He repaired to
his government without delay, and found no difficulty in awakening a
kindred enthusiasm to his own in the bosoms of his followers. In a short
time, he mustered three hundred and fifty Spaniards, and four thousand
Indians. One hundred and fifty of his company were mounted, and all
were equipped in the most thorough manner for the undertaking. He
provided, moreover, against famine by a large stock of provisions, and
an immense drove of swine which followed in the rear.1
It was the beginning of 1540, when he set out on this celebrated
expedition. The first part of the journey was attended with
comparatively little difficulty, while the Spaniards were yet in the land of
the Incas; for the distractions of Peru had not been felt in this distant
province, where the simple people still lived as under the primitive sway
of the Children of the Sun. But the scene changed as they entered the
territory of Quixos, where the character of the inhabitants, as well as of
the climate, seemed to be of another description. The country was
traversed by lofty ranges of the Andes, and the adventurers were soon
entangled in their deep and intricate passes. As they rose into the more
elevated regions, the icy winds that swept down the sides of the
Cordilleras benumbed their limbs, and many of the natives found a
wintry grave in the wilderness.
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