CHAP. XVI.

How the Gouernor departed from Chiaha, and at Coste was in danger to haue beene slaine by the hands of the Indians, and by a stratageme escaped the same: And what more happened vnto him in this iournie, and how he came to Coça.

W

14.

Hen the Gouernour was determined to depart from Chiaha to Coste, he sent for the Cacique to come before him, and with gentle words tooke his leaue of him, and gaue him certaine things, wherewith. he rested much contented: In seuen daies hee came to Coste. The second of Iulie he command- Coste seuen ed his Campe to be pitched two crossebow shot daies from from the town and with eight men of his guard Chiaha, chap. he went where he found the Cacique, which to his thinking receiued him with great loue. As hee was talking with him, there went from the Campe certaine footemen to the towne to seeke some Maiz, and not contented with it, they ransacked and searched the houses, and tooke what they found. With this despite the Indians began to rise and to take their armes and some of them with cudgils in their hands, ran vpon fiue or sixe Christians, which had done them wrong, and beat them at their pleasure. The Gouernour seeing them al in an vprore, and himselfe among them with so few Christians, to escape their hands vsed a stratagem, farre against his owne disposition, being, as hee was, very francke A wise strata. and open and though it grieued him very much that any Indian should be so bold, as with reason, or without reason to despise the Christians, he tooke vp a cudgel, and tooke their parts against his owne men; which was a meanes to quiet them: And presently he sent word by a man very secretly to the Campe, that some armed men should come toward the place where he was; and hee tooke the Cacique by the band, vsing very mild words vnto him, and with some principal Indians that did accompanie him, he drew them out of the towne into a plaine way, and vnto the sight of the Campe, whither by little and little with good discretion the Christians began to come and to gather about them. Thus the Gouernour led the Cacique, and his chiefe men vntill be entred with them into the Campe: and neere vnto his tent, hee commanded them to be put in safe custodie: and told them, that they should not depart without giuing him a guide and Indians for burthens, and till certaine sicke Christians were come, which he

gem.

had

had commanded to come downe the Riuer in canoes from Chiaha; and those also which he had sent to the Prouince of Chisca (for they were not returned; and he feared that the

Those which were sent to

seeke Chisca

returne.

High mountaines.

Indians had slaine the one, and the other.) Within three daies after, those which were sent to Chisca returned, and inade report, that the Indians had carried them through a Countrie so poore of Maiz, and so rough, and ouer so high mountaines, that it was impossible for the armie to trauell that way; and that seeing the way grew very long, and that they lingred much, they consulted to returne from a little poore A little poore towne, where they saw nothing that was of any An oxe hide profit, and brought an oxe hide, which the Indians with haire like gaue them, as thinne as a calues skinne, and the wooll. cap. 26. haire like a soft wooll, betweene the course and fine Histor. Gene- Wooll of sheepe. The Cacique gaue a guide, and ral. cap. 215. men for burdens, and departed with the Gouernours leaue. The Gouernour departed from Coste the ninth of Julie, and lodged at a towne called Tali: The Cacique came foorth to receive him on the way, and made this speech:

towne.

and Gomara

Baith so. Tali, 1. day from Coste.

Excellent Lord and Prince, worthie to be serued and obeyed of all the Princes in the world; howsoeuer for the most part by the outward physiognomie, the inward vertue may bee iudged, and that who you are, and of what strength, was knowne vnto mee before now: I will not inferre hereupon how meane I am in your presence, to hope that my poore seruices will bee gratefull and acceptable: since whereas strength faileth, the will doth not cease to be praised and accepted. And for this cause I presume to request your Lordship, that you will be pleased onely to respect the same, and consider wherein you will command my seruice in this your Countric.

The Gouernour answered him, that his good will and offer was as acceptable vnto him, as if he had offered him all the treasures of the world, and that hee would alwaies intreate, fauour, and esteeme him as if he were his owne brother. The Cacique commanded prouision necessarie for two daies, while the Gouernour was there, to be brought thither: and at the time of his departure, he gaue him foure women and two men, which hee had need of to beare burthens. The Gouernour trauelled sixe daies through many townes subiect to the Cacique Many townes of Coça: & as he entred into his Countrie many Indians came vnto him euery day from the Cacique, and met him on the way with messages, one going, and another comming. Hee came to Coça vpon Friday, the 26. of Iulie.

of Coça.

The

Iulie 26.

Marterns.

The Cacique came foorth to receiue him two crossebow shot from the towne in a chaire, which his Coca. principall men carried on their shoulders, sitting vpon a cushion, and couered with a garment of Marterns, of the fashion and bignes of a womans huke: hee had on his head a diadem of feathers, and round about him many Indians playing vpon flutes, and singing. Assoone as he came vnto the Gouernour, he did his obeysance, and vttered these words following:

Excellent and mightie Lord, aboue all them of the earth; although I come but now to receiue you, yet I haue received you many daies agoe in my heart, to wit, from the day wherein I had first notice of your Lordship; with so great desire to serue you, with so great pleasure and contentment, that this which I make shew of, is nothing in regard of that which is in my heart, neither can it haue any kind of comparison. This you may hold for certaine, that to obtaine the dominion of the whole world, would not haue reioyced me so much, as your sight, neither would I have held it for so great a felicitie. Doe not looke for me to offer you that which is your owne: to wit, my person, my lands and subiects: onely I will busie my selfe in commanding my men with all diligence and due reuerence to welcome you from hence to the towne with playing and singing, where your Lordship shall be lodged and attended vpon by myselfe and them: and all that I possesse, your Lordship shall vse as it were your owne. For your Lordship shall doe me a verie great fauour in so doing.

townes.

