THE VICISSITUDES AND DISTURBANCES OF THE COLONY.
To civilize the savages, and teach them the ordinances of the holy
religion, this was the one thing which we had most at heart, and towards
this all our cares and labours were directed. Yet had we often to
complain of the fruitlessness of our endeavours. The Abipones, whose
thoughts were continually engaged in attacking or repulsing their
enemies, with the exception of a very few, refused to attend to
religious instruction, or pay us any obedience. Fresh tumults arose
daily, one proceeding from another. Their ancient ill-will to the savage
Mocobios, though it seemed forgotten for a while, was again revived by
fresh and repeated injuries. These savages frequently came and carried
off droves of horses, slaying all they met if any resistance was made. A
few days before my arrival one of our Abipones pierced two of the
plunderers with a spear. Not long after, a great number of Mocobios, to
revenge the deaths of these men, carried off an immense drove of horses
from the remoter pastures of our colony, by night, and without being
perceived by any one. Whilst hastening homewards in possession of their
booty, and anticipating no attack, they were observed in crossing a
wood, by our Abipones who had passed the night there to gather the
alfaroba, and who suddenly fell upon them, slew some, wounded others,
and put the rest to flight.
The Mocobios, by no means disheartened at this bad fortune, repeated
their assaults, sometimes in troops, sometimes in small parties. On St.
Joseph's day a numerous band of Mocobios concealed themselves in a
neighbouring wood about evening. But this ambuscade was discovered by
one of the Abipones, and destroyed by the rest, who rushed upon them in
one company. For nearly two hours the whole plain trembled beneath the
flying Mocobios and pursuing Abipones, whilst the air resounded with
military trumpets. The women and children concealed themselves meantime
within the inclosure of our court-yard, whilst I kept watch at the
entrance of it. The shades of night, and the raging of a stormy south
wind, created inexpressible horror. As nothing could be seen amid such
profound darkness, I laid hold of my musket on perceiving a horseman
softly approaching the door. From his voice, however, I discovered it to
be Alaykin, who had separated himself from the rest, and was riding
about to take a survey, and see whether any ambuscade were lurking
thereabouts. At length the war trumpets ceased, and from the deep
silence of the whole plain I felt convinced that the Mocobios were
driven to a very great distance. I therefore retired into my den to
sleep: but before I had reached the bed a fresh tumult of horsemen and
trumpets was heard in the market-place, accompanied with confused shouts
and such a doleful lamentation of the women that I almost thought the
savages were cutting their throats. I instantly snatched up my arms and
ran to the place. The enemies, who wished in their hasty flight to
return towards the north, deceived by the darkness, went southward, and
were driven into the market-place by a troop of Abipones. Amid such
clamouring both of the pursuers and of the pursued, I do not know
whether one drop of blood was shed by these heroes. This I know, that I
spent a sleepless night, watching at the door of the court-yard for the
protection of the old women; as my companion, who should have relieved
me in my office of watchman, was tormented with a violent tooth-ache.
That, too, was a memorable day when a fresh incursion of the Mocobios
was averted by the craftiness of our Abipones. These savages were
discovered meditating an assault upon the town in a neighbouring field.
Our Abipones were all absent, except seven, which caused the Cacique
Alaykin great anxiety. Hamihegemkin, a little, but very brave man,
exclaimed, "Since men and strength are wanting, we must fight with
cunning to-day." Forthwith he puts on a Spanish dress, and accompanied
with six others approaches the Mocobios, who, suspecting that the St.
Iagan soldiers were lying in wait for them, preferred flight to combat.
