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                                   AN

                                ACCOUNT

                                   OF

                             THE ABIPONES,

                          AN EQUESTRIAN PEOPLE

                                   OF

                               PARAGUAY.

                 FROM THE LATIN OF MARTIN DOBRIZHOFFER,

              EIGHTEEN YEARS A MISSIONARY IN THAT COUNTRY.

                          _IN THREE VOLUMES._

                               VOL. III.

                                LONDON:
                     JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.

                                 1822.

                     London: Printed by C. Roworth,
                         Bell-yard, Temple-bar.

                                CONTENTS

                                   OF

                               VOL. III.

                               PART III.

  CHAP.                                                         _Page_

  I. Of the deadly Hatred of the Abipones, and
  their Allies the Mocobios, towards the Spaniards                   1

  II. By what Means the Abipones possessed themselves
  of Horses, and how formidable this Attainment
  rendered them to their Neighbours                                  7

  III. Of the Violences committed upon the Cities Sta.
  Fè and Asumpcion                                                  14

  IV. How much the Guarany Towns were annoyed by
  the Abipones                                                      22

  V. Of the Achievements of the Abipones in the Lands
  belonging to the City of Corrientes                               29

  VI. Of the Excursions of the Abipones against the
  Colonies of St. Iago del Estero                                   44

  VII. Of the Expeditions of Francisco Barreda, General
  of the St. Iagans, against the Abipones and Mocobios              55

  VIII. Of certain Defects in the Soldiers of St. Iago,
  of their Companies, and of the Degrees of Military
  Rank amongst them                                                 66

  IX. Of the Atrocities of the Abipones towards the
  People of Cordoba                                                 77

  X. Of the fruitless Excursions of the Cordobans
  against the Abipones                                              94

  XI. Of the frequent Endeavours of the Jesuits in
  reducing the Abipones to Obedience under the
  King of Spain and converting them to the Catholic
  Religion                                                         102

  XII. A Colony founded for the Mocobios afterwards
  the occasion of Abiponian Colonies                               113

  XIII. The first Colony of St. Jeronymo, founded for
  the Abipones Riikahés                                            128

  XIV. Some things worthy of note respecting Ychoalay
  and Oaherkaikin                                                  141

  XV. Further Praises of Ychoalay                                  153

  XVI. Concerning the Hostile Incursion attempted by
  Debayakaikin and his savage Confederates against
  the Town of St. Jeronymo                                         163

  XVII. Concerning repeated Expeditions undertaken
  by Ychoalay against Oaherkaikin, and the other
  Abipones Nakaiketergehes                                         170

  XVIII. Of fresh Disturbances of the Town arising
  from the Victory gained by the Inhabitants                       177

  XIX. Ychoalay, in Conjunction with the Spaniards,
  takes a Company of hostile Abipones, and on
  another occasion, fights successfully with Oaherkaikin           183

  XX. The whole Nation of Abipones are assembled in
  three Colonies, but are again unluckily disturbed
  by a War of the Spaniards against the Guaranies                  194

  XXI. An ineffectual Expedition of the Spaniards
  against the Abipones                                             202

  XXII. The Cacique Debayakaikin slain by Ychoalay
  in battle, and his Head suspended from a
  Gibbet                                                           207

  XXIII. The Origin and Commencement of a Colony
  of Abipones, named from the Conception of the
  Divine Mother                                                    213

  XXIV. The Flight of the Abipones from the Town of
  Conception and their Return to it                                220

  XXV. The Vicissitudes and Disturbances of the Colony             227

  XXVI. My Journey to St. Iago on business pertaining
  to the Colony                                                    235

  XXVII. My Stay at the City of St. Iago. The Visit
  of our Cacique, Alaykin, to the Governor of
  Salta                                                            240

  XXVIII. My disastrous Return to our Colony                       245

  XXIX. The perpetual Disturbances of the Town of
  Conception                                                       254

  XXX. The Arrival of Barreda, and the removal of
  the Town to the banks of the Salado                              262

  XXXI. The Calamities and perpetual Mutations of
  the New Colony at the River Salado                               271

  XXXII. A Colony inhabited by the Yaaukaniga Abipones,
  and distinguished by the Name of St.
  Ferdinand and St. Francis                                        278

  XXXIII. Progress of the Town of St. Ferdinand,
  which was retarded by Debayakaikin                               285

  XXXIV. Fresh Disturbances, caused both by Strangers,
  and by the Inhabitants themselves                                292

  XXXV. The Origin and Situation of a Colony of Abipones
  named from S. Carlos and the Rosary                              303

  XXXVI. Commencement of the Colony                                309

  XXXVII. Extreme Indigence of the Colony, and its
  various Calamities                                               316

  XXXVIII. Continual Tumults of War                                323

  XXXIX. Various Incursions of the Mocobios and
  Tobas                                                            329

  XL. Small-pox the Origin of many Calamities and
  bloody Attacks                                                   337

  XLI. Four Hundred Spanish Horsemen, in conjunction
  with the Abipones, overcome a numerous
  Horde of Tobas                                                   346

  XLII. Anxiety of the Abipones concerning the Revenge
  of the Tobas. Contagion of the Tertian
  Fever                                                            355

  XLIII. An Assault of Six Hundred Savages on the
  Second of August                                                 362

  XLIV. Corollary to the Events detailed in the preceding
  Chapter                                                          374

  XLV. How arduous a Task it is to persuade the Abipones
  to enter Colonies, and to embrace the Religion
  of Christ                                                        388

  XLVI. No trifling Advantages derived from the Abiponian
  Colonies, though fewer than were expected                        403

                                HISTORY

                                   OF

                             THE ABIPONES.

                               PART III.

                               CHAPTER I.
            OF THE DEADLY HATRED OF THE ABIPONES, AND THEIR
              ALLIES THE MOCOBIOS, TOWARDS THE SPANIARDS.

The Spaniards subdued, in great measure, the Indian natives of Paraguay,
sometimes by means of soldiers, but oftener by that of priests, who,
unarmed, could penetrate where a soldier found no access. The former
effected more with their beads, than the latter with their bullets. In
the next century, however, the Abipones, grown more contumacious, would
neither be conciliated by gifts, nor subdued by arms. They would not
receive the Spaniards as their friends, still less as their masters, and
lest conquered they should experience them as enemies, they consulted
their liberty, now fighting, now flying, as need required, sometimes
availing themselves of arms, oftener of cunning and swiftness. The
places of residence which they had chosen were fortified by nature, and
afforded them protection against the forces of the Spaniards, so dreaded
in the open field. They could not be conquered, because they could not
be attacked, whilst defended by ditches and impervious woods, chiefly
before they were possessed of horses. They had rather endure hunger,
thirst, and concealment, than obey strangers. They resolutely refused to
admit the king of the Spaniards, and the law of God—to-wit, their own
happiness. It is certain that, from the age of Charles V., who united
the noblest parts of America to his own Spain, the Abipones persisted in
defending their liberty for upwards of two centuries, even when all the
neighbouring nations had yielded to the foe. Nor were they satisfied
with obstinately refusing the friendship of the Spaniards, but, intent
upon every opportunity of doing mischief, overran the whole province
with hostile arms. Whenever I think of the slaughters committed by the
Abipones in the latter part of that century, I imagine that these
savages, and their allies the Mocobios and Tobas, were reserved by an
avenging God to punish the evil deeds of the Christians, as formerly the
Philistines, Jebusites, and Perizzites, in the land of Canaan, were
preserved by the interposition of the Almighty, to curb the rebellious
Jews, whilst all their other enemies were either destroyed or reduced to
subjection.

Moreover they made a warlike alliance with the Mocobios and Tobas,
equestrian savages, formidable by their numbers and resolution. Scarcely
any memorable slaughter occurred in which these confederated nations did
not join; to this they were incited by their unanimous hatred of the
Europeans, the certain hope of booty, and their common desire of
military glory. The Mocobios were never reckoned inferior to the
Abipones either in stature, or in military skill; but I boldly affirm
that, in atrocity and steady hatred to the Spaniards, they exceed them.
Certainly in the last century they seemed to conspire to the ruin of
Tucuman; proving themselves formidable, not to solitary estates merely,
but to whole cities. The province was devastated by slaughter, rapine,
and fire: Salta, Xuxui, the city of St. Miguel, and Cordoba, were
reduced to desperation, and Estecco, formerly an opulent city, quite
ruined. The city of Concepcion was rased to the ground, the inhabitants
having been treacherously massacred. History does not inform us whether
the Abipones were partakers with the Mocobios in these numerous and
bloody excursions. Alonzo Mercado, Angelo de Paredo, and other
Governours of Tucuman, withstood, indeed, the efforts of the savages,
and conducted as many soldiers as they could muster, either Spaniards or
Indian Christians, into Chaco, to besiege the fastnesses of the savages,
but by a journey always difficult, and seldom recompensed by success;
for, although they sometimes took and slew some of the Mocobios and
Tobas in their hordes, yet the survivors, enraged by the loss of their
companions, redoubled their fury, never ceasing to employ their
strength, which was equal to their anger, in revenge; and success always
crowned their wishes. Several fruitless expeditions of the Tucuman
forces confirmed the opinion of the savages, that the arms of the
Spaniards were not to be feared by them, and that they were sufficiently
guarded in their lurking-places, which were either unknown to the
Spaniards, or inaccessible to them; but that if, peradventure, they were
overcome by numbers, they might reckon upon a victory in flight,
opportunities for which were afforded them by their knowledge of the
country, and by their dexterity in swimming and riding: whilst the
Spaniards, with horses fatigued by a long rough journey, and encumbered
by the length of their clothes and of their arms, could with difficulty
pursue the fugitives, especially if marshes, rivers, and trackless woods
intervened. Emboldened by these considerations, they left nothing
unattempted against Tucuman. Salta, the residence of the Governour, and
other places surrounding it, were exposed to the daily assaults of the
savages.

Estevan Urizar, when he came from Spain to govern the province,
endeavoured to devise a remedy for the public calamity. He proposed an
expedition against Chaco; seventeen hundred and eighty countrymen were
chosen to attend it out of all Tucuman, beside five hundred Indian
Christians, who were increased by a troop of Chiriguanos, at that time
allies. Add to these, five hundred from the city of Asumpcion, three
hundred from Sta. Fè, and two hundred from Corrientes. In short, such an
army was raised that the savages were surrounded on all sides. The
Tucuman soldiers were ordered to explore the retreats of the savages,
and put them to death; the other Spaniards, who dwelt nearer the south,
to prevent their escape by blocking up the roads: and if as much
diligence had been employed in the execution of the project as good
policy in the planning of it, the whole swarm of savages in Chaco would
have been entirely subdued. But of the Spanish soldiers who were called
from the southern colonies, some delayed, others deserted, so that
towards the south a way lay open to the Mocobios, who escaped, without
hindrance, on every side, and took refuge in the hordes of the Abipones.
But as they did not consider this situation at a sufficient distance
from the attacks of the Spaniards, both people secretly removed into the
vale of Calchacui. On this account Salta and the upper parts of Tucuman
were relieved, for some years, from the attacks of the Mocobios, but all
the storm of the war fell on the cities Sta. Fè, St. Iago del Estero,
Corrientes, and the other Spanish colonies situate to the south-west.
That the Malbalaes, deserted by the Mocobios their greatest supporters,
accepted, or feigned to accept, the friendship of the Spaniards; that
the Vilelas and Chunipies agreed upon a peace; that the Lules were
assembled in a town at Miraflores, and there instructed in the holy
religion by Father Antonio Machoni, were the advantages which resulted
from this great expedition: but, though considerable, they fell far
below the wishes and expectations of the Spaniards.

                              CHAPTER II.
            BY WHAT MEANS THE ABIPONES POSSESSED THEMSELVES
             OF HORSES, AND HOW FORMIDABLE THIS ATTAINMENT
                   RENDERED THEM TO THEIR NEIGHBOURS.

History gives no account of the proceedings of the Abipones in the
fifteenth century, before they settled in Chaco; but I should imagine
that, being at that time, like the other Indians, unfurnished with
horses, they passed their lives in ignoble obscurity, more anxious to
avoid, than to attack the Spaniards. It appears from the annals of
Paraguay, that in the year 1641, they possessed horses, and were become
dexterous in the management of them. We read also, that they made war
about this time upon the Mataràs, whom, on account of their submission
to the Spaniards, they pursued with unrelenting hatred. Moreover the
Abipones became formidable to the pedestrian nations on account of their
reputation for horsemanship.

But do you ask me how the Abipones first obtained horses? I will tell
you what I learnt from an Abipon, an hundred years of age. He informed
me that some of his ancestors, before they had obtained these useful
animals, used to go privily to the lands belonging to the city of Sta.
Fè, and steal a few horses, with some iron knives. They afterwards made
use of these horses for the purpose of driving fresh herds from the
lands of the Spaniards. It frequently happens that horses, tormented by
insects or frightened by tigers, stray to the distance of many leagues.
The men appointed to guard the cattle, (if there be any,) are mostly few
and unarmed, always timorous, and can easily be slain whilst absent from
their huts, or eluded whilst they are sleeping.

