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BooK III. Royal Commentaries.
In chefe parts they remained cwo momhs in Expetl:acion of the coming of
thofe SpaniardJ, whom they had left in Cumaco, and had direéted to follow them
by (uch m¡ces ~~ marks a~ they íhould finq of the way they had qken before
chem; the Companions being come up tq them, and a while refreíhed after
th€ir Journey,, they rravelled ¡¡11 together by the Banks of that great River, tor
, (he [pace of fifty Leagues, in ali which way, tpey neic_her found Bridge, nor
íhallow plae;€, wh\ch w¡¡s furdab!e, for che Water was very deep, a(Jd che River.
fo broad, that no Bridge could -be made over it. ,
, A.e lepgch chey cam~ to a pla(e where chis whole River falls from che top_of
a Rock, above two hupdred fachom high, which Cacarack, or falling of ~he W4-
t~rs, rnak~ a noife, tbat is heard above fix Leagues from che place; at which,
rhough tbe Spqniardt were wonderfolly amazed, yec ic was much more wonderfüll
~-0 fe~., ¡ibout forcy or fifcy Leagues lower, thac irpmenfe- qqanc~ty Qf W<\ter
c;omraéteo and íl:ra¡teped within aCh¡mel m_. ade by 9µe grqat l\qc;k. This Gha–
nel is fo nmow, that from one fide;; to ~,h, o~h@r it i~noc apove cwe!:\tY fo~
wid@; bue fo high, thac frorp che top, where 'che Spdni~r~s maqe cheir Bridge w.
pa[s qown to che Swface of che Water, ¡¡r~ ~\VQ punc,J,r~d. f-athow, ~s was üiat qf
· th~ Cararack.
.Ic is in~keÁ íl:r.inge to confideF, ~hac in ~ha~Q)untr~y rhere t\1qgl_d be fuch
pt'Qdigious Wonders, which are beyond Expreffion, as lJlílY appea¡ by th~fe two
ip_{rnpc;e~, ¡¡nq diy6rs 0thers, wbich occur mthts ttill:ory. 49V:/;¡(!IO f.iNr¡r,g, and his
Caprains, c9nftd~ring that the¡-e w~s no Q1Qre i:;onv~ni~ot pa~gy tQ 9<'l foµqd ov~
rh~ River t°tJa,l) t.l;l~~, aqº tpa~ ¡~ was nCtc~flan~t9 Píl~ ¡o \he Q~Q~r /jck, ~y reafoµ
.th~t the Counrrey was b<1-rt~noQ that fid.e wN~h ifa:y \he1rw~r~ in, ic was agr(;~9
to rpak~ a ~ri~g~ qver: the tqp qf che ·ija~~- Th~ Iri.4ifl"fi thc;>i;igl'( f~w in num–
ber) íl:outly cM~n~kd tb\:l ,Rafs, ,fq. th~t tbe tfPft..11i1r~s- W~ff fl:>rc~d rn liigl!t with ·
~~ql, }Vhi.~g "Wg,8 tQe fgQ J.9~1,mtef )thq-v,_ DaQ, W~~h. tPOf~ .P.f t.b.?t,(OQíltn:!Y :
When the su11i4r4s kiU~9 ami ºn~, qr,q,9r~ S:))ffifiem, wirh th~j,t Muljlq~t~, ·the
pthyr~ imme~~~f;:ly f!.!i_~~ ~µ,¡ig ~flr,¡ifiep_to._f~@ ir Go_l ,ns ~i!Jed a~ rh,.e
d.i!lan~t Qf .~Jl'AYíl9req 9t ~'\1/9· Jlqn_d(~d P!lf~i ~ fi.yjng 'fear a,nd A,ma~
· meQt, rfPQrted in cil1 plac~, ~µ¡¡.~ ~h~r~ W,cJ.$ ¡i t of P, pfo: com~ into thºir
' Co,QQt-reYi, ,Qffucb WQflQ~_rfyJJ P9W~r~ ,ihfülwl~ il,igf~~iih Thqnd,~J 9Q~ i.ight-
!\,ip_g, tqªli VV~Alti n ~y ffl§l)l. . _, ·¡ . . . ·
Th~ P4fs-~j!)g ~kcJ.r -iJi~ SpaniJrd¡ (eUJ9 \VPrKPIJ ~h~ ijf¡(,ige·@f Tirob~f,
which f:Qíl: mP.~h J j¡)efP,v~ cb~ ~r-,íl:,~e~m ~l}lq P~i?!lÍWd. .P\lfff, to ,~het QC~r
Rock, which was fo high, chat it was a·l>old thing for any one to ad:veJirnre t9
look dovvn; for.vvhillf a Spaniard caíl: his Eyes to behold from tbe top of cbat
.precipice che fvvifc current of the Water belovv, bis Head became dizzy, and
' turned, fo that dovvn he fell , and vvas drovvned in che Waters. The other
Span_iards being vvarned by this unfortunace Example, vvent more c.mtioufly
to vvork, and afcer much Difficulcy, and Labour, ,chey paífed che firíl: Beam over
to che -0ppofite Rock, by help of vvhich a fecond vvas more eafily laid, and
then ocher pieces of Timber, vvhich vvere nece(fary; fo thac by degrees chey '
formed a Bridge, over vvhich boch Man and Horfe fecurely paífed, vvhich they
lefc in the fame condition to remain , in ·cafe chey íhould nave occafion to re–
turn back by che fame vvay: And fo ihey-travellea by che fide ·cirihe·River,
over certain Mountains, ·vvhich vvere fo thick vvich Wood ,. chat rhey vvere
forced to open their vvay vvich the Hatchec, and ocher lnfirumencs. With thefe
Difficulcies they carne at length to a Countrey, called Guema, vvhich vvas fo
poor, and· íl:arved, chat it vvas more barren chao any they had paífed before :
Here vvere fome fevv Ind1ans, vvho at che fight ofche Spani11rds into the Moun-.
tains; and never aftervvards appeared.
Here the Spaniards, and their Indian Servants, vvere forced again to fuíl:ain
felves vvith Herbs, and Roots, and vvith che tender fproucs ofTrees, vvhich
as g,ood t{) eat, as che fialks of our Vine Leaves are here. Thus vvith Famine,
T;r,l\vels, _and with perpetua! Rains, fo that their Cloths vvére never dry on
their Backs, many of the Spaniards fell fick and dyed; yet in -defpighc of ali thefe
Difficulcies, they proceeded many Leagues farcher on their vvay, uncill at lengch
they carne vvhere Indians inhabited, fomething more civílizéd chan che former ,
for chey vvere fuch as did eac Mayz, and cloched themfelves vvit:h Garmems of
Cotten; bue füll the ,Climate vvas fubjetl: to Rains.
Hhhh 11 Whilft