21 1 
Chap. I. Capt ain George Shelvocke* 
ceptino- the Vales, the Country is eVery-where fo parched 
up that there is no Green to be feen : This Wonder is 
produced by means of that Bird’s Dung, which* as was 
laid before, is brought from Iquique , and fertilizes the 
Earth in fuch a manner, that it yields four or five hundred 
for one of all Sorts of Grain, Wheat, Indian Corn, (Ac. 
but particularly the Agi, or Guiney Pepper, when they 
know how to manage it right : When the Seed is fp routed, 
and fit to be tranfplanted, the Plants are fet winding, that 
is, not in a ftrait Line, but like an S * to the end that 
the Difpofition of the Furrows, which convey the Water 
to them, may carry it gently to the Foot of the Plants ; 
then they lay about each Plant of Guiney Pepper,, as much 
Guanan Birds-dung, above-mentioned, as will lie in the 
Hollow of a Man’s Hand: When it is in B.Ioffom, they 
add a little more ; and, laftly, when the Fruit is formed, 
they add a good Handful, always taking care to water it, 
becaufe it never rains in that Country; otherwile, the 
Salts it contained, not being diffolved, would burn the 
Plants, as has been found by Experience. For this Reafon 
it is laid down, at feveral times, with a regular Manage- 
ment, the Neceffity whereof has been iound, by Ufe, and 
the Difference of the Crops produced. For carrying of 
the Guana, or Dung, to the Lands, they generally at 
Aric a make ufe of that Sort of little Camels, by the In- 
dians of Peru, called Llamas ; by thefe of Chili , Chille 
hucqae ; and, by the Spaniards, Carneros de la Fierra, or 
the Country Sheep. Their Heads are fmall, in propor- 
tion to their Bodies, fomethingrefembling both anHorfe and 
a Sheep’s Head •, the Upper-lip, like an Hare’s, is deft in the 
Middle, thro’ which they fpit ten Paces from them againft 
any that offend them ; and, if that Spittle falls on their 
Paces, it makes a reddiffi Spot, which is often followed by 
an Itching: Their Necks are long, bowing downwards, 
like the Camels, towards the Fore-part of the Body, which 
would well enough referable them, if they had a Bunch 
on the Back : The Figure I here infert, may ferve to ex- 
plain what is wanting in Defcription ; their Height is from 
four Feet, to four and an half. They generally carry only 
an hundred Weight, and walk, holding their Heads up 
with wonderful Gravity and Majefty, fo regular aPace, that 
no beating will make them go out of it. At Night it is 
impoffible to make them move with their Burden ; they 
lie down till it is taken off, to go and graze ; their common 
Food is a Sort of Grafs fomewhat like the fmall Ruih, 
except that it is a little finer, and has a fharp Point at 
the End •, it is called Teho. All the Mountains are covered 
with nothing elfe •, they eat little, and never drink, fo that 
they are Creatures eafily kept. Though they have cloven 
Feet, like Sheep, yet they make ufe of them in the Mines 
to carry Ore to the Mill : As foon as loaded, they go with- 
out any Guide to the Place where they are ufed to be un- 
loaded. Above the Foot they have a Spur, which makes 
them fure-footed among the Rocks, becaufe they make 
ufe of it to hold or hook by. Their Wool has a ftrong 
Scent, and even difagreeable ; it is long, white-grey 
Ruffet, in Spots, and very fine, though much inferior to 
that of the Vicunnas. The Vicunnas are lhaped much 
like the Llamas, except that they are much fmaller and 
lighter; their Wool being extraordinary fmall, and much 
valued. They are fometimes hunted after fuch a manner, 
as deferves to be related: Many Indians get together to 
drive them into fome narrow Pafs, where they have made 
Cords fall acrofs, three or four Feet from the Ground, 
with Bits of Wool and Cloth hanging at them ; the Vi- 
cunnas, coming to pafs them, are fo frighted at the Mo- 
tion of thefe Bits of Wool and Cloth, that they dare hot 
go any farther, fo that they prefs together in a Throng, 
and then the Indians kill them with Stones made faff at the 
End of Leather Thongs. If any Guanacos happen to be 
with them, they leap over the Cords, and then all the 
Vicunnas follow them. The Guanacos are larger, and 
more corpulent ; they are alfo called Vifcachas. There is 
another Sort ol black Creatures like the Llamas, called 
Alp agues, whofe Wool is extraordinary fine, but their 
Legs are fhorter, and their Snouts contracted, fo that it 
has. fome Refemblance ol an human Countenance. The 
Indians make feveral Ufes ol thefe Creatures ; they make 
them carry a Burden of about ioo Weight ; their Wool 
ferves to make Stuffs, Colds, and Sacks ; their Bones are 
ufed to make Weavers Utenfils; and, laftly, their Dung 
ferves to make Fires to drefs Meat, and to warm them. 
