AMERICAN ^-^^ yy- Gi^^ JUVENILE BIOGRAPHY. THE LIVES HERNANDO CORTES, THE DISCOVERER OF MEXICO, AND FRANCISCO PIZARRO, THE CONQUEROR OF PERU. BOSTON: B BENJAMIN H. GREENE 1840. f!l2>d Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1839, ■ By T. H. Carter, i in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. ) . ^ I 340 f Kidder & Wright, Printers, 32 Congress Street, Boston. /3-/^/^ PREFATORY NOTICE. " Is this true," is a question often asked by a child, after reading a story. Perhaps it is well, sometimes, to be able to answer this question in the affirmative. If it is possible to relate the history of remarkable persons in such a manner as to interest the young, such stories may create a better taste in reading than that which is formed by the constant perusal of fic- tion, which is now employed not only in works intended for relaxation and amusement, but as a vehicle to inculcate the deepest principles of philosophy and religion. This volume is in- tended as a part of a series of the lives of distinguished persons, adapted to the under- standing of the young. TABLE OF CONTENTS. LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. CHAPTER I. Birth and Parentage of Cortes. — His early ad- ventures. — His first voyage.— His residence in Cuba. — Quarrels with the Governor. — His marriage. — His reconciliation with the Gov- ernor. -----------13 CHAPTER n. Wars with the Natives.— Cortes prepares for his first voyage of discovery. — Adventures at Cozumel. - - 23 CHAPTER m. Cortes reaches St. John de Ullua. — Lands. — He receives messengers from Montezuma, the Sovereign of Mexico. — Mexican man- ner of conveying the mail. — Cortes exchan- ges presents with the Mexicans. — Cortes founds a new town. — Visits the town of Zempoalla. -- 33 VI CONTENTS. CHAPTER IV. Cortes visits an Indian town. — Message from the Zempoallans. — Cortes sets out for Mex- ico, — Adventures on the way to Tlascalla. — Farther messages from Montezuma. — Cortes reaches Tlascalla. -- -----44 CHAPTER V. Description of Tlascalla. — Plots^ of the Mexi- cans to destroy the Spaniards. — Description of Cholula. — Cortes proceeds on his jour- ney. — Enters Mexico. - . - . - - 55 CHAPTER VI. Montezuma. — Description of the city of Mex- ico. — Cortes seizes Montezuma. - - 67 CHAPTER Vn. Cortes discovers the Treasure Chamber. — Ex- ecution of Qaalpopoca. — Montezuma desires Cortes to leave the country. - - - - 77 CHAPTER Vni. Eleven ships arrive. — Adventures with Narva- ez. — Spaniards attacked in Mexico. — Mon- tezuma killed. -------- 86 CONTENTS. Vll CHAPTER IX. War with the Mexicans continues. — Two youths strive to kill Cortes. — Cortes prepares to leave the city. — Departure from the citj^. — The Spaniards suffer great loss. — They reach Tlascalla. — More ships arrive. — Plots against Cortes. -96 CHAPTER X. Cortes finishes and launches his ships. — Seige of Mexico. — Guatimozin taken prisoner. — Spaniards enter Mexico. — Cortes returns to Spain. - - - - 106 CHAPTER XI. New forms of Government in Mexico. — Cortes goes back to Spain. — Death of Cortes. — His family and character. - - - - - -115 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. CHAPTER I. Birth and Parentage of Pizarro. — His early adventures. — His preparations for his first voyage. — Sails from Panama. — Pizarro goes to Spain. 123 Vlll CONTENTS. CHAPTER II. Sails on his voyage of discovery. — Reaches Pe- ru, founds the town of St. Michael. — State of Peru when discovered hy the Spaniards. — The Spaniards seize the Peruvian Prince. 134 CHAPTER III. Grief of the Inca. — Offers an immense ransom for his liberty. — Almagro arrives. — Mock trial and execution of the Inca. - - - - 147 CHAPTER IV. Divisions among the Peruvians. — Almagro made Governor of Chili. — Pizarro endeavors to fix the Government of his new empire. — The Peruvians attack the Spaniards in Cuzco. 158 CHAPTER V. Almagro reaches Cuzco.-Enters the city. — Bat- tle between Almagro and Pizarro. — Almagro conquered and taken prisoner. — Strangled in prison. ---- 171 CHAPTER VI. Expedition of Gonzalo, Pizarro and Orallana. — The sufferings of the men engaged in it. — Al- magro the younger. — Plots against Pizarro. — He is killed in his own house. — Events after the death of Pizarro, 182 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. CHAPTER I. Hernando Cortes was born in the town of Medellin, in Spain, in the year 1485. — His pa- rents were not rich, but they were honest and good people, and belonged to one of those fam- ilies in Spain, which was considered honorable, because the first founders of them had been dis- tinguished for riches, or courage in^the wars. His mother was very religious, but severe and strict ; his father is said to have been very charitable. In his early life, the father of Cor- tes was a soldier, and probably the stories he told his son, of the battles which he had fought in his youth, gave him a taste for the life of a soldier, in which he afterward became so cele- brated. When he was young, Cortes was sick a great deal, and at one time was so very ill, that his friends thought he would never get well, but from this disease he recovered. 2 14 ilFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. When he was fourteen years old, his parents sent him to the University of Salamanca. Here he appears to have studied diligently, and made a good use of his time, as in his after-life he was several times employed as a clerk. Now, almost every little boy and girl can learn to read and write, if they please, but it was not so, in the time and the country in which Cortes lived. He left the University when he had been there two years. His parents were sor- ry for this, for they thought he had great pow- ers of mind, and they wished him to study and to be a lawyer, which was an honorable profes- sion, and one by which he might have gained a large fortune, but he was not a very obedient boy, he thought he knew better than his father and mother, what was best for him. He was very fond of fighting, and thought he should like to be a soldier. A few years before this time, America had been discovered, and people felt very curious to join the expeditions which were often fitted out for the new world. It is no wonder that one so restless and bold as Cortes, should have wished to join some of these expeditions. He concluded to make this new voyage with Ovan- LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 15 do, who was about fitting out some ships for America, but while the vessels were preparing, his bold and careless disposition got him into a difficulty. He was climbing a wall to pay a visit in the night to a lady, and by some acci- dent, he fell. His fall made a great noise, and a man who lived in the house, hearing the disturbance, came out, and was about to kill him, thinking he was a thief, but he contrived to convince the man, that he did not come there to do him any injury, and was suffered to go away, but the fall hurt him so much, that he was not able to go to sea in Ovando's fleet when he sailed, and had time to think while he lay, slowly recovering, on his bed, that he had better be more careful in future, and avoid get- ting into such scrapes. After he got well, he spent nearly a year in travelling about in Italy; there he was often poor, and exposed to great suffering. He at last returned home to his parents, and told them he wanted very much to go to America. Find- ing that he was not willing to do what they wished him to do at home, they gave him leave to go, and provided him with money for his voyage. I 16 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. Cortes sailed for America in the year 1504. He was at that time nineteen years of age. The fleet in which he went, was composed of four ships, commanded by Alonzo Quintezo. They stopped at Gomera, in the Canary Iskmds. Quintezo was an artful man, and wanted to get to the new countries before his companions, so that he might have a better chance^to get gold, after which every body was then so eager, so he sailed from Gomera before the other vessels of the fleet. But his selfishness was punished, for he had not gone far, before he lost his mast, and was obliged to go back ; there he found the other ships ready to sail, and he was afraid he should be left behind. But his companions were more kind than he had been, and consent- ed to wait until he could get his ship repaired. They then all set sail together. The wind was fair, and Quintezo again tried to get before his companions ; he soon lost sight of the other vessels, but the pilot who steered the ship, got bewildered. The men grew dis- couraged, and thought they should never see the land again. But while they were so sor- rowful, they saw one day, a pretty little dove, come and seat itself on the top of the mast. LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 17 They thought they must be near the shore, and when the dove flew away, they followed his course, and soon saw the land. In four days, they reached St. Domingo, and fonnd^hat the other ships had already reached there. They had gained nothing by their selfishness, in try- ing to get before their companions, and must have felt ashamed of themselves, when they met their companions again, after they had twice tried to get before them. Ovando was governor of St. Domingo, when Cortes arrived there. He told Cortes, he had better stay in that place, and offered to give hira land, that he might become a farmer. But this life seemed too quiet for Cortes, he wanted to go and hunt for gold, that he might become rich all at once. Ovando was then fighting with the Indians, and finding that Cortes did not want to be a farmer, he invited him to join him in his battles against the poor natives. This pleased the temper of Cortes better, and he joined the army of Ovando. When the war was over, he received some land, and a number of Indians, in payment for his service, and re- mained in Hispaniola for five or six years. A part of this time, he held the office of notary 2=^ 18 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. in one of the cities. An expedition was fitted out during this time for Veragua, and Cortes wished to join it, but he was prevented by. sick- ness. This was happy for him, as the persons who went on that expedition were not success- ful, and suffered a great deal. After having remained in Hispaniola some time, he went to the Island of Cuba, which had been conquered by the Spaniards in the year 1511. Here he held several offices. He was clerk to the treasurer, and kept all the pub- lic accounts. He acquired considerable prop- erty in land and in Indians. He employed himself in raising cattle, cows, sheep and hor- ses ; he is said to have been the first person on the island who had any considerable flocks. He employed his Indians to collect gold for him. His riches increased rapidly, and he was found to manage his own affairs so skilfully, that the governor of the island, who was named Velasquez, employed him in the public business. He directed the building of a bank, a hospital, and other public works. After this, some difficulties arose between Cortes and Velasquez, the governor. He was accused of having done some wrong things, and LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 19 the governor believed that he had done them. He, therefore, seized Cortes, and put him into prison. Cortes knew that there were people who would tell lies about him, if he came to be put on his trial, and so he tried to escape from his prison. He succeeded in getting his feet out of the stocks in which they were con- fined, took the keeper's sword from him, and escaped through the window of his prison. In those days, when the laws were not very well ordered, people were much more exposed to the violent passions of other men, than they are now. So it was the custom to have the churches considered as safe places, or places of sanctuary, as they were called. If any one was pursued, and could succeed in reaching a church and enter it, he was safe from his ene- my, be he high or low. So Cortes, when he got out of prison, went to a church and took sanctuary there, and the governor was not able to take him away. It was well that in such rude days, when there was so little law, and people cared so little for what there was, that they had so much fear of God, as to respect his temple, and not allow their violent passions *• 20 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. and quarrels to enter into one devoted to his service. The governor was very angry with the jail- or, when he found that Cortes had made his escape. He watched Cortes, in the hope that he might at some time, step out of the church, and then the governor would have caused him to be seized. But Cortes was very careful for some time, and kept out of the way. At last it so happened, that he stepped for a moment before the church door, the governor immediate- ly caused him to be seized, carried on board ship, and for greater security, he was put in the lower part of the vessel. Poor Cortes was much discouraged at this, he thought he should be sent to St. Domingo, or perhaps to Spain, and with an enemy so powerful as the govern- or, he was afraid he should have a bad time of it. He tried with all his might to get loose from his prison, and at last succeeded in reach- ing the upper part of the ship. Here he per- suaded a lad to exchange clothes with him, and made his escape from the ship, without being heard, he took possession of the boat which be- longed to the ship in which he had been con- fined, and in order to prevent the men from fol- LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 21 lowing him, in case they should find out that he was gone, he also took with him the hoat belonging to a ship which lay near by. The current of water flowed very strong, and hav- ing no one to help him row, he was unable to reach the land in his boat. He grew very tired, and hardly knew what to do. But his stout heart did not fail him, he stripped ofFhis clothes, tied some valuable papers which he had, in a handkerchief, and bound it round his head, and succeeded in reaching the land by swimming. These papers which he saved in this way, were important to him to defend him against the governor ; and as soon as he reached the shore, he carried them, and placed them in the hands of a public officer, who would take care of them, and from whom he could get them, in case he should want to make use of them, to defend himself. After this, he went to his own house, and having spent a short time in con- versing with his family, he again took shelter in a church. The governor, having become convinced of the innocence of Cortes, or having got tired of trying to keep him confined, now sent him word that he was willing to forget their pastdifficul- 22 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. ties, and should like to have Cortes join him in fighting the Indians. To this, Cortez returned the governor no answer. About this time, he married a lady named Catalina Xuarez, she was a native of Spain, and had visited the new world in company with the wife of Diego Columbus, when that lady came out to St. Domingo, as Vice Queen. Velasquez, the governor, having made him- self ready, set out to fight the Indians. After he was gone, Cortes desired his brother-in law to meet him without the town, and bring with him his lance and cross-bow. Having armed himself, he followed the path which the govern- or had taken, and reached, after dark, a farm, where Velasquez was stopping with his ser- vants to pass the night, his army being encamp- ed in a village at a short distance. He knock- ed at the door, and when it was opened, he said, here is Hernando Cortes, who would speak to the governor. The governor was not a little frightened at seeing him armed at this late hour, he also felt, probably, that he had injured Cortes. He spoke civilly to his visitor, however, and desired him to come in and rest himself. Cor- tes told him he had come to see what fault the LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 23 governor had to fin^ with. him. He said that if any one had told the governor he vsras his enemy, they had said what was not true, for that he was his friend and dutiful servant. The governor then embraced him, and they were so reconciled, as both to lie down to rest on the same bed ; and when the messengers came to tell Velasquez that Cortes had made his escape, they were very much astonished to see them such good friends. CHAPTER II. Cortes went with the governor to the wars, and when they were over, he went to his farm, and took care of his sheep, and the mines of gold which had become his property. But even in this quiet home, he could not keep out^ of danger, for as he was one night returning in a canoe from a visit he had been making to a distant mine, his canoe upset; he was half a league from the shore, and it was very dark, but he swam very stoutly, being cheered by a light which he espied on the sea-shore. 24 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. At last he reached the land, and found a party of his own shepherds, who were tending their flocks, and eating their supper. And here he was able to rest and refresh himself. Velasquez having finished his war with the Indians, was very desirous to send an expedi- tion of discovery to the main land of America, the wonders of which had reached him. He fitted out an expedition under the command of a fellow countryman, named Grijalva. He sent with him four hundred men in four ships. They reached Yucatan. The Indians there were not friendly, but attacked the party under Grijalva, and he suffered some harm in the ^contest. From there, he went to St. John de Ulua, and took possession of the country for the king. Here he traded with the Indians, and collected a great deal of gold. He also made certain that this was a part of a continent, and not an island. His men wished much that he should stay and found a colony in that place, but he refused to do so, though the country was very rich, and they found gold in great abund- ance. He returned to Cuba, bringing with him a great quantity of gold, and much curious- ly wrought feather work, and other Indian or- LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 25 naments, which he had got from the Indians in exchange for some articles of trifling vahae. The governor was much displeased with him, that he had not stayed to found a colony, in a spot which seemed to promise so much. Before Grijalva had got back, the governor had done something toward fitting out another expedition. He loved his money very much, and did not wish to spend his own wealth in fitting out. the expedition, but he wanted to have some ships sent, partly to find out what had become of Grijalva. He talked with several of the people of the Island of Cuba about it, and among others, with Cortes, who had con- siderable money. Cortes liked the plan of sending out ships, and was willing to bear a large part of the expense. Preparations were made, and Cortes was appointed commander for the voyage. He spent money, and super- intended the fitting out the ships, but before they were ready to sail, Grijalva returned from his voyage. When the governor saw the fine things he had brought home, and heard the account given by him and his men, of the ricii countries they had visited,' he was sorry that he had offered to 3 26 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES'. any one else a share in the advantages of ano-' ther voj^age. He would have liked better to have kept all the profits of the concern in his own hands. He knew that Cortes w^as a man of a very powerful character, and he thought he could not manage him so well as he could Grijalva, who was his relation, and also a weak man, and whom he now proposed to send back to the place from which he had first come. He determined, therefore, to do all he could to prevent Cortes from going on with the voyage which he was planning. As he w^as governor of the island, he had it in his power to do a great deal to hinder Cortes from making the necessary preparations. He was not able to get in the island of Cuba a sufficient supply of provisions for his ships. He therefore left that island w^ith his five ships. He sent one of his vessels to Jamaica for a farther supply, and stopped himself at the most western point of that island. He succeeded in obtaining consid- erable supplies from the neighboring islands, he also met with a ship loaded with provisions, which was on its way to the mines, with the intention of selling its freight. Cortes pur- chased this cargo of the captain, which helped LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 27 him mncli in fitting out his ships. Before he sailed, however, ships came out from the gov- ernor, ordering him not to sail, and at the same time, secret orders were sent to seize Cortes, so great was the jealousy which Velasquez had of him. But Cortes took care not to fall again into the hands of this artful man. He hastily left Cape Corientes, and sailed to San Antho- nio. Here he took an account of his men, and arranged them in order under their several commanders. He had 550 Spaniards'; 50 of whom were mariners — 220 Indians to carry burdens. A good store of horses, of provisions, and an ample supply of trinkets to be made use of, in trading with the natives. The Admiral ship was of 100 tons, the oth- ers, of 80 tons burthen. The flag of Cortes, was flames of fire, on a ground of white and blue, with a red cross in the midst. Being ready to depart on his expedition, Cortes made a speech to his men, cheering them, and set- ting before them the glorious hopes he enter- tertained ; they w^ere much animated by his words, and the fleet finally sailed on the 19th of February, 1519. He gave directions that all the ships should 28 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. follow that of the Admiral, which was always to be furnished with a light. The first night after they sailed, one of those violent storms arose, which prevail so much in those regions. The ships were separated from each other, one of them losing a rudder. The gale lasted for two days, but they at last all reached safely the island of Cozumel, with the exception of one vessel. The natives were much alarmed at the ap- proach of this large fleet. They left their vil- lages, and retreated to the mountains. "When the Spaniards landed, they found a village of houses, built of mason work, a high tower on the sea-side, idols of earth and stone, fields planted with maize, hives of bees, but no in- habitants. They found many ornaments of gold, which they carried back, and showed to their commander. Cortes was much pleased with the richness of the ornaments which his men brought back, and with the account they gave of the good appearance of the Island. He concluded to take his horses out of the ships, that they might be refreshed by feeding upon the grass, and that his men might also make use of them to LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 29 explore the country. After some search, they found in a thick grove in the mountains, 4 wo- men and 3 children. These the Spaniards took and carried back to Cortes. They ap- peared to be much grieved to find themselves in the power of the Spaniards ; but Cortes treated them kindly, dressed them in Spanish clothes, gave the women looking-glasses and scissor^s, and toys to the children, and sent them back. Some of the men now came to visit the new comers ; and, at last, the inha.bi- tants- generally returned, they begged the Span- iards to remain in the houses which they occu- pied. Cortes obliged his men to return all the gold and articles they had taken from 'the vil- lage on their first landing. The Indians brought their visiters a good supply of honey, bread, wax, fruit and fish. Cortes finding these people so friendly and peaceable, tried to make them become Chris- tians. He had a man with him who had been at this island before with Cordova, who served as an interpreter. Cortes advised them through him, to take away their idols, and worship the God of the Christians. The Indians answer- ed, that they were contented to do so. Their 3^ 30 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. temple was built like a square tower, broad at the foot, with steps leading up to it. From the middle upwards, very straight, the top was hol- low, and covered with straw. In the hollow place, was the chapel, where the idols stood. They were willing to listen to the advice of Cortes, and went with him to this temple, and threw down the idols, and he caused to be cel- ebrated the worship of the true God in the place. They also promised to leave off sacrifi- cing men in their religious services, which they had before been accustomed to do. While they were at Cozumel, the Indians told them, that at Yucatan there were 4 or 5 bearded men like the Spaniards. Cortes wish- ed much to find out who they were, and relieve them from the troubles to which they were probably exposed, he also thought it would be very useful to him if he could get them to as- sist him as interpreters. He, therefore, wrote a letter, telling who he was, and desiring these people to come to him, he sent one of his ships to the coast of Yucatan. .Here they engaged two Indians to carry the letter into the interior, where they supposed the men were living. Fearing that this letter might be taken from LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 31 the Indians, they contrived to conceal it in their hair, which they wore long. The ship waited eight days for the Indians, and they did not return. They then, suppos- ing that they had been taken prisoners, or that the white men could not return with them, left that shore and returned to Cortes. The fleet now left the island of Cozumel. The chief and his subjects showed great grief at their departure. From thence, they sailed to the Cape, called Women's Cape. Here one of the vessels became leaky, and they thought it best to return with the fleet to Cozumel. The Indians were glad to see them, and assist- ed them to repair the leaky vessel, which was soon mended. They prepared to leave again the island, but were prevented by the violence of the wind. On Sunday, the weather was favorable, but Cortes chose to remain and have divine ser- vice performed on board his ship. It was well that they had been detained, for while they were engaged in their worship, a canoe ap- proached. This proved to have four persons on board, three Indians, and one European. He hailed the ships, in the Spanish language, 32 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. and finding that lie received an answer in his native tongue, he fell down on his knees, and thanked God, that he again heard that pleasant sound. He was a Spaniard, named Aguilar^ who had been at Darien, under the command of Nicnessa, and