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Royal
Commentariu.
BooK
IV.
tries, where a cruel fort of
Jndiaps
inhabited, chey u[ed anocher fort of poifon, and
of a different nature to what we have -before mentioned; for chey wóuld take
che Leg of an
Jndian,
whom rhey had k_illed, and haog it up in che Air againíl: che
Sun, a'nd
fil!
it wich rnany Barbs of po1foned Arrows, whICh were raken out of
the Aeíh of an
Jndian,
which after fome days chey cook out, and wichout clean–
fing of chem they dried chem in che Air where the Sun did not come, and then
chey headed their ArroWs with them ; and that became the moíl: malevolenc poi-
, fon, and che moíl: hard
to
be cured in che world ; I have feen the experimenc
thereof, and as an eye-witnefs will relate che effeét in its due place. After the
Spaniards
carne imo that Cou~mey, and waged War upqn the
fndians,
chey chen
changed che nature of their poifon : for whereas before chey compounded their
poifon with the Aefh of
Indians,
they the~ made ir with che Áefh of
Spaniards,
whom they killed or cook ; bue more particularly chey deGred rhe fleíh offorne
red-headed
Spanlard,
wbo[e hairs were of a deep Saffron colout ; for they were of
opinion tbat tbere was more be:it in thac Aefü, and confequently more virulency
in che poifon which it produced : but perhaps tbey may bave heard it often faid
amongíl: che
Spaniards
them[elves, that red-headed men are
fic
to make a compo-
foion of poifon.
·
Bm
to
return to chofe who had made cheir encrance inco this Countrey, they
obferved foch animofiries and quarrels which they maintained one againíl: another,
rhat ic was impoílíble to reconcile chem ; fo that many ofthem refolved to leave
thacCouncrey and go inco
Pcru ;
for chat whilfl they were fo divided there was
no hopes ro fubdue chofe
Indiaw,
who were a rugged anda marcial forc of people.
Bue of che nature of chis poifon, and of ~Nhac elfe happened in chis advemure,
and che great diícords and differences amongfl
the Spaniard1, DiegoFernande:,;, Palen–
tino
recounts a long flory, wich many fl:range and various accidents, which for
brevity íake we omit, and refer che Reader to bis relation. Bue beGdes thefe dif–
ferences amongíl: chemíelves, che
Spaniards
wer~ inclined to t~·avel into
Peru
upon
t he news which an
Jndian
broughc of cornmouons there; w1thout any ocher par–
-riculars, chao onely thac che
Spaniards
waged Civil Wars amongfl themfelves.
Upon chis news
Graviel Bermude:,;,
was difpacched to the confines of
Peru
to
in–
form himíelf of che fiare of matters, and to cercifie
to
them che trnth of chings;
afrer which they would refolve to cake that fide
to
which chey were moíl: inclined,
Graviet
cravelling on che way with chisdeGgn happily mee wich
Lope de M endofa,
who gave him a relation aclarge ofall _thac had paffed in
Pern,
fince che time diat
Diego de
RojM
departed thence; and joyning bis men wich che party of
Graviel
Bermude~,
they by mutual coníent diípacched Meffengers to
A'icho!M de Eredia,
who was chief of anocher fünd of Men ; and he immediacely carne
to
them with
his Affociaces.
Lope de M e11dºfª
reconciled them and rnade chem Friends, and ali
by common confenc made him their Capeain-General, promiÍlng co obey and fol–
low him. They were in all abouc an hundred and fifty men in number, almofr
all Horíe; men of greac bravery and inured to~ufferings, having for che fpace of
three years cogether undergone incredible hardíl1ips both l>y Famine and long Tra–
vels;
during .which time chey made a diícO\ ery of fix hundred leagues of Laod,
frarce enjoying one dav of repo[e ; rhe relation of which is noc ro be exprefled by
che Peo ofWriters. With chis ílouc and brave Cavalry
Lope de M endºfª
defcen–
ded from che Moumains, either with incem ro give a flop
to
che proceedings of
Francifco de Carvajal,
orto join wich fome otl-\er Party which owned and declared
for obedience and loyalcy
to
cheKing. Accordingly he mJrched as far as the Pro–
vince and People called
PNc,ma,
where he reíl:ed one day for che refrefhment
of
his Men and Horíes, beingmuch lmafféd with long marches and wanc of Provi,
fions.
Francifco de Carvajal
who omicced no point that concerne9 a good Com–
rnander, received intelligence ho1\ that
Lope de M endof.a,
wit'h bisSouldiers of the
InvaÍlon, ( for chey gave che name of Invaders to thac Party ) were deícended
from che Moun'ains, and chac chey were noc well ac unity and in friendfhip one
wirh che other, and cherefore noc to _lofe rhac advantage he refolved to engage
them hefore tliey were bener reconciled.
Lope de Mendoca,
baving news of nis
coming, forrified himfelf wichin Trenches, bue when he~heard chat
CarwJat
ap–
proached nearer he chen changed bis• mind, fearing a Siege; for which having
made no provi(ion, he conr:luded that he could not long hold out before he fhould
be forced
to
a furrender : beGdes he conGdered, that bis fo1'ce confifüng for che
moa.
pare ofHorfe, rhey would fighc wich more advancage in che open Field than
within