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CHAPTER VII
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    How the captain Jorge Robledo assigned the Chiefs among the settlers who had to remain in the city of Santa Ana, and how he departed and discovered another part of the great river of Santa Marta.

THE events we have related having passed, the captain Jorge Robledo desired to cross the great river Santa Marta, and explore the regions on the other side. He first divided the native Chiefs among those who had to remain as settlers; and then, having assigned them, he left the captain Ruy Vanegas in his place, and departed from Anzerma early in the year 1540, taking with him as his ensign Suer de Nava, a native of Toro. We set out, a little over a hundred Spaniards, horse and foot. The Comendador Hernán Rodríguez de Sosa was camp-master. We arrived at the village of Irra, which is on the banks of the river of Santa Marta, where the current flows with great velocity1. The natives made rafts on which the horses and baggage crossed. The Spaniards made contrivances for crossing[19] consisting of two bamboos as thick as a leg, to the head of which a pole was fastened. One man went in front with a reed, hauling on the bamboos, and two others behind to guide them. Thus, with great risk and much hard work the Spaniards crossed this great river. I certainly believe that if the Romans had undertaken the conquest of these parts, even at the time of the most flourishing period of their empire, when they ruled the world, they would not have been powerful enough to do what a few Spaniards have achieved. As for the hardships and hunger they have faced, no other nation in the world could have endured it. For they are worthy2 to be counted as scions3 of the most excellent nation in the world and the one which is foremost in all things.

Having crossed to the other side of the river we went to sleep on the rising ground, whence the captain sent messengers to Carrapa, which is a large and rich province with abundant supplies of provisions, to persuade the inhabitants to receive him as their friend and to yield obedience4 to his Majesty5. As the fame of the Spaniards' valour, their great power, and the endurance of their horses had reached all these districts, the natives agreed, in order to escape being wounded by swords or torn to pieces by dogs, to admit them to their territory and supply them with provisions; and this they sent to say. Next day we entered Carrapa. The Chiefs came to see the captain, and presented many golden ornaments6, and vases, among them a salver which weighed over 2,000 pesos. We were there more than a month. The Indians said that after crossing the cordillera of the Andes there was a very populous7 plain country where there were great and very rich Chiefs, and that that country was called Arbi. They also said that near it were the provinces of Picara, Paucura, and Pozo, all great and powerful, and hostile to each other. At that time those of Carrapa were at enmity with Picara. After[20] we had stayed for the time mentioned the captain asked for guides to advance further, also that some principal natives should come with the number of men he might want, to make war on those who refused to be friendly. The people of Carrapa were content, and gave 600 Indians to carry the baggage on their shoulders and 4,000 armed men to help in the war. Thus we left Carrapa and went to the province of Picara, which is larger and more populous. When tidings came of our approach, the natives of Picara armed themselves for war, but after they had made a tremendous noise, they grounded their arms and fled. Those of Carrapa pursued them, and killed many in the ravines. Others they made prisoners, and ate them all without sparing any. Such is the cruelty and savagery8 of these people!

Our camp was formed on a plain. The captain Robledo, the first discoverer of these regions, sent messengers to all the villages of that province to warn the natives that they must come in and render obedience to his Majesty, for that otherwise he would wage war with ruthless cruelty. Most of them, fearing their cruel enemies of Carrapa, determined9 to come and offer peace to the Spaniards. During the few days that we were encamped on that plain, the principal Chiefs, named Picara, Chanvericua, Chuscuruca, and Ancora, came to our camp. When the repartimiento was made, this last one was given to me in encomienda, with other principal men, I being a conquistador of these parts. These Chiefs brought many gold ornaments, rich and of much value, which they gave to the captain, who took possession for his Majesty, and for the royal crown of Castille. Having made some agreement convenient for them and for us, the captain ordered the men of Carrapa not to kill any more people, nor to do any more harm than they had done already. After having been in this province twenty-five days, we set out for Pozo, which is situated10 among some breaks in a mountain range, the Chiefs having their houses[21] and compounds on the slopes higher up. At the approaches there are fortifications of stout11 bamboos, and above these are barbacoas or platforms for making their sacrifices upon, and for use as watch towers.

These Indians are the boldest and most valiant12 in all the Indies of Peru. None of them are ever in their plantations13, sowing or gathering14 the produce, without having their arms ready at hand. They were feared by all their neighbours and they would not keep at peace with any one. Both men and women go naked. They have much gold. Their territory extends to the river of Santa Marta. They came originally from among the people of Arma. Their weapons are lances, darts15, and slings16; but of this I treat more fully17 in my Book of Foundations. They had news of our entrance into Picara, and of what we had done in Carrapa, but they trusted in the strength of their fortified18 places, and held the Spaniards of little account. Having made great sacrifices and prayers to their gods, and having spoken with the devil in accordance with their customs, more than 6,000 of them assembled, with their arms, on the summit of their mountains, to defend the pass. We set out from Picara, as I have said, with more than 5,000 Indians of that province, led by their principal Chiefs, all eager to attack the province of Pozo and kill its inhabitants.