In the space of fifty years, an hundred thousand horses were driven from
the estates of the Spaniards, by the Abipones. Do not imagine that I
have exaggerated the number, for, calculating from conjecture, I should
say it exceeded two hundred thousand, and no wonder: for young men of
the nation of the Abipones often carried off four thousand horses in one
assault, and as they grew in years, they increased their robberies.
Cunning and a little sagacity are more requisite than strength. The
Calchacuis, after they had afflicted the country about Sta. Fè with
reiterated slaughters, were at last reduced to order in one conflict.
Those who survived that overthrow were almost all cut off by the
small-pox. The miserable remains of this most warlike nation are yet
living by the river Carcarañal, and are reckoned at about twenty people.
The Abipones settled in the land formerly possessed by the Calchacuis,
inheriting not their country alone, but also their hostile disposition
towards the Spaniards. They took possession of all the land from the
river Plata to the city of Sta. Fè, and from the banks of the Parana and
Paraguay to the territories of St. Iago, the Spaniards vainly
endeavouring to oppose them, and obliged to part with their ancient
station, or maintain it with the loss of their lives. In the eighteenth
year of this century, even women might go, without danger, from the city
of Sta. Fè, and thence to Cordoba, though it is a journey of many days,
even to horse travellers. That all things were safe and out of danger of
the enemy may be concluded from the numerous estates of the Spaniards,
which are continued all along the roads from the above-mentioned cities,
but were afterwards so depopulated by the perpetual hostilities of the
Abipones, that the ruins of these dilapidated buildings are now alone to
be seen.

The country over which, as their own, the Abipones freely wander,
extends an hundred and twenty leagues from North to South, and as many
from East to West, in many places. They are divided into hordes,
according to the number of the Caciques, and frequently remove their
tents, choosing that situation which is rendered most eligible by the
season, security, and the opportunity it affords of hunting. Having
removed their women, children, and decrepit old men to a place of
safety, the rest sallied forth, to plunder the surrounding colonies of
the Christians, and always returned laden with heads of Spaniards, and
other spoils. The crowd of captives, the droves of horses, and the
success of the expedition incited others to the like daring, so that
when one party returned, another quickly succeeded. Scarce a month
passed in which they did not disturb the Spanish colonies with some
hostile attack; and although one place alone was invaded, the whole
neighbourhood trembled the more, the safer things appeared. For
experience had taught them, that enemies of that kind are never nearer
than when they are thought to be at the greatest distance.

It is certainly difficult to understand by what means about a thousand
savages (for the whole nation of the Abipones hardly contained more who
were able to bear arms) had the power of disturbing an immense province.
Unanimous hatred of the Spaniards, craft, tolerance of labour, and the
alliance of the Mocobios stood them in the stead of numbers. Barreda,
commander at St. Iago, repeatedly affirmed, that were he to hear that
all the Abipones had been slain, ten only surviving, he should still
judge it necessary to have the watch continued in every part of
Paraguay. He therefore thought one tally of Abipones sufficient to
distress a whole province. There was no retreat so sequestered that they
did not discover, and furiously overrun; no place so remote or well
fortified by nature, that they thought impenetrable. They swam across
those vast rivers the Parana and Paraguay, even where they are united in
one channel, and pleasantly conversing at the same time. They rode over
vast precipices, sometimes ascending, and sometimes, which was still
more frightful, descending, till they reached the confines of Cordoba
and St. Iago, and there, alas! what torrents of blood they caused to
flow! Trackless woods full of rushes and thick trees, marshes, and lakes
rendered slippery with mud, they crossed with ease. That immense plain
of an hundred and fifty leagues, which lies between the banks of the
Parana and the Salado, is sometimes flooded to such a degree, that it
resembles a vast lake; this happens after long and incessant rain; but
when, as is often the case, no rain falls for many months, that immense
tract of land is so parched by the burning sky, that the smallest bird
would fail to find a drop of water there.

The Abipones, regardless of these impediments, arrived at the dwellings
of the Spaniards, whom they intended to kill or rob, by a journey of
many days, sometimes having to pass through water, at others entirely
destitute of it. I have frequently attempted the journey, both with
Spaniards and Abipones, who have now laid aside their former enmity: the
latter scorned to turn back, swearing that they might easily cross the
deepest marshes on horseback, whilst the others declared them
impassable. None of the Abipones would shrink from a journey of three
hundred leagues or more, were he attracted by the hope of richer booty,
or greater military glory; for neither the difficulty of the roads, nor
the distance of the places, are sufficient to deter them.

As many nations worship the crocodile, the snake, and the ape, as
divinities, the Abipones would adore their horses, if idolatry prevailed
amongst them. Nor is it unreasonable in them to set a high value upon
horses, by the use of which they have become formidable and destructive
to the Spanish colonists. The pedestrian savages, though they may
entertain the same wish of annoying the Spaniards, have not the same
opportunity, and consequently employ their arms more for their own
defence than for the offence of the Spaniards. I shall now proceed to
relate, individually, the slaughters committed in various parts of the
province.

                              CHAPTER III.
               OF THE VIOLENCES COMMITTED UPON THE CITIES
                         STA. FÈ AND ASUMPCION.

The Abipones sometimes alone, sometimes in conjunction with the
Mocobios, distressed the city of Sta. Fè, which lay nearest them, with
daily incursions, and very nearly destroyed it. Many of the country
people were slain, and not a few led into captivity. Numbers, fearing
that the same fortune awaited them, migrated, with their families, into
safer places. Things came to such an extremity, that the inhabitants
began to deliberate publicly about deserting the city. Amongst many
others, the rich estate of St. Antonio was entirely ruined. Innumerable
cattle, of every description, were seized and dispersed, and their
owners slain. The waggons were plundered of the goods which they
contained. When the security of trade, the only source of riches, was
destroyed at one blow, what could ensue but famine and scarcity? The
roads were so beset with savages, both by day and by night, that no one
could stir out of his own house with safety, or fetch provisions from
the country for the use of the city. The citizens themselves were kept
in daily fear, they so often beheld troops of Abipones and Mocobios in
their streets. The very market-place was stained with the blood of the
unarmed. In the year 1754, on the 10th of April, as I was revisiting
this city, a noble matron, venerable for her years, and ancient family,
accosted me, saying, "Oh! Fathers, what gratitude do we owe to you, who
have tamed these ferocious nations, on whose account we hardly dared to
breathe for so many years! I scarcely ever remember this week," pursued
she, "namely the last in Lent, passed without slaughters in this city.
When a pious crowd of supplicants passed in procession through the
streets, how often did the armed savages rush on them, like lightning!
And they seldom departed without bloody hands. I still have to lament a
brother, slain as he trimmed the altar, in the court before those
buildings; such was the face of affairs at that time. For the
tranquillity and security, which we at present enjoy, we are indebted to
you, by whom the Abipones and Mocobios have been appeased and
civilized."

In that city, there was no want of intrepid men, to repel force by
force; but the rest, who were deficient in vigilance, courage, and
skill, were exposed to the continual violence of the savages, who never
granted either peace or truce. Auxiliary bands of foot-soldiers were
sent by the Governour of Buenos-Ayres to the relief of the fainting
city; but these, when they came to close fighting in the field of
battle, served rather to excite the laughter of the Abipones, than to
render any service to the Spaniards. Whilst affairs were in this
desperate condition, like a propitious star shining forth in a furious
tempest, appeared Echague, an excellent man, who in the name of the
Governour, and under his authority, repressed the boldness of the
savages. He knew how to conciliate their ferocious minds with gifts, to
intimidate them with arms, or to repress them with frequent incursions.
By these means he procured the city a little respite. But this
tranquillity continued no longer than the life of its author: his
successors experienced various fortune, the Indians sometimes renewing
their former plunderings, sometimes promising peace, in order that they
might be enabled to direct their whole force against the other cities of
the Spaniards, and in that of Sta. Fè, then friendly, exchange the
spoils gained from them, for knives, swords, spears, axes, glass-beads,
and wearing apparel. This was admirable policy in the savages, that,
whilst they carried on war with the rest of the province, they
diligently maintained peace with one city, where they might purchase the
necessary supply of arms and other utensils, by the booty obtained
elsewhere. I learnt many things of this traffic with the Indians, some
worthy of laughter, but more which deserve indignation. Take this one
instance. An Abipon entered the city of Sta. Fè, in time of peace,
carrying on his horse a leathern bag containing two thousand Spanish
crowns. A certain noble Spaniard, who happened to be walking in the
market-place at the time, doubtless very well acquainted with the
contents of the bag, offered him the red cloak which he wore; the
Indian, transported with joy, gave him in exchange the whole weight of
silver which he had plundered a little before from the waggons laden
with Peruvian money. Great part of the Mocobios and Tobas, and most of
the Abipones, being persuaded to a peace, and conducted to the various
colonies which we had founded, this miserable city at last enjoyed a
little rest, although the estates were not entirely free from danger;
for the savages of these nations, weary of peace, lay in wait for droves
of horses, but more in the way of plundering than of regular warfare. To
restrain these pillagers, a Spanish company of horse was maintained at
the public cost, and, headed by Miguel Ziburro, proved very useful in
deterring them from their depredations. Three places, in particular,
were the resorts of the savages, and the scenes of their robberies, _La
cruz alta_, _El pozzo redondo_, and the estate of St. Thomas; in the one
place there is a passage across the river Salado to the city, in the
other a high way with waggons of traders continually passing to and fro.
The estates also which look towards Chaco were endangered. The extensive
province of Asumpcion, although it abounds in warlike colonists, was
incredibly harassed by the arms of the Abipones and Mocobios. Who can
enumerate the men that were slain, the horses and mules that were
seized, the villages that were burnt, the estates that were depopulated,
and the numbers of unarmed that were led into captivity? Not only on the
banks of the Paraguay, but also in places far distant from that river,
many and great slaughters were committed with impunity. This captaincy
of Paraguay is of greater extent than the rest, yet it seems too small
for the number of colonists. It contains as many soldiers as men, but
they are scattered up and down the country, many leagues distant from
one another, occupied, greatest part of the year, in remote forests
where they prepare the herb of Paraguay, or on the banks of rivers, or
in defending little fortifications of the province. These edifices,
which are constructed of stakes, mud, and straw, on the eastern shore of
the Paraguay, are more properly watch-towers for observing the motions
of the enemy, than fortifications for keeping them out. The few who are
stationed in each of the fortlets signify the approach of the enemy by
firing a cannon; this is repeated by the neighbouring sentinels, that
every one, admonished of the danger, may provide for his own safety;
that the Governour (for the firing, as it is repeated in all the
different stations, at last reaches the city) may order convenient
succours; and that all the forces may assemble in arms wherever
suspicion is entertained of the enemy. But how much time is consumed
whilst the horses are caught and made ready, whilst the few soldiers
assemble in arms, and whilst their leader is expected! In the mean time
slaughters are already committed, estates rifled, villages burnt, and
the savages departed as quickly as they came. But if a tardy company of
Spaniards is at length brought together, they are more rejoiced at the
flight of the enemy than desirous of pursuing them. And supposing the
savages to be still in sight, or at no great distance, the generals of
Paraguay, unless they see themselves greatly superior in point of
numbers, seldom dare to trust the doubtful fortune of war, by a bold
attack; foreseeing that they shall be loaden with reproaches, and
perhaps assaulted with stones by the wives of those who might be slain
in the skirmish. Sometimes the Spanish horsemen were clamorously eager
to pursue the flying savages, but the generals repressed their ardour,
even threatening pain of death to any who should dare to challenge or
pursue the enemy.

It has always appeared quite miraculous to me, that the province of
Asumpcion did not at length sink under the weight of the powerful
enemies by whom it was combated for so many years. On one side was the
dreadful neighbourhood of the ferocious Guaycurùs and Mbayas; on the
other the daily assaults of the Abipones, Mocobios, and Tobas occasioned
much danger and fatigue to the surrounding colonies. Add to these the
Payaguas, most perfidious pirates, more dangerous in peace than in war:
not to mention the wood-savages, the Monteses, Montarrazes, or Caayguas,
who, though not always openly hostile to the Paraguayrian Spaniards,
whilst they prepared the herb of Paraguay in woods far distant from the
city, are full of enmity towards them, and justly suspected of unsound
faith. See! how many nations threatened the Spanish colonists. Two to
one is odds against Hercules. We may justly call the Paraguayrians
greater than Hercules, because they held out against so many enemies.

                              CHAPTER IV.
               HOW MUCH THE GUARANY TOWNS WERE ANNOYED BY
                             THE ABIPONES.

