598 / 1060
Royal
Commentaries.
BooK
It
as he could guefs, he obferved chat they fiooped from the Wing to fome low
Valley
:
Now whereas Parrots are great lovers of Mayz, which is their chief
food, he conduded, that
in
or about the place where he faw them
fall~
there muft
be fome Plantation, or Dwelling for people ; and upon this prefumption eying
well the
place~
he returned
to
his Companions, and told them, that they'iliould
be of good comfort, for that he had
difcov~red
fore and certain tokens and evi·
dences, chat they lhould now very fpeedily arrive at fome inhabited Countrey
The
Spaniards
and all their company being comforted and encouraged
with~·
good news, took heart, and next morning fell to work, opening a way through
the Bofcage with Axe and Hatchet, and
in
the fpace of tnircy Days, penetrated
and broke through eight Leagues
in
length , aud then entred into a
f
mall Planca..
tion of che
Indian1,
confifiing of about a hundred
Families,
with whom
Mayz,
and ocher forts of Grane and Pulfe,
~ere
in great plenty; and the Soil was
very
good,and able to produce
food
and rnamtenance for greater numbers,than did there
inhabit: Upon fight of which, and entrance thereintoj the
Spaniard1
returned
thanks to God, wno had brought them forth, and delivered them ouc of chafe
extremes of mifery. The
Indians,
when they
faw
a people with Beards, and moft
of them cloarhed
in
Skins, (for their Garments were rotted upon their backs, ha•
viog been for the mofi part wee,) and thofe who were beft habited amongft
them were infiead of their Rags covered with the Bark and Leaves ofTrees,
diey'
were firangely furprized, and much more did they admire to fee the Horfes,
fot
fome of diem were fiill conferved from being eaten. At the appearance of
rlus
new fight, they called
to
each other co fly into the Mountains; but fome
figns
being made co chem, not to fear, they were induced co fiay, and call thelt
Gi–
cique, '''ho was then in the Fields ; the Cacique coming, received them with
much kindne£S and courtefie, {hewing fome trouble and pity
to
fee them almoft
- naked, full of fcratches and wounds received from the Woods and Bullies, and
fo
weak and pale, that they feemed half dead : He entertained them like Brothers
1
and gave them Manto's of Cotten, Cuch as were made for
his
own doathing ; anct
in a iliorc time he took fuch an affeetion
to
the
Spaniards,
and particularly to the
Captain, chat he deGred him never more to leave his Countrey ; but if he would
not be perfuaded
to
remain there, yet then that he would take him into
his
com•
pany, and carry him
to
the place of his aboad and refidence. At chis place they
remained thirty Days, and had occafion for their better refrelhmenr, to have con·
tinued there longer ; but that ouc of pity to thofe poor
Jndian1,
chat they might
not eat up their Provifions, which they
fo
freely befiowed on them, they quitted
their Countrey, the name of which they did not enquire, it being their bufineiS
rather to pafs through, than
to
inform themfelves of Names and Places. The
Cacique would needs bring them on part of their way, and appointed thirty of
his
Jndittn1
to be their Guides, and carry foch Provifions for them as were very need.
full in that de
Clrt
Councrey through which they were to pafs: the which
lndi111u
\Vere like\: i[e
veryiervic~4ble
in cranfporting their people over certain Rivers; for
they
w
re kilfull in the manner how to make Floats, -and knew how to conduet
and fieer them over, berter than the
Spaniard.!.
At length coming to the
firft
Valley within the jurifdietion of
P11erto Vie10,
the Cacique and his
hzdians
took
their leave of them with many tears, being very forrowfull
to
lofe thefr coIBpany;
and e[pecially they were devoted to the Captain, who had won their hearts by
his
affable and obliging deportment. At lafi the
Sp~niards
entred
Puerto Viejo,
with no
greater number than of one hundred and
f
txty Perfons ; for of the two hundred
and
fifty,
who at firfi undertook that Conquefi, above eighty of them were fiar–
ved with hunger, and perifhed with other hardfhips within the Mountains. At
Puerto Viejo
they received the firfi intelligence of the InfurreCtion _of che
I~~ians,
but
knew nothing as yet of the fuccefs; wherefore they hafined w1th all diligence
to
the City of
los Re;·es
;
and being on their way, they met the Command of the
Mar–
quis, fummoning them co come in unto his fuccour ; upon which they quicknecl
their March, and came to
Rimac
fome few days after the Arri\fal of Captain
Alonfa
de
Alvar11do
at that place; \ hich coming
fo
feafonably to the fuccour and relief of
he Marquis, they were received by him with much joy and comfort.
CH
AP.