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1 velocity rLYzx     
n.速度,速率
参考例句:
  • Einstein's theory links energy with mass and velocity of light.爱因斯坦的理论把能量同质量和光速联系起来。
  • The velocity of light is about 300000 kilometres per second.光速约为每秒300000公里。
2 worthy vftwB     
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的
参考例句:
  • I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
  • There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。
3 scions 2f5dd543d83d28564297e8138914f0a2     
n.接穗,幼枝( scion的名词复数 );(尤指富家)子孙
参考例句:
  • Eldritch giants are powerful scions of arcane lore. 邪术巨人是神秘奥术知识的强大传承者。 来自互联网
  • Grafting can join scions with desirable qualities to root stock that is strong and resistsand insects. 嫁接能够将理想质量的接穗嫁接到强有力抗病虫害的砧木上。 来自互联网
4 obedience 8vryb     
n.服从,顺从
参考例句:
  • Society has a right to expect obedience of the law.社会有权要求人人遵守法律。
  • Soldiers act in obedience to the orders of their superior officers.士兵们遵照上级军官的命令行动。
5 majesty MAExL     
n.雄伟,壮丽,庄严,威严;最高权威,王权
参考例句:
  • The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
  • Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下,您必须赶快做出决定!
6 ornaments 2bf24c2bab75a8ff45e650a1e4388dec     
n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 );点缀;装饰品;首饰v.装饰,点缀,美化( ornament的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • The shelves were chock-a-block with ornaments. 架子上堆满了装饰品。
  • Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments. 一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 populous 4ORxV     
adj.人口稠密的,人口众多的
参考例句:
  • London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
  • China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。
8 savagery pCozS     
n.野性
参考例句:
  • The police were shocked by the savagery of the attacks.警察对这些惨无人道的袭击感到震惊。
  • They threw away their advantage by their savagery to the black population.他们因为野蛮对待黑人居民而丧失了自己的有利地位。
9 determined duszmP     
adj.坚定的;有决心的
参考例句:
  • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
  • He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
10 situated JiYzBH     
adj.坐落在...的,处于某种境地的
参考例句:
  • The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
  • She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。
12 valiant YKczP     
adj.勇敢的,英勇的;n.勇士,勇敢的人
参考例句:
  • He had the fame of being very valiant.他的勇敢是出名的。
  • Despite valiant efforts by the finance minister,inflation rose to 36%.尽管财政部部长采取了一系列果决措施,通货膨胀率还是涨到了36%。
13 plantations ee6ea2c72cc24bed200cd75cf6fbf861     
n.种植园,大农场( plantation的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Soon great plantations, supported by slave labor, made some families very wealthy. 不久之后出现了依靠奴隶劳动的大庄园,使一些家庭成了富豪。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
  • Winterborne's contract was completed, and the plantations were deserted. 维恩特波恩的合同完成后,那片林地变得荒废了。 来自辞典例句
14 gathering ChmxZ     
n.集会,聚会,聚集
参考例句:
  • He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
  • He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。
15 darts b1f965d0713bbf1014ed9091c7778b12     
n.掷飞镖游戏;飞镖( dart的名词复数 );急驰,飞奔v.投掷,投射( dart的第三人称单数 );向前冲,飞奔
参考例句:
  • His darts trophy takes pride of place on the mantelpiece. 他将掷镖奖杯放在壁炉顶上最显著的地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I never saw so many darts in a bodice! 我从没见过紧身胸衣上纳了这么多的缝褶! 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 slings f2758954d212a95d896b60b993cd5651     
抛( sling的第三人称单数 ); 吊挂; 遣送; 押往
参考例句:
  • "Don't you fear the threat of slings, Perched on top of Branches so high?" 矫矫珍木巅,得无金丸惧? 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学
  • Used for a variety of things including slings and emergency tie-offs. 用于绳套,设置保护点,或者紧急情况下打结。
17 fully Gfuzd     
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地
参考例句:
  • The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
  • They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
18 fortified fortified     
adj. 加强的
参考例句:
  • He fortified himself against the cold with a hot drink. 他喝了一杯热饮御寒。
  • The enemy drew back into a few fortified points. 敌人收缩到几个据点里。


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