Pilgrimage, Book 9 · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
Of the Riuer of Plate, and the Countries adioyning: and of the Magellanc Strat. s.
THis Riuer wee hauehave alreadie mentioned; the Indians aBotero.call it Parana: and Iohn Dias di Solis discouering the same in the yere 1512, for some shew it seemed to hauehave of that Mettall, called it the Riuer of Plata, or Siluer. It is fortie leagues wide in the entrance, and preuaileth so farre against the Oceans saltnesse, that the tast of the fresh water sooner discernes his waters, then the eye can see his bankes. It ouerfloweth the Countrey; as Nilus in Egypt, and Orenoque, Marannon, with the other great Riuers in America. It ebbeth and floweth a hundred miles vp the streame. bSebastian Cabot may rather be called the first discouerer.Dias, whome some call the first Discouerer, was, with fiftie of his companions, there slaine and eaten. But he which hath most fully discouered the Nations that dwell neere this Riuer, is Huldericus cAdmiranda Nauig. H.S.Schmidel, who sayled thither in the yeare 15…4, and continued in those parts almost twentie yeares. He sayled thither with Peter Mendoza, who carried with him fiue and twentie hundred men, to discouer, conquer, and inhabite those Regions.
They built the Citie Buenas aeres, so called of the holesome ayre, neere to an Indian towne, named Carendies, of three thousand inhabitants; if that may be called a towne, whose inhabitants stay not long in one place. They will drinke the bloud of the beasts they kill, for thirst. The Spaniards destroyed them, whose parts Famine seemed to take against that cruell people, which with inuisible darts so pierced their entrailes, that vile and venomous creatures were applyed to the cuting of their wounded stomackes: and when such medicines failed, three of them stole a Horse dThese horses so multiplied in these parts, that now they are dispersea in wild troops, and they will hunt and kill them for the Hides, and (which is a great commoditie in Angola) for the tailes., minding to flee from Famine on that dead Beast, but were therefore horsed on a Gibbet; where three others, that by his example were terrified from Horse-flesh, aduentured vponupon these carkasses, cutting thence large gobbets, to pay that cruellest tyrant, and greediest exactor, Hunger, his tribute. Another, whose brother died, buried him in his owne bodie: halfe their companie were consumed with this plague.
The Indians of Carendies, Bartennis, Zeechu…vas, and Tiembus, taking this aduantage, assayled their Towne of Good Aires, turning it into good fires, by shooting a… rowes, fired at the end, thereinto. They after passed vp the Riuer, and came to Tiembus, where the men are tall and great, their women alway deformed, with scratched and bloudie faces. The Tiembus could make fiue thousand men. Of the Spaniards were not left fiue hundred in a small time; and Mendoza dieth, returning homewards. The Curenda, the next people, are like the Tiembus. The Macverendas liue onelyonly on Fish, and a little Flesh. There they killed a Serpent fiue and twentie foot long, and as bigge as a man. The Salvaisco goe starke-naked, and liue onelyonly on Fish, Flesh, and Honey. The Curemagbas are of huge stature: the men bore a hole in their nose, in which they weare a Parrots feather. The women paint their faces with indeleble lines. The Carios Countrey is large, neere to the Brasilians in Rites and Site. They goe naked: they will sell; the father, his daughter; the husband, his wife; the brother, his sister: The price of a woman is a Hatchet, Knife, or such like. They sat such as they take in théir Warres, and then deuoure them with great solemnitie. The Lampere made neere vntounto their Towne Pits, with sharpe stakes set vp in them, couered with stickes and earth: these they made for the Spaniards, but in a confused flight fell therein themselues. Here the Spaniards built the Towne of Assumption. The King of the Scherves, attended with twelue thousand men, met the Spaniards, and gaue them friendly entertainement, with Dauncing, Musicke, and Feasting. The women goe naked, and paint themselues as artificially as any of our Painters could doe: they weare Carpets of Cotton, with the figures of Indian Beasts.
The King asked the Spaniards, What they sought? who answered, Siluer and Gold: He then gaue them a siluer Crowne, which he said he had taken in the warres which he had waged with the Amazones, that dwelt two moneths iourney thence. Of these Amazones the Indians told the same things that Orellana told of, neere that riuer, which hath receiued name of this supposition.
