CHAPTER L

    How the General Pero Alvarez Holguin, after he had been accepted and sworn as General near Parcos, continued his march in the direction of Jauja; and how Gaspar Rodríguez de Camporedondo, while reconnoitring the country, captured the men who were in that province on behalf of Don Diego.

IN the preceding chapters we mentioned how Captain Pero Alvarez Holguin, after he had been sworn in as Captain General, moved from the place where he was, with the intention of approaching the province of Jauja to obtain fuller knowledge of the proceedings¹ of the men of Chile. Those twelve men sent by Don Diego from Lima, had arrived at Jauja to attend to the things we have said they were sent to do. They endeavoured to cement their friendship with the Guancas. But those Indians are very knowing, and were already aware of the arrival of Vaca de Castro, and of how Alonso de Alvarado had declared in Chachapoyas, and Pero Alvarez in Cuzco against the insurgents². So they concluded that it would be prudent³ to keep in with the Pachacama party. They were asked whether they had received word or knew anything of whether the Christians⁴ of Cuzco were coming. They replied that they knew nothing. And though they were well aware that Pero Alvarez was near their valley, they would not tell. Indeed certain Indians went to Pero Alvarez to report the state of affairs, and on this knowledge he sent Gaspar Rodríguez de Camporedondo to Jauja, to reconnoitre and see if any agents of Don Diego were there; and if so to arrest them. Gaspar Rodríguez, keen to serve the King, set out for Jauja, and surprised the Spaniards there at night and made them prisoners. He returned with them to Pero Alvarez, who ordered two to be hanged. He then[171] took counsel with his officers, and they resolved to deceive the enemy by telling the truth. It was in this way. As they would pass a place quite near the city of Lima, it would be natural to believe that they intended to march in and occupy the city and take possession of it. But if they should give out that they were going on by the mountain road, they would not be believed; and the enemy would come out the more readily to seek them. And thus they would be able to edge off on the road to Caxamarca without danger. So Pero Alvarez released the aforesaid Chile men, and told them to say to Don Diego and his followers⁵ that they ought to content themselves with the wrong they had already done, and not lay themselves out to commit more misdeeds; for punishment would surely overtake them. He was marching to Caxamarca because he did not wish to contend with them or give battle—not from any fear of them, but to see whether, having fallen into the error they had, they would turn to seek pardon from the King. Then, as I said, he sent them away and, entering the province of Jauja, he spoke⁶ to the Guancas, admonishing⁷ them that they should be his loyal friends, and not those of the men of Chile, who were going about opposing the King's interest. After saying some other things to them Pero Alvarez presently departed from Jauja.

Well, let us return to Don Diego and his people, who were marching towards Jauja in good order, for they had now received news that their agents had been made prisoners. They wanted to learn the facts from one who met them and, thinking that he spoke with some reserve, Cristóbal de Sotelo put him to the torture. He then admitted that Pero Alvarez was coming with three hundred Spaniards, that he was bringing with him Don Alonso de Montemayor and Vasco de Guevara,[94] and that they were[172] on the road near to Bombon. Juan de Herrada was ill; but from a soldier named Zamarrilla, a swift goer who was wont⁸ to make his journeys in the dress of an Indian so as not to be known, he got word that Pero Alvarez was certainly marching straight to Bombon and that, being desirous to avoid a battle, he had ordered Zamarrilla, on pain of severe punishment, to say nothing to Don Diego or to the captains. When the others whom Pero Alvarez had sent arrived and confirmed the truth of that general's march, the captains and foremost men of them assembled to decide upon what should be done. Cristóbal de Sotelo understood the wiliness of his enemies very well. He said "They want to deceive us with the truth, and what they really intend is to effect a junction⁹ with Alvarado. In my opinion we ought to intercept¹⁰ them, for we are quite able to do so." Saying this, he ordered that they should move to encounter the enemy by a shortcut¹¹ leading to the main road. Juan de Herrada, since he did not want to have a battle, would not consent; but made various excuses, saying that they should go to Jauja, and that there was time enough to follow them, if they really had taken the road to Bombon. So, as they would not follow the opinion and advice of Cristóbal de Sotelo, they moved on in good order towards Jauja, and marched until they reached the valley. As they were under the dual¹² command of Cristóbal de Sotelo and García de Alvarado there could not be good management, because if one gave an order it seemed inexpedient to the other, and he ordered the contrary. We have said in other places that Sotelo was judicious¹³. He saw that if he and García de Alvarado were both to be in command, the cause must be lost. He therefore said that, in view of this evil, he desired no other authority than his personality, apart from a military rank, secured to him. He added that García de Alvarado was a cavalier of such high standing¹⁴ that he was well able to[173] undertake the office of General alone and, with the advice of his captains, he could conduct any war as might be necessary. What Sotelo said appeared good to all, and García de Alvarado remained sole General, although most of the soldiers, and even most of the captains, regretted that Sotelo was not their leader. For Sotelo knew well how to treat soldiers, and while keeping strict discipline he was nevertheless beloved.

