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1
BooK
IX.
Royal
Commentaries.
to ohe Saddlé and Bridle; but many, before they are chus broken, throttle them–
felves with che Halter; bunhen on fucl:i as become carne, they fec Bóys on their
backs, leading thern with che Bridle; in ~bis manner they accuftome chem mor–
·ning and eveníng, for fifceen or cwency days, uptill fuch time as rhey are ¡horough-
Jy
broken, and rhen they becorne very. gemle, and ferviceable to their Mafiers;
and in a few days are
fo
well rnanaged, th~t chey can thr
ow the Dart upon chem,
and prove moíl: excellenc Horfes. After al! pares of che
we.ft-Jndies
were fubdued
there was no fuch occaÍton for Horfes as before; nor encouragemenc given for bree–
ding·and managing of them, as formerly;
fo
that che Inhabicancs of chofe 111ands
turned cheir Traffick anocher way, and began to trade and peal in Hides, as we
íhall declare in irs due place. ConÍtdering ofren wirh my felf at how grear a
price good Horfes are held in
Spain,
and what an excellenc race thefe Iílands
yield, both for their fize, íhapes and colour.
I
have much wondred ac che reafon
why rhey have not been tranfported chence into
Spain,
chough it were onely in ac–
kno'3/ledgment of rh_ofe which
Spain
did firíl: fend chither, and which were che
Sires and Dams of thac new Race, efpecially íince chey may be tranfporc~d wich
fo
much facility and eafe from che Iíland of
Cuba,
which is one great pare of che
way, and many Ships come empcy chus far. The Horfes of
Peru
are much more
forward than chofe in
Spain;
for che firft time cqac
I
dau:ed on Horfeback in
Co:uo,
was upon a Horfe newly broken, and which had fcarce arrived to rhree years of ,
age.
.
When che
Spaniards
were firíl: employed
in
che Conqueft of
Peru,
no Man
~ould [pare bis Horfe, or fet any price upon him; bue in cafe it happened by che
Mafter's Deach, or bis departure for
Spain,
tbac a Horfe was fer co fale, che price
was four, five or
fo:
thoufand pieces ofEight.
ln the Year
1
H4·
when'the Ma–
refchal
Don Alonfo
J
A/varado
went in purfuit of
Francifco Hernandez.. de Giran,
wbich
was béfore the Baccel of
Chuquinca.
A Negro Boy leading a very hanfome Horfe
in bis Hand, well managed, a certain rich Gentleman cafüng bis Eyes upon him,
and being much taken with him, faid
to
the Owner of him,
Sir, for the
Boy
and
Horfe,
a1
they now are,
1
willgive you ten thoufanJ piecei of Eight,
whid:i is as muchas
twelve thoufand Ducacs; but che Owner refufed the Offer, telling him that he
had occaÍton for che Horfe
to
charge upon in the nexc Batee!, which was íhorcly
expeékd; che iífue ofwhich was, chac the Horfe vvas killed, and the Maíl:er mor–
cally vvounded: Bue that vvhich is obfervable herein is this, tbat he vvho vvould
have bought the Horfe vvas rich, having a conÍtderab!e Colony of
lndians
in ene
,Couri¡rey of che
Charc.u;
and ~he Ovvner vvas a famous Souldiet, vvho,
to
íig–
nalize himfelfin tbat day of Batcel, refufed
to
fell his Horfe at ány
1
rate, though
never fo advancageous ;· I knevv them both to be Gentlemen, and Perfons of
Noble Qg_aliry: But fince tbac time the price of Horfes is much abaced in
Pm1,
becaufe the breed is much increafed; fo thac a go5d Horfe may be vvorth chree
or four hundred Pieces of Eight, and
qO
ordinary Jade may be fold ac tvventy or
thirty. The
Jndians
are very commonly fearfull of an Horfe, for when chey fee
'him gallop, or run
in
any Street where tbey chan~e to meet him, they are
fo
af–
:&igh1ed, chat they think they can ne'{er croud near enough to che Wali
to
avoid
him, fearing le/1: he íhould run over them, and trample tl:iern under foot; where–
fore when they meer a Horfe in che Streets, they will crofs the Street three or
four times from one fide to che other, and being
fo
fcared (as it were) out oftheir
Wits, they have run bl~ndly (as I have feen) into che very .way of che Horfe,
whom they have endeavoured.
to
avoid, and have never chought chemfelves out
of danger, unleis they could gec a
Spaniard
to ftand before them, nor would that
guard neicher acquic ·them frorrr al! fear; and though now by cuíl:ome and con–
verfatión tbe dread of clíem is noc fo great, yet never could any
Jndian
be perfua–
éled
to
take upon him che Trade of a Blackfinith, becaufe he would noc_ be con–
~erned in Ü1ooing Horfes, though in ali works ofMetal they are excellenc Artiíl:s.
And though che
Spaniards
have bred up fome
Indian
Boys , and caught them
to
qreís and curry Horfes, yet I never knew ot faw an
Jndian
that duríl: adventure
to
rríount upón tbeir Backs; if any of thern were fo bold as to lead a Horfe by
the Bridle, it was fome tame, gencle Jade, as quietas .a Mule; for indeefi chat
which fcared the
Jndians
moft, was to find moíl: of che Horfes wancon and skirciíh;
for
as
yet the
Spaniards
did neicher-ufe chem to che Martingale, nor
to
covers,- or,
as they are called, Speél:acles; for their Eyes, which was a great negleét, and was
the caufe of much more labour and trouble to the Maíl:er in the breaking and ma~
e
Ce
.
nagery
377