INDIANS TERRIFIED 171 



apparent to him that the native Indians had never 

 in their lives before set eyes upon a horse, and 

 thus it happened that when presently they beheld 

 Pizarro's advancing cavaliers, their attitude, which 

 until then had been both threatening and defen- 

 sive, became almost immediately changed to one 

 of terror. 



Pizarro was at first amazed at this. Then as 

 the Indians suddenly and of one accord turned and 

 fled, uttering, as we are told, "strange and shrill 

 cries." the truth flashed in upon him — his mounted 

 men had been mistaken by them for some kind of 

 weird creature, possibly something in the nature 

 of a centaur ! 



As one writer says, "consternation seized the 

 Indians when they saw a cavalier fall from his 

 horse, for they were not prepared for the division 

 into two parts of a creature that had seemed to 

 them to be but a single being." 



In a letter addressed to Henry Bullinger by 

 Bishop Hooper there is a statement to the effect 

 that "two most beautiful Spanish horses" were 

 received by Edward VI. from the emperor, 

 Charles V., on 26th March, 1550, and that the 

 king expressed his delight at the gift by giving 

 way to "extravagant conduct." 



The incident is of interest because poor young 

 Edward VI. was not supposed to be fond of 

 horses. Yet Camden, the famous antiquary, who 

 lived between 1551 and 1623 and was in a position 



