All Saints' eve, the two ships approached at night close to one another,
and the one spoke the other, asking if we were in the river Paranaw; our
seaman said we were in that river, but the other one said we were at a
distance of twenty miles from it.
For when two, three, or more ships sail in company, they always come
together at sunset, and ask one another how long they have sailed day
and night, and what wind they intend taking at night, in order that they
may not separate from one another.
After this our skipper again addressed the master of the other ship,
asking if he would follow him, but the other said that it was already
night, and he would therefore stand out to sea till next morning, and
would not make the land by night; this skipper was indeed somewhat wiser
than ours as the event afterwards proved.
While our ship continued on its way that night, having parted company
with the other, great storm-winds arose at sea, so that we saw the land
by twelve or one o'clock, before we could anchor.
And when the ship had touched the ground, we having notwithstanding a
full mile to make in order to reach land, knew of no other counsel save
to appeal to God Almighty that He might be merciful and take pity on
us. That same hour our ship was broken into many thousand pieces, and
fifteen of our men and six Indians were drowned. Some taking hold of
large pieces of timber swam out, and I with five of my companions
escaped on the mast. But of the fifteen drowned we could not find one.
God bless them and us all. Amen.
We had afterwards to go on foot one hundred miles,[135] having lost all
our clothes and victual, and had to sustain ourselves with such roots
and fruits as we could find in the fields, until we came to the haven
called S. Gabriel, where we found the aforesaid ship with her captain,
which had arrived there thirty days before us.
[135] The distance which Schmidt and his companions would have had
to walk, in a straight line between Cape Santa Maria, where it is
probable that the shipwreck took place, and the island of San Gabriel,
would have been 255 English miles.
When this mishap had been reported to our commander, Martino Domingo
Eijolla,[136] he and all his men were very sorry, for they thought we
had all perished, and they had already caused masses to be said for our
souls.
[136] Domingo Martinez de Irala.
As soon as we had arrived at Bonas Aeieres,[137] our commander, Martin
Domingo Eijolla, ordered the captain of our ship and the pilot to come
before him; and if there had not been much intercession on behalf of the
pilot he would have been hanged. He was, however, condemned to stay for
four years on the bergentin ships.
[137] Buenos Ayres.
All the people being together at Bonas Aeieres, our chief captain
ordered that the bergentin ships should be made ready, and that all the
soldiers should be in them together, and that they should burn the great
ships; preserving, however, the iron tackling. After this had been done,
we sailed once more up the river Paranaw, and came to the town Noster
Signora Desumsion, where we remained two years, waiting further orders
from H. I. Majesty.
Meanwhile, another chief commander named Albernunzo Cabessa de
Bacha,[138] came from Spain, appointed by H. I. Majesty, with four
hundred men and thirty horses, in four vessels, two of which were large
ships, and the other two Karabella.[139] These four ships arrived in
Brazil at the haven called Wiessay, or S. Catherina,[140] to seek
provision of victual, and when the commander had sent the two Karabella
to sail eight miles distance from that port to seek for victuals, such
a storm befell them that they were both compelled to remain at sea, and
they perished, being broken all to pieces, but the men escaped.[141]
When the chief captain heard of this, he durst not put to sea with the
other two ships; but, since they were unseaworthy, he had them broken
up, and came to us in haste by land to Riodellaplata, to the town Noster
Signora desumsion, on the river Paraboe, and brought not more than three
hundred out of the four hundred men with him, the remainder having died
of hunger and disease.[142]
[138] Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca.
[139] Caravels.
[140] Mbiaçá or Santa Catalina. Mbiaçá was the name of the country
opposite the island, and at Schmidt's time it was not Brazil, but
a part of the Government of the River Plate. That is why Barcia's
Spanish translation says that Alvar Nuñez arrived in Brazil _and_
Santa Catalina, which is perfectly correct.
[141] Cabeza de Vaca does not say that the two ships were wrecked, but
that they had to put back to S. Catherina on account of bad weather.
Cf. his _Comentarios_, _infra_.