had been sent by him to St. Domingo, to carry intelligence. The ship in which he embarked, was lost. He, with seve- ral companions, entered the boat. They had reached an Indian settlement. Some had died of fatigue, others had been sacrificed by the Indians, he, and three others, were kept in a cage, to be made fat for a sacrifice, but had es- caped, and he, with one other, had reached some natives who had treated them kindly. His companion was married, and had adopted the Indian fashion of boring his ears and nose^ and decorating himself, so that he was asham- ed to show himself to Cortes ; but Aguilar had made what haste he could, and was now over- joyed to meet his countrymen, who were also well pleased to have him with them. They now left Cozumel, and sailed to the river Tabasco, where they anchored. Cortes held some communications with the Indians, they were unwilling to furnish supplies in as LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 33 great quantity as they desired, and also refused to allow them to land. Cortes, however, went on shore, and had a battle with the Indians, and conquered them, he took possession of the country for the king of Spain. He broke down the idols, and set up the sign of the cross. CHAPTER m.. Sailing from Tabasco, he reached St. John de Ulua, where he anchored. A boat came out to the ships. The men on board said they were sent by the governor Tutili, to see what they wanted, who they were, and how long they were going to stay. Their language was not exactly like that which Aguilar had heard among the Indians, and he did not perfectly understand them. Cortes entertained the mes- sengers kindly, feasted them, and gave them wine. He told them he should land the next day. They desired to take some of the food they had eaten, and the wine they had tasted, to show to the governor. The next day Cortes brought his horses and 34 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. cannon to the land. He pitched his tent, and his men built themselves cottages with the boughs of trees. The Indians came to see them, and brought them bread, meat dressed after their fashion, and gold ornaments in great abundance. Cortes ordered his men not to seem to want the gold, more than any thing else, because he did not wish the Indians to think that they had come on purpose to get gold. Soon after their landing, Tutili, the govern- or, came from his home, which was eight leagues distant, to visit the Spaniards. He brought Avith him q^ great number of followers. They were, for the most part, clothed in cotton garments, made rich, after the Indian fashion. Some of his men were naked. They brought a great supply of food. He saluted Cortes in a very strange manner. He burned before him a kind of incense, or sweet smelling gum, and he offered to him little straws, the ends of which, had been dipped in blood, drawn from his own body. He presented Cortes with gold, and jew- els of gold, very richly Avrought, and other pre- sents, made very curiously of feathers. Cortes embraced him kindly, and saluted all his fol- LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 85 lowers. He ga\*e Tatili a coat of silk, a broach, and a collar of glass, with many other articles of European fashion, with which the governor was highly pleased. Before Cortes left the country near the river Tabasco, he received from the chief of that re- gion, a present of twenty women as slav6s. Among them was one, who had been taken when she was a little girl from the country near which Cortes had noAv arrived. She under- stood the language of these Indians, and Cortes promised her, her liberty^ and great privileges, if she would act as his interpreter ; this she consented to do. She was christened by the name of Marina, and proved to be very useful to Cortes. Tutili dined with Cortes, and witnessed the worship of the true God. Cortes told him what a great monarch the emperor of Spain was, and that he had sent him out to visit his master Montezuma, and bring him a message. Tutili said he had always thought that there was no monarch in the world so mighty as his own master Montezuma. He promised to tell 'lis master about the emperor of Spain, and ;:,^at CJ©rtevS was his messenger, and wished to 36 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. visit Montezuma. Cortes ordered his men out in battle array; he made the musicians play, the guns fire, and paraded the horses before the Indians. They were much astonished. When the cannon fired, they fell on their faces, think- ing that the heavens were falling. Tutili sent an account to Montezuma of every thing he saw. They had a very curious and quick way of sending the news, almost as good as the post-offices we have now. Some In- dians under the direction of Tutili, painted the whole scene of the Spanish camp, the horses, the cannon, the number of men, &c., on pieces of cotton, with very bright paints. - These were put into the hands of the Indians, who carried them a certain distance ; here they met others, who took them to another stopping place, ex- actly as they manage now with sending the mail, except that they had no horses. This was arranged so well, that the news reached Mexico, where Montezuma lived, and which was distant two hundred and ten miles from the Spanish camp, in one day and one night. Tutili advised Montezuma to send as much gold as he could to the Spaniards, for Cortes had told him, that he and his companions had LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 37 a certain disease of the heart, which gold could cure, or make better. Cortes sent presents to Montezuma by these messengers. Tutili now took his leave of Cortes, but he left behind him a thousand persons under three captains. These people were stationed in cot- tages, made of branches of trees, and were or- dered to prepare food for the Spaniards. The men carried them meats, dressed after the In- dian manner, and the women ground their corn, and prepared bread for them. By the return of the post messengers, Cortes received presents of great value from Monte- zuma. Coverlets, and garments of cotton cloth, articles wrought with gold and feathers, jewels of gold, and two large wheels of gold and sil- ver, ornamented with figures of the sun, of great size, and of great value. Montezuma sent word that he was very glad to hear from so great a prince as the king of Spain, and that he should be glad to supply Cortes with every thing ne- cessary for himself and his men, for the time that he should stay in his country. But that he could not come to see Cortes, because he was sick, and he would not advise Cortes to come to Mexico to visit him. He told him the 4 39 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. way was long and mountainous, that the iri-^ habitants of some of the countries through which he must pass, were enemies to Monte- :2uma, and might hurt Cortes, when they found he was the friend of the lord of Mexico. Cortes replied to Tutili, who brought him this message, when the post returned, that he must certainly go to Mexico, to deliver the mes- sage of his master the em.peror, to Montezuma. He said that as the Spaniards had come two thousand leagues by water, they were not afraid to go seventy leagues by land. Tutili promised to send this answer to his master, he also told him that he and his men should be supplied with all they wanted, while they remained in the country. Cortes received a visit from some Indians of the town of Zempoalla, which was about a days' journey from the Spanish camp. They said their lord had sent them to enquire who these new comers were. Cortes observed that they did not speak to the Indians who had been left by Tutili, and that they were dressed in a dif- ferent manner, and had their ears and noses bored. Cortes showed them his camp. Ma- rina, on conversing with them, found they were I LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 39 not vassals of Montezuma. They said that Montezuma tried to be lord over the whole countrj^, and compelled other tribes to pay tri- bute to him. Their lord was one of these other tribes. They had several times fought battles with Montezuma, and tried to gain their free- dom from this tribute, but they had been con- quered by Montezuma, and found themselves worse oflf than before. Cortes was glad to hear that the natives were divided among them- selves, as he hoped to be able to conquer the country more easily, as the tribes were at war with each other. After ten days, Tutili return- ed. He brought another valuable present from Montezuma. That prince desired Cortes to leave the country as soon as he could. He told him if there was any thing he wished, either for his men or his ships, that it should be furnished to him. Cortes replied, that he should not leave the country until he had seen Montezuma. Tutili disputed no more with him about the matter, but left him, and the next day the people who had been left to provide provisions for the Spaniards, all went away, and the cottages were removed. Cortes resolved to fix himself somewhere in 40 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. this neighborhood He was determined to con- quer the country, and he was encouraged to think this would be possible, when he found that the Indians were divided against each other and that many of them thought Montezuma had oppressed them, and would be glad to help Cortes fight against him. ; They explored the country to find a good place for a town, and having fixed upon what Cortes thought would be a good place, he re- turned to his ships, to unload them, and make preparations for building the town. Cortes then made an address to his men. He told them he had found a good place to establish a city, and that they must have suitable officers to govern it. He then appointed such officers as were usual in Spanish towns at that time, He proposed that they should send word to the emperor Charles V., who was then king of Spain, what they had done, and also send him some specimens of the gold and other things they had obtained from the Mexicans. He then told them he should give up the power he had received from the governor of Cuba, and act like one of the citizens of the LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 41 new town, and obey the laws which the new officers should make. The first thing the officers of the new town did, was to choose Cortes Captain-General and Chief Justice, and give him authority to man- age all the concerns of the colony. This was what Cortes probably expected and wished them to do. He knew that the governor of Cuba was not a very good man, and that he disliked Cortes, and he feared that he might send to Mexico, and deprive him of his power. But if he could persuade his men to make him their Captain, he could have more entire con- trol over them, and they would stay by him, in opposition to Velasquez, whom they knew was a selfish and unjust man. Cortes ordered all the stores of the ship to be brought from the ships and lodged in the store-house. The men desired him to take such a share as he thought belonged to him, as the Captain, and also because he had furnished with his own money, a great part of the sup- plies of the expedition, but he refused to take more than an equal share with the others. This, and the rest of his conduct, made most 4^ 42 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. of his men like him very much, and made them very willing to follow his orders. While they were exploring the country, to fix a place for their new town, they saw some natives who came from the town of Zempoalla. They were much afraid, at first, but on being treated kindly by the Spaniards, they invited Cortes to come and visit their city. They said their lord was very fat and heavy, and he could not come out to meet the strangers, but that he had sent them with a present of some turkeys, and begged Cortes to come and visit him. Cortes complied with the invitation ; he was kindly received, and hospitably lodged. Cortes placed a guard before the doors of his house at night, so that he might not be surprised by the Indians. He was always very thoughtful, and this was probably the reason that he almost al- ways succeeded in what he undertook. He was what might be called a lucky man, but it will generally be found that these persons who are called lucky, are always very attentive to take advantage of every thing that can help them, and never to forget to do all in their power to secure the success of what they undertake. LIFE OF PIERNANDO CORTES. 43 Careless, thoughtless persons, be they young or old, are very apt to be unlucky. The next day, the chief came to visit Cortes in his lodgings. He was such a very fat man, that he was obliged to be helped to walk by a man on each side of him. If he was so fat, it is probable he was a little lazy, and not sorry that somebody had come who would be willing to fight his enemies for him ; for it must have been hard work for such a fat body to go to battle. Cortes proposed that they should sit down and talk over matters quietly ; to this the chief consented, and three legged stools all made of one piece of wood, were placed for them. The Indian chief told his followers to stand at a distance. Cortes told him the same story he had told the other chiefs with whom he had conversed, of the king his master, and what he was sent out for. The chief of Zempoalla, in his turn said, that his ancestors in old times lived in peace and quietness, but that the lords of Mexico had intruded into their country, had oppressed them, and forced them to pay tribute. They had several times tried to rid themselves of these hard masters, but that they had not 44 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. succeeded, the Mexicans had conquered them in battle, and the prisoners whom they took, 'they sacrificed to their Gods. He said that the Tlascalans were also enemies of Montezu- ma, and had been oppressed by him, and that there were several other tribes in the same situ- ation, who would be very glad to rid themselves of his oppression. Cortes told them he was very sorry, and that the emperor his master, would be very glad to have him help them to gain the liberty of which the Mexicans had deprived them. The chief thanked Cortes for his kind promises, and when Cortes took his leave of him, he made him sev- eral very rich presents, and besides these, gave him eight young girls, richly dressed, after the Indian fashion. Cortes and his party left Zem-^ poalla, the girls riding on horseback, behind the Spaniards, CHAPTER IV. In returning to the ships, Cortes visited ano- ther Indian town, where he was kindly received. LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 45 While he was there, the officers employed by Montezuma to collect his tribute, arrived. The inhabitants of the town were much alarm- ed, thinking Montezuma would be angry with them for conversing with these strangers. But Cortes encouraged them to resist the tax-gath- erers, which they did, and these men were made prisoners. Cortes afterwards caused two of them to be set at liberty, the other eighteen he put on board one of his ships. The two who were released, went back to Montezuma, and told him the affair. He sent to Cortes de- siring him. to release the other eighteen men, and promised, if he would do so, to pardon the Indians for resisting his officers. This affair caused the Indians to have a great respect for Cortes, for they saw that Montezuma, whom they all feared greatly, himself was afraid of Cortes. By this and other means, Cortes ex- cited the Indians more and more to resist the authority of the Mexicans. Many of them came to Cortes, and told him they were ready to fight against Montezuma, and begged him to be their Captain. The ships had now come to the place where the town was to be built. The Indians were 46 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. very active in helping them to unload the ships, and to carry stones, and assist to build the town. Cortes named it Vera Cruz, (the true Cross,) they laid out a place for a chapel, a church, store-houses, a wharf, and a fort. The Zempoallans sent to Cortes that they had been oppressed by the soldiers who were placed by Montezuma in a neighboring town, to cause them to pay tribute. These men had burned their corn-fields, and troubled them very much. Cortes went to their assistance. The garrison of Montezuma resisted at first, but when they saw the horses, and heard the can- non, they were seized with fear. Cortes would not allow his men to do any hurt to the inhab- itants of the town. This made the natives like Cortes very much. When he returned from this expedition, he found ships had arrived from Cuba. They were under the command of Sal- zeda, and brought a supply of horses and men, which Cortes was very glad to receive. They went on very actively to huild the town. They divided the treasures they had gained, taking out the fifth part, which belong- ed to the emperor. They wrote letters to the emperor, telling him what they had done, an.fl LiFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 4'^ begging' him to approve the choice they had made of Cortes for their Captain. From news which Salzeda brought them, they were afraid that Velasquez would send and try to take away the power from Cortes. Some of the men who were friends to Ve- lasquez, and did not like Cortes, or who thought he was taking too much power to himself, tried to make a difficulty and a rebellion against his power. But Cortes was very watchful, and discovered their plans, and stopped the distur- bance. In a short time, however, he found the same men were saying things about what he did, to make the men uneasy and discontented, and he took very severe measures. He hung two of the leaders of the rebellion, and punish- ed two others by whipping. This stopped the mutiny. Cortes having now got his town in a pros- perous condition, resolved on a plan which was very bold and daring, and which he thought would prevent his men from having any thoughts of leaving the new settlement. He pretended that the ships were so worn out and worm eat- en, that they were of no use, and proposed to destroy them, after having taken out of them 48 LIFE OF HERjS'AKDO CORTES. every thing of any value. This he did, and thus the men were left with him in the new colony, and felt that there was nothing for them to do but to follow the commands of Cortes, and try to conquer this rich country. The means of returning to their own land having been taken away. Cortes now determined to go to Mexico and see Montezuma. He advanced to Zempoalla. He advised the people of that town, to pull down their idols ; this they did, and also prom- ised him that they would leave off their practise of killing men, to offer their bodies in sacrifice to their gods. Their temples were square towers, something like those which Cortes had seen at Cozumel. They tumbled their idols from the tops of their towers, at the commands of this stranger, who they seemed to have regarded as a sort of di- vinity. They promised to render him all the help they could. They said they would furnish him with as many men as he wanted, if he should have to fight with the Mexicans. He" took with him a number of Indians, whom they called Taurmenes, a kind of slaves whom they LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 49 employed to bear burdens. They had no horses or animals which they could use for this pur- pose. Cortes left Zempoalla on his journey to Mex- ico, on the 16th of August. His force consist- ed of 400 Spaniards, 15 horses, 6 pieces of cannon, and 1300 Indians. When he set out on this expedition, all the Indians who had come to him from Montezuma, left him, being afraid to go with him, because they knew that Montezuma did not wish him to go to Mexico, and because the other Indians who were with him were enemies to Montezuma. The first day's journey lay through the country of In- dians who were friendly to Cortes, but as they went forward, the road became more difficult to travel, and the country was more mountain- ous — -a part of the way, the road seemed cut out by the hands of man, and it was like going up a flight of stairs to journey on it. Having passed over this mountainous country, they reached a town, the inhabitants of which, were friendly to Montezuma, they received Cortes kindly, having been directed by Montezuma to show them every attention. On leaving this place, they found the country again very moun- 5 50 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. tainous and rough, until they reached a town called Zaclota. This town was built better than any Indian town they had seen. The house of the chief, whose name was Olintloc, was of new white stone. He received Cortes and his men very kindly. He sent out persons to bring the Spaniards into the city. They in- sisted on carrying them into the town on a sort of hand-barrow. Cortes enquired of the chief if he was a tributary to Montezuma. He seem- ed surprised at the question, and said he thought Montezuma was lord of all the world. He said that he lived in the most beautiful and the strongest city that ever was seen. That he had an army of a hundred thousand men, and that he every year sacrificed twenty thousand men to his gods. Cortes proposed to pass through Tlascalla, which was in his way toward Mexico, he had understood that this tribe w^ere enemies of Mon- tezuma, and would therefore be glad to have him proceed on his way there. He sent mes- sengers to tell them he wished to pass through their country, but they, supposing he was friendly to Montezuma, refused to show him any faror, and kept his messengers prisoners. LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 51 Cortes finding that they did not return, went forward, and met his men who had made their escape, and who told him that the Tlascallans were disposed to fight with him. He soon met a party of the Tlascallans, with whom he fought a battle, and gained the victory, though two of his horses were killed. He fought four battles with the Tlascallans, which ended, as the contests with the Indians generally did, in great slaughter of these poor creatures, and but little loss to the Spaniards. Before these skirmishes were over, some messengers came from Montezuma, bringing very valuable pre- sents. The emperor of Mexico sent word to Cortes, that he should be glad to be a friend to the king of Spain. That he was willing to pay any tribute that monarch might demand, that ^he was willing to pay it in gold, plate, pearls, slaves, or garments, and that he would pay it punctually, on condition that neither Cortes nor any of his company should come to Mexico. The messengers said their master would be much grieved to have such brave men take such a long and wearisome journey, and begged they would give up the thoughts of it. 52 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. Cortes replied to the messengers, that he was very thankful for the rich presents he had received, and begged them to stay till he had done fighting with . the Tlascallans, that he might send Montezuma word, how he had suc- ceeded. While things were in this state, Cor- tes fell sick, but recovered in a day or two, and made an excursion through the wilderness, and found a town consisting of 20,000 houses. The inhabitants were so alarmed at his sudden appearance, that he had no difficulty in taking possession of the town. He took some spoil, but would net allow his men to treat the in- habitants ill, and returned safely to his own camp. While he was absent, some disturbance arose among his soldiers ; some of the men. wished to go back to Vera Cruz, they thought Cortes was rash and imprudent, to penetrate with so few men into the heart of such a thickly settled country, where there were so many warlike inhabitants. Cortes on his return, made a speech to the soldiers, setting forth^the richness of the country they were going to con- quer, the great success which had attended them so far, and as he had just returned from so successful an expedition in taking the In- LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 53 dian town, the men felt encouraged, and their confidence in Cortes was again restored. Cortes had just got quiet restored among his own men, when he received a message from the Tlascallans, begging for peace. They said they did not understand who Cortes was, when they received his messengers so rudely, and made war upon him. They had supposed that he was a friend to Montezuma, and that he was going to join that monarch in oppressing them. But now they understood better, and should be glad to make friends with Cortes. They would be glad to ^et rid of the power of Montezuma. They Xaid they wanted cotton cloth and salt, which they could only get from Montezuma's country, but that they had rather do without these things, than humble them- selves to pay the tribute to Montezuma, with- out which they could not be procured. They had heard from the Zempoallans, that Cortes was willing to assist the oppressed, ^o shake off the power of Montezuma, and that they should like to make a treaty with him. Cortes was very glad to have the friendship of this powerful tribe, who were enemies to Montezuma, he promised them his help, and 5* 54 LIFE OF HERNANHO CORTES. forgave them for making war upon him, and for killing his two horses. He told them he would visit their city. The messengers of Montezuma were troubled at this, they tried to persuade Cortes not to go to Tlascalla, they told him that the people there were traitors, and that he and his men would he in danger if he went. Cortes insisted on going, and Montezuma's messengers then beg- ged him to put off his visit until they could send to their master, and get an answer, this would take six days. Cortes consented to do this. In the mean time, the Tlascallans were very joyful, and came daily to the camp, bring- ing Guinea hens, bread and cherries, and urg- ing Cortes to visit their town. At the end of the six days, Montezuma's messengers returned. They brought very costly presents to Cortes, consisting of golden, jewels, and fifteen hundred garments of cotton cloth. They besought Cortes not to go to Tlascalla, nor to believe the Tlascallans, whom they said, were traitors and murderers. Their master thought it was a sad pity such fine gentlemen, should go to such a wicked place. jN"ot withstanding these cautions, Cortes went LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 55 to Tlascalla, He was received with great pomp, and lodged in a temple, of which there were several in the city. CHAPTER V. Tlascalla, in the Indian tongue, meant well baked bread. The town was so named, be- cause a sort of bread grain grew about it. It was a large city by a river side. There was a province of the same name, which had twenty- eight villages or towns, and 150,000 house- holds. The men were well made, and good looking. All the riches of the country, consist- ed in grain ; but this was so abundant, that the people were supported by it. They had a great market place, where immense numbers of persons came every day to buy and sell. There were all kinds of artisans in this city, goldsmiths, feather-dressers, barbers. There were potters, and they made a kind of earthen ware, said to be as good as what was made at that time in Spain. They had also very good pasturage. 