The Spaniards, with some of the Scherves for their Guides, set forth for this Amazonian Discouerie, but were encountred by the way with hote waters, in which they waded vp to the waste, and so continued diuerse dayes, till they came to a Nation called Orthuesen, who were then infected with a Pestilence, caused by Famine; which Famine the Grashoppers had effected, two yeares together eating vp all the fruits which Nature or Husbandrie had prouided for their sustenance.
Thus the Amazones, the Martiall and Venerean Warres of the Spaniards, wanted foode to hold out further: if there were any such people, and that they were not, as before I said, the warre-like wiues, or happily some gallant Viragoes, that by themselues would let the world see what women could doe: but yet I cannot subscribe to the rest of their Storie.
But I am wearie of leading you any further in this discouerie of this great Riuer and the neere inhabitants, seeing little is obserued in our Author of their Religions. Some of these barbarous Nations, he saith, hanged vp the hairie skinne of their slaine enemies in their Temples, or Houses of deuotion: This people is called Icperi. To giuegive you a Catalogue of the names of the Indian Nations that inhabited these parts, would be but tedious: These iourneyes of the Spaniards were to see what gold, and not what Gods, the Indians had. They passed vp through the land into Peru.
Betweene Peru eBot…ro.and these more Easterly parts, are the Hills Aud…, or Andes, which lift vp their Snowie toppes vntounto the Clouds, and reach vntounto the Magellane Straits. In them inhabite many fierce Nations, bordering vponupon the Nations of Brasil and Plata. The Ciraguans, the Viracans, the Tovi, the Varai. These last exercise their children vntounto Armes betimes, vntounto them they commit their Captiues, for tryall of their bloudie forwardnesse; and he which at one blow can kill a Captiue, is of the greatest hopes, and rewarded for his encouragement. To this end they name their children Tygre, Lyon, that their names might teach them the like beastly furie. At the new and full Moone they wound themselues with sharpe bones, to inure themselues to thinges of Warre. They weepe in the entertainement of a friend, as the Brasilians doc. In seuenteene degrees stands the Spanish Citie of Holy Crosse of the Mountaine. The Riuer Vapai in those Valleyes riseth and falleth, as Nilus doth. There is a Brooke at Holy Crosse of a wonderfull nature: it is but little aboue two yards broad, and shallow withall, not running aboue a league, but is drunke vp of the thirstie sands. yet doth this brooke prouide the Citie water, and three sorts of good Fish, and that in great plentie, from the end of Februarie to the end of May. At other times there are few. They vse diuers meanes of shauing their heads, which, they say, they learned of one Paicume. In the womans lying in, the man keepes his bed, as is said of the Brasilians.
More towards the East dwell the Itatini people, which call themselues Garay, that is, Warriours; and others, Tapuis or Slaues. The language of the Varai is common to all these Nations with the Brasilians, that as in the other world Latin, Sclaon, and Arabian, so in that New World the Varay, Cuscan, and Mexican language, will generally serue a mans turne.
The Kingdome of Tucuma stretcheth two hundred leagues betweene Chili, Brasil, Holy Crosse, and Paraguay. The Spaniards hauehave therein fiue Colonies. It is a plaine Countrie. The Paraguay inhabite along the Riuer, so called, whereof they take name. From Plata Southwards is the great Region of Chica, washed on the South, East, and West by the Sea. The Inhabitants are called Patagones.
The Spaniards fPigafetta ap. …am.which with Magellane first discouered the Straits, saw Gyants on this coast, of which he carryed away one with him to Sea, where after for want of sufficient foode he dyed.
Edward gEd. Cliffe, ap. Hak.Cliffe, that wrote Master Winters Voyage, who first, of all others, returned out of the Straits by the same way homewards, because he saw on this Coast men of common stature, he excepteth against that report of Giants, as a Giant-like report, exceeding the stature and measure of Truth. But besides that some of our owne hM. T. Candishes Voyage ap. Hak. to.3. written by Fr.Pretty.at another time measured the print of mens feete eighteene ynches in the Sands, Oliuer iNauig.Ol…. & Seb. W. in Additam.9. part. Americae.Noort in his World-Compassing Voyage, had three of his men slaine by men of admirable stature, with long haire, not farre from Port Desire, about seuen and fortie degrees of Southerly latitude, and after, in the Magellane Straits discomfited a band of Sauages, which neither would yeeld, nor flee from their wiues and children, which were in a Caue iust by, till eueryevery man was flaine. Foure boyes the Hollanders carried away: one of which, learning their Language, told them of three Families, or Tribes, in those parts of ordinarie stature, and of a fourth which were Giants, ten or eleuen foot high, which warred vponupon the former.