[142] When the Emperor was made acquainted of Don Pedro de Mendoza's
death, he appointed another Adelantado to take his place, in case the
Lieutenant-Governor whom Mendoza had left there had died too. The new
Adelantado was Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca, famous for his shipwrecks
and adventures in Florida. Alvar Nuñez sailed from Spain in November
1540. He brought with him orders to take possession of the sea-coast
belonging to Spain, south of the Portuguese Capitania de San Vicente.
He first took possession of the ports of Cananea, San Francisco, and
Santa Catalina, all pertaining to Spain. This island was given to
the Adelantado as a personal gift for the term of twelve years, on
condition of maintaining its possession and keeping there the Indians
who inhabited it. Alvar Nuñez stopped there several months. In May
1541 he sent out some of his people to Buenos Ayres in one of his
ships; but storms forced them to return to the island. The wrecks
mentioned by Schmidt did not occur. Towards the end of the same year,
Alvar Nuñez with half his people and twenty-six horses started by
land for Asuncion, and he gave the name of Province of Vera to the
territory of Guaira (now the Brazilian Province of Paraná), which
belonged to his Gobernacion. He marched across the province, taking
possession of it on behalf of Spain, and arrived at Asuncion on the
11th of March 1542, after a painful journey of four months and a half.
The other half of Alvar Nuñez's people, under the command of his
nephew, Pedro Estopiñan, went by sea to Buenos Ayres, and found the
town of Don Pedro de Mendoza abandoned and the houses burnt by order
of the ambitious Irala.
This Commander was eight whole months on his way, for the distance is
reckoned to be five hundred miles from Noster Signora desumsion to this
place or harbour of S. Catherina.
He also brought with him from Spain his commission from H. I. Majesty,
and required that Martin Domingo Eijolla[143] should yield up the whole
government to him, and that all the men should be obedient to him in
every respect. The commander, Martin Domingo Eijolla, and all the people
declared they were ready to obey, but with this understanding, that he,
Cabessa de Bacha, should show and lay before them some document to
prove that he had received from His Imperial Majesty such powers and
authority.
[143] Domingo Martinez de Irala.
But this the whole assembly could not obtain from him; only the priests
and two or three of the captains affirmed it, that Albernunzo Cabessa de
Bacha ruled and commanded; but we shall see hereafter how things went
with him.
Now, this said Albernunzo Cabessa passed all the people in review,
and found that there were eight hundred men. At the same time he made
friendship with Martino Domingo Eijolla, and they became sworn brothers,
so that he, Martino Domingo Eijolla, no less than before commanded the
people.
After this review he, Albernunzo Cabessa de Bacha, ordered nine
Bergentines to be prepared, that he might sail up the river Paraboe
as far as he could. But at the same time, and before the ships were
made ready, he sent out three Bergentines with one hundred and fifteen
soldiers, to go as far as they could, in order to find Indians who had
manioc and Turkish corn. He appointed them two captains, named Anthonius
Gabrero and Diego Tabellino. They came first to a people called
Surukufers,[144] who had Turkish corn, manioc, and other roots, such
as mandues, which resemble hazel-nuts, and also fish and meat.
[144] Samacosis, says the Spanish translator, in Barcia's Collection.
But the Indians in those parts were the Itatis and Guaycurús,
generally known as the Cheriguanos. (Cf. _infra_, p. 40.)
The men wear in their lips a great blue stone, like a draughtsman, and
the women have their privities covered.
Among these people we left our ships, and with them some of our
companions to guard them, and went thence into the country. After four
days' journey we came to a village, occupied by the Carios, who were
about three thousand men strong, of whom we inquired diligently of the
state of that country, and we received honest and peaceable answers from
them. Returning thence, we again came back to our ships, and going down
the river of Paraboe, we came to a nation called the Achkeres. Here we
found a letter from our chief captain, Albernunzo Cabessa de Bacha,
to the effect that we should hang the chief of these Indians, named
Achkere.[145] Our commander at once complied with this order, out of
which afterwards a great war broke out, as will be seen hereafter.
[145] Aracaré, according to Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca, in the
_Comentarios_, by Pero Hernandez, secretary to the Adelantado,
Valladolid, 1555. (See _infra_.)
