in the next place took measures for
raising a respectable force; appointing Pedro de Rios and Juan de
Vargas, the brother of Garcilasso de la Vega, captains of infantry, and
Francisco Negral captain of Cavalry; Luis de Ribera being named
major-general. Having armed and equipped about four hundred men, he set
out for La Plata, with the intention of persuading Alfonso de Mendoza,
who commanded at that place for Gonzalo, to declare for the king, or
otherwise to take possession of that place by force.

About this time, Lucas Martin, who had been sent by Gonzalo to conduct
the troops of Arequipa to Lima, set out from Arequipa with 130 men for
that purpose; but when he had proceeded about four leagues on his march,
his people mutinied and made him prisoner, electing Jerom de Villegas
as their commander, and immediately marched off to join Centeno, who
was then in the Collao waiting the issue of some negotiations in which
he had employed Pedro Gonzalo de Zarate, schoolmaster at Cuzco. While in
the Collao, Centeno was informed that Juan de Silveira, the Serjeant
major of the army of the insurgents, had been sent by Gonzalo to conduct
the troops of that province to Lima, and had made prisoners of five or
six of the royalists whom he met with on his march. Silveira had
collected about three hundred men on this occasion, and we shall relate
what befel them in the sequel.

On learning the success of Centeno at Cuzco and the death of De Robles,
and being likewise informed that the people of San Miguel had declared
for his majesty, and that the captains Mercadillo and Porcel had joined
Diego de Mora at Caxamarca; Gonzalo Pizarro saw that he had now only to
depend on the force which was along with himself at Lima, and those
under Pedro de Puelles, on whose fidelity he reposed entire confidence.
In this predicament, he determined to alter the destination of Juan
d'Acosta and to send him against Centeno with a respectable force,
resolving to follow d'Acosta in person with all his army if necessary,
then amounting to nine hundred men, among whom were many of the
principal inhabitants of Peru. In forming this new resolution, his
object was in the first place to reduce all the upper or mountainous
provinces to subjection, and afterwards to make war on every other part
of the country which had withdrawn from his authority. It has likewise
been conjectured, that Gonzalo proposed to himself, in case of any
reverse, to endeavour to make some