ovalle's historical relation of chile. 143 



carelTed the Caftilians, and gave them great prefents : he had feven fens, and one of 

 them, more liberal, gate the Spaniards a prefent of near four thoufand pefos of fine 

 gold, and fome pieces of rare workmanlhip : they weighed it, and taking the King's 

 fifths, they began to divide the remainder. In the divifion, two foldiers fell out about 

 their {hare : the Cacique's fon, who had made the prefent, hearing the noife, could 

 not bear it, but coming to them, ftruck the balance where the gold was weighing, and 

 threw it ail upon the ground, faying, " Is it poflible you Ihould value fo much a thing 

 that fo little deferves your efteem ? and that you fhould leave the repofe of your houfes, 

 and pafs fo many feas, expofed to fuch dangers, to trouble thofe who live quiet in their 

 own country ? Have fome Ihame, Chriftians, and do not value thefe things : but if 

 you are refolved to fearch gold, I will fhew you a country where you may fatisfy your- 

 felves.** And, pointing with his finger to the fouth, he told them they fhould fee 

 there another fea, when they had paffed over certain high mountains, where they ihould 

 fee other people, who could go with fails and oars as they did ; and that pafling that 

 fea, they fhould meet with vaft quantities of gold, whereof the natives made all their 

 utenfils ; and that he would be their guide, and condu6t them with his father's vaffals ; 

 but that it would be requifite they fhould be more in number, becaufe they were power- 

 ful kings, who could hinder their paffage : giving them by this the firft notice of Peru 

 and its riches. 



This was the firft knowledge and light which the Spaniards got of the South-Sea, 

 and of the gold and riches of its coafts, which gave them all great joy ; fo that they 

 were impatient to fee the hour of breaking through all obftacles, to fee that fea never 

 before heard of, and enjoy the riches of it. Vafco Nunnes immediately difpofed all 

 things, and went out of Dairen, in the beginning of September in the year 15 13, and 

 going along the fea-fide, to the habitation of the friendly Cacique Careta, he went to- 

 wards the mountains by the lands of the Cacique Ponea ; who, though at firft he en- 

 deavoured to oppofe their paffage, yet being advifed by the Indians of Careta, who 

 accompanied the Caftilians, he prefented them with gold and provifions, and gave them 

 guides ; they, in return, giving him looking-glasses, needles, knives, and other baubles, 

 which they valued very much. Then they began to mount the mountain through 

 the country of a Cacique called Quareca, who appeared in arms, and attacked the 

 Spaniards : he had a long robe of cotton, but all his men were naked. They began 

 to fkirmifh, and threaten, by their a£lions, to hinder the pafl'age ; but no fooner did 

 they hear the noife, and feel the effects of the mufkets, and find fame to fall, but they 

 turned their backs, flying like a herd of deer, frighted to fee the fire, and hear the 

 found of the vollies, which appeared thunder to them, and thought the Spaniards had 

 thunderbolts at their command ; fo they left the paffage free for them. The Indians 

 of Careta had faid, that from their country to the top of the higheft mountain, there 

 was the time of fix funs ; for by that they meant fo many days' journey ; but the ways 

 were fo bad, that they employed five and twenty days to get to the top. A little before 

 they were at the higheft, Vafco Nunnes de Balboa caufed a halt to be made, defiring 

 to have the glory of having himfelf been the firft man that ever faw the South-Sea. 

 And fo it was : he goes alone, difcovers that vaft ocean, and the large bays of the 

 South-Sea, called Pacifick ; and upon his knees, with tears in his eyes, lifts up his eyes 

 to heaven, giving thanks to the great Creator of 'all things, for having brought him 

 from fuch remote parts to contemplate that which none of his anceftors had ever feen : 

 he made a fign after this to his companions to come up, and fo they all run in hafte, 

 pufhing one another on ; and when they were on the top, where there is a full profpeft 

 of the fea, it is not to be imagined the content they all received in admiring that vaft 



and 