Now, when this had happened, to wit, that the above-mentioned Indian
had come by his death in this way, we returned down the river to Noster
Signora desumsion, and told our commander, Albernunzo Cabessa de Bacha,
what we had done and seen during this voyage. Then he asked the chief
Indian who was in the town Noster Signora,[146] that he should appoint
him two thousand Indians who should go with us up the river.
[146] La Asuncion.
The Indians promised to be willing and obedient, and added that our
commander should first of all think well about it before going into that
country,[147] because the whole of it belonged to Dabere,[148] a chief
of the Carios, who was prepared to come out in full force against the
Christians. For this Dabere, they said, was Achkere's brother, whom the
Christians hanged, and therefore he intended to avenge his brother's
death. So our commander had to refrain from this voyage, and prepare
himself to go to war against his enemies. He then ordered his sworn
brother, Martino Domingo Eijolla,[149] to take four hundred Christians
and two thousand Indians, and go against this Dabere and the Carios, and
either drive them out of the whole country or utterly destroy them.
The said Eijolla faithfully followed this mandate, and went with these
people out of the city Noster Signora, and advanced towards the enemy,
having first warned them on behalf of H. I. Majesty.
[147] In orig.: "auss dem Landt"; in the Latin version: "in illam
regionem", and this appears the better reading.
[148] Tabaré.
[149] Domingo Martinez de Irala.
But this Dabere, little regarding the warning, would admit no treaty of
peace; for he had gathered a considerable number of people together, and
his settlements were very strongly fenced with palisadoes, which means
wooden walls[150]; and compassed about with three such walls and many
wide pits whereof we have already spoken; but we had found all this out
before. So we stood still quietly with our army till the fourth day
before we proclaimed war against them; the fourth day in the morning,
three hours before daybreak, we fell upon the place, slaying all that we
found there, and we captured many women, preserving them from slaughter,
which was a great help to us afterwards.
[150] _I.e._, stockades.
In this assault sixteen Christians were slain, and many of us wounded
and hurt. Also many of our Indians perished; but they did not gain very
much from us, for on their side more than three thousand were slain.
Not very long after Dabere came with his people to ask for mercy, and
that we should give him back his wives and children; then he and his
people would serve the Christians and obey them. Our commander was
compelled by H. I. Majesty to grant them that.
After this peace had been concluded, we again went down the river
Paraboe[151] to our chief commander, Albernunzo Cabessa de Bacha,[152]
and we told him how all had happened.
[151] Paraguai.
[152] Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca.
Then he thought of making his intended voyage, and he asked of Dabere,
who was now satisfied, two thousand armed Indians to go with him; and
they were willing, and promised to be always obedient. He also commanded
the Carios to load the nine little Bergentin ships.[153] All this being
done, he took five hundred Christians out of the eight hundred, and he
left the remaining three hundred in the town Noster Signora desumsion,
and appointed as their commander Johann Salleisser.[154]
[153] Brigantines.
[154] Juan Salazar.
He then sailed up the river Paraboe with this army of five hundred
Christians and two thousand Indians.
The Carios had eighty-three canoes, and we Christians had nine Bergentin
ships, in every one of which there were two horses; but the horses
were conveyed overland one hundred miles, and we went by water unto a
mountain called S. Fernando,[155] where the horses were shipped, and
then we came to our enemies, the Peijembus,[156] but they did not wait
for us, but soon fled away with their wives and children, having first
burnt down their houses. After this we travelled together for one
hundred miles, and found no people all that way, till at length we came
to a nation named the Bachereos,[157] who live on fish and meat. It is a
numerous people, who inhabit a large country over one hundred miles in
extent, and they have also many canoes. Their women have their privities
covered. They would not speak with us, but fled away from us. Afterwards
we came to another people called Surukusis, where the three aforesaid
ships were.[158] They were at ninety miles distance from the Baschereos,
and they received us in a friendly way; each of them has his own
lodging, with his wife and children; the men have a rounded piece of
wood like draughts, hanging at the end of their ears. The women wear a
grey stone of crystal, thick and long as a finger, in their lips; they
are nice-looking, and go about quite naked. They have also plenty
of Turkish corn, manioc, manduis, padades, etc., fish and meat in
abundance; it is a great people.
[155] Cf. _ante_, p. 24.
