638 / 1070
Royal C
ommentaries.
BooK
III.
Whi_líl: they íl:a·id i~ this place, they fen~ fome people round by divers ·vvays,
to fee 1f they could d1fcover any paílage mto a more pleafant Lartd; but they
all returned vvich che (~me Nevvs, ~hat the Councrey round vvas nothing but
vvild Mounrains, foil of Bogs, Lakes, and Mooriíh Grounds, over. vvhich vvas
no paffage, or vvay to go ouc, or ford over. Hereupon they refolved tb _build
a Brigantine, or Veífel, vvhich migbt ferry tbe111 over from one fide of the
Ri–
ver to the other, vvhich novv vvas become abouc tvvo Leagues broad.
In
order
whereuntoJ che firíl ching to be done, was
to
make a Smich's Forge, for Nails
and Iron·wdrk; but then they had need of Charcole, which was difficult to be
made in thofe Cllmates, becaufe the continua! Rains extinguiíhed the Fire; to .
prevent which they m.ide Coverings ofWood, and Huts for themfelves to caíl
off che Rain, and to defend them from the Sun, which is. direltly over their
Heads, they being then juíl under die Equinoél:ial Line, where the Climaté was
hot and moill in exceís: Part
of
their Iron-work they made of their Horfes
Shoes,
which they had killed in that Extremicy , to adíniriiíler fome fubílanrial
Nouriíhmenc co their Sick, and to fuíl:ain thofe who wei-e in Health; and
for che reíl of che lron, of which they ílood in very greac need, they made ufe
of the íinall Store which they had broughc with them, and which was
rlów
be–
come more fcarce than Gold.
Gon~lo Pifarro,
chough Chief Commander, was the firíl: thac laid his Hand
on che Hatchet to Hew down ,che Timber, and to make the Charcole, which
was required
to
forge the Iron, and was always che rnoíl: forward in every Of–
fice
though never
fo
mean and low , thac
fo
giving a good Example, none
mighc excufe himfelf on privilege of his Comrnand. The Rofin which eíl:uaced
from certain Trees , ferved chern in the place of Pitch; cheir old rotten Shirts
and Rags were made ufe of in fiead of Oakam, to cauke che [eams of their
Veífels, to which every one did
[o
freely contribute , chac they were ready to
give their Shirts frorn their Backs, rather than any thing íhould be wanting;
for they confidered, that the Life and Safety of chern all depended on chis Vef:.
fe! :
Which being nowin this manner finiíhed, chey lanched it into che Wa–
ter with greac
Joy
and Triumph, imagining, thac herewith they íhould quickly
eícape out of ali their Dangers, and be freed from ali their Difficulties; bue
ic proved otherwife, for a few days íhewed the contrary, and gave thern caufe
to repent, that chey had ever made it, as we fhall
f
peeedily fee by what fol–
lows hereafter.
·
,
·
1
!
l
•
r
,t
''/
', r
) I
'
•
(
1
(
.
'CHA P .
• 1
•
) LKÍ
.