red and sometimes two hundred men to skirmish with
similar parties of the enemy. As the royalist army was now encamped only
at a short distance from the insurgents, Gonzalo was afraid his troops
might lose courage by noticing the vast superiority of the enemy in
number, and that many of his men might abandon him; for which reason he
always drew up his men under cover of a rising ground near his camp,
pretending that he did so to induce the president to attack him in his
present advantageous post, confiding in his numbers and believing the
insurgents much fewer than they really were.

After the president had passed the mountains and pitched his camp on the
descent towards the plain, within view of the insurgents, Gonzalo drew
up his army in order of battle, and caused some discharges to be made
from his cannon and musquetry. On that day there arose so thick a mist,
that the scouts and spies of the two armies often came against each
other unexpectedly. Seeing that the insurgents were disposed to await
his attack, or even to give battle, the president was inclined to defer
bringing matters to that extremity for some time, in the hope that a
considerable number of the enemy might come over to him if they could
find an opportunity. Yet, as the season was exceedingly cold, even
accompanied with strong frost, and as wood could not be procured for
making fires, and provisions were scarce, it was impossible to remain
long in a state of inaction. The army of Gonzalo was not subject to any
of these inconveniencies, having plenty of provisions brought regularly
from Cuzco, and being encamped in a comfortable and temperate situation
in comparison with the position of the president, whose camp was on the
slope of the mountain, while that of the insurgents was in the plain or
valley below. Such is the difference in the temperature of Peru at very
inconsiderable distances, that on the mountains a severe cold is
experienced, accompanied by frost and snow, while only at eight or ten
miles distance in the valley the inhabitants are obliged to use
precautions to relieve them from excessive heat.

Gonzalo and his lieutenant-general, Carvajal, had formed an arrangement
for a night attack upon the president, intending to have assailed his
camp in three points at the same time; but they were induced to abandon
this project, in consequence of the desertion of one of their soldiers
named Nava, who communicated their intentions to the president.