[156] Payaguás.
[157] Xaráyos, or Guarayos.
[158] Cf. _ante_, p. 37.
Our commander asked them about a people named Carchkareos,[159] and also
about the Carios. They could not give information about the Carchkareos,
but they said that the Carios were with them in their houses; but it was
not true.
[159] Charcas.
Having learned this, our commander ordered us to prepare ourselves in
order to go further into the country. He appointed one hundred and fifty
men to stay with the ships, to whom he gave provision for two years. And
he took the three hundred and fifty Christians and the eighteen horses,
and the two thousand Indians or Carios who went out with us from Noster
Signora desumsion, and marched into the country; but he did not do much,
because he was not the right sort of man. Besides, all the officers and
soldiers hated him for his perverse and rigorous carriage towards the
men. We travelled eighteen days' journey without seeing either Carios
or any other people; and food also failing us, our commander was again
obliged to return with us to the ships. And when we turned back he sent
out a Spaniard, named Franciscus Riefere,[160] with ten other armed
Spaniards, and ordered them to go forward ten days' journey, and if in
that time they should not find any other people, they should return to
us to the ships, where we would wait for them.
[160] Francisco de Ribera.
It happened that they found a populous nation of Indians, who had plenty
of Turkish corn, manioc, and other roots. But the Spaniards durst not
show themselves, but returned to us, and told it to our chief captain.
He was very desirous to have gone into that country, but was hindered by
waters[161] that he could not proceed. He therefore ordered a ship to be
furnished, wherein he put eighty men, and gave us Ernando Rieffere[162]
for our captain, and sent us up the river Paraboe to discover the nation
named Scherues,[163] and ordered that we should go two days' journey
into the interior of the country and no farther, and then report to him
of that land and its inhabitants.
[161] Floods.
[162] Hernando de Ribera.
[163] Xarayes; cf. Hernando de Ribera's narrative, _infra_.
So departing, on the first day we came on the other side of the country
to a people named Surukusis, who live in an island[164] which is thirty
miles wide, and encompassed by the river Paraboe; they eat manioc,
maize, manduis, padades, mandepore, parpii, Bachkeku, and other roots;
also fish and meat. The men and women are like the above-mentioned
Surukusis in face and figure. We remained one day among them, and the
second day we set off again. Ten canoes of these Indians accompanied
us and showed us our way, and twice a day they hunted wild beasts and
fished to supply us with food. After six days' journey we came to a
people called Achkeres. They are very numerous, men and women, are
big and tall, the like whereof were not to be seen in the whole
Riodellaplata. These Achkeres are three miles distance from the
aforesaid Surukusis; they have nothing to eat but fish and meat; the
women have their privities covered. Among these Achkeres[165] we
remained one day, and then the above-mentioned Surukusis returned with
their ten canoes to their village. Afterwards our commander, Ernando
Riefere[166] asked the Achkeres to show us the way to the Scherues, and
they were willing to do so, and came with eight canoes out of their
place with us, and twice every day fished and hunted, so that we should
have plenty to eat. The reason why they are called Achkeres, is as
follows.
[164] This island was called Isla del Paraiso (Paradise Island) by the
Spaniards. The Indians living there were the Itatis.
[165] _Yacaré_ is the name, in the Guaraní language, of the amphibious
animals similar to the crocodile, to which Schmidt alludes hereafter.
But there never was a tribe of that name; perhaps it was the name of a
cacique.
[166] Hernando de Ribera.
Achkarus is a fish which has a hard skin all over, so that it cannot be
wounded with a knife, nor can one shoot it with an Indian dart. It is a
big fish, which does great harm to other fishes. Its eggs, which it lays
at about two or three paces from the water's edge, have the taste of
musk and are good for eating; the tail is the best part, though the
whole fish is harmless; it lives always in the water. In our Germany
that fish is reckoned to be noxious and even venomous, and is called
a crocodile. And it is said, that if one looks at that fish, and even
more, if the fish breathes upon any one, that person must by all means
die; which is not according to truth, for man must also die without
that, and nothing is more certain.
Further it is said that if such a fish is found in a well, there is no
other means to kill it than to show it a mirror, in order that it may
look at itself therein; it must then die from the sight of its own
atrocious face.
