GIFT OF 
 
 SEELEY W. MUDD 
 
 and 
 
 GEORGE I. COCHRAN MEYER ELSASSER 
 
 DR. JOHN R. HAYNES WILLIAM L. HONNOLD 
 
 JAMES R. MARTIN MRS. JOSEPH F.SARTORI 
 
 to the 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 SOUTHERN BRANCH
 
 AN 
 
 ACCOUNT 
 
 OP 
 
 THE ABIPONES, 
 
 AN EQUESTRIAN PEOPLE 
 
 OF 
 
 PARAGUAY. 
 
 FROM THE LATIN OF MARTIN DOBRIZHOFFER, 
 
 EIGHTEEN YEAllS A MISSIONARY IN THAT COUNTRY. 
 
 JN THREE VOLUMES, 
 VOL. L 
 
 2 286 X% 
 
 LONDON: 
 JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET 
 
 1823. 
 
 ' • ■ ^ 'J O
 
 1 im.lm) : FriiitC(\ hv C. Rowoi th, 
 i;ell-?aril, Temple-bar.
 
 PREFACE 
 
 Martin Dobrizhoffer was born at 
 Gratz in Styria, on the 7th of September, 
 1717. In the year 1736, he entered the 
 order of the Jesuits ; and in 1749 went as 
 a Missionary to South America, where for 
 eighteen years he discharged the duties of 
 his office, first in the Guarany Reductions, 
 latterly in a more painful and arduous 
 mission among the Abipones. a tribe not 
 yet reclaimed from the superstitions and 
 manners of savage life. Upon the ex- 
 pulsion of the Jesuits from Spanish Ame- 
 rica, he returned to his native country, 
 and, after the unjust and impolitic extinc- 
 tion of his order, continued to reside at 
 Vienna till his death, which took place 
 July 17, 1791. The Empress Maria 
 Theresa used frequently to send for Do- 
 brizhoffer, that she might hear his adven- 
 
 a2
 
 IV PREFACE. 
 
 tures from his own lips ; and she is said to 
 have taken great pleasure in his cheerful 
 and animated conversation. 
 
 These notices concernino; him have been 
 obtained from one of the last survivors of 
 his celebrated order. 
 
 In 1784, he published the work, a 
 translation of which is now laid before 
 the public. The original title is Historia 
 de Ahiponibiis, Eqiiest?'i, Bellicosaque Pa- 
 raquaricB Natio7ie, locupletata copiosis Bar- 
 hararum Gentium, XJrhiiim, Fliimiinim, Fera- 
 rum, Amphibiorum, Insectoriim, Serpentium 
 prcecipuorum, Piscium, Avium, Arboru7n, 
 Plantarum, aliarumque ejiisdcm Provincice 
 Proprietatum Observatioiiibns ; A iithore Mar- 
 iino Dobrizhoffer, Presbytero, et per Annos 
 duodeviginti Paraqum^icB Missionario. A 
 German translation, by Professor Kreil of 
 the University of Pest, was published at 
 Vienna in the same year. There is no 
 other work which contains so full, so faith- 
 ful, and so lively an account of the South 
 American tribes. 
 
 • His motives for undertaking the work, 
 and his apology for the manner in which it
 
 PREFACE. y 
 
 is executed, may best be given in his own 
 words: — 
 
 " In America, I was often interrogated 
 respecting Europe ; in Austria, on my 
 return to it, after an absence of eighteen 
 years, I have been frequently questioned 
 concerning America. To reheve others 
 from the trouble of inquiring, myself from 
 that of answering inquiries, at the advice 
 of some persons of distinction, I have 
 applied my mind to writing this little 
 history ; an undertaking which, I am 
 aware, will be attended with doubtful 
 success and infinite vexation, in this, age, 
 so abundant in Aristarchi, accustomed to 
 commend none but their own, or dieir 
 friends' productions, and to contemn, as 
 abortive, those of all odier persons." 
 
 "A seven years' residence in the four 
 colonies of the Abipones has aflbrded me 
 opportunities of closely observing their 
 manners, customs, superstitions, military 
 discipline, slaughters inflicted and received, 
 political and economical regulations, toge- 
 ther with the vicissitudes of the recent 
 colonies; all which I have described with
 
 VI PREFACE. 
 
 greater fidelity than elegance, and for the 
 want of this I am surely to be pardoned ; 
 for who can expect the graces of Livy, 
 Sallust, Caesar, Strada, or MafFeus, from 
 one who, for so many years, has had no 
 commerce with the muses, no access to 
 classical literature? Yet in writing of 
 savages, I have taken especial care that no 
 barbarisms should creep into my language. 
 If my sincerity be only acknowledged, I 
 shall have attained my object : for candour 
 was always the most noble ornament of an 
 historian. To record true, and as far as 
 possible well-established facts, has been 
 my chief aim. When you read, I do not 
 ask you to praise or admire, but to believe 
 me; that I think I may justly demand." 
 
 " What I have learnt amongst the Para- 
 guayrians in the course of eighteen years, 
 what I have myself beheld in the colonies 
 of the Indians and Spaniards, in frequent 
 and long journeys through woods, moun- 
 tains, plains, and vast rivers, I have set 
 forth, if not in an eloquent and brilliant 
 narration, certainl}^ in a candid and accu- 
 rate one, which is at least deserving of
 
 PREFACE. Vll 
 
 credit. Yet I do not look upon myself as 
 a person incapable of making a mistake, 
 and unwilling to be corrected. Convince 
 me of error and I shall yield, and become 
 as pliable as wax. Yet I advise you to 
 proceed with caution ; for you may err in 
 judging as well as I in writing. So far am 
 I from deeming this httle work of mine 
 perfect, that before it is printed and pub- 
 lished, I intend to correct and polish it. 
 But as I am now fast approaching my six- 
 and-sixtieth year, I dare no longer defer 
 the publication, lest the work should prove 
 a posthumous one. These premises I 
 have thought proper to make. Adieu ! 
 friendly reader, whoever you are; and 
 pardon the errors of the press, and of the 
 author likewise : for, Islihil humanum a mj& 
 alienum piUo." 
 
 In the course of the work, DobrizhofFer 
 frequently takes occasion to refute and 
 expose the erroneous statements of other 
 writers respecting the Jesuits in Paraguay, 
 and the malignant calumnies by Avhich the 
 ruin of their institutions in that country 
 was so unhaj)pily effected. It has been
 
 VIU PREFACE. 
 
 deemed advisable to omit many of these 
 controversial parts, which, though flowing 
 naturally from one who had been an active 
 member of that injured society, must of 
 course be uninteresting in this country, 
 and at these times. In other parts also, 
 the prolixity of an old man, loving to 
 expatiate upon the pursuits and occu- 
 pations of his best years, has been occa- 
 sionally compressed. No other hberty 
 has been taken with the translation. The 
 force and liveliness and peculiarity of the 
 original must of necessity lose much, even 
 in the most faithful version. Yet it is 
 hoped, that under this inevitable disad- 
 vantage, Dobrizhoffer will still be found 
 one of those authors with whom the reader 
 seems to become personally familiar.
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 OF 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 Prefatory Book on the State of Paraguay. 
 
 Of its Length and Breadth P^s^ 1 
 
 Of the Geographical Charts of Paraguay . . . ib. 
 Of the Division of the whole Province .... 2 
 Of the City, Port, and Inhabitants of Buenos-Ayres ib. 
 
 Of Nova Colonia do Sacramento 4 
 
 Of the new Limits established in Paraguay, at the last 
 
 Peace, between the Spaniards and Portugueze 7 
 
 Of the Port, Castle, and Fortification of the city of 
 
 Monte-Video 8 
 
 Of the Gulf of Maldonado 9 
 
 Of the cities of Sta. Fe and Corrientes .... 10 
 Of the thirty Guarany towns subject to the jurisdiction 
 of the Governor of Buenos-Ayres ... 12 
 Of the sedition of the Uruguayans on account of the 
 cession of their towns to the Portugueze . 18 
 Of the Fable of the pretended King Nicholas, and its 
 
 origin 27 
 
 Of the famous General Pedro Ccballos, Royal Gover- 
 nor of Buenos-Ayres ....... 35 
 
 Of Tucuman, and the cities of Cordoba, St. lago, &c. 40 
 
 b
 
 X CONTENTS. 
 
 Of Sta. Cruz de la Sierra, and the colonies of the Chi- 
 
 quitos 46 
 
 Of the Jesuits called into Paraguay by Francis Victoria, 
 
 Bishop of Tucuman 47 
 
 Of the Province of Paraguay 49 
 
 Of its Metropolis, Asumpcion 50 
 
 Of the new Colonies of the Ytatingua Indians, St. Joa- 
 chim, and St. Stanislaus 52 
 
 Of the Savages discovered by me in Mbaevera . 60 
 Of the Colony which I intended to found for them 82 
 
 Of my Excursion to the River Empelado 87 
 
 Of the Colony of Belen constructed for the Mbaya Sa- 
 vages 96 
 
 Of the native Productions of this Country ... 99 
 
 Of the Herb of Paraguay 100 
 
 Of Tobacco 109 
 
 Of the Payaguas, Guaycurus, Abipones, Mocobios, and 
 
 other Savages hostile to this Province . .113 
 
 Of the Province of Chaco, the retreat of the Savage 
 
 Nations 118 
 
 Of the other Indian Tribes, M'ho wander without Chaco, 
 
 chiefly those who dwell towards the South 126 
 
 Of the exceeding fidelity which the Guaranies have 
 
 always manifested towards the Spaniards in the 
 
 Royal Camps, and of the signal services which 
 
 they have performed there 133 
 
 Of the Colonies founded by us for the Indians of the 
 Magellanic Region, and of their fate . .138 
 Of the Voyage of three Jesuits to explore the shores of 
 Magellan, undertaken by command of King Phi- 
 lip V 146 
 
 Of the Shipwreck of the Spaniards near Terra del 
 Fuego, and of the Inhabitants of that Island . . 131
 
 CONTENTS. -Xi 
 
 Of the Island of St. Malo occupied by the French, and 
 afterwards sold to the Spaniards . . . .154 
 
 Of the Brazilian Mamalukes, Destroyers of the Guarany 
 towns, and Hunters of the Indians . . . 157 
 
 Of the Slavery of the Indians prohibited or regulated by 
 Royal Edicts . l63 
 
 Of the Principal Rivers; the Parana, Paraguay, and 
 Uruguay, and of the other lesser streams which 
 are absorbed by them l67 
 
 Of the horrid Cataract of the River Parana . . .185 
 
 Of another smaller one 186 
 
 Of the creation of fresh Islands, and the destruction of 
 old ones 188 
 
 Of the two yearly Floods ... » . . . . . ib. 
 
 Of the Magnitude, Ports, Shoals, &.c. of the River Pa- 
 rana, which, near the city of Buenos- Ayres, bears 
 the name of La Plata 1 89 
 
 Of the various perils to be encountered in the naviga- 
 tion of this river 192 
 
 Of the Want of Metals and Precious Stones in Para- 
 guay 202 
 
 Of the various Attempts, and false Stories of Portu- 
 gueze and Spaniards, possessed with an Idea of 
 finding Metals there ib. 
 
 Of the incredible Multitudes of Horses, Mules, Oxen, 
 and Sheep 218 
 
 Of the Hunting of Wild Oxen 221 
 
 Of the Voracity of the Indians 223 
 
 Of the Form, Variety, Teaching, Diseases, Cures, &.c_ 
 of the Paraguayrian Horses 224 
 
 Of Mules 240 
 
 Of Asses 244 
 
 Of the Management of Sheep 24G
 
 Xll CONTENTS. 
 
 Of the various Temperature of the Air, and other pe- 
 culiarities of the Climate of Paraguay . . 247 
 
 Of certain Wild Beasts ; the Tiger, Lion, Anta, Ta- 
 mandua, Huanaco, &c 251 
 
 Of Amphibious Animals ; the Crocodile, Seal, Otter, 
 Capiiguara, Yguana, &c 291 
 
 Of the more rare Birds, as the Emu, Parrot, Tunca, 
 Cardinal, &c 308 
 
 Of many Species of Fish unknown to Europe, and of 
 various Methods of Fishing 333 
 
 Of remarkable Trees ; the Holy Wood, Guayacan, 
 Cedar, Cupay, and of Medicinal Plants ; as 
 China Chinae, Zarza Parrilla, Rhubarb, Sassa- 
 fras, &c 349 
 
 Of the Productions of America ; the Mandioc, Sugar- 
 cane, Cotton, Rice, &-c 389 
 
 Of various kinds of Vegetables 428 
 
 Of the Petrifaction of Wood and Bones .... 433 
 
 Of Hot Springs ib.
 
 AN ACCOUNT 
 
 THE ABIPONES. 
 
 PREFATORY BOOK ON THE STATE OF PARAGUA\, 
 
 Paraguay is a vast region in South America, 
 extending very widely in every direction. From 
 Brazil to the kingdoms of Peru and Chili, they 
 reckon 700 Spanish leagues : from the mouth 
 of the river La Plata, to the northern region of 
 the Amazons, 1,100. Some reckon more, some 
 fewer leagues, according as they use German, 
 French, or Spanish miles. Concerning this mat- 
 ter, a determinate opinion must not be expected. 
 These huge tracts of land, receding very far from 
 the Colonies, are not yet rightly explored ; 
 possibly, never will be. 
 
 Geometry is there a i^ara avis ; and were any 
 one capable of measuring the land, and desirous 
 of the attempt, he would want the courage to 
 
 VOL. I. B
 
 2 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 enter it, deterred either by the fear of savages, 
 or by the difficulties of the journey. Men of 
 our order, seeking out savages for God and 
 the Catholic King, examined the coverts of its 
 forests, the summits of its mountains, and the 
 banks of its remotest rivers, traversing, to the 
 utmost of their ability, every part of the pro- 
 vince, always risking, and often losing, their 
 lives. In Peru and Mexico, there is no corner 
 which the Europeans, attracted by the hope of 
 gold, have not searched into ; but we are still 
 unacquainted with great part of Paraguay, a 
 region unproductive of gold, and, therefore, 
 wanting the requisite allurement. As for what 
 is discovered, who can deny that it is almost 
 entirely owing to the efforts of the Mis- 
 sionaries ? The plains which they traversed, 
 the rivers which they crossed, together with 
 the distances of places, they have noted with 
 the utmost fidelity, though not always with 
 equal art. 
 
 Paraguay is subject to the King of Spain, 
 in whose authority it is ruled by three gover- 
 nours, and as many bishops. Each province has 
 its governour ; the first is that of La Plata, on 
 the banks of which is the city of Buenos-Ayres, 
 the seat of the royal governour, and of a bishop. 
 It is famous for an academy, monasteries for 
 both sexes, a port, and a citadel, which, though
 
 PARAGUAY. d 
 
 impregnable to the assaults of savages, and 
 even of the citizens themselves, v^ould soon 
 yield to the warlike engines of Europeans ; the 
 river compensates for the v^^eakness of the walls, 
 ships being prevented, by shoals, from ap- 
 proaching. It is destitute of a wall, ditch, 
 gates, and similar fortifications ; defects com- 
 mon to all the other cities of the province. 
 The inhabitants are reckoned at 40,000, the 
 dwellings at about 3000, constructed chiefly 
 of brick, and roofed with tiles ; but they are 
 all low, excepting a few of two stories. The 
 churches are handsome, even to the eye of an 
 European. The finest are two of which Pri- 
 moli, a Roman lay-brother of our order, and 
 now in repute in his native city, was the archi- 
 tect. There are no public fountains, colossal 
 statues, or images of the Saints in the market- 
 place. You may count more carriages in Aus- 
 trian Vienna in one street, and in one hour, 
 than you can here, in the whole city, during a 
 whole year. Troops of horse may be seen 
 every moment, nor is it surprising, that even 
 those of moderate estate should, in the Spanish 
 tongue, be called Cavalleros. Military rank, the 
 magistracy of the city, and similar dignities, 
 alone confer nobility. The riches of the inha- 
 bitants consist rather in cattle, than in money. 
 The land round about the city, for near two 
 
 b2
 
 4 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 hundred leagues, is a well wooded plain, often 
 destitute of water, but rich in corn and pastur- 
 age, the latter of which feeds innumerable herds 
 of cattle, horses, and mules. Wherever you turn 
 you meet droves of wild horses, the property of 
 the first that catches them. Besides willows, 
 in which the islands of the river abound, the 
 peach tree is constantly made use of for fuel. 
 
 Buenos-Ayres is one of the principal empo- 
 riums of America, merchandise being either 
 brought from Spain, or secretly smuggled from 
 the Portugueze. The more wealthy carry on a 
 lucrative trade with Peru and Chili, in mules 
 and the herb of Paraguay. The climate is 
 moist. Tempests are equally violent at all 
 times of the year, thunder often continuing for 
 whole days and nights ; this is common to all 
 parts of Paraguay. Clouds, pregnant with fire 
 and water, terrify, and often destroy, both men 
 and cattle, either with lightning, or hail of an 
 incredible magnitude, the like to which Europe 
 has never seen. The city is situated in S. lat. 
 34° 36', and in long. 321° 3'. 
 
 On the eastern shore of the river stands Nova 
 Colonia do Sacramento, opposite to Buenos- 
 Ayres, which the Spaniards, as built and for- 
 tified by the Portugueze on Spanish ground, 
 have often besieged, and as often restored by 
 treaty ; a restoration which the inhabitants of
 
 PARAGUAY. 5 
 
 Buenos-Ayres openly favoured, having in view 
 their profitable traffic v^ith the Portugueze. 
 But the revenue of the Catholic King was 
 grievously affected by the gains of these private 
 individuals, from the diminution of the cus- 
 tomary taxes. This little city, the subject of 
 so many disputes, stands on the higher bank of 
 the river. The houses are few and low, forming 
 a village, rather than city, yet it is far from 
 despicable; opulent merchants, wares of every 
 kind, gold, silver, and diamonds are concealed 
 beneath its miserable roofs. Surrounded with 
 a single and very slender wall, though suffi- 
 ciently stored with military engines, arms, and 
 provisions, for the sudden occasions of war, it 
 yet discovers neither strength nor elegance. 
 The land under Portugueze authority is of such 
 small circumference, that the most inactive per- 
 son might walk round it in half an hour. Por- 
 tugueze ships, laden with English and Dutch 
 wares, and Negro slaves, which have a great 
 sale in America, crowd to this port, and the 
 Spanish sentinels, either bribed or deceived, 
 convey the goods to Paraguay, Peru, or Chili. 
 It is incredible how many millions are lost to 
 the Spaniards in this forbidden traffic. Hence 
 it is easy to guess why the Portugueze have 
 ever determined to defend this colony, at aH 
 
 B 3
 
 b ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 costs, and the Spaniards, on the other hand, 
 to destroy it. 
 
 During my residence of two days, the ap- 
 pearance of the place was such, that I thought 
 it might be taken, in one assault, by a hun- 
 dred soldiers. But as the fear of war came 
 upon them, I doubt not, that new fortifications 
 were added to the old wall, as the siege cost so 
 much time and trouble to the Spanish General, 
 Pedro Zevallos, a consummate officer, and of 
 known success, who, when he prepared to storm 
 the city, through a breach in the wall, secured 
 as it was with a numerous garrison and mili- 
 tary engines, took it conditionally, October 31, 
 1762. Before the walls were yet repaired, 
 twelve English and Portugueze ships of war 
 arrived there, intending to reduce the Spa- 
 niards, then masters of the city. They con- 
 ducted the affair with much noise, but little 
 success. Chance put an end to the engagement, 
 when it had lasted a few hours. The English 
 Admiral's ship being burnt, the rest fled hastily 
 to the ports of Brazil, the English throwing the 
 blame on the cowardice of the Portugueze, and 
 they in turn accusing the foolhardiness of the 
 English. For the one fought under the very 
 gates, that they might be near to strike home; 
 the other at a distance, lest themselves should
 
 PARAGUAY. 7 
 
 be injured. This they threw in each other's 
 teeth. Transient, however, was the advantage 
 which Paraguay derived from this victory : for 
 peace being ratified between the European 
 powers, the Spaniards restored Nova Colonia 
 to the Portugueze, that they might recover the 
 Havanna, and Manilla, capital of the Philip- 
 pines, both which places the English had taken 
 from them. After a few years, war was re- 
 kindled ; and Pedro Zevallos, having conquered 
 the Island of Santa Catharina, took it a second 
 time. Finally, in the last peace concluded be- 
 tween the courts of Madrid and Lisbon, it was 
 ceded to the Spanish. This was a bitter loss to 
 the Portugueze, yet by the accession of new 
 territories, many more inlets were opened to 
 them. Cuyaba, a place rich in gold, Matto 
 Grosso, the little fort of S. Rosa, (called La 
 Estacada,) and other colonies, were added to 
 Portugal. Some think this intimate connec- 
 tion dangerous to Peru, hurtful to the Spa- 
 niards, and advantageous only to the Portu- 
 gueze. For what should hinder the latter, ac- 
 customed, as they are, from their infancy, to 
 arms and difficult routes, and never slothful in 
 extending the limits of their kingdom, from 
 going and possessing themselves of the treasures 
 of Potosi, a mountain abounding in silver, but 
 destitute of iron, and of men to wield it ? 
 
 b4
 
 8 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 Some years ago, when I was in Paraguay, a 
 handful of Portugueze defended the little fort 
 of S. Rosa, (La Estacada,) against a numerous 
 army of Spaniards and Indians, enlisted at 
 Potosi, the assailants being shamefully repulsed. 
 About the same time, a very few Portugueze 
 sallied from the same fort, and coming artfully 
 by night, surprised S. Miguel, a Peruvian city, 
 inhabited by Indian Christians, called Moxos. 
 Two Jesuit priests, who had the care of the 
 city, were dragged into captivity ; one of them, 
 an old man, fell a victim to the journey, whilst 
 the other was thrown into prison. The In- 
 dians, except those who had escaped by flight, 
 were driven out and dispersed, and every thing 
 was rifled. But away with these sad memo- 
 rials ; for we would not tear open the newly 
 seared wound, we would not presage ill for the 
 future. That the happiness and safety of these 
 flourishing estates may be confirmed by a last- 
 ing alliance, is the desire and the prophecy of 
 every good man. 
 
 - Fittv leagues to the south of Nova Colonia, 
 on the same shore, stands Monte-Video, a little 
 city, founded in the year 1726, by D. Bruno 
 Mauritio Zavala, Governour of Buenos-Ayres ; 
 and afterwards fortified with a wall, a castle, 
 and, here and there, with tiers of cannon, by 
 the labours of the Guaranies. Besides soldiers
 
 PARAGUAY. & 
 
 and Guaranies, it contains many men from the 
 Canary islands. On every side the land is fer- 
 tile in corn, the farms large, and the cattle and - 
 horses incredibly numerous. The produce of 
 the farms is a provision for the colonists, and 
 there is daily opportunity of selling' cattle and 
 hides for corn : as the ships, which frequently 
 leave this port, need a provision for many 
 months, scarce a single vessel sets sail without 
 a freight of twenty or thirty thousand ox hides 
 for Europe. Grievous it is that so rich a soil 
 should lie open to the devastating savages, who 
 rise up in troops from their coverts, in quest of 
 blood or booty, always creating terror, and often 
 inflicting death. By no arts can they be sub- 
 dued, by no kindness be won to the friendship 
 and religion of the Spaniards. Fiercer than 
 wild beasts, they have now for two centuries 
 mocked the toil of soldiers and of priests. The 
 latitude of this city is 34° 48', its longitude 
 322° 20'. 
 
 About thirty leagues from hence lies the 
 gulph of Maldonado, affording a commodious 
 station for ships, even of large burden. Except 
 sentinels, you see nothing here but a few cabins, 
 the abodes of misery. Hard by is an island, 
 the habitation of seals ; it lies nearly in the 
 middle of the river, and were the natural rock 
 on which it stands defended by a double tier of
 
 10 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 cannon, how would it guard Paraguay against its 
 enemies ! For they could not elude the fire of 
 the cannon by taking the east side of the river, 
 unless they preferred being buried in the Banco 
 Ingles, or English shoal. 
 
 \ To the government of Buenos-Ayres belong 
 the cities of Santa F6 and Corrientes ; the one 
 on the east, and the other on the west shore of 
 the Parana. The former is the handsomest 
 and most opulent. From its trade in divers ar- 
 ticles, and from its countless herds of cattle, it 
 amasses wealth to a great amount. In former 
 years, it was almost razed to the ground, and 
 thus reduced to solitude, by the barbarous 
 \Abipones, Mocobios, Tobas, and Charruas. 
 The more valuable and remoter estates were 
 entirely destroyed ; slaughters were committed, 
 in the very market-place, at mid-day ; and it 
 was provided by law, that no one should enter 
 the church, unless armed with a musket. But 
 after we had founded the colonies of S. Xavier, 
 S. Jeronymo, Concepcion, S. Pedro, and S. 
 Pablo, this city began to take breath, and, flou- 
 rishing again, returned the security it had pre- 
 viously received. Before, behind, and on both 
 sides, it is bounded by rivers, which, when they 
 overflow, threaten destruction to the inhabi- 
 tants, but are, at other times, extremely bene- 
 ficial to them.
 
 PARAGUAY. 11 
 
 Its latitude is 31° 46'. From Buenos-Ayres, 
 its distance is reputed to be an hundred leagues. 
 
 The other city, which the Spaniards call De 
 las Siete Corrientes, takes its name from seven 
 points of the rock jutting out into the Parana, 
 against which the current breaks with great 
 violence, and flowing on very rapidly, car- 
 ries down ships, coming up the stream, unless 
 in full sail under a strong wind. A row-boat, 
 in the passage of the river, must make many 
 windings to avoid the rapidity of the current, 
 as I have often experienced : for hard upon 
 the city, the great river Paraguay flows into 
 the still greater river Parana, the one changing 
 its course, and the other its name. For the 
 Parana, rolling on from east to west, when 
 joined to the Paraguay, hurries down in a 
 southerly direction with it. The Paraguay 
 loses its name for that of the Parana after its 
 junction with that river. It is inconceivable 
 with what a mass of water these conjoint 
 streams roll proudly down in one mighty chan- 
 nel. If you did not see the banks, you might 
 fancy it a sea. This place, in name alone a city, 
 and unworthy of the name, is chiefly composed 
 of mud-hovels, with roofs of palm-leaves. The 
 inhabitants are remarkable for their beauty, 
 fascinated by which, many of the Europeans 
 are entangled in marriages, which they repent
 
 12 " ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 for the rest of their lives. The women destroy 
 themselves with labour, weaving, and exquisitely 
 embroidering garments, which they call pon- 
 'chos. The men are naturally agile, lively, and 
 expert in horsemanship ; but, from their indo- 
 lence and love of ease, are oppressed with po- 
 verty, when they might abound in every thing, if 
 they but knew how to improve the fertility of 
 the soil, and the advantages of the river. The 
 Abipones, who had long afflicted the neighbour- 
 hood with slaughter and rapine, being at length 
 subdued, and settled in the new colony of St. 
 Ferdinand, the inhabitants revived after they had 
 entertained thoughts of deserting the city, and 
 the use of the fields and woods, on the other 
 side of the river, was restored them. These last, 
 being stocked with noble trees, afford excellent 
 materials for building ships and waggons. The 
 fields supply pasturage for cattle of various 
 kinds. The inhabitants derive considerable pro- 
 fits from these sources ; gains which the daily 
 fear of assailing savages deprived them of. The 
 lat. of the city is 27° 43', its long. 318° 57'. 
 
 In the jurisdiction of theGovernour of Buenos- 
 Ayres, are also thirty Guarany towns, on or near 
 the banks of the Parana, the Uruguay, and the 
 Paraguay. By geographers they are called 
 Doctrines, or the land of Missions ; but the 
 ignorant or malicious style them, in their books,
 
 PARAGUAY. . 13 
 
 the kingdom of the Jesuits, a republic rebellious 
 to the Catholic King, painting them in the 
 blackest colours which envy and unbridled ca- 
 lumny can suggest. Let me be excused, if 
 to manifest the falsehood of their calumnies, I 
 mention the following facts : — That the Jesuit 
 missionaries have ever left Europe at the ex- 
 pense of the Catholic King, for the purpose of 
 founding new colonies, and preserving the old — 
 that they are supported by an annual stipend 
 from the royal purse — that the Guaranies pay 
 yearly tribute to the King — that a century 
 before as many thousands as were appointed, 
 fought in the royal camps without any stipend, 
 whenever they were called upon by the royal 
 governour— that the parishes are visited by the 
 Bishops as often as seems good — that the 
 Bishops are honourably received, and splen- 
 didly entertained, it may be for many weeks — 
 that the castles of Buenos-Ayres and Monte- 
 Video were built under the direction, indeed, 
 of the Spaniards, but by the labour of the 
 Guaranies — that the royal army consists chiefly 
 of the Guaranies, under our authority, which 
 were ruled by a few Spaniards, as the body 
 by the soul, in every undertaking against the 
 warlike savages, against the Portugueze and 
 their town of Nova Colonia, so often attacked 
 and taken, or against the insurgents of the city
 
 14 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 of Concepcion. The Guaranies were governed 
 by the Jesuits, to whose care they were in- 
 trusted by the Catholic kings, not as slaves by 
 their masters, but as children by their parents ; 
 and these towns were conducted in a manner 
 precisely conformable to the royal laws. 
 