Sebalt de Weert being detained fiue moneths in the Straits by foule weather, sent his men to fish for their prouision (which exceedingly failed them) who there were suddenly assailed by seuen Canoas of Giants, which they guessed to be so high as is mentioned: who being put to flight by their Peeces, fledde to land, and plucked vp Trees, in their rude manner barricadoing and fortifying themselues against the further pursuit of the Hollanders, who were no lesse glad that they were ridde of such companie.
These men, both Giants and others, went either wholly naked, or so clothed, as they seemed not to dread the cold, which is yet there so violent, that besides the Mountaine-toppes, alway couered with Snow, their very Summers, in the middest thereof, freeth them not from Ice. Yea, at that time of the yeare those Hollanders encountred an Island of Ice in the Sea, which the cold Ayre had there mounted and maintained in despight of Neptunes rage, or the Sunnes volley of shot, in his neerest approach. The Trees in these parts, and the men (it seemeth) are naturally fortified against those Colds; the one (as is said) alwayes in manner naked, the other alwayes clothed, out-brauing the Winters violence in their Summer-like Greene Liuerie, seeming to stoupe vnderunder the burthen of continuall Frosts and Snowes, and in a naturall wisdome cloth themselues, and hold their leaues the suren….
Those Giantly men kTh. Candish.about Port Desire, when they die, are brought to the Cliffes, and there buried, with their Bowes, Arrowes, Darts, and all their (almost no) substance. The Sauages about the Straits feede (as both the same Author and the Hollanders report) on raw Flesh, and other filthie foode, and are Man-eaters.
It is no small credit to our Nation and Nauigation, that these Straits hauehave more enlarged themselues, and giuen oftener and freer passage to vsus then to any other. Drake lSee Hak.to.3.swamme through; Winter both passed and returned; Candish passed, but returned (as Drake had done) about the World in his Circuit. The Delight of Bristol entred them, and with small delight spent six weekes in them: and Captaine Danies, companion of Master Candish in his last Voyage, three times entred the South Sea, which three times forced him backe into the Embracing Armes of the vntrustie Straits. Some others hauehave attempted, but not attained them, as Fenton and Ward, and the Voyage set forth 1586 by the Earle of Cumberland. The Land on mSir F.Drake.both sides the Straits is very mountainous, the lower Mountaines whereof, although they be for their height wonderfull, yet (as wee hauehave said of the differing statures of the men) they hauehave more Giantly ouer-lookers, with Snowie lockes and Cloudie lookes; betweene them may be numbred three Regions of Cloudes. These Straits are fourescore and tenne nAcosta saith 100, of which, 70 the North Sea floweth in, and the South Sea 30.l.3.c.13.Leagues through, of vnequall breadth, in the narrowest place a League ouer. The mouth is in two and fiftie degrees, and ½.
The Voyage of Sir Francis so vexed the Spaniard oLopez Vaz., that he sent Pedro Sarmiento to inhabite there, that he might prohibite other Nations to passe that way: but Tempest and Famine hating the Spanish insolence, whose ambitious designes alway aymed at a Plus vltra, brought them to a Plus vltra indeede, further then euer they had designed, diuerse of the Shippes (which at first were three and twentie, with three thousand fiue hundred men) perishing in the deuouring iawes of the Ocean, and others in their selfe-deuouring Mawes of Hunger, which eate them vp with not eating. The Name of IESVS, and Philips Citie were their two newly erected Colonies, peopled with foure hundred men and thirtie women, which by Famine were brought to three and twentie persons, when Master Candish tooke Hernando, one of that companie, in his prosperous Voyage; another pW.Magot… ap.Hak., who had maintained himselfe by his Peece, and liued in a house alone a long time, was taken by the Delight of Bristol, two yeares after. The English gaue a name fitting to this distressed Citie, calling it Port Famine.
The last Voyage of Master Candish proued vnfortunate, both in the losse of himselfe, and many men: the blacke Pinnace was lost in the South Sea: the Desire returned, but lost diuerse of her men, surprised (as was qIohn Iane.thought) and deuoured by the Sauages, neere to Port Desire. The Sauages here presented themselues, throwing dust in the Aire, leaping &c. and either had Vizards on their faces, like Dogges faces, or else their faces were Dogges faces indeede.