t, before the return of Alvarado, the president drew up his
nine hundred men in order of battle, giving all the necessary orders in
case of being attacked. But in a short time, it was discovered that
these precautions were unnecessary, as Acosta soon retreated with his
three hundred men, on seeing the greatly superior force of the
royalists.

The president remained two or three days in the position he had taken on
the summit of the mountain, waiting for his artillery and the rest of
his army. While at that place, Gonzalo sent him a message by a priest,
demanding that he should dismiss his army, and refrain from making war
against him till he should receive new orders from his majesty. On this
occasion, the bishop of Cuzco, who was along with the president, ordered
the priest into confinement. A little time before this, Gonzalo had
dispatched another priest, to endeavour to gain over Hinojosa and
Alvarado to his party, But that messenger, being resolved to desert the
party of the insurgents, had taken measures in concert with his brother
to go off in company with all their effects, in which they succeeded. At
this time likewise the president wrote to Gonzalo, as he had repeatedly
done during his march, earnestly entreating him to submit to the orders
of his majesty, and sending him at the same time a copy of the amnesty.
The usual manner in which these dispatches was forwarded to Gonzalo, was
by means of the scouts of the army, who had orders to give them to those
belonging to Gonzalo when they chanced to meet.

When it was known at Cuzco that the president had crossed the river
Apurimac with all his army, and had taken possession of the pass in the
high mountain, Gonzalo Pizarro immediately marched out from that city
with his army and encamped at Xaquixaguana, about five leagues from
Cuzco, in a plain through which the road passed by which the royalists
would have to march on their way from the mountain towards Cuzco. His
army at this time consisted of five hundred and fifty musqueteers, with
six pieces of cannon, and three hundred and fifty cavalry and pikemen.
Gonzalo established his camp in a very strong position, as it was only
accessible in front by means of a very narrow defile, one flank being
secured by a river and morass, the other flank by the mountain, and the
rear by precipitous rocks. During two or three days, that the two
armies remained near each other before the battle, Gonzalo sometimes
detached a hund