The Gouernour gaue him thankes, and with great ioy they both went conferring together, till they came to the towne: and he commanded his Indians to void The towne. their houses, wherein the Gouernour and his men were lodged. There was in the barnes, and in the fields, great store of Maiz and French Beanes: The Country was greatly inhabited with many great townes, Many great and many sowne fields, which reached from the one to the other. It was pleasant, fat, full of good meadows vpon Riuers. There were in the fields, many Plum trees, aswell of such as grow in Spaine, as of the Countrie: and wild Many plum. tall vines, that runne vp the trees; and besides uers sorts. these, there were other low vines with big and Two sorts of sweet grapes; but for want of digging and dress- grapes. ing, they had great kirnels in them. The Gouernour vsed to set a guard ouer the Caciques, because they should not absent themselues, and carried them with him, till he came out of their Countries because that carrying them along with him, he

trees of di

looked

looked to find people in the townes, and they gaue him guides, and men to carrie burdens: and before hee went out of their Countries, he gaue them licence to returne to their houses, and to their porters likewise, assoone as he came to any other Lordship, where they gaue him others. The men of Coça seeing their Lord detained, tooke it in euil part, and reuolted, and hid themselves in the woods, aswell those of the towne of the Cacique, as those of the other townes of his principall subiects. The Gouernor sent out foure Captaines, euery one his way to seeke them. They tooke many men and women, which were put into chaines: They seeing the hurt which they receiued, and how little they gained in absenting themselues, came againe, promising to do whatsoeuer they were commanded. Of those which were taken prisoners, some principall men were set at libertie, whom the Cacique demanded: and euery one that had any, carried the rest in chaines like slaues, without letting then goe to their Countrie: neither did any returne, but some few, whose fortune helped them with the good diligence which they vsed to file off their chaines by night, or such as in their trauelling could slippe aside out of the way, seeing any negligence in them that kept them: some escaped away with the chaines, and with the burdens, and clothes which they carried.

CHAP. XVII.

How the Gouernour went from Coça to Tascaluca.

20. of August.

a great towne.

He Gouernour rested in Coça 25. daies. He departed from thence the 20. of August to seeke a Prouince called Tascaluca: hee carried with him the Cacique of Coça. He passed that Tallimuchase, day by a great towne called Tallimuchase, the people were fled: he lodged halfe a league farther neere a brooke. The next day he came to a towne called Ytaua, subiect to Coca. Hee staied there. A great Riuer, sixe daies because of a Riuer that passed by it, which at that time was very hie; and assoone as the Riuer suffered him to passe, he set forward, and lodged at a towne named Vllibahali. There came to him on the

Ytaua.

Vilibahali, way, ou the Caciques behalfe of that Prouince, ten or twelue principall Indians to offer him his seruice; all of them had their plumes of feathers, and bowes and arrowes. The Gouernour commning to the towne with twelue horsemen,

and

Vilibahali

walled about.

The fashion of their walles.

A towne.

Great store of

and some footemen of his guard, leauing his peeple a crossebow shot from the towne, entred into it, hee found all the Indians with their weapons: and as farre as he could ghesse, they seemed to haue some euill meaning. It was knowne afterward, that they were determined to take the Cacique of Coça from the Gouernour, if hee had requested it. The Gouernour commanded all his people to enter the towne, which was walled about, and neere vnto it passed a small Riuer. The wall, aswell of that, as of others, which afterward wee saw, was of great posts thrust deepe into the ground and very rough, and many long railes as big as ones arme laid acrosse between them, and the wall was about the height of a lance, and it was daubed within and without with clay, and had loope holes. On the otherside of the Riuer was a towne, where at that present the Cacique was. The Gouernour sent to call him, and hee came presently. After he had passed with the Gouernour some words of offering his seruices, he gaue him such men for his cariages as he needed, and thirtie women for slaues. In that place was a Christian lost, called Mangano, borne in Salamanca, of noble parentage, which went astray to seeke for grapes, whereof there is great store, and those very good. The good grapes. day that the Gouernour departed from thence, he lodged at a towne subiect to the Lord of Vlliba- A towne. hali: and the next day hee came to another towne called Toasi. The Indians gaue the Gouernour thirtie women, and such men for his cariages as he needed. Hee trauelled ordinarily 5. or 6. leagues He trauelled a day when he trauelled through peopled Coun- ordinarily fiue tries and going through deserts, he marched. as a day. fast as he could, to eschew the want of Maiz. From Toasi, passing through some townes subiect to a Cacique, which was Lord of a prouince called Tallise, hee trauelled fiue daies: He came to Tallise the 18. of September: The towne was great, and situated neere vnto a maine Tallise, a great Riuer. On the other side of the Riuer were other September 18. townes, and many fields sowne with Maiz. On A maine Riboth sides it was a very plentifull Countrie, and had store of Maiz: they had voided the towne. The Gouernour commanded to call the Cacique; who came, and betweene them passed some words of loue and offer of his seruices, and hee presented vnto him 40. Indians. There came to the Gouernour in this towne a principall Indian in the behalfe of the Cacique of Tascaluca, and made this speech following:

Toasi.

or sixe leagues

towne.

uer.

Mightie,