4000003871

295 / 1070

BooK VII. Commentaries.
X .V. ¡ 1·
¿ ..
_1 ; O/ the Renfains which are Jiill apparent of that Exp~-.:.
, 'dition.
T HE of this Conqueíl: and Difcovery made by tbe Inca 1upanqui,
,. wh e recounted in brief, were afcerwards more at large related
by the lnaianst boafüng much of the mighcy Aéts and Valour of their A:nceíl:ours;
telling us ofBartels which they fought upon the Water, and on the Banks of the
River, and of rhe many Provinces they fubdued, and many ocher Emerprifes,
which feem incredible to have been performed by a handfull ofMeo; and becaufe
.that hitherto the Span,iardi have not been able to make themfelves Maíl:ers ofche
people about che Antis, how much lefs can it be pointed out to us, che way and
meaos that thefe few Inca& took to fubdue and reduce th~fe íl:urdy Nations; and ·
therefore fince chefe things feem incredible, we chat defign to wrice a true Hilla–
ry, have noc thought fit to mix Fables with our true Relations, efpecially of
things which being aéted in remote and unknown parts, could not come fo di–
ftina:!y to our cognizance, as thofe which were aéted in the Precinél:s of our own
Countrey. Though che cruth is, the Spaniards have in our time found many Evi–
dences and Remains of thofe matte(s, as we íhall fee more diíl:inétly hereafter.
In the Year 1 ,64. a certain Spaniard, called Diego Aleman, born in the Town
ofSt. ¡ohn in che County of Niebla, Inhabicant of the City of Pa,:,, otherwife cal,.:
led the New Plantacion; being made Lord over a few lndians, was pt;rfüaded by
a C11raca of that place, to take twelve Spaniards more inco bis cdrnpany. and
with them to make a journey into che Province of Mufa, where he aílüred them
was much Gold offering hirnfelf to be their guide; the journey chey undercook
was a foot, both for privacy, che better to furprife che Natives, and becaufe the
way was mouncainous, and not paffable on horfeback; their Defign was for thac
prefent' onely upon difcovery, to fee and obferve how che Land lay, co- know che
ways, and afterwarcls return with greater force, to rnake their Conqueíl:; they
entred by Cochapampa, which borders upon Moxa. .
They cravailed twenty eight da'ys through Mountains and Thickets, and unfre~
quented places, and at length carne to a view of the firíl: Province of that people.
The Cacique gave them a caution to proceed fi1emly, and enquire of matters from
fome lndian .before they difcovered themfelves; bue che Spaniards not hearkning
to che caution he gave, on che clofe of the Evening, with more boldneís than
prudence emred the Province, making a noife, as if their numbers had been great, .
oras if the found of the Spanifh Tongu~ onely, had been fufficient to affiight them.
But matters fucceeded quite otherwife, for che Jndians taking che allarm, and by
the íhout they made, concluding them to be few in number, took courage, and
falling upon them, killed ten, and took Aleman captive; the other two, by the
darkneís of che nighc efcaped, and returned to che place where their Guide pro–
mifed to expeét thelilJ"heing not pleafed with the raíhneís of their Counfel. One
of the two which efcaped was called Francifco Moreno, che Son of a Spaniard, by
an lndian Woman, bom at Cochapampa; chis Man got a Cloth made of Cotton,
which was hanged in che air for a Hamock or Cradle, to lay aChild in it, having
fix Bells of Gold tied to che ends of it, woven with feveral Works in divers co–
lours. So foon as it was day che two Spaniards and the Cutaca could from che
top of the Hill difcover a greac nurnber of lndians, with Lances,, and Pikes, and
BreaA:-plates, which glittered againíl: che Sun, al! which, as che Guide aílured
them, were rnade of Gold; and chat they had no Silver in their Countrey, bue
that onely which they procured from Peru in exchange for their Gold. And to
defcribe che greatnefs ofthat Countrey, he cold chem, that ~s che Liíl: was_to that
. N n 1. Mantl~