4000003871

632,

Royal Comme7!-taries.

BooK

III.

who by cheir Example gave courage and chearfulnefs to ali che reíl:.

chis man–

ner chey had travelled three hundred Leagues tbrough all che Di~culti~s we have

relaced and more chan can_be e,xpreff~; for who can fanúe or 1magme rhe La–

bours !bey had fuíl:ained in cbe-Journ~y of four hundred Leagues outwards; and

in chac of rhree huncjred Leagues back , and yec afcer ali, chere was no profpeél:

of an end, though they had killed their Horíes, and eat~n them one after anorher,

cill chey had IJ]ade an ~,nd oí all. At firíl: r_hey e~t their ~rey-hounds, _Spannels,

and Maíl:iff-Dogs, whICh (as we have menuoned m our H1íl:ory of

Florida)

were

ofgreat uíe and fervice to them in che Conqueíl: of che

Jndies;

and of_ chefe rhey

made their Delicacies,

long as they la,íl:ed. Ar length, as

Gomara

faich, Chap–

ter

44 .

rhe

Spaniards

were ready to 'éat chofe which dyed, according

che Cu–

íl:ome of chofe barbarous

Jndians,

who inhabit chofe Mountains,

&c.

So foon as che Horfe-flefh failed, which being divided amongíl:

greac num–

bers was inconfiderable; many

l ndianJ ,

as well as

Spaniards,

were fiarved with

Hunger, for che force of Herbs was nocalone able

foftain Nature, fo thac

che}l .began ohen

faint and dro0p ;,

l;>é1ng forced to leave che

Jndians

and

Sea–

niards

by·

tbrée and four in

company, abandoning chem to che Woods, and

che Moumains, there

perifh, and dye without co¡nfort; in che fame manner as

we have relaced in che Journal of

Garcilaf{o de la Vega,

where they were expofed

to che like Mifery, noc being able

rravel , and keep cornpany wich cheir

Fellows.

Bue che want of Salt was none of cheir leaQ needs, for that

their Travels of

four hundted Leagues, as

Carate

faich in the 5ch of bis 4th Bouk, tbey found no~

one grane chereof; for che Counrries being uninhabiced, chey neicher found an~..,,

nor peop]e to inform thern whac they ufed in che pJace chereof; for want ofwbich

they became weak in their joincs, faint, and fcorbucick, íl:inking, and almo({ ror

tell alive,

cr1e fame manner as we have related

che Hiíl:ory of

Flor

ida,

where

demonfüated how much Sale is nece!fary for confervation ofhuma(Je

Li.fe.

reafon of che continual Rains, :ind moillure of che Earch, ch

ei( w

90lleo

Clochs and lir.¡en being always wec, becarne roccen, and dropped from cheir Bo–

dies, fo chat from che higheíl: to che loweíl: every Man was naked, and had no

ocher covering :chan fome few Leaves, with 'A'.hich th~y hid chei(· privy pares borh

befot'e and b,ehind. And though chac warm Chmate d1d not reqmre much cloching,

yec ic had been a good Defence againíl: che Thorns and Bufhes of chofe rough

Mountains, over which rhey could rrlake no ocher way than by Bills an

dHacchers,

and yec che Briers and Brambles rore ·cheir.Skins, chat chey feemed all over raw,

and halffleid.

So great, and

unfüpporcable were che Miferies which

Gon:u1lo Pifarro

and

bis Companions endured

for

wam of Food, cha

che four choufand

Jndians

whi

accended chern in chis Difcovery , peri!hed wich Famine, and amortgíl: rhem

certain

lndi11n

greacly beloved by

Gon"'alo Pifarro,

who took che Lances from che

two Cavaliers, as we have before relared ; for whicli p'iece of bi;avery he was la–

menced by hirn with as much fenfeofGrieF, as if he had been his Brocher, as he often·

declared. Likewife ofche chree hundred and forcy

Spaniards

which emred on chis

Difcovery cwo hundred and ten dyed, befides che fifcy which were carried away

Ore/lana.

Thb[e

eighcy "1hich remained alive , after having pa!Ted three hun–

dred Leagues of Mouncain , entred ar length inco a more open Councrey, and a

more dry Climate, where chey found Bírds, Deer, and ocher ,yild Beaíls, which

they killed with their Crofs-bows, and Guns, by che help of a fmall quancity of

their Powder, which they had referved.

che Skins of thefe Beafts rhey made

chemfelves fhon Breeches onely fofficient

cover their Nakednefs,

for

rhey

would not reach farther, cl1eir Swords chey carried wirhouc Scabbards, ali cove–

red wirh

ruíl:,

and rhey walked barefooc, and their Vifages were become

bla

dry, and withered, that chey fcarce knewone che ocher; in which condicionchey

carne ac length to rhe J::rontiers of

fh,iru,

where_ rhey ki!Ted chey Ground, and re–

turned Thanks to Alm1ghcy God,-,vho had dehvered chem out of

many and

imminent Dangers. And being come now to a place of Food, and fuíl:enance,

rhey were fo greedy thereof, chac chey were forced ro lay a reíl:rainc upon cheir

Appetites, and fiinc chemíelves

a cercain proporcion., lefl: chey fhould furfeic

wich excefs; fome of them, who were of a more weak Coníl:icucion, and accu–

íl:omed

Faíl:ings, and Abfl:inence, were not able to endure replecion, cheir Sto–

machs rejeéting che Food and Nutriment, admíniíl:red

chem.

And