56 _ LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. Cortes was pleased to find the appearance of so much civilization. He was a zealous Chris- tian, however, and he begged them to throw down their idols, and worship the God of the Christians. They said that it was hard to be- lieve that religion to be false, which their an- cestors had taught them was true, perhaps in time they should be converted, they should like to wait and see more of the Christians and their religion. Cortes was obliged to be con- tented with this. He promised to send them persons to instruct them in his religion. He desired that the temple in which he was lodged, might be made into a church. To this they consented, and he caused christian worship to be performed there, while he stayed in the city. The Indians occasionally came to see their services. The Tlascallans tried to persuade Cortes not to go to Mexico, but he insisted on going, and told them, he would urge Montezuma to bestow on them the privileges which they wanted, which was to buy cotton and salt. Montezuma having forbidden any one to sell these articles to the Tlascallans. Another Indian tribe came LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 57 to Cortes, and offered to be subject to his mas- ter, and to help him against Montezuma. Montezuma's messengers made another at- tempt to cause Cortes to give up his expedition to Mexico. They told him that their master was surrounded by lions, tigers, and the most dreadful beasts, and that these animals would frighten him to death, if he went there. Cor- tes, of course, was not moved by such childish tales as these, to give up his purpose. Finding that nothing could turn him from his design, they said if he would go, that he had better go by the way of Cholula. The Tlascallans urged him, on the contrary, not to go there. Cortes advanced toward the place, but for some reasons, suspecting that all was not right, he sent into the city, ordering the rulers to come out and meet him, they at first refused, but when he insisted, they came out, and said they had refused from fear of the Tlas- callans. They led Cortes into the city, where he was received with much pomp, and every man had a present of a Guinea cock. But for h\l this, Cortes suspected some treason, and Mari- na, the Indian woman, who was the interpreter, heard from another Indian woman, that there 5Q LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. was apian laid, for the Cholulatis to undertake to guide Cortes to Mexico, and then lead him into rough and dangerous places, and kill all the party. Cortes did not let any one know that he had found out the plot, but got all ready for his de- parture, and then sent for the rulers, he re- proached them for their wickedness in forming such a plan, he let them know that he had found it all out. He then caused two of the leaders to be killed, and the others bound. And at a signal, which he had agreed upon with his men, they attacked the town. Great numbers of the Indians were killed, and the Spaniards seized a great quantity of gold, and other arti- ticles valued by the natives. The Indians, who were the allies of Cortes, took cotton and salt, which was what they most wanted, and valued most highly. The Cholulans begged pardon of Cortes, which he granted. As their chief ruler had been killed in this contest, it was necessary to choose another. This they did, asking the advice of Cortes, as to whom they should select. Cholula was a very large city, and famous all over Mexico, as the place where the most LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 59 solemn religious ceremonies were performed. Pilgrims came there to worship from all parts of the country. It is said to have contained as many temples as there are days injhej^e^ ; some of these were very beautifuTT It was con- sidered a place of sanctuary, or safety, where accused pe'rsons might fly for refuge. There was one temple in this city, which was the highest of any in all New Spain. There were a hundred and twenty steps leading to the top of it. The Inhabitants of Cholula were verj^ good looking, and better clothed than any In- dians the Spaniards had yet seen. There was a volcano near this city, called Popocatpetl. Cortes sent a number of his men to visit this wonder. Cortes told the messengers of Montezuma, that he was very much surprised that their master should have laid such a cowardly plan -for his destruction, when he was pretending to be friendly to the Spaniards. That it would have been more brave to have fought them in open battle, than to try to decoy them into dan- gerous places, and then destroy them. Mon- tezuma sent him a message, denying that he had formed any such plan, as Cortes had heard 60 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. of. He said that it was all done by the Cho- lulans, who were urged by their neighbors to try to destroy the Spaniards. V/hen Montezuma found that Cortes could not be dissuaded from advancing to Mexico, he shut himself up to consult with his priests and the oracles of his gods, to know how he should act toward this powerful stranger, who was entering so -rudely into the very heart of his country. The priests advised him to let Cortes come into the city, they could not prevent it, and when once there, the number of the stran- gers was so small, that it would be easy for Montezuma to fall upon and destroy them whenever he pleased. Cortes now left Cholula. He told the friend- ly Indians who had accompanied him so far, that they might now leave him,if they pleased, as he should not need their^ help. Some of the Cholulans, and Indians from other towns in the neighborhood, went with him. The fear of him had spread so much, that wherever he went, the natives received him with kind- ness. The first day of their journey, they pass- ed through friendly villages, where they had all they wanted provided for them by the na- LtFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 61 tives, and received presents of various kinds. The second day's journey brought them into a high and mountainous region, where the ground was covered with snow, and the air very cold. From this high spot, they could see the city of Mexico ; the great lake upon which it was built, and the villages stretched around it. Cortes must have had a bold heart, indeed, if he did not feel some anxiety, at the thought that he was going with so few men, to throw himself into this strong and populous city. He did not, however, yield to fear, but resolved boldly to push forward, and conquer this noble country, for the king his master, and gain for himself a great name, and great wealth. Some of his men trembled at this prospect, they want- ed to go back to their town, but Cortes, whose great powder seems to have been in managing other men, quieted their fears, and excited their hopes. They proceeded on their way, and go- ing down from this high mountain, they came to a town situated in a plain. Here they were lodged in a large palace, so large that all the Spaniards could be accommodated in it, with their Indian friends. They were visited by a party of friends of Montezuma, whom he sent 62 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. out to them from the city, with costly presents, many of them gold. Montezuma again begged Cortes to go back, and not enter the city. He said the roads were bad, that he would have to cross the water, and that perhaps he and his men would be drowned. He said he would certainly pay to the king of Spain, the tribute he had promised, he would be willing even to pay more than he had agreed to do, if Cortes would turn back to his ships ; but Cortes had not gone so far, for nothing, and he replied to the emperor of Mexico, that he was very much pleased with his costly presents, and thanked him for them. But that he could not take his advice, he inust and would visit Mexico. He told Montezuma, however, that he would not find his visit so troublesome as he expected. Indeed, he thought Montezuma would like the Spaniards when he saw them. Cortes said he was not afraid of fatigue, or of being drowned. He had come a great distance in ships and by land, and he felt no fear of passing the little distance which lay between him and Mexico. Cortes proceeded on his journey. He passed through two more towns where he received large presents. As he came near to the city, LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 63 more messengers from Montezuma came for- ward to meet him, among them was the nephew of the emperor, a youlh of twenty-five years, named Cacama. He was^attended with great pomp, "and "Forne on men's shoulders. When he was about to descend to the ground, the persons who attended him, swept away the dust from the place where he was to step. He said his uncle begged Cortes to excuse^ his nqt^coming forward himself, that he was not_well, and had sent this party of friends in his stead, to escort Cortes ^Jjato, the city, if he still persisted in going, though he most earnest- ly begged Cortes, even now to turn back. Cortes, without heeding this message, still ad- vanced, and reached a town which was built partly upon the lake, and partly upon the land, they passed over a causeway twentjjeet broadj^ which brought them into'tlie middle of the town, which was very large and handsome, i and contained many finejtowers. Cortes was' kindly received by the ruler of this town, he conversed with Cortes, and complained of Mon- tezuma, he said he was a very cruel and harsh master. He told Cortes that the rest of the way to the city was easy, that the road lay over 64 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. a causeway, like the one they had just passed. Cortes was glad to hear this, because he had thought from what he had heard, that he should have to cross the water in boats. Cacama ad- vised them to go to the next town, which would be within two leagues of Mexico. Here they were lodged in the house of the governor. It was a fine house containing^many rooms. The .walls of the rooms were hung about with fine cotton. The house had near it, beautiful gardens, filled with flowers and fruits, ornamented with large ponds, which were walled about with stone, and had stone steps leading down into them, the ponds were filled with^^J^. The town was built partly on land and partly on the lake, the water of which was salt. From this town to Mexico was two leagues, the road was over a causeway, which is a solid road, built in the water, or across a marshy wet kind of ground. This causeway was so broad, that eight horsemen could ride abreast, and so straight, that the gates of Mexico could be seen from a great distance. Other large towns were to be seen from this neighborhood. Great quantities of salt were made from the LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 65 waters of this lake, the fairs and markets all about, were supplied by it, and Montezuma gained a great deal of wealth from this source. It was difficult for the Spaniards to make their way along the causeway, because so many persons crowded out of the city to take a look at these strangers of whom they had heard so much. As they came nearer to the city, they found the causeway was made wider, so that there was a broader passage, and room for a bulwark of stone, and two towers on each side. The entrance to the city was closed by two strong gates. An immense number of noblemen and citi- zens came out to^eet them. Each one sa- luted the strangers, by touching the ground with his righthand, which he kissed, and then passed on. This procession was more than an hour in passing by. A draw-bridge joined this last causeway to the city, and it was upon this bridge, that Montezuma received Cortes. ^ He was shaded by a canopy of green feathers, or- namented with gold and silver. This canopy was carried over his head by four noblemen. His nephews led him, supporting him on each side. These three were dressed alike, except 6* 66 '-' LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. that the shoes of Montezuma were set with pre- cious stones. His attendants went before him, laying down mantles and coverlets, that his feet might not touch the ground, a large com- pany followed their master. Montezuma walked in the middle of the street, his attendants looked on the ground, because it was against their law for any one to look in the face of their monarch. Cortes dis- mounted from his horse, when he saw Monte- zuma, and went to embrace him after the Span- ish fashion, but the followers of Montezuma would not permit him to touch their monarch, they thinking it was a sin for any one to do so. Cortes put on the neck of Montezuma, a col- lar, made of glass, imitating pearl diamonds and other precious stones. Montezuma thank- ed Cortes for his present, and then went toward the city. He ordered his men to lead Cor- tes by the hand immediately after him. Mon- tezuma expressed much pleasure at the present he had received from Cortes, and in order to return it, he gave to Cortes two valuable col- lars, wrought of gold in a very curious man- ner. He put these collars with his own hands, on the neck of Cortes. His people were much LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 67 astonished to see him show this great honor to the new comer. The street through which they entered the city, was a mile long, filled with large and hand- some houses. It led to a large temple, which when they reached, Montezuma entered with Cortes. He desired him to rest himself here, after his great labors. He brought him into a fine hail richly carpeted, andfurnished after the Mexican fashion. Thus, after all his troubles, Cortes found himself in the heart of this great nation, which surpassed all he had imagined, in its richness and splendor. The day he en- tered the city of Mexico, was November the 8th, in the year 1519. CHAPTER VI. The house where Cortes was lodged, was very large, and arranged in neat order. He proceeded directly to establish himself in it, as securely as possible. He placed his cannon before the door, and having fixed every thing in as good order as he could, he sat down to a 68 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. very rich feast, which Montezuma had provided for him. After he had dined, Montezuma came to visit Cortes. He told him that he had not wanted him to come to Mexico, because his people were afraid to have him, they had heard that the Spaniards wore beards, that they had with them strange animals, and that they carried about with them thunder and lightning. He said he found they were mistaken about the matter. That he found there was no reason to be afraid of the Spaniards. That their horses were their servants, and that they had not real thun- der and lightning. Montezuma said that his ancestors were not natives of the country where he now lived. That they came from a distant land. That they came to Mexico, and having stayed awhile, some went back to their native land, leaving others of their number behind. After a time, they again returned, and desired those who had been left, to go to their own land with them. But these refused. The lord of the party was angry with them, and went away, saying he would by and by, send some men who should rule over them. Montezuma said he supposed LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 69 that Cortes had been sent by their lord who was his master the emperor Charles, of whom Cortes had told him. Cortes was glad to find that the old traditions of the country had thus prepared them to receive a new master. Montezuma said he was very glad to see Cortes, that he was willing to consider the em- peror Charles, as his master, that he would give Cortes the half of all his treasures. He told Cortes that he need not be afraid of him, that he was not a god, but a man, that he might touch him, and make himself really sure that he was flesh and blood. He said that the sto- ries which Cortes might have heard, that every thing about him was made of gold, were not true.^ That, to be sure, he had some gold in his treasury, but not so much as Cortes might have heard. Cortes replied very kindly to the simple monarch, he told him he had no doubt that the emperor Charles, was this lord of whom his ancestors had told. Montezuma then left Cor- tes, and returned to his own palace, from whence he sent presents to all the followers of Cortes, according to their rank. When Cortes went in turn to visit Montezu' 70 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. ma, he found him served with great state and reverence, by great numbers of pages, and wo- men. He had at his court, dwarfs, deformed persons of various kinds, and even idiots, to make jests and amusement for himself and the persons about him. At his palace, great num- bers of persons were daily supported. A vast number of dishes were prepared for the table of the monarch every day. He ate alone, and generally selected from the great variety of dishes provided, some one of which he made his dinner. He was attended with great re- spect. All persons who came to ask any favor of him appeared before him barefooted. There were many games which were played by skil- ful players before him, for his amusement, and that of the persons of his court. There was a singular kind of foot play, which consisted in keeping up in the air a kind of roller, by strik- ing it with the foot. They played ball in an odd fashion, and the kind of ball they made use of, is described by the old writers, as being made of the gum of a tree, which became black and hard in the sun. It was probably the sub- stance which has since become so common un- der the name of India Rubber. The buildinsr LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 71 in which they played this game, was long and narrow. Stones, like mill-stones, with a hole in the middle, were placed in this building. The hole was so small, that the ball could hard- ly pass through. The player, who succeeded in sending it through, won the game, and ac- cording to the old law, had a right to take the cloaks of all the persons who were standing by to see the game. Montezuma had many palaces and a great number of wives. The flag, which he carried to battle, had painted upon it, an eagle soaring over a tiger, and stooping to catch it. He had a great place where fowls belonging to the land, and also to the water, were raised entire- ly for the feathers. Three hundred persons are said to have been employed to take care of these birds, and feed them. He had a sort of Museum ; in one part of which, were all sorts of monsters, and deformed persons of the hu- man race ; other apartments for strange ani- mals, lions, tigers, and others. Still others, for curious articles of earthen ware. Beside the birds which were raised for their feathers, Montezuma had another place where all birds made use of for hunting and hawking. 72 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. were kept and trained to great perfection. He had immense armories, filled with bows, ar- rows, swords, and bucklers, and all the imple- ments of war, which were made use of by this people. He had for his amusement and pleasure, great gardens, in which flowers and fruits were most tastefully and artfully arranged. Others for vegetables, for food. He had fine orchards, and numerous country houses. He was atten. ded daily, by a large number of men for a guard. All his subjects paid him tribute. The nobles paid their tribute, by being ready to fight w^henever he called upon them ; others paid the third of all their fruits, flocks, and fowls, their gold and silver, precious stones, salt, wax, honey, garments, feathers, cotton cloth, cacoa, a kind of fruit used for food, and also for money. And it was this prince, so richly provided, so honorably served, and so numerously attended, whom Cortes with his 4 hundred men, and 17 horses, expected to con- quer, and whose kingdom and treasure, he ex- pected to take away ! In Mexico, were very large granaries made to receive this tribute, which was paid to the LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 73 prince by his subjects. According to the ac- counts given by some of the old historians, the city contained 60,000 houses. It was furnish- ed with good v/ater. It had three entrances, one from the north, and one on the south, and one by the causeway. It had very large mar- kets, which were supplied with every sort of article for sale. The Mexicans were not rude in contriving and making things for use, as most of the natives of the new world had been found to be, but they were very skilful in all sorts of mechanical work. Their temples for worship, were some of them of great size. It has been said that the number of gods wor- shipped by this people, was two thousand. They sacrificed human beings in the worship of their gods. Cortes and his friends spent six days in viewing the wonders of this great city. During this time, Montezuma often came to see them, and provided for them liberally, every thing that they wanted. Not only were the men, but the horses abundantly fed- These last were supplied with barley and grass, which is plenty in that country. They had likewise^ corn meal, corn, and sometimes fragrant ilow- 7 74 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. ers were brought to make beds for these ani- mals to rest upon. Nothwithstanding all this, Cortes did not feel quite safe in this city, so full of people, with such a small company. He had some reason to think, that the Mexicans were plan- ning to destroy him, and he resolved to get Montezuma into his possession, and as he knew how much the natives respected their master, he thought they would not dare to injure the Spaniards while he was in their power, for fear that Cortes in return should kill their chief. But- any one less bold and daring, would have thought it impossible to take a powerful prince from the midst of his guards and his people, and keep him prisoner before their eyes. But nothing was too daring for Cortes to undertake. Having left half of his men to guard his lodgings, he sent the others in par- ties of two and three together, along the street leading to Montezuma's palace. He then went to visit the prince, and desired to have some conversation with him. Cortes was armed, but his weapons were concealed. Montezuma came forth and received Cortes kindly, he de- sired him to be seated. Cortes was attended LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 75 by thirty Spaniards, who waited on him. Cor- tes began to talk cheerfully, in which conver- sation Montezuma joined ; he gave Cortes some rich presents of gold, and also presented to him one of his daughters, and promised the daughters of some of his noblemen to some of the friends of Cortes. Cortes told him that he would accept his present, because he feared to give pain to Montezuma if he refused, what was not an uncommon present among his peo- ple, but he told him that he was a married man, and that it was not considered right among persons of his race and religion, to have more than one wife. Cortes then produced a letter he had receiv- ed from Hiscio, the man whom he had left in command at Vera Cruz, by which he informed Cortes, that seven of the Spaniards had been killed in a skirmish with a chief, named Qual- popoca, and that this chief pretended to have acted by the orders of Montezuma. On hear- ing this letter read, Montezuma denied having given the chief orders to attack the Spaniards, and immediately directed that Qualpopoca should be sent for, and delivered up into the hands of Cortes. 