At length, perceiving that these petty excursions, performed by detached
parties, were fruitless, and even prejudicial to themselves, the
Mocobios determined to assault our town with their whole force. They
formed a warlike alliance with the Tobas, Lenguas, Mataguayos,
Malbalaes, Yapitalakas, and Vilelas. Out of so many nations a vast
number of savages was assembled, who, relying on the multitude of their
confederates, and the excellence of their leaders, thought themselves
hastening to victories, and rich spoils of all sorts of cattle, rather
than to a contested fight. Two or three times indeed they began the
journey, but were obliged to return and abandon their undertaking, at
one time by a drought and consequent scarcity of water, at another by a
heavy flood, and once by their horses, which were completely knocked up
by the heat of the sun. Although the enemies were not able to reach our
town, yet a rumour which spread amongst us respecting their numbers, and
the journey they had commenced, disturbed our minds almost more than
their actual presence would have done. Esteeming themselves unable to
cope with such a mighty force, numbers withdrew from the colony, under
pretext of a desire to hunt; and the few who remained, having their
apprehensions, and their actual danger augmented by the number of
seceders, were constantly filling our ears with reports of the enemy's
approach, so that we were obliged to be perpetually on the watch to
prevent the possibility of a surprize. To this constant war with foreign
foes was added an intestine one between the two Abiponian nations, whose
inveterate enmities were extremely detrimental to the progress of the
new colony.
About this time continual tumults were created in the neighbouring town
of St. Jeronymo by Debayakaikin, who, as I have related, was always
either threatening or assaulting. Ychoalay, believing our Alaykin to be
amicably inclined towards that Cacique, and privy to his machinations to
the hurt of the Riikahés, entertained an implacable hatred towards him
on that account, and left nothing unattempted which might cause trouble
to his hordesmen. It is best to trace these feuds and disturbances to
their very origin. For full fifteen months after their settling in the
colony of Concepcion our Abipones refrained from annoying the Spaniards
in any way, and faithfully preserved the peace established between them.
One horse was the destruction of Troy; it was likewise the cause of
mischief to this colony. One of the Spaniards, who brought us the two
thousand cows purchased by the Governor of Tucuman from the estates of
Sta. Fè, secretly carried off a very excellent horse. This was heavily
complained of by the owner, who, to indemnify himself for the loss,
stole fourteen choice horses, by night, from some estate belonging to
Sta. Fè. The affair being discovered, Ychoalay, who always kept two
spies in our town, came with the Spaniard to whom those horses belonged,
and brought them home again in spite of the Abipones. This recovery,
effected not without mutual threats and injuries, excited our Abipones
to renew their former acts of rapine.
Troops of the younger Abipones, to show that Ychoalay, though supported
by the Spaniards, was no object of fear to them, used to break into the
estates of Sta. Fè, for the purpose of carrying off horses, the
Abipones, their superiors in age and station, not daring to object, and
we Jesuits being kept in ignorance of the fact, or vainly inveighing
against it. Ychoalay, provoked at hearing of the horses which our
pillagers had taken, flew alone and unarmed to our colony, where he held
forth to the inhabitants, from the horse on which he sat, about
instantly restoring the horses of the Spaniards. But he was scoffed at
by many of the by-standers, and called a rogue and a knave by Alaykin,
whose son Pachiekè, the chief of the plunderers, challenged him to
single combat by aiming at him with an arrow, to which Ychoalay,
scorning so youthful an adversary, bared his breast. Provoked by these
insults he betook himself to my house, saying, "Your people will not
listen to me; what I cannot obtain by words, I will extort by arms. If
they do not restore the horses forthwith, I shall return in three days,
and insist upon a battle, and I now hasten home to collect as many
soldiers as possible." After passing the night with us, he returned in
great anger to his colony. All our endeavours to pacify and divert him
from his purpose were vain; our Abipones too withstood our entreaties,
choosing to endure the worst rather than restore the horses they had
plundered. My companion, presaging all sorts of disasters, whatever were
the event of this combat, took a journey to the town of St. Jeronymo for
the purpose of appeasing Ychoalay's mind, which, however, he would have
failed to effect, had not Chitalin, Cacique of the Mocobios then acting
as guards in the town of St. Jeronymo, for fear of Debayakaikin,
inspired Ychoalay with milder sentiments. But as the hatred existing
between these tribes was only laid asleep for a time, not extinguished,
that short-lived calm was the forerunner of dreadful tempests, one
following hard upon another.