 By the labours of nearly two centuries, the 
 Guaranies, formerly wandering cannibals and 
 obstinate enemies to the Spaniards, have been 
 reduced to civilization, to religion, and to the 
 sceptre of the Catholic King. With what la- 
 bour, what expense of lives the Jesuits have 
 effected this — how infinitely these thirty towns 
 surpass the other American tribes in the num- 
 ber of their inhabitants, in Christian morality, 
 in the splendour of their churches, in their 
 prompt loyalty, in mechanical skill, in arts, 
 and in military activity, you may learn from 
 the letters every where published of 'the kings, 
 the royal governours, and the Spanish bishops ; 
 from the works of Doctor D. Francisco Xarque, 
 Dean of Albarrazin, an eye-witness, of the 
 learned Abbot Antonio Muratori, and an anony- 
 mous Englishman, whose book was translated 
 from English into German, at Hamburgh, in 
 the year 1768. This work gave me great plea- 
 sure, though it sometimes made me smile, es- 
 pecially where the author says, " We Europeans 
 doat when we blame the Jesuits of Paraguay.
 
 PARAGUAY. 15 
 
 It were better to deliberate how we may bring 
 about in Europe, what they effect among the 
 Guarany Indians without violence and without 
 money. In their towns, each labours for all, 
 and all for each. Without needing to buy or 
 sell, every one possesses the necessaries of a 
 comfortable subsistence, victuals, lodging, me- 
 dicine, and education. Money wanting, all is 
 wanting, say the Europeans; the Guaranies, on 
 the other hand, though destitute of gold and 
 silver, though unacquainted with any kind of 
 money, daily experience the truth of the apho- 
 rism, Dli laboribus oinnia vendunt, God gives 
 every thing to labour. Proportioning the task to 
 their age, their sex, and their strength, they are 
 always employed, never oppressed with labour. 
 Of luxuries they are ignorant, superfluity they 
 know not, yet are happier in their contentment 
 than the wealthiest in their opulence. He is 
 not prosperous to whom much abounds, but 
 whom little suffices. The Jesuit priests are 
 curates not of the souls, but of the bodies of the 
 Guaranies." Being in subjection only to the 
 Catholic King and the royal governours, not in 
 dreaded slavery amongst private Spaniards, like 
 the other Indians, the towns increase wonder- 
 fully every year in population under our care, 
 and fresh towns were now and then added to 
 the old ones. In the year 1732, 141,252 inha-
 
 16 ACCOUNT OF THE AEIPOXES. 
 
 bitants were reckoned in the thirty colonies of 
 the Guaranies ; but the small -pox breaking out 
 soon after, cut off thirty thousand of them. 
 Some time after it returned again, but in a 
 milder form, and eleven thousand only were its 
 victims. The measles, likewise, so fatal to 
 Americans, made repeated ravages to a frightful 
 extent. I write from experience in both, for 
 in my office of priest, I attended the sick of the 
 small-pox and measles, day and night, for 
 many months. Famine, also, arising from the 
 continued drought and consequent density of 
 the land, filled the tombs with Guaranies. 
 Add to these, the victims of war in the royal 
 camps, where five, and sometimes six thousand 
 men were detained. In 1767, when we bade 
 America farewell, there were about an hundred 
 thousand numbered in these towns. M. Louis 
 Antoine de Bougainville, in his work entitled 
 Voyage aiitour du Monde, printed at Neufchatel, 
 in the year 1772, must be read with caution. 
 He loads the Jesuits with egregious praises, 
 but by and bye relates a thousand things as 
 contrary to truth as dishonourable to us and the 
 Guarany colonies. Pessimum inimicorum genus 
 laudantes, says Tacitus, in the life of Agricola. 
 I would not, however, willingly believe that an 
 author, the distinguished favourite of Mars, of 
 Neptune, and, unless I am deceived, of all the
 
 PARAGUAY. 17 
 
 Muses, is to be classed with these knaves. 
 True it is, he wrote falsely concerning us and 
 the Guaranies ; but rather deceived by the nar- 
 rations of others, than through envy or malice. 
 He never even saw the Guarany towns from a 
 distance. I wish he had seen them ! he would 
 have painted the Indians and their missionaries 
 in fairer colours. A little while, and but 
 a little while, he remained in Buenos-Ayres, 
 the port and threshold of Paraguay. There 
 he drew the very worst notions, from the 
 very worst sources, and gave them to Europe 
 as the undoubted truth. Alas! alas! the friend- 
 liest well-wisher could not then, without dan- 
 ger, advocate our cause. The rising, not the 
 setting sun is praised by the multitude, and 
 such was then our fate. A Spaniard of no 
 despicable authority has opened his mind in 
 these words : ** If every thing else which M. de 
 Bougainville has written on the other provinces 
 be as false as what he has said concerning Pa- 
 raguay, let his history be carried to the spice 
 shop to wrap pepper ; yea, to a meaner office." 
 As for Paraguay being the kingdom of the 
 Jesuits, it is the dream — the stupid fiction of 
 Bernardo Ybahez, a Spaniard, twice expelled 
 from our society. It would be endless to men- 
 tion all whose vile detractions have calumniated 
 the towns and the missionaries of the Guara- 
 
 VOL. I. c
 
 18 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 nies. To refute them, I oppose the histories 
 of Father Nicolas del Techo ; La Conquista Espi- 
 ritual of Father Antonio Ruiz de Montoya; 
 the history of Father Pedro de Lozano ; the fa- 
 miliar epistles of Father Antonio Sepp to his 
 brother; the French original of Father Francis 
 Xavier Charlevoix, (for the German translation 
 is wretchedly mutilated and corrupted); the 
 annual accounts of Paraguay, printed at Rome ; 
 and the letters of Philip the Fifth — his two 
 epistles to the Jesuit missionaries of Para- 
 guay, dated from the palace of Buen-retiro, the 
 28th of December, 1743 ; the letter, printed 
 with them, of the illustrious Joseph de Peralta, 
 bishop of Buenos-Ayres, in which, himself an 
 eye-witness, he acquaints the same Philip with 
 the state of the Guarany colonies. These im- 
 portant documents translated into Latin, and 
 published in 1745, are every where on sale: — 
 from a perusal of them you may learn, that the 
 Guaranies are not only obedient to the Catholic 
 King, but especially prompt in their repulsion of 
 his enemies, exceeding the other American na- 
 tions in the extent of their services. The sedi- 
 tion of the Guaranies dwelling near the banks of 
 the Uruguay, may perhaps be objected; but 
 what was the cause ? Exasperation against the 
 royal decrees, which delivered up seven of the 
 finest towns of Paraguay to the Portugueze,
 
 PARAGUAY. 19 
 
 and obliged thirty thousand of their inhabitants 
 to migrate into solitude, or seek a precarious 
 livelihood among the other colonies. Long and 
 vigorously did the Indians oppose the mandate, 
 not through hatred of the king, but love of their 
 country. What! do we think the Spaniards, 
 French, or Germans would act otherwise, if 
 compelled by the command of their sovereigns 
 to relinquish their native land to enemies ? 
 For dear to every one is his country ; particu- 
 larly so to the Americans. Hence, though no 
 one can approve the repugnance of the Indians 
 of the Uruguay, who does not think it, in some 
 measure, worthy of excuse and pardon ? They 
 erred in understanding, rather than in will ; for 
 their loyalty to the Catholic King was sound 
 and lively. No eloquence of the missionaries 
 could induce them to believe themselves con- 
 demned by their good king, to a perpetual and 
 miserable exile from their native soil, in favour 
 of the Portugueze, their enemies. " In nothing," 
 (said they in their letters to Joseph Andonaegui, 
 the royal governour,) "in nothing have we or our 
 ancestors sinned against our monarch — never 
 have we injured the Spanish colonies : how 
 then shall we, unoffending subjects, believe 
 ourselves sentenced to exile by the. will of our 
 gracious sovereign? Our grandfathers, great 
 grandfathers, and in like manner all our bro- 
 
 c 2
 
 20 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 thers have frequently fought under the royal 
 banners against the Portugueze — frequently 
 against the armies of the savages. Who shall 
 count the number of those our countrymen w^ho 
 have fallen in battle, or in the repeated sieges of 
 Colonia? We, the survivors, still bear about us 
 scars, monuments of our loyalty and courage. 
 To extend the limits of the Spanish domains, to 
 defend them against invaders, has ever been our 
 first desire ; nor have we spared our lives in its 
 accomplishment. Would theCatholic King have 
 these our deserts repaid v^ith the most grievous 
 punishments —with the loss of our country, our 
 handsome churches, our houses, fields, and 
 spacious farms ? It exceeds belief But if 
 this be really true, what can we ever deem in- 
 credible ? In the letters of Philip the Fifth, 
 (which were read to us at his command, from 
 the pulpits of our churches,) we were instructed 
 never to allow the Portugueze to approach our 
 territories — that they and theirs were our bit- 
 terest enemies. Now they cry out to us, day 
 and night, that the monarch wills our ceding to 
 the Portugueze those noble, those spacious 
 tracts of land, which nature, which God, which 
 the Spanish sovereign himself had yielded us; 
 and which we have cultivated for upwards of a 
 century with the sweat of our brows. Who 
 shall persuade us that Ferdinand, so dutiful a
 
 PARAGUAY. 21' 
 
 son, will command what Philip, his excellent 
 father, had so often forbidden ? But if, indeed, 
 these enmities be changed into friendship, (for 
 both times and disposition do often change,) 
 and the Spaniards be desirous of gratifying the 
 Portugueze, let them grant them the spacious 
 plains void of inhabitants and of colonies, with 
 our free leave. What! shall we give up our 
 towns to the Portugueze, by whose ancestors 
 so many thousands of our countrymen have 
 been either slain, or forced into cruel slavery in 
 Brazil ? — We can neither suffer nor believe it. 
 When, embracing Christianity, we swore alle- 
 giance to God and the Catholic King, the 
 priests and royal governours with one voice pro- 
 mised us the friendship and protection of the 
 king : now, though guilty of no crime, and de- 
 serving every good return for our services, we 
 are constrained to expatriate, a punishment most 
 grievous, and almost intolerable. What man 
 in his senses will believe the faith of the Spani- 
 ards, so versatile in the performance of pro- 
 mises — their friendship so slippery and un- 
 sound?" To this effect wrote the Indian chiefs 
 to the royal governour, who, being a well-wisher 
 both to the king and the Indians, when he saw 
 their letter, could hardly refrain from tears ; 
 but suppressing pity through military obedi- 
 ence, he never ceased urging the execution of 
 
 c 3
 
 22 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 the royal decree to the utmost of his power, 
 and threatening those who refused to obey it 
 with all extremities. 
 
 There were, (who could believe it ?) among 
 the herd of Spaniards, men of so hardened a 
 conscience as to whisper in the ears of the In- 
 dians, that the king had never enjoined the 
 delivery of their towns, but that the Jesuits 
 had sold them to the Portugueze. Such con- 
 vincing proofs, however, had the fathers given 
 of their good- will towards the Guaranies, that 
 , the pestilent falsehood never gained credit ; 
 some suspicions, however, were engrafted in the 
 minds of the least wise. Many of the mission- 
 aries, who urged the migration with more 
 fervour than prudence, had nearly been slain 
 by the Indians in the phrenzy of their patriot- 
 ism. Father Bernardo Nusdorfer, superior, as 
 it is called, of the Guarany towns, and conspi- 
 cuous for the magistracies he had held, for his 
 venerable age, his thorough knowledge of the 
 Indian tongue, and lastly, for his authority and 
 favour with the people, visited the seven cities, 
 exhorted them again and again, with every kind 
 of argument, to respect the injunction of the 
 Catholic King, and thought he had prevailed ; 
 but as the Indians are of a versatile and unstea- 
 dy disposition, when the time for executing the 
 decree arrived, unmindful alike of their pro-
 
 PARAGUAY. 23 
 
 mises and intentions they would not endure 
 even the mention of the migration. When the 
 Jesuit, Father LudovicoAltamirano, was sent in 
 the king's name from Spain to Portugal, to hasten 
 the delivery of the towns, the Indians would 
 not acknowledge him as a Jesuit or a Spaniard, 
 because they saw him differ in dress and diet. 
 They even dared to pronounce him a Portu- 
 gueze disguised in the habit of our order. 
 Terrified at a report that the Indians were ap- 
 proaching him in the city of St. Thomas, he 
 consulted his safety by flying in the night, and 
 soon after I found him, to my great amusement, 
 in the city of Santa Fe, out of danger, and 
 hastening to the Abiponian colonies. Had the 
 Indians shown as much alacrity in yielding to 
 our admonitions, as the Jesuits evinced in en- 
 deavouring to inculcate obedience into their 
 wavering minds, the business would have been 
 happily effected without disturbance or delay ; 
 but we seldom gained attention, much less 
 compliance. The public supplications in the 
 market-place, undertaken for the purpose of 
 persuading their minds, in which a priest of our 
 order, crowned with thorns, in a mournful 
 voice exhorted the by-standers, with threats 
 and groans, to proceed with the emigration; 
 these supplications had so good an effect, that 
 the major part promised conformity : nor did the 
 
 c 4
 
 24 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 matter end in words. A journey was under- 
 taken by the missionaries the next day, to mark 
 out the limits of the new towns ; but the re- 
 membrance of their birth-place soon after re- 
 curring, it was broken off. 
 
 Meantime, it being reported that Gomez 
 Freyre de Andrade, governour of Rio de Janeiro, 
 in Brazil, and the author of all these calamities, 
 had entered their territories with his forces, to 
 arms was the immediate cry, and each being- 
 forced along by the common impulse, the 
 united body rolled onwards like a mighty river ; 
 you would have thought there was a second 
 Hannibal at the gates. Thus, while the Guara- 
 nies repelled force by force, in defence of their 
 churches and fire-sides, they are proclaimed 
 rebels — worthier, in fact, of pity than of punish- 
 ment ; for maddened by their rooted hatred 
 of the Portugueze and the love of their country, 
 they were hurried blindly on wherever their 
 passions impelled them. To shake off the 
 Spanish yoke — to injure. the neighbouring co- 
 lonies of the Spaniards, never so much as en- 
 tered their thoughts : their ancient love to- 
 wards their monarch still burnt in their breasts, 
 but it was not powerful enough to extinguish 
 the innate love of their country. 
 
 Who, then, can wonder that the weak-minded 
 Indian left no stone unturned, to avoid his ex-
 
 PARAGUAY. 25 
 
 pulsion from a land he could not fail to love, — 
 a land pleasant in its situation, salubrious in its 
 climate, wide in extent, the envy of the Spanish 
 cities for its churches and other edifices, 
 adorned v^ith woods, with rivers, and with 
 plains of the greatest fertility, and lastly, well 
 stored with all the necessaries of subsistence ? 
 Joachim de la Viana, governor of Monte- Video, 
 sent forward with a detachment of cavalry to 
 explore the country, having leaped from his 
 horse on the summit of an eminence, and exa- 
 mined through a telescope the city of S, Mi- 
 guel, (a place inhabited by seven thousand 
 Indians, and famous for its magnificent churches 
 and famous row of buildings,) in his astonish- 
 ment at the size of the place, exclaimed to the 
 horsemen about him, — ** Surely our people at 
 Madrid are out of their senses, to deliver up to 
 Portugal this town, which is second to none in 
 Paraguay." This he said, though a strenuous 
 favourer of the Portugueze, whose party he 
 embraced to ingratiate himself with Barbara, 
 Queen of Spain. The six other towns — those 
 of S. Juan, S. Lewis, S. Nicholas, S. Borgia, 
 and S. Lawrence, were also eminent for the 
 number of their inhabitants and the beauty of 
 their churches, though neither of them was 
 fortified with wall, ditch, palisadoes, or even a 
 gate.
 
 26 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 To defend these, the inhabitants of the Uru- 
 guay assembled on all sides. Rude and undisci- 
 plined, and without a general even tolerably 
 versed in military knowledge, they entered the 
 unequal lists, the ridicule rather than the terror 
 of an European army. No time, no place was left 
 them undisturbed by fear and anxiety, as often 
 as they were assailed by the equestrian spear- 
 men. This was repeatedly mentioned in Gomez 
 Freyre's journals, addressed to the Portugueze 
 commissioners of the demarcation. On both 
 sides the war consisted of long marches and 
 skirmishes, attended with various success ; and 
 thus it ended, more noise having been made by 
 both parties than blood spilt. This, however, 
 is agreed on all hands — that the Europeans 
 could never have penetrated to these seven 
 towns, had all the Guarany towns come to the 
 aid of the Uruguayans. But those who dwelt 
 on the banks of the Parana were happily re- 
 strained from leaguing with the insurgents, by 
 the exertions of the Jesuits. Judge from this 
 what opinion must be formed by those who 
 have impudently stigmatized us as the authors 
 of the sedition, and the leaders of the rebels. 
 Their books are as many as they are dangerous : 
 for although they allege nothing but falsehoods, 
 yet, with specious arguments, and pretended 
 testimony, they seek to extort that credit which
 
 PARAGUAY. 27 
 
 would be exploded by all Europe, were the 
 characters of their witnesses as well known to 
 others as to ourselves. 
 
 And now, gentle reader, a word in your ear ! 
 If the Guarany insurgents were indeed encou- 
 raged by the Jesuits, could they not have ef- 
 fected more against the royal forces t Destitute 
 of the counsels and presence of the Fathers, 
 they did their business stupidly and unprospe- 
 rously; a circumstance mightily advantageous, 
 both to the Spaniards and Portugueze, whose 
 victory was owing to the bungling management 
 of their opponents. About the beginning of the 
 disturbances, one Joseph, Corregidor of S. Mi- 
 guel, was elected general of their forces against 
 the Portugueze. This Joseph, an active and 
 courageous man, behaved like a good soldier but 
 an execrable general, for he was as ignorant of 
 military tactics as I am of the black art. On 
 his falling in a chance skirmish, Nicholas Neen- 
 giru, many years Corregidor of the city of Con- 
 cepcion, succeeded. Under his conduct the 
 war was poorly carried on; and the affairs of 
 the Uruguayans gradually declining, the seven 
 towns were delivered up to the royal forces. 
 But, reader, when you utter the name of Ni- 
 cholas Neengiru, uncover your head and bend 
 your knee, or rather, if you know all, burst 
 into laughter. This is that celebrated Nicholas
 
 28 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 Neengiru whom the Europeans called King of 
 Paraguay, whilst Paraguay itself had not an 
 inkling of the matter. At the very time when 
 the feigned majesty of the King of Paraguay 
 employed every mouth and press in Europe, I 
 saw this Nicholas Neengiru, with naked feet, and 
 garments after the Indian fashion, sometimes 
 driving cattle before the shambles, sometimes 
 chopping wood in the market-place ; and when 
 I considered him and his occupation, could 
 hardly refrain from laughter. 
 
 But mark the progress of King Nicholas's 
 fate. To obtain for the base fiction an ap- 
 pearance of truth, a person in the kingdom 
 of Quito w^as bribed to get money coined and 
 stamped with the name of King Nicholas. ' 
 This base money was issued both in Europe 
 and America, and no one could doubt its 
 being coined in Paraguay by the pretended 
 king, where, from the want of bullion, the Ca- 
 tholic kings themselves had no mint. The 
 deceit however at length appeared ; on March 
 the 20th, 1760, the artificer of the coin wrote 
 a letter to the King, in which he confessed — 
 " that he was compelled by the secret stings 
 of conscience to divulge his crime," &c. This 
 letter detected the venal wretch who instigated 
 him to coin the money of King Nicholas.
 
 PARAGUAY. 29 
 
 The fame of King Nicholas and the money 
 issued in his name gave reasonable apprehen- 
 sion to the Court of Madrid; butPedro Zevallos, 
 who was sent with an army to reclaim Paraguay, 
 soon perceived that it was all a false alarm, and 
 •declared the same in letters to the king. If 
 any one doubt my veracity, let him examine the 
 Madrid newspapers, published in the October 
 of 1768, where he will find these words: — 
 " Whatever has been rumoured of King Nicho- 
 las is certified to be a fabulous invention." If 
 you require yet stronger evidence, attend to 
 what follows. The tumults in the Uruguay 
 being settled, Nicholas went himself to the Spa- 
 nish camp, and appearing, of his own accord, 
 before the royal governour, Joseph Andonaegui, 
 gave him an account of all his proceedings. 
 He was quietly heard, dismissed unpunished, 
 and continued in his office of Corregidor. Had 
 he been even suspected of aff'ecting the crown 
 of Paraguay, how different would have been 
 his treatment! Loaded with fetters, — locked 
 in a horrible dungeon, — he would have expiated 
 his crime by some fearful punishment, and per- 
 haps been torn limb from limb. But let us trace 
 the story to its source. 
 
 It is a trite proverb in Spain — La mentira es 
 hija de a/go, falsehood is the daughter of some- 
 thing. Those pernicious rumours which spread
 
 30 ACCOUNT OF THE ABTPONES. 
 
 far and wide, like a pestilence, generally origi- 
 nate in some trifle of no consequence. Such 
 was the fable of King Nicholas, which sprang 
 from an ignorance of the Guarany language, 
 was perpetuated by malice, and spread over all 
 the world, Tubicha signifies great among the 
 Guaranies ; and Mburubkha, King or Cacique. 
 Among the companies of Indians sent to plough 
 the land, to cut and carry wood, or to ferry on 
 the river, there is always a chief, who directs 
 their motions, and whom they address by the 
 title of Naudcrubicha, our chief or captain. In 
 this manner the Uruguayan Indians called their 
 leader, Nicholas Neengiru, Nanderubicha, our 
 captain ; which, being heard by the Spaniards 
 of Asumpcion, who speak a confused jargon of 
 Spanish and Guarany, they ignorantly and 
 wickedly asserted that the Indians called Ni- 
 cholas their king. I must not here omit to men- 
 tion, that, from the ignorance of the Spanish and 
 Portugueze interpreters, the most unfavourable 
 opinions of our aff"airs and the most execrable 
 calumnies have often arisen. These men, from 
 their ignorance of Latin and Guarany, have fre- 
 quently misinterpreted our letters to governors, 
 acquainted with Spanish only; so that deeds 
 and expressions, entirely innocent, have been 
 construed into crimes. 
 
 Let us now return to Nicholas, whom error
 
 PARAGUAY. 31. 
 
 and malice have gifted with an imaginary 
 sceptre. He was born in the city of Concep- 
 (pion; his ancestors were Guarany Indians, 
 and he had married, many years before, a 
 Guarany woman in the city of Concep^^ion, 
 where also he had held many and various 
 offices. Father Ignatius Zierhaim boasts that 
 this celebrated Nicholas, monarch of Paraguay, 
 was publicly whipped, when a young man, by 
 his orders, himself being vicar of the place. 
 Nicholas was a tall man, with a good counte- 
 nance, but grave and taciturn ; his face was 
 good-looking, though marked with a large 
 scar. Think then how ridiculously fable must 
 have been added to fable, when this Nicholas 
 was made out a lay-brother of our order. Only 
 five of this description were with us at that 
 time, whereof two were physicians, the third 
 had the charge of providing apparel, the fourth 
 was employed in painting churches, and the 
 fifth was a feeble old man, whose maladies e;x- 
 ercised our patience and his own. None of 
 them bore the christian or sur-name of Nicholas, 
 and they were all Europeans. Persons of In- 
 dian extraction were never adopted into the 
 number of priests or brothers. The Indians are 
 none of the wisest, I own, but they are not 
 such idiots as to crown a layman in preference 
 to the priests, whose dignity and wisdom they
 
 32 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 rank so high, if the madness of choosing their 
 own king Jiad possessed them. Allowing the 
 Jesuits, in a fit of insanity, to have aimed at the 
 sovereign power, they would not have elected 
 an uneducated layman, but some priest of dis- 
 tinguished virtue and prudence. An anony- 
 mous Frenchman, in a book intitled, Nouvelles 
 Pieces interessantes et necessaires, says, page 18, 
 " I will now show you the origin of Nicholas, 
 King of Paraguay, being supposed a lay-brother. 
 Some Spanish countrymen happened, in the 
 course of conversation, to mention the late in- 
 surrection on the banks of the Uruguay. " Ve- 
 *' rily," says one, *' if the Jesuits be wise, they 
 *' will put the government of the Indians into 
 *' the hands of Joseph Fernandez, a lay-brother 
 " of theirs." This Joseph was a native -of Spain, 
 formerly lieutenant of some light-armed ca- 
 valry of the king's, and a man of great military 
 science. We never find a story lose by carry- 
 ing. The vain supposition of putting the In- 
 dians under the conduct of this lay-brother 
 was reported in such a manner that what one 
 said should he done, another said was done, and 
 the rest giving implicit credit to their assevera- 
 tions, a prodigious tale grew out of nothing. 
 This Joseph Fernandez, during the disturbances 
 of the Uruguay, was master of the public 
 school at Tucuman, and necessarily remarked
 
 PARAGUAY. 33 
 
 by the whole of this populous town, if he in- 
 termitted his attendance for a single day. 
 Having held the office of school-master many 
 years, he managed an estate in the neighbour- 
 hood of the city, and so diligent was he in the 
 exercise of his calling, that I could swear to his 
 never having seen the land of the Guaranies of 
 which he was reported King. 
 
 To corroborate my account I shall subjoin a 
 few circumstances relative to this aifair. From 
 the seven towns which were garrisoned on their 
 surrender by the Spaniards, upwards of thirty 
 thousand Indians departed. Among all who 
 witnessed these innocent exiles, their tender 
 infants, and their feeble old men, not one but 
 shed a tear of compassion. Fifteen thousand 
 of the emigrants were received by the tow^ns of 
 the Parana, and lodged in hovels of straw, — 
 they whose former homes had been of stone, 
 well-built, and commodious. Nearly the same 
 number were dispersed over the plains of the 
 Uruguay, where numerous herds of cattle sup- 
 plied the means of subsistence. The towns at 
 length evacuated, were offered by the Spanish 
 Governour to the Portugueze, but not accepted. 
 Amongst other ways of accounting for this re- 
 fusal on the part of the Portugueze, it was re- 
 ported, that, after exploring the lands of the Uru- 
 guay, they found them destitute of the gold and 
 
 VOL. I. D
 
 34 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 silver they expected to find there. At this crisis 
 of affairs died Barbara, Queen of Spain, a Portu- 
 gueze by birth, and through an overweening at- 
 tachment to her own country, a strenuous advo- 
 cate for the exchange of lands in Paraguay. Not 
 long after, Ferdinand the Sixth followed his con- 
 sort to the tomb. Charles the Third succeeded 
 his brother in right of inheritance. Whilst 
 King of the Two Sicilies he had disapproved 
 these treaties which settled the exchange of 
 lands in America with Portugal; and on his 
 succeeding to the throne, he utterly abrogated 
 them, as fraught with danger to the monarchy. 
 He restored the Guarany exiles to their towns, 
 which now, alas ! resembled Jerusalem after the 
 return of the Jews from Babylon. They found 
 their farms drained of cattle, their fields over- 
 run with brambles and insects, their houses 
 either burnt or miserably dilapidated ; nay, 
 they were sometimes terror-struck by the dens 
 of tigers and the holes of serpents ! Charles 
 confirmed the Jesuits in their old administration 
 of the Guarany colonies, of which the Portu- 
 gueze party itself did not wish their utter 
 deprivation. Had the King believed us the 
 fomenters of the late war he would not have 
 committed the Guaranies to our care and fide- 
 lity. About the same time, Zeno, Marquis de 
 la Ensenada, was recalled from banishment to
 
 PARAGUAY. 35 
 
 Madrid by the royal letters. This principal 
 court minister had never admitted the exchange 
 of lands agreed upon with the Portugueze, but 
 had transmitted notices of it to Charles then 
 King of Sicily. For this, if we may credit a 
 report prevalent in Spain, the Marquis de la 
 Ensenada was banished. That was not the 
 happy time when you might think as you chose, 
 and speak what you thought. 
 