76 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. Cortes told Montezuma, that~he wished him to go with him to his lodgings, that he should then feel more secure, that no harm was inten- ded or would be done to the Spaniards. He said that the monarch should be treated with all respect and attention, but that he must keep him until this affair was settled. Poor Monte- zuma was amazed exceedingly, he said he could not consent to give himself up as a prisoner, and if he were willing, his subjects would never consent that such an insult should be put on their prince. Cortes argued with the unfortu- nate prince for the space of four hours, and had so much power over him, that at last he con- sented to go with him. Cortes sent to his lodgings to order a place to be prepared for the monarch. As they passed along on the way thither, his people accompanied him, weeping and spreading garments in the way for him to tread upon. When the news was spread through the city, a great uproar arose among the peo- ple, but Montezuma addressed the people, and told them that he was not a prisoner, that he went willingly to make a visit to his new friend. When he reached the place of Cortes' resi- dence, a Spanish guard was placed over Mon- LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 77 tezuma, but he was served by his own people, and allowed to manage the ajffairs of his king- dom. He amused himself with hunting and hawking, and the other sports to which he had been accustomed. When he went abroad, he was carried on men's shoulders, but he was also always attended by a guard of eight or ten Spaniards. It seems strange, that he and his people should have submitted to his being kept a prisoner in this way, when their numbers were so great, that they might at any moment, have fallen upon the whole body of the Span- iards, and destroyed them. CHAPTER Vn. One day as Cortes was examining the house where he was lodged, he perceived a door, which seemed to have been newly walled up. He caused it to be broken open, and discovered within, a room filled with gold and other Mex- ican treasures. He closed it again, and after- ward, when he was talking with Montezuma, he told him that his men in looking about, had 7* 78 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. discovered this treasure, and he would like to know what Montezuma would have done with it, as his men were wild sort of fellows, and having seen such a treasure, might wish to take it away. Montezuma said it was a treasure dedicated to the gods, but that if Cortes wished for it, he might have the gold, only he desired him to leave the feathers, and other articles which were used in the service of the temples. Cortes told Montezuma, that it was wrong in him to bow himself down, to worship these idols of wood and stone, that an idol was nothing, that there was one God, who made heaven and earth, that this was the God whom the Span- iards worshipped. He also told him that it was very wicked to kill men and sacrifice them to his gods, that they could not put a soul into a man, and that, therefore, they ought not take his soul from his body. He urged him to throw down their foolish images of wood and stone, and pray to the true God. Montezuma told him, that he was afraid if he did so, the people would be very angry. They had always been taught that it was their gods who gave them light, life, food, and clothes, and if these gods i LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 79 were destroyed, they would fall on the Span- iards, and kill them. For all this, the first time Montezuma went to the temple to worship after he was a prisoner to Cortes, Cortes and some of his men went with him. They pulled down the idols, and would not allow the priests to kill men in sa- crifice. Montezuma begged them to stop, as he feared the people. But Cortes addressed the people. He told them of the true God, and of Jesus Christ, and of the folly and weakness of worshipping stocks and stones. After this, he proceeded to throw down the idols, and to have the temples cleaned from the blood and filth, which had been caused by the slaughter of so many bodies in sacrifice. The Indians were shocked and grieved at seeing what they considered sacred, so handled, they did not make an open resistance, but rage and fury was in their hearts, and they resolved to de- stroy Cortes and his followers, whenever they could find an opportunity. After Montezuma had been a prisoner twen- ty days, Qualpopoca arriv^ed with fifteen noble- men in his train. He immediately went to Montezuma, who put him at once into the 80 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. hands of Cortes. He declared that what he had done, was by the order of Montezuma. However this was, it made no difference to Cortes. His heart was very hard, and he seemed to have no feeling for this poor chief who had only done, what he supposed to be his duty. Cortes condemned him to be burnt. He then went to Montezuma, and reproached him with having given orders to Qualpopoca to act as he had done. Cortes appeared very angry, and notwithstanding the unfortunate Montezuma denied having had any thing to do with the thing, he put fetters on the legs of the prince. This threw him into such an amaze- ment and grief, that he forgot the sorrows of his subject Qualpopoca, when he thought of the disgrace which was put upon himself. Af- ter the execution of Qualpopoca, Cortes went to Montezuma, removed the fetters, and told him he might return to his own palace. The poor humbled prince refused this offer. He said that if he left the Spaniards, his peo- ple would fall upon them aijd kill them ; per- haps he did not feel quite safe to put himself into the hands of his own subjects, after having humbled himself so much to the Spaniards. LIFE OF HERNANDO COETES. 81 The power of Cortes was now absolute, for having Montezuma in his hands, he could make him order his subjects to do what he pleased, and they obeyed their master in every thing, though he was himself a prisoner. Cor- tes now sent to explore the country for gold. His messengers met with a powerful tribe who were enemies to Montezuma. They found signs, that gold was abundant in several places. In one place, where there was gold in the neighborhood, Cortes wished to build a house and prepare a place for men to live. He told Montezuma what he wanted. The prince im- mediately despatched his carpenters and other workmen, and without delay, a house was built by his orders ; it was furnished, grain planted about it, and every thing finished according to the wishes of the Spaniards. Cortes desired to explore more thoroughly the coast. Monte- zuma assisted him in this, and ordered his ar- tists to make a painted picture on cotton of the exact form of the coast, and represent on it, all the rivers, and other things to be seen on it. But though Montezuma submitted so entirely to Cortes, his subjects were not willing to do the same, they were very angry to see a few 82 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. strangers of a new form and religion, entering their country, and directing every thing as if they were masters. The nephew of Montezu- ma, named Cacama, the chief of Tezcuco, was very much displeased that his uncle showed no more courage. He stirred up his people, and declared he would go to Mexico and rescue Montezuma from the hands of the Spaniards. On hearing this news, Cortes wished to go im- mediately and fight with Cacama, but Monte- zuma urged him not to do so, and said he would Order Cacama to come to Mexico. In reply to this order, Cacama said he would come to Mex- ico, but that it should be with an army, with which he would destroy the Spaniards. Mon- tezuma then ordered some of his followers to seize Cacama, and send him to Mexico. It is very strange that Cortes should have had so much power over the weak prince, as to com- pel him to take his own relation a prisoner, be- cause he was trying to do, what Montezuma himself wished to have done, to drive the Span- iards out of the country. The persons employed by Montezuma suc- ceeded in getting Cacama into their hands, and brought him to Mexico. Montezuma imme- LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 83 diately gave him up to Cortes, who kept him a prisoner, and compelled Montezuma to ap- point a brother of Cacama to be chief of Tez- cuco, instead of Cacama. Montezuma now at the request of Cortes, summoned all the princes of his nation togeth- er, he made a speech to them, in whicti he told them, that they must remember that it had always been said by their wise men and pro- phets, that at a certain time, white and bearded men should come, who would rule the nation. He told them that these strangers were proba^ bly the persons of whom their prophets had foretold. Montezuma said that on this ac- count he had acknowledged their prince to be his ruler, and had promised to pay him tribute, and he hoped they would do the same. The princes who seemed to have obeyed Montezuma in every thing, promised to do as« he desired. While Montezuma was making this address to his people, the tears fell from his eyes, and he seemed very sorrowful. It appears very strange that he should have been willing to have humbled himself so en- tirely to a small band of strangers, when he was at the head of such a great and rich na- 84 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. tion. But he believed the prophecy, that a strange people was to come, who would con- quer his nation, there is also said to have been another, that the government was to end with Montezuma. Some of the old writers say, that his own name signified misfortune. All these things must have affected him much, as he was a weak prince, and then the great boldness of Cortes, who pushed himself forward, and al- lov/ed nothing to prevent his doing what he would, probably discouraged and broke his spirit. Cortes thanked Montezuma for having per- suaded his princes to become subjects of the king of Spain. He told him that he should always be treated like a king, and should be protected against all his enemies. He told Montezuma that as it had cost king Charles a good deal to send out all these men and ships to visit this new region, he would be glad to be able to collect some of the gold which he had promised to pay him. Montezuma agreed to this, and sent to his treasurers, who brought forward immense quantities of gold from all parts of the country. Cortes divided this trea- sure, laying aside the fifth part as belonging to Life of hernando cortes. 85 the king, and dividing the rest among his fol- lowers. This amounted to a very large sum to each man. But though Montezuma had thus given up every thing but the shadow of his power to Cortes, he could not feel easy. He consulted w4th his men, who were all the time permitted to visit him when they pleased. They were willing to do all they could to help him to drive away Cortes, and they raised an army without the knowledge of the Spaniards. Montezuma now sent for Cortes, and told him that he must leave the country, that he had now got every thing that he had said he wanted. That he and his princes had owned the king of Spain as their master, and had paid large sums of gold as a sign of their submission, and that the sooner Cortes went away, the better they should all like it. And that if he did not leave the country, nothing would prevent the natives from falling upon the Spaniards and killing them. Cortes told him in reply, that he would leave the country, but that he had no ships, his own having become unfit for use, and having been destroyed, and that he should have to build 8 86 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. some more to carry him home. He said he should be glad to have Montezuma send some of his workmen to assist his men in cutting down trees and building ships, to carry him and his followers to Spain. Montezuma said he was willing to do this, and that he would order his men to go with the followers of Cortes, and do what he wished to have them do. Cortes then promised to leave the country as soon as his ships were finished. He despatched a party of men with a company of Indians to the forests to cut timber, and pre- pare to build the ships. CHAPTER Vni. Some time after this, eleven ships arrived on the coast. Montezuma heard of it by his posts before the news reached Cortes. He sum- moned Cortes, and told him he could now go, for that more ships had come, and he need not wait for any to be built. Cortes learned from Montezuma, that there were eleven ships, with eighty horsemen, eight hundred footmen, and LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 87 twelve cannon. Montezuma finding that Cor- tes had got such an addition to his power, felt afraid to quarrel with him, and embraced him, telling him that now he loved him better than ever, and would come and dine with him. Cortes felt a little afraid that there was some plot making to attack the Spaniards. Monte- zuma consulted with his people, and some of them advised him to let them fall on the Span- iards now, before the new comers were joined to them. Others thought they had better wait until the others came, and kill them all togeth- er. This last counsel seems to have prevailed. Montezuma and his court dined with Cortes in the most friendly manner. But these new comers made Cortes uneasy. He felt afraid that they were, what they turned out to be, sent out from Cuba, by tiis enemy Velasquez, who he knew was jealous of him, and would try to interfere with him. He soon found that what he had feared was true. The ships came from Cuba, and w^ere commanded by a man named Narvaez, who was employed by Velasquez to go to Mexico, take all the power from the hands of Cortes, and get all the gold he could for the governor of Cuba, and 88 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. conquer Mexico in his name. Narvaez landed his forces, and went to Zempoalla ; the natives, supposing him to be the friend of Cortes, made him presents. But Narvaez told them and the other natives, that Cortes was a bad man, that he was only staying in the country to get gold for himself. Cortes sent to Narvaez, and finding that he had come with orders from Ve- lasquez, and knowing that it would be very bad for them all, if the natives found they were quarrelling together, he tried to make friends with Narvaez. But this new commander would have no dealings with Cortes, but told all the natives at Vera Cruz, and sent word to Montezuma, that Cortes was a bad man, and did not come there under the direction of any one, but only to get gold for himself. There came with Narvaez, a judge from St. Domingo. He tried to persuade Narvaez, not to talk and act in this manner, but Narvaez seized him, and sent him away in one of the ships to Cuba. But when they got to sea, the judge compelled the men to go to St. Domingo, where he ex- plained to the government of that place, how badly Narvaez was behaving. Cortes tried all he could to persuade Narvaeg LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 89 to join with him. He told him that if he wish- ed to take the command in Mexico, he, Cortes, woukl leave that place, and go to make con- quests in different parts of the country, or he would stay in Mexico, and let Narvaez go and make conquests. But Narvaez refused to do any thing with Cortes. Cortes finding this to be the case, determined on one of those bold deeds, which few other men would have attempted. He addressed his men, told them about the affair, said he must go and see Narvaez, and that he must leave a part of them in Mexico. He begged those he left, to be brave, and do the best they could. He visited Montezuma, and told him he was going to see the other Spaniards, and have the ships prepared in which he would leave Mexi- co. He begged Montezuma to remain in the Spanish house under the care of his men, and see that they did not waste his treasures : Mon- tezuma promised to do so, and told Cortes if any of his people troubled him on his journey, that Cortes must send to him, and he would send out men to 'protect him. Cortes made presents to Montezuma and his friends. He then left Mexico, taking with him two hundred 8* 90 LIFE FO HERNANDO CORTES. and fifty men, and leaving two hundred to guard Montezuma. He left Alvarado in the command of Mexico, and also left with him the artillery. He charged Alvarado, not to allow Montezuma to escape and put himself into the hands of Narvaez. When they drew near the place where Nar- vaez was established, he sent a messenger to Cortes, telling him that he had no right to go- vern in Mexico, and that he must give up his command to him, and leave the country. Cor- tes sent in answer to Narvaez, that he had been chosen by the men who had made the settle- ment in Mexico, to be their Captain, and that he should not give up his command, but that he would compel Narvaez to leave the country. Narvaez made jest of this order of Cortes, and said that he would soon show him who was to be the master. While Narvaez was making these boasts to the people who were about him, Cortes arranged his plans, quietly entered the place where Narvaez was stationed, and having arranged his men so as to protect each other, he sent a party to the house where Narvaez lodged. He, hearing a noise at the door, step- ped from his room, when he was knocked down LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 91 by one of Cortes' men, and taken prisoner. One of his eyes was put out in the scuffle. He was obliged to confess, that his power was gone, and Cortes sent him a prisoner to Vera Cruz. In this skirmish, Narvaez had sixteen men kill- ed, while of the party with Cortes, only two were killed. Cortes would not let his men boast to the followers of Narvaez, or say any thing disagreeable to them, but he talked kind- ly to them, and invited them to join his party, and go with him to Mexico. This they con- sented to do, and having arranged things in good order in Vera Cruz, he set out for Mexico, having before sent a message there, giving an account of his victory. The messenger whom he sent, was attacked and wounded on his journey, and came back to tell Cortes the bad news that the Mexicans had revolted against his power, that the Span- ish houses were besieged, that one wall had been thrown down, and that the natives refus- ed to furnish the Spaniards with food. He ad- ded that Montezuma had made his people leave off fighting, but it was not certain that they would not make another attack. This was a sad story for Cortes to hear ; he 92 LIFE HERNANDO OF CORTES. did not, however, lose his courage, but muster- ed his men, and prepared to meet his enemies boldly. He found he had a thousand men, and nearly one hundred horses. He proceeded on to Tezcuco, where he met a Spaniard whom Alvarado had sent, to tell Cortes to hasten for- ward as fast as he could. He told him that the story brought by the other messenger, was true. Montezuma sent a message by the Spaniard to Cortes, saying that he had not been able to pre- vent his subjects from attacking the Spaniards. He said he was still himself the friend of Cor- tes, and desired him to come to his house, as soon as he came to Mexico. Cortes advanced as fast as he could, and at last, reached Mexico. He found many of the bridges broken down. He went to the house where he had formerly been, but having now so many more men with him, he was obliged to have some of his followers take up their quarters at a neighboring temple. Alvarado was full of joy at seeing Cortes again, and the Spaniards were all very glad to see their friends, and to find Cortes strengthened by having so many more men added to his numbers. Mon- tezuma told Cortes he was very sorry for what LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 93 *• had happened, that he had tried all he could to prevent his people from attacking the Span- iards. Cortes found that Alvarado and his men had had a sad time while he had been gone. They could not tell what was the cause of the first beginning of the fighting, but the natives pro- bably thought that it would be more easy for them to conquer the Spaniards when Cortes wa-s away ; there was some appearance, too, that Narvaez had sent messages, advising them to attack the Spaniards. Whatever was the cause of their first making an attack on the Spaniards, after they began, they fought all the time. They kept up a constant attack on the house where the Spaniards lived. They could not go out of it, without being assaulted, and they were afraid to leave Montezuma, lest his people should get him into their power. They must have been overpowered with these inces- sant attacks, if they had not persuaded Monte- zuma to go out on the top of the wall, and com- mand his subjects to cease from their warfare on the Spaniards. This he did, and at the sight of him, they were all amazed, but they obeyed 94 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. his order, and left off the attacks they were making on every side, upon the Spaniards. When Cortes arrived in the city, he felt so glad to have got over his difficulties with Nar- vaez, and that he had got back, to Mexico with a so much larger number of men, than when he left it, that he forgot his usual prudence, and instead of behaving gently to the Indians, he gave out his orders with great harshness, and acted in such a manner, that the natives were again excited, and an uproar arose. They at- tacked again the Spanish house. Cortes sal- lied out to fight the Indians, but they defended themselves with the greatest desperation. Even the cannon, which had always before driven away the native warriors, had no effect. If some were killed, numbers rushed forw^ard to take their place. The Spaniards fought wdth great bravery, and attacked the Indians in every way that could be thought of, but the Mexicans had suffered so much from them, that they re- fused to yield, and seemed determined all to die, rather than let any of those strangers es- cape. At last, Cortes begged Montezuma to go up to the top of the tower, and address the people, LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 95 and bid them cease from their attacks. Again did the humbled monarch go up to the top of the tower, and order his subjects, who were fighting for his liberty and their own, to lay down their arms. But they were no longer obedient to his orders. They continued their attacks on the tower, and would not believe that it was their monarch who was speaking to them. The Spanish soldiers held a shield over his head to protect him from the stones ^nd arrows, and this in part concealed him from their sight. While he was addressing them, a stone which was fired from below, hit him on the temple, and he fell. Cortes pro- claimed to the people, that they had wounded their prince, they would not believe it to be true. He was carried down into the tower, where he lingered for three days, and then died of his wounds. It is said that he would not al- low any thing to be done for his cure, but that he tore the bandages from his wounds, and was glad to end a life, the last days of which, had been made so unhappy to him. Cortes an- nounced to the people, that their monarch was dead, and asked them who they would choose for his successor, they replied to him, that they 96 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. could choose another prince for themselvei?, and wanted none of his advice. Cortes caused the body of the prince to be carried out on men's shoulders, and given to the people. When they were certain that he was indeed dead, they made great lamentation, and prepar- ed for his funeral rites. CHAPTER IX. After the death of Montezuma, Cortes thought that there was no longer any hope of maintaining himself in the city, and he prepar- ed to make his retreat. But it was impossible for the Spaniards to do any thing, so constant- ly were they watched and attacked by the na- tives. The Mexicans took possession of a tall temple near the Spanish garrison, and which entirely overlooked it. Here they fired their weapons upon every one that came in and out. Cortes sent a body of men to try to dislodge them from the tower, but these men were three times driven back. Cortes then tied a buckler to his arm, which had been wounded, and rush- LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 97 ed into the combat. His presence encouraged his men, and they drove the Mexicans to the top of the tower. Two young Mexicans, think- ing if they could kill Cortes, they should save their country, rushed upon him, and seized him in their arms, meaning to throw themselves from the tower, and thus destroy him, though at the same time, they lost their own lives, but Cortes was so strong and active, that he got away from them, and the unfortunate young men fell from the battlements and perished, while he remained safe. Having got posses- sion of the temple, the Spaniards set fire to it, and burned it to the ground. Cortes finding the Indians so resolved on fighting, until they had destroyed all the Span- iards, thought he must give up the hope of any longer keeping the city, and began to make preparations to leave it. He made offers of peace to the Indians, but they replied to them with scorn, saying that they would never leave off fighting, until they had killed all the Spaniards, or driven them from the city. He resolved to go away in the night, as it was con- trary to the ancient custom of the Mexicans, to 9 98 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTEX. fight, except by day-light, and he thought he might get away, without their knowledge. He took out all the treasures which he had collected together, and having taken the por- tion which belonged to the king, he loaded one of his horses with it, and then allowed his men each to take as much as he pleased. The men who had been with Narvaez, having had no opportunity before to get any thing, were very greedy of the gold, and all the men loaded themselves so heavily, that their departure from the town was made much more difficult. Cor- tes had several prisoners of high rank, whose lives he would have gladly saved. Among these, were two daughters of Montezuma. He placed them in the most secure part of his army. He had prepared a bridge, made of timber, which the men carried along, to place over parts of the road, where the bridges and causeways, had been broken down. Having arranged every thing, the Spaniards left their quarters, but they had not gone far, when the Mexicans discovered them, and immediately hundreds of voices shouted in the Mexican tongue, " they fly, they fly !" Great numbers of Indians followed, and at- LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 99 tacked the Spaniards. They had hecome so desperate, that they did not wait till the sun arose, that they might attack their enemies, but fell upon them in the darkness of the night, and while they were* loaded with the spoils of the Mexicans. The first break in the cause- way which the Spaniards reached, they covered with their timber bridge, and succeeded in pas- sing, though sadly pressed by their enemies, but the weight of the people passing over, wedg- ed it down so tightly in the mud, that they could not raise it. In the mean time, the number of Mexicans was constantly increasing, and pressed forward the Spaniards, fighting all the time with the greatest desperation. They soon came to another break in the causeway, here they fought, but great numbers of Span- iards were killed. At last, by swimming, and walking on the dead bodies of their compan- ions, Cortes with a part of his men, reached the main land. Having arranged his men in some order, he went back to the dreadful spot, and assisted the remainder to get over. Great numbers, however, were killed, and many made prisoners. All the Indian prisoners were killed or retaken, and many of the horses were killed* 100 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. To add to their agony, they saw those of their companions who were prisoners, carried off to be sacrificed to the god of war. All night, the city was illuminated, it was so light, they could see their companions carried away, and could hear their cries so distinctly, that they thought they could distinguish the voices of their dif- ferent companions. The treasure for which they had ventured so much, was all lost, and had only served to harass and trouble them in their flight. Bold and cruel as Cortes was, his men saw him shed tears, when the next morning, he saw the wreck of his brave band, and looked back to the city, where so many of them had suffered, and were, perhaps, then suf- fering the most dreadful tortures. He hastened forward as fast as the state of his men would permit, to enter the country of the Tlascallans, whom he hoped had remained friendly to him. Oijihis way, however, he was met by another army, and his wearied and wounded men were compelled to resist a band of natives, who had not been engaged in the late fight, and were, therefore, free from fatigue. The Indians fought with great fury, and the Spaniards were almost ready to faint. At this LIFE OP HERNANDO CORTES. 