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beaten and routed by the more disciplined and experienced army of Atahualpa. Huascar was taken prisoner while trying to escape, and was ordered to be held in strict confinement in the fortress of Xauxa. Meanwhile, Atahualpa retired to Cajamarca to celebrate his great victory, and there to receive the Inca nobles who eagerly came to congratulate him and do him homage. Pizarro had heard many more accounts of the rich and all power- ful king who was known as the Inca. Although some of these accounts staggered the imagination, they nevertheless fitted in perfectly with the stories he had heard many times before. If they were true, the Inca places and tem- ples were crammed to bursting with immense amounts of trea- sures in gold, silver and precious jewels. In fact, the opulence and power of the Inca monarch far exceeded that of the most exalted of asiatic despots. He was the Inca, claiming to be a divine being, the ‘Son of the Sun’, he was the source of all great- ness, all strength, all benefit, and he was raised far above the highest nobles of his kingdom. Even the most powerful and imperious of the Inca aristocracy, with pretensions to the same divine origin, dared not approach him, unless barefoot, and car- rying a light burden on his back as a symbolic sign of deepest reverence. ly, and in some cases severely, enforced. They had seen some evidence of this lawful severity in a village, where several Indians were strung up by their heels, having been executed for molesting nuns belonging to a nearby convent of the Virgins of the Sun. Five days out from San Miguel, Pizarro noticed with uneasi- ness, some grumbling in the ranks, and deduced it was the work of the fault-finders who has stirred up trouble earlier on. If they were permitted to go unchecked, they would soon incite more trouble. He therefore called a halt, and addressed his men, invit- ing those who wanted to go back to San Miguel to do so. No one, he told them, whose whole heart was not in the venture should go forward with him. If any among them had had second . thoughts, let them now turn back. As for himself, he would rather go on alone into the interior than drag along unwilling men. Pizarro took a big risk here, because he had no way of knowing how many of his followers would desert him, and he gambled everything in making the offer. But only nine men stepped forward to avail themselves of the chance to go back. They were four infantrymen and five cavalrymen. The remain- der of his company loudly proclaimed their intention to go for- ward wherever he would lead them, even to hell if need be. Once on the road again, Pizarro was determined to advance with all possible speed. He would brook no further delays. He would not even slacken the pace although breathing became dif- ficult on the higher slopes where the atmosphere was rarefied. Soon, he and his men were entering the mountains, making per- ilous progress across deep ravines traversed by swaying rope bridges. They advanced slowly around precipitous sides of the mountains on narrow ledges barely wide enough for a single horse, each cavalryman dismounting and leading his steed by the bridle, where one misstep would send him hurtling thousands of feet into the frightful abyss! The dangerous narrow ledges were especially horrifying to the infantrymen hampered by their heavy burden of weapons and metal armour. A mere handful of Indian warriors could have annihilated them at any moment. Amazingly, they met with no resistance. Coming down from the wild mountain passes, the Spaniards were approached by an Inca nobleman bearing formal greetings from his master, Atahualpa, who would gladly receive them at Cajamarca, where he was preparing a grand celebration for them. It took a further seven days for the travel worm adventurers to descend the eastern side of the Andes to within sight of the far off little city of Cajamarca. There in the distance could be seen the white stone buildings gleaming in the sunlight, foremost among them was the convent of the Virgins of the Sun and the Temple of the Sun, enclosed by low buildings. The largest of the buildings, a fortress of stone, surrounded the plaza, facing the open country. The Spaniards pushed on until the whole valley unfolded before them. There spread out below, as far as the eye could see, a vast multitude of tents covered the northern slopes of the valley. Tens of thousands of warriors swarmed about the mighty camp. “Santa Maria!" murmured a crestfallen soldier. At that moment, even the bravest among them felt fear. But it was too late to turn back, or to show the slightest sign of weak- ness because their own natives would, in that case, have been the first to rise up against them. There was nothing for it but to put on a brave front, and go forward, which they did, with trumpets blaring and pennants fly- ing, as they entered Cajamarca. Pizarro and his followers found the town suspiciously quiet and deserted as they cautiously advanced along the paved street towards the central plaza. Not a single soul emerged to greet It is not certain when Pizarro first contemplated some auda- cious stroke, some energetic attack that would achieve complete surprise, which might deliver the Inca, Atahualpa, into his hands. It is probable that he conceived the idea soon after learning that the monarch was close at hand, sojourning with his conquering army at Cajamarca. Pizarro wasted no further time waiting for Almagro to arrive with reinforcements. Soon after hearing that Atahualpa was encamped at Cajamarca, only 10 or 12 days march away, he put himself at the head of his troops, and started out from the gates of San Miguel. With his tiny force, consisting of not more that 177 men, he was determined to conquer an empire. His force included 87 infantry, 67 cavalry, 20 crossbow men and 3 arque- busiers. He would liked to have seen reinforcements arrive from Panama, but after many weeks of waiting in vain, during which time his ruffian band had grown more and more restless, he con- cluded that if he did not move at once, he would soon have to face evils far greater than those to be met on the road. A life of idleness and tedium inevitably led to serious trouble with the men threatening to get out of hand. If that happened, a break- down of command, the whole enterprise would be ruined, along with every advantage he had fought hard to gain. There was nothing for it but to move out. So, on the 24th of September, 1532, he took an easterly direction over the level district towards the neighbouring snow capped Cordilleras. Once on the Inca Road, an excellent highway connecting all parts of the empire, it was for a time, an easy, almost carefree jaunt through enchanting country. Everywhere were picturesque villages surrounded by the rich and flowering vegetation of a warm climate. Mountain streams flowed through isolated valleys of excep- tional loveliness. Higher up, on the slopes of the Cordilleras, browsing flocks of Lamas wandered with sedate ease. Everywhere the Spaniards were treated with deference by the kindly, inoffensive natives, who came out to meet them with refreshments, and to render them every assistance. Along the Inca Road they were given comfortable accommodation in the Tambos, which provided for ail their needs. Man and beast were then allowed to stay in the royal caravanserais, usually reserved for the exclusive use of the Inca during his progresses. The Spaniards soon began to realise that the state ruled over by the Inca was efficiently managed, with stern laws which were strict- NEXUS¢39 DECEMBER-JANUARY ‘93