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Show H I S T 0 R Y 0 F M E X' I C 0 .. except the maxtlatl, or girdle, which covered the private parts ·J but RCD~· Vll. they counterfeited the drefs which they wanted by different colours,. ....._____, with which they painted their bodies. The European hi!l:orians, woo exprefs fo much wonder at this, have not obfervcd how common the fame praCtice was among the ancient nations of Europe itfelf. The offentive arms of the Mexicans were arrows, flings, clubs, [pears, pikes, fwords, and darts-. Their bows were made of a wood,. which was cl:l.ftic anti difficult to bre-.\k, and the ftring of the ftnews of animals, or the hair of the ftag. Some of their bows wt:re fo large (as they are a t prefent among fome nations of that continent), that they required more than five feet length of firing. Their arrowswere made of hard rods. pointed with the {harp bone of a fifh, or other animal, or a piece of flint,. o.r itz!i. They were extremely expert at drawing the bow, and very dextrous markfmen. being exercifed in it from childhood, and encouraged by rewards from their ma!l:ers and parents. The Tehuacanefe nation was particularly famous for their ~ill in lhooting two or three arrows together. The furpriftng feats. of dexterity, which have been exhibited even in our time by the Taraumarefe,. the Hiaquefe, and other people of thofe regions, who ftill ufe 1he bow and arrow,. enable us to judge of t~e expertnefs and excellence of the ancient Mexicans in that way (e). No people of the coWltry of Anahuac ever made ufe of poifoned arrows; this was probably owing to their defire of taking their enemies alive for the purpofc: of f:.tcrificing them. The Maquahuit!, called by the Spaniards Spada, or fwo.rd, as it was 1heweapon among the Mexicans, which was equivalent to the fword of the old continent, was a .frout frick three feet and a half long, and abOLtt four inches broad, armed on each fide with a fo.rt o.f razors of the il:one it:di, extraordinarily ih.'up, fixed and firmly fafrened to the fiick with gum lack (f),. which w~re about three inches long, one or two inch s. broad,. (t) The dexterity of thof~:~ people in lhooting :m·ows would not be credible, were it f\Ot welt tkertained by the dcpofitions of a variety of eyc-witneffcs. It was ufual for a number of archers to affcmblc together, and throw up an car of mnizc into the air, at which they imrnc· &iiately fuot with fuch quickncfs and dexterity, that before· it could reotch tho grouud it was iripped of every grain·. (/) Hcrnande :~: f:•y s, thnt one {h·oke of the maqunhuitl was fufficient to cut n mnn through. lbe midd1c ; and the :mot1ymou.s co.nqucror attefia, that he f:1w in an eng:Lgcment a Me.xi.:::u., · · a w.u.h. • • ,, |