 King Charles not only refused to acquiesce 
 in the treaties ratified with the Portugueze, but 
 immediately declared war upon that people ; to 
 the carrying on of which six thousand Guaranies 
 strenuously applied themselves in the royal 
 camp, under the conduct of Pedro Zevallos, 
 who having occupied Colonia, carried his vic- 
 torious arms into Brazil ; but being stopped by 
 the news of peace having been restored in Eu- 
 rope, testified in his letters to the King, that the 
 success of his expeditions was greatly owing to 
 the Guaranies. Suffer me, by way of episode, 
 to draw a rude sketch of the immortal hero 
 Zevallos. His father, the descendant of a noble 
 family in Spain, was royal governour in" the Ca- 
 naries, and died in an insurrection, bravely 
 fighting for the crown. The son, Pedro Zevallos, 
 was handsome, tall, and well made, and the 
 comeliness of his person was set ofi" by the ele- 
 gance and suavity of his manners. Courteous 
 
 d2
 
 36 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 among his friends, and authoritative with his 
 soldiers, he was neither ruffled with anger, 
 nor soured with harshness At every place 
 and time he maintained the character of the 
 pious Christian, the consummate general, the 
 equitable judge, and, if need required, the 
 dauntless soldier. During his leisure hours you 
 might see him praying on his knees in the 
 church for two hours together. Such was the 
 innocence and integrity of his life, that envy, 
 argus-eyed as she is, could never detect a stain 
 to reprobate. So exemplary was his conduct, 
 that the soldier and the christian never jarred, 
 but harmonized together in one beautiful con- 
 cord. The victories which have gained the Spa- 
 nish hero the plaudits of his country, are rather 
 to be attributed to his piety, than to his military 
 skill ; — to that heaven by which his under- 
 takings were constantly favoured, and his slen- 
 der resources rendered sufficient. In the keen- 
 ness of his wit, the sagacity of his judgment, 
 the courage and alertness of his mind, and the 
 soundness of his loyalty, if one man ever ex- 
 celle<i another, he excelled. His steadfast aim 
 was to benefit rather than please his sovereign, 
 and both he effected, though more than once 
 disgraced from the royal favour by the artifices 
 of calumny. He did nothing without much pre- 
 vious consideration. To crown his purposes
 
 PARAGUAY. 37 
 
 with success, he was master of the most ad- 
 mirable devices ; was never at a loss to remove 
 obstacles, — to anticipate dangers, — and either 
 elude them by artifice, or overcome them by 
 force. He never charged the future with the 
 present business — never let slip a good oppor- 
 tunity : did nothing from impulse, every thing 
 from reason ; yet though never headstrong in 
 attempting any thing, or hasty in attacking an 
 enemy, in battles and sieges he was fierce and 
 determined. Neither dejected by adverse nor 
 inflated by prosperous circumstances, he always 
 preserved an equal mind. By kindness and 
 good example, he bound his soldiers to a 
 prompt obedience ; and this I conclude was 
 the cause of his doing so much with such scanty 
 resources. He was not content to have given 
 his orders, he would himself overlook their exe- 
 cution. On the eve of an expedition, he used 
 to inspect the waggons, carefully enquiring 
 whether they were stored with the requisite 
 arms and provisions, and if they were properly 
 guarded. Rarely trusting to vague reports and 
 uncertain answers, he examined every thing, as 
 far as he was able, in his own person. Early 
 in the night he inspected the different sta- 
 tions of horse-guards, regardless of sleep, as in- 
 deed he was of every other indulgence. He 
 
 d3 
 
 55458
 
 38 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 used to say, that vigilance in the general and 
 obedience in the men, were the safeguards of 
 the army, and the parent of victory, a maxim 
 most happily demonstrated in his own person. 
 
 Think not that such egregious merits went 
 unrewarded by royalty : he was honoured with 
 the rank of commendador in the equestrian 
 order of St. lago, made knight of the order of 
 St. Janeiro, and even created military governor 
 of Madrid. Some years after, he received from 
 King Charles the golden key, a mark of singular 
 prerogative in the court. Rumours of the Pa- 
 raguay disturbances having reached Spain, he 
 was invested with the government of Buenos- 
 Ay res, and commanded to sail thither, to com- 
 pose the minds of the Guaranies, and forward 
 the delivery of the seven towns, accompanied 
 by five hundred regular cavalry-men, chosen 
 from every regiment of light-armed horse which 
 Spain possesses. To these were added seven 
 companies of foot, consisting of runaway 
 Germans, French, Italians, Poles, and even 
 Russians, collected, a few years before, by a 
 Spanish lieutenant at the surrender of Parma. 
 Most of these were veterans — fierce warriors, 
 fresh from European battles. As often, there- 
 fore, as Paraguay found them an enemy, they 
 did not let their help be wanted ; but being 
 used to running away at home, they did not
 
 PARAGUAY. 39 
 
 forget their old propensities amongst the an- 
 tipodes, for they sometimes fled in troops, 
 from the desire of marriage and a life of less 
 hardship. 
 
 During the voyage, Zevallos was anxiously 
 devising methods to tranquillize Paraguay, 
 w^hich he imagined to be embroiled with intes- 
 tine war, and devoted to King Nicholas. On 
 coming in sight of the shores of Buenos-Ayres, 
 lest by a sudden landing he should endanger his 
 men, he despatched some soldiers in a boat to 
 feel the way before them. Perceiving a multi- 
 tude assembled on the bank of the river Plata, 
 they hailed them from afar with the usual inter- 
 rogation of the Spanish guards, Quieti vive? — 
 Who reigns here ? With one voice they ex- 
 claimed, that Ferdinand the Sixth was their 
 king, and should remain so as long as they 
 lived. This was more than enough to quiet the 
 fears of the soldiers, who, deceived by European 
 reports, imagined that King Nicholas would be 
 dethroned v/ith the utmost difficulty, and at the 
 expense of their own and much foreign blood. 
 Zevallos himself was astonished when he learnt 
 that the Guaranies had long since been brought 
 to submission. He had therefore no fighting 
 with the Indians, but many contentions with 
 the officers of the Portugueze faction, among 
 whom the Marquis Val-de-Lirios held a distin- 
 
 p4
 
 40 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 guished place, as possessing, from royal invest- 
 ment, full power of determining every thing 
 connected with the stipulated exchange of ter- 
 ritory with the Portugueze. Equitable in other 
 respects, but too studious of Queen Barbara's 
 favour, he consulted principally the advantage 
 of the Portugueze ; while Pedro Zevallos, who 
 laboured for the safety of his country, rather 
 than the favour of his queen, endeavoured to 
 oppose him. Having impartially investigated 
 all the occurrences of the revolt previous to his 
 coming, and discovered that many things had 
 been written against the Guaranies and their 
 missionaries, without foundation, and that 
 others were basely exaggerated, he transmitted 
 the court a correct statement of the matter, 
 standing forth, on a sudden, the vindicator and 
 eulogist of those very Guaranies he had come to 
 put down and punish. 
 
 Tucuman, another division of Paraguay, ex- 
 tends very widely in every direction : on the 
 East it reaches the territory of Buenos-Ayres ; 
 on the West, the mountains of Chili ; on the 
 South, it is bounded by immense plains, running 
 out as far as the Magellanic region ; and on the 
 North, by the district of Tariji. It has a gover- 
 nour and bishop of its own, the one of whom re- 
 sides at Cordoba, the other at Salta, the capital 
 cities. Cordoba is famous for the beauty of its
 
 PARAGUAY. 41 
 
 houses, the number and opulence of its mhabi- 
 tants, and a celebrated academy. In the rich- 
 ness of its pastures and the multitude of its 
 cattle, it has no superior. Many thousand 
 mules are annually exported from its estates to 
 the Peruvian market. Lofty rocks rise in every 
 part of the Cordoban district. A few leagues 
 distant, on the banks of the river Pucara, which 
 washes the city, is a place where lime is made. 
 Coming to the place one night, when the sky 
 was calm and the air tranquil, I heard terrible 
 noises like the explosion of cannon. But the 
 natives assured me, that these sounds were 
 common to the neighbouring rocks and hap- 
 pened perpetually. The air, confined in the 
 cavities of the mountain, and attempting a for- 
 cible passage through the chinks, when stopped 
 by opposing rocks, and reverberated by their 
 windings, bellows after this fearful manner. 
 In the city of Cordoba itself, a hollow mur- 
 mur, resembling the knocks of a pestle in a 
 wooden mortar, is frequently heard by night. 
 This low mournful sound runs from one street to 
 another, and is called by the Spaniards el pisoji, 
 or the paving-hammer. The ignorant vulgar be- 
 lieve that some spectre or goblin haunts the 
 streets ; as for me, I am convinced that it ori- 
 ginates in subterraneous wind, which, forcing its 
 way through the interstices of the earth, makes
 
 42 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 violent endeavours to find a vent; for I ob- 
 served the lands near the city excavated and 
 fissured in many places by earthquakes. The 
 city of Salta derives its principal profits from 
 the passage of mules. St. lago del Estero, a 
 very ancient city of Tucuman, was long the 
 seat of a bishop, and afterwards of a governour. 
 The houses are, however, neither large nor ele- 
 gant. Pope Innocent the Twelfth transferred 
 the episcopal see from hence to Cordoba. The 
 city of St. lago boasts some tolerably hand- 
 some churches. It is washed by the Rio Dulce, 
 which, during its annual flood, rolls down 
 mountains of sands; excellent bulwarks against 
 the cannon of assailants, if the city were ever 
 besieged. The inhabitants of the district of 
 St. lago are distinguished alike for the great- 
 ness of their valour and the scantiness of their 
 means in the wars against the savages. From 
 the trade in wax, which they collect in their 
 distant woods, and from that in corn, they derive 
 some profits, inadequate, however, to recom- 
 pense them for the hardships they undergo. 
 Their herds are few, from the scantiness of the 
 pastures : for the plains, which are bounded on 
 every side with sand, supply a slender provi- 
 sion of grass, by reason of the frosts in winter 
 and the drought in summer. In winter, when 
 the fields are bare, I have observed the horses
 
 PARAGUAY. 43 
 
 cropping the branches of trees, nay, sometimes 
 gnawing their trunks. Did not the Rio Dulce 
 yearly overflow its banks, the soil would pro- 
 duce nothing esculent. This flood generally 
 takes place about January, from the melting of 
 the snows on the Chili and Peruvian mountains. 
 The fertility of the soil is at that time incre- 
 dible, producing abundant crops of corn, and 
 water-pumpkins of great size and sweetness. 
 Clouds of a remarkable hue announce the event 
 to the natives. The woods around St. lago 
 abound in the alfaroha, which is converted into 
 a drink, or a sweet-flavoured bread, and taken 
 in either form is possessed of medicinal virtues. 
 The Rio Dulce too supplies the inhabitants of 
 its shores with food. Annually, but at no cer- 
 tain time, shoals of a fish called zahalo hurry 
 down the river, and are taken by the hand, in 
 such nu'mbers that, during the period of their 
 arrival, the lower orders need no other provi- 
 sion. 
 
 The city of St. lago formerly numbered many 
 Indian colonies within its jurisdiction, the ruins 
 of which are now alone visible, the inhabitants 
 having perished of want or the small-pox. 
 Some little villages yet remain: Matara, Sala- 
 bina, Moppa, Lasco, Silipica, Lindongasta, Ma- 
 nogasta, and Socconcho ; they are governed by 
 secular priests, and inhabited by a very few In-
 
 44 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 (iians, employed in the service of the Spaniards 
 who live amongst them. Their condition is 
 miserable, their barbarity beyond conception, 
 their houses mere hovels, and their churches 
 little better. The same may be said of all the 
 villages remaining in the other districts of Pa- 
 raguay. 
 
 The little town of St. Miguel, situated near the 
 Chili mountains, is surrounded with hills, plains, 
 large streams, and pleasant woods adorned with 
 lofty forest trees, which supply the whole pro- 
 vince with cedar planks, and timber fit for the 
 largest houses. Rioja and St. Ferdinand, or 
 Catamarca, little towns, buried amongst moun- 
 tains, gain their principal returns from the cul- 
 ture of vines and red pepper, which is in daily 
 use amongst the Spaniards. Not only meal, 
 but even cheese, which, considering the multi- 
 tude of cattle in the estates of Buenos- Ayres 
 and Cordoba, is but seldom made, is seasoned 
 so high Avdth this powerful spice, that it ac- 
 quires a deep red colour, and a pungency in- 
 tolerable to an European palate. All the vine- 
 yards in Paraguay scarce equal the number of 
 fingers on both your hands ; for although the 
 climate and soil are extremely suitable to vines, 
 they are uniformly destroyed by an army of 
 ants, M^asps, and wood-pigeons. The little wine 
 that is made is deep-coloured, thick, and gene-
 
 PARAGUAY. 45 
 
 rous, though to Europeans newly arrived it 
 smells somewhat like a drug. The new must 
 squeezed from the grape is simmered on the 
 fire till it obtains a consistence. Such is the 
 scarcity of wine in the remote colonies, that we 
 were sometimes unable to celebrate the Eucha- 
 rist. For whatever is used at the table or the 
 altar, is principally brought from Chili, by a 
 long journey, and at great expense, and often is 
 not to be had for love or money. 
 
 In the districts of Rioja and Catamarca there 
 is very scanty pasturage, and consequently few 
 cattle ; a want compensated by the fertility of 
 the soil, the productiveness of the trees, and the 
 industry of the inhabitants, who dry figs, weave 
 a kind of woollen garment in common use, dress 
 ox and sheep hides to great perfection, and apply 
 the leather to various purposes, as saddles, 
 trunks, and similar articles, to be commuted for 
 other goods. Xuxuy, a district of St. Salva- 
 dor, situate on the Peruvian side of Tucuman, 
 though far from populous, is the seat of the 
 royal treasurers for the last mentioned country. 
 In this place, the tertian ague and wens are 
 common ; a circumstance arising from the rivu- 
 lets flowing from the neighbouring mountains. 
 Talavera de Madrid, also called Esteco, a state 
 formerly flourishing in vices as in wealth, si- 
 tuate on the bank of the river Salado, is said to
 
 46 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 have been swallowed up, in the last century, 
 with all its houses and inhabitants, by a violent 
 earthquake ; the ill-fated pillar applied to the 
 punishment of delinquents alone remaining in 
 the market-place. 
 
 Fareja, a city of some note, though within 
 the jurisdiction of Chichas in Peru, contains 
 Jesuits from Paraguay, who, in the hopes of ci- 
 vilizing the Chiriguaneis, a barbarous race, 
 always hostile to the Spaniards, have neither 
 spared their labour nor their lives ; five of them 
 were butchered by these savages. 
 
 Santa Cruz de la Sierra, with its territory, 
 though bordering on the eastern confines of 
 Peru, is within the dominions of Paraguay. Its 
 longitude is 314°, its latitude 21°. It has its own 
 governour and bishop, to whom are subject the 
 towns of the Chiquitos, savages for many years 
 instructed by the Jesuits in religion, humanity, 
 and the useful arts, amid their distant woods. In 
 1766, the ten towns of the Chiquitos, founded 
 by men of our order, contained 5173 families, 
 and 23,788 souls ; but the number of deaths far 
 exceeds that of births. Whether this paucity 
 of issue is to be attributed to the climate, the 
 water, their food — especially the land-tortoises 
 they use so much — or to a natural sterility in 
 the parents, let the learned judge. I have fre- 
 quently heard, that had not the Jesuits yearly
 
 PARAGUAY. 47 
 
 brought a multitude of savages from the woods, 
 the towns must long smce have been depo- 
 pulated. 
 
 In each of the cities of Tucuman and Para- 
 guay, the followers of St. Dominic, St. Francis, 
 and St. Pedro de Nolasco, as well as the Jesuits, 
 have their own establishment. Nuns of various 
 orders dwell in Cordoba and Buenos-Ayres, but 
 no where else. The Spaniards account Tucu- 
 man the poorest country in America, because it 
 is destitute of gold, notwithstanding its nume- 
 rous herds of cattle of every description. This 
 province has been honoured with the presence 
 of St. Francis Solano. When he was called 
 away to Paraguay, many whole states were left 
 without a single priest. Francis Victoria, of 
 the order of St. Dominic, first bishop of Tucu- 
 man, in 1581 found only five secular priests 
 and a few religious, with not one presbyter 
 who understood the language of the natives, 
 though the province abounded in Indian colo- 
 nies. Solicitous for the glory of God, this bishop 
 wrote to request Father Juan Atienza in Peru, 
 and Joseph Anchuela in Brazil, to send him a 
 few Jesuits already tried by previous exertions 
 in the Christian cause. Fathers Leonardo Ar- 
 minio, an Italian ; Juan Saloni, a Spaniard ; 
 Thomas Fields, an Irishman; Manuel Ortega, 
 and Estevam de Grao, Portugueze, were sent
 
 48 ACCOUXT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 by sea from Brazil, and being taken by the 
 English, were for some time infamously treated, 
 and at last exposed to the winds and waves in 
 an open boat ; but Providence happily guiding 
 them, reached the port of Buenos-Ayres. From 
 Peru, Fathers Francis Angulo and Alphonso 
 Barzena had been already despatched into Tu- 
 cuman. The last of these was created vicar- 
 general by Victoria, who esteemed him so 
 highly as openly to declare that he would him- 
 self vacate the bishopric could Barzena benefit 
 by his abdication. To these have succeeded 
 men of our order, one after another, for nearly 
 two centuries. Summoned by the bishop and 
 royal governour, sent from Europe by their Ca- 
 tholic sovereigns, and dispersed in every corner 
 of Paraguay's immense extent, how strenuously 
 they have toiled for God and their King, it is 
 not my business to relate. Thousands of sa- 
 vages won over to God and the King, colonies 
 founded on every side, churches built to the 
 Lord, and numbers of Spanish cities imbued with 
 learning and piety — these will testify that we 
 have at least done something for the Antipodes, 
 though many have left no stone unturned to blot 
 out our very name. This is, however, beyond 
 dispute; — that a far more abundant harvest 
 might have been reaped from our apostolic 
 labours, if the Europeans had not uniformly op-
 
 PARAGUAY. 49 
 
 posed every measure conducive to the advan- 
 tage of the Indians. Not a savage would now 
 have been left in America, had every professor of 
 Christianity conformed his life to its dictates, 
 and joined his endeavours vigorously to ours. 
 
 The third division, from which the whole 
 province takes its name, is that of Paraguay, so 
 called from the river on which it borders. In 
 regard to the laws of dominion its extent is im- 
 mense ; but from the dangerous vicinity of the 
 savages on one hand, and the Portugueze on the 
 other, the inhabitants, considering their number, 
 are contracted into somewhat narrow limits. 
 Extensive and fertile plains, both to the west 
 on the opposite side of the river, and towards 
 the north, are totally neglected, on two ac- 
 counts — their distance from the metropolis, and 
 the above-mentioned neighbours. The Corri- 
 entine country is accounted the southern boun- 
 dary. The inhabitants are almost incalculably 
 numerous. There are who assert their capa- 
 bility of bringing ten thousand soldiers into the 
 field, Spaniards only : for if you count Indian 
 natives, and all the herd of negroes, and other 
 slaves, you might reckon up three times that 
 number. But the majority of these deserve the 
 motto — " Nos numerus sumus, et fruges consu- 
 mere natir Some one was heard to complain 
 of the governours of Paraguay — that many sol- 
 
 VOL, I. E
 
 50 ACCOUNT OF THK ABIPOiVES. 
 
 diers were ranged under the banners, but few 
 who were furnished with a musket, and still fewer 
 who could manage one if they had it. The me- 
 tropolis, Assumpcion, takes its name from the 
 assumption of the Virgin Mary. It is situated 
 in latitude 25° 8' and longitude 319° 41', on the 
 banks of the Paraguay, which affords a conve- 
 nient station for ships and an opportunity of com- 
 merce, but menaces destruction to the city ; for 
 the channel constantly nearing and nearing, un- 
 dermines the bank and the houses situate there- 
 upon. Neither splendid edifices nor city fortifi- 
 cations are here to be found. Many of the houses 
 are of stone or brick, and roofed with tiles, but 
 none of them are above one story high. The 
 monasteries are nearly of the same description, 
 possessing nothing by which you could recognise 
 the church. The streets are crooked, and im- 
 peded with ditches and stones thrown out of their 
 places, to the imminent peril both of men and 
 horses. It has but one market-place, and that 
 covered with grass. The governor and bishop 
 have resided here since the time of Charles V. 
 though neither has any proper seat. Besides 
 grammar, the scholars in our college pay much 
 attention to philosophy and theology. For the 
 negroes, Indians, and mulattos, there is a sepa- 
 rate priest and parish church. Even matrons 
 of the higher rank, boys, girls, and all the lower
 
 PARAGUAY. 51 
 
 orders speak Guarany, though the generahty 
 have some acquaintance with Spanish. To say 
 the truth, they mingle both, and speak neither 
 correctly. When the Spaniards first occupied 
 this province, in which the Guaranies had pre- 
 viously settled, for want of Spanish women, 
 they took the daughters of the natives in marri- 
 age. The couples presently caught each other's 
 dialect ; but as is usual with adults, who learn 
 foreign tongues, the Spaniards miserably cor- 
 rupted the Indian, and the Indian the Spanish 
 language. Whence from the original two, a 
 third dialect arose, in use at present. 
 
 The major part of the Spaniards live in 
 hamlets, farms, and little villages, where the 
 convenience of land and pasturage is greatest: 
 cities, except the metropolis, they have none. 
 Villa rica and Curuquati are meagre places, 
 mere shades of towns, the inhabitants being 
 almost obliterated, by frequent migrations, 
 from fear of the Portugueze. Xerez and Ciu- 
 dad Real del Guayra, which once boasted the 
 name of cities, have long since been destroyed 
 by the incursions of the Portugueze who, assem- 
 bled in the city of St. Paulo, enjoy, to this day, 
 the finest parts of Guayra, the Spaniards vainly 
 lamenting the seizure of the noblest part of 
 their territory. 
 
 Of the ancient towns, where the Spaniards 
 E 2
 
 52 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 settled the Indians they had subdued with 
 arms, or won by religion, there remain Caazapa, 
 Yuti, Ytape, and Yta, which are governed by 
 Franciscans. Caazapa contains about two hun- 
 dred families, and exceeds the rest in the num- 
 ber of its herds. Ytape contains about twenty 
 families ; Yuti and Yta, somewhat more. They 
 are all governed by parish priests. Atira and 
 Altos together form one little town. Qua- 
 rambare and Jobati are both inconsiderable. 
 Yaguaron consists of two hundred families. 
 The Indian inhabitants are mostly employed in 
 the service of the Spaniards, and consequently 
 in populousness, morality, and the appearance 
 of their churches, vastly inferior to our Gua- 
 ranies, who, exempted from private servitude, 
 are accountable solely to the Catholic King. 
 
 In the dominions of Paraguay are three other 
 towns, founded and preserved by men of our 
 order. St. Joachim, situate in latitude 24° 
 49', and longitude 321°, on the banks of the 
 Yu, which, in 1767, numbered 2017 Christian 
 inhabitants, named Ytatines or Ytatinguays. 
 As early as 1697 about four hundred persons 
 were discovered in the neighbouring woods of 
 Taruma, by Father Bartholomew Ximenez and 
 Francisco Robles, and assembled in the town of 
 Nuestra Senhora de Sta. Fe, 150 leagues distant 
 from Sta F^, where they held the Christian
 
 PARAGUAY. 53 
 
 religion many years. But love of freedom at 
 length bore them back to their original forests, 
 "whence they were in vain recovered, by fathers 
 of our order, in the year 1721. In the place 
 called Taruma, a little town was built for them, 
 which, in 1723, contained three hundred souls. 
 But partly from the poorness of the pastures, 
 partly from the disturbances raised by the 
 Spaniards, on occasion of Joseph Antequera's 
 obtruding himself upon them as governour, the 
 Ytatines were again removed to Nuestra Sen- 
 hora de Sta. F^, where they remained ten years, 
 and bore a good report. But the bloody insur- 
 rection of the neighbouring Spaniards, famine, 
 and the wasting pestilence of the small-pox, 
 compelled them, in 1734, to take refuge in the 
 forests they had formerly occupied. On the 
 instant. Fathers Sebastiano de Yegros, Juan Es- 
 candon, Felix Villagarzia, and Luke Rodriguez, 
 were sent to explore the lurking-places of the 
 fugitives, and, after a laborious journey of eigh- 
 teen months, returned unsuccessful. At length, 
 in 1745 accident eiFected what labour could 
 not. By the command of the superiors. Father 
 Sebastiano de Yegros began the search, and 
 after a forty-nine days journey of matchless 
 difficulty, found the Ytatines in the woods of 
 Tapebo. No opposition being made on their 
 parts, a town was built for them in their native 
 
 E 3
 
 04 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 soil. Cattle of all kinds, clothes, axes, house- 
 hold furniture, and a few masters of music, and 
 other arts, being sent from the old town, every 
 thing- went on favourably. 
 
 But a sudden terror interrupted the prospe- 
 rous course of the new colony. The Guaycurus 
 or Mbayas began to devastate the neighbour- 
 ing estates of the Paraguayrians with slaughter 
 and depredation. The Ytatines, thinking the 
 marauders already upon them, lost all sense 
 of safety. Alarmed by perpetual rumours of 
 the enemy's approach, they spent their nights 
 without sleep, and in open daylight still dreamt 
 of peril. To this another distress was added : 
 the want of water. The Fathers therefore 
 judged it expedient to remove twenty-five 
 leagues southwards, where the intermediate 
 forests could protect them against the Guay- 
 curus, and afford them a constant supply of 
 water. In 1753, having left their church, and 
 the residence of the Fathers, they built a town 
 on the spur of the moment, which was regulated 
 after the model of the Guarany colonies, in- 
 creased by the accession of new families, and 
 settled on a good foundation. To this city 
 I devoted eight years of unregretted labour. 
 When D. Manuel de la Torre, Bishop of Assump- 
 cion, payed us his accustomed visit, he beheld 
 with admiration the rigid Christian discipline.
 
 PAUAGUAr. 55 
 
 the accuracy of divine worship, and universal 
 good order established among men so lately 
 inhabitants of the woods. D. Carlos Murphy, 
 an Irishman, and governor of Paraguay, was 
 delighted during his five days' visit at my house 
 with the dexterous management displayed by 
 the Indians as well of their musical instruments, 
 as of their weapons. 
 
 Another colony in the jurisdiction of Para- 
 guay, that of St. Stanislaus, is the offshoot of 
 St. Joachim. For the Ytatines, discovered by 
 the joint efforts of the Indians and the Fathers 
 of St. Joachim in woods situate between the 
 rivers Caapivary, Yeyuy, and Tapiraguay, 
 were prevailed upon to assemble in one place 
 and embrace the Christian religion. Arduous, 
 indeed, was the task of persuading them to 
 leave their native woods; for, accustomed to the 
 shade of towering trees, they shun the exposed 
 and sunny plain, where they think their lives 
 and liberties daily endangered. Father Se- 
 bastiano de Yegros lived a year in the woods 
 with the savages ; at the end of which time, he 
 persuaded them to relinquish their woods, and 
 occupy the plains bordering on the river Tapi- 
 raguay, whither Fathers Manuel Guttierrez and 
 Joseph Martin Mattilla bought cattle and the 
 necessaries of subsistence, and in 1751 erected 
 a chapel and dwellings. Softened by the kind- 
 
 e4
 
 56 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 ness and liberality of the Fathers, they became 
 docile and conformable to Christian discipline. 
 In my visits to this town, I could not but 
 admire the gentle disposition and compliance 
 with divine regulations, displayed in a people 
 bred in woods and thickets. In a few years 
 the town was increased by the accession of 
 Indians, won over by Fathers Antonio Planes, 
 Thaddeus Emis, a Bohemian, and Antonino 
 Cortada, after arduous journeys amid pathless 
 wilds. This colony lies in latitude 24° 20', and 
 in longitude 321° 35'. In 1767 it contained 
 upwards of two thousand three hundred inhabi- 
 tants, who had formerly wandered over those 
 woods, where the Spaniards gather the herb 
 of Paraguay. So that from the towns of St. 
 Joachim and St. Stanislaus, a lucrative trade 
 is opened to the whole province by the re- 
 moval of the savages ; since which the Spa- 
 niards can fearlessly traverse the woods that 
 produce the herb in question. 
 
 In confirmation of this, I will cite a remark- 
 able instance. The remote forest of Mbaevera 
 abounds in the trees of the leaves of which the 
 herb of Paraguay is made. To prepare this, 
 a multitude of Spaniards, with the necessary 
 oxen, horses, and mules, are sent from the city 
 of Asumpcion. The forest through which 
 their journey lay, a tract blocked up with
 
 PARAGUAY. 57 
 
 mingled trees and reeds, and impeded with 
 twenty-six rivers, and as many long marshes, 
 is full eighty leagues in extent, in which space 
 you will rarely find ten paces of plain land. 
 To render this passable, it was requisite to fell 
 trees, to throw bridges over the rivers, to give 
 the marshes consistence with bundles of boughs, 
 and to level the declivities. When these things 
 had been effected with equal labour and ex- 
 pense, huts were required to receive the Spa- 
 niards, hedges to inclose the beasts, and a 
 frame work formed of stakes partly driven into 
 the ground, partly laid cross-wise, to roast the 
 leaves on. The necessary preparations made, 
 the Spaniards were sent to the woods where the 
 leaves were gathered. But their superintend- 
 ant Vilalba lit upon a hovel, w^iich, though 
 empty, evidently belonged to the savages. 
 Struck with the unexpected occurrence, he 
 hastened to his companions with the news, which 
 instigated them to immediate flight, and to 
 think of saving their lives instead of gathering 
 the herb of Paraguay. Nor do I, on this ac- 
 count, think them to be accused of cowardice 
 or sloth. For in seeking the trees from which 
 they lopped the branches, they did not traverse 
 the woods in one body, but separately, and 
 when they returned home, they were loaded 
 with burthens. Moreover from carrying no
 
 58 * ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 weapon but the knife they used, they were 
 always undefended from the assault of the 
 savages. Abandoning therefore the business 
 on which they had come, they returned to the 
 city on their mules and horses. Vilalba, quitting 
 his associates, turned aside to the city of St. 
 Joachim, and related to the Fathers what he 
 had seen and done, conjuring them to endea- 
 vour by every possible means to bring the 
 savages to their town. The Fathers readily 
 began the attempt. But, perceiving themselves 
 unequal to such a journey, dispatched a chosen 
 band of Indians, under the conduct of Vilalba, 
 to search out the savages, and sound their in- 
 clinations. After some days, having impru- 
 dently consumed their provisions, they turned 
 back before they had even approached the 
 station, which the Indians were supposed to 
 hold. So that the glory of finding these savages 
 was reserved to the author of this work. 
 
