CHAPTER XCI

    Of what else happened to the captain Diego de Rojas.

ALL the natives of the regions near where the Spaniards were marching were in great terror. They thought that there must be some deity¹ in the invaders² and, though they did not number forty, all who even heard their name trem[321]bled with fear. They said to each other that the horses understood the Spaniards, and that they were such great and fierce animals that they would kill every one they met. As the Chief of those Indians who had come out on the war path was more alarmed than any one, he sought with a good will to make peace with Diego de Rojas, who granted it, saying that he did not come to make war unless he was forced into it. Taking counsel with the other Spaniards who were with him, he determined³ to return to Tucumá, as it was not prudent⁴ to advance further, they being so few and the natives so numerous. Speaking to those who were present, the captain Diego de Rojas said that he would return to where he had left many Spaniards and horses, so that all might go together to conquer those regions, and place them under the dominion⁵ of the king Don Carlos. Having said this, he set out on his return to Tucumá, where they found a large supply of provisions.

In order that the Indians might not think that the Spaniards fled from fear of them, Diego de Rojas resolved to send Francisco de Mendoza with six horsemen to return to Chiquana to make all those come, who had remained. Francisco de Mendoza having departed, Diego de Rojas ran a great risk with only thirty men, the six being taken off. But his watch was so careful, that it was not easy for the Indians to take him unawares. The supplies were so abundant, that they could get plenty without any trouble; there were more hens than in the land of Campos, and very plump ones; also a great quantity of ducks, and not a few guanacos in those provinces. The Indians would have been glad enough to kill the Spaniards, and to clear them out of their provinces, but seeing their enemies so watchful⁶ and well prepared they did not venture to make opposition⁷. They agreed to wait and see what would come of the invaders' presence.

The natives of these provinces are well made. They[322] wear long cloaks of wool from below the arm, a strip from it passing over the shoulder, and the waist belt is arranged so that the private parts do not appear. In warm weather they have very graceful⁸ and handsome cloaks of ostrich[153] feathers. The women go naked, with no more than a small apron⁹ fastened round the waist, like the maures which, as we have written, are worn by the women of Anzerma and Antiochia [sic]. They wear their hair very long and well combed; they pride themselves on washing frequently, and use no bija[154] nor any other mixture on their faces. The food of these Indians is maize¹⁰ and the flesh of guanacos and their ewes. They are great sorcerers and the devil is always talking to them. They have no belief, and merely think that they have to live, and must die. When they die, the relatives make burial places in the hills where the bodies are placed, and they stick a tall stout¹¹ post over the grave, on which is carved a figure of the devil as he was seen by the deceased when, in life, they talked to him. They do not eat human flesh, and detest¹² the sin of sodomy. Their houses are large and round, and the villages not very close together. They have not so much fruit as in other parts. These customs and habits of Indians relate to those who dwell beyond the province of Tucumá, for those nearer[155] had been subjugated¹³ by the Incas, and many of them wore clothes. The reason why the Incas did not subjugate¹⁴ the natives farther on was that they received glowing reports of the provinces stretching towards Quito and of the vast quantity of gold in them, so they extended their conquests in that direction. To make their dominion secure, in the time of the Inca Yupanqui, who was father of Tupac Inca, and grandfather of Huayna[323] Capac, certain orejones[156] were sent by his order, not with any great company of people nor with an army, but with articles for barter¹⁵, in order to learn the disposition¹⁶ of the natives and the character of the country. The greatness of the Incas was so well known, and the fame of their victories had made such an impression, that these orejones easily induced the natives to become vassals¹⁷ of the King Inca Yupanqui. The latter agreed that their friendship should be perpetual, but that they should not be required to do more than defend the frontier so that no enemy should invade the Inca's territory on that side; and so this peace was made. In Tucumá they believed the Sun to be God. All hold that things had a beginning and that there was one Creator, to whom they offered sacrifices, but all their beliefs were inspired by the devil because they were deceived by him in their illusions.

1 deity   

n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物)

参考例句：

• Many animals were seen as the manifestation of a deity.许多动物被看作神的化身。
• The deity was hidden in the deepest recesses of the temple.神藏在庙宇壁龛的最深处。

2 invaders   

入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They prepared to repel the invaders. 他们准备赶走侵略军。
• The family has traced its ancestry to the Norman invaders. 这个家族将自己的世系追溯到诺曼征服者。

3 determined   

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。

4 prudent   

adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的

参考例句：

• A prudent traveller never disparages his own country.聪明的旅行者从不贬低自己的国家。
• You must school yourself to be modest and prudent.你要学会谦虚谨慎。

5 dominion   

n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图

参考例句：

• Alexander held dominion over a vast area.亚历山大曾统治过辽阔的地域。
• In the affluent society,the authorities are hardly forced to justify their dominion.在富裕社会里，当局几乎无需证明其统治之合理。

6 watchful   

adj.注意的，警惕的

参考例句：

• The children played under the watchful eye of their father.孩子们在父亲的小心照看下玩耍。
• It is important that health organizations remain watchful.卫生组织保持警惕是极为重要的。

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

8 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

9 apron   

n.围裙；工作裙

参考例句：

• We were waited on by a pretty girl in a pink apron.招待我们的是一位穿粉红色围裙的漂亮姑娘。
• She stitched a pocket on the new apron.她在新围裙上缝上一只口袋。

10 maize   

n.玉米

参考例句：

• There's a field planted with maize behind the house.房子后面有一块玉米地。
• We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。

12 detest   

vt.痛恨，憎恶

参考例句：

• I detest people who tell lies.我恨说谎的人。
• The workers detest his overbearing manner.工人们很讨厌他那盛气凌人的态度。

13 subjugated   

v.征服，降伏( subjugate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The prince had appeared and subjugated the poor little handmaid. 王子出现了，这使穷苦的小丫头不胜仰慕。 来自辞典例句
• As we know, rule over subjugated peoples is incompatible with the gentile constitution. 我们知道，对被征服者的统治，是和氏族制度不相容的。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

14 subjugate   

v.征服；抑制

参考例句：

• Imperialism has not been able to subjugate China.帝国主义不能征服中国。
• After having been subjugated to ambition,your maternal instincts are at last starting to assert themselves.你那被雄心壮志压制已久的母性本能终于开始展现出来。

15 barter   

n.物物交换，以货易货，实物交易

参考例句：

• Chickens,goats and rabbits were offered for barter at the bazaar.在集市上，鸡、山羊和兔子被摆出来作物物交换之用。
• They have arranged food imports on a barter basis.他们以易货贸易的方式安排食品进口。

16 disposition   

n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署

参考例句：

• He has made a good disposition of his property.他已对财产作了妥善处理。
• He has a cheerful disposition.他性情开朗。

17 vassals   

n.奴仆( vassal的名词复数 )；（封建时代）诸侯；从属者；下属

参考例句：

• He was indeed at this time having the Central Office cleared of all but his vassals. 的确，他这时正在对中央事务所进行全面清洗（他的亲信除外）。 来自辞典例句
• The lowly vassals suffering all humiliates in both physical and mental aspects. 地位低下的奴仆，他们在身体上和精神上受尽屈辱。 来自互联网