these was Velasquez, who, as has been already mentioned, took his rod of office in his mouth, that he might use his hands the more readily in making his escape by the window.  The marquis was at this time in his chamber, employed in arming himself, attended by his brother de Alcantara, two other gentlemen, and two pages.  Seeing his enemies so near, the marquis was unable to fasten the clasps of his cuirass, but advanced courageously with his sword and buckler to defend the entry to the chamber, in which he was bravely assisted by those who were along with him.  He defended himself for a considerable time successfully, encouraging his brother and the rest by his voice and example.  At length the Almagrians slew de Alcantara, on which one of the pages took his place beside the marquis.  The Almagrians, being afraid lest succour might arrive, resolved to make a desperate effort, for which purpose one of the best armed among them forced in at the door and made room for the rest to enter, who now attacked the marquis and his faithful companions with such fury that he was soon exhausted with fatigue and hardly able to handle his arms.  At length the marquis received a mortal thrust in his throat, and falling to the ground called out in a loud voice for a confessor.  Soon losing all power of speech, he made the sign of the cross on the floor with his finger, which he kissed and expired.  Besides his brother, the two pages were likewise slain.  Of the Almagrians, four were killed, and several of the rest wounded.

When the marquises death was made known, above two hundred men who waited the event, declared themselves loudly in favour of Don Diego, and went about the city arresting and disarming all who seemed to favour the party of the marquis.  The conspirators went out into the street waving their bloody swords, and Herrada made Don Diego ride on horseback through the city of Lima, proclaiming him as governor of Peru.  The palace of the marquis, and the houses of Alcantara and Picado the secretary were pillaged, Herrada assembled the cabildo of the city, and obliged them to acknowledge Don Diego as governor, under pretence that the elder Almagro had been appointed by his majesty to the government of New Toledo, with succession to his son or to any person he might appoint as his successor.  The conspirators likewise put to death several persons who were particularly attached to the late marquis, and gave up their houses to be plundered by their own partizans.  It was melancholy to behold the misery and desolation of the wives and children of those who were thus massacred, and whose houses were pillaged of every thing valuable, as they went about the streets bewailing their forlorn condition.