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.