The royal commentaries of Peru : in two parts / written originally in spanish by the Inca Garcilasso de la Vega; rendred into english by sir Paul Rycaut.

818 Royal Commentaries. BooK V, CH A P. XX. The Army ledves Ancahuaylla, and paffes the River Aman- cay. The di/ficulties they found in pafling the River 9[ Apurimac, over which they defign to ma/ze four Bridges. Carvajal's Counfel i4 rejefterl by Gon~alo Pi~arro. T H E extremity of ¡he Winter feafon being paíl: , the Prefidem refolved to leave ./fntahuqylla, and goe in queíl: of Gonfafo Pi f arro, who was in Co~co; and ,accordingly he marched with his Army to tne River of' Amancay, which tbe Spaniards call Avancfly, and is aPüut twemy leagues diílant from that City. When they carne thirher, rhey fo4nd that the Bridge had been burnt, for (as we have faid before) ali the Bridges of rhat Coumrey were made of Twifis of Ofiers 3 whereupon they determined to repair ir again , whiéh was eafily effeél:ed, rhe Ri- ver being narrow , and fome of rhe old work remaioing : having paífed rhis Ri- ver the moíl: difficulc rask was how ro país rhe River of Apurimac : it íeemed im- . poffible for them to gq over by tbe Banks of the high Road , becaufe the chanel 'f To wluch f is rhere very bread ; it was yet more narrow ar the place where the * Pofis were giric~; 1 ~~~sº fixed on each fide, and yer from the one to the other 'ris above two hundred pa- raflned. ces wide: befides which there was a greater difficulty to overcome; and rhar was in cafe they took rhat way, they were to travel overa defolate and an unpeopled Cbuntrey where few Indians inhabited , and thofe fo very poor, that they liad fcarce Bread or Provifions to fuílain (hemfelves. Atlength chey refolved to p¡¡(s the Army over one of rhe t.hree Bridges, which they inrended to make over rhe River above, where che chane! is contraél:ed by the moumains on each fide. On~ of theíe places w;¡s called Cotapampa, che ocher, which is higher, H11ac11chaca, and che uppermoíl Accha. And though the accefs ro any of chefe places by reafon of the high and cragged Mouncains feems impoffible for an Am¡y 1 and for any to conceive who bach nor feen rhem ; yet tbey reíolved to overcome che difficulties by reafon thaé there was no other way befides that. And to amuíe the Enemy, chey feemed as if chey intended to make four Bridges, at four feveral places; and ro make chem believe fo, they caufed about fifteen or rwency loads of Ofiers to be carried to eve- ry of the four places; whereas to rpake one of thofe Bridges, at leaíl four rhoufand loads of Ofi~rs and Ruíhes. are required, beGdes grea~ quamities of Ropes and Ca- bles, ali whICh were prov1ded ar che charge and pams of rhe poor l 11dia11s. The places where rhefe Bridges were to be formed were to be furveyed by forne par- ticular perfons, whofe care it was to provide materials for che fame; as Palentina confirms, Chap. 86. Pedro Alonfo Carefco was appointed to goe to rhe place near the common road, Lorenyo Martin to Cotapampa, Don Pedro Puerto Carrwo and Tho-· mM Vafque~ to Accha, Antonio de f)j_nnonez. and {ohn {ulio de Hojeda to Guacachaca. I was acquaimed wirh ali theíe Gentlemen, when they lived at Cou o, and four of thern were of che firíl Conquerours : And h~ving furveyed ali thefe four places , they concluded that che mofl eafie paffage m1ght be made at Cotapampa; which they put in execution wich great fecrecy, thar the report thereof might not come to the knowledge of che Enell)y. The perfons applied themfelves to cheir refpell:ive íl:arions , as was ordered; and in rhe mean time the Prefidenc marched bis Ar- my with invincible difficulty over craggy Rocks and Mouncains covered wirh Snow ; which, as divers Authours reporr, is fo whire and glittering, that with looking rhereupon many people lofe their fighc; though it is probable, as we have faid in another place, chat the whitenefs thereof dazles che eyes, and rhe force of che objeél: weakens the optick nerve, which may fo continue for three or fou r days, and not longer. And here we íhall leave chem for fome rime, fabouring under che great difficulties of their march, to relate the Contrivances of Francifco de Carvajal, who was folic~tous to fuflain and augment the greatnefs bf Pif ttrro. Soon after che Prefident had removed his Carnp from Anttthuaylla, and was on hís march towards Co<.co, Gonfa lo Pi f arro received inrelligence thereof; for from rime to time