The Abipones thought they had done nothing, till they directed their
attention towards overthrowing the towns of the Guaranies, whom they
regarded with implacable hatred, because, being converted by us to the
Roman Catholic religion, they not only paid obedience to the Catholic
King as subjects, but also served him as soldiers in the camp, whenever
they were called upon by the Royal Governours. The towns of the
Guaranies, and the other estates, which are near the banks of the
Paraguay and Parana, for many years, were daily more and more exposed to
the fury and rapacity of the enemy. Innumerable were the Indians that
were cruelly massacred, the cattle of every description that were driven
away, and the youths that were made captive. Many were burnt in their
own houses, where they hid themselves for fear of the swords of the
enemy. The town of St. Ignatius Guazù, formerly in a very flourishing
state, lost much of its splendor, and was very nearly destroyed; for it
was situated in a place which affords an excellent opportunity for
stratagems to the savages, who hide themselves in the adjacent woods,
whence they can easily sally forth, and soon reach the estate and the
town itself. Scarcely a month passed without murder and robberies. It is
incredible how much the number of men and cattle was diminished by their
continual incursions. Although a watch was kept up by day and by night,
no one durst promise himself security. The craftiness or boldness of the
Abipones eluded all the vigilance and industry of the inhabitants. On
some holy-day, when the people were attending divine service, a great
crowd of savages burst into the very market-place. The inhabitants
seized and threw at the aggressors whatever weapons were at hand. The
Christians fought with more valour than success. The chief men of the
city, and more than three hundred senators, beside many others of the
common people, fell fighting before the door of the church. A great many
of the Abipones were slain and wounded. The Guaranies took a Spaniard,
who had grown up amongst the Abipones, having been taken captive by them
at an early period of his life, and who had offered to be their leader
in this as in many other expeditions. What must have been the feelings
of the Jesuit priest, Francisco Maria Rasponi Bergomas, long curate of
the town, when, on looking out of the church before he had taken off his
sacred robes, he perceived the heaps of dead bodies, and the streets
swimming with blood? Who can express his horror? This bloody fight
elated the minds of the Abipones, in proportion as those of the
Guaranies were depressed by it. With greater boldness and frequency,
they continued to slaughter the Indians, and to seize the cattle, both
in the estate, and in the fields adjoining the city. In one day, four
thousand oxen and immense droves of horses became the prey of these
rapacious thieves. Let not those that read this accuse the Fathers who
presided over the town of sloth or inactivity: nothing was omitted by
them which seemed advisable for the security of their people. All access
was forbidden the enemy by means of ditches and palisades, and
additional guards armed with muskets. Scouts were dispatched every day
to explore the roads. Sentinels were placed in suspected situations, as
in a watch-tower. But what did all this avail? Those who were commanded
to watch and to guard behaved as usual: danger was frequently the
nearest when every thing was thought in the utmost security. They said
their accustomed _Nama[(r]aichene_, "we shall be safe," and when they
felt drowsy, slept without care or apprehension. Thence it often
happened that whilst they ought to have watched for the public safety,
unmindful even of their own, they were surprized and slaughtered by the
Abipones. In the town of St. Iago, while the people were attending
divine service, the Abipones came, and of the many hundred who were
keeping watch, part they slew, and part they led into captivity, having,
at the first onset, carried off some hundred horses. As numerous bloody
incursions were repeated within sight of the same town, few days passed
without fears, or alarming reports. The same fate befel Nuestra Senhora
de Fè for many years; on which account Juan Baptista Marquiseti, a man
of our order, and curate of the place, surrounded it on all sides with
ditches to keep out the savage horsemen, and supplied the Indians with a
sufficient quantity of muskets: and his labours were amply repaid, for
at length these tumults abated. Forty Indian soldiers sent from this
town, and as many from the town of Sta. Rosa, to keep guard over their
respective estates, perished on the fifth of February, a very few only
escaping by the swiftness of their horses. On that day, alas! how great
was the loss of horses and mules in both estates! Some thousands were
driven away. In another place, a quantity of the herb of Paraguay,
belonging to a Spanish merchant, was conveyed in many waggons from the
town of Sta. Rosa to the banks of the Parana, by Guaranies; to whom was
given, as a superintendent and guard, a certain Spaniard, an active man,
armed with seven excellent muskets; but without having time allowed him
for loading any of them, he was surrounded by a troop of Abipones, and
slain, with almost all the Indians, except two, and a crowd of horses
and oxen. Fifty dead bodies were found lying on the field. I have
thought proper to relate those slaughters which were most recently
committed whilst I was in the country; for it would be endless to
describe, individually, all which the Guaranies suffered in the space of
so many years. The poor wretches, half dead at the remembrance of them,
whenever they had an engagement with the Abipones, seemed to think more
of undergoing death, than of inflicting it. This very fear of the
Guaranies stimulated the Abipones to fresh pillaging, in proportion as
it increased their confidence of victory; so that on an approaching
fight, like the Spartans, they did not enquire how many the Guaranies
were, but where. The terror of the Guaranies being perceived by the
Royal Governour, some Spanish soldiers were hired, at his advice, and
ordered to traverse the roads on horseback, for the security of their
towns, to watch the march of the savages, and to repel them, or at least
apprize the inhabitants of their arrival. But the sagacity of the
Abipones out-witted the vigilance of the Spanish horsemen, and their
assaults were repeated with the same frequency as before, although with
greater caution. In consequence therefore of the little benefit and
great inconvenience which the towns derived from these guards, who were
supported by them at a great expense, they were permitted to return
home. But the savages were not always suffered to ravage with impunity.
They not unfrequently atoned for the deaths of others by their own.
Sometimes, as they were meditating an attack, they were discovered and
repulsed. Sometimes they were overtaken in precipitate flight by the
Guaranies, by whom they were very roughly handled, and obliged to
relinquish their booty. The Guaranies might oftener have triumphed over
the Abipones, would they have preserved their lives by keeping strict
watch. Vigilance, as I have often observed, is the best armour against
the savages. You will wonder, in reading this, that the Guaranies were
such timid hares at home, when they are described by historians to have
fought like lions in the royal camps, against the Portugueze, and even
against the savages. They behaved nobly in the king's service, because
they were governed by Spanish generals. At home, when left to
themselves, they did but little against the savages. They are swayed by
the impulse of the moment, and consequently fulfil the duties neither of
good soldiers, nor of good generals. They are indeed robust members, but
they languish for want of a head. Even the best soldiers, without an
able leader, must despair of victory, as the strongest ship, wanting a
proper pilot and rudder, must give up all hopes of reaching port. The
sword with which Scanderbeg slew thousands of Turks, wielded by a feeble
hand, would scarcely wound the outermost skin of the enemy.

                               CHAPTER V.
            OF THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE ABIPONES IN THE LANDS
                  BELONGING TO THE CITY OF CORRIENTES.

The city Corrientes is situated towards the East, on the shore where the
rivers Parana and Paraguay are united. I have mentioned this and many
other remarkable circumstances respecting the city Corrientes, in the
Introductory book. The Royal Vice-Governour of the city has some
colonies of Spaniards and Indians under his authority, in an extensive
and fertile territory; though he can scarcely raise three hundred
colonists able to bear arms; who would be quite unequal to repulsing the
savages, did not their military valour compensate for the want of
numbers. For many years they have had to contend with the Payaguas, who
practise piracy, with the Charruas, equestrian savages, and in Chaco
towards the West, with the Abipones, Mocobios, Tobas, and Guaycurùs. The
Abipones, called Yaaukanigas, roam over the opposite shore, being only
separated from the city by the river Parana, which, however, proves no
obstacle to their access; for though it is of a great width, they easily
swim across it, in the very sight of the city. Allured by this facility,
it is incredible with what frequent incursions they ravaged the
territories of Corrientes. It is true, that, in former times, they had
for a short time maintained peace with that city, in order that they
might there exchange the spoils collected from the other Spanish
colonies, for necessary articles. These being their dispositions, they
were kindly received in their frequent visits by the inhabitants, and
even entertained as guests by the Vice-Governour. Of the number of the
Abiponian guests was the Cacique Chilome, who, for some unknown cause,
went privily, in the dead of the night, to the house of the
Vice-Governour; which afforded the Spaniards occasion to suspect, that
the savages were meditating to surprize the city, and that they were
waiting for supplies on the opposite bank of the river to aid them in
executing their project. This report being spread, all the people
assembled. The Cacique and his companions were slain that night, by the
terrified and tumultuous throng. This murder was the occasion of much
bloodshed, and the beginning of a most furious war.

The Abipones, when informed of this deed of the Spaniards, exclaimed
that Chilome was unjustly slain, swore to avenge so great an injury, and
did in effect employ all their strength, anger, and cunning in punishing
the inhabitants of Corrientes, having called to their assistance the
Mocobios and Tobas. The citizens passed few weeks without slaughters,
not a day without alarms. Stricken with the fear of death, they grew
weary of a life they knew not how to preserve, the calamity growing
heavier day by day, inasmuch as fewer soldiers remained, numbers being
slain in daily skirmishes with the enemy. The miserable remnant, struck
with consternation at the fate of their comrades, became readier to fly
the savages, than to put them to flight. The whole country was filled
with perturbation and slaughter. The estates and settlements near the
Parana frequently suffered from the fury and rapacity of the enemy. The
little town of Sta. Lucia is about fifty leagues distant from the city,
and inhabited by a few unwarlike Indians; in consequence of which it was
incessantly molested by the savages. An Indian messenger came from that
town and informed the Vice-Governour Ceballos, that the track of the
Abiponian spies had been discovered there. Ceballos, to prevent all
danger of a hostile inroad, sets off for that place with a troop of
horse. When arrived at the spot called _Las Lagunas_, he receives
letters from the curate of Sta. Lucia, informing him that all things are
safe and tranquil at present; upon which he begins to think of returning
to the city. But at this conjuncture, a Spanish horseman, who had just
escaped from captivity amongst the Abipones, arrives with news that on
the neighbouring shore, and almost in sight, is the populous horde of
the Cacique Ychamenraikin, who had lately gone with his Abipones to
plunder Cordoba; that none were left at home but the women and children,
who were only guarded by a few old men; and that this numerous horde
might be safely attacked, and easily taken. Ceballos thought that this
opportunity of a successful enterprize was to be embraced with both
hands, although many of the soldiers condemned his resolution, and even
turned their backs. They said that a captive deserter was not a person
to be rashly trusted; that they, who were few in number and in a hostile
land, might perhaps be overwhelmed by a multitude of lurking savages;
and that a victory bought at so great a risk was by no means desirable.
But Ceballos, despising the murmurs of the soldiery, eagerly hastened
the expedition, and ordered skiffs to be brought for passing the Parana,
where it unites with the Paraguay. The fugitive acting as guide, in a
few hours the vast company of savages was discovered, and surrounded by
the soldiers. The mothers were taken with their children, or cut to
pieces whilst attempting flight, or struggling with the foe; there were
many indeed, who eluded the Spaniards by cunning or swiftness, which was
by no means difficult in those rugged roads. The booty consisted of
numerous droves of horses, and various household utensils of silver,
which the Abipones had formerly taken from the Spaniards. The soldiers,
returning to the city with a vast crowd of captives, filled the
inhabitants with joy and wonder. It is difficult to say the exact number
of those who were taken, of every age and sex, but I think it amounted
to several hundreds. The wife of the Cacique himself, and his little son
Kieemkè, graced the triumph of the soldiers. Raachik, the grandson of
the same Cacique, escaped by the way on his swift horse, through the
negligence of the soldier appointed to guard him, and returned to his
own country. Some of the captives were sent to the remoter towns of the
Uruguay and Parana, that, being deprived of all hope of a return to
their friends, they might be instructed in the Catholic faith amongst
the Christian Guaranies.

The success of this expedition, though it ought to have obtained glory
for its author, Ceballos, served only to procure him the envy of his
fellow-citizens, and, in the end, banishment. He was persecuted by the
people of Corrientes to such a degree that he was obliged to quit the
city, and sail with his family to the port of Sta. Fè. Do not confound
this man with Pedro Ceballos, Governour of Buenos-Ayres, for no
relationship exists between them, either of family or of country. After
the departure of this excellent man from Corrientes, the affairs of the
inhabitants grew daily more desperate. When Ychamenraikin understood, on
his return from Cordoba, that so many women and children, together with
his own wife and son, had been taken in his absence, he appeared quite
frantic. Infuriated by the loss, and by his eager desire of vengeance,
he called on all the nations of Chaco, whose friendship he could depend
upon, to avenge this deed of the Spaniards. Hostile troops were seen
traversing the plain as thick as locusts. The inhabitants were sought,
and dragged from their safest retreats to suffer death or captivity. All
the estates, villages, settlements and roads were besprinkled with the
blood of these wretches. I collect from the journals of that period,
that seventy or more were killed in one day. Such numbers of dead bodies
were carried in waggons from the country to the city, that heaps of them
were sometimes seen lying on each side of the parochial church, not
single bodies in single graves, but all thrown together into one deep
ditch. As in the remoter plains they could with difficulty find any to
slay, they besieged the city with such a force, and so large an army,
that for some days no one could depart from, or return to the city
without danger of losing his life. Whilst guard was kept by day and by
night, the faint-hearted crowd scarcely ever durst quit the churches,
where they besought the forgiveness of offended Heaven, and the
cessation of so heavy a calamity. The provisions already beginning to
fail, and no hope of liberation appearing, their minds lost all courage,
as their bodies all vigour. But at last the most merciful God seemed to
favour the prayers of the supplicants; for on the eighth day of the
siege the garrison made an eruption, which forced the Abipones to
retreat to their encampments beyond the Parana.

