none of us have forgotten about the children of the sun, and the city of cuzco founded by the golden hearted, or of his ruling over them as manco-capac, the powerful one. he went into their country which we call peru before he had ever seen mexico, but the spaniards came to the ancient city of tenochtitlan before they knew anything about cuzco. it was not long after the death of montezuma until the spaniards heard about the riches of the children of the sun, and they were determined to find that country.
the aztecs did not help them any because they no longer looked upon them as sent from heaven but as ruthless destroyers borne along on the backs of fierce animals swift as the wind, and carrying weapons in their hands that scattered death and destruction everywhere. the aztecs learned to hate the spaniards bitterly, and when we came to study their history we shall know why. even their own historians do not pretend to deny that they 177 fell upon the poor aztecs sword in hand and robbed them of all the treasures they had, besides taking their lands away from them.
some say that francisco pizarro was a cousin of hernando cortez who conquered the aztecs, but all agree that he was an ignorant swineherd, who could neither read nor write, and whose parents were not respectable. while he was not actually a convict he belonged to the low class, and the men going with him to search for the new el dorado among the children of the sun, were really no better. cortez had some hidalgoes, cavalliers and knights with him because men of good family often came to the americas on the first voyages after columbus, but pizarro collected a band of cut-throat adventurers who were just as greedy and ignorant as he was. all the exploring they did was simply to search for gold, and they did not care what methods they used to get it. the simple natives with their naked defenseless bodies, and bows and arrows were no match for men covered with steel armor, mounted on horseback and armed with guns and cannon. balboa had already found the pacific ocean, and pizarro knew that the children of the sun lived in that direction, so he rigged out a vessel and sailed along the coast trying to find them. at the first place he landed the natives said to him:
"why do you not stay at home and till your own land instead of roaming about to rob others who have never harmed you?" 178
but the savages wore some heavy gold ornaments, and pizarro asked eagerly:
"have you more of this?"
"yes, we have a little more," they said, and as they were weighing some of the metal their chief struck the scales with his fist, scattering the nuggets all over the floor.
"if this is what you prize so much that you are willing to risk your lives to attain it, i can tell you of a land where they eat and drink out of vessels of gold, and where there are great quantities to be had for the asking."
"where is this rich country?"
"it is ten days journey toward the south and is ruled by the child of the sun."
the spaniards were nearly mad with joy because now they said:
"all our fond dreams are about to be realized." they were in such a good humor that they gave the natives some glass beads and some live chickens. when they turned the rooster loose, he crowed, and then the simple natives clapped their hands in glee, and asked:
"what is it saying?"
it sounded as if the rooster said:
"how do you do, sir!" which the natives thought was very funny indeed. then they wanted to know what the cannon said. one of the men set up a target and fired at it shivering the board into fine splinters. the loud noise, the flash of smoke and powder, frightened the poor natives 179 nearly to death. some of them fell flat on their faces, and others ran into the woods as fast as they could go, screaming:
"our good manco-capac is coming back to us angry."
that night the old men huddled the terrified people together and said to them:
"do you remember when the comet flamed through the sky; when the earthquake shook the land, and there was a rainbow around the moon?"
"i well remember," said one of the old men, "that a thunderbolt fell on one of the incas' royal palaces setting it on fire, and i saw an eagle chased by several hawks hovering in the air over cuzco. our king saw it too, and while he looked at it the eagle fell dead at his feet."
"it is no use to resist these strangers," said an envoy from the inca, who had arrived in time to hear the last statement. "seven years ago when the father of our king died, he called his son to his bedside and told him that white and bearded strangers were coming to overturn the empire. and as you know, our great oracle has foretold the return of manco-capac at the close of the twelfth dynasty of the incas. that day is at hand, so do not quarrel with the strangers."
no one showed a disposition to disobey him, and in a short time he stood before pizarro saying:
"i bring you greetings from the inca, child of the sun, who rules this land. he wishes me to ask why you come, and from what country." 180
"our home is far across the sea," responded pizarro, "and we serve a rich and powerful prince who has heard of the child of the sun, and sends us to pay our respects to him."
this was not the truth for the king of spain knew nothing whatever of pizarro's wicked intentions, nor did he know about cortez either until long after poor montezuma was dead and his country laid waste. but when men turn out to be wholesale robbers they do not care whether they tell the truth or not.
