the capital did not come up to the expectation of
the Spaniards, but they had collected much plunder on the way to it,
securing in one place ten bars of solid silver, each twenty feet in
length, one foot in breadth, and two or three inches thick.

The natural consequence followed the sudden acquisition of so much
wealth. The soldiers, as soon as they had received their share,
squandered it recklessly, or lost it over dice or cards. A man who had
for his portion one of the great golden images of the Sun taken from the
chief temple, lost it in a single night's gaming, whence came the
proverb common to this day in Spain, 'He plays away the sun before
sunrise.' Another effect of such a superfluity of gold and silver was
the instant rise in the prices of all ordinary things, till gold and
silver seemed to be the only things in Cuzco that were not wealth. Yet
very few indeed of the Spaniards were wise enough to be contented and
return to enjoy their spoils in their native country. After the division
of the treasure, Pizarro's first care was to place the Inca Manco upon
the throne, and demand for him the recognition of his countrymen. All
the coronation ceremonies were duly observed. The people acquiesced
readily, and there were the usual feastings and rejoicings, at which the
royal mummies were paraded according to custom, decked with such
ornaments as remained to them. Pizarro then organised a government for
the city of Cuzco after the fashion of his own country, and turned the
temples into churches and monasteries. He himself was henceforward
styled the Governor. Having heard that Atahuallpa's general Quizquiz was
stationed not far from Cuzco with a large force of the men of Quito,
Pizarro sent Almagro and the Inca Manco to dislodge him, which they did
after some sharp fighting. The general fled to the plains of Quito,
where, after holding out gallantly for a long time, he was massacred by
his own soldiers, weary of the ineffectual struggle.

About this time, Don Pedro de Alvarado, with five hundred well-equipped
men, landed at the Bay of Caraques and marched upon Quito, affecting to
believe that it was a separate kingdom, and not part of that conquered
by Pizarro. This Alvarado was the celebrated cavalier who had been with
Cortes in the conquest of Mexico, and earned from the Aztecs the title
of 'Tonatiuh,' or 'Child of the Sun.' He had been made Governor of
Guatemala, but his avarice being aroused by the reports of Pizar