The royal commentaries of Peru : in two parts / written originally in spanish by the Inca Garcilasso de la Vega; rendred into english by sir Paul Rycaut.

4 Royal Commentaries. BooK I. paífed the _firíl night, lamen.ting his affii~ion with as many melancholy reflexi- ons, as we rnay imagine, capable to emer imo the mind of a wretch in like ex- tremities; f6 foon as it grevy day, he began to traverfe his Ifland, and found 11 tl1e fhore fot'ne Cockles, Shrimps, and other ~reatures of like nature , which the Sea had throwh up, and which he was forced to ea~ raw, becaufe be wanted fire \vherewith to roaíl them: And with this fmall entertainmem he paífed bis time, till i;. A Cor of obferving fome* Turtles not far from the íhore, he watch'd a convenience untill Fifh. chey came within bis reach, and then throwing them on their backs, ( wbich is the rnanner of taking that fort of füh ) he cut the throat, drinking the bloud m- fiead of water ; and ílicing out the flefh with a knife w.bich was faílned to his girdle, he laid the pieces to be dried, and roaíl:ed by the Sun ; the fhell he made ufe of to rake up rain-water, which lay in fütle puddles, for that is a Coumrey of- ten fubjeét to great and fudden rains. In this manner he paffed the firíl: of his days by killing ali the Turtles that he was able, fome of which were fo large, tbar their füells were as bigas Targets or Bucklers; others were fo great, that he was not able to turn them, nor to íl:op them in their way to the Sea, [o that in a fhort time experience taught him,.which fort he was able to deal with, and which were too unwieldy for bis force : with his leífer fhells he poured \Vater into the greater, fome of which conrained x 2 Gallons ; fo that having made füfficient pro- vifions both .of meat and drink, he began ·to contrive fome way to íl:rike fire, that fo he inight not onely drefs bis meat with it, but alfo make a frnoak to give a fign to any Ship, which was paffing in thofeSeas; confidering of this invemion, (for Seamen are much more ingenious in all times of extremity, than men bred at Land) he fearched every-where to find out a couple of hai-d pebles inílead of flints, bis knife ferving in the place of a íl:eel ; but tbe IOand heing ali covered with a Dead Sand, and no íl:one appearing, he fwam imo the Sea, and diving often to the bortom , he at lengrh found a couple of fl:ones fit for his purpof~. which he rubbed together, untill he got them to an edge, with which being able to ftríke fire, he drew fome threads out of bis fhirt, which he worked fo fmall., that it was like cotton and ferved ícw tinder, fo that having comrived a means to lündle firc, he chen gatbered a great quantity of Sea-weeds, tbrown up by rhe waves, which wirh rhe füells of Fifh, and planks ofShips, which had been wrec- ked on thofe fholes, afforded nourifhment for bis fue!: and leíl: . fudden íhowres íhould extinguiíh his fire, he made a little covering, like a fmall Hur, with the íhells of the largeíl: Turdes or T-ortoifes tbat he had killed, taking great care thac his fire íhould not go out:. In che [ pace of rn o mornhs, and fooner, he was as unptovided of ali things, as he was at fir.fl :, far with the great rains, heat and moi- fiure of that climate, his proviíions were corrupred ; and the grear heat of the Sun w;is fo violent on him, having neirher cloths tO cover him, nor füadow for a íhelter, that when he was, as it were, broi led in the Sun, he had no remedy bue to run into the Sea. In this mifery and care he paífed rhree years, during which time he faw feveral Ships at Sea, and as ofren made his finoak ; but none rurned out of their way to [ee what it rneant, for fear of thofe Shelves and Sands, which wary Pilots avoid with all imaginable circumfpefüon; fo thar rhe poor wretch defpairing of all rnanner of relief, eíl:eemed it a merey for hirµ to dye, and ar- rive at that period which could onely put :m end to his miferies ; and being ex- pofed in this rnanner to all weathers, the hair of his body grew in that manner, that he was covered ali over with briíl:les, che hair of his head and beard reaching to bis waíle, that he appeared like fome wild and favage crearme. Ar the end of three years Ser,-ano was fuangely fürprized with che appearance of a Man in his Hlaod, whofe Ship had, the night befare, been caíl: away upon thofe Sands, and had faved himfelf on a plank of the Veffel : fo foon as it was day, he efpie ! the finoak, and imagining whence it was, he made towards ir. So foon, as they faw each the other, it is hard to fay, which wa the moíl: amazed ; Scrr.mo im:t- gined, that it was rhe Devil who came in che fhape of a Man to tempE ltim to de[pair: the New-corner believes Serrano to be rhe Devil in his own proper íl1ape and figure, being covered over with hair and beard: in fine, theywere borh afraid , flyióg one from the other. Peter Serrano cried out , a he ran, {cfm, {e[vu, ddi ver me from the Devil : the other hearing, this, took courage, an~ r~t~rning a 1 gai11 tn him, called out, Brother, Brother, don t fly from me, f or 1 am a Um(fw1, M /,)Ot! tJ; ' I : and becau[e he faw that Serrano íl:ill ran from him, he repeated rhe Ci·edo, or Apti- file's Creed, in words aloud ; which when Serrano heard ; he knew it was no D r il •