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.

BooK VIII. , Royal Commentaries. In the time of the Vice-king, called Blafco Nannez, Pela, in the year 1544. and 4S'. amongíl: orher Comagions at that time in Peru, rhere was a Múrrain amongít this fort of Cartel, which the Jndians called Carache, b~ing a certaih Mange, or ,. Scab, a Difeafe. never known bc:fore in chofe parts; , it ~ook the111 firíl: in r_he Legs and Ventricle, and then diffufed it felf over all the Body, riíing in·Bunches three or four fingers high; whicb fometim<.'l buríl: with M:atter and Bloúd and iífue~ in rhat abundance, that the poor Creatur.e died in two or .rhr~e d<\ys_I'This Murrain was fo comagi,ous, to the great . ~rouble and affliél:ion borh of the Spa- niards and the Jndiam, tbat two thirds of the greater and leífer Cartel dyed, b6th Paco and Huanacu; and farrher it extended it felf to the wild Huanacu ·and Vica(l- na, though it wa~ not fo mortál amongfl: tliem, becau[e they belonged to cólder Countries, and did not herd in fuch droves as rhe ~ame CatteL .This Murralri alfo extended it felf to the very Fo~es, and affeéted them fo fo cruel a n1ann<.'lrj that as I remember in the Year 1548. when Genyalo Pifarro ,w,as ¡¡t Co:;:,eo, , and viG; torious afrer rhe ,B¡¡_ttel of Huqrinr-t, 1 faw a gee~t many Fo~es 'Jhich wer~ feized with this Plague come into the City by night, and in the morriing.were found dead in rhe Streets, having great boils o~ their Backs, from Head to Tail, which were caufed by chis Plague amongíl: Beafis. •The Indians, who were ,very fuper- íl:itious in macters of tbis nature, '<lid 'ÍrorQ hence prognofücate the Death of Pi- farro, which accordingly enfüed in a fhorr time afterwards. yYhen this Murrain fuíl: began amongíl: tl-ie Cartel they applied many Remedies, wnich ferved rather to encreafe than aba~e the evil; amongíl: w hich one was to kill or bury alive one of the kind which wás infeéted, as Acefta memions in his 4th Book; bµt fn regard the evil encreafed fo faff, that neither che Indians nor Spaniards knew in what manner ~o give a íl:op to ir; they ,at length made a tria! how ir mighi: be done by fue, or caurerizing; then they tried to cure it by preparations of Mercury, and Sulphui, anq Hogs-greafe, but all proved tOQ violent Remedies, fo that ·the Cauel dyed the more fpeedily by . them. At length, after many experimerits rna'd~, they' found none better than to anoint the parts where the Scab arofe' with Hogs-grea[e,' melfed and warm , taking great care to obferve if the Sci;anches .l)egan on their Legs, and then to anoint diem, .for the Munafo feize'd theín J:irff there, before it fpread it felf into the upper pares. _This was the be(t 1'emedy _they found, yet for- ved for little untill che evil infl.uences were over, which were the caufos of ir. And by reafon of the great benefit, which they found by chis Greafe, rhey very much ~íl:éémed of Hogs, though for the numbers of them they were cheap, . and yielded, no great price. It is obfervable that this general Plague upon ahlioíl: ail forts of Cartel, did not yet touch the wilder Anima1s, fuch as St:igs, and Fallow-Deer , becaufe perhaps rhey were of another temper. 1 remember that in Coz,co, they_ made choice of Sr. Antonio for their Saint and Proteétour againíl: this Murrain, for which cauí~ they folemnize a Fefüval to him every year. '. . . Though this fon ofCartel be great and large, (as we have faid) and the Jour- nies long which they travell, yet they put their Maíl:ers to no charge, either irí their Meat, or Shoeing, or Stable, nor in their Pack-faddles, or Girts, or Crup- pers, or Stays, or other UtenGls which our Carriers ufe; for when they come to the end of their days journey, they onely throw off their burthen, and fend them to feed on the Grafs which che Land affords, being ar no charge, either ofStraw oli Corn, though they would gladly eat Corn, if their Maíl:ers would be fo kind as to beíl:ow it upQn them. Then as to their fhoeing thern is no need of ir, for be- fides that they are cloven footed, they have a kind o.f a callous, · or fpungy mat- ter on their Feet, without aHoof. 'Fhen for their Pack-faddles they have no need of them, becau[e they have fo much wool ori their Backs as ferves in the' place ofa Saddle, and keeps the' bunhen faíl: and clofe, which the Maíl:ers of therr\ take eare to Jade in foch manner, as that ir may lie even, and well poifed, and not touch fo far as to gaul the Withers i nor have they need of a Surcingle which our Carriers u[e, foí- che Beaíl: wearing no Pack-faddle, all Gires or Cords may rub off the Fleih; howfoever many of them traveHing.Ml a Drove were tiecl one to the other, having 20 or 2 5 beaíl:s running loofe, ro as cp ea fe anc! ch:mge ;he Burrhens ·of thofe which were tired. The Merchams in tfave!ling carried their Tems with them, which they pitched in tne Fields, whei'efoever they founq it convenient to lodge and r'epofe; and there unloaded their Merchandize ; fo that rhey never emred imoVill;¡ges or Towns, becauíe toomuch time and fabol'lt .would be loft w put rheir Cartel to Graís, and then to go and fetch them up. In their - V v Journey