After the short truce allowed them by the departure of the enemy, the
people of Corrientes perceived that war was rekindling against them.
Fresh violence was used by the troops of the Abipones towards the
settlements and estates that were farthest from the city. Amongst them
was a place called _Rincon de_ _Luna_, till then thought inaccessible to
all assailants, because it was hemmed in on every side by deep and wide
marshes and ditches, and the Spaniards were forced to approach it by
means of a boat. The Abiponian horsemen swam across that sea. The place
contained many thousands of cattle, and a sufficient number of Negro
slaves to guard them, not one of whom escaped death or captivity, unless
he concealed himself from the eyes of the savages. More than twenty
youths were carried away, and a great number of the older men put to
death. The churches were spoiled of the sacred utensils. Four large
bells were taken away, and thrown into the water to prevent their being
found. An incredible multitude of horses and mules were driven off: in a
word, an estate inferior to none in opulence and security was, in the
space of a few hours, brought to ruin. The same fate befel almost all
the other estates of the Spaniards, which being now destitute of beef,
and the fruits of the earth having been consumed long ago, they began to
be at a loss for provisions. The scarcity of food daily increasing, they
resolved to desert their native city, and passing through the river, to
change their quarters, dreading death more than exile. Whilst the
savages continued to lay waste the territories of Corrientes, neither
the soldiers nor the captains were deficient in their duty. Bold
incursions were repeated against them, and many movements and attacks
made here and there. Spies were sent, day and night, to observe the
motions of the enemy: but what Argus could watch men whose greatest care
and dexterity were exerted to prevent themselves from being seen? The
Spaniards frequently attacked the savages, but with various success;
they were sometimes conquered, sometimes the conquerors. Ychoalay, the
leader of the Abipones, was, in some skirmish, entangled by the soldiers
in a noose used for catching horses, and would have been strangled had
he not quickly extricated himself. But I firmly assert, that the cause
of the fruitlessness of so many expeditions undertaken against the
savages originated, not in the cowardice of the Spaniards, but in their
boldness and intrepidity, blinded by which they were ignorant or
insensible of the dangers which threatened them, and judged vigilance
and swiftness unnecessary to their safety. The circumstance I am going
to relate will be a proof of this. A company of Spanish horse was placed
in a situation obnoxious to the enemy, as in an observatory. Whilst they
ought to have taken a complete survey of all things in the open plain,
they amused themselves with playing cards in the shade. Meantime a troop
of Abipones suddenly appears, and carries away, before their eyes, the
horses of the Spaniards, no one making any opposition. If thus they
eluded them whilst awake and watching, was it a matter of much
difficulty to slay and plunder them whilst asleep and without suspicion?

By the provident counsels of the elder Spaniards, estates and colonies
of Indians had been placed on the higher shores of the Parana; that from
them the enemies might be seen coming out of Chaco, and that the other
remoter settlers might, by this means, be admonished of the approaching
danger. The Parana, in these places, is often broken by little islands,
which, affording resting-places to the horses when they are fatigued
with swimming, offer the Abipones a very convenient passage. Hence, that
all sudden assaults might be prevented by the neighbourhood of the
settlers dwelling on the shore, Sta. Lucia, St. Iago Sanchez, Ohoma, and
Ytati, four townlets of the Indians, were formerly built on the banks of
the Parana, at intervals of some leagues. The Abipones, finding that
these colonies stood in the way of their clandestine journeys to the
interior parts of the province, resolved upon their destruction, and
their endeavours proved by no means fruitless. The town of St. Iago
Sanchez was at length ruined. Whilst the able-bodied Indians were
employed in cutting bulrushes, and a crowd of women, children, and old
men were listening to the preacher, the town and church were suddenly
besieged by the savages, and consumed by fire. Flight was impracticable:
the priest and the whole congregation were burnt to ashes. The
neighbouring townlet of Ohoma was annoyed by continual inroads, till the
inhabitants, fearing lest it should undergo the same fate, deserted it
of their own accord, and removed to safer places. Ytati was miserably
ravaged by the Payaguas, Abipones, and Mocobios, but recovered when
peace was made by the enemy; and is at this day rich in cattle, though
not in inhabitants. The colony of Sta. Lucia was assaulted for many
years, but never completely conquered, though the number of inhabitants
was incredibly thinned. As the circumference of it is very
inconsiderable, it is entirely surrounded by a slender wall, to which it
owes its security, as I was assured by the curate of the place. This man
had made use of two precautions for the defence of himself and his
fellow-citizens; he placed a high chamber on the top of his house,
whence he diligently watched the enemy advancing through the flat
country. He kept continually in readiness, moreover, a very small
warlike machine, by the explosion of which, he both signified to his
people, who were employed without the walls, that they should betake
themselves home, as danger was nigh, and at the same time deterred the
savages from approaching. Arriving at the town of St. Ferdinand, I was
asked by one of the Abipones, which way I had come, and on my replying
that I had passed through Sta. Lucia, "Alas!" said he, "that terrible
Father lives there. He makes use of a huge musket; (alluding to the
engine I have described.) Our horses could never support the thundering
sound it emits, whilst we have laboured to approach it." Had he been
candid, he would have added, that not the horses only, but also their
riders, were often put to flight by the noise of that machine.

Whilst this little town of Sta. Lucia remained in security, the other
towns and estates of the Spaniards were utterly ruined, being either
sacked by the enemy, or deserted by the Spaniards through fear of the
enemy. Therefore, whilst the country near the shore was entirely
divested of the dwellings of the Christians, the Abipones crossed the
Parana at their pleasure, and traversed the land, more like fixed
inhabitants, than occasional visitors. The Spanish scouts sent from the
city were generally eluded by the savages, and frequently slain by them.
But a troop of Spanish horse had remained for the defence of the estates
situated near the rivers Sombrero, Sombrerillo, Peguahò, and Riachuelo,
and of those nearer the city; they also served to guard the oxen brought
from those estates to support the city. Wherever you set your foot in
the surrounding fields, you may behold monuments of the cruelty of the
savages;—here the remains of dilapidated buildings;—there, numerous
crosses planted in the ground. If you enquire what those crosses mean,
you will hear that thirty, forty or more bodies of miserable wretches,
who were slain by the savages, were formerly buried there. They will
show you, in another place, a field sadly noted by the blood and dead
bodies of the Spaniards, who were slain in an unfortunate engagement
with the savages.

Another misery was added to the calamities of the city, namely, the want
of wood. The eastern shore of the Parana, which the city occupies, is
not entirely deficient in trees, which afford wood for fuel, but none
grow there supplying useful materials for building houses, ships, or
waggons. The western shore, however, abounds in such trees; but this
being the land of the Yaaukanigar Abipones, no Spaniard can approach it
without endangering his life. During the heat of the war, Father Joseph
Gaete, of our College, who at that time managed the domestic affairs of
the city, saw there was immediate occasion for a very long and firm
plank, to prop a house which was almost ready to fall. To procure this
with safety, he filled a ship fit to cross the river, with slaves, gave
them a guard of soldiers, and accompanied them himself. But scarce had
the trunk received a few blows from the axe, when the shouts of the
Abipones were heard. The Negroes and soldiers, awaiting neither the
arrival of the enemy, nor the Father's orders, left their tools,
clothes, and food, flew to the ship, and entirely forgetting the plank
which had been the object of their search, made for the opposite bank as
fast as possible, flying "the cruel coasts and greedy shore"; their safe
escape from which was reckoned amongst the blessings of their lives.
From these accounts you may guess in what a condition the affairs of
Corrientes then were. Upon the inhabitants of this city did the Abipones
pour forth their most unrelenting persecutions, because they were the
nearest and most hateful to them. Separated from the Corrientines by the
river Parana alone, they easily reiterated their incursions, attracted
to plunder by the short distance, and stimulated to revenge by the ever
fresh remembrance of the injuries they professed themselves to have
received. The peace concluded with the Abipones in the year 1747, and
the colonies founded for them, at length put an end to these long
calamities. By these means, also, the savages in Chaco were appeased, or
at least restrained, so that the Corrientines, after weathering this
furious storm, began at last to recover from their sufferings.

                              CHAPTER VI.
             OF THE EXCURSIONS OF THE ABIPONES AGAINST THE
                    COLONIES OF ST. IAGO DEL ESTERO.

Long after the other colonies throughout Paraguay had been struggling
with the enemy, the country of St. Iago continued free from molestation
and totally unacquainted with the Abipones, and their powers; for these
savages had at that time discovered no way of approaching them; but at
last the inhabitants themselves were their instructors. They were in the
habit of going in troops out of their own country to the river Parana,
for the purpose of hunting the numerous stags which frequent its banks.
These hunters sometimes held familiar intercourse with the Abipones, and
sometimes, abusing their friendship, carried away their horses. The
savages, provoked by these injuries, pursued their footsteps when they
departed, and in this way first began to obtain a knowledge of the
province of St. Iago, and afterwards to disturb it with arms.

I have found all the Spaniards throughout Paraguay to be active,
intrepid, endowed with a handsome form, great strength, and a noble
disposition, agile in swimming, and remarkable for skill in
horsemanship; but I fearlessly assert that the St. Iagans are better
qualified than any of the rest to pursue the savages. Both themselves
and their horses are extremely patient of labour, travelling, and
inconveniences of every kind, and are satisfied with that food which is
most easily procured. On sudden expeditions against the savages they
make a composition of maize flour, preserved with honey or sugar: this,
mixed with water, is all their provisions, as it allays both hunger and
thirst; and in travelling with them I did not find it unpleasant,
especially when the weather was particularly hot, as it possesses an
excellent property of cooling the body, and quenching the thirst. The
soldiers use it to save time and labour, for neither wood nor fire are
required to cook this flour. When they dismount from their horses to
cross a lake or river, each man draws water for himself in a little horn
cup suspended by a string, and drinks it mixed with this flour, which
saves time, and enables them more conveniently to pursue the savages.
The Spaniards of Cordoba, Buenos-Ayres, and Sta. Fè, when they took a
journey on account of the Indians, used to drive before them whole
droves of horses and oxen. Whilst a soldier of St. Iago, with but one
horse, makes a journey of many days and even weeks, the former change
their horses frequently in one day, and consume a great deal of time in
catching and harnessing them. That fresh meat may be always in
readiness, they kill oxen every day, so that much of their time is spent
in cutting the flesh, roasting and eating it, and in seeking fuel for
the fire to cook it with. It is no wonder therefore that the slowly
pursuing Spaniards are almost always eluded by the savages who prosecute
their flight without interruption, and that the soldiers of St. Iago are
dreaded on account of their swiftness. Moreover the fires which the
other Spaniards kindle on the way are to be condemned, because the smoke
often betrays them to the Indians. When their flour is consumed, the
soldiers of St. Iago support themselves by the wild animals which they
hunt on the way. Few of them are furnished with muskets; their chief
arms are spears, which, though not of the best quality, are more
formidable to the savages than the fire-arms of others.

Another of their excellencies is a wonderful sagacity in exploring. None
are quicker than they at discovering the hidden retreats of the savages,
at finding any fugitive, whether it be man or beast, or at bringing back
any thing stolen. This quickness at exploring enabled them not only to
discover the savages, but to intimidate and overcome them in time of
war; for to discover the enemy, either whilst they are concealed in
their secret retreats, or contemplating a surprize, is a great part of
victory in America. This I learnt for certain, that the horsemen of St.
Iago, on account of their swiftness, and singular skill in exploring,
were more dreaded by the Abipones, and seldomer and more cautiously
attacked than the other Spaniards. St. Iago itself, from being
surrounded by lesser colonies, never suffered either danger or
molestation from the savages. The whole neighbourhood enjoyed the same
exemption; for a row of surrounding dwelling-houses, like little
fortifications, forbade all access to the savages, or at least rendered
it very dangerous. The storm of the war seems, for many years, to have
fallen on the territories that are washed by the river Salado, and on
those near Cordoba. The passage from Chaco to these places is easy, and
the outskirts of provinces are everywhere more liable to the incursions
of hostile nations. The Abipones frequently overran these territories
for the sake of plunder. Many were slain in the fields and houses, some
taken captive, and others robbed of their goods and cattle. How great
were the sufferings of Moppa and Salabina, old townlets of the Indians,
and the neighbouring places! In Manumo many were killed on the same day.
All the men being slain, a Mulatta woman snatched up a sword, and slew
an Abipon, but she was soon killed herself by the rest. The journey from
Sta. Fè to St. Iago was, at that time, most perilous. The ways were
strewed with the dead bodies of the Spaniards. Miguel de Luna, who,
though more remarkable for greatness of body than of mind, had been
promoted to the rank of camp-master, was returning from the estates of
Sta. Fè, accompanied by a great number of horses and oxen, which he had
purchased. Whilst reclining at noon, under the shade of a tree, he was
surprized by a company of Abipones and Mocobios. Of his companions some
were employed in catching the horses which had been let loose to
pasture, others in killing oxen. Some of the Spaniards were pierced by
the spears of the Abipones in the first attack: the rest were saved by
means of their horses' hoofs, leaving the cattle and baggage in the
hands of the enemy. Tinko, a man famous for his knowledge of ways and
tracks, caught hold of his master Miguel with both hands, and placing
him like a bundle on the crupper of his horse, galloped away so quickly
that Miguel had no time to seat himself in a proper position. The
servant and his master were pursued in their flight by a party of
savages, who kept endeavouring to wound them with spears, but none durst
approach for fear of the musket which hung suspended from Miguel's back,
though this musket was in such a condition that the enemy had little
occasion to fear it, nor could its owner expect it to yield a single
spark of fire. Many years after, I saw this noble pair of fugitives, as
well as that famous instrument of defence, at which I laughed heartily,
for it was hardly worthy of the name of musket.

