taking part, as circumstances should incline him, with one of the competitors, he might be enabled with greater eafe to crush both. Enterprising as the Spaniards of that age were in all their operations against Americans, and diftinguifhed as Pizarro was among his countrymen for daring courage, we can hardly fuppofe, that after having proceeded hitherto flowly, and with much caution, he would have changed at once his fyftem of operation, and have ventured upon a measure fo hazardous, without fome new motive or profpect to justify it.

State of his forces.

As he was obliged to divide his troops, in order to leave a garrifon in St. Michael, fufficient to defend a station of equal importance as a place of retreat in cafe of any difafter, and as a port for receiving any fupplies which should come from Panama, he began his march with a very flender and ill-accoutred train of followers. They confifted of fixty-two horsemen, x) and a hundred and two foot-foldiers, of whom twenty were armed with cross-bows, and three with mufkets. He directed his courfe towards Caxamalca, a small town at the diftance of twelve days march from St. Michael, where Atahualpa was encamped with a confiderable body of troops. Before he had proceeded far, an officer dispatched by the Inca met him with a valuable present from that prince, accompanied with a proffer of his alliance, and affurances of a friendly reception at Caxamalca. Pizarro, accord ding to the ufual artifice of his countrymen in

x) See NOTE IV.

America, pretended to come as the ambaffador of a very powerful monarch,and declared that he was now advancing with an intention to offer Atahualpa his aid against thofe enemies who difputed his title to the throne. y)

Ideas of the Peruvians concerning their defigns.

As the object of the Spaniards in entering their country was altogether incomprehenfible to the Peruvians, they had formed various conjectures concerning it, without being able to decide whether they fhould confider their new guests as beings of a fuperior nature, who had visited them from fome beneficent motive, or as formidable avengers of their crimes, and enemies to their repofe and liberty. The continual profeffions of the Spaniards, that they came to enlighten them with the knowledge of truth, and lead them in the way of happiness, favoured the former opinion; the outrages which they committed, their rapacioufnefs and cruelty, were awful confirmations of the latter. While in this state of uncertainty, Pizarro's declaration of his pacifick intentions fo far removed all the Inca's fears, that he determined to give him a friendly reception. In confequence of this refolution, the Spaniards were allowed to march in tranquillity across the fandy defert between St. Michael and Motupè, where the moft feeble effort of an enemy, added to the unavoidable diftreffes which they fuffered in paffing through that comfortless region, must have proved fatal to them. z) From Motupè they advanced towards the moun

y) Herrera, dec. 5. liz. i. c. 3. Xerez, p. 189. *) See NOTE V.

tains which encompaffed the low country of Peru, and paffed through a defile fo narrow and inacceffible, that a few men might have defended it against a numerous army. But here likewife, from the fame inconfiderate credulity of the Inca, the Spaniards met with no oppofition and took quiet poffeffion of a fort erected for the fecurity of that important station. As they now approached near to Caxamalca, Atahualpa renewed his profeffions of friendship; and as an evidence of their fincerity, fent them prefents of greater value than the former,

Arrive at Caxamalca.

On entering Caxamalca, Pizarro took poffeffion of a large court, on one fide of which was a houfe which the Spanish hiftorians call a palace of the Inca, and on the other a temple of the Sun, the whole furrounded with a strong rampart or wall of earth. When he had pofted his troops in this advantageous ftation, he dispatched Hernan de Soto, and his brother Ferdinand, to the camp of Atahu→ alpa, which was about a league diftant from the town. He inftructed them to confirm the declaration which he had formerly made of his pacifick difpofition, and to defire an interview with the Inca, that he might explain more fully the intention of the Spaniards in vifiting his country. They were treated with all the refpe&ful hofpitality ufual among the Peruvians in the reception of their moft cordial friends, and Atahualpa promised to vifit the Spanish commander next day in his quar ters. The decent deportment of the Feruvian monarch, the order of his court, and the reverence

with which his fubjects approached his perfon and obeyed his commands, aftonished those Spaniards, who had never met in America with any thing more dignified than the petty cazique of a barbarous tribe. But their eyes were still more powerfully attracted by the vast profufion of wealth which they obferved in the Inca's camp. The rich ornaments worn by him and his attendants, the veffels of gold and filver in which the repaft offered to them was ferved up, the multitude of utenfils of every kind formed of thofe precious metals, opened profpects far exceeding any idea of opulence that a European of the fixteenth century could form.

Perfidious fcheme of Pizarro.

On their return to Caxamalca, while their minds were yet warm with admiration and defire of the wealth which they had beheld, they gave fuch a description of it to their countrymen, as confirmed Pizarro in a refolution which he had already taken. From his own obfervation of Ameaican manners during his long fervice in the New World, as well as from the advantages which Cortes had derived from feizing Montezuma, he knew of what confequence it was to have the Inca in his power. For this purpofe, he formed a plan as daring as it was perfidious. Notwithstanding the character he had affumed of an ambaffador from a powerful monarch, who courted an alliance with the Inca, and in violation of the repeated offers which he had made to him of his own friendship and affiftance, he determined to avail himself of the unfufpicious fimplicity with which Atahualpa

relied on his profeffions, and to feize the perfon of the Inca during the interview to which he had invited him. He prepared for the execution of his scheme with the fame deliberate arrangement, and with as little compunction, as if it had reflected no difgrace on himself or his country. He divided his cavalry into three fmall fquadrons, under the command of his brother Ferdinand, Soto, and Benalcazar; his infantry were formed in one body, except twenty of moft tried courage, whom he kept near his own perfon to fupport him in the dangerous fervice which he referved for himself; the artillery, confifting of two field-pieces a) and the cross-bowmen, were placed oppofite to the avenue by which Atahualpa was to approach. All were commanded to keep within the fquare, and not to move until the fignal for action was given.

Vifited by the Inca.

Early in the morning (Nov. 16. 1532.) the Peruvian camp was all in motion. But as Atahualpa was folicitous to appear with the greateft fplendour and magnificence in his first interview with the strangers, the preparation for this were fo tedious, that the day was far advanced before he began his march. Even then, left the order of the proceffion fhould be deranged, he moved fo flowly, that the Spaniards became impatient and apprehenfive that some fufpicion of their intention might be the cause of this delay. In order to remove this, Pizarro difpatched one of his officers with fresh affurances of his friendly difpofition. At length the Inca approached. First

a) Xerez, p. 194.