Several Of His Confidents Even Urged Him To Secure His Conquest By Putting The Pizarros To Death; But He Was Chiefly Dissuaded From This By The Influence Of Diego De Alvarado, Who Became Responsible For Them.

It has been said that Almagro violated the truce which he had agreed to with Ferdinand Pizarro, in consequence of the false representations of several Indians and Spaniards, who told him that Ferdinand had ordered all the bridges to be broken down, and was employed in fortifying Cuzco against him.

In proof of this, it is alleged that when Almagro was advancing to attack the city, and saw the bridges remained uninjured, he said aloud that he had been imposed on. The governor Don Francisco Pizarro did not receive any account of these events at Cuzco for a good many days afterwards. As the Inca Manco Capac had fled with a large body of Peruvian warriors to the high mountains of the Andes, Almagro invested his brother the _Inca Paul_[7] with the royal fringed fillet, appointing him nominal king of Peru.

Among those things which Don Francisco Pizarro had solicited from his majesty in reward for his services in the discovery and conquest of Peru, he particularly requested the grant in perpetuity to him and his descendants of twenty thousand Indians in a province named _Atabillos_[8], with all the revenues, imposts, rights, and jurisdictions appertaining to them, together with the title of Marquis of that province. The king gave him the title of Marquis according to his desire; but in regard to the grant of Indians which he solicited, answered, that he must in the first place be better informed of the nature and circumstances of the country and its native institutions, before he could determine on that measure, but that Pizarro might rest assured of having every reasonable concession in his favour.

On receiving information of the insurrection of the Peruvians around Cuzco under Manco Capac, Francisco Pizarro, now Marquis, sent several detachments of troops to the assistance of his brother Ferdinand at Cuzco, sometimes ten or fifteen only together, according as circumstances or convenience occurred, not believing the state of affairs to be so hazardous as it was in reality[9]. The Peruvians having accurate information of the march of these detachments, occupied the difficult passes of the mountains with parties of warriors, and succeeded on several occasions to defeat these small bodies, most of whom were slain. One considerable reinforcement of seventy horsemen, was sent by the Marquis from Truxillo and San Miguel under the command of Diego Pizarro, who was waylaid by the Peruvians at a difficult pass called the mountain of Parios, about fifty leagues from Cuzco, where he and his men were all slain. One Gonzalo de Tapia, who was brother-in-law to the Marquis, who went with a body of eighty horsemen, was likewise defeated and slain; and two other captains, named Morgoveio and Gaete, while endeavouring to pass the mountains to the relief of Cuzco, were treated in the same manner.

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