Notable Voyagers, From Columbus to NordenskioldKingston, William Henry Giles
History
Notable Voyagers, From Columbus to Nordenskiold
Kingston, William Henry Giles
Explorers; Voyages and travels
He was so well treated that on returning on shore he induced several of
his countrymen to visit the ships, and one of them especially behaved
with so much good humour, and was so completely at his ease, that he won
the regard of the voyagers. To show his gratitude, he brought them off
an animal, from the skin of which, he let them understand, the robe he
wore was composed. The voyagers had never seen any creature like it
before, and described it as a beast which was neither mule, horse, nor
camel, but partaking of all three, having the ears of a mule, the tail
of a horse, and the body shaped like a camel. He was probably a guanaco
or llama, commonly known as the Peruvian sheep. The Admiral, wishing to
make prisoners of some of these big fellows, gave orders to his crew to
secure them. Accordingly, while the poor savages were being amused with
toys put into their hands, which they grasped eagerly, the Spaniards put
iron shackles on the legs of two of them, persuading the men that they
were fine ornaments, like the rest of the things shown them. They
appeared highly pleased with the jingling sound they produced when
struck together, until they suddenly found themselves hampered and
betrayed, on which they began bellowing like bulls, and shouting to
their god--_Setebos_--for assistance. From this Shakespeare has
undoubtedly taken the name of the demon _Setebos_, introduced in the
play of the "Tempest." This act of treachery was not calculated to
raise the Spaniards in the opinion of the natives. One of the prisoners
remained on board the Admiral's ship, while his companion was carried to
another for safe keeping.
In spite of this they did not object to the strangers coming among them,
although they kept their women out of the way. They were all dressed
like those who came on board, in the skins of beasts, and their hair was
short or tied up by a string. They had apparently no fixed dwellings,
but lived in huts covered with skins and supported by poles, so that
they could easily be moved. They were not seen to cook their food, but
ate meat raw, with a sweet root called capar, which name they applied to
the ship's biscuit offered them.
The only remedies they were seen to use when sick was bleeding and
vomiting. The former was performed by giving a chop with an edge tool
to the part afflicted, while the latter was produced by thrusting an
arrow down the throat of the patient.
The voyagers, ignorant and superstitious themselves, declared that they
saw among the savages on shore all sorts of strange creatures of
horrible forms, such as horned demons, with long shaggy hair, throwing
out fire before and behind, which especially made their appearance when
the natives were dying.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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