MY JOURNEY TO ST. IAGO ON BUSINESS PERTAINING TO
THE COLONY.
Affairs were in such a state that both colonies seemed on the verge of
destruction, as well from mutual enmity, as from the persecutions of
foreign foes. "One of us," said Father Sanchez, "must go to St. Iago to
inform the Governor of Tucuman, or his deputy Barreda, of our present
jeopardy, and ask his advice on the subject. This journey, of an hundred
and seventy leagues, amid vast wildernesses, where you can scarce
discover a vestige of mankind, except wandering savages, who sally forth
to plunder, is, as you are well aware, full both of peril and
inconvenience." Unterrified by this representation, I preferred going to
the city, as a messenger, to remaining as a guard in the endangered
town, foreseeing that, should it be destroyed in my companion's absence,
the whole blame would be laid on me by the Spaniards. I entered upon
this difficult journey accompanied by three Indians, who, though
converted to Christianity, were more uncivilized than any of the
savages. To these was added a Mulatto, who had been kept in chains at
Sta. Fè, for stealing ten thousand Spanish crowns from a waggon
conveying Peruvian money to the merchants; but escaping from prison was
ordered, by the Corregidor, to preside over the guards of the cattle, by
way of atoning for his crime. Thus a man convicted of theft, and escaped
from prison, was my companion on the way. Oh! what a noble guard, and
attendant! Yet his services were both necessary and useful to me. That
part of the country which we had to cross was, in great part, covered
with lakes and marshes over-grown with reeds and bulrushes, and swelled
to such a degree by continual rain, that our horses could scarcely ford
them; the deep holes, and ant-hills, too, hidden under the water, caused
us to stumble perpetually. The rest of the plain country was deluged
with water, and scarcely afforded a turf where we might lie down at
night, or our horses take pasture. For the first three days of our
journey, we were persecuted, day and night, by unceasing rain and
thunder. Our clothes, our bodies, even the breviary, in short whatever
we made use of, were dripping with water. Our provision, which consisted
of beef alone, was continually moistened till it swarmed with worms; the
weather at last becoming tranquil, we tied it to a rope and hung it out
to dry, but the stench of it was intolerable even at a distance:
nevertheless, as no other food was to be procured in that vast solitude,
we were obliged to allay our hunger with this putrid meat, that we might
not absolutely die of want. My Indian companions caught an immense fish
in the river Salado, but they devoured it all themselves, and would not
give me a morsel, though I was labouring under the extremity of hunger.
By many days' rain, rivers, not otherwise very large, were swelled above
their banks, and rendered a passage not only difficult but even
dangerous. Moreover, the hide we used to cross rivers with was softened
to such a degree that it could not be used, unless stuffed out with
boughs on every side. Our having escaped the eyes of the savages who
infested those places we considered a very wonderful, as well as
fortunate circumstance; for though we observed here and there the fresh
footmarks both of themselves and their horses, we were never discovered
by them.
The horses, of which we took a great number, on account of the length of
the journey, were so much fatigued with swimming and fasting, as to be
scarce able to bear their saddles. Their hoofs, too, were softened by
the water, which greatly impeded their progress. I must own that I was
exceedingly fatigued myself with sitting on horseback such a length of
time, in rainy weather; for it is very unpleasant to have one's clothes
wet both day and night, so that they cling to the skin. My companions
used to take off all their clothes, and remain naked till they were
dried by the air, or the fire; but I could not have followed their
example without violating the laws of decency. My strength moreover was
greatly exhausted by fasting so many days: for I could never eat more
than a few mouthfuls of the stinking meat, though destitute of any other
provision. On the thirteenth day of our journey, impelled by hunger, I
rushed into a solitary cottage which met my eyes, and though nothing was
to be found there but a melon and three heads of maize, this scanty meal
seemed quite to restore my exhausted strength.
After having spent sixteen days on the road, we at last came in sight of
St. Iago, but were prevented from entering it by the river Dulce, which
had been increased to such a width by an unusually violent flood, that
it was become formidable to the most dexterous swimmers. Its course was
so rapid as to bear down vast trunks of trees, and cottages torn from
the banks, which, had they encountered the hide on which we were
sailing, would have overturned, or torn it to pieces. My crossing this
sea in safety, I owe to Barreda, who, on being informed of my arrival on
the opposite shore, sent two famous swimmers from the city to carry me
over.