4000003870

BooK

Vlll.

Royal Commentaries.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-------

the time of the Vice-king, called

Blafco

Ndnne~_f/ela,

in the year.

1544.

and

amongfl: other

Con~agions

t~at

time in

Pen1,

there .was a

Mu~ram

amongO:

this

fort

of Cattel, w}uch the

Indums

called

earache,

·~emg

a certam

Man~e,

Scab,

Difeafe never

knm~·n

?efore

thofe parts;

took

t~em ~rft

m the

Legs and Ventricle, and then d1ffufed it

_felf

over all

~he

Body, nfing m Bunches

three or four fingers high; which fomeome burll: with Mateer and Bloud, and

iffued in that *abundance, that the poor Creature died in

t~~

or three days. ·This

Murrain was

contagious, to the. great trouble and affi1thon both of the

Spa–

niards

and

th~

Indians,

that two thirds of the greater and leffer Cartel dyed, both

Paco

and

Huanacu;

and farther it extended it felf to th6! wild

Huanac'!

and

Pican–

na,

though it was not

mor~al

amonglt them, becau[e the belonged.

cold~r

Countries , and did not herd m fuch droves as the tame

el.

This Murrain

alfo extended it felf

to .

the very Foxes, and affetted them

cruel a manner,

· that as I remember in the Year

1548.

when

Gonfalo

Pipirro

was -at

Couo,

and vie"'.'

torio

us af

ter the Battel

-of

Huarina)

faw

a great many Foxes which were feized

· with

th.is

Plague come into the City by night, and in the morning were found

dead

in th

e Streets, having great boils on their Backs, from Head to Tail, which

were cau[ed by this Plague amongfi Beafis. The

Indians,

who were very fuper–

fiirious in matters of this nature, did from hence prognofticate the Death of

Pi–

£arro,

which accordingly enfued in a iliorc time afterwards.

When-

this

~urrain

firll: began amongCl: the Cattel they applied many Remedies, which ferved .rather

encreafe than abate the evil; amongfl: which one was to kill or bury alive one of

the kind which was infetl:ed, as

Acfljfa

mentions in his 4th Book; but

regard

the evil encreafed

fafr,

that neither the

Indians

nor

Spaniards

knew

what manner

co give a frop to it ; they at length made a trial how

might be done by fire, or

cautetizing ; then they tried to cure

by preparations of Mercury, and Sulphur,

and Hogs-greafe, but all proved too violent

Remedie~,

that the Cattel dyecf

che more fpeedily by them. At length, after many experiments made;J they

found none better than co anoint the parts where the Scab arofe with Hogs-greafe,

melted and warm , taking great care to obferve

the Scratches began on their

Legs,

and then to anoint them, for the Murrain feized them

fir!l:

there, before

ic:

fpread it

felf

into the upper parts. This was the heft remedy they found, yet fer-

. "

ved for little uncill the evil influeaces were over, which were the caufes of

it.

And

by reafon of the great benefit, which they found by this Grea[e, they very much

efteemed of Hogs, though for the numbers of them they were cheap, and yielded.

no great price.

It is obfervable that this general Plague upon almofr all forts of

Cattel, did not yet much the wilder Animals, fuch as Stags, and Fallow-Deer,

becaufe perhaps they were of another temper.

remember that

Couo

they

made choice of St.

Antonio

for their Sain and ProteCl:our againfl:

this

Murrain, for

whid1 caufe they folemnize a FeO:ival to him every year.

Though this fore of Cartel be great and large, (as we have faid) and the

our·

nies long which they travell, yet they put their Mafrers to no charge, either in

their Meat, or Shoeing, or Stable, nor in their Pack-faddles , or Girts, or Crup–

pers, or Stays, or other Utenfils which our: Carriers ufe; for when they come to

the end of their days journey, they onely throw off their burthen, and fend them

feed on the Grafs which the Land affords, being at no charge, either ofStraw or

Com, though they would gladly eat Corn, if their Mafters would be

kind as–

to befl:ow it upon them. Tben as to their fhoemg there is no need of

for be–

fides that r?ey are cloven footed, they have a kind of a callous, or

fpu~gy

mat–

ter on their Feet, without a Hoo£ Then for their Pack-faddles they have no

need of them, becau[e they have

much wool on their Backs as ferves in the

place ofa Saddle, and keeps the burthen fall and clofe, which the Mafrers of them

take care to lade in foch manner; as that

may lie even,, and well poifed and

not

touc~

far as to gaul the Withers; nor have they need of a Surcingle

~hich

our

amers u[e, for the Beafl: wearing no Pack-Caddle, all Girts or Cords may

,rub off the Flefh; .howfoever many of them travelling in a Drove. were tied one

- to the other, havmg

beafl:s running loofe

as to eafe and chan1;1e

the. Bnrthens

thofe which were tired. The Me;chants in travellirnz

carri~d

~heir

e~ts

with them,. which they pitched in the Fields,

herefoever

th~y

found

convenient to lodge and repofe; and there unloaded their Merchandize · fo,, that

they never emred intoVillages or Towns, becaufe too much time and

labo~r

would

lofi to put their Cattel to Grafs, and then to go and fetch the!n up.

their

v ·

Journey-