4000003870

74~

Royal

Commentaries.

Book

IV.

tries,

:vhere a

~nel

fort of

Indians

inhabited, they nfed another

fort of poifoa

of a different

nat~re

hat

we have .before

rnention~d

; for they

·oulci'

t~n

the Leg of

.~ndia;n,

h©m

they had

k~lleEi,

and hang

up in the

Air againft

r~~

Sun, and

fill

tth

many

Barbs

of po1foned Arrows,

which

ere taken -

the flefh of an

Indian,

which after fome days they rook out

and without

fing of the.m they dried then:

the

Air

where the Su·n did not come,

andc

th~~

they headed therr Arrows with them ;

and

thac became the mofi malevolent

Po·

fon, and

the moft

hard

cured

the

world ;

have feen the

experime~;

thereof,.

and as an

ey@-witnefs

will

relate the effect in its due place.

After the

Spa,.,,iards

came~

into that Countrey, and waged

War

upon the

Indtans

they then

ch~nged

the nature of their poifon:

for

whereas before they

cornpo~nded

their

p01fon

with

t~e

flefh of

Indians,

they

the~

made it with the flefh of

Sfaniards

~horn

they killed or took

bur more particularly they defired the flefh of

fom~

red-bea~ed

SpaiJiard;

hofe hairs were of a deep Saffron colour ; for they were of

opinion that there was more heat in that flefh,

and

confequently more virulency

in the poifon which

produced: but perhaps they may have heard

often faid

amongfi the

Spa:4iards

themfelves, that red-headed men are

fit

to make a compo-

ficion of

poifon. -

But to return to tbofe who had made their encrance into this Countrey

they

obferved Cuch animofitie!$ and

<}Uarrels

which they maintained one agaiofi

ru{other

that

was

irnpoffibl~

to recGmcile rhem;

that many of them refolved to

leav~

that Countrey and go into

Peru;

for that whilft they were

divided there was

no hopes to fubdue thofe

Indians,

who \ ere a rugged and a martial

fort

of people.

But of the nature of this poifon, and of what elfe happened in

this

adventure,

and the great difcords and differences amongfi

tbeSp

aniard1, Diego

Fernande~

Palen–

tino

recounts a long fiory, with many Hrange

a.nd

various accidents,

hich for

brevity fake we omit, and refer the Reader to

his re

lation. But befides thefe

dif–

ferences amongfl: thernfelves, the

Spaniards

were inclined

travel into

Peru

upon

the news which-an

Jndi,an

brought of comm0tions there; without any other

par–

rrcafars,

thafl

onely than the

Spaniards

waged Civil Wars amongft. themfelves.

Upon c:his news

&raviel

Bermude~

was difpatched

the confines of

Peru

in~

form himfelf of t:he aate of 'matters,. and

certifie to them the truth of things;

iafter

\11.

hich

they~

oula refolve to take that fide to which they were moll: inclined,

Gravtel

travelling on 'the way

\Vitf.i

this defign happily mer with

Lope

Mendoftt,

who gave him a

r~lation

at large of all that had palled in

Peru,

fince the time rliac

Diego de

RojM

departed thence; and joyoing his men with the party of

Graviel

Berm11de~,

they

mutual confent difpatcned Meifengers to

Mchoku de

Eredi11,

who was chief of an0ther Band of Men ; and he immediately came to them with

bi A!fociates.

Lop8

M endofa

reconciled them and made them Friends, and

all

by common confent made him their Captain-General, promifing

obey and

fol–

low him.

They were in all about an hundred and

fifty

men in number, almofit

all

He>de?

men

'Of

great bravery and inured

Sufferings, having for the fpace of

three years together undergone incredible hardfbips both by Famine and long Tra–

vels ; du ing which time

they

made a difcovery of fix hundred leagues of Land,

frarce enjoying one day of repo[e; the relation of '\.\·hich is not to be exprefied

the Pen ofWriters. With this flout and brave Cavalry

Lope de Mendofa

defcen-

-Oed from the Mountains, either with intent to give a !top co the proceedings of

Francifao de Carvajal,

join with fame other Party which owned and declared

or obedience and loyalty co the King. Accordingly he marched as far as the Pro...

ince and People called

Pucuna,

where. he rell:ed one day for the refrefhment

hi Meo and H orfes, being much haraifed \ ith long marches and want

of Prov1-

1~ons.

Francifco de Carvajal

who omitted no point that concerned a good Com–

mander, received intelligence how that

Lope

Mend.ofa,

with his Souldiers of rhe

Invafion,

(for they ga· e rhe name

Invaders co that Party) were defcended

m the Mountain , and that they were not well at unity and in friendiliip one

·ith

the o

ther, and therefore not to lofe that advantage he refolved

enga~e

them

be.fi

re the

~ere

better recopcifod.

L ope de M endofa,

having news

<;>f

his

comi

ng, f

ortified himfelf within Trenches, but when he heard that

c_arw9al

pr ached nearer be then changed his mind, fea ring a Siege; for which havUlg

made no provifion, he concluded that he could not long hold out before he iliould

be forced

a forrender : befides he confidered, that

his

force confilling for

the

, 110

part ofBorfe, they would fight w ith more adv nrage in the open Field

.th~

Wl C lO