The same road which had been the scene of these events became always
liable to the incursions of the savages, and proved fatal to many who
journeyed there. Alarcon, Las Tres Cruzes, La Viuda, Las Sepulturas, Don
Gil, Do[=n]a Lorenza, and other places near the river Salado, are wont
to inspire terror by recalling the memory of the numerous slaughters
perpetrated there. Throughout these extensive tracts of land, estates
once flourished opulent in cattle, which being laid waste by the
savages, a mournful solitude, opportune for plunderers, had succeeded.
Hence the road hanging over the river Salado was deserted by the St.
Iagans, who, for the sake of security, thought proper to frequent
another, named _El camino de los porongos_. But whilst they avoided
Charybdis they fell upon Scylla, for there the Abipones wandered in
troops, bearing destruction to all they met. One Barassa, and three
companions, as they were conveying merchandise on mules from the city of
Sta. Fè, were cruelly murdered in the field called _Los monigotes_,
whilst I was in Paraguay.

The slaughter of the Spaniards of St. Iago in the woods named Hierro,
was much more desperate. To give you some idea of the extent of it, a
little prefacing is necessary. To seek honey and wax in the woods, to
purify and prepare it, and to sell it to others, is the principal and
peculiar trade of the inhabitants of St. Iago. Slaves are sent for that
purpose by the more opulent, with a director, to the remotest woods,
where natural bee-hives are found in hollow trees. Cottages are built
for the labourers of boughs and straw, where there is a field close by,
and a good opportunity of getting water. They always keep a number of
horses and mules; the former for the purpose of travelling and hunting,
the latter for that of carrying burdens of provisions, wax, and honey.
They are all extremely solicitous to have in readiness very swift
horses, with which they daily sally forth to hunt wild animals, the
flesh of which they use for food, and the skins for bags to hold the
honey. Whilst the rest wander through the wood, their director boils the
wax collected the day before, and prepares food for his companions on
their return. There is one place particularly abundant in honey; it is a
hundred leagues from St. Iago, and is named Hierro.

This circumstance was well known to Oaherkaikin, the crafty leader of
the Abipones, and thither he came to commit depredations with a faithful
troop of followers, nor was he disappointed in his hopes; for he found a
vast number of Spaniards in that place seeking honey. The most
distinguished of these was Lisondo, than whom, the Commander-in-chief,
Barreda, declared, he had not a braver nor more active soldier. One of
the slaves, who had gone to a neighbouring ditch to draw water, spied an
Abiponian horseman leaning upon his spear, and having his face painted
with dark colours; upon which he called out _Amigo_, friend. This
salutation being sternly rejected by the savage, the slave, greatly
alarmed, told what he had seen to Lisondo, who, always intrepid, said he
saw no immediate occasion for fear. Soon after, the bands of Abipones
sprung forth from the various parts of the wood where they had concealed
themselves, and slaying all they met, rushed into the cottage of
Lisondo, who, armed with his axe and his presence of mind alone, broke
the spears of four of the assailants, but at last fell oppressed by
numbers. He expired wounded in many places, having been first dragged
out of doors by strong straps of leather, with which his hands and feet
were bound. Lisondo being slain, the few who escaped the eyes and hands
of the savages, saved their lives by flight. Three or four leapt on to
the same horse, and beginning their journey without any provisions, the
fugitives were threatened with fresh dangers of death. They had to
travel at least fifty leagues, in a vast solitude, before they could
reach the dwellings of men. Hence, wasted with hunger, thirst, and
apprehension, they at length reached home, many of them on foot, and
though they had escaped death, looked more dead than alive. Meanwhile,
in the scene of so much bloodshed, a vast quantity of wax and honey, a
number of excellent horses and mules, the large brazen caldrons for
refining the wax, the axes and various other iron implements, and the
wearing apparel, became the prey of the savages; whilst the owners at
St. Iago bitterly deplored the deaths of the men, and the loss of their
property. The Abipones who committed this slaughter were those who, till
then, had refused to enter the colonies founded for their nation; but
they soon after took refuge in them to avoid the vengeance of the
Spaniards.

The Abipones raged with still more violence and pertinacity against
those colonies which look towards the south, and are near the
territories of Cordoba. Zumampa, Las Barrancas, and El Oratorio, for a
long time witnessed the cruelty of the savages. A whole village was
destroyed, while some of the inhabitants were slain, and others made
captive, scarce one or two surviving. This country is intersected by a
high road, through which waggons loaden with Peruvian money frequently
pass to Buenos-Ayres. The certainty of booty and great facility of
committing depredations had attracted the Abipones to these parts of the
province, to the great annoyance of merchants, who were thus
necessitated either to lose their merchandise, or to bring soldiers at a
great expense to defend the waggons and their drivers, who often lost
their lives as they were endeavouring to defend the lives and properties
of others.

These and many other things of this kind were committed by the Abipones
against the inhabitants of St. Iago, who knew not that they had to deal
with a people accustomed to leave nothing unrevenged. They frequently
eluded the attempts of the enemy by vigilance, oftener warded them off
by dint of brave exertions. They often returned slaughter for slaughter,
wounds for wounds. They had made such frequent inroads into Chaco, and
so many successful invasions of the hordes of the savages, that the
soldiers were scarce sufficient to guard the captives. I cannot commend
the soldiers of St. Iago without launching out into the praise of their
general, Barreda. Excuse me if I make some tribute to my love for this
man, and appear somewhat prolix in what respects him but fear nothing in
regard to veracity. Barreda is indeed my friend, but truth still more
so.

                              CHAPTER VII.
            OF THE EXPEDITIONS OF FRANCISCO BARREDA, GENERAL
                OF THE ST. IAGANS, AGAINST THE ABIPONES
                             AND MOCOBIOS.

Astigi, a city of Andalusia, was his native place. He was born of a most
respectable family, and had been in the King's service from his earliest
years. He set sail from Cadiz for Paraguay, while yet a youth, bearing
letters from the King, in the office of naval secretary. This voyage is
often performed in three or four months, with a favourable wind; Barreda
and his companions, miserably tost about the ocean, scarce reached the
port of Buenos-Ayres on the tenth. Having dispatched their business in
that city, all things were put in readiness for returning to Europe, and
they entered the vessel. But just as they were going to raise anchor, a
furious south wind encountered the ship, turned it on its beam-ends, and
would have sunk it, had it not been held by steady anchors. The crew
remained the whole night on a sand bank, expecting death every moment.
The shades of night increased their fears and their danger. All must
have perished, had not a boat arrived, at day-break, from the shore,
which is three miles distant from the place where the ships lie at
anchor. Barreda conceived such a horror of navigation, that, when his
companions returned to Spain, he remained in Paraguay, reserved by the
Almighty to repress the boldness of the savages, by whom he was more
dreaded in his age, than the sea had been by him in his youth. He was
removed from Buenos-Ayres to Salabina, a little town in the country of
St. Iago, where his skill in writing rendered him very useful. He
volunteered to accompany the soldiers in an incursion against the
savages, and after having, in repeated campaigns, given signal proofs of
wisdom and valour, was promoted first to command a troop of horse,
afterwards to lead them against the savages, and lastly to be chief
ruler, in the Governour's name, over the whole territory of the river
Salado; in which station, he commended himself to the Royal Governour of
Tucuman, by his many brave and noble actions, the chief of which was his
prevailing upon the Vilelas to embrace the Roman Catholic religion. By
means of his industrious efforts, ten thousand Vilelas quitted their
lurking-holes in the woods, entered the new colonies, and received
baptism. The small-pox, which broke out soon afterwards, cut off
greatest part of them, and the survivors settled first in the land of
Cordoba, and afterwards in the territory of St. Iago, where, as they
daily decreased more and more under other masters, they were committed
to the care of the priests of our order.

Barreda pursued the Abipones and Mocobios, who continued hostile, with
the rigour of arms, as he had conciliated the peaceful Vilelas by gentle
measures. If he did not entirely repress their boldness, he certainly
restrained and punished it with frequent discomfitures. The Royal
Governour, desirous of rewarding his merit, conferred on him the supreme
administration, in his name, of all affairs, civil and military, in all
the colonies of St. Iago. How well he answered to the good opinion
entertained of him, you may discover from the circumstance, that he held
this office for thirty years, and never laid it down till his death,
equally beloved by all good men, and dreaded by the savages. Many
declared that they saw nothing to object to in him but his goodness,
which almost appeared carried to an excess. In the punishment of
criminals, he showed himself more lenient, than hasty or severe; for he
used to say he would rather suffer ten guilty men to escape unpunished,
than punish one innocent man. Whenever he pronounced sentence, as a
judge, he endeavoured to favour the Indian rather than the Spaniard,
usually saying: _Hé de attender a la parte mas flaca_: I must defend the
weaker side. He had a very gentle disposition, by which he conciliated
all hearts; his person was handsome, and his body large and vigorous, so
that it was easy to infer how great a soul inhabited it. In uprightness
of conduct, in purity of mind, and in sincere piety, he excelled, or at
any rate equalled all the civil and military commanders of his time. His
love and reverence for the priesthood were very great. In the presence
of hundreds of soldiers, and of my Abipones, he disdained not to honour
my hand with a pious kiss; and to assist me as I was performing the
sacred rites. He devoted himself entirely to promoting the advantage of
the province committed to his care, so that he had no time to think of
heaping up riches, which is commonly thought the chief business of
Europeans in America. But though not very opulent, he was exceedingly
liberal. In short, by the splendor of his virtues, and by his famous
achievements against the savages, he obtained an immortal reputation,
but at the same time excited the envy of cowards and sluggards; a fate
which attends all eminent men, and is their constant inheritance. Noble
actions however clearly refute the accusations of the envious. Barreda
not only attended thirty expeditions against the Abipones and Mocobios,
but headed them all himself except three. The number of his victories,
such victories as are gained in America, was the same as that of his
expeditions. You would have thought that fortune waited on his
footsteps. But he used to impute his success not to fortune, but to the
favour of the Almighty, and to the activity and sagacity of his
soldiers; as if he himself had contributed little or nothing to the
prosperous event of the war. Yet it is allowed on all hands that the
success of these expeditions was chiefly owing to the prudence,
industry, and caution of Barreda. But he was not one of those generals,
who, to speak in the words of Livy, enter a contest, relying more on
their courage, than on their strength. The desire of fame or booty never
induced him to hazard an attack, unless he thought the hope of victory
greater than the likelihood of the most trifling slaughter. In order to
judge of this he carefully marked the situation of places, the numbers
of his adversaries, and the opportunities of the journey and of the
road. A band of scouts was daily sent forward, to discover the
ambuscades of the enemy, to examine their dwellings and their numbers,
or to surprize them unawares. Barreda detested any slaughter of the
savages, if attended by that of his own soldiers. "Where I am present,"
he said, "every thing goes on well. But if," added he, "I were utterly
to destroy all the savages in Chaco, at the expense of two soldiers
only, verily, on my return to the city, I should expect to be saluted
with mud and stones. The people are extremely desirous of the deaths of
the savages, but expect their own soldiers to be immortal in every
battle." As it had been clearly proved that Barreda was by no means rash
in undertaking expeditions, the people of St. Iago with willing minds
followed whithersoever he led, and under no leader did these excellent
soldiers make more daring achievements.

I have already mentioned that the people of St. Iago possessed a
singular skill at exploring, but that Landriel excelled in this respect
is doubted by no one. Barreda made use of him for many years as the
chief instrument of his victories; and by this penetrating discoverer of
the savages he was accompanied wherever he went. Other Spaniards, too,
out of the territories of St. Iago, took him for their guide whenever
the savages were to be attacked or repelled. I will give you an account
of a victory which Barreda gained chiefly by means of this man. As
Landriel was on his way home from the woods, where he had been employed
in collecting wax and honey, he fell in with Barreda, who had just set
off on an expedition against the Abipones, with many hundred horse.
"Tarry here awhile," said Landriel to him. "Let me carry home the mules
loaden with wax and honey, and to-morrow I will return provided with
proper horses, and conduct you straight forward to the dwellings of the
Abipones. I saw them myself very lately, and was compelled by hunger to
slay some of their oxen." Landriel was joyfully beheld by them all as a
propitious star, and not listened to without inspiring confidence of
victory. He stood to his promise, and returning the next day, was the
life of the party, and the eye and right hand of Barreda. In a few days,
as he knew the Abiponian horde to be at no great distance, he stations
the forces which were proceeding into Chaco, in a secure place, whilst
he himself, with another soldier, goes to discover whether the Abipones
continued in the same place where he had first seen them. In the
evening, leaving his horse to the care of his companion, he hastens
alone and on foot to the place where he had lately espied the dwellings
of the savages, but finds that they had changed their quarters. He knew
that close by was a lake, affording great convenience for a savage
horde. Thither he steals, and perceives from the number of fires that
the Abipones, whom he sought, had settled there. Returning to the place
where he had left his horse in the care of his companion, he finds that
both were departed; for the soldier, imagining that Landriel must have
been intercepted by the savages, from his staying so many hours, had
consulted his own safety by flight. Barreda, and all the other soldiers,
after vainly expecting Landriel's return for so long a time, began to
entertain the same suspicions. They were not aware that Landriel had to
return on foot, the same distance which he had gone on horseback. But
when at length he returned safe, Barreda resumed his courage, and all
the rest their hope of victory, especially when they understood that the
retreat of the savages had been discovered.

