4000003870

BooK

Iii:

Royal

Commentaries_.

but he dying

the Voyage, his followers .difperfed,

an~

difpofed of themfelves

in divers pares. And here was an end of this Defign, which found a fuccefs agree..

able

the evil beginnings of ic.

And now let us return

Go~alo

Pifarro,,

and fee what bec?mes

ofh1m,

wh<:>n1

. we left in fuch fad-Dill:refs. After

Francifco de

Orellana

was d1fpeeded away

W1Fh

the Brigantine, he bl)ilt ten or twelve Canoes, and

oth~r ~loats,

wherewi_th to

pafs from one fide of the River ro. the other

of~en

as their Progrefs. was mrer·

rupted by the impaffable Mountains, as at ocher t1!11es

~ht:Y ha~

contrived, .

a~d

fo they proceeded

for~ards

in hoi-:es to meet

t~e Bnga~tme,

which they had

d1C.

patched for Provilions, and to bnng them Relief, havmg met no

ot~er

Enemy

than Hunger in all thefe Travels. At the end of two Months they arrived at that

Point where the two Rivers met, and where they expetted

have found their

Brigantine, laden with Provifions, which, by reafon (as chey

imagin~d)

of the

_ fwifmefs of the Current, was not able

return

chem. And here it was that

they found themfelves deceived, and

have loft all hopes of any poffibility of

efcaping out of that Hell of a Countrey ; for we can give

no better

Tetm,

where they had fuffered fuch Difficulties, and fuch grievous.Miferies, without

profpeet of deliverance from thence; and here at the Conjunetion of chefe two Ri–

vers th

ey found

the poor, honefi

Hernan Sattcha-s de Varga-s,

who with confiancy of

Mind,

and.on

Principles ofHonour, like the true Son of a Gentleman, endured

with g

rea Ref

olntion Famine, and all the Miferies to which he was expofed, ra–

ther than violate his Faith; and was contented

remain in that folirude, that he

might render an Account of the perfidious Faith of

Orell4na,

and of his villanous

Defigns, all which was firange

Pir'\arro,

who much admired that there 010uld

be fuch Men

the World, whofe Aetions {hould be fo diffei;ent to their Pro–

feffions, and

unanfwerab!~

to the hopes which were conceived of them; and

with

this News the Captains and .Souldiers became fo difmayed, that they feemed to

reduced to the utmofi point of Defpair.

The General, who conceived greater Difquiet, and Tormcmt of Mind, than

the others, yet putting a good face upon the matter, cmeared chem all up, and en–

couraged them with hopes of better _Fortune; telling them, that they ought like

Spaniards

to bear with equality of Mind thefe Labmtrs, and yet greater,

any

thing could be worfe; that the more Danger, the more Hon9ur, and the greater

- would their Renown be

Hifl:ories, whlch iliould declare their Adventures to

future Ages. That

mce it was their Fortune to become the Conquerours of that

Empire, that they iliould

ael

like Men whollJ the Divine Providence had chofen

for the accomplHhment of fo great a work. The Souldiers obferving fuch chear–

fulnefs

their Captain General, who had more cau[e to refent thofe Evils than

any other, took Heart and Courage, and proceeded on their Voyage by the Banks

of the River, fometimes on the one fide, and fometimes on the other, according

to the

turnings

and windings of the Land.

But we cannot

expr~fs

the

~eat

Difficulty

there_was

carry

t:he Horfes upon

the.Floats, for there

lhll

remamed about one

hundr.ed

and

fifry

of their number

which they .had

_brough~

from

f2.!!:_it11.:

,fo Jike

manner

almo{t

~wo

choufand

indJ-

1111.r

were

ftill

alive, which c,me with themrfrom

Peru,

who, like Sons ferved

their Mafters with Cuch Faichfulnefs and

A~&ion,

as was admirable· for'in

their

gr~t

extremities ofHunger they brought

chem

Herbs and Roots, an'd wild Fruit,

w~th

Toads,

~nakes,

and other. kinds of Infe& which were found in thofe Moun–

t.ams; all which went down w1th them, and were digefied by the

Spaniards

with

a good Stomach; for without them

they

co\tld not

,have fubftfl:ed.

CH A Pt>