144 The DlSCOrERT and CO N9UESr Book L 
of which the bell Authors report, that they entered in- 
to Articles never to abandon each other, for any Hazards 
or Difappointments they might meet with in the Enter- 
prize, till they had made a Conqueft of Peru *, and fo- 
lemnly took their Oaths in public, for the Confirmation 
of thefe Articles •, each of them being affigned a parti- 
cular P^rt, in conducing and ^ executing the Scheme : 
Francis Pizarro was to command the firft Party that 
^ent upon the Difcovery ; Ahnagro was to carry him 
Recruits, and reinforce him from Time to Time ; and 
Ferdinand de Lugne was to remain at Panama^ and lay 
in Ammunition and Provifionsto fupport the Enterprize ; 
and whatever Gold, Silver, precious Stones, or other 
Effedts fhould be acquired, after the Charges, and the 
Emperor’s Fifths, paid, were to be divided equally 
amongft them. 
They took care to make the beft Enquiries they could 
into the Caufes of the Mifcarriages which had formerly 
happened, that they might the better avoid them ; they 
werelikewife very affiduous in finding out Perfons who had 
been employed in former Undertakings, that they might 
have the Benefit of their Experience ; and they bought 
for the Service of this Expedition a fine new Ship, that 
had been built by the Diredtion of Vafquez Nunez de 
Balboa, and which was juft finifhed as he died. Their 
Pilot was Francis Penate', Nicholas de Ribera was Trea- 
furer ; John Carillo had the Charge of keeping an account 
of the King’s Fifths; and one Salzedo was next in Com- 
mand under Pizarro. The whole Number of Men em- 
ployed were no more than one hundred and fourteen *, 
and exclufive of Officers they had but fourfcore, the moft 
inconfiderable Body furely that ever had the Boldnefs to 
undertake fuch an Enterprize. 
3. About the Middle of the Month of November 1524, 
all Things being ready, Pizarro embarked, and pro- 
heeded to the Ifland of Tabago, diftant from Panama 
about five Leagues, from whence he failed to the Pearl 
IJlands, in the Middle of that Bay, where he took in 
Wood, Water, and Hay for his Horfes, and failed to 
Port Pinas, or Prineaple, upon the Continent, on the 
South Side of the Bay of Panama. Here Pizarro 
went on Shore, with his Soldiers, and endeavoured to 
enetrate into the Country *, but meeting with nothing 
ut Bogs or Mountains, over-run with Wood and De- 
luges of Rain, as they approached the Equator ; and 
the People having fled from their Habitations, fo that 
no Provifions were to be had, Pizarro ran farther down 
the Coaft to the Southward, and then landing again 
found the Country no better *, and loft a great many of 
his Men by Sicknefs, want of Provifions, or the Hard- 
fhips they iliffered in their Marches and Counter-Marches. 
Whereupon he fent the Ship to the IJle of Pearls for 
Provifions ; and, in the mean time, was followed by 
Almagro, with two other Ships, and a Recruit of fixty 
Men and upwards. Thefe two Captains meeting upon 
this wretched rainy and unwholefome Coaft, and landing 
their united Forces, had fome Skirmiffies with the Na- 
tives, in which Almagro loft an Eye ; but happening, in 
fome of their Excurfions, to meet with a Parcel of Gold, 
of the Value of fourteen or fifteen thoufand Crowns, 
they refolved, notwithftanding all the Difficulties and 
Hazards they underwent, to proceed in the Enterprize, 
in which they were the more encouraged by the Pilot de 
Ruyz, who ( while Pizarro marched with the Soldiers on 
Shore) ran down as far as Cape Pajfaro, under the Equa- 
tor, and taking fome Prifoners, was aflured by them, 
that the Treafures of Peru were much beyond any thing 
that had hitherto been reported of them, whereupon he 
returned to Pizarro with the agreeable News. In the 
mean time, that General fuffered incredible Hardffiips in 
the Abfence of Almagro, who was gone to Panama with 
the Gold they had got, to procure another Reinforcement 
of Troops and Provifions, without which it was very evi- 
dent that nothing could be done. 