"our inca is at his favorite baths and wishes to know when you will arrive, so that he may provide suitable refreshments for you."
"we will come at once," said pizarro.
"it would be better to wait a few days," said the king's messenger. "our inca is keeping a sacred fast, and we cannot disturb him until it is finished." the spaniards had no respect for the king's wishes or his privacy, so they made ready to follow the messenger. while they were dividing the presents of llamas, sheep and gold goblets among themselves some of the soldiers said:
"this dog of a king may have thousands of followers. what can a handful of men like we are, do against so many? suppose they should try to fight us?"
pizarro happened to overhear them and replied:
"let every one of you take heart, and go forward like a good soldier. god ever protects his 181 own, and will humble the pride of the heathen and bring him to a knowledge of the true faith—the great end and object of this conquest."
it was the first time he had spoken of conquest, but the soldiers remembered the complete success of cortez in mexico and only needed to be told that the natives were to be christianized to make them certain that the home authorities would not interfere with them, so they shouted:
"lead on! wherever you think best we will follow with good will."
the few padres in the company were sincere in their wish to teach the natives and so was the king of spain, but neither of them could control the actions of such men as pizarro and his adventurers, now ready to pounce down on the mild and inoffensive people like a band of hungry wolves. when they got up on the top of the mountain and looked down, the landscape had the appearance of a huge checker-board cut into squares by canals and evergreen hedges. a wide river rolled through the meadows, like a narrow silver ribbon, while across the valley were the famous hot baths with steam and vapor rising from them in the clear air. along the slope of the hills a white cloud of tents covered the ground for several miles, where the child of the sun, and his court were encamped.
pizarro with banners streaming and the sparkle of armor glittering in the sun, galloped into the city with blare of trumpets and lances fixed. the inca was in a camp near by, but the 182 rude spaniards broke in upon his fast, and a brother of pizarro almost rode him down with his horse. giving the bridle a sudden jerk he brought the horse to his haunches, so close to the inca, that the horse snorted with fear, but the brave king did not move a muscle, although he had never seen a white man in armor nor a horse before in his life. seeing that he could not frighten him pizarro's brother said haughtily:
"what is your royal will? my brother desires that you visit him."
without raising his eyes from the ground where he had kept them as a mark of respect to his visitor, the inca smiled and said:
"tell your captain, that i am keeping a fast, which will end tomorrow morning. i will then visit him with my chieftains. in the meantime let him occupy the public buildings on the square till i come, when i will order what is to be done."
turning to his attendants he continued:
"give our brothers food and drink, and have their quarters made ready for them."
that night pizarro put all his cannon in place and boldly planned to take the inca prisoner in his own pleasure garden. he ordered his soldiers to hide in the plaza, and wait until the inca arrived. as soon as he was in the great square they were suddenly to spring out and put the natives to the sword, and capture their king.
it was late in the day before the inca got all 183 his court in splendid array, and then he sent word to pizarro that he was coming in state.
"i am much pleased to hear it," said pizarro. "let your king come anyway he will; he shall be received as a friend and brother. let him sup with us and sleep in our quarters tonight."
when once in motion the inca's retinue had on so many gold ornaments that they blazed like the sun. some wore showy stuffs in white and red with gold and silver embroidery, while others were dressed in white and carried silver maces in their hands. the inca wore the royal borla, or crown on his head, with the quetzal feathers in the back and the long red fringes across the forehead. over him was a canopy representing a rainbow, to show that he was a child of the sun, and a follower of manco-capac, who we know was the golden hearted. he was seated on a gold throne which was placed in a litter and carried by four noble youths, in gorgeous liveries. around his neck was a splendid gold necklace set with large emeralds. looking around and not seeing any one the inca asked in surprise:
"where are the strangers?"
