By this
person and some others who had joined him from the army of Gonzalo, the
president was advised to delay coming to battle as long as possible; as
they were certain that many of the followers of Gonzalo would take the
first favourable opportunity of returning to their duty, more especially
those soldiers who had served under Centeno, and who had been
constrained after his defeat to enter into the ranks of the insurgents
to save their lives. In expectation of the proposed attack, the
president kept his army the whole of that night under arms, by which
they suffered, much distress from the extreme coldness of the weather on
the mountain, so that many of the soldiers were hardly able to keep hold
of their arms, and waited impatiently for day. At daylight, a party of
musqueteers belonging to Gonzalo was observed in march to gain
possession of a height in the neighbourhood of the royal camp. Mexia and
Palomino were immediately detached, with three hundred musqueteers, to
dislodge them, and Valdivia and Alvarado advanced in the same direction,
so that the enemy were soon forced to retire. During this skirmish, the
president marched down from the mountain with the main body of his army,
in the direction of Cuzco, under cover of the hill on which the skirmish
had taken place; and, to distract the attention of the enemy, a small
detachment of cavalry and infantry was ordered to advance in view of the
insurgent camp from that hill. On the arrival of Valdivia and Alvarado
at the top of the hill, observing that it was possible to cannonade the
camp of the enemy from that place, they sent orders to Gabriel de Royas
to bring up the artillery. On this occasion, De Royas promised a reward
of five hundred crowns for each ball that should reach the enemy: In
fact he paid that sum about a year afterwards to one of his gunners, who
sent a ball through the tent of Gonzalo, which was exceedingly
conspicuous, by which one of his pages was slain. In consequence of this
incident, Gonzalo ordered all the tents to be struck, that they might
not serve as marks for the cannoneers of the president. He likewise
ordered his own artillery to commence firing, and drew up his army in
order of battle, taking his own station at the head of his cavalry,
which was commanded by the licentiate Cepeda and Juan d'Acosta. Carvajal
was at the head of the infantry, having under him the captains Juan de
la Torre, Diego Guillen, Juan Velasquez de Guevara, Francisc