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BooK
III.
.
Royal
Commentaries.
the Inventi0n of Boacs, or fuch Canoes, as chey ufe
in
Florida,
or the Iíles of
Bar–
lovento,
and other places of che Main Land, which are a forc of Troughs hewed
out of Timber, and are all of one piece: bue the Wooci in
Peru
is not
fit
for
this ufe, being fappy, and heavy as lron, and therefore not boyant, as the namre
of fuch floats require : Wherefore chey made choice of anocher forr, of a more
light and fpungy Timber, which grows in che Provinces of
flJ!.itu,
from whence,
by order of th~
Inca,
many Trees were felled, ánd brought dowh
to
che banks of
the Rivers. Hereof they made all cheir Boacs greacer or leffer, fome of chem
were of fivé, others of feven pieces ofWood, which ferved for che boccom, tied
one to che ocher, thar in the middle being che biggeíl: : The firíl: Boards on che
fide were fomeching fhorter than thofe of the Keel; the fecond above were íhor–
ter, and the third íhorter rhan thofe belo\,1/ ; that fo that being pinched in above,
and not ali ofche fame breadrh, tee Veffel would find lefs refülence in its motion
through the Water; and the Srern and the He1d of the Boat were both of the
farne faíhion: To botb che ends of rhefe Boars they faíl:ned a Cord,
fo
thac
Paífengers being defirous tu Ferry over, they drew the Cord on oné fide ; and
being to return, they d.rew that which was faíl:ned to the ocher. I remember ~hac
I paffed a River
in
oile of thefe Ferries ; which becaufe it had been made in a
time
when che
IncM
reigned, che people accounted ir a Religue, and had it in great
eíl:eem and veneration.
Befides thefe Ferries, rhey have ocher leffer Boars more manageble, made of
Canes and Reeds clofely woven, and fhaped upwards íharp, like che Prow of a
Boar, rhac they may wich lefs refiíl:ence cut che Water: the Mid-íhips are mad<t
broad, ,and wide, and capacious ro receive che Loading : One of chefe Boaes is
governed by a fingle Indian, who places himí.elf at the Stern, and lying on bis
breaíl: wich his hands aríd feec on each fide in che water iníl:ead of Oars, he Sculls
an~ Sceers along,wich che current to che place he deíigns:
If
che current be very
rap1d, chey row along the bank of the River to take the advantage of a hundred
paces upwards, making account thac che fwifcneís of che íl:ream will carry them
z o.o
.paces downwards be(ore they can reac~ che
orher
fide: When a Paífenger
Femes over, they order h1m to lye flat on h1s face, íl:rerched at lengch in che Boar,
wich his face towards che Ferry-man, and
to
hold himfelf faft by the Cords, and
by no means to rife'or für, or
fo
much as open his eyes.
I once croffed a ven;
f
wift current in one of thefe Boats, which is fomeching hazardous; ( though on
finooth and füll waters. there is n
o danger) I then remember that che Ferry-man
conjured me wich all the Loves
Í.IJche World, chat lwould neither lifc
!JP
my
head, nor open my eyes: I being then bue a Boy, was
fo
affiighred, that I thought
either the Earth would fmk, or che Heavens fall : Howfoever, I could noc for
my life bue lift up my head, and open at leaíl: one of my eyes
to
fee if chere were
any enchantment, or fome difcovery of a NewWorld in che macrer ; and being
in the middle, I lifted up my head a !ittle, and feeing the water round, me-rhoughcs
we had fallen from Heaven above; and I became fo giddy, that my brains curned,
and fwam faíl:er than the Boat, which was carried with a very rapid arld violent
fiream ; fo chat I prefencly íhut my eyes again, and confeffed thac the' Boat-man
had much reafon for che caution he gave me.
They have likewife another fort of Floac made of large Gourds, ·joined and
faíl:ned íl:rongly cogerher, about che bignefs of a Yard and a half fquare : Here–
unto they
fit
a Rope in faíhion of a Poitral
to
a Horfe's Saddle, wherein the
In·
dian
Boat-man pues his head ; with which faimming away, he Tows che Boat af-.
ter him wich her Lading, uncill he paffes to che ocher fide of the River, or Arme
of the Sea; and if che Lading be heavy, fo that the Boat draws mu0h water, he
is then affified by an Indian or two more, who pu(h ac the Scern, and drive the
Boat forward.
,
But in chofe great Rivers, where che currenc is very forcible and rapid, fo that
they are not pallitble in chefe Boats of Gourds or Ruíhes ; and where alfo che
banks of rhe River are
fo
rocky, t!1at chere is no place to Land either on one íhore
or the ocher: there rhey make ufe of their great Cables made of Canes, called
Chahuar,
which they chrow over from the higher pares of the craggy places,
fa–
ílening them
to
great Trees or firm Rocks: Within this great Cable they puc a
Cafe, or Basket rnade of Ofiers, capable co receive three or four perfons ; ro each
end whereof chey fix an Ear, or handle of Wood, through which they pafs che
Cords for drawing ic from one fide
to
the orher; and
in
regard che Cable is very
M
large,