CONCERNING THE HOSTILE INCURSION ATTEMPTED BY
DEBAYAKAIKIN AND HIS SAVAGE CONFEDERATES
AGAINST THE TOWN OF ST. JERONYMO.
Debayakaikin, the head of the Nakaiketergehes, provoked, as was related,
to a skirmish by Ychoalay, threatened the new colony of St. Jeronymo
with destruction, and its inhabitants the Riikakés with a universal
massacre. He associated with himself, in this expedition, the Mocobios
and Tobas, who dwelt towards the north; and by great promises of booty,
induced the Vilelas to enter into a warlike alliance with him, and
furnished them with horses capable of undertaking a long journey.
Ychoalay could neither be ignorant, nor careless of the intentions,
strength, and preparations of the enemy. To provide therefore for the
safety of his people, he sends a troop of Mocobios to guard the town,
and hastens to the Governor of Sta. Fè to ask for supplies, which were
justly owed by the right of friendship and of promises; nevertheless he
obtained nothing but words and excuses; for at that time most of the
soldiers of the city were employed across the Parana, against the
Charruas, savages whom they had reduced to subjection.
Whilst Ychoalay was vainly seeking assistance in every quarter,
Debayakaikin conducted his forces with all possible secrecy towards the
south, but did not precipitate his assault on the colony, choosing
rather to make use of craft. He sent forward some of his people with a
commission to spread a report, that Debayakaikin did not intend
attempting any thing against the colony of St. Jeronymo, but that the
savage Mocobios purposed an immediate assault on the town of Concepcion,
which was ten leagues distant from that of Jeronymo, and inhabited by
the Abipones under the authority of Alaykin. Debayakaikin had two
reasons for spreading these fictitious reports. The first was, that, as
soon as the inhabitants of St. Jeronymo understood themselves to be out
of danger of an attack, the Christian Mocobios, who acted as guards,
would be sent back to their town of St. Xavier. The other was, that the
Abipones of the town of Concepcion, whilst in hourly expectation of a
hostile attack at home, would not be able even to think of succouring
the inhabitants of St. Jeronymo against Debayakaikin. In both points the
stratagem succeeded entirely to his wish. It is worth while to give a
relation of the whole event, of which I myself was a spectator.
The colony of St. Jeronymo had scarcely more than a thousand head of
kine remaining, the bulls being almost all consumed; and of this number
the greatest part of the cows were either with young, or engaged in
giving suck, to spare which the Fathers requested my companion and
myself, then residing in the town of Concepcion, to send them two
hundred bullocks for the support of the Indians, dispatching Raphael de
los Rios, the guard of their estate, to carry the beasts away. That this
business might be properly conducted, I resolved to accompany the guards
of the cattle myself. When everything was in readiness for the journey,
I observed the Abipones running up and down the streets armed with
arrows, and heard one of them charge my companion Sanchez, in the name
of Alaykin, to have his musket in readiness, as their enemies the
Mocobios were expected about evening. The road I was going being that
which would be taken by the Mocobios, my companion endeavoured to
persuade me to defer my journey, but could not succeed with one who
despised these vague reports, as they proved to be, for we did not meet
so much as the enemy's shadow the whole morning. On entering St.
Jeronymo I spied Fathers Francisco Navalon and Joseph Klein: Joseph
Brigniel and Ychoalay were at that time absent, being still intent upon
procuring subsidies in the city of Sta. Fè. The next day, which was
Sunday, at Father Navalon's urgent request, the Caciques of the Abipones
and Mocobios deliberated on what was best to be done. The presence of
the Mocobios contributed much towards the safety of the town; but as
those guards daily consumed a great quantity of beef, tobacco, salt, and
the herb of Paraguay, they were deemed ruinous to the public stores;
their dismission seemed proper on this account likewise, that according
to report, the town had nothing to fear for the present from
Debayakaikin; who however was concealed with his forces in a
neighbouring wood, awaiting nothing but the departure of the Mocobios,
to begin the assault.
The Mocobios departing early the next morning, which was Sunday,
Debayakaikin divided his forces into three companies, and sallied from
his hiding-place by three different ways, in the very sight of the town.
Its guard, Raphael de los Rios, who happened to be at that time reposing
in his hut, was pierced with many and deep wounds by an Abipone, whose
father had fallen in the skirmish between Ychoalay and Oaherkaikin. At
the same time, part of the Guaranies who guarded the cattle were taken
captive, whilst the rest, who were on horseback, saved themselves by
speedy flight. The herds, which were assembled in one place, as usual in
the evening, and about two thousand horses, became the uncontested prey
of the enemy. When these tidings were learnt from trusty messengers, and
the concourse of enemies was beheld on the opposite shore, a great
trepidation seized upon the whole town. Of the Abipones, most of whom,
either through ignorance or apprehension of the ensuing attack, had gone
out to hunt wild horses, a few days before, there remained at home no
more than eighty, who, whilst Debayakaikin was committing these ravages
in the estate, were engaged in a merry carouse with their Cacique
Ychamenraikin; but on receiving information of the near approach of the
enemy, though in a state of intoxication, they all blackened their
faces, and flew on the swiftest horses, and amidst the deadly clangor of
trumpets, to the bank of the river, not so much with the intention of
fighting the enemy, as of preventing them from crossing the river.
Debayakaikin, whom long experience in war had rendered exceedingly
cautious, thought it unsafe to send his men across to the opposite
shore, which the enemies had got possession of, and to hazard a doubtful
contest. It was treated of by legates, and resolved by mutual consent,
that the battle should be deferred till the morrow, as the sun was
hastening to set, and little of the day remained.
On the approach of night, our heroes returned, and slept themselves
sober in their own tents. As they did not place any great reliance on
the promises of the enemy, horsemen were sent to watch throughout the
whole plain, who by the uninterrupted sound of horns and trumpets
testified their vigilance, and if they observed any thing hostile,
announced it to the rest. The warlike sounds of the savages were
accompanied by an incessant noise in the heavens: for the weather,
during the whole of the night, was extremely tempestuous, with loud
thunder, stormy wind, lightning, and heavy rain. The women and children
passed the night in the open air, in our court-yard, which was exposed
to the wet on every side; so that in the light dispensed by the flashes
of lightning, they appeared to me like so many frogs swimming in a pond.
In my hut they deposited their pots, gourds, pitchers, and other
moveables, to save them from the depredations of the enemy.
Inexpressible was my horror at beholding amongst the baggage of the old
women, some skulls of Spaniards, formerly slain by the Abipones,
preserved as trophies. I do not remember ever having passed a more
tumultuous night, during my whole residence in America. I accused the
sun of returning too slowly. About day-break, when the tempest was
abated, though the lightning had not yet ceased, I ran to the
market-place, where I saw a number of Abipones, assembling at the end of
the town, which they considered a fit place for the ensuing combat. The
army was arranged by Ychamenraikin in such a manner, that the spearmen
occupied each side, the archers the centre; and all were on foot. A
troop of horse commanded by Ychohake, Ychoalay's brother, had it in
charge, to learn and instantly report the motions of the enemy, the ways
they took, and every thing else concerning them. They stood in
battle-array till noon, when the emissaries, returning from the country,
announced that nothing but the footsteps of the enemy were to be seen.
All hope, or rather fear of an engagement being at an end, they returned
home, and the army was dissolved without the loss of a drop of blood.
The enemy being gone, the dead body of the Spaniard which had been
wounded in such a manner, that the bowels fell out, was brought from the
estate, and conveyed to the grave with the Christian forms of burial.