4000003870

BooK

IX.

Royal

Commentaries.

to the Saddle and Bridle ; but many, before they are thus broken, throttle them–

felves

with the

Halter; but then on

fuch as

become came, they fet

Boys

on their

backs,

leading them

with

the ;Bridle; in

this

m~nner t~ey

accuftorne them

mor–

ning and evening, for fifteen or twenty days, J.mtill fuch

t~me

as they

ar~

thorough–

broken, and then they become very gentle, and ferv1ceable

their Mafiers;

and

few days are

well managed, th ...t they can throw the

Dart

upon them,

and prove mofi excellent Horfe. After all parts of the

weft-Indies

':'ere fubdued

there

was

no fuch occafion for Horfes

before, nor encouragement given

for

bree–

ding and managing of them, as formerly;

chat the Inhabitants. of t!1ofe Iilands

turned their Traffick another

way,

and began

trade and deal m Hides, as we

fuall

declare in its due place..

o~fideri~g

ofren with my felf at how

great

11rke good Horfe are held

pain,

and

hat an excelk nt race th

!!lands

yield both for their fize, !hapes and colour.

have much wondred at rhe reafon

why 'they ha e not been tranfported thence into

pain,

though it were onely in ac-

.knowledgment of thofe \ hich

pain

did firft fend thither ) and

hich were the

Sires and Dams of that new Race, efpecially fince they may be tranfported

\Vith

much facility and ea[e from the lfland

uba,

hich is one gr at part of the

way, and many Ships come empty thus far.

he Horfes of

Peru

are much more

forward than rhofe in

Spain;

for the firft time that

darted on Horfeback in

Couo,

was

upon

Horfe newly broken, and which had fcarce

ived to three years of

age.

When the

Spaniards

\Vere firft employed in the Conqueft of

Peru,

no Man

would [pare his Horfe, or fet any price upon him; but

cafe it happened by the

Mafi:er's Death, or his departure for

Spain,

chat a Horfe was fet to fale, the price

as four, five or fix thoufand pieces of Eight.

the Year

15')4.

when the Ma–

refchal

Don

Alonfo

A lv arado

went

purfuit of

Fr1tncjfco

Hernande~

Giron,

hich

was before the Battel of

Chuquinca.

A Negro Boy leading a very hanfome Horfe

his

Hand, well managed, a certain rich Gentleman cafl:ing hi

Eyes

upon him,

and being much taken with

him,

faid to the Owner of him,

Sir,

for the Bf!]

and

Horfe,

they

now are, I will give

you ten tho1tfand pieces of

E ight,

whidi is as much

twelve thoufand Ducats; but the Owner refufed the Offer, telling him that he

had occafion for the Horfe to charge upon in the next Battel,

hich ''as fhortly

expected ; the Hfue ofwhich wa , that the Horfe vvas killed, and the Mafier mor–

tally vvounded: But chat vvhich

obfervable herein

thi , that he v ho vvould

have bought th·e Horfe vvas rich, having a confiderable Colony of

Indians

in rhe

Countrey of the

CharcM;

and the Ovvner vvas a famou

ouldier, vvho, to fig-

. nalize himfelf in that day of Bartel, refufed to fell his Horfe at any rate, though

never

advantageous ; I knevv them both co be Gentlemen, and erfon of

Noble Qg_ality: But fince that time the price of Horfes · much abated m

Peru,

becaufe the breed

much increafed;

chat a good Horfe may be

orth three

or four hundred Pieces of Eight, and an ordinary Jade may be fold at tvYenty or

thirty. The

Indians

are very commonly fearfull of an Horfe, for when they fee

him gallop, or run in any

treet where they chance to meet him, they are o af–

frighted, that they think they can never croud near enough to the Wall to avoid

him, fearing

le~

he iliould run over them, and trample diem under foot;

here–

fore when they meet a Horfe in the

treets, they

will

crofs the Street three or

four times from one fide to the other, and being

feared (as

were) out of their

Wit , they ha

run blindly {as I have feen) into the very way of the

Horf~

whom they have endeavoured to avoid, and have never thought themfelves out

- of danger, unle

they could get a

Spaniard

to fiand before them, nor would that

guard neither acquit them from all fear ; and though now by cuftoPOe and con–

verfation the dread of them is not

great, yet never could any

Indian

be perfua–

ded to take upon him the

rade of a Blackfrnith, becaufe he

ould not be con–

cerned in fhooing Hod< , though in all works ofMetal they are excellent Artifis.

And though the

SpaniardJ

ha~e

bred up fome

Indian

Boys , and taught them ro

drefs and curry Horfes, yet I nev r knew or faw an

Indian

that durft adventure

mo~nt u~on

their Backs; if any of them were

bold as to lead a Horfe by

the_Bndle,

was

<?me tame, gentle Jade, as quiet as a Mule; for indeed that

which feared the

IndianJ

moft, was to find mofi of the Horfes ;vanron and skittifh ·

for as yet the

SpaniardJ

did neither u

them to the Martingale, nor to covers,

or:

. as they are called, Spetl:acles, for their Eyes, which was a great neglett, and

ivas

the caufe

·Of

much more labour and trouble to the Mailer in the breaking and ma-

nagery

•

377