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R oy l
Commentaries.
Boo VI.
A
v
Of the Pofls, an l the
ifj
atches which they carried.
T
ofis, or
arriers,
\J
1
ho
\~
ere intrufied vdth the charge of carrying the
mg'
rder and
mmands ,,·ere
1
led
Cha/q11i;
and thefe alfo brought
the
e\ s and Ad\ ices
ro
the
ourc
from
the mofi remote Provine
:
In
fi
tde–
ment ·of ' hich
ofi:s,
t
ey ordain
d
and appointed four or
fi
nimb e
Jndi,zn
oys to b'e laid at the nd of e ery quarter of a eague, and lodged under a tall
like th3.t of our
enti els, co defend chem from the
un
and
ain.
hefe had
rhe charge of carrying the
effige from one
oft to another, and to take their
cums in
t
nning ; and alfo
of
fallying out to fee or difcover at a dilbnce the co-
ing of a ...ofr, that fo the might be r ady
to
take h. rne!Tage '
i
hout lofs of
time. And thefe
lls,
or Lodges,
·ere
raifed
fomething higfi, and placed
with
that advantage, that they might be
fi
en at a
illance, and not farther than a quar-
.
ter
of a League one from the other ; bemg
fi
much as they faid , a Man m:iy
be
able
to run in
full
br :ith and firengd1.
•
·
he word
Chafqui
fignifies
nging, or
iving, or raking,
for
they ga\
e
and
received their Me!fages interchangeably one from the
oth
r.
hey were not
called
Cacha,
for that fignifie
a
M ffenger, and, as th
y
ufed it, an
m
affadour,
·horn they fen
ro
over ign ord and Princes.
he Advices
whi h
th
Chafq11i
arried were by word of mouth , for .the
Indians
did
n t -underfiand
L
trers :
Wherefore the
Meffages
were ordered,
nd
difpofi
d
in
fu
h {hart
and on ife
\ ·ord , as were a!ily apprehended and remembred.
e th
t
brought rhe Mef–
fage, before
h
came to the
odge,
ried loud,
and
called
out as
he ran
t
give
warning
of his·
coming,
as
our ofis
\:
ind
their
Horn to
give nori e
at
che
cage
of
their near approach ; and
when
he
was
come, he
then
d
liv
red
hi Me.lfage
to
t
other
Pofi-boy,
repeating
the words two or three
tlm
,
untill
he had
right y