The journey was now begun, forthwith, under Landriel's guidance; and
when after many hours they had crossed a plain which was flooded to such
a degree as to bear the appearance of a lake, the dwellings of the
Abipones were seen, and instantly attacked. The very few men in the
place could not stand the assault of the Spaniards, but preferred flight
to combat. The Cacique who governed that horde, with most of the
efficient men, were then absent: doubtless, had they been at home, the
attack would not have proved entirely bloodless. Some of the Indians,
however, who were slower in their flight, were slain, and a train of
women and children taken captive. Various silver utensils, the fruit of
much plunder, many hundreds of horses, and numerous oxen, were the booty
of the Spaniards. The day being nearly ended, the Spaniards passed the
night in the same place; not sleeping, but watching, and all the
captives, many hundreds in number, were guarded in the fold where the
horses had formerly been kept.

Amongst the captives were some Spanish women, who had been formerly
taken in war by the Abipones; one of these persuaded the soldiers to
return by a different, and more convenient way than that by which they
had come, and this proposal was eagerly embraced by the soldiers, whose
clothes were still wet with the water of their yesterday's journey.
Meantime the report of the incursion of the Spaniards provoked to the
desire of vengeance all the Abipones who dwelt in the vicinity.
Exasperated by the captivity of their wives and children, they fell upon
the last company of the St. Iagans, but met with a brave repulse. Some
of the soldiers, however, forgetful of the danger, were nearly slain by
the savages, whilst at a distance from their companions. One of them
falling from his horse into a marshy place, would soon have been pierced
with spears, had not Captain Gorosito succoured him by the intervention
of a musket. The Indians, perceiving that their skirmishes had produced
no effect, withdrew to their places of concealment, leaving the
Spaniards to pursue their journey, without further molestation. Alaykin,
ill enduring the loss of so many people and horses, began to think of
establishing a peace with the inhabitants of St. Iago, and of requesting
a colony for himself; both of which he obtained, by the intercession of
Barreda. Numbers were slain, and about two hundred taken prisoners, in
another excursion undertaken by Barreda against the Mocobios, most of
whom, terrified by so much slaughter, took refuge in the town of St.
Xavier, which had been founded in the territories of Sta. Fè, for the
Caciques Aletin and Chitalin, and at that time contained about twenty
families, but was wonderfully increased by the accession of those whom
Barreda frightened into entering it, or freed from captivity and sent
thither. I pass by many other expeditions of this kind which Barreda
successfully conducted against the savages; some of them, however, I
shall touch upon in treating of the affairs of Cordoba. Barreda always
maintained that his assaults on the savages would have caused less
effusion of blood, had his soldiers, though excellent in every other
respect, paid more obedience to his orders. You shall now hear the
complaints he made against them.

                             CHAPTER VIII.
           OF CERTAIN DEFECTS IN THE SOLDIERS OF ST. IAGO, OF
            THEIR COMPANIES, AND OF THE DEGREES OF MILITARY
                           RANK AMONGST THEM.

The soldiers of St. Iago were accused of three defects by their old
general, Barreda. The first is, that in an assault, they neglect to
surround the dwellings of the savages on every side, and thus give them
an opportunity of escaping. They make the first attack in front, leaving
a way to the wood, whither the enemy may take shelter. Experience has
taught them that the Abipones and Mocobios fight desperately when
straitened. They knew well that the province would be more disturbed by
the deaths of two soldiers, than rejoiced at the slaughter of two
hundred savages. Induced by these considerations, the soldiers of St.
Iago, slighting the orders of their commander, attack the enemy on that
part which they think least dangerous to themselves. Another subject of
complaint to Barreda, was, that, though he commanded them to make the
attack in silence, they still would rush on with shouts and senseless
clamour. The third objection was, their greediness for booty. When an
unarmed multitude of women and children were taken, whilst the men
escaped, the soldiers, scattered up and down the plain, were eagerly
seeking droves of horses, when they ought to have been employed in
pursuing and slaughtering the fugitives, and in watching diligently,
lest the savages should shake off dread, quit their lurking-holes, and
again exhibit their faces in the field. Barreda himself, in an
expedition against the Mocobios, ran great risk of losing his life; for
as he remained in the plundered camp, with but one companion, the rest
being employed in catching the enemy's horses in the plain, a Mocobio
suddenly started up from under a mat, and before taking to flight, shot
an arrow at his breast, which would have proved mortal, had he not been
protected by his woollen garment: the man was immediately pierced with a
musket ball. Who would not laugh at the paltry plunder of the enemy's
camp? They search every corner, and collect jugs, pots, gourds, shells,
skins of beasts, emus' feathers, in short whatever they can find,
leaving nothing behind but the dust. With much care and trouble they
carry home all sorts of trash, to be exhibited as trophies to their
neighbours and to posterity.

Not one soldier receives any pay, throughout the whole district of St.
Iago. The colonists are all divided into companies, some of which
consist of two hundred men, more or less. Each has its captain,
lieutenant, ensign, (though that is a mere title, for they have no
ensigns,) and corporals. It is the captain's duty to call out the
soldiers to an excursion. The lieutenant's business is to guard the
horses, both by day, when they are driven all together along the road,
without riders, and by night, when they are grazing in the open plain.
Many take long journeys on one horse, but the more opulent carry four,
or even ten, and ride them by turns. The ensigns act in the place of the
lieutenant, when he is absent, or resting. In each of the territories of
the province, there is a master of the watch, called _Sargento Mayor_,
who has the chief command both over the captains and their companies,
and orders which are to go to war. This officer, sometimes from
partiality, sometimes from being corrupted by bribes, suffers the richer
people to remain at home, and forces the poorer, and generally the least
able, to attend the militia. All condemn, but none dare to correct this
abominable custom, the pernicious effects of which extend to the whole
province. Barreda permitted nobody to be appointed for an expedition,
who did not possess at least four horses, and who had neither brothers
nor grown-up sons at home, to manage his domestic affairs in his
absence. During my stay there, the whole province of St. Iago contained
eleven companies, which took their names from their captains. Beside
these, there is a company of scouts, called _Batidores del campo_,
containing fewer than the others, but those few of tried sagacity and
courage. The chief and the champion of this company was Landriel, who,
as a remuneration for his well-known merits, was declared camp-master by
the Governour of Tucuman. But I should have been better pleased to have
heard of his having been enriched with money, or a pension, than adorned
with an empty title. According to report, his father was not of low
birth, but his mother must have been an Indian, to judge from his
features, speech, and complexion. He was born in a village of St. Iago.
Reading and writing were the extent of his attainments. He was courteous
and upright in his manners, endowed with a quick understanding, with
singular prudence and piety, and robust, though middle-sized in stature.
He always led a single life, to the best of my remembrance. I visited
him on my return from the city, when he dwelt with his mother, in a
miserable hut, not far from Soconcho, on the banks of the river Dulce,
and was grieved to witness the poverty of so famous a man. The Governour
granted him the field Alarcòn, which extends many leagues, and is rich
in woods, but being surrounded with a vast desert, and consequently
liable to the incursions of the savages, cannot be cultivated with
safety.

The last, and chief company, consists of the captains who have served
out their time, and are called _Capitanes Reformados_. These attend the
Vice-Governour, the Commander-in-chief in excursions, but are exempt
from the other journeys and burdens of the war. To obtain this immunity,
those who are more gifted with wealth than courage purchase the title of
a reformed captain, though they never discharged the office either of
captain or lieutenant. You can hardly imagine how ardently all the
Americans, both Indians and Spaniards, sue for military dignities, and
how much they are delighted with these honourable titles. Do they faint
with hunger, thirst and wretchedness?—salute them with the title of
captain, or master of the watch, and they will revive,—_in cælum,
jusseris, ibunt_. There was an old Spaniard who knew how to make
waggons, gates, and mill-wheels, and was, on this account, styled a
mathematician by the ignorant vulgar, who doubtless accounted him
superior to Archimedes. Barreda was in want of this man's assistance in
constructing the gates and window-beams in the new colony of Concepcion;
but being well aware that the old workman would never be persuaded to go
to the country of the Abipones, being more attached to his own house
than a tortoise to its shell, he made use of an honest stratagem to
obtain his purpose, and immediately declared him a reformed captain. In
a few days, Barreda gives out his intention of taking a journey to the
colony. According to custom, two companies and all the reformed captains
were called out, amongst whom, this most noble artificer, as he had
lately been elected one of their number, could not refuse to go. Barreda
jocosely told me the whole story, in the new town of Concepcion, and
charged me always to salute the said workman with the high-sounding
title of Captain, saying it would be an excellent method of stimulating
him to exertion. I took the hint, and whenever I had occasion to visit
the workshop, interspersed every sentence with _Señor Capitan_. "Very
true," said he; "by the grace of God I am a captain; that can't be
denied. But what of that?" And then he complained to me, that many did
not know that this was the case. I immediately employed all my
rhetorical powers in extolling the perfections of a reformed captain in
general, and his own exceeding merit in particular; and in this
panegyric I took care that every sentence should begin and end with,
_Señor Capitan_. At my request, this mode of speech was adopted by
Barreda and all the rest, which artifice succeeded so well, that the
good old man made the gates, doors, and other necessaries, with all
possible dispatch, though not in the most skilful manner: such was the
potency of the unprofitable title of captain amongst them, which I have
seen confirmed by another event of the same kind, that took place in the
town of Concepcion.

Barreda ordered the soldiers to hedge round a very large field, to
plough, and sow it with maize, melons, cotton, &c. and he himself
laboured with his own hands, that the Abipones might not be ashamed of
the plough. At the end of four days, being obliged to return to the
city, he gave it in charge to one of the common soldiers, to get it
properly ploughed and sowed during his absence, promising him, by way of
reward, the title of reformed captain. Lured by so sweet a bait, the
soldier exceeded Barreda's expectation, and almost went beyond himself.
From the rising to the setting of the sun, he made the oxen fly with the
plough, and himself and his companions overflow with sweat, caused by
toiling under a burning sun; careless of the heat, of food and sleep, he
laboured with such ardour, that his task was finished sooner than could
have been imagined. Barreda, on his departure, by sound of drum,
proclaimed this strenuous ploughman a reformed captain, to the
surrounding troop of horse. But you will laugh to hear how transitory is
human greatness. In less than three days, this new captain lost his
dignity, and the favour of him who conferred it. It is worth while to
relate the cause of his disgrace, which will discover a shameful custom
of the soldiers of St. Iago. When absent, they are possessed with an
incredible desire of home. Those who are sent to the colonies of the
Abipones pursue their journey thither very tardily, but return with
amazing quickness. They fatigue their horses with hurrying day and
night, as, though they may have no wounds to show, they wish to present
themselves at home, alive and safe, as soon as possible. From this
extreme desire of revisiting their friends, it often happens that the
soldiers, whilst striving with each other in haste, desert their leader.
Barreda, in the journey I mentioned, was offended to find so very few
soldiers remaining in his company, and particularly at the absence of
him whom he had named captain but a few days before. He sent a man
forward to signify to him that he was degraded from his rank. Grieved
and surprized at this intelligence, he condemned his own haste, and
almost wept for the loss of his title. Landriel became his counsellor,
and advised him to fill the horns, which they used for jugs, with fresh
water, to carry them to Barreda, and say that he had hastened to fetch
cold water from the river Turugon, as none was to be got within many
leagues. Barreda, parching with thirst, was so pleased with this
civility, that, not perceiving the deceit, he restored to the good man
the title of captain. I relate these unimportant circumstances to show
you what a value the Spaniards set upon military titles. Hence, whenever
you meet a Spaniard or half Spaniard in the country, if you wish to
avoid giving offence, be sure not to accost him by his name or surname
alone, but always add his title, if he have any. If he be of the very
lowest condition, call him _Señor Cabo de esquadra_, or _Señor
Sargento_. If you observe wrinkles in his forehead, grey hairs on his
head, and shoes or boots on his feet, though his clothes be ever so
shabby, you may have no hesitation in calling him captain: but if he
have silver clasps to his bridle, brazen stirrups, (we generally use
wooden ones,) spurs of silver, and a staff in his hand, be assured that
he holds the title of _Sargento Mayor_, or _Maestre de Campo_. In a
noble city of Tucuman, where I resided for some time, all the richer
sort of people are called camp-masters, and in fact they are so; for a
knowledge of agriculture and the breeding of cattle is the sole means of
maintenance and nobility to the inhabitants of that place. You would be
thought a savage and fit to be hunted out of society, unless you made
abundant use of these honourable appellations, which they seek with such
ardor. A man of our order happened, on a journey, to fall in with a
Spaniard in a place where four roads met, and, whilst considering which
way he should take, repeatedly addressed his companion with the title of
captain: till the man, thinking himself insulted, said, with a
threatening look, "Good Father, how long will you continue to make me
angry? You must either be a stranger, or very ignorant, since you don't
know that I am a _Sargento Mayor_:" so much displeasure do they evince
if their ears are not gratified with their proper appellations. But they
are not ashamed to be saluted with titles which do not really belong to
them. I saw Barreda writing letters to the Governour of Tucuman, in
which he honoured him with the title of colonel, though he was only
lieutenant-colonel of a regiment of infantry. I reminded Barreda of this
circumstance, thinking it must have slipped his memory. But he replied
that he had written it purposely, not through forgetfulness: that I was
unacquainted with the customs of America, where it is necessary to
politeness, to add one degree, at least, to a title of dignity.

