not
to fear the horses, as they could do no harm. I caused the page to be
tortured, and he was so stubborn in his evil creed that I could never
gather anything from him, but that they really held their devil to be a
god. This mosque is so feared by all the Indians that they believe that,
if any of those servants of the devil asked them for anything and they
refused it, they would presently die. It would seem that the Indians do
not worship this devil from any feelings of devotion, but from fear. For
the chiefs told me that, up to that time, they had served that mosque
because they feared it, but that now they had no fear but of us; and
that, therefore, they wished to serve us. The cave in which the devil
was placed was very dark, so that one could not enter it without a
light, and within it was very dirty. I made all the caciques, who came
to see me, enter the place, that they might lose their fear; and, for
want of a preacher, I made my sermon, explaining to them the errors in
which they lived.

In this town I learned that the principal captain of Atahualpa was at a
distance of twenty leagues from us, in a town called Jauja. I sent to
tell him to come and see me, and he replied that I should take the road
to Cajamarca, and that he would take another road and meet me. The
Governor, on hearing that the captain was for peace and that he was
ready to come with me, wrote to me to tell me to return; and he sent
three Christians to Cuzco, which is fifty leagues beyond Jauja, to take
possession and to see the country. I returned by the road of Cajamarca,
and by another road, where the captain of Atahualpa was to join me. But
he had not started; and I learned from certain chiefs that he had not
moved, and that he had taken me in. So I went back to the place where he
was, and the road was very rugged, and so obstructed with snow that it
cost us much labor to get there. Having reached the royal road, and come
to a place called Bombon, I met a captain of Atahualpa with five
thousand armed Indians whom Atahualpa had sent on pretence of conquering
a rebel chief; but, as it afterward appeared, they were assembled to
kill the Christians. Here we found five hundred thousand pesos of gold
that they were taking to Cajamarca. This captain told me that the
captain-general remained in Jauja, that he knew of our approach, and was
much afraid. I sent a messenger to him to tell him to remain where he
was and to fear nothing. I also found a ne