344 / 1060
I
J
Royal Commentaries.
BooK
VIII.
.
c
HAP.
.
xvi.
Of their
ta111e
Cattel, and
of
the great
Caravans,
or Droves
of
theni.
T
HE tame Cattel
which
God hath given to the
lndian1
of
Peru,
are of two
forts,
which,
as
BlM Valera
faith, are of a Difpofition as gentle and eafie
as the
Indians
are themfelves; being fo tame, efpecially thofe which ferve to car–
ry
their burthens, that a Child may be able to govern them. Thefe are of two
fores, fome of a bigger kind, and Come of a lefs ;
in
general the
Indians
give them
the name of
Llama,
and the Shepherd or Paftor of them,
Llama
Michec.
In di–
fringaifhing them one from the other, they call the greater
Huanaeullama,
becau[e
it hath a likenefs with that brave and fierce Creature, which
is
called
Huanacu,
being of the fame iliape with
it,
but different one]y in the_colour; the tame
Hu–
anacu
varies as much
in
its colours
as
the Horfes do in
Spain,
but the wild
is
of ·
a dark Chefnut colour onely. This Creature
is
about the fize or bignelS of
the
Hart or Stag in
Spain,
but refembles a Camel mofi of any other, the bunch upon
che back onely excepted,
b~t
in proportion is but one third of its bignefs ;
its
Neck is long and finooth, the Skin ofwhich being f1ead, the
JnJians
ufed to make
it
gentle and fupple, and being dreffed after tneir fafhion, ferved for foals to
their Shoes; but becaufe they had not attained to the Skill ofTanning ofLeather,
they always took off their Shoes when they were to pafS wet, or Waters, becaufe
the moill:ure fpoiled them, and made them like a Gut, or Tripe. The
SpaniardJ
made Reigns of them for their Horfes, after the Fafhion of rhofe which come
from
Barbary,
as alfo Girts and Cruppers for their Saddles. This fort of Canel
is
ufefull both
to
the
Indians
and
Spaniard1,
for carrying their Merchandife from and
to
what place they pleafe; but commonly they chofe fuch ways where the
Coun–
trey is plain and even, as
is
between
Coz::,co
and
Potocchi,
being about two hundred
Leagues; and likewife from many other parts
they
go and come to and from thofe
Mines, carrying Provilions, Commodities of toe
Indians,
Merchandizes from
Spain,
foth
as Wine, Oil, Conferves, and all other things which are confumed
in
that
Coumrey, and efpecially that Herb which is called
Cuca.
I remember that
in
my time they had Droves of that Cattel which carried burtheris, fometimes
foe
or
eight hundred, or a thoufand in a
Caravan;
and that a drove of five hundred was
efieemed
as
nothing. The burrhen which one of thefe Beafis
will
carry
is
about
three or four Aroves, (an Arove
in
Spain
is about twenty five. pounds
~eight)
and
will
travel about three Leagues a day, which
is
about nine Miles. They are not
to be driven beyond their ufual pace, for if they are, they will tire, and lie down,
and then all that can be done
to
them, cannot raife them, though they eafe them
of their Burthen, and take off their Saddles; for wnen they come to raife chem
up, they prefently ejeet all they have
in
their Maw, or Stomach, into their
Mouths, whence they call: it,
if
poffible, into the Faces of thofe who
dill:urb
them ;
hich feems to be the onely Revenge and infirument they are able to
ex–
ercife, having no Horns like the Stag or Hart. Howfoever the
Spaniards
call
them'
Mutton, or Sheep, though the difference
bet\~
een thefe and thofe be
as
much as
'Ye have before mentioned. And that thefe Creatures, nor any of them, maf
tire, and hinder the Travels of the whole Caravan, or Drove, they have
al·
v
ays
forty
or fifty of them, which go loofe, and free of burrben
ia-
their com·
pany, and
fo
foon
as
they obferve that one begins to tire, they prefently eafe him
of his Burthen, and lay
it
upon another, for
if
he once lies down, there is no re–
medy, though you kill him, to raife him again. The Fleili of this fort ofOittel
is the bell:, and rnofi: favow-y of any
in
the World, being both tender and whol–
fome.
The
Phylicians prefcribe the Flefh of the young ones of four or five
months old to
t
eir
Patients, and prefer
it
far before Hens or
Chickeni.
Io
..