at this moment a padre came forward and demanded that he give up his power and become a subject of spain. he also told the king that he must become a convert to christianity. the eyes of the inca flashed fire as he replied:
"i will be no man's tributary. your prince may be great; i do not doubt it when i see that he 184 has sent his subjects so far across the waters. i am willing to hold him as a brother. as for my faith, i will not change it. my god still lives in the heavens and looks down on his children. by what authority do you make such demands upon me?"
the padre handed the inca a bible but as the thought of the insult offered came over him, the inca threw it to the ground and said angrily:
"tell your comrades that they shall give me an account of their doings in my country. i will not go from here until they have made me full satisfaction for the wrongs they have committed."
a soldier turned to pizarro and said:
"do you not see that while we stand here wasting our breath in talking to this dog full of obstinate pride that the fields are filling with indians. let us set on at once."
pizarro saw that the hour had come, and waving a white scarf which was the appointed signal he and his soldiers sprang into the square, shouting the old war cry of cortez:
"santiago! and at them!"
the poor natives in their holiday dress and fine jewelry were wholly unarmed, because they were coming to make a visit, and had no way to defend themselves. when they tried to escape they found they were hemmed in on all sides by the stone buildings facing the plaza, and nobody knows how many thousands of them were killed. they were stunned by the roar of the cannon, choked by the 186 smoke, trampled under the horses' feet, and their naked bodies hacked to pieces with swords.
"their naked bodies hacked to pieces with swords"
see next page
the spaniards seemed bent upon killing the inca, but his loyal subjects caught hold of the horses' bridles and saddle blankets, and even the legs of their riders to prevent them from hitting the inca. some offered their own bodies to the lances—anything to save the king who was stunned and bewildered. as the men who were carrying him were killed, the litter lurched to one side and he fell to the ground. instantly the imperial borla, or crown, was snatched from his head; his hands were securely tied, and he was hustled, a prisoner, into a building nearby. then the soldiery robbed and pillaged as much as they pleased, even carrying off the plate from the inca's table.
realizing that it was gold that the spaniards wanted, the inca began at once to try to buy his freedom.
"i will cover the floor of this room with gold if you will release me," he said, to pizarro. seeing that the soldiers smiled at this, he added:
"i will fill the room full, as high as i can reach," standing on tip-toe and stretching his arm against the wall. pizarro agreed to accept that amount of gold, but demanded double that amount of silver, and would only allow the inca two months' time to collect it in. the spaniards kept close watch over him, and as soon as the amount was all paid in, pizarro accused the unhappy captive of trying to stir up an insurrection. the inca was surprised and indignant; saying: 187
"you have me in your power. is not my life at your disposal? what better security have you for my fidelity? it is very far to my capital at cuzco, but that you may be satisfied that i am proceeding in good faith, send some of your own people there."
the spaniards sacked and pillaged cuzco when they got there, taking seven hundred plates of gold from the walls of the temple dedicated to the golden hearted. besides this, there were heavy cornices of gold, fountains, birds, fruit, vegetables, tables, statues, slabs, basins and panels of pure gold; which, when melted down made millions of dollars.
never before did anybody in the wide world pay such a ransom. but pizarro had no intention of setting the inca free. pretending to be very suspicious, he suddenly appeared before the inca, and said:
"what new treason is this you are meditating against me? me, who has been so brotherly and kind to you?"
"why do you mock me," replied the inca. "am i not a captive in your hands? how could i conceive such a design as you speak of when i would be the first victim? you little know my people, if you think they would attempt such a thing against my will."
pizarro was determined to get rid of him, so he trumped up twelve charges against him, and, after a mock trial, sentenced the helpless inca to be burned at the stake. 188
when told of his fate, the poor king said to pizarro, with tears streaming down his face:
"what have i, or my children done, that i should die like this? and from your hands—you who have received only benefit and kindness from me and my people."
the doom of the inca was sounded by trumpet in the same square he had innocently entered to visit his strange white brother, and two hours after sunset he was led out by torch-light and burned to death.
to make sure that there was no danger of an uprising in the distant parts of the country, pizarro sent an officer to finish collecting the ransom and find out the actual condition. while he was gone pizarro had the inca executed. when the officer returned, he said:
"i have met with nothing but kindness on the way. there has never been any attempt at an uprising."
and this was the truth.