101 moment, Cottes saw the great Mexican flag, the standard of the empire. He remembered having heard, that the Mexicans looked on this flag with the greatest reverence, and if they saw it fall, they considered a battle as lost. He hastily gathered a band of brave m.en, rush- ed up to the standard, and knocked down the man who bore it. One of his companions pierced him with a lance, and the great Mexi- can flag fell. At this sight, the Mexicans lost their courage, and fled in dismay, the Spaniards pursued and conquered them entirely. The Mexicans had liad such great hopes of entirely destroying the Spaniards, that they had come to the field of battle, dressed in their most glo- rious ornaments, so that in seizing on the trea- sures of their camp after the battle, the Span- iards gained a great deal of wealth, which consoled them, in some degree, for what they had lost in their flight from Mexico. After this, they went on their way to Tlas- calla, which they reached in safety, and were kindly received by the inhabitants. They met a party of the Tlascallans before they entered the city, on their way to meet and help them. In the city of Tlascalla, the Spaniards had 9* 102 . LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. time given them to repose from their hard la- bors, and every thing they needed to heal their wounded soldiers, and refresh the weary, was pjovided for them by the kindness and hospi- tality of the natives. Having escaped from the great dangers to which they had been exposed, many of the fol- lowers of Cortes, especially those who had come out with Narvaez, wished to go back to Vera Cruz, and give up the idea of conquering Mexico. But Cortes had no thought of doing this. He resolved to continue his attempts to conquer this great nation. He addressed his people, and tried to fill their minds with the hopes which animated his own. He resolved to finish the vessels which he had made pre- parations for building. He sent some of the ships which brought out the company of Nar- vaez, to St. Domingo, to try to get more men to come to his assistance, and that his followers might not get uneasy from having nothing to do, he employed them in fighting with some of the Indians, who had attacked and killed par- ties of Spaniards, at the time when Narvaez first arrived, and when they had hoped, be- cause they found the Spaniards disputing with LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 103 «ach other, that they should be able to succeed in driving them away. Cortes sent to Vera Cruz to get sails and tackle for his vessels, and was rejoiced with the news that several ships had arrived from the islands and from Spain. Though they were not sent out expressly for his relief, and some of them had even been fitted out by his enemies, in the hope of doing him injury, Cortes managed so well, that he contrived to get possession of them, and felt himself much comforted at finding himself better provided with men and horses, than he had ever been since his arrival in Mexico. The Mexicans after the death of Montezuma, had made a king of a relative of his, named ■Quetlavaca. He had fortified the city and carried on the attack as has been related. He seems to have been much more wise and brave than Montezuma. In order to encourage the men to fight, he told them, that they should not be obliged to pay any tribute for a year, if they joined the army to fight against the Chris- tians, and he offered a rew^ard to any one who should kill a Spaniard. Bat he did not long retain the power which he seemed to know so 104 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. well how to manage, he died of the Small Pox, a disease which had never been known among the Mexicans, until the arrival of the Spaniards. After his death, Guatimozin, another nephew of Montezuma was made king. He appears to have been brave and wise, and to have done all that he could to drive from his country this powerful enemy. He continued the fortifica- tions which Quetlavaca had begun, and en- couraged his people to resist the Spaniards. Cortes now proposed to his men to advance toward Mexico. He made a speech to them, urging on them the greatness of the conquest, and encouraging them to attempt it. They agreed to go, and the army passed on to Tez- cuco. But there were some of the men, who dreaded to encounter again the horrors from which they had so narrowly escaped. They saw that Cortes was resolved to try to take the city again, and that there was no way to pre- vent it, but by killing him. They made a plot to kill him, and the time and manner of doing it were fixed. But one of the men who had been an old friend of Cortes, felt his heart fail, at the thought of killing his commander, and he went and told him all about it. Cortes LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 105 found out who were concerned in the plot, and was grieved to find that many of those whom he thought were most friendly, were engaged in this scheme. He addressed his men, and told them he had discovered such a plot, but that the person who had disclosed it to him, had swallowed the paper containing the names of those who were concerned in it, before he could see it. The men who had plotted against Cortes, were much relieved at hearing this. The leader was found hanging at the door of his tent the next morning, and the men were so struck with the wisdom of Corfes, in dis- covering the matter, and with the loss of their leader, that they durst do nothing more against him, but followed his commands entirely. While he was waiting for his ships to be finished, he extended his power over several of the neighboring villages. He also received more additions to his men by the arrival of another ship. 106 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. CHAPTER X. 1 The timber for the brigantines was now pre- pared, and Cortes despatched Sandoval with a party of men, and a large number of the Tam- menes, or Indians who carry burdens, to bring them down to be launched upon the lake. The timber and boards were all prepared for the ships, and by the good management of Sando- val, they reached Tezcuco in good order. Here the materials were put together, and made into brigantines. Cortes then prepared a canal, by which they could be launched on the lake. This was done 'with success, and a priest pro- nounced a blessing upon each ship, as it made its way into the lake. In each of these vessels, Cortes placed a cannon and twenty-five men. He determined to attack the city in three places. Sandoval commanded one of these parties, Alvarado ano- ther, and Christoval de Olid, the third, Cortes himself took the command of the brigantines. As they advanced toward the capital, they broke down the aqueducts, which the Mexicans had contrived to supply the city with water. LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 107 the people of the neighboring towns had all fled into the city for safety. The first attempt of Guatimozin, was to de- stroy the brigantines. He sent out an immense quantity of canoes, which covered the face of the lake, all filled with armed men. They rowed boldly toward the brigantines, which stood still for the want of wind. But after a short time, a fresh breeze sprung up, and these large vessels, to the amazement of the Indians, were carried forward into the midst of the ca- noes, many of which were upset, and many of the Mexicans killed and taken prisoners. The parties on shore pushed forward, but they were received with great firmness, and attacked with great fury. They kept up their attacks day and night, they burned many houses and tem- ples, and the Mexicans suffered greatly for want of water and food, but still they did not yield, when numbers were killed, others came for- ward to take their places. At last an attempt was made to take the town by storm, the Spaniards rushed forward, but in their zeal, they neglected to fill up the breaks in the causeway behind them. The Mexicans discovered this, and pretending to 108 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. fly, they drew tliem farther into the city, and then turned and attacked them with fury. The Spaniards now retreated, at first in an orderly- manner, but the Indians attacked them with such fury, that they were forced to fly in dis- order, many were killed and many were taken prisoners. The prisoners who were taken were killed as a sacrifice to the gods. This defeat was very sad to Cortes, and it caused many of his Indian friends to leave him> while it filled the Mexicans with new courage- One of their prophets foretold, that in eight days the Spaniards would be entirely destroyed. Cortes ceased from fighting, and kept on board the ships till after this time had passed, when he being in safety, showed this propheey to be untrue. The siege had now continued fifty days, Cor- tes sent messages to Guatimozin, to beg him to- yield up the city, that it might not be entirely destroyed. The Mexicans refused all oflers of peace with scorn, although they were suflering dreadfully for the want of food and water. The fighting continued, and the Spaniards pressed on by degrees, until they had got pos- session of a great part of the city. Cortes was LIFE: OF HERNANDO CORTES. 109 very watchful that Guatimozin should not make his escape. At last they discovered several large canoes crossing the lake with great swift- ness. The commander of one of the swiftest brigantines sailed in chase of them, and pre- pared to fire. The rowers immediately drop- ped their oars, and begged them not to fire, for the emperor was on board. Holguin, the com- mander of the brigantine, immediately seized his prize. The prince with great calmness, gave himself up, but begged them not to hurt his wife and children. When he was carried to Cortes, he said he had done what became a monarch, and defended his people to the last. " Nothing now remains " said he, " but to die. Take this dagger," laying his hand on one which Cortes wore, " plant it in my breast, and put an end to a life which can be no longer of use." As soon as it was known that the prince was a prisoner, the Mexicans ceased fighting, and Cortes took possession of what remained of the city of Mexico. The siege had lasted more than three months, fifty Spaniards had been killed, a vast number of Mexicans had perished, and those who were alive, had suffered 10 110 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. extremely for the want of food and water Cortes treated Guatimozin at first with kind- ness, desired him to bid his men fight no more, and to invite them to assist in rebuilding the city. The Spaniards were filled with joy at finding themselves masters of the city, after such a long and bloody siege. Cortes drew his brigantines on shore, and sent to invite his Indian allies to come and assist him in rebuilding the city. But after the first joy was over, the Spaniards were disappointed in finding but little treasure in the city. It was said that the emperor when he found he could not keep possession of the city, had ordered his treasures to be sunk in the lake. The men murmured loudly at Cor- tes, ^nd he was so impatient, that he ordered the unfortunate emperor and his favorite min- ister, to be cruelly tortured, that the severe pain they suffered, might make them tell where the treasure was concealed. But nothing could force the brave Guatimozin to speak. Perhaps he had nothing to tell. His favorite, in the agony of suffering, turned to his master a look, to know if he should tell. " Am I on a bed of roses," said the suffering prince. The favorite LIFE OP HERNANDO CORTES. HI asked nothing more, but bore his sufferings in silence. Cortes was ashamed of this cruelty, a.nd re- lieved Guatimozin from the torture ; but the action was so cruel and wicked, that whoever reads the story of Cortes, wall grieve that a man who thought himself, and was indeed so brave, should be the author of such cruelty. Finding they could not obtain the treasure for which they had suffered so much, the Span- iards employed themselves in rebuilding the city, Cortes built for himself a house on the spot where the palace of Montezuma had form- erly stood. While Cortes was gaining thus a great em- pire, he had never received any regular power to take the command of the country, from the emperor. Narvaez and Velasquez, and others who were his enemies, had made complaints, and told stories that were not true, about him, and at last the emperor concluded to send some one out to Mexico, to see the state of things, and to take the place of Cortes. Christoval de Tapia, was appointed to this office, with power to take possession of the property of Cortes, 112 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. and send an account of the state of things to Spain, Tapia arrived, but he was a very weak man, and no match for such a one as Cortes. Cortes pretended to submit to the orders of the empe- ror, but he contrived to have things in such a state, that Tapia could not decide what was best to do, and finally concluded to leave the power in the hands of Cortes. Cortes then sent his own accounts to court. Charles was dazzled with his great conquests, and the specimens of the treasures and manu- factures of the country ; and notwithstanding the stories of his enemies, the emperor made him Captain-General of the army, and Gov- ernor of New Spain. With this new authority, he went on with great vigor. He searched for mines of gold, and made discoveries of new countries. But he was very cruel and arbitrary in his treatment of the natives. As might have been expected, they did not all quietly submit to the new rulers, sometimes attempts would be made to rise against them. These attempts were always cruelly punished. On some slight pretence of this kind, the emperor Guatimozin and several LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 113 Other caciques, were hanged. Complaints of this and other cruel acts, were made against Cortes to the emperor, and a new person, nam- ed Ponce de Leon, was appointed to go out to Mexico, and enquire into the truth of the charges against him, and if he thought proper, to send Cortes a prisoner to Spain. De Leon reached Mexico, but died soon af- ter his arrival. People knew, however, for what he had been sent, and supposed that when his death was known in Spain, some other per- son would be sent out for the same purpose. Cortes could not help feeling uneasy at these things. He resolved to go to Spain, and tell his own story to the emperor. He prepared two ships for his voyage, and took out with him a number of Mexicans of rank, and a great deal of treasure. He arrived safely in Spain, in the year 1528. He was received with great admiration, and treated by the emperor with great attention. The emperor even paid Cortes a visit in his own lodgings. He made Cortes Marquis of Guaxaca, and Captain-General of the army of New Spain. He gave him a twelfth part of all the profits of discoveries in that re- gion. Cortes desired much to have the gov- 10# 114 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. ernment of Mexico secured to him. Bat this the emperor was not willing to grant. The government of New Spain was given to a body of men, to be called the Audience of New Spain. The emperor bestowed upon Cortes a province of Mexico, and showed him many other favors. During the time Cortes had been in Mexico, the lady whom he had married in Cuba, had died. On his return to Spain, he was married again, to the Lady Jane Zuniga, the daughter of the duke of Aguila, a lady of noble family. On her he bestowed the splendid jewels which he had gained in his Mexican wars, and hav- ing settled his affairs in his native country, he returned with his new wife to Mexico. He arrived safely at Vera Cruz. Many peo- ple flocked to meet him, and many complaints were made to him of the Judges of the Board of Audience. Some of the people proposed to Cortes, to take the government into his own hands, and offered to assist him in killing the officers of the king. Bui Cortes refused to do this. The Board, however, were afraid that Cortes would take too much power to himself, and thought of seizing him. But Cortes pro- claimed himself Captain-General, and published LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 115 the letters of the emperor, which gave him this authority. He went to Tezcuco, bat the offi- cers of the emperor, who feared him, sent him orders, not to go to Mexico. He remained therefore at Tezcuco, but lived with great pomp and display of power. The Indians could not help seeing that the Spaniards did not agree very well together, this made them feel some hope of getting rid of them. They, therefore, would occasionally attack and kill parties of Spaniards. The President of the Audience, tried in vain to stop these disorders, and knowing the authority Cortes had over the natives, and the fear they had of him, he sent for Cortes to come to Mex- ico, that he might consult wdth him what he had better do, to stop these disorders. Cortes soon succeeded in restoring things to a quiet state. CHAPTER XI. As many difficulties arose under this form of government, in 1534, Antonio de Mendoza 116 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. was appointed viceroy of New Spain. He carried out w^ith him many workmen, introduc- ed the making of silk, and planted mulberry- trees for food, for the silk worms. Cortes had some disputes with the viceroy about a part of a province in Mexico, to which they both laid claim. Cortes employed himself in trying to make discoveries ; on one of his expeditions, he discovered California. His disputes with the viceroy, and a lawsuit which he had about some of his possessions with Villa Lobos, made Cortes resolve to go again to Spain. He arrived there in the year 1540, and brought with him a son, named Martin, aged eight years, and another named Luis. He carried with him great riches, though not so much as when he last visited his native country. The emperor was engaged in warfare, away from Spain. Cortes followed him with his sons to the camp. But though the emperor received him kindly, he was mortified to find that his advice was not minded so much as thaf of younger men, and less experienced captains. On this expedition, he came near losing his life, while out in a galley, which was driven LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 117 ashore in a tempest. His life was saved, but he lost some valuable jewels, which he carried about him. Cortes followed the court for a long time, hoping to get justice done to him. His cause was laid before the Counsel of the Indies, but judgment was never given upon it. At last he concluded to return to New Spain, but on his way to Seville to embark, he was taken ill, and died at a small villlage near Se- ville, on the 2d of December, in the year 1547, being sixty-three years old. Cortes left behind him several sons and daughters. His eldest son Martin, inherited his estates. During his life, he built a hospital in Mexico, and laid the foundation of a college there, leaving money in his will for the support of poor students. He also built a temple in the province of Cocoacan, in Mexico, where he ordered his body to be buried. In reading this history, it seems to us very wrong that the Spaniards should have gone, without any provocation, to attack a nation against whom they had no cause of complaint, and reduce them from a state of freedom, to Qj^g of slavery and cruel subjection. But these 118 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. things happened many years ago, and at that time, nations who called themselves Christians, thought they did right to conquer nations who were not Christians, in order that they might make them become so. This was their pre- tence, the real cause was the desire to gain the gold and treasures, which unhappily for the poor Indians, were found in their country. Happily for those who live now, the Chris- tian religion has been slowdy but surely making people wiser and better, so that such things as were then thought right, would not be allowed, and men now try to convert heathen nations, not by cruelty and murder, but by trying to show them how much better and happier, the Christian religion makes men. The ignorance of the age in which he lived, may also serve as an excuse for some of the cruelties and falsehoods, which blot the charac- ter of Cortes. He was a brave, patient, wise, prudent, and a religious man, after the fashion of his day. If he had lived in better times, and been better taught, we may hope he would have been as good, as he was bold and daring. The country of Mexico, some years since, threw off the power of Spain. It has since LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. 119 been the scene of many revolutions, and the government is not now considered as being firmly fixed, A decree was passed not long since, compelling every native Spaniard to leave Mexico. Though Cortes succeeded probably beyond his hopes, in conquering the country of Mexico, his own life was one of toil and disappoint- ment. He saw others employed to govern and direct the affairs of the country, w^hich he had gained for Spain, and his last days, like those of Columbus, were spent in tedious waiting and hoping, that the emperor would at last ac- knowledge the justice of his claims. The country of Old Spain, may be consider- ed as severely punished for all the crimes which were committed in the conquest of the New. For many years after the discovery of the new world, though great treasures of gold were poured into Spain, all its energies and its most energetic men were carried away from it, by the zeal for new discovery. The arts and im- provements of life were neglected, and the coun- try is said to be at this time, far behind the rest of Europe, in all that makes life comforta- ble and happy. 120 LIFE OF HERNANDO CORTES. The government of the country is carried on in the name of a little girl, of not more than twelve years of age. Her father's brother is trying to get the power away from her, and the people are divided into two parties, those who wish to support the Queen, and those who are in favor of her uncle Don Carlos. Each of the two parties, has an army, the soldiers of which are constantly fighting and destroying each other. And Mexico, when it suffered most se- verely from the cruelty and avarice of the Spaniards, could hardly have been in a more sad state than is now the beautiful country of Spain. TiTTrniWiliTIItWT' J^zoTTT? iina^le t/? re^id . J^iz^uT-o c^ra^j- a line /^n a^e sa?7^ . Cbrtes C(2^^ses^Wo7z?^zz^/?l(X to a^/^res6' t^ ^eoz?^ . LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. AMERICAN JUVENILE BIOGRAPHY. VOL 11. LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. CHAPTER I. Francisco PizARRo was born in Spain, about the year 1500. ■ He was the son of an honora- ble g-entleman, but his mother was of low birth and an ignorant, uneducated person. His fa- ther took no pains to give his son such instruc- tion as would enable him to rise in society above the rank of his mother, but employed him, when he was young, in taking care of pigs. Pizarro was of a bold ambitious tem- per, and he soon grew tired of this disagreea- ble employment. As he had not been careful- ly taught, he probably did not know that it was wrong to disobey his father, and he left his business, and went away into Italy, and joined the army, which was fighting there, and be- came a soldier. He had a very strong body, and a patient and courageous spirit. He was 124 LIFE OF FEANCISCO PIZARRO. able to bear great fatigues of body, but he did not know how to read and write. How long he remained in Italy, is not known, but in the year 1524, he found himself in Pan- ama, in America. He had joined some of the expeditions, which at that period, were con- stantly leaving Spain for the New World. After the ocean west of America had been found out, several voyages of discovery had been made in that direction, but as yet, no one had succeeded in discovering any thing of im- portance. The country on the western coast of America, did not seem very promising, the inhabitants were few, and gold appeared to be scarce. Pizarro, however, was very desirous to try his fortune in this region. He was encouraged in his plans by Pedrarias, who was at that time the governor of Panama. He formed an ac- quaintance with two men, who had the same desire as he had, to make discoveries in this part of the world. One of these men was nam- ed Diego Ahxiagro, a soldier, the other was a priest, and was named Hernando de Luque. They all three had some money, which they were willing to spend in this voyage. Pizarro IJPE or FRANCISCO PIZARRO. 125 had less wealth than the other two, and he, therefore, took upon himself the most fatiguing" and laborious share of the execution of their plans. They agreed to put all they had into the common stock. Pizarro was to take com- mand of the expedition. Almagro was to carry out supplies of provisions, and Luque was to remain at Panama, to try to get what help he could from the governor, and do what he could there to help forward the expedition. They formed a regular partnership, and performed religious services, to make it more solemn. The priest Luque, celebrated the ceremony of the holy sacrament, and the three shared the consecrated bread as a sign that they most sol- emnly intended to keep the promises they were making to each other. But with all the exertions they could make, they could only succeed in fitting out a single ship of a small size, provided with one hundred and twelve men. In this vessel, Pizarro sailed from Panama, on the 14th of November, in the year 1524. The season of the year was bad for such a voyage, the winds which at that time prevail, were contrary. After having sailed .seventy days, they had advanced but very little 11* 126 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. way. They touched at several places on Terra Firma. The country did not look very invit- ing, some of the inhabitants were warlike, and opposed them. They suffered for the w^ant of food, and their contests with the natives. The men became weary and discontented, and Pi- zarro at last retired to the island of Chucuma, opposite the Pearl Islands, where he proposed to remain awhile, to rest his men, and where he hoped he should be met by some vessels from Panama, bringing supplies. A short time after Pizarro sailed from Pan- ama, Almagro had followed in another vessel, he had taken the same course which Pizarro had done, and had had the same fortune. They at last met at the Island where Pizarro was re- posing himself. The men recounted to each other, their adventures. Almagro had gone farther south, than Pizarro had done. He had been as far as the country of Popayan, south- east of what is now called New Grenada. This country seem^ed more promising, and the com- panions resolved to try again in the same re- gion. Almagro went back to Panama, to get more men and supplies, but when he reached there, LIFE Of FRANCISCO PIZARKO. 