Pero Alvarez, with his people, continued the march to Bombon, much pleased at having passed through the valley of Jauja. He always sent on his scouts¹⁵ in advance of the main body, and a captain and some light, active men were always with the rear guard, so that if the enemy should follow in pursuit they could not take him by surprise and rob the baggage. They marched in good order, always keeping a bright look-out.

When the men of Chile arrived at Jauja, Cristóbal de Sotelo having resigned, and García de Alvarado being in sole command, the captains again met to consult over what should be done. There was great regret that Pero Alvarez had not been pursued, for from Pariacaca they could have turned his front and cut him off. They decided¹⁶ to follow him in very light order, leaving their baggage behind. They set out briskly after the Cuzco party; but the country was very rough, and the fury of the winter was not yet over, the heavens discharging such heavy rains as to swell¹⁷ the rivers, and render progress very laborious¹⁸ for the wayfarers¹⁹. The Indians, seeing the movements that were being attempted, carried off the food supplies and absented themselves, so as not to have the road covered with the bodies of those whom the Christians, in witness of their cruelty, would work to death and leave behind. All these things made the march so difficult that it was by no means easy for the one camp to overtake the other.

1 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

2 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

3 prudent   

adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的

参考例句：

• A prudent traveller never disparages his own country.聪明的旅行者从不贬低自己的国家。
• You must school yourself to be modest and prudent.你要学会谦虚谨慎。

4 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

5 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 admonishing   

v.劝告( admonish的现在分词 )；训诫；（温和地）责备；轻责

参考例句：

• It is waste of time, admonishing you. 劝告你简直是浪费工夫。 来自辞典例句
• To date, the Doctrine of Cheng Fu still exerts its admonishing effect. 时至今日，承负说仍具有警示作用。 来自互联网

8 wont   

adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯

参考例句：

• He was wont to say that children are lazy.他常常说小孩子们懒惰。
• It is his wont to get up early.早起是他的习惯。

9 junction   

n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站

参考例句：

• There's a bridge at the junction of the two rivers.两河的汇合处有座桥。
• You must give way when you come to this junction.你到了这个路口必须让路。

10 intercept   

vt.拦截，截住，截击

参考例句：

• His letter was intercepted by the Secret Service.他的信被特工处截获了。
• Gunmen intercepted him on his way to the airport.持枪歹徒在他去机场的路上截击了他。

11 shortcut   

n.近路，捷径

参考例句：

• He was always looking for a shortcut to fame and fortune.他总是在找成名发财的捷径。
• If you take the shortcut,it will be two li closer.走抄道去要近2里路。

12 dual   

adj.双的；二重的，二元的

参考例句：

• The people's Republic of China does not recognize dual nationality for any Chinese national.中华人民共和国不承认中国公民具有双重国籍。
• He has dual role as composer and conductor.他兼作曲家及指挥的双重身分。

13 judicious   

adj.明智的，明断的，能作出明智决定的

参考例句：

• We should listen to the judicious opinion of that old man.我们应该听取那位老人明智的意见。
• A judicious parent encourages his children to make their own decisions.贤明的父亲鼓励儿女自作抉择。

14 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

15 scouts   

侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员

参考例句：

• to join the Scouts 参加童子军
• The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组，然后开始巡逻这个地区。

16 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

17 swell   

vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强

参考例句：

• The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
• His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。

18 laborious   

adj.吃力的，努力的，不流畅

参考例句：

• They had the laborious task of cutting down the huge tree.他们接受了伐大树的艰苦工作。
• Ants and bees are laborious insects.蚂蚁与蜜蜂是勤劳的昆虫。

19 wayfarers   

n.旅人，（尤指）徒步旅行者( wayfarer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Days have been when wayfarers came here to wash their weary feet. 从前曾有过路人到这里来洗疲乏的脚。 来自互联网
• You are the way and the wayfarers. 你们是道路，也是行路者。 来自互联网