They say that these mountains abound in tigers, lions, bears, wolves, wild– cats, foxes, dantes, ounces, hogs, and deer; and with many birds, both ravenous and others, most of them being black; while under the north, both birds and beasts are mostly white. There are also great numbers of large and terrible snakes, which are said to have destroyed a whole army of one of the Incas, that was marching this way: Yet, according to report, an old woman did so enchant them, that they became quite harmless and gentle, insomuch that they would allow people to sit upon them. It is reported that, from Tumbez to Chili, there are no peacocks, hens, cocks, nor any eagles, hawks, kites, or other ravenous birds; but there are many ducks, geese, herns, pigeons, partridges, quails, and many other kinds of birds. There is likewise a certain fowl like a duck, which has no wings, but is covered all over with fine thin feathers. A certain species of bitterns are said to make war upon the sea-wolf or seal; for when this bird finds them on land, it tries to pick out their eyes, that they may not see their way back to the water, and then kills them; and the fight between the bitterns and the seals is said to be a pleasant sight.
Those who live on the tops of the Andes, between the cold and the heat, are mostly blind of one eye, and some are totally blind; so that hardly can two men be found but one of them at least is half blind. Notwithstanding the great heat of the sand in Peru, it yields good crops of Maize and Potatoes, and an herb called cocoa, which the natives carry continually in their mouths, as those in the East Indies do Betle, and which they say satisfies both hunger and thirst. It is affirmed that, from Tumbez southwards, for the space of 500 leagues, there is neither rain, thunder nor lightning, with only some light showers. In Peru, there are certain animals, called xacos180 by the natives, and sheep by the Spaniards, because they are covered with wool; but their shape resembles that of deer, and they have saddle backs like a camel, and are capable of carrying burdens of about a hundred weight each. The Spaniards ride upon them; and, when weary, they turn their heads backward, and void a wonderfully stinking liquor from their mouths. From the rivers La Plata and Lima, or Rimac, inclusively to the southwards, there are no crocodiles, lizards, snakes, or other venomous reptiles; but the rivers produce great store of excellent fish. On the coast of St Michael on the South Sea, there are many rocks of salt, covered with eggs. At the point of St Helena, there are springs from which a liquor flows, that serves instead of pitch and tar. It is said that there is a fountain in Chili which converts wood into stone. In the haven of Truxillo, there is a lake of fresh water, the bottom of which is good hard salt; and in the Andes, beyond Xauxa, there is a fresh water river which flows over a bottom of white salt. It is also affirmed that there formerly dwelt giants in Peru, of whom statues were found at Porto Vejo; and that their jaw bones were found in the haven of Truxillo, having teeth three or four fingers long.
In the year 1540, the viceroy, Don Antonio de Mendoзa, sent Ferdinando Alorchon with two ships, to explore the bottom of the gulph of California, and divers other countries. In the same year, Gonsalvo Pizarro went from Quito to discover the Cinnamon country, of which there ran a great fame in Peru. Taking with him a force of 200 Spaniards, partly horse and part foot, with 300 Indians to carry the baggage, he marched to Guixos, the most distant place or frontier of the empire of the Incas; in which place there happened a great earthquake, accompanied with much rain and dreadful lightning, by which seventy houses were swallowed up. From that place they passed over a chain of cold and snowy mountains, where they found many Indians frozen to death, and they wondered much at finding so much snow immediately under the equinoctial line. From thence they proceeded to a province called Cumaco, where they were detained two months on account of constant rain; and beyond this, they came to the cinnamon trees, which are of great size, with leaves resembling those of the bay tree. The leaves, branches, roots, and every part of this tree, tasted like cinnamon, but this taste and flavour was particularly strong in the root; yet that was still stronger in certain knobs, like alcornoques, or acorns, which were good merchandize. This appears to have been of the same nature with wild cinnamon, of which there is great abundance in the East Indies, particularly in the island of Jaoa, or Java. From this cinnamon country, they proceeded onwards to the province and city of Coca, where they halted for fifty days; after which they travelled for sixty leagues along a river, without being able to find any bridge or ford at which they could pass over. In one place they found this river to form a cataract of 200 fathoms in perpendicular fall, making such a noise as was almost sufficient to deafen any person who stood near. Not far beyond this fall, the river was found to glide in a smooth channel, worn out of the rock; and at this place they constructed a bridge by which they passed to the other side, and entered into a country called Guema, which was so poor, that they could only get fruit and herbs to subsist upon. Travelling onwards from that place, they came to a district where the people had some degree of civilization, and wore cotton clothing of their own manufacture, and used canoes. They here built a brigantine, in which, and in some canoes, procured or taken from the natives, they embarked their sick, with their treasure, provisions, and spare apparel, under the charge of Francis de Orellana; while Gonsalvo Pizarro marched by land with the rest of the people along the river, going every night into the boats. In this manner they proceeded for about 200 leagues; when one night, on coming to the river side, in hopes of joining the boats as usual, Pizarro could not see or hear of them. He and his people were reduced, by this unfortunate incident, to a state of almost utter despair: In a strange, poor, and barren country, without provisions, clothing, or any other convenience, and at a vast distance from their friends, with a prodigious extent of difficult and dangerous road interposed between them and Quito, they were reduced to the necessity of eating their horses, and even their dogs. Yet holding a good heart, they proceeded onwards in their journey for eighteen months, penetrating, as is said, almost 500 leagues, without ever seeing the sun or any thing else to comfort them. At length, of the 200 men who had set out from Quito, only ten returned thither; and these so weak, ragged, and disfigured, that they could not be recognized. Orellana went 5 or 600 leagues down the river, passing through various countries and nations on both sides, among whom he affirmed that some were Amazons181. From the mouth of that river, Orellana went home to Spain, and excused himself for having deserted Pizarro, and those who marched by land, by alleging, that he had been forced down the river by the strength of the current, which he was utterly unable to stem. By some, this river is named after Orellana, who first navigated its waters; and others call it the river of the Amazons, on account of a female nation of warriors, who are said to inhabit its banks182.
180
This word ought to have been
181
It will be seen afterwards, in the account of the West India Islands, and the Continent of Guiana, that there are many warlike tribes of Caribs, or Caraibs, constantly engaged in predatory warfare; whose women, when their husbands are absent in search of prisoners for