Before the laftWars, the Arrhadilla, a little Fleet, tom- 
pofed of fome Ships of the King’s, and of private Perfons, 
reforted every Year to Arica , to bring thither the European 
Commodities, and Quiqkfilver, for the Mines of La Pash, 
Oruro la Plata, or Ghuguizaca, Potofi , and Lipes, and theft 
carried to Lima the King’s Plate, being the fifth of what 
Metal is drawn from the Mines ; but, fince no more Ga- 
leons came to Porto-Bello, and the French have carried on 
the Trade, that Port has been the moft confiderabie Mart 
of all the Coaft, to which the Merchants of the five Towns 
above, being the richeft in Mines, refort. It is true, that 
the Port of Cohija is nearer to Lipes, and Potofi than Arica ; 
but, being fo defert and barren, that there i§ nothing 
to be had for Men or Mules to fubiift, they chufe rather to 
go fome Leagues farther, and be fure to find what they 
w r ant ; befides that it is not a very difficult Matter for 
them to bring their Plate thither privately in the Mafs, and 
to compound with the Corregidors, or chief Magiftrates, 
to fave paying the Fifth to the King. 
12. As foon as I got out of the Road of Arica, fays 
Captain Shelvocke, I lhaped my Courfe for the Road of 
Hilo , in Sight of which we came in the Afternoon, where 
we faw a large Ship, and three fmall ones, at Anchor : The 
great Ship immediately hoifted French Colours, and proved 
to be the Wife Solomon , of forty Guns, commanded by 
Mr. Dumain, who was now refolved to protect the Veffels 
that were with him, and obftrudt my coming in. It being 
dark before I could get into the Road, I fent rhy third Lieu- 
tenant, Mr. La Porte , who was a Frenchman, to let him 
know who we were ; but my Officer had no fooner got 
into the Ship, than they tumbled him out agaih, calling 
him Renegade ; and fent me Word, that, if I offered td 
anchor there, they would fink me. Mr. La Porte, upon 
this, told me, that, to his Knowledge, the French Ships 
had often taken Spanifh Commiffions, at fuch times as there 
were Englijh Cruifers on thofe Coafts ; as a Recompence 
for which Service, they had great Liberties allowed them 
in the way of Trade. He farther allured me, that he could 
plainly fee, that Mr. Dumain had double-manned his Ship 
with the Inhabitants of the Town, who were partly French j 
and that, in ffiort, he defigned to be with me as foon as 
the Wind came off ffiore. While we were talking this 
Matter over, the Frenchman fired feveral Guns at us, to 
fhew they were ready, and defigned to be with us Ipeedily; 
I muft confefs, this heated me not a little ; and the firft: 
thing that occurred to me, was turning the Mercury into a 
Firelhip, by the Help of which I might, without any great 
Difficulty, have roafted this iniolent Frenchman. But, re- 
flecting on the Situation of Things at Home, and fearing 
that, however unwarrantable his Conduct might be, my 
attacking him might be thought as unjuftifiable, I thought 
it belt to ftand out of the Harbour, which accordingly I 
did. On February 12. the Moiety of the Money taken at= 
Arica was divided amongft the Ship’s Company, according 
to the Number of their Shares. On the 2 2d, we found 
ourfelves in the Height of Calao, which is the Port of 
Lima ; upon which I furled all my Sails, to prevent being 
feen, refolving to get away in the Night ; becaufe, if we 
had been difcovered from thence, we were morally certain 
of being purfued by fome of the Spanifh Men of War that 
are always in that Harbour. On the 26th, the Officers in 
the Mercury defiring to be relieved, I fpoke to Captain 
Hatley, whofe Turn it was to command her. As this Gen- 
tleman had been for a long time Prifoner among the Spa- 
niards, he knew the Country perfectly well ; and, having 
travelled between Lima and Payta by Land, he had ob- 
ferved feveral rich Towns ; which put it into his Head, that 
fomething might be made of crurfing along that Coaft, as 
far as the Hand of Lobos , which lies in the Latitude of y° 
South ; and I, as it was very natural for me to do, ap- 
proved of this Propofition, the rather becaufe it was ex- 
tremely probable they might meet with fome of the Pa- 
nama Ships, which always fall in with the Land, in order 
to receive the Benefit of the Land Winds. As the whole 
Ship’s Company feemed to be extremely delighted with 
Captain Hatley's Project, I judged it requifite to augment 
their 
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