l service, and to
provide arms, ammunition, provisions, horses, and mules, and every thing
necessary for taking the field. He appointed Don Martin de Almendras,
who had married his sister, lieutenant-general, Diego de Porras
standard-bearer, and Diego de Villavicennio major-general. Pera
Hernandez Paniagua, Juan Ortiz de Zarate, and Don Gabriel de Guzman,
were captains of horse. The licentiate Polo, Diego de Almendras, Martin
de Alarzon, Hernando Alvarez de Toledo, Juan Ramon, and Juan de
Arreynaga, were captains of foot; Gomez Hernandez the lawyer, military
alguazil or judge-advocate, and Juan Riba Martin commissary-general. His
force amounted to 750 excellent soldiers, all well armed and richly
clothed, with numerous attendants, such as had never been seen before in
Peru. I saw them myself a few days after their arrival in Cuzco, when
they made a most gallant appearance. While on his march to Cuzco from
La Plata, Alvarado was joined by several parties of ten and twenty
together, who came to join him in the service of his majesty. On his way
to Arequipa he was joined by about forty more; and after passing that
place, Sancho Duarte and Martin d'Olmos joined him from La Paz with more
than two hundred good soldiers. Besides these, while in the province of
Cuzco, he was joined by Juan de Saavedra with a squadron of eighty five
men of the principal interest and fortune in the country. On entering
Cuzco, Alvarado was above 1200 strong; having 300 horse, 350
musqueteers, and about 530 armed with pikes and halberts. Not knowing
what was become of Giron, Alvarado issued orders to repair the bridges
over the Apurimac and Abancay, intending to pass that way in quest of
the rebels. But receiving intelligence from the judges, of the defeat of
Meneses, and that the rebels were encamped in the valley of Nasca, he
ordered the bridges to be destroyed, and marched by the nearest way for
Nasca, by way of Parinacocha, in which route he had to cross a rocky
desert of sixty leagues.

In this march four of the soldiers deserted and went over to Hernandez
Giron at Nasca, to whom they gave an account of the great force with
which Alvarado was marching against him, but reported in public that the
royalists were inconsiderable in number. Giron, however, chose to let
his soldiers know the truth, and addressed his army as follows.
"Gentlemen, do not flatter or deceive yourselves: There are a thousand
men coming against you from Lima, and twelve hu