 Some years after, I was sent by the superior 
 to the city of St. Joachim. The rumour con- 
 cerning the Indians of Mbaevera continued to 
 spread, and with it the fear of the Spaniards, 
 who durst not even approach the woods, 
 which promised so abundant an harvest of the 
 herb of Paraguay. Under the conduct of Vi- 
 lalba, 1 set out with five and twenty Indians, 
 through marshes and rivers. The bridges and
 
 PARAGUAY. 59 
 
 other aids, prepared to secure the passage 
 of the Spaniards, had long perished. Every 
 obstacle however being overcome, we arrived 
 at the place in question, and discovered the 
 remains of the savage hut. The bones of apes, 
 boars, and antas, a wooden mortar, a few 
 grains of maize, and other things of this kind, 
 were discovered there ; a path leading to the 
 river side, well trod with the naked feet of the 
 Indians, was also visible ; but not a single recent 
 vestige could we any where detect, though for 
 many days we attentively searched both the 
 neighbouring woods, and the banks of the river 
 Acaray. After having traversed the mournful 
 solitude eighteen days, and suffered what nei- 
 ther I can describe nor my reader credit, as no 
 hope remained of finding the Indians, we re- 
 turned to the town, the improvement of our 
 patience being our only recompense. I walked 
 the whole way, and often barefoot. Had I 
 turned ever so little from the east to the south, we 
 should have found the habitations of the savages, 
 as was proved to me the following year. The 
 Spaniards, being made acquainted with my 
 diligent search of the forest of Mbaevera, per- 
 suaded themselves that the savages had mi- 
 grated elsewhere, and accordingly set out 
 thither in great numbers. But, lo ! in the 
 course of their business, they perceived the
 
 60 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 savages dropping in upon them one after ano- 
 ther. Concihated by familiar discourse, and 
 presents of beef and other trifles, they seemed 
 to. entertain no hostile sentiments, but visited 
 the dwellings of the Spaniards in friendly guise. 
 To enquiries concerning their place of abode, 
 they replied that it was at a great distance, and 
 could only be approached by crossing many 
 marshes ; a cunning answer, dictated by their 
 fears for themselves and their wives, if visited 
 by the Spaniards. Lest their footsteps should 
 betray their resorts, in returning home they 
 practised the following artifice : if they went 
 by a southern, they returned by a northern 
 road, and contrariwise, so that the Spaniards 
 could not form an idea of the place where they 
 lurked. And thus the savages and Spaniards 
 suspected one other, and their mutual distrust 
 increased every day. 
 
 Vilalba, alarmed for his own safety, informed 
 me how matters stood, and assured me of success 
 in discovering the savages if I would only re- 
 new the attempt. I undertook the journey 
 without delay. But scarcely had two days 
 elapsed, when all the rain in heaven seemed 
 combined to overwhelm us, and after eight 
 days of misery, compelled us to return, from 
 the certainty of still greater wretchedness, if 
 we proceeded. Twenty days the obstinate rain
 
 ,— -^a- PARAGUAY. 61 
 
 continued, yet we did not think our business 
 desperate, and on returning to the town, I im- 
 patiently awaited an opportunity of renewing 
 it. Not long after, I undertook a third expe- 
 dition, which proved successful. At length I 
 reached my post, discovering three tolerably 
 populous hordes, over whom presided as many 
 caciques ; Roy, Tupanchichii, and Veraripo- 
 chiritii. The first hut we met with was built 
 of palms, interwoven with dry grass, opening 
 by eight doors and containing sixty inhabitants. 
 Here and there hung nets which are used 
 both to sleep and sit in. Each family has its 
 own fire, on the hearth around which stand a 
 multitude of pots, gourds, and mugs. They 
 are generally handsome, particularly the youths ; 
 from never being exposed to the sun their faces 
 are fair. The males of every age shave their 
 heads, a circle of hair being left on the crown. 
 At seven years old they have their under lip 
 pierced, and insert a reed of the thickness of a 
 quill into the hole. All of whatever sex or 
 age hang a common triangular shell in their 
 ears. The men go almost naked, wearing 
 nothing but a narrow girdle round their loins, 
 but the women are covered from head to foot, 
 with a white garment manufactured from the 
 bark of the Pino. These savages ornament 
 their heads with crowns of long parrot feathers.
 
 62 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 disposed with considerable elegance. Their 
 arms consist of barbed arrows, with which they 
 shoot even little birds on the wing with great 
 dexterity. They maintain themselves and their 
 families by the chase. They often lurk in 
 thickets, for the purpose of shooting or ensnar- 
 ing antas, which they inveigle by a skilful imi- 
 tation of their bray ; nor are they wholly averse 
 from agriculture. In these woods there is an 
 amazing produce of maize, and other fruits, as 
 also of tobacco. On going to bed they put 
 their pots full of flesh or vegetables on the fire, 
 that their breakfasts may be ready when they 
 awake : for at earliest dawn, the males, from 
 seven years old and upwards, traverse the 
 woods with a bundle of darts, in search of that 
 game, on which they must subsist for the day. 
 The mothers put their babies in wicker baskets, 
 and carry them on their shoulders, when they 
 travel in the woods. From the hives with 
 which the trees abound, they collect quantities 
 of most excellent honey, serving both for meat 
 and drink. Their name for God, in the Gua- 
 rany tongue, is Tupa, but of that God and his 
 commandments, they care little to know. They 
 are as ignorant of the worship of idols, as they 
 are of the Supreme being. The spirit of evil 
 they call Ana or Aiianga, but they pay him no 
 adoration. The magicians, or more properly
 
 PARAGUAY. 63 
 
 imposters, who arrogate . to themselves full 
 power of warding and inflicting disease and 
 death, of predicting future events, of raising 
 floods and tempests, of transforming themselves 
 into tigers, and performing I know not what 
 other preternatural feats, they religiously vene- 
 rate. Like other Americans, they think poly- 
 gamy allowable, but rarely avail themselves of 
 the license : from which circumstance, repudia- 
 tion is frequent among them. Marriage with 
 the most distant relations they shun as highly 
 criminal. They inclose their dead in large 
 vessels of clay, according to an old Guarany 
 rite. What their fate after this life may be, 
 they never trouble themselves to enquire. 
 They do not feed on human flesh to my know^- 
 ledge, though the neighbouring Indians reckon 
 it a delicacy. Every stranger whatsoever, In- 
 dian, Spaniard, or Portugueze, they suspect of 
 hostile intentions, and receive in arms, believing 
 every other race their enemies and designers 
 on their freedom. They harboured the same 
 suspicion with regard to me and my Indian 
 comrades, when they saw us coming. 
 
 The first whom we discovered in the woods 
 was a fine young man holding a bird like our 
 pheasants, expiring in his hand. I approached 
 the astonished youth, complimented him upon 
 his singulai' skill in archery, and, as gifts prevail
 
 64 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 more with the Indians than fine words, pre- 
 sented him with a piece of roast meat, which 
 he devoured with all the avidity of hunger. 
 This unexpected breakfast dissipated the alarm 
 which the sudden appearance of strangers had 
 excited. His name was Arapotiyu, or the 
 morning : for in the Guarany tongue ara signi- 
 fies day, poti t\\Q flower, and yii whatever is yel- 
 low OY golden; so that by the golden flower of 
 day they express the morning. And from this 
 morning we discovered that the sun, Captain 
 Roy, the principal cacique of the vicinity, was 
 the youth's father. For whatever questions I 
 put to him, he quietly answered, and said, that 
 his father was occupied in hunting, not far dis- 
 tant. " Come then," said I, joyfully, " con- 
 duct us to him as quickly as possible." To this 
 the youth willingly assented, keeping close to 
 my side the whole way. Having proceeded 
 through the woods for the space of an hour, we 
 beheld an emaciated old man, armed with an 
 immense knife, and creeping at a snail's pace, 
 accompanied by two youths (his son and a cap- 
 tive) furnished with a bundle of arrows. The 
 Indian Christians who were with us bent their 
 bows and the points of their arrows to the 
 ground, to testify friendship, on approaching 
 )^him; one of the more aged of my companions 
 I kissed the left cheek of the cacique, as a sign
 
 PARAGUAY. 65 
 
 of peace, and explaining the reason of our com- 
 ing, said, " God save thee, brother! See, we 
 are come to visit you as friends, for we think 
 you akin to us. And this father-priest, whom 
 we attend, is the minister of God himself. He 
 teaches us, feeds us, clothes and tenderly loves 
 us; for when he buries our dead, wrapped in a 
 white cloth, he chaunts over us." My Indian 
 would have spoken more, but the old man in- 
 terrupted him with an ironical and angry excla- 
 mation of Hindol repeated several times. He 
 vehemently denied that any relationship existed 
 between them, and regarded us with the most 
 wrathful aspect, supposing us to be Spanish or 
 Brazilian Portugueze Indian-hunters. Then ad- 
 dressing himself to me, he angrily said, " You 
 are come in vain, father-priest: we don't want a 
 father-priest. St. Thomas long ago prayed 
 enough for our land. All kind of fruits grow in 
 plenty here." For the rude savage thought the 
 presence of a priest useful only in procuring fer- 
 tility to the soil. " Granting," I replied, " that 
 St. Thomas was formerly in your territories, 
 yet whatever he taught your ancestors of the 
 Supreme Deity and his laws has long since 
 escaped your memories. I am ready to repeat 
 his instructions. But, bless me, good old man, 
 why do we stand talking in the mud? why 
 don't we sit down on the trunk of the tree, 
 
 VOL. T. F
 
 66 ACCOUNT OF THE ABTPONES. 
 
 which is out of the swamp?" Accordingly we 
 sat down, and I detailed to him the occasion 
 and the hardships of my long journey. To win 
 the good-will of the surly old man, I ordered 
 a choice piece of roast meat to be brought him, 
 which he greedily seized and devoured. His 
 hunger appeased, his jealous mind began to 
 soften, and I tried all ways to find an entrance 
 to his heart. To this end, I offered him some 
 snufF, but pushing it from him with both hands, 
 he answered, '* Aquihii/e," 1 fear it, supposing 
 it magical powder, possessed of the power of 
 charming. I then opened to him my design of 
 visiting his horde, but he argued it to be im- 
 possible. " My residence," says he, *' is very 
 far distant from hence. Three rivers, as many 
 marshes, and the worst possible roads inter- 
 vene." *' By this argument," answered I, *' you 
 can never divert me from my purpose, who, 
 after a journey of so many days, have suc- 
 ceeded in overcoming so many rivers and 
 marshes, and such woods." '* But you must 
 know," opposed the old man, " that my health 
 is not very good, and that I feel myself unequal 
 to the journey." " I can easily believe that," 
 was my answer, " when I am daily made sen- 
 sible of my own ailments. And no wonder: 
 the badness of the weather, the copious rains, 
 the wet forest, the muddy roads, the long
 
 PARAGUAY. 67 
 
 marsh, which I crossed up to the knees in wa- 
 ter, the steep mountains which I ascended, the 
 want of food, and the continued walking from 
 day-break till past mid-day, how could they 
 fail to produce ill health? But though we are 
 thus debilitated, yet I think we have strength 
 enough left to carry us to your home, where we 
 can rest ourselves. We will take it easily: let 
 those who are stouter go before ; we that are 
 infirm will follow slowly after." " You would 
 keep away from my dwelling," answered the 
 old man, " if you knew the peril that awaits 
 you there. My countrymen are of an evil dispo- 
 sition; they want to slay, slay, slay all stran- 
 gers." " Though your countrymen," answered 
 I, laughing, ** resemble your portrait ever so 
 accurately, I need feel no apprehension on that 
 account. With you, the terror of the vicinity 
 far arid near, with one so illustrious for valour 
 and great deeds as you, for our friend and pro- 
 tector, what mortal durst attempt to injure us? 
 With you at our side we will fear nothing." 
 By this apparent confidence, by these praises, 
 I won the old man's heart, and found him my 
 friend. In a cheerful tone, he exclaims " It is 
 well!" and orders the two youths to hasten 
 home forthwith. *' Tell our countrymen," says 
 he, *' that a father-priest is here, who makes 
 much of me, and a company of Indians who 
 
 f2
 
 68 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 aflfirm that they are of our blood. Charge the 
 women not to be frightened at the stranger's 
 approach, but to sweep the house diligently, 
 according to my particular desire." About 
 sweeping the house, thought I to myself, I care 
 little ; but that the savages might possibly take 
 it into their heads to discharge all their quivers 
 of arrows upon us, that was indeed a reflexion 
 that disturbed me not a little. 
 
 Away went the messengers like the wind. 
 The old cacique and I pursued their footsteps 
 at a slower pace, beguiling the inclemency of 
 the weather and the asperities of the journey 
 by familiar conversation; and whilst the majo- 
 rity of Europeans were feasting luxuriously, 
 (for it was the third day of the carnival,) we, 
 sitting on the margin of a river, restored our 
 exhausted strength by a draught of cold water. 
 About sun-set, the vast hut I described ap- 
 peared in view. A crowd of the natives, fitted 
 out with bows and arrows, and crowned with 
 parrots' feathers, attended our arrival and ad- 
 dressed us with the usual salutation Ereyupay 
 Now thou art come: to which I returned the 
 accustomed Ayii anga, Now I am come. One 
 of them approached me, and, as if angry with 
 himself for having forgotten his crown, ran back 
 for it, and returned with it on to greet me. 
 As I was standing with some of my companions
 
 PARAGUAY. 69 
 
 at the door of the house, there arose a mighty 
 trepidation amongst the women and children. 
 " There is nothing at all to be afraid of, dear 
 sisters," said the eldest of my Indians. " You 
 see before you your relations, the descendants 
 of your ancestors. Not one of us harbours an 
 evil thought towards you. I am the chief and 
 director of them all." " What the old man has 
 told you," said I, ''is perfectly true. No one 
 present is evilly disposed towards you but my- 
 self. I am a terrible fellow ; for" (putting on a 
 fierce countenance and uttering a hiss) " at 
 one mouthful I intend to devour two or three 
 children." This pleasantry changed all their 
 terror into laughter. The women returned to 
 their stations, and with one accord entreated 
 me to enter the house. " You will never per- 
 suade me to that," replied I. '' I see you have 
 dogs and whelps amongst you, and where dogs 
 are there must fleas be also : now there is no- 
 thing I dread so much as fleas, because they 
 are disturbers of sleep, which, after the fatigues 
 of a long journey, I feel myself sorely in want 
 of. But I will not go far from your residence. 
 In this open spot, where I may see and be seen 
 by all, I am resolved to station myself." And 
 truly, for the sake both of decorum and secu- 
 rity, I spent three days and nights in the open 
 air, though the weather was occasionally rainy. 
 
 f3
 
 70 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 The same evening I hinted to the Cacique 
 Roy, that I wished to see all the inhabitants of 
 the place assembled in one spot, that I might 
 address them, and present them with suitable 
 gifts. My wishes were immediately gratified. 
 They sat around me in such modesty and si- 
 lence that I seemed to behold statues instead 
 of men. To awaken their attention I played 
 for some time on the viol d'amour. Now, 
 though I think myself the very worst of musi^^ 
 cians, yet in these woods I was pronounced an 
 Orpheus by my auditors, who had never heard 
 a better or a worse performer than myself, or in- 
 deed any other music whatever, except that 
 which they produce with rattling gourds toge- 
 ther. I then addressed the assembly to the 
 following effect: " I do not repent the long 
 journey I have taken, the rivers and marshes 
 1 have crossed, the troubles which I have un- 
 dergone, now that I see you well and kindly 
 disposed towards me. My errand is to render 
 you happy; your friend I am in all sincerity. 
 Suffer me then to declare candidly what I feel 
 with respect to you. I lament and pity your 
 lot, which has buried you amid the shades of 
 woods, ignorant alike of the beauties of the 
 world and of God their creator. I know you 
 pronounce the name of God ; but how he must 
 be worshipped, what he forbids, what he or-
 
 PARAGUAY. 71 
 
 dains, what he promises to the good, and what 
 threatens to the evil, that ye know not: nor, 
 unless taught by a priest, can ye ever learn it, 
 miserable while ye live, and mostmiserable here- 
 after when ye die." Here I briefly explained 
 the principal heads of religion with what plain- 
 ness I could. As I discussed these things, they 
 all listened very attentively, except that the 
 boys laughed a little when I made mention of 
 hell fire. The old man also, when he heard 
 from me that marriage with relations was for- 
 bidden, exclaimed, " Thou sayest well, father; 
 such marriages are abominable, but this we 
 know already." From which I discovered that 
 incestuous connexions seemed more execrable 
 to these savages than murder or robbery. 
 Just as I was about to finish my speech, I eyed 
 the congregation more attentively, and cried 
 out, like one astounded, '* Alas! in all this nu- 
 merous assembly I see very, very few of an ad- 
 vanced age; but the reason is manifest. The 
 daily miseries which surround you ruin your 
 constitutions, and bring on a premature death. 
 With naked limbs you daily suffer the injuries 
 of the weather. Your roofs, pervious to every 
 wind, how little do they defend you ! Whole 
 days you traverse the woods like famished wild 
 beasts, the chase at last often fruitless, your 
 subsistence fortuitous, what wonder then if 
 
 f4
 
 72 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 continual solicitude about your maintenance 
 harasses your minds? Not to mention the con- 
 stant risk to which your lives are exposed from 
 the claws of tigers, the bites of serpents, and 
 the weapons and teeth of enemies. Nay, set- 
 ting aside these things, a soil always damp, as I 
 find yours to be, swarming with gnats and 
 other insects, must unquestionably prove the 
 nursery of diseases. And what hope can the 
 invalid entertain of recovering his health in 
 this your solitude, far from medicine or me- 
 dical advice? For those whom you call phy- 
 sicians are impostors, fitter for cheating than 
 curing you. From such inconveniences and 
 perils, the Indians your brothers are almost 
 free, who, assembled in one town, conform 
 their lives to the commandments of God and 
 the regulations of the priests. How many old 
 men might you meet with there ! Nor need 
 you wonder that the majority extend their lives 
 to the extremity of age, when such and so 
 many assistances are supplied them in the city, 
 of the highest efficacy in prolonging life. In 
 the town separate dwellings are marked out 
 for each, not indeed always the most splendid, 
 but fortified against the vicissitudes of the wea- 
 ther. A suitable portion of beef is every day 
 awarded gratuitously to each. With corn, 
 fruit and vegetables they are commonly well
 
 PARAGUAY. 73 
 
 enough supplied from their own land. Every 
 year new clothes are distributed to each. 
 Knives, axes, glass-beads, and similar orna- 
 ments, are given as presents. Skilful physi- 
 cians are night and day in attendance on the 
 sick, who carefully provide them with food pre- 
 pared in the father's dwelling, and with fit 
 medicine, as occasion requires. If any of you 
 think I have made a greater boast of these 
 things than truth warrants, see before you stand 
 Indian Christians, your brothers, and my com- 
 panions and clients, of whom the greater part 
 were born and brought up in woods like your- 
 selves, and now, for many years back, have 
 lived under my authority in St. Joachim. Cast 
 your eyes on their garments. Enquire from 
 them the mode of life which exists amongst us. 
 You will quickly learn that they are contented 
 with their lot, and think themselves most happy 
 in every point of view. They have been what 
 you are now ; and you have it in your power 
 to be what they now are. Do not deny your- 
 selves this felicity. Consider whether it be ex- 
 pedient to immure yourselves in dusky woods, 
 the prey of successive calamities, and final 
 death. It rests with you to act conformably 
 to my good instructions. With open arms we 
 will receive you as friends receive friends, and 
 without delay make you our fellow townsmen.
 
 74 ACCOUNT OF THP: ABIPONES. 
 
 To propose this to you, and persuade you to 
 accept it, I have taken a long and, as you know 
 yourselves, a most difficult journey, urged by 
 my love and yearning towards you; — but no 
 more need be said on this subject." 
 
 To add weight to my oration, I presented 
 each of my auditors with trifling gifts, — little 
 knives, scissors, hooks, axes, mirrors, rings, 
 ear-rings, and necklaces of glass-beads. I 
 seemed to have borne down all before me, be- 
 cause I had mingled my oration with a copious 
 largess. For it passes belief with what signifi- 
 cations of joy and good-will towards me, on 
 the breaking up of the assembly, each retired to 
 his quarters. In a little while, Cacique Roy, 
 to testify his gratitude, ofl^ered me some loaves, 
 prepared, he said, on my account, by his old 
 wife. These loaves were round, made of maize, 
 ; thin, baked under the hot ashes, which they 
 I resembled in colour, and, in a word, so dis- 
 agreeable that their very sight would disgust 
 i the most hungry European. Nevertheless, to 
 I temporize as much as might be, I praised the 
 i skill of the baker, and their great disposition to 
 *| gratify me ; and taking them in one hand, re- 
 turned them pleasantly with the other, adding, 
 [that it would please me highly if his children 
 would feast on these dainties to celebrate my 
 arrival. The old man approved my counsel,
 
 PARAGUAY. 75 
 
 and took back the loaves with the same joy as 
 he had brought them. Strangers must indeed 
 be cautious how they receive food offered by 
 savages, who are very skilful in mixing it with 
 poison, and though officious, always to be feared, 
 as regarding other tribes with an hostile eye. 
 Cacique Roy had a little house for himself and 
 family separate from the rest ; yet during the 
 three days we spent with them, he passed the 
 night in that vast dwelling I have named, whe- 
 ther anxious for the safety of his own subjects 
 or of us, I know not. We spent our nights in 
 the open air in the middle of the dwellings of 
 the savages. I cautioned my men to sleep and 
 watch by turns, lest we should be surprised in 
 our sleep by the designs of many. But there 
 was not a symptom or occasion of fear on either 
 side, -though the suspicion of danger never left 
 us. On the following day, I sent four chosen 
 men of my associates, with Arapotiyu, to 
 slaughter an ox, which I had left at a distance, 
 and bring its flesh to make a feast for the 
 savages. Nothing could have been devised 
 better calculated to raise their spirits ; for the 
 Americans never rejoice with more heartfelt 
 glee, nor pay a more prompt obedience, than 
 when their stomachs are full of beef. The Ca- 
 cique had a pleasure in spending many hours of 
 the day in familiar conversation with me. He
 
 76 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 told me ingenuously, that both he and his dis- 
 trusted the Spaniards and Portugueze in every- 
 thing. To conciliate therefore his confidence 
 and good-will towards me, I declared that I 
 was neither a Spaniard nor a Portugueze. 
 Which circumstance being strongly urged by 
 me, the Cacique told all his hordesmen that I 
 was neither of Spanish nor Portugueze extrac- 
 tion, which had the utmost effect in tightening 
 the new chain of friendship and good-will to- 
 wards me which bound their savage minds. I 
 must here relate a circumstance which I cannot 
 write without a blush, nor can it, I think, be 
 read without a smile. As the Cacique was 
 smoking tobacco through a reed, he opened at 
 once his intentions and his ignorance to my In- 
 dians who were sitting with him. " I have 
 conceived an affection," says he, ** for our 
 father, seeing for certain that he is not a Spa- 
 niard, and should like to enjoy his company as 
 long as I live. Now I have a daughter, the 
 prettiest girl in the world, and I am resolved to 
 marry her to the father, that he may always 
 stay in our family. This intention I have just 
 broke to my wife, and she is of the same mind 
 as myself." On hearing this foolish speech of 
 the old man's, my Indians could not refrain 
 from laughing ; and being asked the cause, re- 
 plied, " that the fathers always live celibate.
 
 PARAGUAY. 77 
 
 and are interdicted from marriage by the most 
 sacred law." The old man was thunderstruck ; 
 *• An eyrae r he exclaimed, with his tobacco 
 reed suspended in the air, " what strange thing 
 is this you tell me?" His astonishment was 
 mingled with sighs, for he grieved that he could 
 not accomplish his wishes. This ridiculous 
 conversation I overheard walking behind among 
 the trees, but dissembling my knowledge, asked 
 my Indians, what the sudden laugh meant; 
 but they were ashamed to repeat to me the 
 Cacique's absurd proposal, and blushing held 
 their peace. It is observable amongst the Gua- 
 rany Indians, that if many are asked at once,' 
 no one answers. I therefore asked one of them 
 separately, who related to me the whole con- 
 versation. I thanked the Cacique for his kind 
 intentions towards me, and told him that I and 
 all priests professed that kind of life which ex- 
 cludes wedlock altogether ; but that though I 
 could not be his son-in-law, he should always 
 find me his most sincere friend, and, if he 
 wished it, his companion and instructor in 
 Christianity. When he had heard this he re- 
 doubled his astonishment and his declarations 
 of affection. 
 
 Immediately on my entering the savage horde 
 the preceding day, I had asked them to de- 
 spatch messengers to acquaint the neighbouring
 
 78 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 Caciques of our arrival, and exhort them to 
 visit us there. The next day about noon the 
 armed savages arrived in great numbers with 
 their families. Two Caciques led the troop. 
 The first, who was called Veraripochiritu, 
 equalled in height and fullness of body the 
 length of his name, a man remarkable for 
 nothing but gentleness and docility. His son, 
 a handsome boy of ten years old, had all his 
 face painted with small black stars. ** You 
 think," said I, '' to adorn your face with these 
 stars, but you have disfigured it most wretch- 
 edly. Come, behold yourself in this mirror." 
 Having looked at his face a little while, he has- 
 tened to some water to wash it, and he, who 
 with his naked limbs, had just before come to 
 me a perfect Pyracmon, when he had wiped 
 off the soot, seemed transformed into a Daphnis. 
 I presented them all with the accustomed trifles, 
 conversed familiarly with each, and very fre- 
 quently with their Cacique Veraripochiritu, 
 whom I found particularly disposed to our 
 worship. The other Cacique, who appeared 
 with his troop, was Tupanchichu, a man scarce 
 forty years old, handsome and well made, but 
 destitute of that fairness of face and candour of 
 mind which the others boasted. Arrogant, 
 crafty, and designing ; under a placid counte- 
 nance and a perilous suavity of speech, he con-
 
 PARAGUAY. 79 
 
 trived to cover his cherished purpose of slaying 
 us, which was, however, discovered by others. 
 On coming up he seated himself with me, and 
 demanded, in an imperative tone, a portion of 
 the herb of Paraguay. Some friendly interro- 
 gations having passed on both sides, I seized a 
 favourable opportunity of discoursing on the 
 Deity. " We already know," he observed, 
 " that there is some one who dwells in heaven." 
 To this I returned, *' that God was the su- 
 preme creator and ruler ; that he was a tender 
 loving father, most worthy of our hearts and 
 adorations ; that it behoved them long ago to 
 have known and understood what pleased and 
 what displeased him." " Tell me, I pray you," 
 said he, " what does displease God." " He 
 abhors," I rejoined, " and terribly punishes 
 adulteries, uncleannesses, lies, calumnies, thefts, 
 homicides." *' What," he enquired, interrupting 
 me, with a haughty look, ** does not God per- 
 mit us to slay our enemies ? Should we be 
 such fools as not to defend ourselves against 
 those that seek our lives ? Such has been my 
 custom if any one threatened mine." I endea- 
 voured to convince the fanatical casuist of his 
 error, and to instil into him a horror of human 
 slaughter, with what success I know not. At 
 that time I learnt from good authority, that this 
 barbarous Cacique, who was feared by the
 
 80 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPOXES. 
 
 whole neighbourhood as a formidable juggler, 
 displayed in his tent an heap of sculls, whose 
 former possessors he had taken off, partly by 
 poison partly by violence. 
 
 At last the Caciques made a final resolve, 
 and entreated me to get a colony founded for 
 them in their native land, like those which the 
 other Indian Christians had obtained. I con- 
 sented to their wishes with the more pleasure, 
 from perceiving the opportunities of seeking 
 out other savages in the remoter forests, which 
 a settlement in the woods of Mbaevera would 
 afford. Tupanchichu, though averse to the wor- 
 ship of Christ, durst not oppose the other two 
 Caciques, men of more weight than himself as 
 well from their age, as from the number of their 
 adherents. He cunningly therefore pretended to 
 assent, that he might the more certainly over- 
 turn the design of founding a colony. After 
 having spent three days with them, I told them 
 all that I intended to depart the next day, but 
 that when I had procured cattle, and other ne- 
 cessaries for building and preserving the town, 
 I would immediately return. To testify their 
 good-will the Caciques made their sons accom- 
 pany me to my town. The hypocritical Tupan- 
 chichu having no son grown up, associated with 
 me his wife's brother, a youth of surpassing 
 comeliness. Four sons of Cacique Roy came
 
 PARAGUAY. 81 
 
 with me ; Arapotiyu, the eldest, Avarendi, the 
 second, and two who were yet boys ; Gato, a 
 young captive of the Cacique's, also attended 
 us. To these were added some married men, 
 so that, altogether, eighteen savages accom- 
 panied us on our way. The Spaniards, whom 
 we met advancing, when they saw me accom- 
 panied by so many naked savages, armed with 
 bundles of arrows, and adorned with crowns of 
 parrot feathers, after their first panic had sub- 
 sided, paid me liberal applauses and congratu- 
 lations. Finally we entered St. Joachim in 
 triumph, and were hailed by the festive accla- 
 mations of the inhabitants. Our Indian guests 
 were liberally treated, clothed, and largely 
 gifted with knives, axes, glass-beads, and other 
 trifles. After resting fourteen days they were 
 sent back to their woods, attended by some of 
 my Indians, Arapotiyu excepted. This youth, 
 from the time when he first met me, would never 
 suffer himself to be separated from my side. 
 Having for some months tried his constancy 
 and his acquaintance with every thing per- 
 taining to Christian worship, I baptized, and, 
 not long after, • united him in marriage, ac- 
 cording to the Christian rites. Though a new 
 inhabitant of our city he surpassed in every 
 kind of virtue, and he might have been taken 
 for an old disciple of Christianity. His lamen- 
 
 VOL. T. G
 
 82 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 tations knew no end, when by the royal sum- 
 mons we were recalled to Europe, amid the 
 tears of all the Indian colonies. The captive 
 Gato also remained with us in the city fully 
 contented with his situation, and behaving so 
 well that his conduct obtained him baptism and 
 Christian wedlock. But not many months after 
 he died of a slow disease. 
 