127 the accounts which were given by the men who had been with him were so bad, that peo- ple were discouraged from joining a new expe- dition in a direction where those who had just come back, had suffered so much. It was with great difficulty, that Almagro raised eighty men. With these he succeeded in joining Pizarro, and after many difficulties and disappointments, they reached the Bay of St. Matthew, on the coast of Quito. They landed at Tacamez, and found a better country than they had seen in the southern ocean. The inhabitants were clothed in garments of woollen or cotton, and were ornamented with trinkets of gold and sil- ver. The forces of the Spaniards were so small, that Pizarro did not think it would be safe to attack a people who seemed so intelligent and powerful; he, therefore, retired to the small Island of Gallo. Almagro went back to Pan- ama, to tell of the nation they had found, and try to get more men, and Pizarro remained with a part of the men on the Island. But though Almagro and Pizarro had great zeal about their expedition, some of their men had become discouraged, and sent private ac- counts to Panama, of the sufferings and fatigues 12S LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARHO. tliey had undergone. A new governor had taken the place of Pedrarias, and he, instead of trying to gain more forces for the expedi- tion, refused to allow Almagro to return. He sent out a vessel to bring Pizarro and his com- panions back. By this vessel, Almagro and Luque, sent private messages to Pizarro, beg- ging him not to give up the expedition, and urging him not to come back to Panama. When the ship arrived at the Island of Gallo, where Pizarro was, he refused to go back to Panama, and tried to persuade his men to re- main and go with him to conquer the nations they had seen, but when the men saw the ship, and thought of their homes, they could not be persuaded to join in his plans. Pizarro drew a line on the sand with his sword, and told his men that those who wished to return could cross the line. He was grieved and mortified to find only thirteen willing to stay with him. This little band fixed their residence in the Island of Gorgona, where they thought they should be safe, and where Pizarro resolved to stay, hoping that Almagro and Luque would be able in time, to get men and ships to carry on their plans. LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. 129 These friends of Pizarro were not idle. They did all they could to induce the governor to send out some ships. They talked so much about the matter, that at last the people of Pa-^ nama began to think it was a shame that a party of brave men should be left on this dis- tant Island, and the governor was induced to send out a small vessel with supplies, and to bring the men back, w^ho were with Pizarro. He did not want to help Pizarro to make the conquests he wished to do ; and, therefore, he would not allow any landsmen to go in the ves- sel. All the men were sailors. Pizarro had now been five months on the Isl- and. He had grown weary, and his men were almost discouraged. When they were one day watching the sea, they espied a vessel, which proved to be the one sent out by the governor of Panama. Pizarro would not think of re- turning, and he succeeded in persuading the new comers to join him in following out his plans. His own men were delighted at the addition to their numbers, and cheered at the thought of leaving the little Island, in which they had been so long shut up, to seek for new adventures. 130 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. They sailed to the south-east, and in twenty- days from leaving Gorgona, they discovered the coast of Peru. They landed at Tumbez, three degrees south of the equator. Here they found lofty temples, and a palace of the Tncas, or rulers of the country. The Spaniards were amazed at the richness of the Peruvian empire. The inhabitants were very numerous. The country looked as if they were industrious. They were well clothed, appeared more skilful in what they manufactured, than any other South American nation they had yet seen. They had also tame domestic animals, and gold and silver was very plenty. Pizarro's hopes were fulfilled in finding him- self in such a rich country. But he was afraid to try to conquer it with so few people as he had with him. He coasted along the country, occasionally landing. He procured some of the Llamas, or tamio cattle of the country. These the Spaniards called sheep, though they bear no great resem.blance to the animals of that name among us. Pizarro collected many vessels of gold and silver, and took vi^ith him two young men, whom he intended to instruct in the Spanish language, that they might serve LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. J 31 as interpreters, with this cargo he went back to Panama, having been absent three years. Few men have shown greater patience and perseverance than Pizarro, in this long time, with so little to cheer and encourage him, and while he was suffering so much from want and fatigue. The governor of Panama was not willing to assist the three companions in raising men and supplies, to conquer this new country, but they resolved that they would not give up the en- terprise. They made a new agreement, ar- ranging that Pizarro should be the governor, Almagro the lieutenant-governor, and Luque, bishop of the new country. They raised mo- ney, though with some difficulty, to fit out a ship, that they might send to Spain, and try to get assistance from the government there, to carry on their plan. Pizarro went out in the ship to manage the affairs of the company. He made his voyage in safety, and presented himself to the empe- ror. He told the story of the new country, simply but earnestly. He described his suffer- ings and those of his companions, but he was willing to run the risk of these and even greater. 132 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. to be the means of adding to the possessions of his country, this land, which was rich in every thing desirable, and abounded in silver and gold. The emperor and his ministers listened with favor to the story of Pizarro. They examined the specimens of the productions of Peru, which he had brought with him, and they approved of the expedition to conquer the country, and agreed to give to Pizarro all the privileges which he asked. Pizarro was so pleased with his success, that he forgot his friends, without whose assistance he would never have been able to go as far as he had done in executing his favorite plans. He caused himself to be made governor, Captain-General, and Admiral of the whole country which he had discovered, with a right to all the privileges usually given, or promised to be given, to new discoverers. His rule was to reach two hundred leagues along the coast, south of the river St. Jago. He was to be independent of the governor of Panama. He asked no favors for his friend Almagro, except that he should have the com- mand of a fort, which it was proposed should be built at Tumbez. This was very unjust ia LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZAURO. 133 Pizarro, but it is no wonder when he had per- suaded himself that he had a right to go and attack and subdue a peaceful people, and take from them their country, that he should not be very careful in his dealings with those who were to be engaged with him in the business. His friend Luque, was to be bishop, but as that would not interfere with the authority of Pi- zarro, he was williilg he should have the show of office. Pizarro agreed to raise two hundred and fifty men, to provide ships, arms, and provisions, re- quisite to conquer the country. But he found on trial, that it was very difficult to get a suffi- cient number of men who were willing to un- dertake an expedition so full of toil and suffer- ing. People had found out, that though there was gold and silver in these new countries, yet that there was also fighting, and often starva- tion and death. He did not succeed in raising half the number, which he had agreed to do, and he was forced to leave Seville privately, because if the officers of the king, had found that he had not fulfilled his part of the bargain, in raising the number of men proposed, they 12 134 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. might have taken away from him, the offices which had been given to him. Before he sailed, however, he received some money to help forward his plans, from Cortes, who happened to be at that time in Spain. Cortes had wanted help so much, when he first began his discoveries, that he took an interest in one whom he saw engaged in the same ad- ventures. Cortes knew Pizarro, and thought that he was so resolute and persevering, he would certainly succeed in what he undertook. CHAPTER II. Pizarro made his voyage safely. He landed at Nombre de Dios, and marched across the Isthmus with his three brothers, Ferdinand Juan, and Gonzalo, and his mother's brother, Francisco Alcantara. Almagro was very an- gry, when he found how badly Pizarro had treated him, in taking to himself all the honors and command, and leaving to him, only the rule of one little fort, which was not yet built. He declared he would have nothing more to do LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. 135 with the expedition. But Pizarro was very- artful and contrived to make up the quarrel with his old friend : he offered to give up to him some of his offices, and promised to join him in asking for a separate government for Almagro when the}?- should have conquered the country. Luque was satisfied, as he had got all that he had desired, and the three friends at last were reconciled as before, and agreed to carry on the expedition, together. But w^ith the efforts of all three, they could only raise three small vessels and one hundred and eighty soldiers, of whom thirty-six were horsemen. But Pizarro did not fear to set out with this force to conquer a country, which, from what he had seen of it, he knew must be rich and powerful. The time of the year was favorable for the voyage. In thirteen days they reached the coast of Peru. The currents carried them some distance north of Tumbez, and Pizarro landed his troops in the Bay of St. Matthew. He advanced to the south, keeping on the coast. The country proved to be cold, and some of the men suffered from sickness. The inhabitants were not numerous, and Pizarro instead of trying to make friends with them, 13,6 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. attacked them whenever he met them. The men from being exposed to the cold and in their contests with the natives, suffered almost as severely as in the first expedition. At length they reached Coaque and surprised the principal settlements of the natives. They seized on the gold and silver vessels and orna- ments, with which the houses and temples were filled. The sight of this large quantity of trea- sure cheered the hearts of the men, and revived their hopes which had begun to fail. Pizarro sent one of his vessels back to Panama, loaded with treasures to Almagro. He also sent large presents to other people of note in Nicaragua, hoping by this means to induce them to join in the expedition, and help to conquer the coun- try. He continued to march along the coast, attacking the natives everywhere. They fled in terror from this party of strangers, and Pi- zarro seized on their treasures. He hardly met with any resistance from the unfortunate peo- ple until he reached Puna in the Bay of Guya- quil. Here the natives were more fierce and warlike, and Pizarro spent six months in sub- duing them. From Puna he went to Tumbez, where he was obliged to remain three months, LIFE OP FRANCISCO PIZARRO. 137 because his men were suffering much from sickness. While he was there he was cheered by the arrival of two small detachments of men which had been sent out from Nicaragua. The pre- sents of gold, and the specimens of the riches of the country which he had sent there had ex- cited the attention of some of the people and induced them to join in the undertaking of Pi- zarro and his companions. One of these detach- ments was commanded by Sebastian Benalca- zar, and the other by Hernando Soto, both of them very skilful soldiers, who proved of great assistance to Pizarro. Encouraged by this addition to his numbers, Pizarro now went forward from Tumbez to the river Piura. Here he chose a place which he thought would be good for a town, and laid the foundation of the first Spanish colony in Peru, to which he gave the name of St. Michael. At the time the Spaniards invaded Peru, its territory reached fifteen hundred miles from north to south, along the shore of the Pacific Ocean. It was very narrow from west to east, being bounded by the Andes, a very high ridge of mountains, which extends for a great dis- 12# 138 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. tance, running north and south. According to the traditions of the conntr-y, it was formerly inhabited by small tribes, which were independ- ent of each other. These people were very ig- norant and uncivilized. After sometime a man and a woman appeared on the borders of Lake Titiaca. They were nobly formed, and wore decent clothes. They said that they were the children of the Sun, who was the maker of all things. They stayed with the people and taught them how to become civilized. Several of the tribes joined together under their rule, and built the city of Cuzco. The man was named Man- go Capec, and the woman Mama Ocollo. The man taught the men how to cultivate the ground, and the woman instructed the women how to spin and weave. They made many wise laws, which the people obeyed carefully. This was the foundation of the empire of the Incas of Peru, according to the tradition of the natives. At first their authority did not extend far, not reaching more than eight leagues from Cuzco ; but in their small dominion they were most strictly obeyed, and not only were the In- cas obeyed, they were revered as gods. They never were joined to any other families in mar- LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. 139 riage. They wore a peculiar dress, and deco- rated themselves in a different manner from any- one else. There had heen twelve monarchs of this race, who are all said to have been good, and ruled their people justly and kindly. When the Spaniards first arrived on their shores in the year 1526, Fluana Capac, the twelfth Inca, ruled the country. He was not only a wise ruler, but was of a warlike disposi- tion, and had conquered the province of Quito and lived in the capital of that country. He seems to have liked the country which he had subdued, for notwithstanding it was the law of the empire, that the Incas should not marry any but their own relations who were descended from the same ancestor, he had married the daughter of the prince of Quito, whom he had conquered. He died in 1529, leaving the kingdom of Quito to his son Atahualpa, whose mother was the princess of that kingdom, whom he had mar- ried. He left the rest of the kingdom to his eldest son Huascar, whose mother was one of the royal race. Though the people respected the memory of Huana Capec very much, yet they thought it so wrong for him to have married 140 LIFE OF FRANCISCO HZAURO. any one but a princess of the Sun, that they encouraged the elder brother Huascar to try to take the part of the kingdom which his father had left him, away from his brother Atahualpa. But the younger brother had at his command a large army, the most valuable soldiers in Peru, and with this he felt so strong that he refused to obey the-orders to give up his power, which Huascar sent him, and marched with his army to attack his brother. Thus was a civil war begun in Peru. Atahu- alpa, having the best army, defeated his brother. He tried to make his title sure by murdering all the children of the Sun, the descendants of Mango Capec, whom he could find. He had taken his brother Huascar prisoner, but he did not take away his life, because he knew that many of the people thought he was the rightful king, and he could make Huascar give out such orders as he pleased, which the people would obey. Thus did the quarrels of these two bro- thers open a way for the Spaniards to overrun and subdue the whole of their rich and power- ful empire, which they never could have done, had the Peruvians continued united. This war was going on when Pizarro arrived in St. Mat- LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZAE.RO. 141 thew's bay. If he had reached the country a few years earlier, when Huana Capec their fa- ther had been at the head of the kingdom, he would undoubtedly have been able, and would have been wise enough to have driven the Spaniards away. The brothers, however, were so much engaged in their Vv^icked quarrels, that they did not mind the arrival of the Spaniards. Pizarro soon found out the state of the country, and resolved to take advantage of the disturbed state in which he found it. The brothers even invited him to take part in their affairs. Huascar, who was a prison- er to his brother, sent to Pizarro, to beg him to come and assist him to escape from the power of his brother and recover his rightful rule. Pizarro thought this opportunit}^ was too good to be neg- lected. He marched directly forward without waiting for the arrival of more troops from Pa- nama. He was obliged to leave some of his people at St. Michael to take care of the new town, so that his army was very small, consisting of only sixty-two horsemen and one hundred foot soldiers. They advanced toward the town of Caxamalca, which was twelve days' march from §t. Michael. Atahualpa was encamped \' 142 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZAERO. at that place with a considerable army. As they approached the Peruvian encampment, they were met by officers sent out by Atahualpa, bearing presents, and bringing kind messages from the prince. Pizarro replied, that he came from a powerful prince, who would help Ata- hualpa to conquer his enemies. The Inca believed this report, and resolved to receive the new^ comers kindly. Pizarro was therefore allowed to enter into the heart of the country with his small army. The road passed through such narrow^ and difficult places, that if the Peruvians had been disposed they might have fallen upon the Spaniards and des- troyed them entirely. They advanced however undisturbed, and took possession of a fort which had been built to protect Caxamalca. They received new messages of friendship from the Inca as they approached the fort. At Caxa- malca, Pizarro took possession of a large court in which was a house belonging to the Incas. Here he arrayed his troops in a safe order, and having done this, he sent his two brothers to the camp of Atahualpa. He invited the prince to visit him in his quarters, that they might LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZAURO. 143 talk about the state of the country, and see what would be best to do, to restore it to peace. The brothers were treated with great hospi- tality. Atahualpa promised to visit Pizarro the next day. The messengers were feasted at tables which were filled with gold and silver vessels, and the great abundance of gold and silver which they saw, exceeded anything which they had ever before seen or heard of. On their return to Caxamalca, they gave to their countrymen such an account of the wealth of the Peruvian camp, that Pizarro, notwith- standing his professions of friendship, resolved to seize the monarch, and take possession of his treasures. He remembered how Cortes had seized Montezuma, and he thought that he should much more easily conquer the country, if the prince were in his power. The conquerors of that time seemed to have no pruiciple of justice or honesty, but thought they were right to seize on whatever they could get, and to break the most solemn promises whenever they pleased., Pizarro arranged all his army in the most advantageous manner to do what he was so wickedly planning. His men were all ordered 144 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZAHRO. to keep within the square, and not to move un- til they received his orders. At an early hour Atahualpa began to prepare for his visit. As he wished to make the most splendid appearance before these strangers, the preparations lasted a great while, and the day- was far advanced before he was ready to set out. x\nd then, that everything might be kept in order, he made the procession move so slowly, that the Spaniards, impatient for the booty, were afraid he had become suspicious of them, and had concluded not to make the proposed visit. Their own guilty hearts probably made them think of this. Pizarro sent more messengers with friendly speeches, to hasten the unfortunate Inca to his doom. At last he came near. He was preceded by four hundred men, all dressed alike, to clear the way before him. Then came the monarch, sitting on a sort of throne or couch, and almost entirely covered with plates of gold and silver, which were adorned with precious stones. He was also decorated with many col- ored plumes. Thus loaded with ornaments, he was carried on the shoulders of his principal attendants. Behind him were several of his nobles carried in the same manner. Bands of I LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. 145 singers and dancers escorted this procession, and the whole plain was covered with troops, amounting to more than thirty thousand men. As the Inca came near, Valverde the priest, who was the chaplain of the expedition, came out to meet him. He shewed him a crucifix, and tried to tell him about the Christian reli- gion. He said that the Spaniards had been sent by their master, a powerful prince, to turn away the Peruvians from the worship of the Sun, to that of the true God, He said that if Atahualpa would give up his old, and believe in this new religion, the Spaniards would pro- tect him ; but that if he refused to do so, they would make war upon him. This speech was spoken by the priest to an interpreter, and by him to the Inca. The interpreter did not un- derstand the language very well, and the poor Inca could hardly tell what it all meant. He answered however, that he did not under- stand the speech very well, but he did not see what right a strange priest had to come and talk in this way to him. That he should not leave the worship of the Sun, in which he had been brought up. He asked Valverde, where he had learnt this new religion of which he 13 146 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. spoke. Valverde reached to him the book con- taining- the prayers and service of the Catholic Church, which he held in his hand. The Inca turned over its leaves with wonder, and put it up to his ear. He then said, " this is silent, it tells me nothing," and threw it with scorn upon the ground. The priest was shocked at this : he cried out, " to arms. Christians, the word of God is insulted, you must avenge this profana- tion on the impious dogs." At the sight of this rich and shining proces- sion, the men were so eager to seize upon it, that Pizarro could hardly make them wait, while the priest and the Inca were holding this con- ference. When Pizarro heard the exclamation of the priest, he gave the order for his men to attack. They rushed at once upon the Peru- vians, who were entirely unprepared for the cruel action. The horsemen, the cannon, and the whole apparatus were so different from what they had ever seen, and the attack was so sud- den, that they fled on every side. Pizarro, at the head of a chosen band, rushed forward to seize the Inca. The men who surrounded their prince tried to cover him with their bodies, yet Pizarro succeeded in reaching his throne, seized LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. 147 him by the arm and dragg-ed him to the ground, aad then carried him a prisoner to liis own quarters. At the sight of this, the men fled with still greater haste, and the Spaniards followed them, killing great numbers of these poor crea- tures, who made no resistance. The slaughter did not cease until the end of the day. Four thousand Peruvians were killed, and not one Spaniard. Pizarro had a wound in one of his hands which he received when he v^ras trying to seize the Inca. The Spaniards seized the gold and silver of the Peruvians. The quantity of these metals was greater than they could ever have imagined to see collected at once. They passed the night in the most extravagant joy. CHAPTER III. The Inca was at first dreadfully sorrowful, at the slaughter of his troops, the loss of his treasures,andtofind himself a prisoner. Pizarro thought that he could carry on his plans better if he kept possession of the prince, and he would 148 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PI2ARR0. on this account have been sorry he should die. He therefore talked kindly to him, and tried to encourage him. Atahualpa soon saw that gold was what the Spaniards most desired ; he therefore told Pi- zarro if he would set him at liberty, he would give him as much gold and silver as would cover the room where he was confined, to be piled up as high as he could reach. This room was twenty-two feet long and sixteen broad. Pizarro promised to give him his liberty if he would do this, and the line was drawn at the proposed night. Atahualpa was delighted with the hope of getting his liberty. He sent messengers to Cuzco, Quito, and the distant parts of the em- pire, to gather the treasures which had been heaped up to adorn the temples of the gods, or the palaces of the Incas. Although he was a prisoner, the Peruvians did everything they could to fulfil his orders. Though the empire was still strong and able to furnish powerful armies, yet the Peruvians feared to make any resistance to the Spaniards, for fear that they should put the life of the captive prince in dan- ger. The Spaniards, therefore, were able to LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. 149 Stay at Caxamalca without being disturbed at all. Pizarro sent out some snriall bodies of men into different parts of the country, but they found themselves everywhere treated with great res- pect. Almagro arrived at this time at St. Michael, bringing with him the reinforcement of men, for which Pizarro had been so long hoping. If this gave joy to Pizarro, it gave no less sorrow to the unhappy Inca. He saw that his enemies were growing stronger, and as he did not know where they came from, he could not tell how many more he might expect. His trouble was increased by hearing that the Spaniards, on their way to Guzco, had been to see his brother Huascar, in the place where he was kept confined. Huascar had told them his story, and had promised them, if they would release him from his prison, and restore him to the au- thority which had been given him by his father, he would give them a much greater quantity of gold than had been promised by his brother. Atahualpa heard of this proposal of his brother, and thinking that if the Spaniards took his part, he should not be so likely to be relieved from 13* 150 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. his troubles, he sent and ordered Huascar to be killed. His orders were obeyed. We cannot feel quite so much pity for the sufferings of Atahualpa, when we see how cruel he was, and that he was willing to commit any crime to gain his own desires. He had before caused all his relations to be murdered except this brother, to secure to himself the right to govern; and now when he thought his brother was in the way, he did not hesitate to murder him. His own troubles might have made him more kind and pitiful to others ; but his faults do not excuse the Spaniards for their treachery to him, and nothing can excuse their cruelty to the poor subjects of these princes, who had com- mitted no crime, and were pursued and killed by them without any mercy. The Indians brought in every day to Caxa- malca immense quantities of treasure. Nearly the whole of what had been promised was col- lected, and Atahualpa told Pizarro that it was only because it took so long to bring it from the distant parts of the empire that it had not all arrived. But the soldiers became so impatient when they saw such immense piles of gold, that LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. 