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.

Royal Commentaries. BoóK VU. ters, fuffered their Flasks of Po~der to be we'ued wich hanging in the wat-e( ; bm others, more wary, carried tbeir Powde( and Mufquecs on cheir heads. Cap- rain Piedrahita; feeing Martin de Robles in fuch haíl:e and Ciíorder coming to attack him; fallied out with g1eat courage, and gave him fuch a volley' of fhot as killed him feveral meo; which drove him and his men_back again over die River ; with which Piedrahita retq¡ned very gravely tó his former poíl. By this r'me che Captains Martin de Olmos ·and {ohn Ramon were come up near to the Fort of Piedra- hita who feeing how ill it haél· paífed with M artín de R.obles, w.ere.deftr@usto-. re- pait~ che difgrace and recover the honour which the ocher had !oíl ; pli t thé Ene- rny, being flefhed and encouraged with the late füccefs, received che Aíliiilants wirh the like Volley as they had done che others ; and though the fight cominu- ed forne time, yet ac length the Viétory inclined to Piedrabita, and che comrary pany forced to recrear to the River, many of them being killed and wounded, and many ·of tbern. repaíled it again. Captain Piedrahita, being greatly animated with the füccefs of thefe two encounters, r.emrned ro bis former ílation, to be "in a readinefs to apply himfelf to chofe pares where néceffity moíl: required. Now whilll: thefe two rnisformnes had befaln the Marfbal, caufed by rhe haíl-y precipi~ tation of Martin de Robles, who would not attend the fignal of che On-fer, nor the Orders given him ; che Captains and che ocher parries of Souldiers defcended down to die River, and paffed ic with extraordinary difficulty ; for in thar pare che water was fo deep that the Infamry wetted both their Powder artd their Muf- quets, and che Pikernen loíl their Pikes in che füeam. Now che Mufquetiers of Hernandez , who, as we faid before, were lodged in Ambufhes, covered with Rocks, Thick~ts and Caves borderi.ng on che Banks, feeing wirh what difficulry their Enernies were labouring to pafs rhe füeam, they aífailed them wichin che water, and kill~d many of thern in the River before they were able to pafs ovér; for, fhooting with their Mufquets on ReJls, they feldom failed to hit the mark at which they aimed ; and fo many were killed and wounded boch in rhac Pafs and in che Plain where they defigned to draw up, that they coald not difpofe their Squadrons in che order intended. The principal perfons kiUed were (ohn de Saave.dra, the Serjeant-Major, Pillavi-: cencio, Gome<.. de A/varado, Captain Hernando, Alvarez, de Toledo, Don Ga11riel de Gu~- 1!1an, Diego de V/loa, Franci(co de Barrientos a Citizen of Couo, and Simon Pinto an ' Enfign. The perfons wounded were Martin de Robles, Captain JV!artin de Alar 1 on, and Gon9aloSilveftre, of whom we have formerly made mention ar large; and whO lolt a Horfe that day killed under him, for which, two days before, M artin de Robles, (to whom the Prefident had given a Revenue of forty rhoufa nd pieces of Eight a year) had offered che fürn of twelve thoufand Ducars, and he refufed to accept it, having occafion of a good Horfe at that time for this Battel. We have mentioned chis paífage before in the Gxteenth Chapter of che ninth Book of the firíl: Pare of thefe Commentaries ; but not 'having fpecified their names in rhat place, it comes oppormnely and to rhe purpofe to infert them here, and to de- clare that Gon1alo Silveftre had his Leg broken with the fall of hisHorfe, but by che help of his Jndian, who brought him ·anorher, though not fo good as the forrner, was carried off, and conduéted by him to Huamanca, where he ferved him umill che end of theWar with as much fidelity and affeétion as if he had been his own Son. Befides che(e perfons of note before named, . fixcy common Souldiers of good eíl:eem were killed likewife, who never carne to dint of Sword, or puíh of Pike, bue were fhot and birded off ac a diílance. · Thefe were the moíl: remarkable paífages which happened ih chis Barre], for whar fücceeded afterwards was nothing bue confufion and diforder ; for che grea· teíl: part of che Marfhal's Souldiers refufed to país rhe River, for they had had enough of the firíl: day's Skirmifh, having cried the fmarrnefs of rhe Enemy's ffre ~ rhe fear and dread whereof remained on their fpirits untill che total defeat. A certain Souldier, named Perales, revolted over to che Márfhal's fi~e, and de- fired to have~a Gun charged to fhoot at Hermmdez., , for he faid he kne>y him well, and had obferved che rnlour of his Clothes: a Gun was accordingly given hirn, wtch which he made a fhot, and killed' {ohn Alonfo de Badajoz., wbom ne millook for Hernande~, whó had che fame coloured Cloches) and was much of the fame fhape and ·proportion with him.' ·Howfoever he publickly praifed hirnfelf for the fervice he had done; bue when che Viétory appeared for Hernandn, he retur- ned to him agaiE, and told him, chat he had been raken prifoner by theEnemy,. bm úpon