How Don Diego, when he was in prison, tried to escape, and how he was beheaded by order of the Governor Vaca de Castro.

DON Diego de Almagro was imprisoned in the house of Hernando Pizarro, in a rather strong room which existed there, and Vaca de Castro\'s captains took care that he should not escape. After he had been there for some days, he began to seek for some means of escape, intending to take refuge at Viticos with the Inca Manco, and believing that, by adopting this course, his life might be saved. Certainly not a few felt regret that the lad should be put to death. The captains Gaspar Rodríguez de Camporredondo and Pedro Anzures de Castro, who were the favourite advisers of Vaca de Castro, would not hear of the execution not taking place. When Don Diego learnt this, he treated, as secretly as possible, with a page of his, for the purchase of two horses, the swiftest he could find. He was to have them ready in the river which flows through Cuzco close to his place of confinement, at a certain hour of the night. Some persons who knew about the purchase of the horses told Vaca de Castro, who, when he knew it, ordered Don Diego to be removed to the house of captain Gabriel de Rojas, and there he was watched with more care than before. The Governor Vaca de Castro took the opinions of some of his captains and friends as to what should be done with Don Diego. To all it seemed that the best course would be to put him to death, both on account of the crime he had committed and in order to safeguard the Realm and prevent the occur[298]rence of fresh trouble. An indictment against him was drawn up, he was condemned to death, and the sentence was ordered to be notified in his presence. Don Diego replied by appealing to his Majesty, or, in the first instance, to the President and Judges of the Audiencia then accredited in Tierra Firme. He was told that this appeal could not take place; and, having made his protests, he retorted that since they would not allow his appeal, but insisted on putting him to death, he cited Vaca de Castro to appear before the Judge of Heaven, our God, where all would be judged without prejudice or passion.

After these events and some further parley he confessed, always displaying the mind of a man, and not of a youth such as he was, combined with a lofty and serious presence quite out of keeping with the humility of his parents. His e............