How the men of Chile plotted to murder the Marquis, and how one of them named Francisco de Herencia gave notice of it at confession. Of the great heedlessness of the Marquis, and of what further happened until those of Chile went out to kill him.

HAPPY should I be if I could get through some part of my story without having to relate mournful things and cruel deaths, but we cannot make the pen shun or turn back from the work we have commenced; for my writing is not to please the living, but to be a faithful witness of what happened, for future ages. Now I have to tell the story of the death of the Marquis Don Francisco Pizarro, a fate in no way fitted for a man of such great merits—and who had served his royal master so long in those Indies, and who in his own person had discovered so great, rich, and prosperous a country as Peru is; where such great riches of gold and silver, unequalled in any other part of the world, have been found. But there was the death of the Adelantado Don Diego de Almagro, which he could have prevented if he had so willed.[55]

[97]

The festival of St. John being past, Juan de Herrada conversed in secret with Don Diego. He spoke of the arrival of Vaca de Castro, and declared that he came out from Spain suborned with money sent by the Marquis. Even if that were not so, he suspected that the Marquis wanted to kill them; so that, to deliver himself from the one and the other, he resolved to anticipate and murder the Marquis first, and thus avenge the death of the Adelantado Don Diego de Almagro. Don Diego was very young—a virtuous youth and one of great pretensions and ambition, considering that he came of such humble parentage. He had a heart capable of undertaking any great deed, but he was so boyish that he was not adapted for personally ruling over people, nor to command a troop. He replied to Herrada that before deciding upon anything he should consider well what there was to be done. On the same day many of those belonging to his party consulted together, and the upshot was that they would murder the Marquis in any way they could. The captain Cristóbal de Sotelo was opposed to this decision, saying that nothing should be done until the arrival of the Judge. He argued that although it was publicly announced that he was coming with nothing beyond his commission, he might secretly have other more extensive powers. Should he not do rightful justice, but lean to the side of the Marquis, they might both be killed. Owing to what Sotelo said, they put off, for the time being, doing that on which they had resolved.

After the consultation one of those who were present named Francisco de Herencia, told it all, at confession, to a priest named Henao. This priest saw that it would be a great evil to the kingdom and its inhabitants if the Marquis should ............