By that time, the news about the rebellion had gone far. The Audiencia of Santo Domingo, commissioned father Francisco de Montesinos with a war ship, to stop Aguirre. The fate of him seemed to change from that moment. Astutely, he had sent a group of his more reliable men, with white flag, only to parley. But the real order was to take the excellent ship on. Nonetheless, as soon as they felt secure, without hesitation, they went over to the king´s side. It deeply affected the morale of the others, unleashing Aguirre´s wrath. And last but not least, made him change his plans. He understood that the people in Panama would organize to combat him.
If his former plan looked like the fantasy of a sick mind, desesperation would become his new schedule into a true hallucination. In that manner, he thought it would be better to land in Venezuela and go walking to Peru. Going that far, passing through jungles, plains and mountains, was almost like a death sentence. Everyone new that! Aguirre figured out, that they would endure by looting the villages, along the way. At the same time, they could find new men to increase their number. Aguirre and the marañones, touched land at Burburata´s bay, in the month of september of 1561. There, he ordered to burn the ships. With only a hundred and fifty men (less than a half of the begining group), they took the rough road to Nueva Valencia del Rey.
He was sick and tortured with the sole idea of his deserting people. But fear still was enough to mantain them under control. Most of that bunch of outlaws had their hands stained with blood!
When he was at Valencia, he wrote his famous letter to the king Felipe II. In one of the paragraphs he said:
"Look, Spaniard king, don´t be cruel or ingrate to your vassals; while your father and you are at the palace in Castile, without any anxiety, we have given our blood and wealth to give you all these posessions you now own here. And see, King and lord, if you want to be called that way, you should not take anything from this land, that you won without any effort, before the men who gained it were rewarded"...
More than a threat, the letter shows up a release of all his anger and frustrations. It was the product of a tortured spirit. But inside him, his sarcastic arrogance still was intact, when he laughed at Pablo Collado, the coward governor of Venezuela. Also, with his scornful opinion about the Venezuelan:
"There is no reason to be afraid of these pathetic arepa and casabe eaters"...
After leaving Valencia reduced to ashes, they headed towards Barquisimeto. But there, the people were armed and ready to face the tyrant. The renowned captain Diego García de Paredes was the leader of the troops loyal to the king. On October 22, Lope de Aguirre and his disminished, but still dangerous army entered the empty village. Everywhere they could find papers with pardon offers for their crimes. Although Aguirre warned them telling that it was all a lie, more desertions ocurred. Despaired, he had to watch how in every skirmish more men abandoned him without any shame.
Soon he was alone, with his old friend, Antón Llamoso, his daughter Elvira and la Torralba, as the only company. Then he understood that he had no chance to survive. Everything was lost. From his obscure life, the blackest moment had come. For the last time, the Furies again took on him, to commit his ugliest crime. According to the tradition, he came close to his daughter and told her to commend to God, because he had to kill her. She cried and beg, but it was useless, she lied dead a moment later. She became his last victim, despite his father´s love. When the soldiers came into the place, were witnesses of that horror.
Captain García de Paredes ordered him to drop his arms. Aguirre agreed, knowing that he would die soon. He told he wanted to make a statement. But one of the marañones, got nervous and shoot the prisoner at once. He failed and Aguirre laughed at him. But they would not let the man talk... another shot brought him down and this time, he said: "this was good"... So it was the end of the wild career of the cruel villain. However, in some writers opinion, Aguirre was a precursor of the american independence.
Custodio Hernández, another of his men, beheaded him. Holding the grey hair, he showed it to everyone. Later, was sent to El Tocuyo to warn of any other act of rebellion after him. The rest of his body was thrown for the dogs.
As Aguirre had said, some of the marañones were chased and condemned. But another could have a good life, as if the pass of time had erased their sins. La Torralba stayed to live at Barquisimeto. Lope de Aguirre had died, but his crimes would never be forgotten. Many began to believe, that his damned spirit had been sentenced to wander forever by those withered fields he had walked.
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The old man finished his tale and saw the child comfortably sleeping under his wings. He never knew when his grandson fell asleep, but he thought that was better that way. Instead of feeling scared, the boy sure was playing in his wonderful world of dreams. Then, as a sacred love ritual, the old man took the child to his bed and covered him into his blankets. A kiss in his forehead and a blessing completed the magic moment.
Outside, in the solitude of the plain, from time to time, the restless fires continued floating as wandering spirits...