151 Pizarro found it was impossible to restrain them. They took out some curious articles as presents to the emperor, and then the whole mass was melted down. A fifth part was put apart for the emperor, and a certain portion for the sol- diers who had just arrived with Almagro, and there remained then one million five hundred and twenty eight pesos for Pizarro and his fol- lowers. They divided the treasure with reli- gious ceremonies, calling upon God to witness the action. By this division, above eight thou- sand' pesos, which is said to have been at that time worth not less than two hundred and twenty four thousand dollars, fell to the share of each horseman, and half that sum to each foot sol- dier. Pizarro and the other officers had shares larger in proportion to the rank they held. There is not in all history any account of so large a division of treasure being made in suck a small army. The men found themselves pos- sessed of wealth beyond what they had ever thought of, and they wanted to go home and enjoy it in their own country. Pizarro knew that it would be in vain to try to keep them, when they were so desirous to go home, and he thought that when others saw them return- 152 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. ing with such stores of wealth, there would be enough men willing to come and join his stand- ard, in the hope of gaining a share of the wealth which seemed so plenty in the new region. He therefore sent his brother Ferdinand with more than sixty of his followers to Spain, with an ac- count of the manner he had succeeded, and the present set apart for the emperor. When Atahualpa found that the Spaniards had divided the treasure which he had paid for his ransom, he thought that it was time they should think of fulfilling their part of the bar- gain and set him at liberty. But Pizarro did not mean to do it. He and the Spaniards pre- tended to think, as did most others at that time, that the native Americans were a lower order of beings, and as they were not Christians, they pretended to think they might do what they pleased with them. Though Pizarro had imi- tated Cortes in seizing Atahualpa, he was not a man of so much power of mind as Cortes was, and did not know how to manage his prisoner as Cortes did Montezuma. He did not succeed in making Atahualpa feel any confidence in him nor regard to him. It added much to the fa- tigues of the soldiers, who were now few in LIFE OF FHANCISCO PIZARRO. 153 number, to keep guard over the unfortunate monarch, and Pizarro began to wish he was out of the way. There was another party who wished for the death of the unhappy prince. Almagro and his followers were dissatisfied that because they did not arrive sooner, they did not share equally with the followers of Pizzaro in the ransom money. As the whole sum had not yet been paid, they thought that until it was, the follow- ers of Pizarro would consider all that was re- ceived for sometime as belonging to that bargain, and would think that they had still claim to a larger share than the followers of Almagro. These therefore wished for the death of the prince, that all the Spaniards in Peru might have an equal claim to what they should get. When Pizarro made his first visit to the coast of Peru, he took away two young Peruvians to be instructed for interpreters. One of these, named Phillipillo, had been a great deal about the captive prince to act as his interpreter. He had seen and admired one of the wives of Ata- hualpa of the royal race. He thought that while the prince lived she could not become his wife, and he therefore wished for his death, 154 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. and tried to prejudice Pizarro against him. He knew that it was against the laws of his coun- try for him to marry this lady, who was one of the daughters of the Sun, as the royal race were called; but he saw everything overturning in his country, and he felt hopes that if the prince were dead he might be able to have his wishes granted. All these things seemed enough to make the death of the unhappy prince certain. An acci- dent happened by which he probably himself hastened his fate. During hi-s confinement he had seen and become attached to Ferdinand Pi- zarro and Hernando Soto. These men were better educated than most of the others, and treated the prisoner with more kindness and tenderness. Pizarro was a rude uneducated soldier, and his stern harsh manner alarmed and disturbed the prince. He began to suspect that Pizarro was of a lower rank than those whose manners were so much more pleasing, and he could hardly help showing that he des- pised hini. Of all the wonderful things he had seen, Ata- hualpa was most delighted with the art of read- ing and writing. He did not know whether LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. 155 the knowledge came to the Spaniards by birth, or whether they had gained it by education. That he might find this oat, he asked one of the sol- diers who guarded him to write the name of God upon his thumb nail. This word he shewed to several of the Spaniards, and was astonished to find that they all gave the same answer. When Pizarro came in, the Inca showed him his nail ; Pizarro blushed, and was obliged to own that he did not know what it meant. From that moment Atahualpa considered him as a mean person, who did not know so much as his own soldiers. He had not art enough to conceal the scorn he felt for his cruel master. To find him- self despised by a barbarian prince was very painful to Pizarro, and made him feel very an- gry, and resolve more firmly than ever to put Atahualpa to death. But though Pizarro had resolved to put his prisoner to death, he did not dare to do it with- out some pretence of justice. He ordered a court, of which Almagro and himself, with two assistants, were judges. He kept up all the forms of a trial in Spain, and had all the regu- lar officers appointed. Atahualpa was accused before this court of having deprived his brother 156 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PI2ARE0.- of the command of the empire, and of having put his brother to death ; that he was an idola- ter, and had ordered men to be sacrificed in worship ; that he had several wives ; and that he had v^rasted the public treasures, which, since the country was conquered, belonged to the Spaniards ; and that he had tried to stir up his subjects to fight against the Spaniards. It is amazing that Pizarro should have had the bold- ness to pretend to bring forward such charges against the prince, and pretend to set up the forms of law to try the matter. They sum- moned witnesses to prove his guilt ; but as Phi- lipillo was the interpreter, vvho wished for the death of the unhappy monarch, he could make what the witnesses said, mean whatever he pleased. The mock trial ended by pronounc- ing Atahualpa guilty, and by his being con- demned to be burned alive. Atahualpa tried to escape his fate : he begged that he might be sent to Spain, to be tried by a king who would have some pity on his misfortunes. But Pizarro knew no pity. He hurried the unhappy monarch to his execution. Valverde, the priest, pretended to console him. He told him if he would be- come a Christian, his death should be made a LIFE OF FRANCISCO FIZARRO. 157 less cruel one. The dread of being burned to death made the prince consent to be baptised, and he was strangled instead of being burnt alive. But even in this cruel age, there were some men who were shocked at the wickedness of this action. Fernando Pizarro had gone to Spain, and Pizarro had sent Soto away from Caxamalca, on some separate command. Per- haps he did this purposely, because he knew that Soto would not give his consent to such a cruel deed. Several of the officers protested against the measure as being disgraceful to their country. But their efforts were in vain. The most melancholy part of the transaction is, that a priest, a man pretending to the sacred office of a minister of Jesus Christ, should have given his consent, and even urged the commis- sion of so barbarous a crime. We cannot won- der so much that a rude uneducated soldier, like Pizarro, should commit such cruel actions, as that a man who had been educated, and who had made the gospel of Christ the study of his life, should consent to and advise them. People were very much under the rule of the priests at that time, and perhaps Pizarro thought he 14 158 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZAKRO. might well do, whatever the holy father would permit him. CHAPTER IV. After Atahualpa was dead,Pizarro set up as ruler in his place, one of the sons of that prince. He thought he could direct things better if he governed in the name of the lawful monarch. But the country had been so divided by the wars of the two brothers, and afterwards by the intrusion of the Spaniards, that there was but little form of law or government left. The people of Cuzco chose for a ruler a brother of Huascar, but his authority was little heeded. Almost all the royal race had been destroyed in the contests of the two brothers, and the peo- ple ceased to feel any great reverence for what remained of the family. Several bold and dar- ing men rose up in different parts of the coun- try, who tried to become rulers of it. The general who commanded in Quito for Atahu- alpa, seized the brother and children of that LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. 159 unfortunate prince, and having murdered them, tried to set up a kingdom for himself. Nothing could be more favorable to the plans of Pizarro, than these divisions and disorders among the Peruvians. He now found himself at the head of a large number of adventurers. When the men who had shared the ransom of Atahualpa returned with Fernando Pizarro to Panama, and displayed the stores of wealth which they had gained in so short a time, all the inhabitants of that region were seized with the desire to hasten to the spot where such riches was to be gained, and the governors of Panama and the neighboring provinces could hardly prevent all the people from leaving their homes and hastening to Peru. In spite of all they could do to prevent it, so many had flocked to that country, that Pizarro, who had now re- solved to advance to Cuzco^ found himself at the head of five hundred men, although he had left a garrison of soldiers to take care of the fort St. Michael. The Peruvians tried to op- pose his progress by assembling large bodies of troops, but the contests ended as the battles between the Spaniards and native Americans generally did ; great numbers of Indians were 160 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. killed or wounded, and the rest fled. At length Pizarro reached the capital, Cuzco, and took possession of it quietly. They found great stores of riches there, though the natives had carried away and concealed probably a great deal. There were more men to divide it among than there were when the ransom of the Inca was shared, but it was thought that the sum exceeded what was divided at that time ; though from the number of men each individual had much less. During this march to Cuzco, the son of Atahualpa, whom Pizarro had made Inca, died, so that there was no one to bear that title but Manco Capac, the son of Huascar. When Pizarro went to Cuzco, he left Benal- cazar in command of the garrison of St. Michael. He was a brave officer, and did not like to re- main quietly within the walls of the garrison, but wished to go to seek adventures. He left men enough at St. Michael to keep it in safety, and then marched with a company of men to conquer the city of Quito, where it was reported Atahualpa had left a great part of his treasures. Quito was at a considerable distance from Peru, and the country through which it was necessary to march to reach it was mountainous and cov- LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. J 61 ered with woods. The natives attacked the Spaniards several times with great fury, but Benalcazar managed very skilfully and reached Quito safely. But he was disappointed on ar- riving there, after so many hardships, to find that the natives had carried off all those trea- sures, which they had found from sad experi- ence the Spaniards were so anxious to get. The Peruvians saw their country invaded on all sides. A Spanish general of great bravery named Alvarado, who had been engaged in the conquest of Mexico, had obtained the govern- ment of the province of Guatimala as a reward for his valor. But he began to grow tired of a peaceful life, and hearing of the wealth of Peru, and the success of its invaders, he longed to be engaged in the same field. He thought, or pretended to think, that Quito did not lie within the region which had been given to Pi- zarro, and he resolved to invade it. He was so celebrated as a captain, that people were very desirous to be under his command, as they thought he would certainly be successful, what- ever he undertook. He embarked with five hundred men, two hundred of them horsemen, and many of them persons of distinction. He 14=^ 162 LIFE OF FRANCISCO FIZAUUO. m landed at Paerto Yiego, but he did not know much about the country, and he had not good guides to direct him. He tried to reach Quito by following the course of the river Guayaquil, and crossing the ridge of the Andes at the head of that river. But this road was very difficult to travel, and his troops suffered dreadfully, sometimes from the road passing through dis- mal swamps and marshes, and sometimes be- cause it went over mountainous countries where the weather was dreadfully cold. Before they reached the plain on which Quito is situated, a great many of his men and horses had died, and the rest were so worn out and discouraged that they were hardly fit for anything. Instead of being able to rest themselves after their tiresome journey, they met at Quito an army of Spaniards. Pizarro had heard that Alvarado was advancing toward his province, and had sent Almagro with a body of troops to oppose him. They had arrived in safety, and had been joined by Benalcazar and his party. Alvarado, though he had not expected to find a body of Spaniards opposed to him, advanced boldly to meet them. But there were some peaceful men in each party, who succeeded in LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZAERO. 163 preventing the two commanders from fighting. Alvarado agreed to return to his own province, and Almagro agreed to pay him some money to defray the expenses of his expedition. Most of the men who had come with Alvarado prefer- red to stay in Peru, so that the party of Pizarro was strengthened instead of being weakened by this invasion. Ferdinand Pizarro, having carried back to Panama the adventurers who wished to return there, laden with riches, proceeded to Spain. The immense quantities of gold and silver which he carried with him, filled the empire with the greatest astonishment. The emperor received him with the attention which was due to one who had brought to him the richest present which had ever been seen in Spain, even since the conquest of Mexico. The authority of his brother Francisco was confirmed, with new pow- ers, and with an addition to his territory, which was to reach seventy leagues farther south. Almagro received the honors which he had so long desired. He had conferred on him the title of Adelantado or governor, with jurisdiction over two hundred leagues of country, beyond the southern boundary of Pizarro's province. 164 LIFE OF FRAXCISCO PIZARRO. Ferdinand received marks of the emperor's fa- vor, and was made a knight of the order of St. Jago, which was an honor much prized by Span- ish gentlemen at that time. He went back to Peru, accompanied by a great many persons, and those of a higher rank than had yet served in that country. The account of these matters reached Peru before the arrival there of Fernando Pizarro. As soon as Almagro heard that he had received a province for himself, he pretended to think that the royal city of Cuzco was included in his territory. He had never felt very friendly to Pizarro since he had treated him so badly in the first arrangement he had m.ade v.?ith the emperor. Almagro attempted to take posses- sion of Cuzco: Juan and Gonsalez Pizarro at- tempted to defend it. Some of the Spaniards took part with each of the claimants, and they had almost come to fighting, when Francisco Pizarro arrived at the capitol. Pizarro knew that he had not acted fairly by his old friend ; and Almagro, though he had pretended to make up with him, had never really forgiven him. The persons about them who had taken sides with one or the other, tried to LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARUO. 165 excite them against each other, and bring them to an open quarrel. But each knew the skill and ability of the other, and knew that it would be fatal to the cause of all parties in Peru, if they expended their strength in fighting each other. Pizarro was very artful, and he suc- ceeded in soothing the anger of his old friend, and bringing him to a reconciliation. Almagro agreed to try to conquer Chili, and Pizarro promised that if he did not find that country equal his expectations, he would give him up a part of Peru. This agreement was settled with religious ceremonies, in token that the bargain was to be solemnly kept. Pizarro having arranged this difficulty peace- fully, went back to the countries on the sea coast. He had now a little season of repose, being not disturbed by either Spanish or Indian enemies. He tried to arrange a regular government for his provinces. Though he was uneducated, yet he was of a strong mind, and careful and observing. He appointed magistrates and made wise laws for administering justice, to regulate the working of the mines of gold and silver, which were abundant in the country, and for securing the prosperity of the people. He wished 166 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. to lay the foundation of a city which should be the capital of his empire. Cuzco, the city of the Incas, was four hundred miles from ihe sea shore, and still farther from Quito. He selected for the spot on whirh to build his new city the beautiful valley of Rimac, one of the best culti- vated and most extensive valleys in Peru. It is only six miles from Callao, the most conven- ient harbor in the Pacific Ocean. He gave to his new city the name of Cindad de los Reges, or the city of the kings ; but it is better known by the name of Lima. He entered with his usual zeal into the building of the city. He erected a splendid palace for himself, and it soon began to show some signs of the magnifi- cence to which it afterwards reached. After the agreement between Pizarro and his friend, Almagro began his march toward Chili. As he was very brave and very generous, he was much liked by the soldiers, and five hun- dred and seventy men accompanied him in his expedition. Almagro was in such haste to reach his destination, that he did not keep along the sea shore, but attempted to cross the mountains, which was a shorter road, but a much more difficult one. In this journey his men were LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. 167 exposed to great fatigue and want of food. The weather was dreadfully cold in the high regions, and many of the men died in consequence of the hardships to which they were exposed. At last they reached the plains of Chili, which they found to be a fertile country, but inhabited by a race of men very different from the Peru- vians. They were bold and hardy, and though they were at first astonished at the appearance of the Spaniards and surprised at the fire arms, yet they soon recovered themselves, and were not only able to defend themselves boldly, but they attacked the Spaniards with more fierce- ness and skill than any American nation had yet done. Almagro however was able to ad- vance some distance into the country and col- lect considerable quantities of gold, but he did not think best to attempt to make any settle- ment in a country where he should have such fierce neighbors. Pizarro, in order to keep his men employed and to satisfy their desire for gold, had suffered several of his leaders to go with parties of men under their command, to explore different parts of the country and to collect gold. The Peru- vians could not but watch every movement of 16S LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. their invaders ; and when they found that Al- magro had gone with a large body of men to Chili, and that the rest of the Spaniards were dispersed about the country, they thought it would be a good opportunity for them to attack the few who were left in Cuzco under Juan and Gonzales Pizarro. Manco Capac, the Inca, had been allowed to live in that city in the palace of his forefathers, though he was strictly watched by the Spaniards. He now formed a plan for the Peruvians to attack the Spaniards, and he contrived to make his plan known to the per- sons who were to execute it. The people were accustomed to consider their Inca as a sort of god, and though he was now a prisoner, they were all ready to obey his commands as soon as they were made known to them. The Inca tried several times to make his es- cape from his confinement, but did not succeed. At last, he asked permission of Ferdinand Pi- zarro, who happened to be at that time at Cuzco, to attend a great festival of his nation which was to be celebrated a few leagues from the capital. Pizarro allowed him to attend. Under pretence of this celebration, the great men of the empire were assembled. As soon LIFE OF FKANCISCO PIZARRO. 169 as they saw the Inca the standard of war was raised, and in a short time all the fighting men in the country were ready for battle. Many Spaniards who were living quietly on the farms which had been alloted to them, were killed without any warning. Parties of Spaniards, who were passing without any fear from one part of the country to another, were all cut off. A large army of men besieged Cuzco, which the two brothers of Pizarro tried to defend with only one hundred and seventy men. Another army surrounded Lima, and kept the governor closely shut up. There was no communication between the two cities : parties of Peruvians were spread- ing all over the country, and those who were in one city did not know the fate of their coun- trymen in the other, or whether they themselves were all that was left of the Spanish power in Peru. The Peruvians made their most powerful attack on the city of Cuzco. Here the Inca commanded in person. They displayed great skill and sagacity in the warfare they carried on. For nine months they besieged the city. They not only made use of all the methods of Indian warfare, but they imitated the arts which 15 170 LIFE OF FEANCISCO PIZARRO. ihey had seen so successfully employed by the Spaniards. They armed a large body of their bravest men with the spears, swords and buck- lers they had taken from the Spaniards. They tried to arrange their men in the close manner in which Europeans fight. Some brought to the battle muskets which they had taken from their invaders, and which they were not afraid to use. Some of the boldest, and the Inca was one of them, mounted the horses they had takert and rode forward to the attack with their lances,, w^hich they managed like Spanish knights. Immense numbers of the natives collected from every quarter, and in this way made more impression upon the Spaniards than even their imitations of European warfare. MancoCapac recovered possession of one half of his capital, notwithstanding the efforts of the Spaniards. In their struggles with the Peruvians Juan Pi- zarro was killed, who was of all the brothers of the name of Pizarro, the one most beloved by the men. The Spaniards were almost worn out with their incessant watching and fighting, and they despaired of being able to resist an army which every day grew larger. They longed to join their countrymen, if any were yet sur- LTFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. 171 living, and they hoped to be able to force their way to the sea, and find some means of escaping from this fatal country. While these thoughts were in their minds, Almagro appeared in the neighborhood of Cuzco. CHAPTER V. Almagro had heard that the Peruvians had risen against their invaders, and he determined to hasten home to assist his countrymen. But another reason induced him to hasten his return to Peru. At the same time that he heard of the revolt of the Peruvians, he also received the papers, containing the authority of the emperor, which made him governor of Chili. Upon look- ing carefully at these, he was convinced that the city of Cuzco v/as included within his terri- tory, and he therefore wished very much to gain possession of the city, which would form an important p-art of his dominions. He had returned by a different path from the one by which he went to Chili, passing along the sandy plains on the sea coast, and had suffered as much 17S LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. from heat and want of water, as in his former journey he had done from the cold and want of food. He arrived at Cuzco at a time of great anxi- ety. The Spaniards and Peruvians both watched his motions with great interest. The Inca sent messages to him, and tried to persuade him to join him in driving away the followers of Pi- zarro. But finding that he could not make any treaty of friendship with Almagro, he attacked his army with a powerful body of men. But the skill and discipline of the Spanish troops prevailed, they dispersed the army of the Inca, and Almagro proceeded to the gates of Cuzco without opposition. The Pizarros tried to prevent the entrance of Almagro into the capital. Both the parties, however, saw that it would be very bad for the Spanish cause if they should spend their strength in fighting against each other. Almagro was very kind and agreeable in his manners, and the men liked him better than the Pizarros who were proud and severe in their conduct. Many of the followers of Pizarro went over and joined Almagro. By the information they gave him of the state of the places, and the addition they LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. 