ABSTRACT
Pedro de Candia found himself in a troublesome situation, in having come with his camp into such dense wilds, where the sun is never seen, and where the clouds are so thick and gloomy that even sky is not visible. As this part is more elevated than any other region of the kingdom it never ceases to rain, and if it ever pauses, the trees continue to send down water from their branches. As yet there was no want of food, for they had brought flocks, and Indians laden with provisions which they ate. Pedro de Candia consulted with the principal officers who were with him as to what should be done, and whether they should go on or turn back. To proceed by a way so difficult and so covered with forest seemed impossible. Yet to return by the way they came seemed equally impracticable, the advance having been so difficult; and they were all very sorry that they had ever entered so evil a land. After thinking it over, they at last determined to go forward, and presently, striking their camp, they moved on. They had been following the trail by which the Indians brought up their coca and other products, and continuing along it they came to the most rugged and difficult pass they had yet met with. It would have been dangerous for the horses to cross it, for it was a solid rock, and from the trees which covered its summit there hung many lianas 1 so strong that the Indians climbed up to the top by them. When matters came to such a critical pass the Spaniards would have gone back on their horses, if they could have done so, but they did not dare to attempt it. They resorted to a clever contrivance for getting over the difficulty. They collected as many of those huge lianas as possible, and made them into hawsers so strong that they 212would bear the weight of a horse. Then some athletic youths climbed to the summit and fastened these hawsers to the trees. Then they passed the other ends round the bodies of the horses, and hoisted them up, which was no small labour for the Spaniards. When they were clear of these evil rocks and difficult road, they marched until they came to some warm valleys called Abisca 1 , where they fixed their camp and obtained supplies. Pedro de Candia then ordered some young and intelligent Spaniards to go in all directions and seek for a road which would be better than the one they had taken. After some days they returned and reported that the forest increased in denseness, and that they could find no road by which they could travel without labour. Everyone was distressed at finding themselves in a country requiring such hard work. There was only one comfort, that it was not so cold as other forest tracts. Commending themselves to God our Lord they departed from Abisca and marched for four days, when they encountered some Indians, who were armed with arrows, and ate human flesh. They attacked each other but, as the arrows were not poisoned, no one died.
