299 / 1070
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VII.
Royal Commeritariet.
made upon it, was forced at length to abandon his Defign, and fly íhamefully
out of
che
Councrey. The ways were fo bad, that the Mules were notable
ro pafs with his Litter, fo thac he was carried on the Shoulders of
Spaniards
and
Indians-;
whilíl: che
C'hirihuanas
cried after them, with Curfes and
Re–
proaches, .faying,
Throw down th~t O!d Woman from her Basket, that we,
mqy
eat
her
aliv(t.
For the
ChirihuanM
(as we have faid) are a fort. ofpeop~e greedy and ravenous
aft:er Fleíh, becaufe chey have none in their·own Countrey, eithér of tame or wild
Cattel, the Soil not producing Herbage, or orher nouriíhmenc .for them being
over-run wich Briers and Buíhes, and not cultivaced with the leaíl:
Are
or Indu–
firy. Had chey conferved che Cattel which che Vice-king Jefe them, ordering·
Cow-keepers or Herdfmen to attend them, as was prafüfed in the Iílands of
Hi–
franiola,
and
Cuba,
they might have had an increafe füfficient to have fiocked
.'their Countrey. Howfoever that barbarous people, even from that litcle Con–
verfacion and Learning which they had from che
Spaniards,
during their íhorc
1
abode in their Countrey, reaped fome benefü as to cheir m:mners; for chey did
never afrerward eat the Fleíh of their own dead ; onely they were thiríl:y afcer che
Bloud of tbeir Neighbours, arid fo raving for the Fleíh of their En
emies, that.tbey defpifed their own Lives to gain theirs, being infenfible of ali
Dangers.attbe light oftheir Prey ; and fo much <lid they long for humane Fleíh,
that whenthey fürprifed at any time Shepherds keeping their flocks of Sheep, or Herd(men
watching cheir Cattel, they would forfake and negleét che Herds and Droves, to
take and devour the Fleíh of che Shepherds.- This inhumane barbaricy was fo
dreadfull to all forts ofpeople, and their Neighbours round about, thac ten
Chiri–
.huanM
would chafe a thoufand others~ to whom chey were fo terrible, that they
affiighted their Children with their very Name. The
ChirihuanM
alfo leárned
from this íhort vilit of che
Spaniards
to make Houfes not for privare Dwellings,
but
for the publick reception of ali comers; the Fáíhion of which was one
.wide Gallery, divided into
as
many Apartments as there were Perfons; rhe
/
_Room being no bigger than what was q¡pable
to
receive one !ingle perfon,
for
they had no Houíhold-fiuff, nor Garments to ccver them, going always na–
ke~. And chus much íhall ferve
for
what we have to fay of the.condition and
brutiíh Life of che
Chirihuanas,
who are
fo
beíl:ial, and inhumane , that no–
.thing lefs chan a Miracle can reclaim th~m from chis grofs and irrational courfe
of
llie.
.
CH AP.