that the water was low at that time. Having crossed the river, he
[the Governor] began to climb a very steep and long mountain all made of
steps of very small stones.[35] Here the horses toiled so much that,
when they had finished going up, the greater part of them had lost their
shoes and worn down the hoofs of all four feet. That mountain, which
lasted for more than half a league, having been overcome, and having
journeyed for a bit in the evening along a slope, the Governor with his
men arrived at a village which the hostile Indians had sacked and
burned, on account of which neither people nor maize was found in it,
nor any other food, and the water was very far off because the Indians
had broken the aqueducts which came to the city, which was a great evil
and of much inconvenience for the Spaniards who, because they had found
the road hard, toilsome and long on that day, needed good lodging. The
next day the Governor set out from there and went to sleep in another
village which, although it was very large and fine and full of houses,
had as little food in it as the last one; and this village is called
Panarai. The Governor wondered greatly with his men at finding here
neither food nor anything else, because this place belonged to one of
the lords who had been with Atabalipa and with the dead lord in the
company of the Christians, and he had come in their company as far as
Xauxa, [where] he said he wished to go ahead in order to prepare in this
land his victuals and other things necessary for the Spaniards. And when
they found here neither him nor his people, it was held to be certain
that the country-side had revolted. And not having had any letter from
the captain who had gone ahead with the seventy horsemen, save which let
them know that he was going right after the hostile Indians, it was
feared that the foe had taken some step whereby he was prevented from
sending any messenger. The Spaniards sought so much, that they found
some maize and ewes, ... and the next day, early, they set out and
arrived at a village called Tarcos, where they met the cacique of the
district and some men who told them of the day on which had passed that
way some Christians who were going to fight with the enemy who had
established their camp in a neighboring settlement. All received this
news with great pleasure, and they found a good reception in that
place, because the cacique had brought to the plaza a large quantity of
maize, fire-wo