 Our Indians, returning from the woods of 
 Mbaevera, brought news that the quinsy was 
 y raging among the savages ; that the jugglers, 
 especially Tupanchichu, endeavoured to per- 
 suade the ignorant multitude that this pest was 
 introduced by us, in order to inspire them with 
 a hatred of the Christians. I immediately de- 
 spatched letters to my provincial, in which I in- 
 formed him of my journey, the savages I had 
 discovered, and the intended foundation of a 
 settlement. He approved my design, and when 
 my return to the savages drew near, supplied 
 my room in the town of St. Joachim with ano- 
 ther father. The royal governour, also, D. Jo- 
 seph Martinez Fontes, was made acquainted 
 with what had been done and what was further 
 intended, and requested to invest me with the 
 power of founding the colony. But, alas! the 
 devil interrupted this prosperous course of af- 
 fairs, by means of two of his agents, the inhu- 
 man Tupanchichu and an opulent Spaniard.
 
 PARAGUAY. 83 
 
 Attend and shudder at the detail of their villainy. 
 An unexpected messenger arrives from Mbae- 
 vera with the news that Cacique Roy had died 
 of eating poisoned potatoes, administered by 
 Tupanchichii, who, not content with the mur- 
 der of the old Cacique, had attempted the life 
 of his widow, that he might possess himself of 
 the knives and other iron implements which her 
 husband had left. This woman, despairing of 
 safety in the forest, betook herself to the town 
 with her family. The mother having been well 
 instructed in the rudiments of the Christian 
 doctrine, was baptized on the same day with 
 her eight children and a single captive, to 
 the great comfort of the by-standers; — as for 
 me, my joy can scarcely be conceived. Though 
 the iniquitous deed of Tupanchichii is worthy 
 of universal execration, yet still more detestable 
 appears the memory of that man who, actuated 
 by the base desire of self-aggrandizement, dared 
 to frustrate the colony we had in agitation. 
 
 This man, a Paraguayrian, but not of Spanish 
 extraction, having amassed great riches, princi- 
 pally from trading in the herb of Paraguay, 
 required a multitude of slaves to manage his 
 concerns ; and when he understood that nume- 
 rous hordes of savages were discovered by me 
 in the woods of Mbaevera, and that a colony 
 was to be built there, he conceived a design of 
 
 g2
 
 84 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 transferring these savages, by some means or 
 other, to his estate that he might use them in- 
 stead of negroes who stood him at a great price. 
 To this end, he selected men, versed in the 
 Guarany tongue, to persuade the savages to 
 that which he desired, directing them to gain 
 over, with large presents, whomsoever words 
 failed of affecting. These arts they put in 
 practice, but without prevailing on a single man. 
 And truly it was madness to expect it of the 
 wood Indians, who, from the dread of slavery, 
 shun the neighbourhood, yea the very shadow 
 of the Spaniards ; and who, now that their set- 
 tlement had been thoroughly explored, began 
 to despair of their safety — to fear lest that Spa- 
 niard, whose service they were unwilling to 
 embrace, should sometime despatch an armed 
 troop of soldiers to drive them into- slavery and 
 exile. This danger being daily and nightly 
 before their eyes, they at length resolved to 
 change their quarters and seek a retreat as dis- 
 tant as possible from their present abode, and 
 accordingly, having burnt their hovels to ashes, 
 they all migrated like runaways rather than 
 travellers. 
 
 Being informed of this flight of the Indians, 
 I set out thither with forty Christians, among 
 whom was Arapotiyu, who was thoroughly ac- 
 quainted with the circumjacent ways and woods.
 
 PARAGUAY. 85 
 
 But after doing much and suffering more, we 
 effected nothing: and having traversed the 
 banks of the rivers Monday and Acaray and the 
 interjacent country, without detecting a trace 
 of man, we were forced to remeasure our sor- 
 rowful and weary steps : which circumstance 
 filled every honest breast with unspeakable 
 grief The Spanish and Indian Christians burnt 
 with indignation against that man who had 
 dared to devastate an harvest ripe for the shear- 
 ers, and ready for the granary of the church. 
 
 In endeavouring to make these savages slaves 
 he hindered them from becoming worshippers 
 of the Supreme Being and disciples of Jesus 
 Christ. But divine providence took vengeance 
 on his crimes. 
 
 He had a number of hired men employed in 
 the woods of Mbaevera, upon the preparation of 
 the herb tea, a great quantity of which, already 
 prepared, awaited the mules which were to con- 
 vey it to the city. Meanwhile it was kept in 
 the hut of the Spanish labourers, an edifice situ- 
 ated on the banks of the river Acaray, v/hich 
 were covered with reeds and tall grass. These 
 were suddenly seized with an immense confla- 
 gration, kindled by the savages. The superin- 
 tendant, fearing for his magazine, in order to 
 extinguish the approaching flame, despatched 
 eighteen of his comrades —to perish in the same 
 
 c; 3
 
 86 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 conflagration ; for a sudden blast of wind in 
 flamed the whole surface so quickly that the 
 Spaniards beheld themselves encircled with fire 
 without an outlet left for their escape. Some 
 leapt into the marshes, but they were almost 
 dry ; — some plunged into the mud, but all their 
 endeavours were vain. They were not abso- 
 lutely burnt, but suffocated, scorched and roast- 
 ed, their garments, in general, remaining unhurt. 
 The same evening thirteen miserably perished ; 
 the next day three more ; the other two came 
 to a still more wretched, because a more pro- 
 tracted end. The spies of the savages witness- 
 ed this destruction of the Spaniards, but afar 
 off*, lest themselves should be hurt ; now more 
 daring, from having perceived the fewness of the 
 Spaniards, one, armed with arrows and a club, 
 gtole into the Spanish hut where only one man 
 remained. " So," said the savage with a stern 
 aspect, " you have dared to enter these woods, 
 which were never yours ! Know ye not that 
 this is our hereditary soil ? Are ye not content 
 with having injuriously usurped immense tracts 
 and innumerable woods, spite of the vain oppo- 
 sition of our ancestors? Should any one of us 
 attempt your domains, would he return alive ? 
 No : and we will imitate your example. If, 
 therefore, you are wise, if life is dear to you, — 
 haste away, — advise your countrymen cau-
 
 PARAGUAY. 87 
 
 tiously to shun our woods, unless they would 
 be the cause of their own deaths." During this 
 menacing speech the Spaniard remained silent, 
 pale with expectation of the mortal stroke. To 
 save his life, he offered, with a trembling hand, 
 knives, axes, garments and other trifles within 
 his reach ; pacified by which the savage returned 
 to his comrades who lurked hard by. The 
 Spaniard, deeming any stay in these quarters 
 extremely perilous, ran off, leaving, to its own 
 fate, many thousand pounds of ready made tea. 
 I shall here reicord another excursion to the 
 savages, which, though completed in less time 
 than the former, was productive of more advan- 
 tage. A company of Spaniards were employed 
 in preparing the herb of Paraguay on the south- 
 ern banks of the river Empalado. The trees 
 from which these leaves were plucked failing, 
 they commissioned three men to seek for the 
 tree in request beyond the river. By accident 
 they lit upon a hovel and a field of maize, from 
 which they falsely conjectured that the wood was 
 full of savage hordes. This occurrence affected 
 them all with such fear, that, suspending the 
 business upon which they were engaged, they 
 kept within their huts, like snails in their shells, 
 and spent day and night in dread of hostile ag- 
 gression. To deliver them from this state 
 of fear, a messenger was sent to St. Joachim, 
 
 (;4
 
 88 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 requiring us to search for the savages abiding 
 there, and to remove them, when found, to our 
 colony. I applied myself to the task without 
 shrinking, and on the day of St. John the 
 Evangelist commenced ray travels, accompanied 
 by forty Indians, Having taken a guide from 
 the Spanish hut, and crossed the river Empala- 
 do, we carefully explored all the woods and the 
 banks of the river Monday-mifi, and discover- 
 ing at length, on the third day, a human foot- 
 step, we traced it to a little dwelling, where an 
 old woman with her son and daughter, a youth 
 and maiden of twenty and fifteen years of age, 
 had lived many years. Being asked where the 
 other Indians were to be found, the mother re- 
 plied that no mortal besides herself and her two 
 children survived in these woods ; that all the 
 rest, who had occupied this neighbourhood, had 
 died long ago of the small-pox. Perceiving me 
 doubtful as to the correctness of her statement, 
 the son observed, " You may credit my mother 
 in her assertion without scruple ; for I myself 
 have traversed these woods far and near in 
 search of a wife, but could never meet with a 
 single human being." Nature had taught the 
 young savage that it was not lawful to marry 
 his sister. I exhorted the old mother to mi- 
 grate as fast as possible to my town, promising 
 that both she and her children should be more
 
 PARAGUAY. 89 
 
 comfortably situated. She declared herself 
 willing to accept my invitation, to which there 
 was only one objection. " I have," says she, 
 ** three boars which have been tamed from their 
 earliest age. They follow us wherever we go, 
 and I am afraid, if they are exposed to the sun 
 in a dry plain, unshaded by trees, they will im- 
 mediately perish." " Pray be no longer anxious 
 on this account," replied I ; " depend upon it I 
 shall treat these dear little animals with due 
 kindness. When the sun is hot, we will find 
 shade wherever we are. Lakes, rivers, or 
 marshes will be always at hand to cool your 
 favourites." Induced by these promises, she 
 agreed to go with us. And setting out the next 
 day we reached the town in safety on the first 
 of January. And now it will be proper to give 
 a cursory account of the mother and her off"- 
 spring. Their hut consisted of the branches of 
 the palm-tree, their drink of muddy water. 
 Fruits, antas, fawns, rabbits, and various birds, 
 maize, and the roots of the mandid tree afforded 
 them food ; a cloth woven of the leaves of the 
 caraquata, their bed and clothing. They de- 
 lighted in honey, which abounds in the hollow 
 trees of the forest. The smoke of tobacco "f 
 the old woman inhaled, night and day, through 
 the reed to which was affixed a little wooden 
 vessel, like a pan. The son constantly chewed
 
 90 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 tobacco leaves reduced to powder. Shells 
 sharpened at a stone or split reeds served 
 them for knives. The youth, w^ho catered for 
 his mother and sister, carried in his belt two 
 pieces of iron, the fragment of some old broken 
 knife, about as broad and long as a man's 
 thumb, inserted in a wooden handle, and bound 
 round with wax and thread. With this instru- 
 ment he used to fashion arrows with great ele- 
 gance, make wooden gins to take antas, per- 
 forate trees which seemed likely to contain 
 honey, and perform other things of this kind. 
 There being no clay to make pots of, they had 
 fed, all their lives, on roasted meat instead of 
 boiled. The leaves of the herb of Paraguay 
 they only steeped in cold water, having no 
 vessel to boil it in. To show how scanty their 
 household furniture was, mention must be made 
 of their clothes. The youth wore a cloak of 
 the thread of the caraquata, reaching from his 
 shoulders to his knees, his middle being girded 
 with little cords, from which hung a gourd full 
 of the tobacco dust which he chewed. A net 
 of coarser thread was the mother's bed by night 
 and her only garment by day. The girl in like 
 manner wore a short net by day in which she 
 slept at night. This appearing to me too trans- 
 parent, I gave her a cotton towel to cover her 
 more effectually. The girl folding up the linen
 
 PARAGUAY. 91 
 
 cloth into many folds, placed it on her head to 
 defend her from the heat of the sun, but at the 
 desire of the Indians wrapped it round her. I 
 made the youth, too, wear some linen wrappers, 
 which in my journey I had worn round my 
 head as a defence against the gnats. Before 
 this, he had climbed the highest trees like a 
 monkey to pluck from thence food for his pigs, 
 but his bandages impeded him like fetters, so 
 that he could scarcely move a step. In such 
 extreme need, in such penury I found them, 
 experiencing the rigours of ancient anchorites, 
 without discontent, vexation, or disease. 
 
 My three wood Indians wore their hair 
 dishevelled, cropped, and without a bandage. 
 The youth neither had his lip perforated, nor 
 his head crowned with parrot feathers. The 
 mother and daughter had no ear-rings, though 
 the former wore round her neck a cord from 
 which depended a small heavy piece of wood, 
 of a pyramidal shape, so that by their mutual 
 collision they made a noise at every step. At 
 first sight I asked the old woman whether she 
 used this jingling necklace to frighten away the 
 gnats ; and I afterwards substituted a string of 
 beautifully coloured glass-beads, in place of 
 these wooden weights. The mother and son 
 were tall and well-looking, but the daughter 
 had so fair and elegant a countenance, that a
 
 92 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 poet would have taken her for one of the 
 nymphs or dryads, and any European might 
 safely call her beautiful. She united a becom- 
 ing cheerfulness with great courtesy, and did 
 not seem at all alarmed at our arrival, but the 
 rather enlivened. She laughed heartily at our 
 Guarany, and we, on the other hand, at hers. 
 For as this insulated family had no intercourse 
 with any but themselves, their language was 
 most ridiculously corrupted. The youth had 
 never seen a female except his mother and sister, 
 nor any male but his father. The girl had 
 seen no woman but her mother nor any man but 
 her brother, her father having been torn to pieces 
 by a tiger before she was born. To gather the 
 fruits that grew on the ground or on the trees, 
 and wood for fuel, the dexterous girl ran over 
 the forest tangled as it was with underwood, 
 reeds, and brambles, by which she had her feet 
 wretchedly scratched. Not to go unattended, 
 she commonly had a little parrot on her 
 shoulder, and a small monkey on her arm, un- 
 terrified by the tigers that haunt that neigh- 
 bourhood. The new proselytes were quickly 
 clothed in the town, and served with the daily 
 allowance of food before the rest. I also took 
 care they should take frequent excursions to 
 the neighbouring woods, to enjoy the shade and 
 pleasant freshness of the trees, to which they
 
 PARAGUAY. 93 
 
 had been accustomed. For we found by expe- 
 rience, that savages removed to tovv^ns often 
 waste away from the change of food and air, 
 and from the heat of the sun, which powerfully 
 affects their frames, accustomed, as they have 
 been from infancy, to moist, cool, shady groves. 
 The same was the fate of the mother, son, and 
 daughter in our town. A fev/ weeks after their 
 arrival they were afflicted with a universal hea- 
 viness and rheum, to which succeeded a pain in 
 the eyes and ears, and, not long after, deafness. 
 Lowness of spirits, and disgust to food at length 
 wasted their strength to such a degree that an 
 incurable consumption followed. After lan- 
 guishing some months, the old mother, who 
 had been properly instructed in the Christian 
 religion and baptized, delivered up her spirit, 
 with a mind so calm, so acquiescent with the 
 divine will, that I cannot doubt but that she 
 entered into a blessed immortality. The girl, 
 who had entered the town full of health and 
 beauty, soon lost all resemblance to herself. 
 Enfeebled, withering by degrees like a flower, 
 her bones hardly holding together, she at length 
 followed her mother to the grave, and, if I be 
 not much deceived, to Heaven. Her brother 
 still surviving was attacked by the same ma- 
 lady that proved fatal to his mother and sister, 
 but being of a stronger constitution overcame
 
 94 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 it. The measles, which made great havoc in 
 the town, left him so confirmed in health that 
 there seemed nothing to be feared in regard to 
 him. He was of a cheerful disposition, went to 
 church regularly, learnt the doctrines of Chris- 
 tianity with diligence, was gentle and com- 
 pliant to all, and in every thing discovered 
 marks of future excellence. Nevertheless, to 
 put his perseverance to the proof, I thought it 
 best to delay his baptism a little. At this time 
 an Indian Christian, a good man and rich in 
 land, who, at my orders, had received this cate- 
 chumen into his house, came to me and said, 
 ** My father, our wood Indian is in perfect 
 health of body, but seems to have gone a little 
 astray in mind : he makes no complaints, but 
 says that sleep has deserted him, his mother 
 and sister appearing to him every night in a 
 vision, saying, in a friendly tone, * Suffer thy- 
 self, I pray thee, to be baptized. We shall re- 
 turn to take thee away, when thou dost not 
 expect it.' This vision, he says, takes away 
 his sleep." " Tell him," answered I, " to be of 
 good heart, for that the melancholy remem- 
 brance of his mother and sister, with whom he 
 has lived all his life, is the probable cause of 
 these dreams, and that they, as I think, are 
 gone to Heaven, and have nothing more to do 
 with this world." A few days after, the same
 
 PARAGUAY. 95 
 
 Indian returns, giving the same account as be- 
 fore, and with confirmed suspicions respecting 
 the fearful delirium of our new Christian. Sus- 
 pecting there was something in it, I imme- 
 diately hastened to his house, and found him 
 sitting. On my enquiring how he felt himself, 
 " Well," he replied, smiling, " and entirely free 
 from pain ;" but added, " that he got no sleep at 
 night owing to the appearance of his mother and 
 sister, admonishing him to hasten his baptism, 
 and threatening to take him away unexpectedly. 
 He told me over and over again, with his usual 
 unreservedness, that this prevented him from 
 getting any rest. I thought it probable that 
 this was a mere dream, and worthy, on that 
 account, of neglect. Mindful, however, that 
 dreams have often been divine admonitions and 
 the oracles of God, as appears from Holy Writ, 
 it seemed advisable, in a matter of such mo- 
 ment, to consult both the security and tran- 
 quillity of the catechumen. Being assured of 
 his constancy, and of his acquaintance with the 
 chief heads of religion by previous interroga- 
 tories, I soon after baptized him with the name 
 of Lewis. This I did on the 23d of June, the 
 eve of St. John, about the hour of ten in the 
 morning. On the evening of the same day, 
 without a symptom of disease or apoplexy, he 
 quietly expired.
 
 96 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 This event, a fact well known to the whole 
 town, and which I am ready to attest on oath, 
 astonished every one. I leave my reader to 
 form his own opinion ; but in my mind I could 
 never deem the circumstance merely accidental. 
 To the exceeding compassion of the Almighty 
 I attribute it that these three Indians were dis- 
 covered by me in the unknown recesses of the 
 woods ; that they so promptly complied with 
 my exhortations to enter my town, and em- 
 brace Christianity ; and that they closed their 
 lives after receiving baptism. The remem- 
 brance of my expedition to the river Em- 
 palado, though attended with so many hard- 
 ships and dangers, is still most grateful to my 
 heart, inasmuch as it proved highly fortunate 
 to the three wood Indians and advantageous to 
 the Spaniards. These last, having been certified 
 by me, that, upon the immense tracts of wood- 
 land here mentioned, not a vestige of the sa- 
 vages remained, collected, during the three 
 years they stayed, many hundred thousand 
 pounds of the herb of Paraguay, from which 
 they derived an amazing profit. Thus much on 
 the Guarany towns of Taruma. If on this sub- 
 ject I appear to have written too much, let the 
 reader be told that I have passed over many 
 memorable things in silence. 
 
 The most recent colony in the jurisdiction of
 
 PARAGUAY. 97 
 
 Paraguay, called Belen, is situated on the banks 
 of the YpaneguazLi, to the north of Asumpcion. 
 It was built in 1760 for Indians of the savagest 
 kind, called Guaycurus or Mbayas. They are 
 very expert horsemen, large and generally 
 tall, hostile in the highest degree to the 
 Spaniards, full of the absurdest superstition 
 and arrogance, and, as appears from their cloth- 
 ing and manners, ignorant of the very name of 
 modesty. Their only care is that of their 
 horses and arms, in the management of which 
 their skill is admirable. War, or more cor- 
 rectly pillage, is the occupation they reckon 
 most honourable. In 1745, they laid waste 
 the lands of Paraguay, with exceeding perti- 
 nacity. The greater part of the province was 
 more employed in regretting the slaughters and 
 the rapine, than in preventing them, nor could 
 they devise any remedy for the evil. The sol- 
 diers were now baffled by their swiftness, now 
 unexpectedly surprized by their designs, and 
 now discomfited by their powerful assaults. 
 The savages, elated by the daily victories they 
 had gained for many years, could neither be 
 restrained by the arms of the Spaniards nor 
 appeased by fair words. At last, in the six- 
 teenth year of the present century, the desired 
 peace was at length brought about, and a colony 
 founded in the place above-mentioned. To 
 
 VOL. I. H
 
 98 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 found and govern this, Father Joseph Sanchez 
 Labrador was happily chosen. He spared no 
 labour in learning* the difficult language of the 
 savages, and in bringing them round to civiliza- 
 tion and Christianity, both by daily instruction 
 and by kindness. Would that the Father's 
 diligence and patience had obtained a cor- 
 responding reward ! The little grandson of the 
 Cacique Epaguini, who presided over the co- 
 lony, many infants, and, some adults whose 
 lives were despaired of, received baptism ; but 
 the rest did little else than wander over the 
 plains. Their fidelity, however, seems above 
 all praise; for, after the conclusion of the peace, 
 they never formed any design hostile to the 
 Spaniards, who, whilst they feared the Mbayas 
 as enemies, and remembered the slaughter they 
 had sustained, promised mountains of gold for 
 the maintenance of their colony ; but when 
 their fears subsided, they began to supply them 
 sparingly, or at least tardily, with those things 
 deemed necessary for living in a town, so that 
 the proselytes would have died of hunger had 
 not the fruit of the palm-tree and wild animals 
 supplied the want of beef. Countless and in- 
 credible are the labours, cares, hardships, and 
 perils even of their lives, with which Father 
 Joseph Sanchez and his companions, Juan 
 Garzia, and Manuel Duran, were harassed for
 
 PARAGUAY. 99 
 
 many years. Duran, the person last named, 
 was intended to begin a new colony for the 
 Guanas or Chahas, a pedestrian tribe, subject to 
 the Mbayas, exceedingly numerous on both 
 sides the Paraguay. Being skilful agriculturists, 
 they have already begun to cultivate the grounds 
 and to raise themselves crops on the eastern 
 shore of the Paraguay. In a soil so fertile, so 
 opportune for the discovery of new nations, 
 great progress in the Christian cause was ex- 
 pected from this docile, and populous nation. 
 But he who had long employed himself in the 
 foundation of the colony, when, with incredible 
 labour, he had collected the necessaries for its 
 preservation and completion, was summoned 
 with his associates back to Europe. 
 
 Havins: now mentioned the Indian colonies 
 within the domains of Paraguay, we will pro- 
 ceed to the other peculiarities of the province. 
 
 Notwithstanding the heat of the climate, the 
 soil of Paraguay abounds in the most useful 
 productions : cotton, the sugar cane, tobacco, 
 honey, maize, mandioc, various kinds of pulse, 
 potatoes of different sorts, medicinal plants, 
 colours, frankincense, divers species of gums, 
 balsams, palms, towering cedars, and other trees, 
 both those that bear fruit, and those that serve 
 for building of ships, houses, and waggons ; it 
 
 H 2
 
 100 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 moreover abounds in horses, mules, oxen, and 
 sheep. There is no vestige of metals or pre- 
 cious stones in this country, as the early Spa- 
 niards imagined. Parrots, monkeys of various 
 kinds, antas, stags, deer, tamanduas, tigers, and 
 lions: choice fish, emus, partridges, dogs, cro- 
 codiles, capibaris, and huge tortoises, are every 
 where to be found in astonishing numbers. The 
 countless myriads of serpents, snakes, ants, and 
 other reptiles and insects, evidently noxious, 
 we shall fully treat of hereafter. The pro- 
 duction peculiar to this province, and conse- 
 quently by much the most profitable, is the 
 Herb of Paraguay ; of the production, prepara- 
 tion, nature, use, and price of which I am now 
 going to treat. 
 
 The leaves cut from the tree Caa, and parched 
 at a slow fire, got the name of the Herb of Pa- 
 raguay, from a sort of resemblance to the herb 
 tea, which, like itself, is drunk infused in boil- 
 ing water. The tree caa grows no where spon- 
 taneously but in woods about two hundred 
 leagues from the city of Asumpcion. Like 
 reeds, it thrives best in a moist swampy soil. In 
 form and foliage, except that the leaves are 
 softer, it resembles the orange tree, but far ex- 
 ceeds it in size. Its flowers are small and white, 
 with a calyx composed of five leaflets. The 
 seed is very like American pepper, except that
 
 PARAGUAY. 101 
 
 three or four small whitish, oblong kernels ap- 
 pear beneath the skin. The boughs, which are 
 cut off from the trees with a bill, are parched for 
 some time on beams laid cross-wise over the fire ; 
 after which the leaves, with the smaller twigs, 
 are spread on the ground, and beat to powder 
 with sticks. When prepared by this less labo- 
 rious method, it is c^Wed i/e)'ba de pahs, because 
 it is composed of leaves and leaf-stems, and 
 their fibres, which are in a certain degree woody. 
 iVn arroba (which is twenty-five pounds) of this 
 herb, is sold in the forest for nearly two German 
 florins ; in the city of Asumpcion, from the 
 expense of carriage, the price is double. The 
 caa-miri is sold at a double price, being pre- 
 pared by our Guaranies, with more labour and 
 accuracy ; for they carefully separate and throw 
 aside the leaf-stems and larger fibres. After 
 parching the leaves at a slow fire, they pound 
 them gently in a wooden mortar, taking care 
 not to beat them too small. For the more en- 
 tire they remain, the more taste and smell they 
 possess ; if pulverized very small, they lose 
 both. Caii-miri signifies the small herb, being 
 made by the Indian Guaranies of the tender 
 parts of the leaves, the leaf-stems and all the 
 particles of wood being excluded ; it is not, 
 however, reduced to powder, like that of the 
 Spaniards. The herb, when properly prepared, 
 
 II 3
 
 102 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 exhales avery pleasantfragrance, without the ad- 
 mixture of any thing else; but if it be sprinkled 
 with a little of the leaves or rind of the fruits of 
 the quabira miri, the odour is doubled, the flavour 
 improved, and the price increased.- Add to this, 
 that the herb is of a gummy nature, and in parch- 
 ing it, care must be taken that it be not over- 
 dried. Merchants, when they would try the 
 quality of the herb, put a little of it into the 
 palm of their hand, and blow upon it ; when 
 much of the herb flies off", they judge it to be too 
 high dried, and deprived of juice and virtue; 
 but when it adheres to the hand as if glued there 
 by a natural gum, they value it highly. In con- 
 sequence of the bitterness natural to the herb, 
 it is drunk with sugar. The Indians, however, 
 and the lower orders amongst the Spaniards, 
 drink it unmingled with any thing. Though 
 the caa is only found in the remotest parts of Pa- 
 raguay towards the N. E., it aftbrds a beverage 
 not only to the Paraguayans, but to the Peru- 
 vians and the inhabitants of Chili, who never 
 cease sipping it from morning to night. This 
 nectar of Paraguay is relished by every rank, 
 age, and sex, and is to them what chocolate, 
 coffee, Chinese tea, and "spirits are to other na- 
 tions. The herb, after having been conveyed on 
 mules from the remotest roads of Paraguay to 
 the distant kingdoms of Peru and Chili, from
 
 PARAGUAY. 103 
 
 the difficulties of the journey,, and the heavy 
 tolls, which send great returns to the royal trea- 
 sury, is sold at its journey's end, at a greatly 
 increased price. 
 
 The vessel in which it is taken is made of a 
 hide, or of a gourd split in half, and, amongst 
 the higher orders, plated all round with silver. 
 Into this vessel they put a common table spoon- 
 ful of the herb, stir it up for some time with sugar 
 and cold water, and then pour the hot water 
 upon it. Many drop in the juice of a citron or 
 lemon. The herb thus prepared is strained 
 through a silver pipe, annexed to which is a 
 little globe, finely punctured ; this is done lest 
 any particle of the herb, which is noxious to the 
 stomach, should slip down the throat with the 
 liquor. Others use a narrow wooden pipe or 
 slender reed for this purpose. The Indians, who 
 are not in the habit of straining it, often swallow 
 unintentionally a quantity of the herb, green 
 concrete balls of which are sometimes said to be 
 found in the bowels of the deceased. However 
 this may be, it is most certain, that the warm 
 water in which the herb has been steeped too 
 long, cannot be drunk with safety to the health. 
 Water of this kind grows black, and is only used 
 by ink makers to deepen the blackness of their 
 ink. 
 
