n also. Matters being thus arranged, De Soto, with his
characteristic plain dealing, said to Pizarro:

"I hope you will remember, Don Francisco, that my honor is pledged for
the strict fulfilment of the contract on the part of the Spaniards.
Observe, therefore, that as soon as the gold and the silver are
produced, Attahuallapa must have his liberty."

CHAPTER VII.

_The Execution of the Inca, and Embarrassments of De Soto._

Pledges of Pizarro.--His Perfidy.--False Mission of De
Soto.--Execution of the Inca.--His Fortitude.--Indignation
of De Soto.--Great Embarrassments.--Extenuating
Considerations.--Arrival of Almagro.--March Towards the
Capital.

Pizarro gave his most solemn pledges, on his Christian faith, that so
soon as the money was paid the Inca should be released. The idea does
not seem to have entered the mind of Attahuallapa that Pizarro could
be guilty of the perfidy of violating those pledges. The unhappy
condition of the Inca excited the strong sympathies of De Soto. He
visited him often, and having a natural facility for the acquisition
of language, was soon able to converse with the captive in his own
tongue. Quite a friendship, founded on mutual esteem, sprang up
between them. By his strong intercession, Pizarro was constrained to
consent that the gold should not be melted into ingots, thus to fill
the designated space with its solid bulk, but that it should be
received and packed away in the form of vases, and ornaments, and
other manufactured articles, as brought in by the Peruvians.

Several of the principal officers of Attahuallapa's court were sent to
Cuzco, the capital of the empire, where the main treasures of the
kingdom were deposited. Three Spaniards accompanied these officers.
The Inca issued his orders that they should be treated with respect.
The people obeyed; for they knew that any injury or insult befalling
the Spaniards would bring down terrible retribution upon their beloved
sovereign. Peruvian agents were also dispatched to all the temples to
strip them of their ornaments, and to the homes of the nobility to
receive the plate and golden decorations which were eagerly
contributed as ransom for the king. The cornices and entablatures of
the temples were often of solid gold, and massive plates of gold
encrusted the walls. For several weeks there seemed to be a constant
procession of Peruvians entering the fortress, laden with golden vases
and innum