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BooK
VI.
Royal Commentaries.
-
they
faw
or met any game, they hooped and hollowed to give .notice thereof
to
their Companions, and fo marched along
til1
they tame fo to íl:raiten_ the beaíts
on all fides with a narrow compafs, rhat they could come and cake them up wich
rheir very hands.
.
. .
,
What fierce Beaíls they encountred, as they beat the Woods and Mouncains;
fuch as Lions, Bears, Foxes,
Mouma,11-Cats,
which chey call
OZ,co!lo,
as alfo Ser–
pents and venomous Creatures they killed befare chey came'within the Field, or
Circle of their Hunting. We make no memion here of Tygers; be¡;aure·there
were none in tho[e Countries, bue onely in the vaíl: and hórrid Mounttllns of
.An-
.
tis.
What nurnber of Game they might kili at fuch a Hunting, is ,).rncerrain,
' that happening according to the Coumrey, and their formne
j
for forn~times they
killed -cwemy, thiny or forty thoufand head .of Beaíl;s, fuch as Stags; Fallow Deer, '
the
Huanacu
which yields a fort of
cour[e
W0ol, and the
Vicuna,
whü;:qjs a Goat
with very fine Wool
j
with many other Creatures, which afford~d not onely pro–
fir,
bue fport and paíl:ime in che caking of chem. Such in chofe times was che
abundance of their Game
j
but now it is faid, that fuch havock hath beeo made
by the Guns which the
Spaniards
u[e,
that there is fcarce a
Huanilc1,u,
or
Vicuna
to
be
found
j
bue what are affrighted into the Mountains, and inm,effi0le places;
where no path or
W?-Y
can be madé.
,
All the Game being chus fürrounded and encompaffed , they took up with
their hands. The_Female Deer, whether redor fallow, they fuffered
to
efcape,
bec_¡mfe they had no Wool-, bue old and barren Does they killed: they !et goal–
fo
as rnany Males as were thought nec,eífary
to
ferye che Females, .and all tpe
reft: they killed, and divided theit Flefh amongíl: the Comrnonalty, likewi[e ha:–
ving fhorn the
Huanacm
and the
Vicuna,
they lec them efcape, keeping an exaél:
account of all thefe wild Cattel, as if they had been tame Flocks, noting them
in their
~ipm,
which is ~heir Book of Regiíl:er, diíl:inguifhing che Males fr_om
their Pernales in exaét and orderly manner. They likewi[e noted che Number
of che Beaíl:s chey killed, as well fuch as were fierce and hurtfull, as thofe that
w.ere carne and ufefull, that
fo
knowing the direét Numbers that remained, they
might che betcer fee at their next Hunting íeafon, how cheir frock was multiplied
and increaíed.
The courfe Wool of che
Huanac™
was diíl:ribuced amoñgíl: the common peo–
ple ; and that of che
Vicuna,
becaufe it was very fine, was referved for che
Inca,
who divided it alfo amongíl: the
Incas
.of ,his Kindred: For befides them,
110
other
upon pain of Dearh might prefume to wear it, unlefs in favour ; fome pare there–
of was given to a particular
Curaca,
who upon no ocher terms could prerend to
that honour and privilege. The Flefh of the
Huanacm
and
Picuna
was diílribu–
ted
amongíl: che common people, with whom che
Curacas
would vouchfafe to
rak~ fome pare, as alfo of che Venifon ;-not that they wanted it, but to fhew
their compliance and farniliarity with the people
j
and that rhey who laboured in
che Huming, did noc fcorn to receive their fhare of the prey.
Theíe general and folemn Huntings were appointed every fourth Year in the
refpeétive Divifions; for che
Jndians
were of opinion, that in fuch time che Wool
of che
Vtcuna
would be at its full growch , and chat the wild Cattel would have
time to increa[e
j
and would be lefs affrighted at the approach of Meo, chao
if
. they were every year teafed and hunted : Howfoever, they hunted in one place or
other every year
j
bue with foch method and order, that the Provinces being divi–
ded into four pares, each divifion took irs turn bue once in four years.
In
this orderly manner and mechad che
Incas
appointed che times of Hunting.
as well for che pleafure and delighc, as for the profit of his people
j
it being an
opinion amongíl: them, thar the
Pachafamac,
or che God and Creatour of all things,
had commanded that the fame· care fhould be caken of the '.Yild, as of the carne
Flocks; and that chey were to deíl:roy 'the-hurtfull and devouring Beaíl:s, as chey
were
to
cut and root out noxious Weeds or Herbs out of theit· Corn, and Fields
chat were fown. And fince we obferve che order ,which the[e
lncas
direét:ed in
their very Huntings, which they called
Chacu
j
how can we doubr, bue thac thefe
peoP,le maintained che lik_e in matters of Governmem, arid rhings of grearer im–
porrance , and wére not
fo
bru'tifh and falvage as the World hath figured them.
lf
is farcher tO- be noted, chac che Bezar-íl:one brought frcsm thac Coumrey, (in
the goodneís whereof rhere is 'greac difference ) was caken from fome of chofe
wild cattel, which we have before mentioned.
e
é ,,
According