 The moderate use of this herb is wholesome 
 h4
 
 104 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 and beneficial in many ways. For when taken 
 with caution, it acts as a diuretic, provokes 
 a gentle perspiration, improves the appetite, 
 speedily counteracts the languor arising from 
 the burning climate, and assuages both hunger 
 and thirst, especially if the herb be drunk with 
 cold water without sugar. If any one wishes 
 to perspire freely, he needs no drug : let him 
 drink an infusion of this herb, as hot as possible, 
 and then lie down. If his stomach appear in 
 want of an emetic, he has only to take the same 
 herb in tepid water. On the other hand, it 
 cannot be doubted, that by the immoderate and 
 almost hourly use of this potation, the stomach 
 is weakened, and continual flatulence, with 
 other diseases, brought on. I have known many 
 of the lower Spaniards who never spoke ten 
 words without applying their lips to the gourd 
 containing the ready-made tea. If many topers 
 in Europe waste their substance by an immo- 
 derate use of wine and other intoxicating li- 
 quors, there are no fewer in America who drink 
 away their fortunes in potations of the herb of 
 Paraguay. 
 
 In the remotest forests, many thousands of 
 men are employed unceasingly in the prepara- 
 tion of this herb during every part of the year, 
 and many thousands of oxen are annually con- 
 sumed in these labours. But who shall num-
 
 PARAGUAY. 105 
 
 ber the multitude of mules, not only occupied in 
 transporting* the herb, but destroyed by the aspe- 
 rities and the length of the j ourney ? Hence they 
 who hire the labourers that collect the herb, who 
 supply oxen, mules, and the various iron imple- 
 ments, seldom grow rich, and they who are hired 
 for this business live amidst constant wretched- 
 ness. The merchants who import it into Peru 
 and Chili are the only gainers, and their gains 
 are immense. If in all Paraguay there are a 
 few opulent men, they have amassed their 
 wealth from dealing in the Herb of Paraguay, 
 and in mules, which they export into Peru and 
 Chili. The marketing of the other Paraguay- 
 rian productions is attended with infinite la- 
 bour, and little or uncertain profit. I have 
 often heard the Paraguayrians complain of the 
 scarcity of the caa tree ; but I must own their 
 lamentations always appeared to me very ridi- 
 culous, when they themselves are the occasion 
 of it. For when, after the usual manner, they 
 ought only to cut off' the boughs, for the sake of 
 a readier profit they fell the trees themselves ; 
 this being very generally done, the trees are 
 yearly diminished in great numbers. The In- 
 dians, more provident, only crop the superflu- 
 ous and luxuriant boughs, the tree itself being- 
 left alive and uninjured for succeeding years. 
 To spare time, expense, and labour, we
 
 106 ACCOUNT OF THE ABI PONES. 
 
 planted the cah within sight of the Guarany 
 Reductions, and from them, in a very short 
 time, the largest forests have arisen. If the Spa- 
 nish agriculturists would but imitate this piece 
 of industry, how much would their fortunes be 
 benefited ! But the planting of woods of this 
 kind requires art, and patience, and the labour 
 of many hands. The seed of the caa being ex- 
 ceedingly glutinous, must be washed in water 
 till that native gluten be thoroughly removed ; 
 which if you neglect, your time will be lost, and 
 your hopes frustrated. The ground in which 
 you mean to sow the prepared seed must be 
 copiously drenched with water, and almost ren- 
 dered muddy. These premises having been cau- 
 tiously attended to, you may think yourself for- 
 tunate, if, at the end of four months, any sign of 
 germination appear; the seed being sown very 
 deep. While the plants are yet young, they 
 must be transplanted, and set at great and equal 
 distances, lest one impede and injure the other. 
 A ditch, two feet deep and as many broad, , 
 must be dug, to receive and retain the rainwater ; 
 and in the middle of each ditch the plants are to 
 be placed singly. As long as the plants are 
 tender, they must be defended against the hoar- 
 frost and cutting south winds by a little thatched 
 tent. This is moreover indisputable, that the 
 trees which are planted and reared by human
 
 PARAGUAY. 107 
 
 care, never grow so high as those of nature's own 
 setthig in the forests. Those however which 
 are planted and cultivated by us, in three or 
 four years time produce a plenteous crop of 
 leaves, so that the labour attending artificial 
 woods is sufficiently repaid by the after-profit. 
 Woods are likewise sown by various birds, 
 which swallow with great avidity the seeds of 
 the herb-tree ; these being, by reason of their 
 natural gluten, indigestible, pass through them, 
 and falling into moist ground, become the daily 
 origin of new trees, and gradually of forests. 
 
 I have often been asked, why the herb of 
 Paraguay is never exported to Europe, and I 
 have answered, on many accounts. In the first 
 place, very little more is prepared than suffices 
 the Americans. If, moreover, the Spaniards of 
 Paraguay gasped after commerce and gain, 
 they might export not only this herb, but many 
 other profitable commodities. Their ships, 
 especially in time of war, are few ; their secu- 
 rity none. Add to this, that in a few years it 
 spoils, and losing its original fragrance smells 
 like Russian shoe-leather; when in this state, 
 it is used by the Paraguay rians to die cloth 
 black. The Europeans, moreover, having never 
 so much as tasted the herb, have no desire to 
 fetch it from America, which they would cer- 
 tainly do, if acquainted with its virtues. Oh!
 
 108 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 how I burn with resentment whenever I read 
 that the Jesuits monopolize the herb of Para- 
 guay! It has ever been free to all, without dis- 
 tinction, to sell as well as to drink this much 
 spoken of herb. There is no part of the year 
 that the Spaniards do not despatch to the cities 
 of Corrientes, Santa Fe, and Buenos- Ayres, many 
 thousand pounds of it, thence to be transported, 
 in huge vessels, to the different ports of Tucu- 
 man, Peru, and Chili, not one of the Jesuits 
 daring to arrogate the right of opposing them. 
 The Indian Guaranies, inhabitants of the thirty- 
 two Reductions which were under our adminis- 
 tration, only make the herb caci-miri, selling it 
 for the use of the higher orders. As the prepa- 
 ration of it is much more laborious, it is en- 
 tirely neglected by the Spaniards, who confine 
 themselves to the coarser herb caa de palos ; and 
 the quantity of herb annually sold by the Spa- 
 niards exceeds that disposed of by the Indians 
 as much as the whole hand does the little finger. 
 For the Guarany towns are not permitted by 
 the laws to sell above a certain quantity ; but the 
 Spaniards are under no such restriction. In 
 most parts of Paraguay there is no currency of 
 money, and the herb is the usual medium of ex- 
 change. But of this trade we pay an annual 
 poll-tax in the Guarany towns, and are besides 
 obliged to fit out our churches, which are highly
 
 PARAGUAY. 109 
 
 ornamented, and procure for our Indians the ne- 
 cessary iron implements. Nor can the superin- 
 tendents of colleges, who exchange the cattle of 
 their estates, and other natural productions for 
 the herb, and that again for implements, instead 
 of money, be justly accounted herb-merchants. 
 For the founders of the colleges did not leave es- 
 tates paying rent, nor sums of money put out at 
 interest, as is usual in Europe, but plains and 
 cattle of various kinds, for the support of the 
 members and the repairing of the dv^ellings and 
 churches. The productions of the estates and 
 plains are there in the place of money, with 
 which necessaries are to be procured. This ex- 
 change, which, unless we preferred dying of 
 want, was absolutely necessary, either ignorance 
 or malice has designated trafficking. How many 
 and how ridiculous are the clamours that have 
 been raised against the Portugueze Jesuits by 
 these lying pamphlets, because they sold sugar 
 brought them from Brazil, when, in fact, they 
 had received no other means of subsistence from 
 the founders of their college ! 
 
 We must now say something of the tobacco 
 plant, in which the soil of Paraguay is very fer- 
 tile. This is sown both in the plains and woods, 
 and succeeds equally well in either, though some 
 prefer the tobacco grown in woods. Its leaves, 
 when dried a little in the air, and fastened into
 
 110 ACCOUNT or thp: abipones, 
 
 bundles with a twig, are chewed by some, 
 smoked by others, and by a very few taken in 
 the form of snuff. For the higher ranks use the 
 snuff made at Seville only, though the price of a 
 pound is at least four Spanish crowns, and often 
 still more in Paraguay. Certain it is that the 
 Paraguayrian tobacco in fragrance falls short of 
 that brought from Virginia, or the island of 
 Cuba. The first leaves that ripen, in Para- 
 guay, are very large, often exceeding an ell in 
 length ; those which are plucked afterwards de- 
 crease more and more. The smoke of the to- 
 bacco is generally inhaled without any tube or 
 ' vessel, in the following manner: — A leaf, not 
 perforated in any part, is squared, to the length 
 and breadth of the middle finger. In the middle 
 of this is laid another little leaf compressed by 
 the finger, and rolled up, together with the ex- 
 terior and larger one. Light one end of this, put 
 the other into your mouth, and draw in the 
 smoke. The Spaniards smoke their tobacco 
 with more cleanness and less cost, carrying about 
 with them a deposit of several of those folds, 
 called zigarros, and lighting them at their plea- 
 sure. The common people roll up the tobacco, 
 cut small, in a paper, or in a maize leaf, and 
 light it; but that this smoke injures the human 
 head is beyond a doubt. Not only the soldiers 
 and sailors, and the common people, as in Ger-
 
 PARAGUAY. Ill' 
 
 many, but even the higher orders, often smoke 
 tobacco. 
 
 In Brazil the Portugueze twist the tobacco leaf 
 into ropes, which, prepared in different ways, 
 are either used as snuff, or chewed or smoked. 
 It is incredible how highly this Brazilian to- 
 bacco is extolled by medical men, and how 
 eagerly it is sought by Europeans. The Spa- 
 niards themselves every year consume an asto- 
 nishing quantity to provoke saliva. By the 
 traffic in tobacco alone, many millions have 
 been lost by the Spaniards to the Portugueze, 
 the sole venders of an article in such demand. 
 To restrain so great an annual exportation of 
 money to foreigners, it was provided by the Ca- 
 tholic King Charles III. in the year 1765, that 
 the Spanish and Indian Paraguayrians should 
 henceforth prepare their tobacco in the manner 
 of the Portugueze, as being no wise inferior to 
 the Brazilian, and that it should be sold at the 
 price fixed by the royal governours, the whole 
 profits accruing to the royal treasury. The 
 king's order was universally, though unwillingly 
 complied with, the new manufacture costing 
 them much labour, with little or no gain to the 
 labourers. I will give you an account of the 
 whole process : — The tobacco leaves are ac- 
 counted ripe when their ends turn yellow, and 
 wither, and are plucked before noon, as being
 
 112 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 moister at that time. They are then suspended 
 from reeds that they may dry a little, and re- 
 main some hours under the shade of a roof. 
 The stem which runs through the middle of the 
 leaf is either beaten down with a bat or removed 
 entirely. The leaves thus prepared are twisted 
 into ropes, by means of a wheel, and then rolled 
 upon a cylindrical piece of wood. This cylin- 
 der, with its tobacco, is placed under the shade 
 of a roof in such a manner that it may receive 
 the heat of the sun, and yet not be touched by 
 any of its rays. The tobacco, thus compressed 
 spirally upon the cylinder, exudes a black, glu- 
 tinous juice, which falls drop by drop into a hide 
 placed underneath. This juice flows daily 
 through, and in like manner is daily poured 
 again upon the folds ; and when the whole mass 
 is thoroughly penetrated by the liquor, it will 
 be necessary to roll the spiral folds daily back 
 again from one cylinder to another. By this 
 method, the lowest part of the tobacco nearest 
 the first cylinder is transferred on the next to the 
 surface, imbibes the juice equally, blackens, and 
 grows rich like lard. To effect this, the trans- 
 lation from one cylinder to another, and the 
 sprinkling of the tobacco, must be diligently 
 continued for many weeks. The sweetness of 
 the smell will mark the completion of the pro- 
 cess. To prevent its drying, it must be kept in
 
 PARAGUAY. 113 
 
 a moist place, apart from every thing which 
 might taint it with any other smell. Tobacco 
 prepared in this manner is chopped by the Por- 
 tugueze into small pieces, which they roast in a 
 new pot placed on the hot coals, and stirring 
 them with a round stick, reduce them to the 
 finest powder — the future delight of every nose 
 in Portugal. 
 
 Thus, though the trade in the herb of Para- 
 guay, in tobacco, cotton, and sugar, and the 
 abundance of different fruits, might offer to the 
 colonists of Paraguay manifold opportunities of 
 acquiring wealth, yet very few opulent men 
 are to be found. They have many means of 
 wealth, but still more impediments. From the 
 very infancy of this province to the present time, 
 bloody seditions, civil wars, contentions, and 
 pernicious enmities to the royal governours and 
 bishops, have miserably diminished the riches of 
 the Spaniards. Add to this, that the savage 
 Guaycurus, Lenguas, Mocobios, Tobas, Abipo- 
 nes, and Mbayas, wretchedly wasted the pro- 
 vince with massacres and pillage, without leaving 
 the miserable inhabitants a place to breathe in, 
 or the means of resistance. To elude their de- 
 signs, little fortlets are every where erected on 
 the banks of the Paraguay, fitted up with a sin- 
 gle cannon, which, being discharged whenever 
 the savages come in sight, admonishes the 
 
 VOL. I. 1
 
 114 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 neighbours to fight or fly, according to circum- 
 stances. The fortlets not being very far distant 
 from one another, the repeated explosions of 
 guns quickly signifies the approach of an enemy 
 descried from afar, to the metropolis itself. As 
 this province is destitute of a regular soldiery, 
 the settlers themselves are ordered sometimes 
 to M^atch in these fortlets, sometimes 'to march 
 against the savages. Being every year pressed 
 for some months with the burdens of the militia, 
 they are forced, during frequent and long 
 absences, to neglect their substance, their fa- 
 milies, their agriculture, and their commerce. 
 In this you may see the chief origin of their 
 poverty. Besides the equestrian savages, who 
 is ignorant of the calamities brought upon this 
 province by the barbarous Payaguas ? These 
 atrocious pirates, infesting the rivers Paraguay 
 and Parana, had for many years been in the 
 habit of intercepting Spanish vessels freighted 
 with wares for the port of Buenos-Ayres, or 
 conveying them from thence, and of massacring 
 the crews. At length Raphael de la Moneda, 
 the royal governour, repressed the audacity of 
 these pirates, and after repeated successful ex- 
 cursions along the river, obliged them to crave a 
 peace, of which their living quietly on the shore 
 of the Paraguay within sight of the city of 
 Asumpcion, wa^>a principal condition. For many
 
 PARAGUAY. 115 
 
 years they have kept to the convention ; but no 
 persuasions of the bishops, the governours, or the 
 priests, could ever prevail upon them to embrace 
 our religion. They are tall, and extremely mus- 
 cular. The frightful appearance which nature 
 has given them they increase with adscititious 
 ornaments. In the under lip, which is perfo- 
 rated, they fix a long tube, sometimes of wood, 
 sometimes of shining copper, reaching down to 
 the breast. To the flap of one of their ears they 
 tie the wing of a huge vulture. Their hair is 
 stained with a purple juice, or with the blood of 
 oxen. On their neck, their arms, and the calves 
 of their legs, they wear strings of glass beads. 
 They paint the whole body from head to foot 
 with a variety of colours. The females, of every 
 age, are decently covered with woollen garments 
 woven by themselves. The males think them- 
 selves handsomely arrayed if they be elegantly 
 painted; and formerly frequented both their own 
 settlement, and the Spanish city and houses, in 
 a state of complete nakedness; which being 
 considered offensive to Christian decency by the 
 governour Raphael de la Moneda, he provided 
 that a quantity of coarse cotton should be distri- 
 buted amongst the adult savages, with this 
 edict, that if any of them thenceforth entered the 
 city naked, he should be punished at the pillory 
 in the market-place with fifty strokes. One 
 
 I 2
 
 116 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 of them had brought fish to the house of a Spa- 
 nish matron to sell, in exchange for which he 
 received a fruit called maudubi. Having no sack 
 to put them in, he held them in the bottom of 
 his garment lifted up as high as the loins. On 
 departing, vs^hen he had reached the door of the 
 room, he began to think within himself that this 
 mode of proceeding would be punished by the 
 governour with a public whipping, if he should 
 hear of it. Alarmed by this consideration, he 
 returns to the matron, repeats the word Momda, 
 with his finger in a threatening attitude, and 
 having let down the fore part of his garment, 
 pours the fruit on the ground, puts them into 
 the hind part, and joyfully carries them off; 
 thinking that by this method he might walk 
 through the market-place decently and un- 
 punished. They use their own language, though, 
 from their constant intercourse with the Spa- 
 niards, the majority can stammer a little Spa- 
 nish and Guarany. They abound in nuptial, 
 funeral, natal, and military rites, and in the ab- 
 surdest superstitions. Their weapons are a bow 
 and arrows, long spears, and a club ; but their 
 craft is more formidable than their arms. Each 
 family has its canoe, a narrow one indeed, but 
 very long. They are managed with a single oar, 
 pointed at the end like a sword, and fly at 
 the slightest impulse in any direction. Their
 
 PARAGUAY. 117 
 
 velocity is owing to their structure. The keel 
 touches the water for little more than three 
 palms in the middle ; the remainder, towards 
 the prow and poop, is curved like a bow, and 
 rises out of the water. Both ends of the canoe 
 are sharp alike, and either serves for poop or 
 prow, as seems good. When the river is stormi- 
 est, they trust themselves and their families, 
 without fear, to its waves. If ever the boat is 
 upset by an unusually strong wave, which hap- 
 pens but seldom, the Payagua gets astride the 
 boat, and thus pursues his way. How often, 
 from the shore, have I beheld the Payagua 
 struggling and laughing amid the foaming waves 
 of the tumultuous river, and expected every mo- 
 ment to see him swallowed up by the eddying 
 waters ! They plunge into the lowest depths of 
 the water, and after remaining under a surprising 
 time, emerge at an immense distance, loaden 
 with fish. They have two sorts of canoes; the 
 lesser for fishing and daily voyages, the larger 
 for the uses of war. These latter will hold forty 
 warriors. If their designs be against the Spa- 
 niards, many of them join together in one fleet, 
 and are the more dangerous from their drawing 
 so little water, which enables them to lurkwdthin 
 the shelter of the lesser rivers, or islands, till a 
 favourable opportunity presents itself of pil- 
 laging loaden vessels, or of disembarking and 
 
 I 3
 
 118 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 attacking the colonies. These savages, though 
 more like beasts than men in their outward ap- 
 pearance, do nevertheless in the contrivance of 
 their designs discover amazing subtlety. For 
 many years they continued to pillage the Spa- 
 nish colonies, and all the ships that came in their 
 way, from the city of Asumpcion, forty leagues 
 southwards. To the cities of Asumpcion and 
 Corrientes, to the vicinity of Buenos- Ayres, and 
 to the Guarany and Spanish towns, I appeal as 
 witnesses. Heaps of dead bodies, crowds of 
 boys and girls driven away, houses reduced to 
 ashes, wares, and all kinds of precious furniture 
 carried off, and churches laid waste — these are 
 the monuments of the barbarous ferocity of these 
 pirates : documents of their deceit yet fresh in 
 the memory of man, on my coming into Para- 
 guay. Many tribes of Payaguas yet remain, 
 who, though bound by no tie of friendship to 
 the Spaniards, cause them no apprehension, be- 
 cause they live remote from the city of Asump- 
 cion, on the northern parts of the Paraguay, and 
 on the shores of the rivers flowing into it, which 
 the Spaniards seldom visit. But the Portu- 
 gueze who dwell inCayaba are sometimes taken, 
 and sometimes slain by Payaguas still practising 
 piracy. 
 
 To the royal jurisdictions of Buenos- Ayres and 
 Rio de la Plata, of Tucuman and Asumpcion,
 
 PARAGUAY. 110 
 
 must be added a region named Chaco. Its 
 lengthis300leagues,its breadth 100. Tucuman, 
 the region De las Charcas, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, 
 and the rivers De laPlata and Paraguay surround 
 Chaco ; on both sides it is bounded by the moun- 
 tains which stretch from Cordoba to the Peruvian 
 silver mines at the cities of Lipes and Potosi, 
 thence to Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and lastly to the 
 lake Mamor6, where they terminate. This terri- 
 tory, throughout its whole extent, enjoys a salu- 
 brious climate, and a rich fertile soil. Here it 
 gently swells into pleasant hillocks, there sinks 
 into fertile vallies, affording rich pasturage to 
 horses and cattle of all kinds. It is adorned 
 with woods, and a variety of excellent trees. On 
 the Peruvian side, stones and rocks that seem 
 to threaten the skies, cover immense tracts of 
 land. Towards the south, it is utterly destitute 
 of stones, pebbles, or sand, though you dig to 
 the depth of fourteen feet. Incredible multi- 
 tudes of strange beasts, birds, amphibious ani- 
 mals, and fishes present themselves to the eye. 
 Besides lakes and rivulets, the ground is wa- 
 tered by noble rivers, which overflow the banks 
 and inundate the sloping plains to a great extent. 
 The most considerable stream in Chaco is the 
 Rio Grande, or Vermejo, which has its source 
 in the Peruvian mountains, and is increased by 
 the accession of many rivers, till it shortly be- 
 
 i4
 
 120 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 comes navigable for small ships. It flows down 
 in a very deep channel, with the most rapid 
 course ; washes the cities of Guadalcazar 
 and Concepcion, long since devastated by the 
 savages, and at about thirty leagues distance 
 from thence, mingles its waters witKthe Para- 
 guay, a little before its junction with the Parana. 
 The vv^aters of the Rio Grande, which abound 
 in fish, are pronounced by authors to be salu- 
 brious, especially to those who labour under a 
 difficulty of urine, orany disease of the bladder. 
 The second place to this river is occupied by 
 the Pilcomayo, which also flows from the Pe- 
 ruvian mountains. The distance between it 
 and the Rio Grande is reckoned at thirty 
 leagues. It is not navigable at all times, nor 
 in all places. Nearly eighty leagues from its 
 junction with the Paraguay, it splits into two 
 arms, forming an island of as many leagues in 
 length. The first of these arms which flows 
 into the Paraguay, within sight of Asumpcion, 
 is called by the Guaranies Araguaay, or the 
 wise river ; possibly because the greatest saga- 
 city is requisite to eff"ect its navigation. The 
 whole island is annually flooded, so that both 
 branches of the river coalescing into one channel, 
 it must be attributed to fortune, rather than to 
 skill, if any pilot pass over the opposing shal- 
 lows, and the meanders of its waters in safety.
 
 PARAGUAY. 121' 
 
 The other arm, which retains the name of Pil- 
 comayo, unites with the Paraguay at about the 
 distance of nine leagues to the south of Asump- 
 cion. The waters of the Pilcomayo are, for the 
 most part, extremely foul. 
 
 The Rio Salado derives its origin from the 
 mountains of Salta. In sundry places it changes 
 both its channel and its name. At first it is 
 called Rio Arias, presently Rio Passage, and 
 afterwards, in the neighbourhood of the castle 
 de Val Buena, Rio Salado. Beyond the city of 
 Santa F^, it assumes the name of Coronda, and 
 finally, under this name, loses itself in the mighty 
 waters of the Parana. For a length of way, its 
 waters are not only sweet, but very famous for 
 their salubrity, which, however, tributary lakes 
 and rivers corrupt with such filth and saltness, 
 that, for the space of many leagues, the very 
 beasts refuse to touch it. It may be worth 
 while to notice the origin of its saltness. The 
 neighbouring plains abound in the shrub vi- 
 driera, the ashes of which reduced to a calx 
 are employed in the making of glass. The 
 vidriera resembles the juniper; the berries 
 are small and cylindrical, green, nearly trans- 
 parent, and joined one with another, being in 
 place both of boughs and leaves. If I remem- 
 ber rightly, it bears no fruit. The rain falling
 
 122 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 upon these shrubs, contracts a saltness, and 
 flowing down the country, communicates it to 
 the lakes and streams, which enter rivers sweet 
 at their source, and miserably taint them. The 
 palm tree (caranday) under which salt-petre is 
 produced, has the same effect as the vidriera. 
 But though the waters of the Rio Salado be 
 salt, they are pellucid, and in the deepest parts 
 the excellent fish, with which this river abounds, 
 are perceptible at the bottom. Its channel is 
 deep, and contained within narrow, though 
 lofty and precipitous banks, through which it 
 quietly flows, unnavigable, except near Santa 
 F^. Between the Salado and Dulce flows the 
 rivulet Turugon, which, being girt with woods, 
 even in the driest weather, affords plentiful and 
 sweet waters to the traveller, as it is neither in- 
 terrupted by shallows, nor tainted with salt. 
 It is not far distant from the little Indian town 
 Salabina. The Rio Dulce, which is the Nile of 
 the territory of St. lago, after proceeding a little 
 southerly, overflows its banks, and is finally re- 
 ceived by the lake of gourds (Laguna de los 
 Porrongos) between Cordoba and Santa Fe. Not 
 many leagues distant is the white lake, (Laguna 
 Blanca,) where the Indians and Spaniards affirm 
 that bowlings, as of bulls, are heard in the dead 
 of the night. 
 
 The rivers and streams of lesser note which
 
 PARAGUAY. 123 
 
 belong to Chaco, are the Centa, the Ocloyas, 
 the Jujuy, the Sinancas, the Rio Negro, the 
 Rio Verde, the Atopehenra Lauate, the Rio 
 Rey or Ychimaye, the Malabrigo or Neboque 
 Latel, the Inespin or Naraheguem, the Eleya, 
 &c. ; who shall number them all, when they are 
 almost innumerable, and often unnamed ? Most 
 of these, after a long drought, become almost 
 dry, a no uncommon occurrence in Chaco. You 
 may often travel many leagues where not even 
 a bird could discover a drop of water. On the 
 other hand, when the sky is prodigal of its 
 hoard, the brooks seem rivers, and the rivers 
 seas, whole plains being inundated. During 
 many journies of many weeks, when v/e had to 
 contend with water, mud, and deep marshes, 
 there was often not a palm of dry land where 
 we could rest at night. The Spanish soldiers 
 who were with me sometimes ascended high 
 trees, and perching there, like birds, enjoyed 
 some portion of rest during the night. Several 
 of them lighted a fire there to heat their water. 
 But the calamity was far more intolerable when 
 we had to ride, without resting day or night, 
 for many leagues, under a burning sun, before 
 we reached a situation where we could obtain 
 water for ourselves and our horses. At other 
 places, you might traverse immense plains 
 without seeing a twig to light a fire with.
 
 124 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 Wherever you turn, you meet with an army of 
 gnats, serpents, and noxious insects, besides 
 lions, tigers, and other formidable wild beasts. 
 This is the face of the province called Chaco ! 
 which the Spanish soldiers look upon as a the- 
 atre of misery, and the savages as their Pales- 
 tine and Elysium. Hither the Indians fled, 
 when the Spaniards first laid the yoke on the 
 inhabitants of Peru. To escape the dreadful 
 hands, nay the very sight of the Europeans, they 
 betook themselves to the coverts of Chaco. 
 For there they had mountains for observatories, 
 trackless woods for fortifications, rivers and 
 marshes for ditches, and plantations of fruit 
 trees for storehouses ; and there a numerous 
 population still eludes the attempts of the Spa- 
 niards. It appears very probable, that these 
 lurking-places in Chaco were tenanted by indi- 
 genous tribes, prior to the arrival of the Spa- 
 niards ; and if so, it is indubitable that the nev/ 
 arrivers joined themselves to the natives, in the 
 hope of security. Several tribes formerly ex- 
 isted in Chaco, but of these the names alone, or 
 very slender relics remain. Of this number 
 were the Calchaquis, formerly very numerous, 
 famous for military ferocity, and hostile to the 
 Spaniards. At present, a very few survive in 
 a corner of the territory of Santa Fe, the rest 
 having long since fallen victims to war, or the
 
 PARAGUAY. 125 
 
 small-pox. Nearly the same fate has swept 
 away the equestrian tribes of the Malbalaes, 
 Mataras, Palomos, Mogosnas, Orejones, Aqui- 
 lotes, Churumates, Ojotades, Tanos, Quamalcas, 
 &c. The equestrian nations remaining in Chaco, 
 and still formidable to the Spaniards, are the 
 Abipones, Natekebits, Tobas, Amokebits, Mo- 
 cobios, Yapitalakas, or Zapitalakas, and Oeka- 
 kakalots, Guaycurus, or Lenguas. The Mbayas 
 dwelling on the eastern shore of the Paraguay call 
 themselves Eyiguayegis, those on the western 
 Quetiadegodis. The pedestrian tribes are the 
 Lules, the Ysistines Foxistines, who speak the 
 same language, to wit the Tonocot^, and have 
 been, for the most part, converted by us, and 
 settled in towns : the Homoampas, Vilelas, 
 Chunipies, Yooks, Ocoles, and Pazaines, who 
 are in great part Christians : the Mataguayos, 
 whom we have so often attempted to civilize, 
 but who always proved indocile : the Payaguas, 
 the Guanas, and the Chiquitos. By the annual 
 excursions of men of our order to the woods, 
 savages speaking various languages, as the Za- 
 mucos, Caypotades, Ygaronos, &c. were added 
 to the colonies of the Chiquitos. 
 
 The Chiriguanos, a nation very famous for 
 number, fierceness and obstinacy, can scarcely, 
 I think, be referred to Chaco, as the majority of 
 them inhabit the territories of Tarija and Peru.
 
 126 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 Their language, which is somewhat remarkable, 
 is a dialect of the Guarany, very little corrupted. 
 Tradition reports, that they formerly migrated 
 from the southern shores of the Parana and the 
 Paraguay, to these northern tracts of Peru, 
 through fear of the vengeance which threatened 
 them from the Portugueze, for having murdered 
 their countryman Alexo Garzia. This cause of 
 their migration some reject, and contend that 
 near a hundred years before the murder of Alexo 
 Garzia, they had been attacked, but not van- 
 quished, by the Inca Yupangui. This is, at 
 any rate, most certain, that the Chiriguanos, 
 except a few who now profess Christianity, are, 
 at this day, hostile to the Spaniards, and for- 
 midable to the whole neighbourhood far and 
 wide. 
 
