CHAPTER XXXIV.

FRESH DISTURBANCES, CAUSED BOTH BY STRANGERS, AND BY THE INHABITANTS THEMSELVES.

At another time the colony was threatened with a still more dangerous storm, but which was averted by the valour of the Yaaukanigas. More than three hundred Mocobios and Tobas approached the town by a silent and hasty journey. One of their number deserted,—got the start of his companions, and informed Oaherkaikin's Abipones, our neighbours and friends, of the impending attack; by which means we received timely intelligence of our danger. Father Klein, seeing that we were inferior to the enemy in point of number, with his usual intrepidity crossed the Parana in a boat, though a violent south wind had rendered it exceedingly rough, to seek supplies from the Vice-Governor of Corrientes. Meantime our Yaaukanigas, who were constantly exhorted by me to a strenuous defence of the colony, indulged in drinking, as usual with them when they anticipate an encounter with the enemy. For my part I neglected nothing which could contribute to the defence of the colony, exerting the utmost vigilance, and sending scouts and guards in every direction. At two o'clock on Quinquagesima Sunday, a Yaaukaniga spied one of the enemies in a neighbouring field, from which we readily concluded that a company was there also. The Yaaukanigas, though hardly able to stand on their feet from intoxication, immediately mounted their horses which the women made ready, and rushed in a disorderly manner upon the Mocobios and Tobas, who were lying hid at the border of the wood. Uncertain of the event, and anxious for the safety of the town, I remained in arms ready to bring my assistance wherever it might be required. Gracious Providence ordered things according to our wish; for the enemies, surrounded, and alarmed at our sudden attack, chose to decline battle, and trust to flight. In the closeness of pursuit, the Mocobios were divided. Part flying towards the south slew two Abiponian women who were gathering alfarobas, and carried into captivity one infant which they took from its mother's breast. The other part hastened towards the north, pursued by our townsmen till late at night. One only of the Yaaukanigas received a slight wound at the beginning of the conflict: how many of the enemy were slain and wounded is uncertain.

But you, I suppose, are still expecting the auxiliary forces which Father Klein had sailed to Corrientes to seek the day before. I will give you some account of this matter, to show you how little dependence could be placed on the support of the Spaniards, even in cases of extreme danger. About evening, whilst our Indians were pursuing the enemy, two Spanish soldiers arrived, but neither of them deserved the name of soldier, or bore the slightest shadow of resemblance to a Spaniard. If Hercules be not a match for two, what, I beseech you, could a couple of poor dastardly fellows do against four hundred savages? They were of no use whatever, and served only to excite the laughter of the Indians. No prayers, no promises, could induce them to employ themselves in removing the cattle to the town, lest the Mocobios should carry them away at night from the pastures: palpitating with fear they declared it impossible to stir without the inclosure of our house. The Indian boys, more courageous than these soldiers, brought the whole herd within sight of the town, and diligently guarded them at night that they might not be again dispersed. We all kept watch the whole night lest the enemy should repeat the attack; and indeed in the morning our scouts discovered traces of the Mocobios who had been wandering over our estate.