4. At the Time of his returning to Panama, Almagro 
found Pedrarias removed from his Government, and 
fucceeded by Peter los Rios, who permitted him to raife 
what Men he could to reinforce Pizarro ; whereupon he 
embarked again with forty Soldiers more, fome Horfes 
and Arms, Cloaths, Shoes, Provifions, and Medicines, 
and returned to Pizarro, whom he found in a very mife-^ 
rable Condition, great Part of his Men being fick or 
dead : They removed therefore from that unhealthy 
part of the Continent, and put their Men on Shore in the 
Ifland of Gallo ; here they remained fifteen Days, and 
then returned towards the Continent again, running along 
the Coaft further to the Southward ; however, they ftili 
met with fuch a drowned Country, and bad Weather, 
that it was once propofed to return back to Panama. 
Even Pizarro^ s Heart failed him, and the two Cem- 
manders, it feems, were upon the Point of dravving 
their Swords, fo hot was the Conteft for and againft the 
proceeding in the Enterprize ; but at length it was 
agreed, that they ffiould go to the Ifland of Gallo again, 
where Pizarro fliould remain with the Men ’till Almagro 
went to Panama for Recruits ; and great Care was taken 
that none of the Men ffiould write home, and difeover 
their wretched Condition •, for moft of them had ffiewn 
an Inclination to defert the Service whenever they ffiould 
have an Opportunity, and threatened to apply to the Go- 
vernor o^Panamato be recalled from an Expedition which 
had confumed fuch Numbers of them, and, if profecuted, 
would probably deftroy the reft; and, notwithftanding all 
the Care their Commanders took, one of them found 
Means to fend a Paper fubferibed by moft of them, 
defiring to be recalled, which was enclofed in a Bot- 
tom of Cotton Yarn, and thereby concealed from the 
Knowledge of their Officers. 
This Paper coming to the Hands of the Governor of 
Panama, he was fo far from fuffering Almagro to levy 
any more Recruits, that he fent a Ship with a Commif- 
fary on board to the Ifland of Gallo, on purpofe to bring 
back all the Men that furvived : The Commiffary ar- 
riving, Pizarro begged of him that he would, however, 
fuffer as many of them to ftay with him as were wil- 
ling to remain in the Enterprize ; which the Commiffary 
confenting to, Pizarro drew a Line with the Point of his 
Sword, and haranguing his Men, told them, they were 
at Liberty to return to Panama, if they thouglit fit; 
but it grieved him, that they ffiould now abanaon the 
Enterprize, when they were upon the Point of reaping 
the Reward of all their Sufferings : As for his Part, he 
would periffi in the glorious Undertaking rather than 
defert it ; and thofe that voluntarily remained with him, 
ffiould fliare with him the Treafures of which they had 
fo near a Profpedt, defiring thofe that were willing to 
proceed in the Enterprize to come over the Line he had 
drawn. But fuch were the Sufferings of thefe poor 
Wretches, that much the greateft Part of them forfook 
him ; only thirteen Men and a Mulatto came over the 
Line he had drawn, the reft embarked and returned to 
Panama with the Commiffary. 
5. The Affairs of Pizarro never feemed in a worfe 
Situation than at this Time ; for he was not only 
deprived of all Hopes of performing any thing remark- 
able for the prefent, but had alfo a very indifferent Pro- 
fpedl for the future. In this Diftrefs he removed to the 
Ifland of Gorgona, in order to fupply himfelf with frelli 
Water : There he remained till he was joined by Alma- 
gro and his Pilot, with fome few Recruits, which they, 
with fome Difficulty, had prevailed upon to enter into 
this Expedition. With thefe Men they embarked, and 
failed ftill along the Coaft ’till they had paffed the Equa- 
tor, and found themfelves in the Latitude of 30° South; 
having fpent about two Years in making a Voyage, 
which may very well be performed, now the Currents, 
Trade, Winds, and their Seafons, are known, in as many 
Weeks. In this Paffage, however, they took feverai 
Indian Floats, with Cargoes of confiderable Value ; and 
gained fuch Intelligence of the Situation of Things upon 
the Coaft, that Pizarro refolved to fend one Peter de 
Candia, fo called, becaufe he was born in that Ifland, to 
Tumbez, in order to learn whether th^ Informations they 
had hitherto received might be depended upon or not; 
which was a very well contrived Expedient. 
This Man had a great deal of good Senfe, a very fair 
Charadter, and was fo expert in his Condudl, that he 
found Ways and Means to render himfelf fo agreeable 
to the Indians, that he executed his Commiflion as effec* 
tually as could be defired, and returned fafely to Pizarro, 
1 v/ith 
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