4000003870

BooK

Ill.

Royal

Commentaries.

the

Invention

Boats, or fuch Canoes,

they ufe

Florida,

or the

Ifles

Bar–

lovento

and other places of the Main Land, whlch are a fore of Troughs hewed

out

Timber, and are

all of

one piece: but the Wood

Peru

is not

fit .for

rhis u[e, being fappy, and heavy as Iron, and

ther~fore

not boyaor, as the nature

uf fuch

floats require : \¥herefore they made cholCe of another fore, of

light and fpungy Timber, vvbich grows in the Provinces of

~itu,

from

whence,

by order of

th~

Jncd,

many Trees were.felled, ·and brought down to the banks of

the River. Hereof they made

all

their Boats greater or leffer, fome of

th~m

were of

five

others of

[even

pieces ofWood, which Cerved for the bottom, tied

one

the

o~her,

that in the middle being the biggefi::

The

firfi: Boards on the

fide were fomerhing {horcer than thofe of the Keel ; the fecond above were lhor–

ter and the third i11orter than rhofe below ; that

that being pinched

above,

and not

all

of the fame breadth, the Ve!fel would find lefs refifi:ence in its motion

rhrough the

W~ter;

and the Stern and the Heid of the Boat were both of the

fame fail1ion : T o both the ends of thefe Boats they fafined

Cord ,

that

Paffengers being defirous

Ferry over, they drew the Cord on one fide; and

being to return, they drew that which was fafined

the other.

remember that

pa!fed a River in one of chefe Ferries;' which

~equCe.

had been

~a~e

in a

time when

the

IncM

reigned, the people accounted 1t

Relique,

and had

great

efieem

and venemtion.

Befides thefe Ferries, they have other leffer Boats more manageble ,-made

Canes

and Reeds clofely \\oven, and !haped upwards lharp, like the Prow of

Boar,

that

they may

with

lefs refifience cut the Water: the Mid-iliips are made

broad, and wide, and capacious to receive the Loading : One of thefe Boats

governed by a fingle Indian, who places himfelf at the Stern, and lying on his

breafl:

with

his

hands ·and feet on each fide in the water infi:ead of Oars, he Sculls

and Steers along

with

the current to the place he defigns :

the current be very

rapid, they row along the bank of the River to take the advantage of

hundred

paces upwards, making account that the

wiftnefS of the ftream

will

carry

them~

zoo

paces downwards

before

they can reach the other

fide :

When

Pafiengef:i;

Fenies over, they order him to lye flat on his face, firerched at length in the Boar,

with his face towards the F rry-ipan, and to hold himfelf fall by the Cords, and

no means to rife or fiir, or

much a open his eyes.

once croffed a very

wife

current

one of thefe Boats, which

fomething hazardous ; ( though on

fmooth and

frill

waters there is no danger)

then remember that the Ferry-man

conjured me with

all

the Loves in the World, that

would neither

lift

up my

head,

nor open my eyes :

being then but a Boy, was

affiighted, that

thought

either the Earth would fink, or the Heavens fall: Howfoever, I could not for

my'Iife but

lift

up my head, and open

leaft one of my eyes to fee if there were

~ny ench~ntment~

or fome difcovery .of a New World in the ma ter ; and being

the middle,

lifted up my head a. little, and feeing the water round., me-thoughts

we had fallen from Heaven above ; and I became

giddy,

that

my brains turned,

and

fwarn

faO:er than the Boat, which

was

carried with a very rapid and violent

fueam ; fo that

prefemly

frmt

my eyes again, and confdfed that the Boat-man

had much reafon

for

the camion he gave me.

They have· likewife

ano~her

fort of Float made of large Gourds, joined and

fa!lned

fl:rongly

together, about the bigne[s of a Yard and a half

quare : Here–

unto

they

fit

a Rope in fa<hion of a Poitral to a Horfe's Saddle wherein the

In–

di.an

~oat-mah

puts his

head ; v'\i ith which fwimming away, he Tows the Boat af:.

ter

him

withber Lading, untill he paffes to the other fide of the River or Anne

the Sea; and if

the

~ading

be heavy,

that the Boat draws much'water, he

then affified by an Indian or two more, who pulh at the Stern, and drive the

Boat

forward.

Bot

thofe great Rivers, where

the

current is very forcible

and

rapid

that

ey are not paifable in thefe Boats of Gourds or Rufhes • and where'alfo the

banksh of the River are

rocky, that there is no place to

La~d

either on one iliore

e other: there they make ufe of their great Cables made of Canes called

Chak1uir,

which they throw over from the higher parts of the craggy

pla~es,

fa–

fienmg them to great Trees or firm Rocks :

~ithin

this

g~t

Cable they put a

C~e,

or Basket

m~de

of OGers, capable to receive three orTour perfons ; co each

en whereof

th~y

fi_x

an Ear, or handle of Wood, through which they pafs the

Cords for drawmg

from one fide

the other:, and

regard the Cable is very

large,