178 made to liis forces, he was able to advance toward the city. He approached it at night, surprised the sentinels, or persuaded them to let him go in. He then surrounded the house where the brothers lived, and after making some resistance, they were forced to surrender. On examining the claims Almagro made to the rule over Cuzco, they were all forced to admit that the right to govern that city was his, and a form of government was established in his name. Only two or three persons were killed in this entrance into the city. But more bloody ac- tions soon followed. Francisco Pizarro at last succeeded in dispersing the Peruvians who had surrounded Lima. Pie had also received more men from Hispaniola and Nicaragua. He there- fore ordered five hundred men under the- com- mand of Alonso Alvarado to march to Cuzco, in the hope of relieving his brothers if they were still alive. This was a large force for the time and the country. The army marched along and did not know that they should have any but native enemies to contend with, when to their surprise they found Spaniards arranged on the banks of a neighboring river to oppose their advance. Almagro tried to make Alva- 15* 174 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. rado join his party, but he would not consent to change his master. Almagro caused a large detachment of soldiers to pass the river in the night and fall upon his camp before they were expected, Alvarado and his principal officers were taken prisoners. Some of the followers of Almagro advised him to put to death the brothers of Pizarro, Alvarado, and a few others of the principal men in the opposite party, and to march directly to Lima, and attack Pizarro before he had time to prepare for his defence; but Almagro was not willing to do this, though he thought he had a right to Cuzco, yet he did not think he had a right to attack Pizarro in what he was sure was his own territory. He therefore went quietly back to Cuzco. The news of all these great events which had happened at Cuzco, reached Pizarro at the same time. He heard that Almagro had come back and taken possession of the capital, that one of his brothers had been killed in the war with the Peruvians, that the other two were prison- ers, and that his army sent under Alvarado had been defeated. Stout as he was, he was almost beaten down by so many different troubles. But LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. 175 he saw he must do something to preserve him- self and the territory for which he had suffered so much. He wanted to prevent Almagro from making any attack on him, until he had received the additions to his forces from abroad, which he expected, and which, -as he was placed near the sea coast, could come to him without falling into the hands of Almagro. He sent messages making different proposals of accommodation to Almagro, and he succeeded, by his artful man- agement, in preventing Almagro from making any attack on .him. In the meantime, Gonzalo Pizarro and Alvarado contrived to make their escape, and persuaded sixty of the men who had been placed to guard them, to return with them to Pizarro. Pizarro continued to send messages to Almagro, and at last persuaded him to allow Ferdinand Pizarro to be set at liberty and return immediately to Spain, to state the cause of their disputes to the emperor, and in the meantime Pizarro and Almagro should await until they found out what was decided in Spain. Though Almagro had been so often deceived, yet he trusted his faithless companion again, and a bargain was concluded in this way, and Ferdi- nand Pizarro was set at liberty. 176 LIFE OF FRANCISCO nZARRO. As soon as Ferdinand had returned to his brother, the governor forgot all these professions-,, which were only made that he might get his brother restored to liberty. He gave up all professions of friendship, and declared that he would fight with Almagro, and decide by battle who should be governor of Peru. He immedi- ately prepared an army to march to Cuzco; he soon had seven hundred men ready for battle. He gave the command of these men to his brothers, who having lately suffered by being imprisoned by Almagro, were very willing to fight against him. They marched south along the coast, and then crossed the mountains which separated them from the capital. Some of the officers of Almagro advised him not to wait until he was attacked, but to cro and meet his enemy in the passes of the mountains, where the way was narrow, and they might be more easily overcome. But his followers were not numerous ; he could not have taken them all, but must have left a part at Cuzco to pre- vent the city from falling again into the hands of the Peruvians. He had more horsemen than foot soldiers, and could use them to more advan- tage in an open plain country ; he therefore LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZAFtRO. 177 decided to await his enemy in the phin of Cuzco. The Pizarros reached the plains, and both parties had become so angry, that they were impatient to begin the contest. The Indians were assembled on the heights around, rejoicing it is probable, to see their cruel invaders fighting with each other, and determined to fall upon whichever party should be defeated by the other. The parties were so angry, that fellow-coun- trymen as they were, no word of reconciliation was spoken. Almagro had grown old, and was worn out by the fatigues he had lately under- gone, so that he did not feel able to command his army himself, but placed at its head Orgog- nez, who, though a good officer, was not so much respected by the soldiers as Almagro. A dreadful battle followed. Almagro's sol- diers were very experienced, and he had more horsemen, but Pizarro had a greater number of men, and had the advantage of two companies of musketeers who had been sent out from Spain by the emperor, when he heard of the insurrec- tion of the Indians. He did not probably think that the first use which was made of them would be to attack their own countrymen. But this 178 LIFE OF FKANCISCO PIZARRO. well armed band decided the battle. Wherever they went they beat down all opposition. Or- gognez was dangerously wounded while he was trying to encourage his troops. The party of Pizarro conducted with great cruelty. They picked out men against whom they had some dislike, and killed them in cold blood. Orgog- nez and several other officers were killed in this way. Almagro, though he was so feeble that he could not sit upon his horse, was carried on a litter to a place where he could see the bat- tle. Here he saw all the movements ; and when he found that his own party were defeated, he tried to escape by flight, but he was taken pris- oner and watched with great care. The Indians looked on during the battle with great attention; but when it was over, instead of attacking the weary fighters, they dispersed quietly. Pizarro's troops entered Cuzco and pillaged it. They found there considerable treasure, part of which had been left by the In- dians and part probably brought from Chili by the followers of Almagro; but when divided among so many, it did not satisfy their desires, and Ferdinand Pizarro was obliged to do as his brother had formerly done, and suffer parties of LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZAHRO. 179 Spaniards to go out to attempt the discovery and conquest of other provinces, thus carrying sorrow and war still farther among the unfor- tunate Indians. Several of Almagro's follow- ers joined these expeditions. Almagro remained several months a prisoner. Pizarro determined as soon as he had him in his power, to kill him ; but he did not dare to do it while he was surrounded by his old friends, and the soldiers who had loved and respected him for so long a time. But when these had gone away on different expeditions, Pizarro caused him to be brought to trial, accused him of treason against him, as governor of Peru, and condemned him to die. Though Almagro had been a brave soldier, yet he was weakened by disease and disappointment, and he was so humbled that he begged the cruel Pizarro to spare his life. He reminded him how long they had been friends ; how they had first planned the conquest of this country ; had helped each other, and had promised in the most solemn and religious manner to remain true to each other. He told the Pizarros that he had spared their lives, when they had been in his power, though he had been advised by some of his friends not 180 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. to spare those who were so unfaithful in keep- ing their promises. He begged them to pity his age and his infirmities, and suffer him to pass the short time he should yet live in retire- ment, where he could repent of the sins of his past life, and pray God to forgive him. All who heard him were melted at his petitions, and hardened soldiers shed tears at the sight of the brave old man who was brought so low. But no pity ever reached the heart of Pizarro. He could forget when with Almagro and Luque he broke the consecrated bread and ate it, call- ing upon God to witness the faith which he would keep his agreement. He could forget when on the solitary island messages of en- couragement reached him from Almagro. He could forget how he had assisted him in all the feeble attempts made in the beginning of his enterprise. He saw nothing but the man whom he feared as a rival before him, and in spite of his prayers and his tears he persisted that he should die. When Almagro found that all prayers to Pizarro were vain, he prepared to meet his fate with courage. He w^as strangled in prison, and his head afterwards cut off in public. He was seventy-five years old. He LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZAKRO. 181 left a son, whom though a prisoner in Lima, he appointed to succeed him in his government. He had received power from the emperor to say who should succeed him when he died. It was sometime after these things happened before an account of them reached Spain. The first news of the wars between the Spaniards in Peru, was carried out by some of the officers of Almagro, who left Peru as soon as their party was defeated. They told in the language of sorrow and disappointment, how proud, and faithless, and cruel the Pizarros had been in their conduct toward Almagro and his followers. Soon after J^erdinand Pizarro reached Spain, he appeared at court in great pomp, and tried to excuse the conduct of his brothers and himself, and make it appear that Almagro had begun the quarrel. The emperor found it very diffi- cult between such different accounts, and at so great a distance from Peru, to tell who was most to blame. But he saw that it was very bad that the Spaniards should be wasting their strength and time in quarrelling and fighting with each other, when they should be establish- ing colonies and ordering the affairs of the 16 182 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. country wisely. But he did not know how to remedy these evils. He concluded however to send some one out to see the state of affairs, and try to establish some form of government in the new country. For this purpose he selected Vaca de Castro, a royal judge at Valladolid. He was to have power to take upon himself the government in case Pizarro should be dead; or if he should be living, he was to consult with him what was best to be done for the country. He was a wise and firm and honest man. Ferdinand Pi- zarro was arrested and put in prison in Madrid, where he remained for more than twenty years. CHAPTER VI. Pizarro, after the death of Almagro, proceeded to exercise entire power and to divide the coun- try as he pleased among those who had con- quered it. And if he had done this fairly, there was land enough to have satisfied all ; but he did not do this. He took for himself, his broth- LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. 183 ers, and favorites, large tracts of the richest and most cultivated parts of the country, while to those whom he favored less, were given tracts of a poorer kind ; and the followers of Almagro, many of whom were among the bravest and most patient of the adventurers, were not allowed to have any portion. Thus great disappointment was felt; some loudly blamed the governor, while others in secret murmured at their wrongs and resolved to take the first occasion to revenge themselves upon him. Notwithstanding the large territory which had been conquered by the Spaniards, they were not satisfied unless they were making new discoveries. They were constantly penetrating into new districts where they suffered har^dships, but added considerably to the dominions of Spain. But the expedition of Gonzalo Pizarro is so wonderful and roman- tic, that it ought to be particularly mentioned. Pizarro, who did not choose that any but those of his own family should enjoy the high- est offices in Peru, had deprived Benalcazar, the conqueror of Quito, of the command of that kingdom, and had put his brother Gonzalo in his place. He ordered Gonzalo to try to ex- plore the country to the east of the Andes, which 184 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. was said by the Indians to abound in cinnamon and other valuable spices. Gonzalo, who was bold and desirous to make himself distinguished, was very glad to undertake this service. He left Quito with three hundred and forty soldiers, nearlyonehalfof whom were horsemen, and four thousand Indians to carry their provisions. In crossing the mountains the cold was excessive and the Spaniards suffered dreadfully, while many of the Indians died from cold and fatigue. But when they got down into the low country they suffered still more. For two months it rained so constantly, that they had not time to. dry their clothes. The plains to which they had arrived afforded but little food, and the in- habitants were rude and uncivilized. They could not get forward except by cutting roads as they went. But the Spaniards at that time, and in the New World, were so accustomed to fatigue that they bore up under almost everything. They heard accounts of rich countries which lay before them, and they pressed on, until they reached the banks of the Coca or Napo, one of the large rivers which pour into the river Ama- zon, and increase its size. On the banks of this river they built a vessel, LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. 185 which they thought would be of great use to them, in carrying them over rivers, in helping them to get food, and in explormg the country. In this vessel Pizarro placed fifty soldiers under the command of Francis Orellana, the officer next to him in rank. The stream carried them down so fast, that they soon got out of sight of their countrymen, who followed slowly and with difficulty by land. When the vessel had gone some distance, Orellana formed the plan of leaving his coun- trymen to take care of themselves, and proceed- ing down this large river, until he came to where it emptied into the ocean. He was very wicked to leave thus his fellows to struggle along through this rough country, taking away the vessel which had been built with such hope by them all, and on which they had depended so much for relief and help ; but he was very bold to venture thus on an unknown stream, with unskilful men, without provisions, or pilot, or compass. The mighty river carried him rapidly on to the south until he reached the great chan- nel of the Amazon. He turned with the course of this to the coast. He frequently landed on both sides of the river, sometimes he seized 16* 186 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARKO. provisions by force, and sometimes procured them from friendly Indians in a more gentle manner. After many dangers and difficulties which he bore very bravely, he reached the ocean, and got safe to the island Cubagua, and from thence sailed to Spain. He told great stories of the wonders he had seen in his expe- dition. He pretended he had seen nations so rich, that the roofs of the temples were covered with plates of gold ; and that he had found a nation of women who were so warlike and powerful as to have acquired the government of a very large territory ; and it was a long time before people were convinced that these wonder- ful stories were not true. The voyage however in its simple truth is one of the most wonderful adventures in that wonderful age. But who can tell the sorrow and dismay of Pizarro, when he arrived at the place where the Napo and Amazon meet, and where he had directed Orellana to wait for him, when he found no vessel there. He could not believe that Orellana had been faithless, but thinking some accident had prevented their meeting, he went forward fifty leagues along the banks of the Amazon, expecting every moment to see the LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZAREO. 187 vessel, and hoping to find it loaded with provi- sions. At last he found an officer v>rhom Orel- laua had left behind him exposed to perish in the desert, because this man had told him how very wicked it was in him to desert his com- panions and their commander. This man told him the whole story of Orel- lana's desertion, which, when he knew, his heart and the spirit of his followers, sunk into des- pair. They begged Pizarro to lead them back immediately. He tried to appear tranquil, and did not oppose their wishes; but he knew he was twelve hundred miles from Quito, and he foresaw the sufferings which lay before them, but there was no other choice for them, and dismal indeed proved their journey. They had no food but roots and berries, and they were forced to eat all their dogs and horses, even to feed on the most odious reptiles, and to gnaw the leather of their saddles and swordbelts. Four thousand Indians and two hundred and ten Spaniards died in this sad expedition, which lasted two years. Fifty men went with Orel- lana, so that only eighty returned to Quito. These were naked like savages, and so worn 188 LIFE OF TRANCrSCO PIZARKO. down by fatigue and hunger, that they looked like the shadows only of men. After the division which Francisco Fizarro had made of the country, great discontent had prevailed among the people. The followers of Almagro, finding that they could expect nothing from Pizarro, had turned their attention to the son of Almagro, who had been appointed by his father to succeed him in his government, and who was now living in Lima. The young Al- magro had now become a man. His father having felt the want of an early education, had caused his son to be instructed in everything which was necessary for a soldier and gentleman at that day. He was handsome, skilful in all warlike exercises, bold, generous, and seemed to be formed for command. The followers of his father looked up to him, hoping that he would be able some day to help them to recover the advantages which they had lost. They be- gan to form plans of revenge upon Pizarro. Some persons who knew how often they were consulting together, told Pizarro that he ought to take care that he was not surprised by them. But he pretended to despise these men, whom LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. 189 he thought of too little consequence to do him any serious injury. He said he felt no fear of his life, for that it was safe while everybody in Peru knew tliat he could cut off the head of any man who dared to think a thought against him. While he felt so secure, the followers of young Almagro had time to arrange their plans, and Juan de Herrada, a very bold and wise offi- cer, who had had the care of young Alm.agro's education, took the direction of their affairs. • Herrada had arranged with his friends in a very private manner his plan against Pizarro. He chose for the execution of it a Sunday noon, a season when everybody, in warm climates especially, is still and quiet. He left the house of Almagro at the head of eighteen companions, all, with himself, clad in complete armor. They drew their sw^ords, and as they advanced has- tily towards the governor's palace, they cried out, "Long live the king, but let the tyrant die." Their friends who had agreed with them to be ready at a certain signal, which was now given, were at different stations armed, ready to sup- port them. Pizarro was usually surrounded by a large train of attendants, according to the custom of persons of high rank at that day, yet 190 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. now he had just risen from dinner, and most of his attendants had gone to their own apart- ments. The conspirators therefore passed the two outer courts of the palace without being observed. They had reached the bottom of the staircase, before tliey were seen by any one. A page then descried them, and gave notice to to his master, who was talking with a few friends in a large hall. Pizarro, who was never thrown off his guard, started up and called for arms, and ordered one of his attendants to close the door. But that officer was alarmed, and in- stead of obeying his master, he ran to the head of the stairs and asked the conspirators what they meant and where they were going. In- stead of replying, they stabbed him to the heart, and then entered the hall. Some of the persons who were there, threw themselves from the windows, others tried to fly, and a few drew their swords and followed their leader into an inner- apartment. Flerrada and his companions now rushed forward. Pi- zarro, with no other arms than his sword and buckler, defended the entry; and supported by his half brother Alcantara, and his few friends, he fought with great boldness, and tried to en- LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARBO. 191 courage his companions. But those who at- tacked them were covered with armor, which protected them, while every blow of theirs took effect. Alcantara fell dead at his brother's feet. The governor fought until he was so weary he could hardly hold his sword, but he was no longer able to keep off the blows of so many- enemies ; and at last he received a wound in his throat, sunk to the ground, and died. And thus perished Francisco Pizarro, the discoverer and conqueror of Peru. Bold, skil- ful, wise, patient and persevering, but cruel, selfish and faithless. He must have had many fearful thoughts pass through his mind, while he stood desperately struggling for his life, against the swords of Herrada and his compan- ions. In one hour like this, years of past crime might crowd into his mind. His wrongs to the Indians; his faithlessness to Atahualpa; the mock trial and cruel death of that unhappy prince ; his falsehood to Almagro ; the mock trial and dying prayers, and cruel murder of that old man, his early friend. These and nu- merous other crimes of his life must have crowd- ed into his mind, and he must have begun to feel on earth the torments which always follow 192 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZAKRO. the wicked in the future world, however they may seem to have escaped in this the reward of their crimes. After his death, the assassins ran out into the street, waved their bloody swords, and pro- claimed that the tyrant was dead. They were joined by a number of the followers of Almagro, who conducted him in a solemn pro- cession through the city, and assembled the principal citizens, and compelled them to ac- knowledge Almagro as his successor. The suc- cess of this plot drew many adventurers to the standard of Almagro. He was soon at the head of eight hundred of the bravest men of Peru. As he was too young to take the command him- self, he appointed Herrada to act as his general. But the body of the people did not feel satisfied. Pizarro had left many friends who respected his memory, and were shocked at his assassi- nation. Many officers refused to obey Alma- gro until his authority was confirmed by the emperor. At Cuzco many prepared to revenge the death of their former leader. At this time, de Castro, the new judge, ar- rived. He had had a long voyage, and been forced by bad weather to put into the harbor of LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. 193 Popayan, and from thence reached Quito. On his way he heard of the death of Pizarro and the events which followed it. He immediately produced the royal authority with which he was provided by the emperor, to take upon him- self the office of governor,in case Pizarro should be dead. His authority was acknowledged im- mediately by the officers in that part of the coun- try where he first landed. De Castro showed great wisdom and prudence in the management of affairs. The people who were loyal were encouraged to yield obedience to the rightful authority, and the timid were prevented from doing anything to favor the cause of Almagro. Almagro, in order to establish his power, which he found was beginning to grow feeble, went to Cuzco, to try to get possession of that Capital, the claim of his father to which, seemed to have some foundation. But on his way there, his friend Herrada died, and after this, his affairs were managed with but little discretion. Shortly after, a battle took place between Almagro and de Castro, which was a very bloody one, and in which Almagro was defeated. De Castro proceeded to try his pris- oners as rebels, forty were condemned to 17 194 LIFE OF FRANCISCO PIZARRO. suffer death as traitors. Almagro who had es- caped from the battle, was betrayed by some of his officers, and publicly beheaded in Cuzco ; and thus the party and name of Almagro was brought to an end. After this, Peru was for many years, the scene of great bloodshed and disorder, Charles 5th endeavored to organize a form of govern- ment which should preserve the quiet of the country. Gonzalo Pizarro figured considerable in these contests; but after a succession of battles and revolutions, the different parties in turn prevailing, men who were less desperate and more accustomed to move in the path of so- ber industry, settled in Peru, and the royal au- thority was gradually established firmly there. Many years after, the Peruvians threw off the dominion of the Spanish Crown, and the government is now a republic. It has under- gone several changes, and even now, is not quietly established. The Capital, Lima, which was founded by Pizarro, is now a rich and splendid city. But it has suffered often by vio- lent earthquakes. The mines of the country are very rich, and have produced great quanti- ties of gold and silver. f > 'o . * • A