he, "The Lord of the Four
Quarters of the Earth," owed allegiance to any Charles V. or any other
earthly monarch, of whom he had never heard and who had assuredly never
heard of him either.

Valverde had referred to the book in his hand as he had spoken and
Atahualpa now asked to see it. The volume was a clasped one and he
found it difficult to open. Valverde, probably thinking he could show
him to unclasp the volume, stepped nearer to him. The Inca repulsed
him with disdain. Wrenching open the covers he glanced rapidly at the
book, and perhaps suddenly realizing the full sense of the insult which
had been offered to him in the demands {83} of the dogmatic and
domineering Dominican, he threw the sacred volume to the ground in a
violent rage.

"Tell your companions," he said, "that they shall give me an account of
their doings in my land. I will not go hence until they have made me
full satisfaction for all the wrongs they have committed!"

Then he turned and spoke to his people--the last word he was ever to
address them as a free monarch from his throne. There was a loud
murmur from the crowd.

Thereupon, according to some accounts, Valverde picked up the book
through which Atahualpa had offered such a deadly insult to his
religion and rushed back to Pizarro, exclaiming, "Do you not see that
while we stand here wasting our breath in talking with this dog, full
of pride as he is, the fields are filling with Indians? Set on at
once! I absolve you for whatever you do!" I would fain do no man an
injustice. Therefore, I also set down what other authorities say,
namely, that Valverde simply told Pizarro what had occurred.

There is no dispute, however, as to what happened immediately. Pizarro
stepped out from the doorway, and drawing a white scarf from his
shoulders, threw it into the air. Instantly a shot roared from the
fort above his head. The famous war-cry of the Spaniards, "St. Jago,
and at them!" rang over every quarter of the square into which, with
bared swords, couched lances and drawn bows, poured the mail-clad
soldiery horse and foot.

They burst upon the astonished ranks of the unarmed Indians with the
suddenness and swiftness of a tornado. From the roof above, the
gunners discharged their bullets into the swaying, seething mass. With
{84} their wands of office, with their naked hands, with whatever they
could seize, the Peruvians defended themselves. They rallied around
the person of the