                              CHAPTER IX.
             OF THE ATROCITIES OF THE ABIPONES TOWARDS THE
                           PEOPLE OF CORDOBA.

Cordoba, the principal city of Tucuman, a Bishop's see, contains an
academy which was a few years back as famous as any in South America,
and is extolled for its splendid edifices, and its opulent and
honourable citizens. The ruler of Cordoba is not styled a Vice-Governor,
but a Viceroy. The situation of the city, which is washed by the little
river Pucarà, and surrounded by hills, is neither very pleasant, nor
very healthy. The country on the side of Sta. Fè, and Buenos-Ayres, is a
plain more than a hundred leagues in extent, of most fertile
pasture-ground; but the part looking towards the kingdom of Chili, and
the territories of St. Iago, is irregular, sometimes sinking into low
vallies, sometimes rising into irriguous hills; where feed an infinite
multitude of cattle, horses, mules, and sheep, in which the principal
and almost only riches of the Cordobans consist. This part of Tucuman,
except the city, enjoys a healthy temperature, and a cool breeze arising
from the vicinity of the mountains of Chili; the population is numerous,
and the inhabitants frank, robust, and intelligent, but deserving of a
better fortune in war. Larger woods of quince, pomegranate, orange and
peach trees are no where to be seen: there are also figs, nuts, and
other fruits peculiar to America.

The land of Cordoba might be esteemed fortunate, had the inhabitants
ever been allowed to rest from the incursions of the Pampas, Abipones,
and Mocobios. If, as I have related, the rest of Paraguay was often
disturbed by the inroads of the Abipones, the Cordobans were so
tormented by their perpetual hostilities, that neither place nor season
was free from fear and anxiety. Not only the remote and solitary
estates, but even the immediate vicinity of the city was so confidently
attacked by the Abipones, you would have thought that women only dwelt
there, or that all the inhabitants were asleep. This extensive province
always possessed sufficient numbers, and sufficient strength to repel
the Abipones; the only things needed were courage and proper leaders,
who by their example might animate the people to the defence of their
country, direct the forces it contained to some advantage, and make use
of the strength that really existed: for certainly in no part of
Paraguay were there to be found more expeditious horses and horsemen
than here; not to mention the agility, and skill which the latter
possessed in other respects, their height, singular strength, activity,
and abundance of armour: for their superior opulence enables them, more
easily than the other Spaniards, to obtain the necessary instruments of
war. Oh! that the people of Cordoba would learn to know themselves, and
their own strength! that they would shake off their innate dread of the
savages, whom they could easily vanquish, would they but summon up
courage to make the attempt! The Abipones, conscious that they were
dreaded by the Cordobans, insolently reiterated their assaults, and
generally with impunity. The high-way leading to Peru, and to the cities
of Buenos-Ayres and Sta. Fè, was seldom free from carnage and robberies,
never from danger: insomuch that travellers always either suffered or
apprehended murder from the savages. There was no such thing as
security. Neither the summits of the highest hills, nor the deepest
recesses of the forests afforded any defence. The Abipones examined all
places, like hounds, and seldom returned empty-handed. On St Joseph's
day, before dawn, a vast troop of Abipones, under their leader Alaykin,
burst into the estate of Sinsacate, which is about ten leagues distant
from the city. This place was then administered by the secular priest
Carranza. A great number of people, who had assembled the day before
from the neighbouring estates, intending to be present at divine service
in the church of Jesus and Mary, were there at that time. The savages
either slew, or carried into captivity all they saw. The number of
captives, Spaniards and Indians, was five and twenty: many more were
slain, and the rest saved themselves by flight; every thing was
plundered, and the mules and horses which filled the neighbouring
fields, driven away. The estate was saved by the lofty walls of the
church Jesus Maria, though it suffered a great loss of cattle. The
soldiers of Cordoba, moved by the dreadful report, at last arrived from
the city, that, though unable to restore life to the dead, they might at
least procure the liberty of the crowd of captives. They pursued the
fugitive Abipones for some time, till their further progress was stopped
by a vast lake, which, though crossed by the Indians without hesitation,
seemed to the Cordobans an ocean impassable on horseback, and requiring
the assistance of a boat; so that they were obliged to retire out of
sight of the enemy. The people of Cordoba, notwithstanding that they
excel in point of horsemanship, are little qualified to pursue the
savages, from their inability to swim; the cause of this deficiency is
that most of them live in a place where swimming is not customary, or
where there is no opportunity for practising it. There is a place,
between Cordoba and St. Iago, called Rio Seco. Scattered here and there
in little valleys between the hills are great numbers of well-peopled
estates, and cattle of every description. In this place is a large,
elegant stone church, which owes its celebrity to an image of the Virgin
Mary, and whither numbers flock from all parts, as it has been
distinguished by the favour of Heaven and the gifts of the pious. The
Abipones had informed themselves of this circumstance from their Spanish
captives. The opulence of the place afforded them great hopes of a rich
booty. Having diligently examined every thing through their spies, they
resolved to occupy the narrow straits of the rocks, and block up all the
ways, to deprive the Spaniards of the means of flight. They either slew,
or made captive, all they found in the neighbouring fields, and in the
houses, without opposition: the whole country was devastated. An immense
number of horses and mules were taken by the savages. The church itself
was forced, while affording shelter to those who survived the massacre,
and had fled thither for refuge. They broke open the door with an axe,
though it was secured with bolts and plates of iron. These sacrilegious
thieves carried away the sacred silver utensils, the bells of the tower,
and even the image of the holy mother, with that of St. Joseph; and when
they had murdered all the inhabitants, and plundered all their
possessions, they departed laden with spoils, and the heads of the
slain. But it so fell out by divine dispensation, that Barreda was just
then meditating an excursion against the savages, at no great distance,
and upon receiving information of this outrage of the Abipones,
immediately flew thither with his followers. After pursuing the
fugitives for a long time, day and night, he learned that they had
separated into two companies and gone different ways. The height of his
wishes was to rescue out of the hands of the savages the image of the
divine mother, and though he hesitated a little which way to take, yet,
by God's grace, he finally chose that which led to the party in
possession of the holy image. Proceeding for some time with all speed,
he at last surprizes the Abipones, sitting unsuspiciously on the ground
while their horses were feeding in the pastures. The approach of the St.
Iagan soldiers being perceived, the infantry threw themselves into an
adjacent wood. The Spaniards instantly flew to the baggage which the
savages had relinquished, and joyfully discovered amongst the rest the
image of the Virgin. The enemy's horses were collected and their saddles
burnt. The wood was, for some time, surrounded on all sides by the
soldiers; but at length, the Abipones showed such obstinacy in their
lurking-holes, and the horses were so weakened by three days' hunger and
fatigue, that Barreda began to think of retreating. Nothing was ever
heard of the image of St. Joseph, but most likely it was thrown into
some deep marsh. This hostile aggression upon Rio Seco induced the
Cordobans to surround that church with high stone walls, strengthened
with four towers, that it might no longer be exposed to the injuries of
the savages, and that, like the other colonists, they might defend
themselves in those fortlets, on any impending danger.

The Abipones penetrated also into the valley of Calamuchita, which,
though inclosed by rocks, is rich in herds, at the instigation of a
Negro slave, who, being offended by his master, chose to satiate his
desire of vengeance by the hands of the savages, since he could not by
his own. Much blood was shed there, and every thing plundered that came
to hand. At Zumampa and the neighbouring places, slaughter and rapine
were almost daily committed. The parish of St. Miguel in Rio Verde was
depopulated by continual assaults. Those territories, especially, by
which the Rio Segundo flows, were not only infested by the Abipones, but
chosen by them as places of abode, where they laid in wait for
travellers to Sta. Fè, or Buenos-Ayres. The place called Cruz alta
afforded great opportunities for pillaging. The terror excited by the
slaughters committed there increased every day. On account of the
magnitude of the danger, the waggons for conveying merchandise could
never pass to and fro, except in large companies. The men appointed to
defend the caravans, being generally of the very lowest order,
unfurnished with muskets, armed with spears alone, and moreover entirely
destitute both of courage and vigilance, were every one slain. The
Abipones seized the merchandise and the droves of horses and oxen, and
burnt the waggons to ashes. These tragic events happened very
frequently, and were most ruinous to traders. One, which is of more
recent occurrence, I shall relate, and pass by the rest. Five and twenty
Cordoban waggons bound to Sta. Fè were attacked by the Abipones, on
their second day's journey, a few leagues from the city. The drivers and
guards were all killed whilst sleeping, as usual, at mid-day, in the
plains, (except one who was feeding the oxen on horseback.) Amongst the
number of the slain was Father Diego Herrera, a Jesuit, destined for the
towns of the Guaranies; he was only deprived of his clothes in the first
attack, but lost his life in the second. A rosary, a square hat, and a
habit were carried away by the savages as trophies, and the prayer-books
scattered about the plain. Kebachichi, the leader of that expedition,
wore the slain priest's robe and square hat at all public drinking
parties, in commemoration of the bloody deed. This man, who some years
after resided in the town of St. Jeronymo, when upon a visit to us in
the colony of Concepcion, requested my companion to give him a hat, and
on being refused, said to the Father in a threatening tone, "Dare you
deny me a hat? Don't you know that I am a slayer of Fathers?" The
Vice-Governor of Sta. Fè, to avenge those who had suffered the loss
either of their lives or their properties, marched with some of his
companies into Chaco; but the event did him little honour. He met with a
horde of Abipones, but they falsely declared themselves innocent of the
slaughters that had been committed. Meantime the arrival of the
Spaniards being spread throughout the neighbourhood, more and more
companies of Abipones assembled, and at last raised such a numerous
army, that the Vice-Governor thought it more advisable to treat the
Abipones with biscuit and other gifts as friends, than to assault them
with balls and gunpowder as enemies; which cowardice in their general
filled the soldiers with indignation. Fearing a dangerous return, he
hastened toward the city, the Abipones pressing behind with equal speed.
The soldiers themselves condemned this retreat; for impunity and the
inactivity of some of the Spaniards renders the savages more and more
bold in their attempts; yet they are astounded if any one summons up a
little courage to oppose their assaults, and presents a musket in a
threatening manner. This was found by Galarza, Viceroy of Cordoba, who,
in returning from Buenos-Ayres with some waggons, encountered Kebachichi
and a troop of Abipones. Galarza, seeing the enemy at hand, leapt from
his horse, that he might more conveniently make use of his musket. But
whilst he was hastily tucking up his travelling-dress that it might not
retard him in using his arms, his horse took fright and ran away, and
being furnished with precious trappings, and with pistols, was stopped
by an Abipon. But none of them dared approach the enemy's waggons,
because they were defended by Galarza, who was armed with a musket. The
enemy were deterred from plundering the waggons, and slaying the
attendants, by Galarza's presence of mind, and by the sight of this
musket, which was nevertheless incapable of doing any harm. But he could
not prevent the oxen and horses, which were at a distance from the
waggons, from being carried off. The neighbouring fortification of
Mazangani seems to have deterred these two and twenty Abipones from
attempting any thing further. Whenever I heard this fortification spoken
of, I figured to myself a place fortified with ditches, trenches, walls,
mounds, artillery and a garrison. But how was I deceived! In travelling
from Buenos-Ayres to Cordoba, I perceived Mazangani to be a square area,
scarce fifty feet in diameter, and hedged round with trunks, and thorny
boughs of trees. At the side of it stands a miserable hut covered with
straw, and built of sticks and mud, inhabited by a poor wretched man who
there exercises the several functions of Governor, garrison, and
watchman; for he ascends a high tree placed in the middle of the court
to discover if any savages are to be seen in the surrounding plain. In
order to deter them from approaching, and at the same time to apprize
the neighbourhood of their arrival, he fires a cannon. This is a
faithful description of that terrible fortress. Yet those who reached it
thought themselves, as it were, in port. From this you may judge how
little was necessary to repel those heroic savages. But rendered daily
bolder by frequent experiments, they learnt at last to despise these
little fortresses: for by casting fire with their arrows they easily
burnt the hedges, the cottages, and the defenders of them. Hence the
Spaniards, for the preservation of their safety, erected little stone or
brick fortresses in various places, and strengthened them with warlike
machines.