But all these sayings are fables, and nothing else, for I should have
died a hundred times if it had been true, having caught and eaten over
three thousand of these fishes myself, and I would not have written so
much about this fish if I had not had such good reason for it.
The ninth day after our departure we came to the Scherues,[167] who are
reckoned to be thirty-six miles distant from the Achkeres. This nation
is very populous, but these were not the genuine people among whom the
king lives. These Scherues to whom we now came wear a moustache, and
have a wooden ring in the tips of their ears, and the ear is folded
round the wooden ring in a wonderful manner. The men have also a large
blue crystal in their lips of the shape and size of a draughtsman. And
they are painted blue on their bodies from the head to the knees so as
to give them the appearance of wearing breeches.
[167] Xarayos. These and the Itatis were the Indians living near the
island of Paraiso, on the left bank of the river Paraguai. According
to the best authorities the right name for this tribe is _Guarayos_.
But the women are painted otherwise, blue from the breast to the
privities, and so artistically, that one could not soon find a painter
to do it so well. They are absolutely naked, and are beautiful after
their manner, and also commit transgressions in the dark.
Among these Scherues we remained one day, and afterwards in three days'
journey we came to a king, who lives at fourteen miles distance, and
whose people are also called Scherues. His country is only four miles
wide, but he has also a settlement on the river Paraboe.
There we left our ship with twelve Spaniards to watch it, that we might
use it for our defence on our return. We also ordered these Scherues
dwelling there to hold friendly intercourse with the Christians, which
they also did.
We remained thus two days in this place, and prepared ourselves for
travel, and took all that was wanted and passed over the river
Paraboe,[168] and so came to the King who lives there himself.
[168] Paraguai.
And when we were approaching near and were about one mile off, the King
of the Scherues came forth to meet us with twelve thousand men, or even
more, on a heath, yet in a friendly and peaceable manner. The path they
followed was eight feet broad, and was covered entirely with flowers
and herbs up to their place, and made so clean that not so much as any
little stone, stick, or straw appeared. The King was also accompanied by
his musicians, whose instruments resemble our hoboys. His Royal Majesty
had also ordered that deer and other wild beasts should be hunted on
both sides of the way; so that they caught about thirty deer and twenty
ostriches, and it was indeed an agreeable thing to see; and when we came
to their place, the King appointed a house to accommodate every two
Christians, and our captain with his servants were taken into the Royal
House, and I was not very far from the King's house. Then the King of
the Scherues[169] and his subjects resolved to treat us Christians well,
and to give us all our necessaries. And the King also held a Court in
his own way, like the greatest lord in the country.
[169] Xarayos.
At dinner the musicians must play whenever it is his pleasure. Then the
men and the most beautiful women must dance before him, and such a dance
is to us Christians quite wonderful, so much so that looking upon them
one could think of nothing else. These people are like the Scherues, of
whom we spoke before.
Their wives make mantles from cotton very subtle, almost like satin, on
which they embroider several figures, as deer, ostriches, Indian sheep,
or what else they can. In these mantles they sleep when it is cold, or
they sit upon them, or use them at their pleasure. These women are very
fair and venerous, very amiable, and very hot too, as it seemed to me.
There we remained four days. Meanwhile, the King asked our commander
what were our wishes, and whither we intended to go; and our commander
replied he was seeking for gold and silver. The King gave him a silver
crown, which weighed one and a half mark nearly, and a bar of gold,
a span and a half in length and half a span broad; also a bracelet,
_i.e._, a half-harness, and many other things in silver, and then said
to our commander: He had no more gold or silver, and that these things
were the spoils which in time past he had won in war from the Amazons.
And when he came to speak of the Amazons, and gave us to understand of
their great riches, we were very glad to learn of it. And our commander
presently asked the King if we could come to them by water; and how far
it was to these Amazons.
The King answered we could not reach them by water, but would have to go
by land, and travel during two whole months. Thereupon we decided to go
to these Amazons, as will be related hereafter.
These women, the Amazons, have only one breast, and the men come to
their wives only three or four times in the year; and if the woman,
being in child by her husband, bring forth a male child, she sends that
boy away to his father.