 I shall here cursorily mention the other na- 
 tions yet remaining in Paraguay, without the 
 limits of Chaco : the Guaranies, by far the most 
 numerous of all, inhabiting thirty-two large 
 towns, on the shores of the Parana, Paraguay, 
 and Uruguay, and all of them sincerely attached 
 to the King, and the Catholic Faith; as also the 
 Ytatinguas, who occupy two colonies in the 
 woods of Taruma. Other little towns, also, 
 administered by secular Presbyters, or Fran- 
 ciscans, are inhabited by Christian Guaranies. 
 The Tobatinguas, Tapes, and Caayguas, still
 
 PARAGUAY. 127 
 
 hidden in the coverts of woods, have assumed 
 these names from the mountains, rivers, or fo- 
 rests which they tenant, but are in reality Gua- 
 ranies, and use the Guarany tongue. The 
 Guayaguis are a populous nation, entirely dif- 
 ferent from the Guaranies in language, customs, 
 and fairness of complexion. They wander over 
 the remote forests on the banks of the Monday- 
 guazii. They leap from tree to tree, like mon- 
 kies, in search of honey, little birds, and other 
 provision. Destitute of clothing and settled 
 habitations, a timid race, they pass their lives 
 without injuring any one. On the craggy rocks 
 overhanging the river Tebiguary Miri, and the 
 little city Villa Rica, dwells a race of savages, 
 called by the Spaniards Guaycuruti, from the 
 fairness of their faces ; men tall of stature, and 
 armed with a club, and arrows. Troops of 
 these occasionally descend into the plain beneath 
 their mountains, and with their missiles or 
 clubs kill the mules and horses of the Spaniards, 
 and cutting them into pieces, transport them on 
 their shoulders, and feast most luxuriously upon 
 them at home. When, therefore, this carnage 
 of horses and mules had brought devastation on 
 the Spanish estates, it was unanimously agreed 
 to examine the lurking-places of the savages, 
 and either lead them away captive, or cut them 
 off by massacre. The expedition was weighty.
 
 128 ACCOUNT or the abipones. 
 
 but brief. For on the very first day, some un- 
 accountable panic induced them to return. To 
 these horse-eaters I join the Indian man-eaters, 
 who wander in the woods between the rivers 
 Parana and Uruguay, as also on the shores of 
 the Monday-guazu, and Acaray, constantly in- 
 tent on the chase of men, whose flesh they infi- 
 nitely prefer to that of any beast. They have 
 been sought after by men of our order, often 
 with great hardships, often at the peril of their 
 lives, but always in vain. The extensive plains, 
 the for-est labyrinths, the difficult recesses of the 
 YgLiazu, Ygatimi, Carema, Curyi, Acaray, Mon- 
 day, &c. abound in hives of wood Indians, who, 
 though ditierently named, according to the 
 places where they reside, may in general be 
 referred to the Guarany nation. 
 
 Among the equestrian nations out of Chaco, 
 the first place is held by the Guenoas, who re- 
 side between the rivers Uruguay and Plata, and 
 the Pacific Ocean, without, however, having 
 any fixed settlements. This very numerous 
 nation comprehends the Charruas, the Yaros, 
 Bohanes, Minoanes, and Costeros, all horsemen, 
 and of the most barbarous manners. These 
 savages, as dwelling nearest the Rio de la Plata, 
 and being, as it were, the door-keepers of all 
 Paraguay, have ever given the most trouble to . 
 the new arrivers from Spain, to whom they are
 
 PARAGUAY. 129 
 
 hostile in the highest degree. In 1750, the sol- 
 diers of Santa ¥6, to revenge their frequent 
 violation of the stipulated peace, surprized the 
 perfidious Charruas, about morning, as they 
 were sleeping in their tents. Many were slain, 
 and the rest led into captivity with their fa- 
 milies. On the western shore of the Parana, a 
 village was built for them, about twenty leagues 
 distant from the city, a priest given them to in- 
 struct them in religion and humanity, and a 
 guard of soldiers added to secure his personal 
 safety, and prevent their flight. The savages 
 were chiefly supported by the flesh of wild 
 horses, with which the neighbouring plains are 
 overrun. Tamed by hunger and misery, the 
 Charruas applied themselves to agriculture, and 
 yielded conformity to their priest, who, fearing 
 nothing farther for his own security, and that 
 of the colony, desired that the soldiers might 
 be removed, as he found their presence totally 
 useless to himself, and extremely prejudicial to 
 his proselytes. This good man, who was a 
 Franciscan, knew that he should lose both cost 
 and labour, if the Indians observed the manners 
 and discourse of the soldiers incongruous with 
 the precepts issued from the church. On the 
 fear of hostile aggression, soldiers are sometimes 
 sent from the city for the defence of a new co- 
 lony ; but we dreaded the coming of the soldiers, 
 
 VOL. I. K
 
 130 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 more than that of the savages. For the former 
 by their licentiousness do more harm to the 
 women, than the savages could do to the colony 
 with all their weapons. About the end of the 
 last century, men of our order, by their eloquence 
 and kindness, so far brought over the barbarous 
 Yaros, who form a large part of the Quenoas, 
 thatj collected in a little town dedicated to St. 
 Andrew, they suffered themselves, for some 
 time, to be instructed in religion; but at the 
 instigation of a certain famous juggler, they re- 
 turned to their old haunts. Being asked the 
 cause of their flight, " We don't like," said they, 
 *' to have a God who knows and sees all we do 
 in secret. It is our fixed resolve and pleasure to 
 enjoy our old liberty of thinking and acting as 
 we like." The massacres committed by these 
 worst of savages, in the territories of Corrientes, 
 Santa Fe, and Monte-Video, alike exceed belief 
 and calculation. 
 
 That immense plain which stretches out to 
 the south west of Buenos-Ayres, is inhabited 
 by equestrian savages. They have not all the 
 same name or language. By the Spaniards 
 they are either called Pampas, — dwellers in 
 champaigne country ; or Serranos, — moun- 
 taineers. From the Indians of Peru, they 
 receive the general name of Aucas, to wit, 
 enemies, or rebels. In reality, liowever, they
 
 PARAGUAY. 131 
 
 are divided into Puelches, Peguenches, Thu- 
 elchi\s, (whom we call Patagonians,) San- 
 guelches, Muloches, and Araucanos, the masters 
 of the Chili Alps. Horrible names ! — but far 
 more horrible are the dispositions, deeds, man- 
 ners and opinions of those who bear them. The 
 country tenanted by these savages stretches an 
 hundred leagues from north to south — from 
 east to west full two hundred ; is almost desti- 
 tute of wood and water, but abounds in wild 
 animals. Multitudes of emus wander over 
 these solitudes. The horse supplies them with 
 food, clothes, lodging, bed, arms, medicine, 
 thread, and what not ? Of the hide they make 
 their couch, clothing, boots, tents, saddles, and 
 thongs which serve alike for bridle and weapons. 
 The sinews of the horse they use instead of 
 thread, for the purposes of sewing. They drink 
 melted horse-fat, and wash their heads, first 
 with the blood of these animals, and afterwards 
 with water, in the idea of its strengthening 
 them. They twist horse-hair into ropes. They 
 are terribly addicted to drunkenness, and ex- 
 pend their whole property in purchasing brandy 
 from the Spaniards. When I resided in Buenos- 
 Ayres, to sell this pestilent liquor was a crime, 
 the absolution of which was reserved for the 
 Bishop alone. For a single flagon of brandy, 
 the young maid is often sold by her parents as 
 
 k2
 
 132 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 a wife to some savage suitor. As soon as the 
 first potation is prepared of tlie alfaroba mixed 
 in water, they flock to their burying-places, 
 not without many ceremonies, and sprinkling 
 them with this beverage, utter the tenderest la- 
 mentations, for pity that those entombed be- 
 neath cannot enjoy their nectar. In war, these 
 savages are extremely formidable to the neigh- 
 bouring Spaniards. Fleet horses, a sword, a 
 spear, and three stone balls covered with lea- 
 ther, and suspended from as many thongs, 
 which they hurl with great dexterity, are their 
 weapons, and weapons by no means to be de- 
 spised. 
 
 The Southern savages, when wrought to the 
 highest pitch of bitterness, leave their enemy, 
 mutilated in both feet, and writhing on the 
 ground, like a worm, to the tortures of a pro- 
 tracted death. This is their most familiar 
 threat, when angry. Those whom they despatch 
 at a single blow, they think kindly and humanely 
 treated. Actuated by an irrational kind of 
 pity, they are wont to bury their dying ere the 
 breath has left them, to shorten their pains. 
 At other times, when they see a man struggling 
 in the agonies of death, they paint him with 
 various colours, and adorn him with blue 
 beads. They compose the corpse in such a 
 manner, that the knees touch the face. His
 
 PARAGUAY. 133 
 
 horses, ornamented with small copper bells, 
 glass beads, and emu feathers, they lead round 
 the tent of the deceased, for a certain number 
 of times, after which they kill them. The same 
 fate awaits his dogs. The bodies of the horses 
 are fastened to the grave with stakes, from which 
 are suspended many coloured garments. They 
 believe that the souls both of men and emus 
 inhabit subterraneous tents. See ! what mul- 
 titudes of nations are yet remaining in Paraguay! 
 numerous others, moreover, whose names exist 
 alone in histories and maps, have perished long 
 since from various causes. Of this number are 
 the Caracaras, Hastores, Ohomas, Timbus, Ca- 
 racoas, Napigues, Agazes, Itapurus, Urtuezes, 
 Perabazones, Frentones, Aguilotes, &:c. 
 
 In this place we may add, that within the 
 ample confines of Paraguay, there is scarce 
 known a single nation upon which the Jesuits 
 have not bestowed their labours, and for which, 
 whenever it was permitted, a colony was not 
 founded. Above all, the nation of the Guaranies, 
 though never to be vanquished by the arms of 
 the Europeans, evinced such docility and obe- 
 dience to the instructions of the Jesuits, and 
 such submission to God and the Spanish mo- 
 narchy, as could neither be gained nor expected 
 from the other Americans. The Guaranies 
 owe it to the exceeding benevolence of the 
 
 K 3
 
 134 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 Spanish Kings, that they have ever sent them 
 Jesuits from Europe to teach them religion, 
 that they have liberally supported them, that 
 the annual tribute exacted from them has been 
 lightened, and that they have protected them 
 against envy and calumny by their royal letters. 
 No time can erase the memory of such benefits. 
 No one, however, will deny that the Spaniards, 
 on" the other hand, owe much to the Guaranies 
 educated under our discipline. They have been 
 partakers in all the wars which the Spaniards 
 have waged in Paraguay against foreign or 
 domestic foes, and have had a great share of all 
 their victories. Again and again have all the 
 Indian nations secretly conspired to the de- 
 struction of the Spaniards. And doubtless so 
 great a number of rebels must ultimately have 
 triumphed over so small a band as the Spaniards, 
 had not our Guaranies, embracing the royal 
 party, strenuously opposed the arms and pur- 
 poses of its opponents. From one instance 
 which I shall produce, you may judge of the rest. 
 In the years 1665 and 1666, the Indians al- 
 most universally harboured designs of expelling 
 the Spaniards from the whole province. Al- 
 ready were the torches of sedition and tumult 
 scattered in every corner of Paraguay. The 
 royal Governour Alphonso Sarmiento, alarmed 
 by these rumours, hastened from Asumpcion,
 
 PARAGUAY. 135 
 
 with a little band of soldiers, to the town of 
 Arecaya, about sixty leagues distant, situate on 
 the banks of the Yeyuy ; a place of the inhabi- 
 tants of which he entertained some suspicions. 
 The greater part of them were in a state of 
 slavery to private Spaniards, and but little con- 
 tent with their lot. Pretending friendship, 
 however, they received the Governour with ho- 
 nour, and he, suspecting no turbulence for the 
 present, took up his quarters on the skirts of 
 the town, in huts of boughs and straw. In the 
 dead of the night the Indians surprized the 
 Spaniards with every species of weapon, and 
 cast fire upon their huts. Some of the Spa- 
 niards were slain and more wounded ; most of 
 their clothes were burnt, their gunpowder was 
 exploded, and some of their guns were taken by 
 the enemy. In the trepidation excited, the sol- 
 diers betook themselves to the neighbouring 
 church, where they thought for a little while to 
 remain in safety. But destitute of meat and 
 drink they must have perished of thirst and 
 famine. The holy water was converted into a 
 remedy for their thirst. The enemy blockading 
 the walls, they had no opportunity of escape, 
 no means of obtaining provision. At last, the 
 danger of the Governour and his comrades being 
 told to the Guarany Ytatinguas in St. Ignacio and 
 Nuestra Seiiora Santa Fe, Father Quesa, who 
 K 4
 
 136 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 presided over both these colonies, set out imme- 
 diately with about two hundred of his Indian 
 horsemen, in the view of assisting the Governour. 
 After travelling incessantly for twenty-four hours, 
 they entered Arecaya, where the Indian rebels 
 were slain or taken prisoners by the Christian 
 Guaranies, and the Spaniards brought forth to 
 freedom and security. Out of the company of 
 Guaranies three horsemen were chosen to carry 
 the Governour's letters to Asumpcion, in which 
 he informed them of what had happened, and 
 what steps must be taken for his own safety and 
 that of the province. The court of Madrid was 
 immediately apprized of the fidelity and zeal of 
 the Guaranies, whom the Catholic King honoured 
 with gracious letters, which are still preserved 
 in the register of Nuestra Seiiora a Santa F^. 
 It appears from sufficient authority that a sedi- 
 tion raised by factious and warlike nations, 
 with a view to the destruction of all the Spa- 
 niards, would have broken out had they not 
 stood in awe of the strength and immutable 
 fidelity of the Guarany nation towards the 
 King. On this very account they were ex- 
 posed to the hatred of the savages hostile to 
 the Catholic King. The Guaycurus for many 
 years harassed these two towns of the Ytatin- 
 guas, and compelled them, at length, to ex- 
 change their station for one surrounded by the
 
 PARAGUAY. 137 
 
 rivers Parana and Paraguay, where yet remain 
 the posterity of those who aided the Spaniards 
 endangered in Arecaya. 
 
 Concerning the ten towns of the Chiquitos I 
 have spoken before. These Indians, formidable 
 from their warlike courage and mortally poi- 
 soned arrows, whenever commanded by the 
 royal Governours have uniformly proved brave 
 and faithful fellow-soldiers to the Spaniards 
 against the savages, and even against the Por- 
 tugueze. Less in point of number, but highly 
 consequential to the tranquillity of the whole 
 province, have been the four cities of the Abi- 
 pones, the two of Mocobios, one of Tobas, and 
 another of Mbayas, warlike and equestrian na- 
 tions. To these add the pedestrian nations, the 
 Lules, Vilelas, Chiriguanos, Chunipies, Ho- 
 moampas, &c. converted by us to the Roman 
 rites and discipline in their own colonies. In 
 language, manners, and religious observances, 
 they differ amongst themselves ; they are all, 
 however, attached to agriculture. 
 
 Very many Indian towns have long since 
 ceased to exist, sometimes from the inconstancy 
 of the Indians sighing for their native land, 
 sometimes from the malevolence, the avarice, 
 or inertness of the Europeans. Father Joseph 
 Labrador is my authority, that seventy-three 
 towns of various Indians perished in the pro-
 
 138 ACCOUNT OF THE ABJPONES. 
 
 vince of Chaco. In the present age, by much 
 labour of the Jesuits, three towns have arisen, 
 at an immense expense, for the southern savages, 
 the inhabitants of the Magellanic territory, all 
 dedicated to the most holy mother of God. 
 The first, named Concepcion, is inhabited by 
 the Pampas, and acted as a defence to the inha- 
 bitants of Buenos-Ayres against the incursions 
 of the savages. The rulers of the newly-built 
 town. Father Matthias Strobl from the province 
 of Austria, and Manuel Querini, a Venetian of 
 noble family, were men of distinguished piety, 
 prudence, and fortitude. Both Fathers pos- 
 sessed singular dexterity in managing the minds 
 of the Indians. The neighbourhood of the city, 
 and of the Spanish estates, where there was 
 plenty of spirit and of bad example, incredibly 
 retarded the conversion of the savages to a 
 better way of life. The Serranos and Pata- 
 gonians, who came backwards and forwards to 
 visit the Pampas, won by the kindness of the 
 Father, and taken by the conveniences of life 
 which the inhabitants of the colonies enjoyed, 
 began earnestly to desire a little town of this sort 
 in their native soil. Their wishes were imme- 
 diately gratified. Fathers Falconer and Cardiel, 
 the one an Englishman of great skill in medi- 
 cine, the other a Spaniard, and a man of an
 
 PARAGUAY. 139 
 
 ardent and intrepid mind, travelled to their 
 savage wildernesses, and having felt the pulse 
 of the people, looked about for an opportune 
 situation, wherein to establish the intended 
 colony. At length the town was built, and 
 the Caciques Marike and Tschuan Tuya, with 
 four-and-twenty hordesmen belonging to them, 
 settled therein ; it was named Nuestra Sehora 
 del Pilar. To govern this colony. Father Mat- 
 thias Strobl, who knew a little of those lan- 
 guages, was removed thither by the mandate of 
 the Superior. Though daily vicissitudes oc- 
 curred, yet hopes of the happiest progress shone 
 through them. But an unforeseen event al- 
 most proved fatal to the new raised colony. 
 Thus it was : a murder happening to be com- 
 mitted in the territory of ^ Buenos- Ayres, sol- 
 diers were sent by the Governour to detect the 
 assassins. Cacique Yahati, a Serrano, accom- 
 panied by fifteen persons of both sexes, in tra- 
 velling to the city, fell in with the soldiers, and 
 without any foundation for the conjecture, was 
 carried off on the suspicion of this murder, and 
 kept closely confined in prison with his people 
 in the city. With how incensed a mind the 
 inhabitants of the town bore so great an injury 
 done to their countryman, of whose innocence 
 they felt assured, can scarcely be expressed. 
 The life of Father Matthias Strobl was placed
 
 140 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 in the most imminent danger. Cacique Ma- 
 rike, who, thoug^h blind in both eyes, possessed 
 the greatest authority among them, was imme- 
 diately delegated by the infuriated people to 
 make the just demand of their captive's liberty 
 from the Spanish Governour, and to declare in- 
 stant war, in the name of the whole nation, 
 against the Spaniards if he should refuse. This 
 threat filled Joseph Andonaegui with distracting 
 cares, conscious, as he was, of the slender forces 
 he had to oppose to so numerous a foe. The 
 examination of the murder being resumed, and 
 the witnesses being heard again and again, the 
 innocence of the imprisoned Cacique at length 
 appeared, some credible Spaniards asserting, 
 that at the very time when the murder was 
 committed he was engaged in a certain shop in 
 the city. Which being proved, after a causeless 
 captivity of four months, they were imme- 
 diately granted their liberty and the power of 
 returning to their friends by the equitable Go- 
 vernour. These things fell out on my third visit 
 to Buenos-Ayres, about the beginning of the 
 year 1748. Through an Indian interpreter I 
 had a good deal of conversation with the blind 
 Cacique Marike, and on my playing to him in 
 my chamber, on the viol d'amour, he took such 
 a liking to me, that he earnestly entreated me 
 to go to their colony, as an assistant to Father
 
 PARAGUAY. 141 
 
 Matthias Strobl, who was growmg aged. Both 
 my feet, I confess, itched for the journey ; 
 I answered, however, '* Pleased indeed should 
 I be to mount my horse, and accompany you to 
 the Magellanic lands. But men of our profes- 
 sion cannot go where we will, except we be 
 sent by the command of our captain, (the pro- 
 vincial.") " Where, pray, does your captain 
 dwell V eagerly inquired Marike. '' In this 
 very house," returned I. On hearing this he 
 immediately caused himself to be led into our 
 provincial's chamber, and with importunate but 
 vain entreaties, begged me for his companion. 
 The provincial replied, that I was now ap- 
 pointed to another station, but promised to 
 send me in two years to his colony, and the 
 provincial would have stood to his promise, 
 had not my labours been needed amongst the 
 Abipones. 
 
 On the departure of the captives from Buenos 
 Ayres, the town was restored to its former tran- 
 quillity, and shortly after increased by new 
 supplies of Patagonians. For these a single 
 town was prepared, four leagues distant, and 
 named Nuestra Senora de los Desamparados. 
 The government of it was committed to Father 
 Lorenzo Balda of Pampeluna, and to Father 
 Augustino Vilert a Catalan. Three of the Pa- 
 tagonian Caciques, with eighty of their hordes-
 
 142 ACCOUNT OF THfe ABIPONES. 
 
 men, occupied this colony. A horde consists of 
 three or four families, sometimes of more. 
 Each family generally numbers four, five, and 
 often more heads; for the Patagonians have 
 many children, and polygamy is very common 
 amongst them. They are docile beyond all the 
 other southern tribes, and make less opposition 
 to baptism, but I cannot commend the young 
 men of this nation either for honesty or modesty. 
 Scarce any commerce is carried on betv^een the 
 Spaniards and Patagonians. From a nation so 
 populous, so tractable, and of so gentle a dis- 
 position, great accessions were reasonably ex- 
 pected to Christianity, but Satan confounded 
 all these fair hopes. Cangapol, the potentate 
 of that region, long beheld these Christian co- 
 lonies with gloomy and envious eyes. Through 
 them he thought that friendships would be 
 formed with the Spaniards, the freedom of the 
 southern nations endangered, and his own 
 power in these parts gradually diminished, and 
 ultimately suppressed. Hence he turned his 
 whole heart and thoughts to hastening the de- 
 struction of the new town, and the banishment 
 of the Fathers who taught the strange religion. 
 In order to effect these purposes, as many sa- 
 vages as possible were associated in a contract 
 of arms, and an expedition was at length under- 
 taken. Matthias Strobl, being made acquainted
 
 PARAGUAY. 143 
 
 with the route and immense number of the 
 enemy, made a timely request by letter, to the 
 Governour, for military succours from Buenos- 
 Ayres, which city promised seventy provincial 
 horsemen, but never supplied one. Thus having 
 suffered a repulse from the Spaniards, whose 
 interest it chiefly was to maintain these towns, 
 by flying with his people, the Father eluded the 
 enemy — eluded since he could not subdue. 
 The towns, their flocks, and their herds were 
 left. The neophytes and catechumens, all who 
 were sincere in religion and friendly to the Spa- 
 niards, fled with the Fathers to the city of Con- 
 cepcion. But this colony being daily harassed 
 by hostile incursions, and but lazily defended 
 by the Spanish guards, was entirely deserted 
 on the 3d of February, 1753, a severe loss to 
 the city. For the savages being now at full 
 liberty to ravage where they would, the estates 
 for two leagues distant from the city were pre- 
 sently left destitute of their guards, and the 
 lands around the village of Magdalen, famous 
 for large crops of wheat, of their cidtivators, 
 both having fled to safer quarters. In the city 
 itself the most disgraceful trepidations often 
 arose, sometimes from real danger, at others 
 from the suspicion alone of an enemy. In the 
 circumjacent estates and plains very many were 
 despoiled of their substance, their cattle, and
 
 144 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 their life, by the assaulting savages. The light- 
 armed cavalry, who were commanded to keep 
 watch in the country and repress the enemy, 
 suffered repeated losses. Waggons laden with 
 silver from Peru, were often despoiled of their 
 treasures, the soldiers who guarded and trans- 
 ported them being miserably butchered. The 
 same savages have often proved fatal, always 
 formidable, to the inhabitants of Barragan, a bay 
 of the Rio de la Plata, where vessels are often 
 drawn out and refitted. Those who went 
 southward in great numbers for salt to the salt- 
 pits, were sometimes slain to a man. Then at 
 length the Spaniards perceived the utility of 
 the southern colonies, after they had irrecover- 
 ably lost them. That so many thousand In- 
 dians who dwell in the southern parts, should 
 be buried together in their darkness, is indeed 
 a reflexion worthy of regret. Who will not 
 deplore the infinite miseries of the Jesuits, who 
 laboured for many years upon this people, the 
 hardships of their journeys, their want of ne- 
 cessaries, the daily perils that threatened their 
 lives, and the greatness of their labours, — la- 
 bours almost fruitless, except indeed their send- 
 ing to Heaven a considerable number of infants, 
 baptized before their death, as also not a few 
 adults ? At first, before oxen and sheep were 
 sent for their subsistence, the Fathers lived on
 
 PARAGUAY. 145 
 
 horse-flesh, the daily food of those Indians. 
 Father Thomas Falconer, who wandered over 
 all the plains with his Indians to kill horse- 
 flesh, having no plate of pewter or wood, al- 
 ways, in place thereof, made use of his hat, 
 which grew at length so greasy, that it was de- 
 voured whilst he slept by the wild dogs with 
 which the plains are over-run. Father Matthias 
 Strobl's hut being set on fire by some villain or 
 other, and the straw roof being already in 
 flames, he would doubtless himself have perished, 
 had he not been awakened from his deep sleep, 
 by one who continued faithful to him, and res- 
 cued him from the conflagration. The town of 
 Concepcion was situated in 322° 20' longitude, 
 and in latitude 36° 20' ; that of Nuestra Senora 
 del Pilar was distant from Concepcion seventy 
 leagues to the south west ; from Buenos- Ayres 
 full an hundred and ten leagues ; from the town 
 of Nuestra Seriora de los Desamparados only 
 four. 
 
 Nor must you think that the care of taming 
 and instructing the southern nations has been 
 neglected till our time. This business was 
 taken up by the Catholic kings, and us Jesuits, 
 in the last century. Every method was vainly 
 tried to unite them to Christ and the Catholic 
 King. Omitting the rest. Fathers Nicholas 
 Mascardi and Joseph Quilelmo, indefatigable 
 
 VOL. I. L
 
 146 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 teachers of the holy religion in that place, were 
 murdered by their cruel , unmanageable disciples . 
 Nothing daunted by the ferocity thus manifested 
 in the savages, our companions, both of Chili and 
 of Paraguay, left no stone unturned to enlighten 
 these uttermost corners of South America with 
 the torch of the gospel; but the attempt was 
 ever vain and unrewarded, save by the immortal 
 glory which their apostolic magnanimity and 
 fortitude gained them. In the year 1745, a 
 ship Was despatched by Philip the Fifth from 
 Cadiz to Paraguay, for the purpose of inspect- 
 ing the shores of Magellan, and the neighbour- 
 ing land. If any post or commodious station 
 offered itself, it was to be fortified against an 
 enemy. If they discovered the quarters of any 
 savages, a colony and religious instruction were 
 to be awarded them. Three Jesuits, therefore, 
 were destined by the King for this perilous expe- 
 dition. Father Joseph Quiroga, Father Joseph 
 Cardiel, and Father Matthias Strobl. From the 
 military guard of the city of Monte-Video, 
 twenty-five soldiers were chosen for the defence 
 of the ship and the crew. They weighed anchor 
 in the port of Monte-Video, on the 17th of De- 
 cember, 1745, and set out with prosperous gales 
 and minds full of hope. 
 
