d knew how to take advantage
of favourable circumstances. By means of scouts and ambassadors he soon
made himself fully acquainted with the situation. He lulled the fears of
Atahualpa by offers of peace, with the result that the Inca king
requested his assistance to crush his brother Huascar. If the brothers
had held together, they could have driven the Spanish pestilence out of
the country. Now the fate of both was sealed.

It was agreed that Atahualpa should come in person to Pizarro's camp,
and he arrived in pomp and state, escorted by an army of 30,000 men. He
naturally wished to impress his ally with his power. He sat raised on a
litter of gold, and was surrounded by all his generals.

Then Pizarro's military chaplain stepped forth, a Catholic priest. In
one hand he held a crucifix, in the other a breviary. Raising his
crucifix, he exhorted the Inca king in the name of Jesus to accept
Christianity and to acknowledge the King of Castille as his master.
Atahualpa retained his composure, and simply answered that no one could
deprive him of the rights inherited from his fathers. He would not
forswear his fathers' faith and did not understand what the priest said.
"It is written here in this book," cried the priest, and handed the
breviary to the king. Atahualpa held the book to his ear, listened, and
said as he threw the breviary on the ground, "Your book does not speak."

Without warning, a massacre was commenced. The cannon and muskets of the
Spaniards ploughed red furrows in the ranks of the Peruvians. Protected
by their helmets and harness of steel, and with halberts and lances
lowered, the cavaliers swept irresistibly through the ranks of
half-naked natives and spread terror and confusion around them. All that
could be reached with sword, spear, or bullet were mercilessly
slaughtered. Four thousand dead bodies lay scattered over the ground,
among thousands wounded and bleeding. The rest of the army was
completely scattered and took to flight. The Inca king himself had been
early taken captive to be kept as a hostage. Enormous plunder fell into
the hands of the victors. The report of a land of gold in the south had
not been an empty tale; here was gold in heaps. The loot was generously
divided between the officers and men, and, with the crucifix raised to
heaven, the priest read mass while the other villains thanked God for
victory.

The captive Inca king begged and prayed to be set at liberty. But
Pizarro prom