CHAPTER XXVI.

MY JOURNEY TO ST. IAGO ON BUSINESS PERTAINING TO THE COLONY.

Affairs were in such a state that both colonies seemed on the verge of destruction, as well from mutual enmity, as from the persecutions of foreign foes. "One of us," said Father Sanchez, "must go to St. Iago to inform the Governor of Tucuman, or his deputy Barreda, of our present jeopardy, and ask his advice on the subject. This journey, of an hundred and seventy leagues, amid vast wildernesses, where you can scarce discover a vestige of mankind, except wandering savages, who sally forth to plunder, is, as you are well aware, full both of peril and inconvenience." Unterrified by this representation, I preferred going to the city, as a messenger, to remaining as a guard in the endangered town, foreseeing that, should it be destroyed in my companion's absence, the whole blame would be laid on me by the Spaniards. I entered upon this difficult journey accompanied by three Indians, who, though converted to Christianity, were more uncivilized than any of the savages. To these was added a Mulatto, who had been kept in chains at Sta. Fè, for stealing ten thousand Spanish crowns from a waggon conveying Peruvian money to the merchants; but escaping from prison was ordered, by the Corregidor, to preside over the guards of the cattle, by way of atoning for his crime. Thus a man convicted of theft, and escaped from prison, was my companion on the way. Oh! what a noble guard, and attendant! Yet his services were both necessary and useful to me. That part of the country which we had to cross was, in great part, covered with lakes and marshes over-grown with reeds and bulrushes, and swelled to such a degree by continual rain, that our horses could scarcely ford them; the deep holes, and ant-hills, too, hidden under the water, caused us to stumble perpetually. The rest of the plain country was deluged with water, and scarcely afforded a turf where we might lie down at night, or our horses take pasture. For the first three days of our journey, we were persecuted, day and night, by unceasing rain and thunder. Our clothes, our bodies, even the breviary, in short whatever we made use of, were dripping with water. Our provision, which consisted of beef alone, was continually moistened till it swarmed with worms; the weather at last becoming tranquil, we tied it to a rope and hung it out to dry, but the stench of it was intolerable even at a distance: nevertheless, as no other food was to be procured in that vast solitude, we were obliged to allay our hunger with this putrid meat, that we might not absolutely die of want. My Indian companions caught an immense fish in the river Salado, but they devoured it all themselves, and would not give me a morsel, though I was labouring under the extremity of hunger. By many days' rain, rivers, not otherwise very large, were swelled above their banks, and rendered a passage not only difficult but even dangerous. Moreover, the hide we used to cross rivers with was softened to such a degree that it could not be used, unless stuffed out with boughs on every side. Our having escaped the eyes of the savages who infested those places we considered a very wonderful, as well as fortunate circumstance; for though we observed here and there the fresh footmarks both of themselves and their horses, we were never discovered by them.

The horses, of which we took a great number, on account of the length of the journey, were so much fatigued with swimming and fasting, as to be scarce able to bear their saddles. Their hoofs, too, were softened by the water, which greatly impeded their progress. I must own that I was exceedingly fatigued myself with sitting on horseback such a length of time, in rainy weather; for it is very unpleasant to have one's clothes wet both day and night, so that they cling to the skin. My companions used to take off all their clothes, and remain naked till they were dried by the air, or the fire; but I could not have followed their example without violating the laws of decency. My strength moreover was greatly exhausted by fasting so many days: for I could never eat more than a few mouthfuls of the stinking meat, though destitute of any other provision. On the thirteenth day of our journey, impelled by hunger, I rushed into a solitary cottage which met my eyes, and though nothing was to be found there but a melon and three heads of maize, this scanty meal seemed quite to restore my exhausted strength.

After having spent sixteen days on the road, we at last came in sight of St. Iago, but were prevented from entering it by the river Dulce, which had been increased to such a width by an unusually violent flood, that it was become formidable to the most dexterous swimmers. Its course was so rapid as to bear down vast trunks of trees, and cottages torn from the banks, which, had they encountered the hide on which we were sailing, would have overturned, or torn it to pieces. My crossing this sea in safety, I owe to Barreda, who, on being informed of my arrival on the opposite shore, sent two famous swimmers from the city to carry me over.