The plain called El Tio, which lies between Sta. Fè and Cordoba, is
uninhabited for almost thirty leagues, and consequently dangerous to
travellers; for not only the desert, but also a long wood which crosses
the plain ground from North to South, affords the Abipones an
opportunity of pillaging and making surprizes, especially at El Pozzo
Redondo; for after a great deal of dry weather, in this vast plain not a
drop of water is to be found, nor a bit of wood to make a fire with; but
both are supplied by the lake called El Pozzo Redondo, which is near a
wood. To travellers, therefore, who have crossed the plain and are
parching with thirst, nothing is more desirable than this lake, and at
the same time nothing is more formidable, since they cannot reach it
without risking their lives; for in this place the Mocobios and Abipones
lie in wait for the Spaniards, whom they know to be in the habit of
travelling by it. I have twice taken a journey to El Pozzo Redondo,
accompanied by four Spaniards. The first time we were in great
trepidation from the memory of slaughters recently committed there; on
the second we had nothing but inconvenience to endure, a two years'
drought having entirely dried up the lake. We and all our horses must
have perished with thirst, had not a great quantity of rain fallen that
night, accompanied with thunder. To increase the general consternation,
our guide told us that a certain Spaniard, in the service of the Royal
Governor, who had attended many campaigns in Europe, formerly passed a
night in this place. To the affirmations of the Paraguayrian soldiers
who accompanied him, that this place was dangerous from being liable to
the insidious attacks of the Abipones, he boastingly replied, that those
American pillagers were more worthy of derision than of dread. But the
Abipones assailing them the next day, he was so terrified at their yells
and their very aspect, that he suffered every indignity to which cowards
are liable. The savages carried off the horses, and whatever else
pleased their fancies. The European hero owed his life to his
Paraguayrian companions, and learnt to fear what he had thought a jest
the day before. But during the latter years of my residence in Paraguay,
the plain of El Tio was placed in security. Fortifications were erected
in two places, where a company of soldiers keeps continual watch, and
daily reconnoitres those parts whence the approach of the savages is
apprehended. Ever since Alvarez, master of the horse, was preferred to
the command of these guards, great restraint has been put upon the
licence of the savages, who before left nothing untouched, nothing
unattempted. I myself have witnessed what universal dread they excited,
when we sixty Europeans, accompanied by some Spanish natives, performed
a journey of one hundred and forty leagues, from the port of
Buenos-Ayres, where we had landed a little before, to Cordoba. Our
company consisted of about a hundred waggons, each drawn by four oxen,
but the number was doubled when they had to cross marshes: the driver
goads them on with a long pole, armed with a spike, and a horseman
generally goes before to show the way. These heavy waggons are supported
by two huge wheels, and have an arch at the top covered with a hide,
that the rain may run off them. The sides are sometimes enclosed with
boards, sometimes with mats, and have the appearance of a basket. No
iron is employed in any part of them. In the hind part where the door
is, there is a ladder to ascend by; in front there is a window. Each
waggon is generally occupied by one person, sometimes by two, and serves
for house, bed, and dining-room; for in the midst is placed a mattress,
on which you are conveyed along, with a jolting that, for the two or
three first days, produces vomiting, like sea-sickness. Most of the
journey is performed in the night, for the oxen cannot long bear the
heat of the sun in the day-time. Six pair of oxen are assigned to each
waggon, that they may relieve one another in the labour. To watch and
feed so great a number of cattle, many guards are necessary, each of
which have need of many horses. Neither they nor the drivers, nor the
men who ride before the waggons, are supplied with any other food except
beef, which is also the daily fare of the travellers in the waggons; so
that a great many oxen are consumed every day to satisfy so many hungry
stomachs. From this you may judge how great must be the number of men
and beasts, when a hundred, or more frequently two hundred, waggons of
this kind, travel a hundred and forty leagues of desert land together;
and, good heavens! what a noise they make! for the wheels are never
greased; they even catch fire sometimes by the continual friction of the
wooden axle, and wrap the waggon itself in flames. Excepting a few
estates and cottages in the neighbourhood of Buenos-Ayres and Cordoba,
you find nothing but a plain, void of inhabitants, buildings, trees,
rivers, or hills, but abounding in horses, wild asses, emus, does,
skunks (zorrinos,) and tigers. Fuel and fresh water are forced to be
carried for the daily consumption of the travellers. We were often
obliged to drink the muddy rain water which remains in the ditches,
though the very beasts, unless parching with thirst, would have refused
it. This immense wilderness which we had entered daily threatened us
with fresh difficulties and fresh dangers, greater than any we had
experienced in a three months' voyage on the ocean. Scarce a day or
night passed without tidings of the Spanish scouts having seen the
footsteps of the savages, or heard their whistles or pipes; in
consequence of which, most of the waggons were daily placed in the form
of a circle, for their mutual defence, and furnished with spears and
muskets. But whenever the Spaniards recollected how many former
travellers had fallen into the hands of the Indians, in these parts,
they thought the very rustling of the grass a harbinger of the approach
of the Abipones, and whilst the veteran natives of Paraguay were thus
alarmed at shadows, they inspired us novices in America with continual
dread. Our fears, however, proved groundless, for none of the savages
presented themselves to our sight; a circumstance which we attributed to
the special favour of God, since that part of the country had for many
years been the theatre of rapine and slaughter.

                               CHAPTER X.
              OF THE FRUITLESS EXCURSIONS OF THE CORDOBANS
                         AGAINST THE ABIPONES.

What! you exclaim, did the minds of the Cordobans at last grow callous
to so much slaughter?—Were they so tame as never to think of
revenge?—Did Cordoba want men, or arms, or strength? In neither of these
requisites was that flourishing city deficient. The Cordobans have
always in readiness twelve thousand men fit to bear arms. Cordoba
abounds in swift and strong horses. The bodies of the inhabitants are
strong and vigorous, and their minds filled with the desire of military
glory; they might not only put the Abipones to flight, but reduce the
whole province of Chaco: in short, they might do every thing against the
savages, did not the vain fear with which they are possessed make them
despair of doing any thing. Whilst depressed by the recollection of the
slaughters they had suffered, they thought victory must always attend
the Abipones; they dared attempt nothing against them, and were thus
forsaken by fortune, which usually favours the brave. I will here
describe some expeditions of the Cordobans, the issue of which was
always either unfortunate or ridiculous.

The Abipones laid waste the territories of Rio Segundo, and some
Cordoban forces were sent out to repress them. The enemy was overtaken
in the open plain. On one side stood the Spaniards, on the other the
Abipones, in battle-array. They threatened one another for a long time,
but no one had courage to begin the attack, till at last an Abipon leapt
from his horse, approached the ranks of the Spaniards, and challenged
one of them to single combat. Many of the soldiers would have been
willing enough to engage with this bold one, but the leader of the
expedition forbade them to stir hand or foot, under pain of death;
perceiving which, the Abipones slowly departed, each his own way,
leaving the Spaniards to themselves. The Cordoban captains acted in the
same way on other occasions, and by thus betraying their own fear,
rendered the savages still bolder in their projects. To pacify the minds
of the people, endless expeditions were undertaken against Chaco, but
all unsuccessful. There were many causes for this. These delicate
warriors always drove before them a vast number of horses and oxen,
consequently the journey was retarded by the multitude of beasts. The
number of captains was too great in proportion to that of soldiers;
there were too many to give commands and too few to execute them.
Besides laden mules, they carried a good many waggons for conveying
provisions, which are always sure to impede a journey. Moreover, the
Commander-in-chief made use of a chariot for show. I myself saw a place
in Chaco where that chariot and all the waggons were burnt by the
Cordobans, when, surrounded by pools and marshes, they could neither go
back nor forwards. Doubtless the ways which led to the retreats of the
savages in Chaco, were dangerous to the Indians themselves. The nature
of the soil is such, that after a long cessation of rain, it grows as
dry as a flint, and denies even the little birds wherewith to drink; but
if the showers be frequent, you will not find an inch of dry ground to
walk or lie down upon. As the plain is varied neither by fountains,
hills, nor stones, but runs out into a vast extent of even ground,
covered with turf, when deluged with rain it presents the appearance of
a lake. At other times the road is intercepted by marshes and
overflowing rivers, which occasion delay, even if the soldiers can
overcome them by swimming; but if this be not the case, they are
entirely prevented from proceeding, being unprovided with bridges or
skiffs. The place of these is supplied, as I have said, by the pelota;
but, as those vessels are capable of holding but one man at once, much
time will be consumed whilst four hundred soldiers are transported, in
this manner, to the opposite shore; and likewise so much noise must
necessarily be made during the process, that the enemy, apprized of
their arrival, will either take to speedy flight, or rush on the
Spaniards whilst unprepared and separated from one another by the river.
If, therefore, you would know the chief reason why the Spaniards so
often returned ingloriously home from Chaco, without even obtaining a
sight of the savages, it was that they could not swim.

Of this I had a most creditable witness in Landriel, who sometimes acted
as guide to the Cordobans in their expeditions into Chaco; and under
whose conduct they arrived, after many days' journey, at the eastern
shore of the river Malabrigo, on the opposite side of which the Abipones
Riikahes were accustomed to pitch their tents. It was a difficult matter
to discover their lurking-holes, to attack which was the object of the
expedition; the whole plain being deluged with water to such a degree
that no traces of either man or beast could be found there. The only
things that appeared above the surface of the water were some large
ant-hills, from one of which Landriel perceived that a honeycomb had
been lately taken. This circumstance led him to conjecture that the
Abipones must be somewhere near, and after much search he discovered a
large horde of them, which might have been attacked, conquered,
plundered, and destroyed on the same day, had Landriel brought soldiers
of St. Iago, Corrientes, or Sta. Fè, all excellent swimmers, instead of
Cordobans who are ignorant of that art; for as they drew nigh to the
hostile horde, it was necessary to cross the river Malabrigo, which,
being at that time greatly overflowed, would neither suffer a bridge,
nor allow of being forded. The soldiers might all have been transported
to the opposite shore on a hide, but they foresaw that a passage of this
kind could not be effected in less than a day, whatever haste were
employed. Meantime the Abipones, roused by the noise of the Spaniards,
or by the neighing of their horses alone, would have placed their
families in safety, and undoubtedly attacked and routed the Cordobans,
who were never formidable to them, and would be still less so at that
time, when their forces were divided by the river. After discussing
these matters, they concluded that it was most advisable to hasten their
return, which they did, falling, rather than marching; for the way had
been rendered slippery from the inundation, and dangerous on account of
the deep holes underneath the water. Numberless multitudes of wild oxen
had formerly filled the plain, and the bulls by tearing the ground with
their horns, as is usual with them when enraged, had occasioned those
numerous holes: which are the more dangerous to horsemen because when
covered with water they cannot be seen: many of them are one cubit deep,
and equally wide. If any of the Cordobans slipped into one of these
holes, his comrades all followed him, and fell in too, and when Landriel
advised them to turn their horses a little to the right or the left, for
the sake of avoiding the ditch where their companion had fallen, they
seldom attended to his admonitions, saying, "It is true we saw our
fellow-soldier fall in there, but we also saw him get safely out again.
If we go another way we shall perhaps fall into a deeper ditch, whence
we may not rise without injury." These holes are properly called by the
Spaniards _pozzos_, or wells, because they receive the rain water, and
preserve it a long time for the use of travellers, when the plains and
woods are parched by a dry season. From what I have related you may
collect, that the expeditions of the Cordobans into Chaco, so far from
subduing and overawing the savages, served only to confirm them in their
disposition to plunder; indeed they became more unrestrained in their
attacks upon the colonists of Cordoba, in proportion as they became more
fully convinced of the imbecility of the Cordoban soldiers, whom they
believed incapable of returning injury for injury, slaughter for
slaughter, and deterred from venturing into Chaco by the difficulties of
the journey thither. To ensure the safety of the merchants, soldiers
were at last hired to keep guard continually over those places. The tax
laid on the herb of Paraguay, which is conveyed in waggons into Peru,
was the chief source of the money for paying the soldiers. But this
provision, though it thoroughly drained the purses of the merchants, did
not much lessen the boldness or frequency of these robberies, the
savages sometimes craftily deceiving this little band of soldiers,
sometimes intimidating it with superior numbers. It is true that when
most part of the Mocobios and Abipones were settled by us in the
colonies, the province, delivered from so many enemies, began to breathe
once more. The remainder of both nations, who still wandered without
these colonies, though they disturbed and laid waste the country of Sta.
Fè and Asumpcion, hardly ever attempted any hostilities against the
territories of Cordoba; which tranquillity they owed to Alvarez, captain
at Rio Segundo, and to Benavides commander at Rio Seco. As soon as those