t he
would have succeeded better if he had first attacked the marshal, as in
all probability he would have got possession of these provinces, and his
men would not have deserted from him to a person so universally disliked
for his cruelty, as they afterwards did when they marched towards Lima.
He accordingly marched from Cuzco and crossed the river Apurimac;
immediately after which Juan Vera de Mendoza and five others deserted
from him, re-crossed the bridge, which they burnt to prevent pursuit,
and returned to Cuzco, where they persuaded about forty of the
inhabitants to set out for Las Charcas to join the marshal Alvarado.

At this time Sancho Duarte who was governor of the city of La Paz,
raised above two hundred men in the service of his majesty, which he
divided into two companies, one of horse and the other of foot. Giving
the command of his infantry to Martin d'Olmos, he took the command of
the horse himself, and assumed the title of general. With this force he
set out for Cuzco, intending to march against Giron, but not to join the
marshal Alvarado that he might not submit to his superior command. On
his arrival at the bridge over the Rio Desaguadero, he learnt that Giron
had left Cuzco to attack Lima, and proposed to have continued his march
for Cuzco remaining independent of the marshal. But, in consequence of
peremptory commands from Alvarado as captain-general, who highly
disapproved of so many small armies acting separately, he returned to
his own province.

Pursuing his march for Lima, Hernandez Giron learnt at Andahuaylas that
the citizens of Guamanga had declared for his majesty, at which
circumstance he was much disappointed. He proceeded however to the river
Villca[46], where his scouts and those of the royal army encountered. He
proceeded however to the city of Guamanga, whence he sent orders to
Thomas Vasquez to rejoin him from Arequipa. Although the inhabitants of
that place, as formerly mentioned, had written to those of Cuzco
offering to unite in the insurrection, supposing it the general sense of
the principal people; they were now ashamed of their conduct, when they
found the rebellion only proceeded from a few desperate men, and
declared for the king; so that Vasquez was obliged to return without
success. Being now at the head of above seven hundred men, though
disappointed in his expectations of being joined by the citizens of
Guamanga and Arequipa, Hernandez Giron pursued his march for the v