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.

Royal Commef!taries. BooK 111. who by rheir Example gave courage and chearfulnefs to al! the reíl:. In this man- ner they had travelled three hundred Leagues through all the Di~culri~s we have related and more rhan can be expreíf~; for who can faníle or imagine rhe La- bours ~hey had [uíl:ained in rbe-J ourney of four hundred Leagues outwards; and in that of three huncjred Leagues back, and yet afrer ali, time was no profpeét of an end, though they had killed their Horfes, and eat~n them one after anorher, rill they had ¡pade an ~,nd of ali. At firíl: t_hey e~t their ~rey-hounds, .spannels, and Mafüff-Dogs, which (as we have ment.Ioned in our H1íl:ory of Florida) were of great ufe and fervice to them in the Conqueíl: of the Indie J; and of. thefe they made rheir Delicacies, fo long as rhey la,fied. At lengrh, as Gomara fatth, Chap- rer 1 44 . rhe Spaniard1 were ready to eat thofe which dyed, according to the Cu- íl:ome of chofe barbarous Jndiam, who inhabir thofe Mountains, &c. So foon as the Horfe-flefh failed, which being divided amongft fo grear num- bers was inconílderable; many l ndian1, as well as Spaniard1 , were fiarved with Hunger, for the force of Herbs was nor alone able t0 fuftain Narure, fo that rhe}l began uhen co faint and dro0p;,. fo be1ng forced to leave tbe l ndiam and Spa- niard1 by· rbrée ancl four in .a company, abandoning rhem to che Woods, and ro the Mounrains, there ro periíh, and dye without cop1fort; in the fame manner as we have related in rhe Journal of Garcilaf{o de la Vega, whe:re rhey were expofed t.o the like Mifery, not being able to rravel , and keep cornpany with their Fellows. · ' 1 But the wam of Salt was none of rheir leaíl; nee,ds, for that in theit Travels of four hundted Leagues, as Carate faith in the 5th of his 4th Bo0k, they found no~ one grane thereof; for the Countries·being uninhabited, they neirher found any.., nor peop]e to inform thern what rhey ufed io the p)ace thereof; for wanr ofwbich they became weak in their joims, faint, and fcorburick, fünking, and almo(t ror- ten alive, i(l the fame manner as we have related in the Hiíl:ory of Florida, whercl is demonfirated how much Salr is nece.ffary for confervation ofhumane Life. By reafon of the continua! Rains , and moillure of rhe Earrh, rhei( w901leo Clorhs and l~en being always wet, becarne rotten, and dropped from their Bo- dies, fo rhat from the higheíl: ro the loweíl: every Man was naked, and had no 0ther covering rhan fome few Leaves, wirh which rhey hid rheir privy parts both befare and b.ehind. And though that warm Climate did not require much clorhing, yet it had been a good Defence againíl: the Thorns and Bu(hes of tbofe rough Moumains, over which rhey could niake no other way rhan by Bills an 1 dHarchm, and yet tbe Briers and Brambles rore 'd1eir.Skins, rhat they feemed ali over raw, and half flead. _ · So great, and fo unfupportable were rhe Mi.feries which Gonu/o Pi arro and bis Companions endured for wam of Food, thar rhe four rhouf'and Indiam whi h am:nded them in rhis Difcovery , peri!hed with Famine, and amorfgíl: them a certain lndio<tn greatly beloved by Gon:t.alo Pipzrro, who took the Laocés from rhe rwo Cavaliers, as we have before relared; for which'p'iece of bi;avery he was la- inemed by him with as much fenfeofGrieF, as if he had been his Brmher,as he ofrell' declared. Likewife of the three hundred and forty Spaniard1 which entred on chis Dífcovery two hundred and ten dyed, beíldes the fifty which were carried away by Ore/lana. Thbfe eighty 1,1hich remained alive , after having pa!Ted rhree hun- dred Leagues of Moumain, emred at length imo a more open Councrey, anda more dry Clirnate, where chey found Birds, Deer, and orher wild Beaíls, which they killed with their Ctofs-bows, and Guns, by che help of a fmall quantity of their Powder, which they had referved. Of rhe Skins of thefe Beaíls rhey made themfelves fhorr Breeches onely fufficiem to cover rheir Nakednefs, for chey would not reach farther, cl1eir Swords chey carried wirhout Scabbards, ali cove- red with ruíl:, and they walked barefoor, and their Vifages were become fo bla k dry, and withered, that they fcarce knew one the other ; in which condirion they carne ar length to rhe ~rontiers of f2.!!,iw, where. they kiífed rhey Ground, and re- turned Thanks to Alrn1ghty God, wno had dehvered them our of fo many and fo imminent Dangers. And being come now ro a place of Food, and füíl:enance, they were fo greedy thereof, thar rhey were forced co lay a refüainr upon cheir Appetites, and íl:int rhemfelves co a certain proportion., lefl: chey fhould furfeic wirh excefs; fome of them, who were of a more weak Confütucion, and accu- íl:omed co Faíl:ings, and Abfünence, were notable to endure replecion their Sto- rnachs rejeéting the Food and Nutriment, admíniíl:red co chem. ' And