his dignity was not increased by his
having dressed himself in the uniform of a Spanish officer, whose cocked
hat he wore with the points resting on his shoulders. The lower parts
of his legs were bare, except that he had sandals on the soles of his
feet, fastened with leather thongs, and a huge pair of silver spurs to
his heels. His wife came behind him in a sort of litter, covered with
coloured cotton, and supported on men's shoulders. His followers were
habited in every variety of costume, which they had picked up in their
expedition; a few of the better organised bodies only retaining their
national costume. Is this, I thought, the sort of character who is to
aid in the liberation of his native land?

A force like his may, as it has proved, have the power to lay desolate a
country, and to murder the defenceless inhabitants; but will they be
able to sustain an attack from disciplined troops, when such are sent
against them? The general--for so I may call him--halted when we
appeared, and made inquiries of the old chief about us. A long
conversation then ensued, the result of which was that we were ordered
to accompany him. He wanted a secretary, we were told, to write
despatches to the other chiefs, and to communicate with the Spaniards;
and he thought that either Pedro or I should be able to answer his
purpose. In vain we pleaded the necessity of proceeding as we had
intended. He refused to listen to any appeal we could make.

"You may consider yourselves fortunate in not losing your lives," he at
last answered. "We have sworn to kill every white man we meet; and you
have to thank your friend Manco, on account of the love all the Indians
bear him, that we have not killed you; so be content and say no more."

The old chief who had first taken us prisoners, finding himself thus
unceremoniously deprived of our company, left us to our fate, and for
some time we rode on in silence among the general's body-guard. Every
man in the army seemed to be talking at the same time. They were, I
found, boasting to each other of the deeds of valour they had performed,
of the enemies they had slain, and of the booty they had collected. The
general after some time called us to his side, and asked us if we could
inform him what the Spaniards were about, and whether they were likely
to attack the Indian armies.

"Tell him," I said to Pedro, "that the Spaniards will never consent to
yield up the country to the natives.