4000003871

BooK

VI.

Royal

Commentaries.

rightly underfrood chem, and taken the words fo.perfeétly, as

be guilcy of no

miltake.

· If

chere were any other Meffages, chey were committed to writing, a:-id not to

word of mouth : Writing,

mean, not fuch as·we deliver and exprefs in Letters,

but in Knots made up in differenc threads of various colours, which ferved

for

,yphers, wluich were well underftood by· the

Inca

and bis Gcwernours: For by

rhefe Kmots and Colours ofthread, they fpecified what number of Souldiers, whac

~annents, what Provifions, and wbac other neceífaries were to be furnifhed,

and puc into a readinefs for che fervice of che Army. Thefe knotted threads

which ühe

Jndians

called

.f2...uipa,

were the Cyphers which chey ufed in aU thei

r Ad–

vices, and the Figures in their Accoums: of which we fhall treat more ar

lar.ge

itr-

the following Chapter. Bue as

thefe

Chafqui,

or Poíl:-boys, when a

t any

time amri, exnra0rdinary bufinefs was ia aétion,, they ·encreafed them often

ter.t

or twdve

Í:lil

mumber at every Srage. And

make chefe Poíl:s che

m©re

ready'

and

qui<.k ;

at any time

extraordinary occafion l:'iappiened; nmey gave rheiJI

Signal

ü11

che da,y-time to them by Ulílakif<lg a finoak, and in che nighn·time oy the

flame @f a Bezaco~l'; which being difcovered at a,dillance; it ferved as a warning

to eveny Scage to have tlueir Po/ils,in)a readmefs,

and'.

uo watch nigfut and· da.y for

che c0mimg of thls Meífage.

BU.e

chefe Beacons were never fired' bue on. fome

great 0ccafion of Rebellion, o~ Infurreétion of a Provin<re, chat

the mews of

might f.peeclily :irnive an Come in che [pace of owo or three hours, thougln

fuap–

pen,

f.ive ou

fi:x

huncluecd Leagues from ohence; dile which ferved

gtve

Alla–

rum uncill fuch tirne as die parcirnlars of che News arrived wi:ch greater certaincy.

And tfuis was tbe Office and

Ufe

of tbe

Ch~fqui.

CH A P.

VIII. .

That

they made their Reck_onings and Accounts

Threads

and Knots; and that the Accountants

were Men

great

faith and integrity.

Vipu

fignifies as rnuch as .Knots, and íornetimes Accounts ; in ordering 'of

which, che

Indians

Dyed their Tlm~ads with divers colours; fome were ofone

colour onely,

tome

of two, ochers of three, or more; which, with che mixed co•

lours, were of divers and various fignifications. Thefe íl:rings were twiíl:ed of

three or four Threads, and about three quarters of a Yard in length ; all which

they filed on another íl:ring

fafhion of a Fringe. And by thefe colours they

underfiood che number and meaning of every particular : By the yellow chey

fig·

nified Gold, by che white Silver, by che red Souldiers and Armies, and fo of other

things difiinguifhed by cheir colours.

·Bue as for other things whirh.could not be

difiinguiíhed by Colours, they de–

fcribed them by their order and degrees ofqualicy and goodnefs: For as we in

Spain

take every' thing in cheir degrees of _comparifon, fo chey having occafion

men–

tion Corn, do

firíl:

nominare Whear, then Barly, then Peafe and Pulfe

&c.

when chey gave an ac;count of Arms ;' the

firíl:

mentioned were che moíl: Noble,

fuch as Lances, next Dares, then Bows and Arrows, Pole-axes and Hatchets, and

forward.

So when they had occafion to number the people and feveral Fami–

lies :

The

fir(t

were Aged Men of fevency years and upwards, then Men of

fifcy,

and

to fevency, then of forty ; and

trom ten to ten , uncill tbey carne to

fucking Children : The which Order alfo was kept in numbring.their Women.

· Then amongíl: thefe groífer firings, there were others which were more fhorr,

and ílender adjoining

chem ; and thefe were Exceptions to che ocher more ge-

neral