped to derive from the poffeffion of fuch a prifoner, laboured to confole him with profeffions of kindness and refpect, that correfponded ill with his actions. By refiding among the Spaniards, the Inca quickly difcovered their ruling paffion, which, indeed, they were no-wife folicitous to conceal, and by applying to that, made an attempt to recover his liberty. He offered as a ranfom His offer of what aftonished the Spaniards, even after all they now knew concerning the opulence of his kingdom. The apartment in which he was confined was twenty-two feet in length and fixteen in breadth; he undertook to fill it with veffels of gold as high as he could reach. Pizarro closed eagerly with this tempting propofal, and a line was drawn upon the walls of the chamber, to mark the ftipulated height to which the treasure was to rife. ATAHUALPA, transported with having obtained fome profpect of liberty, took measures inftantly for fulfilling his part of the agreement, by fending meffengers to Cuzco, Quito, and other places, where gold had been amaffed in largest quantities, either for adorning the temples of the gods, or the houfes of the Inca, to bring what was neceffary for completing his ransom directly VOL. III. L a ranfom. VI. 1532. BOOK directly to Caxamalca. Though Atahualpa was now in the cuftody of his enemies, yet so much were the Peruvians accustomed to respect every mandate iffued by their fovereign, that his orders were executed with the greatest alacrity. Soothed with hopes of recovering his liberty by this means, the fubjects of the Inca were afraid of endangering his life by forming any other scheme for his relief; and though the force of the empire was ftill entire, no preparations were made, and no army affembled to avenge their own wrongs or thofe of their monarch. The Spaniards remained in Caxamalca tranquil and unmolested. Small detachments of their number marched into remote provinces of the empire, provinces. and, instead of meeting with any oppofition, were everywhere received with marks of the moft fubmiffive respect. The Spa niards vifit different Almagro arrives with ment. INCONSIDERABLE as thofe parties were, and a reinforce- defirous as Pizarro might be to obtain some knowledge of the interior state of the country, he could not have ventured upon any diminution December. of his main body, if he had not about this time received an account of Almagro's having landed at St. Michael with fuch a reinforcement as would almost double the number of his fol d Xerez, 205. See NOTE XVII. lowers. VI. 1532. 1533. Huafcar put lowers f. The arrival of this long-expected BOOK fuccour was not more agreeable to the Spaniards, than alarming to the Inca. He faw the power of his enemies encrease; and as he knew neither the fource whence they derived their supplies, nor the means by which they were conveyed to Peru, he could not forefee to what a height the inundation that poured in upon his dominions might rife. While difquieted with fuch apprehenfions, he learned that fome Spaniards, in to death." their way to Cuzco, had vifited his brother Huafcar in the place where he kept him confined, and that the captive prince had reprefented to them the juftice of his own caufe, and as an inducement to espouse it, had promised them a quantity of treasure greatly beyond that which Atahualpa had engaged to pay for his ransom. If the Spaniards fhould liften to this propofal, Atahualpa perceived his own deftruction to be inevitable; and fufpecting that their infatiable thirst for gold would tempt them to lend a favourable ear to it, he determined to facrifice his brother's life, that he might fave his own; and his orders for this purpose were executed, like all his other commands, with fcrupulous punctuality & |