The Yaaukanigas, exasperated at the slaughter of the two women, and at the inefficient supplies afforded them by the Spaniards, sent a courier for the Vice-Governor, and menacingly signified that they should consider any delay or refusal as a violation of friendship; and on Ash Wednesday, Nicolas Patron, accompanied by ten soldiers, appeared with Father Klein. Our Indians, and the hordesmen of Oaherkaikin, who had been summoned to attend, received him in arms, and with their faces painted; and when he entered our house they besieged the doors on both sides, and blocked up all access to the market-place, which plainly indicated that they entertained hostile intentions. The Vice-Governor, who was of an intrepid and jocular disposition, spying Pachiekè, brother of Narè, at other times a great friend of his, said to him,—"If you are going to speak with me, first wipe off the soot with which you have daubed your face;" to this he replied, in a threatening tone, "Because you are going to speak with me is the very reason that I have painted my face with these dark colours." He then, in the name of all the people, insolently rehearsed their grounds of complaint, saying, "_We_ victors unwillingly granted _you_ vanquished the peace you sued for. Long did we refuse this colony which you have thrust upon us, knowing ourselves less powerful than the enemies which dwelt in the neighbourhood. To free us from this anxiety how many and great were your promises! 'My soldiers,' said you, 'shall be yours, and your enemies shall be mine.' Our forming this friendship with you, procured us the hatred of the Mocobios and Tobas, our former allies. For many years they have dared the utmost against us. Our children are torn from their mothers' bosoms, our wives slain, our horses stolen; the enemies attack us day and night, and did we not elude their snares by vigilance, and their numbers by valour, not a man of us would be left alive, or have a horse to sit upon. These things are not unknown to you, yet you quietly hear of our calamities without emotion, and never even bestow a thought upon assisting us. Of late, when, to revenge our injuries, we attacked the Mocobios with hostile arms, how fiercely was your anger kindled against us! You are afraid, forsooth, that the Mocobios, if provoked by us, will vent their rage upon you, and ravage the territory of Corrientes. How long will you have your security purchased with the danger of our lives? Spite of all your opposition, we are determined to go out against the Mocobios, and revenge our injuries. This one request we reasonably make, as a testimony of your friendship, and a reward of ours, that you will send ten Spanish horsemen, provided with muskets, to accompany us on this expedition." Here the Governor interrupted Pachiekè, who was proceeding to say more, and with an ill-timed joke evaded his threatening speech. "When," said he, "with a very long spear in your hands, and paints of various colours on your faces, you make the plain tremble under your horses' feet, and fill the air with the horrible braying of trumpets, in good sooth, you think yourselves mighty heroes." As he spoke this with mimicking gestures, appearing to ridicule the method of warfare practised by the Abipones, extreme indignation was excited amongst the bystanders. Whilst the rest were expressing their resentment, one, more forward than the rest, exclaimed, "Take care how you make a jest of our horns and trumpets, the clangor of which has, for so many years, caused every limb of you Spaniards to tremble." The horrid murmuring of the whole people and their threatening looks portended danger to the Vice-Governor, who, to conciliate their enraged minds, adroitly altered his tone, commending the Abipones, instead of satirizing them, as I warned him by signs. To flattery he added plenty of promises, (to which he never stood,) saying that another expedition against the Guaranies prevented him from giving them satisfaction at that time, but that as soon as the present war was finished, he would go out against the Mocobios, with some companies of horse. Having said this, he hastened back to the city under pretext of business, his coming having served no other end than that of irritating still further the minds of the Indians. No one could suggest any remedy for the afflicted colony which seemed sinking to ruin: amid continual attacks from the savages, or the apprehension of them, years passed away—years barren of comfort, but fruitful of misfortunes. Yet still more pernicious than any foreign foe was the unfortunate society of Debayakaikin's Abipones, both to the improvement and domestic affairs of the town; induced by their examples, or relying on their support, our Yaaukanigas frequently dared to make inroads into the lands of Cordoba, Sta. Fè, and Asumpcion, where, though they committed no slaughter, they carried off droves of horses. With still greater boldness, they annoyed the neighbouring towns of the Guaranies, by whose liberality chiefly they were clothed and fed. These predatory incursions we condemned, forbade, and lamented, but had not the power to prevent. They never did any mischief, however, to the territory of Corrientes. After the departure of Debayakaikin, many of his hordesmen remained in the town of St. Ferdinand, others joined the horde of Oaherkaikin, who had long established himself in a neighbouring plain, almost in sight of the town. No tears can sufficiently deplore, nor words express the injury which the morals of the Yaaukanigas sustained from the vicinity of these plunderers, and the mischief they did to our little estate. One of this savage rabble, more rapacious than the rest, made greater havock amongst the herds than any tiger, and no means of restraining his robberies could be adopted, whilst our Yaaukanigas, ever friendly to Oaherkaikin, sometimes abetted, sometimes concealed them. The Vice-Governor, when informed of the affair, durst not utter a word of reproof to this chief of the plunderers, who was impudently sitting by his side in our house, but endeavoured to conciliate him by civil speeches. If Spanish generals, accompanied by soldiers, are dumb through fear, when they ought to reproach the savages with their wickedness, who can wonder if the Fathers, destitute of all human aid, and given up to the power of the savages, were afraid to treat their errors with too much severity? Yet despising death we overcame fear, and when any thing improper met our observation, reprehended it, if reprehension seemed likely to be of any avail. Take one example out of many which might be related of the men of our order. Father Klein, with his usual fearlessness, advised a young man of high family amongst the Yaaukanigas to refrain from incursions against the Spaniards, when the ferocious youth dashed a club at his head with such force that he fell swooning to the ground covered with his own blood. Not one of the Spaniards who were there, not one of the Abipones, durst lay hands on the perpetrator of this sacrilegious blow: he went unpunished. Another Yaaukaniga struck the same Father with his fist, crying, "It is a fable what you tell us about a God who created all things."

The estate was exhausted by the continual rapacity of these plunderers, and scarcely contained oxen sufficient to feed the Indians for two months. I declared in presence of the Vice-Governor that we should soon be forced to desert the colony from want of cattle, but he entreated me not to think of such a thing, saying, "If you depart, and suffer the Yaaukanigas to do the same, the malicious will say you have done so with the intention of involving us Spaniards anew in the calamities of war." "No one," replied I, "would be so foolish as to credit such a calumny. We cannot confine the savages within the limits of a little town, nor restrain them from their habit of wandering, unless we have plenty of provision at home." The Vice-Governor, convinced, or more probably alarmed by this speech, promised many things for the preservation of the colony, and had his powers corresponded to his wishes, this excellent man would doubtless have fulfilled his promises. The Provincial, informed by me of the ruin which threatened the colony from want of cattle, immediately sent me a thousand oxen, for the support of the Indians: by his liberality, and the supplies of the Guarany towns, an estate was founded on the opposite shore of the Parana, which, not being exposed to predatory incursions, abounded in cattle of every kind in the space of a few years.

One thing is certain, that this colony of Yaaukanigas was not preserved by the support of the Spaniards, but chiefly by the vigilance and industry of the Jesuits, and that it was little indebted for assistance to the city of Corrientes, which, on the other hand, derived much advantage from it, remaining unmolested, from the time of its commencement, by the inroads of the savages dwelling in Chaco. Moreover the Corrientines, reduced almost to desperation by long war, were enabled to build ships, and waggons on the opposite shore of the river on which our colony stood, and which abounds in most excellent trees, and to enrich themselves by commerce without danger. In the year 1767, when we returned to Europe, the number of Christian Yaaukanigas was two hundred, the rest having died of small-pox and other diseases. The survivors, exasperated at the Spaniards on account of our banishment, burnt the church and the houses of the Fathers to ashes, deserted the colony they had inhabited for seventeen years, and returned to their ancient retreats and their old habits of plundering. A priest of the order of St. Francis, who had been substituted in our stead, scarce preserved his life by flying to the city. So unfortunate was the event of a colony that had cost us so much labour and misery, an event highly pernicious to the Corrientines and other Spaniards, against whom the Indians resumed their arms, soon after quitting the colony.