519 / 1070
--- ·-
- ---------------~-------
BooK
l.
Royal Conimentar,ies.
_
'
CH A P.
XLI.
Of the Faithfu'!nefs which the
Indiaris
of
Peru
fhewed
unÍo
the
Spaniards
when
ták!f!
by
them in the
iVar.
T
HE
Jndians
of
Peru
held this Maxime or Principie. That if any yielded
himfelf, or having been taken by a
Spani11rd
in the War, he was thereby
become his abíolute Slave, and eíl:eemed him by
whom
he was taken to be his
Ido!, and his God, and that he ought to ·honour and revere him for fuch; and
to obey, ferve, and be faithfull to him unto the death, and not to deny him
ei–
ther for the fake ofhis Coumrey, Parents, Wife or·Children. Upon this Prin–
cipie they preferred the Wellfare of a
Span,ard,
who was their Maíler, befare all
other confiderarions whatfoever, and would fell or betray their own Family, if
their Mafter required it, arrd that it were neceífary or conducing to his Service ;
by which meaos the
Spaniards-
never wanted Spies, nor lntelligence ofwhatfoever
paífed amongfl che
lndian,,
which was of great ufe to them in che Subjeétion and
Conqueíl: of that Countrey ; for they believed it to be a real ducy
in
them to
be
obedient unto chofe to whom they had yielded themfelves Captives; and therefore
would engage
in
fight on their Mafters fide, againíl: cheir own Countreymen and
Relations, as ifthey were their mortal Enemies: When fome
Spanifo
Troops
in
their March .had taken fome
Indian
Captives, and chat the Commanders would
fhare chem amongft che Souldiers according as every Man wamed a Servant, che
Jndian
would refufe to acknowledge any other for
his
Mafter, chan him onely to
·_whom he had yielded himfelf; and when·they were cold, thac ic was che Rule of
War co divide equal íhares co every Souldier , and that he who was ali-eady pro–
vided, was co pernric his Companion·co
be
equally accommodated: The
Indian
anfwered, that he would obey 9n condicion, tliat when theChrifüan to whom he ·
was allocted had taken another Captive, that he might have the liberty to return to
his Mafter to whom he had fuíl: fubmitted; the like Fidelity the Women alfo pro–
feífed. Three
Indians
taken in chis mannet I left in the Houfe of my Father, and
Lord
Garfilaj[o
de
la Vega,
one of which was cal!ed
A/Li,
which is as much as
to
J"ay Good ; he was tak:en in aBattel, ofwiich there were rnany in
Callao,
after che
Jndi11n1
had rnade their general lnfurreétion, in one of which chis
Alli
foughc like
a very íl:out Souldier~ and having engaged far with fome few Perfons, he took
no care to fave himfelf, untill he faw all his Cornpanions put to flight, and hard·
ly purfued by the
Spaniard.r,
and having then little hopes of fafecy or refuge,
he
· laid himfelfarnongít che dead, to which poíl:ure he had opportunity
to
cornpofe
himfelf by the darknefs of the night, and cafüng away bis Shirc, he wallowea in
the bloud of che ílain, that
fo
he rnight feem to be one of thern.
The
Spaniard1
returning from che purfuit unto- their Camp
in
feveral Compa–
nies, three or four of them hap~ned to país chac way, where this
Indi11n
lay coun·
terfeiting che dead Man ; and whilíl: they vvere vievving the dead, my Lord and
Maíl:er
Garfilaf{o
de
la Peg.t
obferved one of them to pant, and dravv his Breath,
vvhereupon he vvent near him, and touched him vvith che point of his Spear,
to cry if he h:id fenfe, and vvere living
j
fo foon as the
InJian
felr che prick he
immediately íl:arted up, and cried for quarter, fearing that there vvas not~ing le[s
chan Deach for him. After vvhich he remained ·in che Service of my Father,
vvith that Fideliry :md Subjeétion vvhich vve have already expreífed, being defi–
rous to evidence the fame on all occafions. He vvas afcervvards baprized, calli¡¡g
himfelf
(ofm,
and his
Wife
Jfabel.
<
BOOK
'·