But in the hills, where the air was more piercing and the nights
cold, they made our rooms always lower, and thatched them close to the
ground, leaving only one door to enter in, and a louvre hole for a vent,
in the midst of the roof. In every of these, they made four several
lodgings, and three fires, one in the midst, and one at each end of
every house: so that the room was most temperately warm, and nothing
annoyed with smoke, partly by reason of the nature of the wood which
they use to burn, yielding very little smoke, partly by reason of their
artificial making of it: as firing the wood cut in length like our
billets at the ends, and joining them together so close, that though no
flame or fire did appear, yet the heat continued without intermission.
Near many of the rivers where we stayed or lodged, we found sundry
sorts of fruits, which we might use with great pleasure and safety
temperately: Mammeas, Guayvas, Palmitos, Pinos, Oranges, Lemons, and
divers other; from eating of which they dissuaded us in any case, unless
we eat very few of them, and those first dry roasted, as Plantains,
Potatoes, and such like.
In journeying, as oft as by chance they found any wild swine, of which
those hills and valleys have store, they would ordinarily, six at a
time, deliver their burdens to the rest of their fellows, pursue,
kill and bring away after us, as much as they could carry, and time
permitted.
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