How Huayna Capac assembled all his power, gave battle to his enemies, and defeated them; and of the great cruelty with which he treated them.

WHEN the natives saw how they had shut up the Inca in his fortress, and had killed many of the Orejones, they were very joyful, and they made so great a noise that they could not hear themselves. They brought drums, and drank and sang, sending messengers over all the country, with the news that they had the Inca shut up with all his people. Many believed it and rejoiced, and some even came to help their friends.

Huayna Capac had provisions in the fort, and he had sent to summon the governors of Quito to come with reinforcements, for the enemy would not desist from their attacks. He tried, many times, to pacify them, sending embassies with presents; but it was all of no avail. The Inca increased his army, and the enemy did the same, resolutely determined to attack and defeat him, or die in the attempt. They assaulted the fortress, and broke through two lines of defence. If there had not been others round the hill, without doubt the enemy would have been victorious. But it was the custom of the Incas, in their defensive works, to make a circle with two doorways, and further up another, and so on until there were seven or eight, so that if one was lost, the defenders could retire to the next. Thus the Inca and his army retreated to the strongest part of the hill, whence, at the end of some days, he came forth and attacked the enemy with great courage.

They relate that, when his captains arrived with reinforcements, he took the field, but the battle was long doubtful. At length, those of Cuzco, by a stratagem, killed a great number of the enemy, and those who remained turned and fled. The tyrannical king was so enraged against them for having taken up arms to defend their country from conquest, that he ordered his soldiers to seek them all out, and with great diligence they searched for and captured them all. Very few were able to hide themselves. Near the banks of a lake, he ordered them all to be beheaded in his presence, and their bodies to be thrown into the water. The blood of those who were killed was in such quantity that the water lost its colour, and nothing could be seen but a thick mass of blood. Having perpetrated this cruelty, and most evil deed, Huayna Capac ordered the sons of the dead men to be brought before him, and, looking at them, he said, “Campa manan pucula tucuy huambracuna”, which means, “You will not make war upon me, for you are all boys now.”[243] From that time the conquered people were called “Huambra-cuna (Huayna-cuna) to this day, and they were very valiant. The lake received the name it still bears, which is Yahuar-cocha, or ‘the lake of blood’.” In this country governors and mitimaes were stationed, as in all other parts.[244]

After he had re-organised the country, the Inca passed onwards with great renown from his past victory, and proceeded with his discoveries until he reached the river Ancasmayu, which was the northern limit of the empire. He learnt from the natives that further on there were many tribes who went naked without any shame, and that all fed on human flesh. He made some defensive works in the district of Pasto, and ordered the principal men to pay tribute. They replied that they had nothing to give; so he issued his command that each house should be obliged to give, every month, a rather large basket full of lice, as tribute. At first they laughed at this order; but afterwards, notwithstanding the quantity of lice they had, they could not fill so many baskets. They bred from the sheep which the Inca ordered to be given to them, and paid tribute from the increase, as well as of the food and roots of that country. For certain reasons which influenced him, Huayna Capac returned to Quito, ordering that there should be a temple of the Sun and a garrison, with a captain-general and governor in Caranque, to guard the frontier.