the Indians fled away from them, and in one morning they found thirtie of their horses dead.
Quiuira. From Cicuic they went to Quiuira, which was two hundred leagues off, according to their account, passing all through a plaine countrey, and making by the way certaine hillocks of cowe dung, because thereby they might not loose their way in their returne. They had there haile-stones as bigge as Oranges. Now when they were come to Quiuira, they found the king called Tatarrax, which they sought for, with a iewell of copper hanging about his necke, which was all his riches. They saw neither any crosse, nor any image of the queene of Heauen, nor any other token of Christian religion.[1] It is written of this countrey that it is but smally inhabited, principally in the plaine and champion places, because the men and women goe in herds with their cattell, whereof they haue great plentie, euen as the Arabians doe in Barbarie, and they remooue from place to place, euen as the season serueth, and the pastures to feede their cattle.
Sheepe as big as horses. In these parts are certaine beasts almost as bigge as horses, they haue very great hornes, and they beare wooll like vnto sheepe, and so the Spaniards call them. They haue abundance of oxen verie monstrous, being camel backed, and hauing long beards, and on their necke long manes like vnto horses. They liue with eating of these oxen and drinking of their blood, and apparell themselues with the skins of the same. The most part of the flesh that they do eate is rawe, or euill rosted, for they lacke pots to seeth it in. They cut their meat with certaine kniues made of flint stone. Their fruite are damsons, hasel-nuts, walnuts, melons, grapes, pines, and mulberies.
Dogs carying 50 pound waight on their backs. There be dogges so bigge, that one of them alone will hold a bull, though he be neuer so wilde. When they remooue, these dogs do carrie their children, wiues, and stuffe vpon their backes, and they are able to carrie fiftie pound waight. I passe ouer many things, because the order which I follow will not permit me to be long.
In the yeere of our Lord 1542. one Diego de Freitas being in the realme of Siam, and in citie of Dodra as captaine of a ship, there fled from him three Portugals in a Iunco (which is a kind of ship) towards China. Their names were Antony de Mota.
- ↑ Gomara hist. gen. lib. 6. cap. 18. and 19.
