4000003871

BóoK

III.

.Royal

Commentariú.

bue he dying in rhe Voyage, his followers di[per[ed, and di[po[ed of themfelves

in divers pares. And here was an end of this Defign, which found a fuccefs agree–

able

rhe evil beginnings of ic.

· .. · ·.

And now !'et us recurn

Gon~alo Rirarro,

and fee what becomes ofhirn,. whorrl

we left in fuch fad Diíl:refs. After

Francifco de ,Orellanp,

was di[peeded away with

the Brigantine, he buil\ ten or cwelve Canoes, and ocher Fleacs, wherewith

NÍS from one fide of rhe River to fhe other; fo ofcen as their Progrefs was ínter~

rupt~d by the ·impaífable Mouncains, as at other times chey had conc;ived;

and

chey proceeded fotwards in hopes to meet che Brigancine; which théy hact dif–

pacched for Proviíions, and to.bring them Relief,,-having met no ocher-,Enemy.

than Hunge'r in all the[e iravels. . Ac che end ofrwo Monchs chey arriv~d at cha~

Point where rhe cwo Rivers mee, and where they expeéted

have foünd their

Brigalitine, laden wich Pr.oviíions, which, by reafor, ( as they imagined) of the

fwifrnefs of che Currenc, was noc able

remrn to them. And here it was that

1hey found themfelves deceived, and to have loíl: all hopes of any pollibility of

efcapi~g out of that Hell of

Countrey; for we can give

no,better Tetm,

wbere_ they had fuffered (µch Difficulties, and fuch grievous Miferies,,·without

pro[peél: ofdeliveraneefrom thence ; and here ar'che Conjunétion ofthefe-two

Ri–

vers they found the poor, honeíl:

Hernan Sanch,u de Varg,u,

who with confiancy of

Mind, and ort.f?rinciples of Honour, like the true Son of a Gentleman; endured

wich great R,eforntion Famihe, 2nd aU the Miferies to which he was expofed, ra–

th€r than V'iolate bisifaith; and ,was contented to remain in thac folitude, that he

migbc r_qnd~1¡ an Ac~oünc of the perfidious Faith of

Ore/lana,

and of bis villanous

· Deftgns,._all which' iwas íl:rangei

,to,

Piyarro,

who much admired that there íhould

fu.ch

Men in the World, whofe Aél:ions íhould be

different to their Pro–

feflions, and·unanfwerable to the hopes which were conceived of them ; and with

this

News the Cap~ns and Souldiers became

difmayed, that they feemed to

607

be reduced ro the.u(moíl: point,of Defpair. , · ·

. The General, who conceived gr~ater Difqufoc,·and Torment of Mind, than

the o~hers, yec putcing a good face·upon eme macter, cheared chem altup,¡and en–

couraged them with nopes of better Fortune; relling them, that they ought !~e

Sp~niards

to pear ·wich eqµality of Mind thefe Labours, and yet greater, if any

thmg coul~ be worf~; th~t th~ ,m?re Dan~er, the more Honout:, and che greater

would their Renown be mH1íl:ones, wh1ch íhould declare therr Adventures to

futUFe Ages. That (mee it was rheir .Fortune to become the Conquerours of t:hac

Em¡:iire, cha~ they {}10uld aét likeMen whom tl}e Divine Providence ha:d choferi ,

for the ~cco~pliíbµ1f~t Of fo greae-.-3¡ work., ;[he Souldiers obferving fue~ chear–

fulnefs mthe1r Captam

Gener.al,

who had. more caufe to refent thofe Ev1ls than

any other, took Hearc,and Courag€,

ra.nd

pr0<;:e5:ded

their Voyage by che Banks

9f che.River, fome~imes·o~ the, one: _Gde, aild fomeüi:nes on che other, according

to tpe turnings ancl windings of ché,1,and.

t , · ·

Bue we c;annot expréfs che great Pifficulty therewas to carry the Horfes upon

the Floats, for there

,íl:ill

rema,ioed about on_e hundred and fifty of their number

which chey had brotight from fJJ!.ieu:

like,manner almoíhwo thoufand

Indi–

ans

were füll alive, ,

;w.hi.ch

carne ,wich them

from

Péru,

who, like Sons, ferved

their Maílers wich fuch Faithfulnefs and Affeél:ion, as was ·admirab,Je·; for in theii:

great extremities ofHunge¡¡ they broqght rfoem Herbs, and Roots, and wild Fruit,

with Toads, Snakes, and other kinds of Infeéts which were found in chofe Moun–

tains; all which wer;.it <;io~rt

w<ith

,~hetñ,

nd were digeíl:ed

the

Spanidrds

with

a goQd ~comach; fopvinh1:mt thel-\1.,they eould not have fub.fifted,

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