 Whatever land or water came within his ob- 
 servation, v/as diligently explored, and carefully
 
 PARAGUAY 
 
 147 
 
 noted in the journal of the voyage by Father 
 Quiroga, who, in a boat, examined the harbour, 
 the rivers, the lakes, the depth or shallowness 
 of the water, the sandbanks, and the rocks be- 
 tween them ; in short, every thing dangerous or 
 favourable to the navigation of the Spaniards. 
 Fathers Strobl and Cardiel, meantime, taking a 
 divided route, on foot, in various directions, at- 
 tended by a certain number of soldiers, traversed 
 the plains remote from the shore, and accurately 
 examined their nature, and whether any sign of 
 human habitation, or convenience for the same 
 appeared, often ascending the steepest mountains 
 with this view. Not unfrequently they receded 
 many leagues from the shores, in the hope of 
 finding Indians . Father S trobl, after having pro- 
 ceeded four leagues without seeing a man, or 
 any sign of man's habitation, abandoned all 
 hope, and sent a soldier to tell Father Cardiel, 
 who had travelled many leagues, and was quite 
 spent with so much walking, that he thought 
 it highly imprudent to prosecute the journey 
 they had begun — that they might not impro- 
 bably fall in with a numerous troop of savage 
 horse, by whom they, a few wearied footmen, 
 would undoubtedly be all cut to pieces — 
 that he had himself Ions: wished to fall in the 
 cause of religion, but that he neither could nor 
 
 l2
 
 148 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 would place the lives of others in such peril— 
 and that even were they free from this danger, 
 and were no enemy to meet them, yet, as their 
 provisions were already consumed, if they 
 prosecuted their journey, both themselves and 
 their companions must perish of hunger. Fa- 
 ther Cardiel however, always intrepid, dis- 
 suaded the return, urging that the habitations 
 of the savages must be near, principally on 
 this ground, that he saw a whitish dog barking 
 at his men, but which soon after ran av/ay, has- 
 tening, as might be believed, to his master. In 
 spite of these arguments, both Fathers returned 
 with their companions to the ship. There the 
 matter being prudently discussed, and all the 
 officers consulted, it was finally resolved that 
 Father Cardiel, at his earnest desire, should be 
 permitted to repeat the journey, on this condi- 
 tion, that he should set out with four and thirty 
 men, soldiers as well as sailors, who were willing 
 to follow him of their own accord, and with pro- 
 visions sufficient to last them eight days. The 
 journey was begun on the 20th of February, and 
 each day they travelled about eight leagues. 
 For the most part, they walked in a narrow 
 and almost obliterated path of the Indians. 
 Drinkable water was every where at hand. Ex- 
 cept emus, and a few huanacos, no beasts were 
 any where seen. On the fourth day of their jour-
 
 PARAGUAY. 149 
 
 ney, about evening, they perceived a high hill, 
 from the top of which they beheld a plain, en- 
 tirely destitute of grass and trees. They all 
 thought the cold of the night air intolerable ; 
 for though shrubs were at hand to supply their 
 fires, yet when the side nearest to it grew warm, 
 the other, being exposed to the most piercing 
 wind, seemed frozen. Amidst all this cold, the 
 courage of the soldiers daily inflamed more and 
 more, but their bodies were observed sensibly to 
 fail and break down. Their shoes being worn 
 by the roughness of the roads, many of them 
 crept along with naked, and not a few with 
 wounded feet. Father Cardiel too was first af- 
 flicted with nephritic pains, and afterwards with 
 such a debility in his feet, that he could not 
 advance a step without crutches. With all this, 
 however, the ardent desire of discovering the 
 habitations of the savages never cooled. But 
 their provisions, which were destined for an 
 eight days' journey, being now, after five days, 
 in great measure consumed, they were obliged 
 to hasten back again to the ship. One effect 
 however was produced by this calamitous jour- 
 ney — it was now finally determined, by ocular 
 demonstration, that the hordes of the savages 
 were at a great distance from the sea; and 
 that immense tracts of land bordering upon the 
 shore were uninhabitable, as destitute either of 
 l3
 
 150 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 fresh water, grass, or trees, or of all together ; 
 so much so at least, that, except a few emus 
 and huanacos, you could find scarce any sort 
 of beast. All things, therefore, having been 
 considered, since there was no opportunity of 
 erecting a colony for the Indians, or a fortress 
 for the Spaniards, they unanimously resolved 
 upon a return; to be conducted, however, in 
 such a way, that they should repeatedly disem- 
 bark and explore those places they were obliged 
 to pass by in coming. At length, on the 4th 
 day of April, about sun-set, they cast anchor in 
 the port of Buenos-Ayres. The journal which 
 Quiroga had made of the shore and harbours, 
 soon after printed and published at Madrid, with 
 plates of whatever seemed remarkable, will be 
 of the highest use to Spaniards hereafter in na- 
 vigating this turbulent sea. I may here add, 
 that Father Joseph Cardiel, not having dis- 
 covered the savages of the coast of Magellan, 
 either in his naval or his pedestrian journey, set 
 out on horseback in search of them, with a few 
 companions. But their pains were as fruitless 
 as before. After wandering much and long 
 over these solitary plains, and consuming all the 
 provisions he had brought with him, he was re- 
 duced to such straights as to be obliged to feed 
 on grass, unless he preferred dying of emptiness, 
 the extremity of which obliged him to return to
 
 PARAGUAY. 
 
 151 
 
 Buenos-Ayres, his business left unfinished, but 
 himself, for his signal fortitude, his magnani- 
 mity, and apostolic ardour, truly deserving of 
 honour and imitation. 
 
 In the year 1765, a large merchant-ship 
 freighted to the value of some millions, destined 
 to Callao, a harbour of Lima, was stranded and 
 lost off the island of Terra del Fuego. The 
 crew fortunately escaped, and reached the 
 island in a boat, the ship graduall}^ foundering. 
 Part of the provision, the cannon, and other ne- 
 cessaries for supporting life, were providently 
 got out of the leaking vessel. A hill, neigh- 
 bouring to the sea, was occupied by the ship- 
 wrecked Spaniards, and fortified by I don't 
 know how many cannon. These being dis- 
 charged, a troop of the Indian inhabitants was 
 seen advancing from afar. They were entirely 
 naked, and each kept rubbing his belly with his 
 hands. On a second explosion, they all fell on 
 the ground, still continuing, however, to rub 
 their bellies. This ridiculous action of the 
 savages the Spaniards were in doubt whether to 
 construe into a sign of friendship, or of hostility. 
 As no one understood their language, they were 
 invited by gentle tones, friendly nods, and little 
 gifts displayed to them, till at length they ap- 
 proached the station of the Spaniards, still 
 rubbing their bellies without intermission. 
 
 l4
 
 152 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 "Which custom surprizing the Spaniards, they 
 now call them Rascabarrigas, or the belly- 
 rubbers. To conciliate the minds of the 
 islanders, elegant weapons, food, and various 
 other little gifts were offered them; except, how- 
 ever, some strings of glass beads, nothing was 
 accepted by the savages, who feared some fraud 
 from the strangers. They were, however, 
 peaceable and quiet, so that the Spaniards 
 mixed amongst them, without fear of injury 
 or hostile designs, and solicitous only respect- 
 ing the means and opportunity of sailing back 
 to their friends. Tt was resolved to build a ves- 
 sel after their own model, sufficient for the 
 number of the shipwrecked. Trees adapted 
 for ship-building abounded in this island, nor 
 did they want workmen or carpenters' tools. 
 The Indians themselves faithfully indicated the 
 places which supplied the hardest and largest 
 wood, and with more good-will than usefulness 
 assisted the Spaniards in cutting and sawing 
 the beams ; but after three or four strokes of the 
 axe, or lifts of the saw, they retired fatigued, 
 being utterly unaccustomed to labour. The 
 Spaniards, however, longing to revisit their 
 native soil, made up for the deficiencies of the 
 Indians, by their own sedulity. And now 
 when every thing was ready and prepared, iron 
 nails were wanted to fasten the joints of the
 
 PARAGUAY. 153 
 
 ship. But the sea, bringing up various chests 
 from the foundered ship with the tide, one was 
 found amongst them full of the requisite nails, 
 a circumstance looked upon by all as a signal 
 favour of Providence. Some of the tackling, 
 which they had prudently taken from the lost 
 ship, proved of great service. With these aids 
 the finishing stroke was put to the little vessel, 
 in which, after a prosperous voyage of about a 
 thousand leagues, they arrived safe at the har- 
 bour of Monte- Video. All this which I have 
 written on the shipwreck and navigation of the 
 Spaniards was related to me in the city of 
 Santa Fe, by an old Biscayan, builder of the 
 foundered ship, companion of all their perils, 
 and architect of the vessel constructed in the 
 island. In the year 1788, when with my 
 companions I was awaiting my passage to Eu- 
 rope, at Buenos-Ayres, a ship set sail from 
 that port, for Terra del Fuego, with two priests, 
 who being liberally provided with every thing 
 from the royal treasury, were ordered to esta- 
 blish a settlement in that island, and to teach 
 the natives religion. But not long after, they 
 returned to Buenos-Ayres in the same ship, 
 without effecting their business. What was 
 done, or attempted, and what was the occa- 
 sion of their hasty return, I know not : but I 
 heard the groans of the noble Spaniards, who
 
 154 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 earnestly desired the Jesuits for this momentous 
 expedition : they, however, were recalled, God 
 knows why, that same year to Europe. In 
 succeeding years the Spaniards have wished to 
 subdue and instruct that island, which lies near 
 to theMaloine islands, in south lat. 51° 30', and 
 west long-. 60° 50' from the meridian of Paris. 
 This isle, named from St. Malo, a town of 
 Bretany, was taken possession of with the la- 
 bour and expense of Louis Antoine de Bour- 
 gainville, then colonel of foot, and of Messieurs 
 de Nerville and de Arboulin, his relatives, and 
 in the year 1763, or more probably 1764, deli- 
 vered to some loyal and industrious families of 
 Nova Scotia, to be civilized. Three years after, 
 to wit in 1767, it was sold for eighty thousand 
 Spanish crowns to the Catholic King Charles, 
 who thought that this colony of strangers, as 
 neighbouring to the provinces of Peru and 
 Chili, so rich in gold and silver, might prove 
 dangerous to his monarchy, in case of war, and 
 cause a disunion between the Spanish and 
 French monarchies. The French families being 
 transported to Europe, their places were sup- 
 plied, for the most part, by Spanish convicts, 
 scarce one of whom did not prefer a prison, or 
 speedy death, to the constant and lasting cala- 
 mities of this province. Philip HuizPuente, of 
 the king s war ship La Llcbrc, who brought out
 
 PARAGUAY 
 
 155 
 
 new settlers, warlike implements, and pro- 
 visions, was appointed to the government. He 
 was accompanied by another ship of war. La 
 Esmeralda, commanded by Matteo Callao. — 
 This captain, returning in the same, from the 
 Maloine islands, to Monte- Video, transported 
 me, with one hundred and fifty of my associates, 
 back to Europe. We had with us the Frenchman 
 Nerville, who had just discharged the govern- 
 ment of that unhappy island ; from him, as well 
 as from the Spaniards employed there, I learnt 
 most of what I have written on this subject. 
 
 On sufficient grounds have I bestowed the 
 epithet unhappy on an island, which is, never- 
 theless, by some Frenchmen pronounced equal 
 to the Fortunate Islands: and no wonder, for do 
 we not always cry up the goods we want to 
 sell 1 Attend to what I have learnt on good 
 authority, respecting the island of St. Malo. 
 It was never habitable either by Indians, or 
 beasts, so destitute is it of every thing pertain- 
 ing to the support of life. Rushes instead of 
 trees, moss instead of grass, marsh and mud 
 for earth, cold always the most severe for air, 
 and night almost perpetual, with darkness and 
 clouds, instead of sun, are what it offers to the 
 new inhabitants. The longest day lasts but 
 a very few hours. From its propinquity to the 
 antarctic pole, it generally rages with furious
 
 156 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 south winds, whirlwinds, and tempests. The 
 frost, joined to almost perpetual snow, is on this 
 account the more intolerable, because through- 
 out the whole island, which is far from exten- 
 sive, there is not wood sufficient to make a fire, 
 or build a hut, unless it be brought from Terra 
 del Fuego, which cannot be done without dan- 
 ger. The goats wdiich the French had brought, 
 either from the want of pasture, or the noxious 
 qualities thereof, soon perished. The corn, 
 from the ooziness of the soil, never attained ma- 
 turity, the stalk being always stunted, and the 
 ear seldom formed at all. Hence, the European 
 supplies being now consumed, frequent famine 
 was added to their other miseries. Provision 
 was afforded them by the water-fowl called by 
 the English, Penguins. In place of bread, pow- 
 der and shot were given to the Spanish soldiers 
 and others to shoot birds with. These, though 
 at the coming of the French exceedingly nu- 
 merous, yet partly from being constantly shot, 
 partly from being scared away, were so dimi- 
 nished, that the succeeding Spaniards were de- 
 prived of this solitary benefit of that most sterile 
 island. Nevertheless, it must be confessed, 
 that this island, though calamitous to its inha- 
 bitants, is of service to the Spaniards, as afford- 
 ing a refuge to vessels in distress, an harbour 
 capable of containing a moderate fleet, and con-.
 
 PARAGUAY. 157 
 
 venience for procuring water. The places open 
 to the attack and ascent of an enemy, were for- 
 tified by a mound and a tier of cannon. Anto- 
 nio Catani, then colonel of foot, commanded the 
 small garrison. But in discoursing on the de- 
 vastated cities of Paraguay, I have suffered my- 
 self to be carried away into the lands of Magel- 
 lan. Let me now return to the straight road. 
 
 To record every Indian toM^i which has been 
 overturned in Paraguay, and the causes and 
 periods of the fall of each, were a task of infinite 
 time and labour. It appears on record that up- 
 wards of four hundred towns, which formerly 
 stood around Guadalcazar, a city of Tucuman 
 now destroyed, utterly perished. Within the 
 limits of the cities Cordoba, Rioja, St. lago, St. 
 Miguel of Tucuman, Corrientes, and Asump- 
 cion, I might almost say that innumerable colo- 
 nies have fallen to the ground. Those which 
 remain are mere shadows of towns, consisting 
 of a few miserable inhabitants — miserable, for 
 they are slaves to Spanish individuals. Before 
 I relate the devastation of many of our Guarany 
 towns by the Mamalukes, inhabitants of Brazil, 
 allow me to make a few premises. The soldiers, 
 fresh arriving from Spain, subdued the lands and 
 nations bordering on the Parana and Paraguay 
 only : as for those more remote, they did not 
 want courage to explore them, but means. Not
 
 158 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 a few of the Guaranies were enlightened by the 
 torch of the Gospel, chiefly by the Franciscan 
 Fathers, and, if circumstances permitted, placed 
 in colonies. St. Francisco Solano and Lewis 
 Bolanos were famous for their apostolic expedi- 
 tions in that age ; but the want of associates 
 like themselves, and of successors, rendered 
 them unequal to the harvest which lay before 
 them ; and infinite was the number of Guara- 
 nies which lurked within the coverts of the 
 woods and shores — a multitude hostile, on every 
 opportunity, to the Spaniards, then few in num- 
 ber. In 1 6 1 0, Ferdinand Arias, the governor both 
 of Buenos-Ayres and Asumpcion, marched out 
 with numerous forces against the Guaranies in- 
 habiting the banks of the Uruguay, but alarmed 
 by their numbers and ferocity, returned to the 
 city. Not by the fire-vomiting arms of soldiers, 
 but by the sweet eloquence of the Fathers, by 
 love, not by fear, were the Guaranies van- 
 quished. In the same year. Father Marcello 
 Lorenzana, a Spaniard, and master of our col- 
 lege at Asumpcion, at length prevailed upon 
 the Guaranies who wandered between the Pa- 
 raguay and Parana, to embrace the Roman Ca- 
 tholic religion, in the large town which he had 
 built for them, under the illustrious name of St. 
 Ignatius Loyola. Near about the same time, 
 Fathers Giuseppe Cataldino and Simone Maz-
 
 PARAGUAY. 159 
 
 zeta, Italians, Antonio Ruiz de Montoya, an 
 American Spaniard, and their successors, in after 
 years, Roque Gonzalez, a Spaniard of Para- 
 guay, Pedro Romero, Diego Boroa, &c. all 
 Jesuits, explored the province of Guayra, as also 
 those forest and mountain coverts toward the 
 river Uruguay, which had proved inaccessible 
 to the Spanish soldiery, where they discovered 
 many thousands of Guaranies, who were assem- 
 bled in colonies, and brought over to God and 
 the Catholic King. 
 
 These rapid progresses in the Christian cause 
 have been miserably retarded by the Mama- 
 lukes from Brazil, a bordering country, and 
 principally from St. Paulo. The Mamalukes 
 are a set of people born of Portugueze, Dutch, 
 French, Italians and Germans, and Brazilian 
 women, celebrated for skill in shooting and 
 robbing, ready for any daring enterprize, and 
 thence distinguished by the foreign name of 
 Mamalukes: for it was their constant custom to 
 carry off the Indians, led by the Fathers into 
 the freedom of the children of God, into the 
 hardest slavery. By their incursions, repeated 
 for a number of years, they overthrew the towns 
 of Asumpcion in Yeyuy, of Todos Santos in 
 Caaro, of the holy Apostles in Caazapaguazu, 
 of St. Christopher on the opposite side of the 
 Ygay, of St. Joachim in the same place, of Santa
 
 160 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 Barbara, on the western bank of the Paraguay, 
 and of St. Carlos in Caapi. The Guarany 
 inhabitants of these colonies, with the exception 
 of a few who escaped by flight, were led away 
 to Brazil, chained and corded, in herds, like 
 cattle, and there condemned to perpetual labour 
 in the working of sugar, mandioc, cotton, mines, 
 and tobacco. The sucking babes were torn 
 from the bosoms of their mothers, and cruelly 
 dashed upon the ground by the way. All whom 
 disease or age had rendered imbecile were either 
 cut down or shot, as being unequal to the daily 
 march. Others, in sound health, were often 
 thrown by night into trenches prepared for 
 them, lest they should take advantage of the 
 darkness, and flee. Many perished by the way, 
 either from hunger or the hardships of a journey 
 protracted for many leagues. In this hunting 
 of the Indians, they sometimes employed open 
 violence, sometimes craft, equally inhuman in 
 both. They generally rushed into the town in 
 a long file, when the people were assembled in 
 the church at divine service, and, blocking up 
 every street and corner, left the wretched inha- 
 bitants no way of escape. They frequently 
 disguised themselves as Jesuits, wearing rosaries, 
 crosses and a black gown, and collected compa- 
 nies of Indians in the woods. Many towns that 
 were liable to the treacherous hostilities of the
 
 PARAGUAY. 161 
 
 Mamalukes, such as Loretto, St. Ignatius, &c. 
 were removed to safer places, by a journey of 
 many months, and with incredible labour, both 
 of the Fathers and of the Indians. Nor did the 
 Mamalukes spare our colonies of the Chiquitos 
 and Moxos, nor others in the lands of the Spa- 
 niards, which were administered both by the 
 secular and regular clergy. The Indian towns 
 settled on the banks of the Yeyuy, in Curuquati, 
 and many others, were entirely destroyed by 
 the Mamalukes. The same fate attended Xe- 
 rez, Guayra, (Ciudad real,) Villarica, &c. cities 
 of the Spaniards. Who can describe all the 
 devastation committed in Paraguay ? Hear 
 what is said on this subject in the collection of 
 Lett res Cur ieiises et Edjjiantes: — *' It is asserted," 
 say they, " that in the space of one hundred and 
 thirty years, two millions of Indians were slain, 
 or carried into captivity by the Mamalukes of 
 Brazil; and that more than one thousand leagues 
 of country, as far as the river Amazon, was 
 stripped of inhabitants. It appears from au- 
 thentic letters, (sent by the Catholic King 
 
 in the year 1639, ]6tli Sept.) that in five years 
 three hundred thousand Paraguayrian Indians 
 w^ere carried away into Brazil." Pedro de Avila, 
 Governour of Buenos-Ayres, declared that In- 
 dians were openly sold, in his sight, by the 
 inhabitants of the town of St. Paulo, at Rio 
 
 VOL. I. M
 
 162 ACCOUNT OF THE ADIPOXES. 
 
 Janeiro ; and that six hundred thousand Indians 
 were sold, in this town alone, from the year 
 1628 to the year 1630. 
 
 But this their rapacity did not always re- 
 main unpunished ; for, after the Guaranies were 
 permitted by the King- to carry fire-arms, they 
 were frequently repulsed, and chastised with 
 bloody slaughters. Memorable above the rest, 
 was that victory which four thousand Guarany 
 neophytes obtained at the river Mborore over a 
 numerous ilotilla of Brazilian banditti. Four 
 hundred of the inhabitants of St. Paulo were 
 present, in three hundred barks, with two thou- 
 sand seven hundred of their allies the Tupies, 
 the most ferocious savages in Brazil. The Gua- 
 ranies, headed by Ignacio Abiazu, a chief of 
 their nation, went to meet the enemy in five 
 ships, and firing the cannon upon them, over- 
 turned three of their boats, many of the Brazilians 
 being* either killed or wounded. Most of them, 
 terrified at this unexpected salutation, leaped 
 from their boats on to the shore, and despairing 
 of success in a naval fight, assaulted the army of 
 Guaranies in the rear by surprize ; but were 
 bravely repulsed on every side, and partly slain: 
 and indeed they would all have been massa- 
 cred, had not night put an end to the fight and 
 the victory. Next day they pursued the rem- 
 nant of the enemy through the wood with such
 
 PARAGUAY. 163 
 
 success, that the very few who remained alive, 
 forsaking their camps and their boats, hastened 
 home in great trepidation, and covered with 
 wounds. Three only of the victorious Guara- 
 nies were slain about the beginning of the con- 
 flict, and forty wounded. This event rendered 
 the men of St. Paulo afraid of the emboldened 
 Guaranies. Peace and security were restored to 
 their towns, and Christianity, which the perpe- 
 tual incursions of the Mamalukes had not only 
 disturbed, but almost banished, was every where 
 greatly forwarded. 
 
 Nor should you imagine, that these things, re- 
 lating to the Brazilians, are calumniously repre- 
 sented or exaggerated by Spanish writers. The 
 Most Faithful King Joseph I. himself confesses, 
 in a decree issued on the 6th of July, in the year 
 1755, and inserted into the new code of Portu- 
 gueze laws, that many millions of Indians were 
 destroyed, and that, at the present time, very 
 few Brazilian towns remain, and equally few in- 
 habitants. He adds, that this was occasioned 
 by the depriving the Indians of their liberty, 
 contrary to the laws of Portugal. He declares 
 the Indians free, orders the captives to be set at 
 liberty, &c. Likewise other pious kings of 
 Spain and Portugal, his predecessors, prohi- 
 bited all robbery, sale, oppression, and perse- 
 cution of the Indians whatsoever, under the 
 
 M 2
 
 164 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 severest penalties, by repeated laws. Many 
 governours of provinces urged, but rarely brought 
 about the observance of these decrees. For in- 
 numerable persons, who profit by the captivity 
 and services of the Indians, care more about 
 riches than about conscience and honour. The 
 barbarity of these men towards the Indians was 
 pourtrayed in lively and faithful colours by the 
 Jesuit Father Antonio Vieyra, who preached on 
 this subject at the Court of Lisbon, in the year 
 1662, when his persecutors had turned him out 
 of the province of Maranham, on account of his 
 defending the liberty of the Indians. 
 
 As the royal laws were disregarded in Bra- 
 zil, in order to eradicate this abominable custom 
 of enslaving and ill-treating the Indians, the King 
 found it necessary to have recourse to the threats 
 and penalties of the Pope. Paul III., Urban 
 VIII. and Benedict XIV. threatened to excom- 
 municate all who should presume, in the words 
 of the Roman Court, to reduce the Indians to a 
 state of servitude; to sell, buy, exchange, or give 
 them away ; to separate them from their wives 
 and children, or in any way whatsoever to de- 
 prive them of their liberty, or retain them in ser- 
 vitude ; or to do the aforesaid under any pretext 
 whatsoever of lending them counsel, aid, favour, 
 or service; or to declare, or teach it to be lawful 
 so to do, or to effect it in any way whatsoever.
 
 PARAGUAY. 165 
 
 All this was prohibited, under pain of excommu- 
 nication, in favour of all the Indians then dwell- 
 ing in the provinces of Brazil and Paraguay, and 
 at the river Plata, as w^ell as in all other regions 
 both of the western and southern Indies. The 
 Pontifical and Royal letters against the oppres- 
 sion of the Indians were intended also to cor^ 
 rect and intimidate the Spaniards, who, though 
 they had formerly been less eager in captivating 
 the Indians, were accustomed nevertheless to 
 make use of them as slaves, in opposition to the 
 commands of the king. It is incredible how 
 wickedly they strove to disturb the colonies of 
 the Chiquitos and other savages, because they 
 feared that no Indians would be left in the woods 
 for them to take and sell. For from this traffic 
 of the Indians many thousands of crowns were 
 yearly collected ; but on account of it the sa^ 
 vages were forcibly deterred from embracing re- 
 ligion, perceiving that, if they became Christians, 
 and the friends of the Spaniards, they must be 
 eternally enslaved and miserable. 
 
 The Spanish historians complain that the 
 Indians were hardly treated and oppressed 
 with labour by their masters, in many cities 
 of Paraguay. The Indians, wearied with mise- 
 ries, returned, whenever they could, to the an- 
 cient recesses of their forests. The Lules, who 
 had formerly been baptized by St. Francisco So- 
 
 M 3
 
 166 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 lane, and cruelly enslaved by the inhabitants of 
 the city Esteco, fled to the woods which they 
 had formerly inhabited ; from whence the Jesuit 
 Father Antonio Machoni, a Sardinian, brought 
 them back, and with incredible labour civilized 
 them in Valle Buena, and they have remained 
 to this day in the town of St. Estevan. The 
 warlike Calchaquis, deserting their Spanish mas- 
 ters, and scorning miserable servitude, returned 
 to the caves of their native land, whence sallying 
 forth, they afflicted Tucunian with frequent and 
 bloody slaughters. The citizens of Concepcion, 
 on the banks of the river Bermejo, were all de- 
 stroyed by the Indians whom intolerable slavery 
 had exasperated. The Jesuits, whilst, intent 
 upon disseminating religion, they endeavoured 
 to vindicate the liberty of the Indians, were 
 often punished with exile, often with calumny 
 and abuse, by those who had their own private 
 interest more at heart than the augmentation of 
 religion, or of the royal authority. The Indian 
 towns, the inhabitants of which were subjected 
 to private individuals, named Encomenderos, 
 have long since been reduced, as I said, to such 
 wretchedness, that they rather seemed shadows 
 of towns, than the reality : whilst, on the other 
 hand, the thirty-two towns of the Guaranies, 
 ten of the Chiquitos, and smaller ones of other 
 nations, the inhabitants of which were subject
 
 PARAGUAY. 167 
 
 only to the Catholic Monarch, continually in- 
 creased in population, and always remained and 
 flourished under our discipline. I do not pre- 
 tend to say that Paraguay and Brazil were at 
 all times utterly destitute of Portugueze and 
 Spaniards who paid strict obedience to the laws, 
 who execrated the avarice and cruelty of their 
 countrymen in regard to the Indians, and left no 
 stone unturned to restore and protect their li- 
 berty, and to aid the progress of religion. But 
 alas ! those few with grief beheld themselves 
 unable to correct a multitude of barbarians. 
 Ability, not inclination was wanting. 
 
 Some mention has been made of the rivers 
 which flow through Chaco : yet much remains 
 to be said of the Parana, the chief and recep- 
 tacle of them all, which at Buenos- A yres ob- 
 tains the splendid but inappropriate title of 
 La Plata. Historians have made many mistakes 
 respecting the source of this river, and the ori- 
 gin of its name. For they think that La Plata 
 takes its rise chiefly from the Paraguay, and that 
 this latter comes from the lake Xarayes. But 
 in both these conjectures they are wide of the 
 mark. For the river La Plata is in reality the 
 vast Parana, enriched in its course by the Para- 
 guay, Uruguay, and innumerable other streams. 
 From its distant source, as far as the Pacific 
 Ocean, it is invariably distinguished by the 
 
 u 4
 
 168 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 Guarany natives with the name of Parana, which 
 word signifies something akin to, or resembling 
 the sea. 
 
 In the year 1509, Juan Diaz de Solis, sail- 
 ing from Europe, discovered the river Parana, 
 and gave it his own name, Solis. In the 
 year 1527, Sebastian Cabot and Diego Garcia 
 called it the Silver River, Rio de la Plata, be- 
 cause they found among the Indians dwelling 
 near it some plates of silver, brought from Peru 
 by the Portugueze, and robbed from them, but 
 suspected by the Spaniards to have been taken 
 out of the bosom or shores of this river. But 
 P-fter nearly three centuries had elapsed, no silver 
 had yet been discovered there. This river, 
 which, though destitute of silver, is perhaps 
 the greatest in the world, retains to this day 
 the name of the Parana, which it received at 
 its rise. It first bears the name of La Plata at 
 the river Las Conchas, six leagues distant from 
 Buenos- Ayres, where appears a remarkable rock. 
 La Punta Gorda, a little beyond which place, 
 on the western shore, it absorbs the Uruguay, 
 which has already received the waters of the 
 Rio Negro. By which means, the Parana is 
 augmented to such a degree, that at Las Conchas 
 it is ten leagues in width. Hence vessels that 
 have sailed through the Paraguay and Parana 
 rest here as in port, and are here unloaded, and
 
 PARAGUAY. 169 
 
 loaded afresh before their return. For those 
 small vessels which are sent from the cities of 
 Asumpcion and Corrientes and from the Gua- 
 rany towns, could not safely proceed farther. 
 
 The source of the river Parana has afforded 
 as much matter of controversy as the native city 
 of Homer. The Spaniards who first went to 
 subdue Paraguay, after travelling for the space 
 of full five hundred leagues, either on the stream 
 itself, or on its banks, are said never to have 
 been able to arrive at its source. The Brazilian 
 Indians think the Parana originates in an im- 
 mense lake arising from the Peruvian mountains, 
 perhaps that called Lauricocha, near the Gua- 
 nuco, about the 1 1th degree of latitude. Others, 
 with more appearance of probability, derive the 
 river Amazon from the lake above-mentioned, 
 though the Indians insist upon it that the Ama- 
 zon and the Parana both proceed from the same 
 source. But who would pay any attention to 
 what the Indians say ? Many rivers flowing from 
 the Peruvian mountains vary their course every 
 now and then, and are mingled one with ano- 
 ther: now who, amid such a labyrinth of 
 streams, could so exactly distinguish the Para- 
 na from the rest as to leave no room for doubt? 
 It has been ascertained that this river, in its va- 
 rious turnings and windings, travels more than 
 eight hundred leagues before it disgorges itself
 
 170 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 into the sea, by a huge mouth. In this long 
 journey it receives the waters of many rivers and 
 innumerable brooks. Who can enumerate this 
 crowd of confluent streams? I will mention 
 the principal ones which occur to my memory, 
 following its course from lands situate between 
 north and south. 
 
 On the western shore the Parana receives 
 the waters of the Ygayry, the Ymuncina, the 
 Monicy, the Amambay, the Ygatimy, navigable 
 to middle-sized vessels, theYgurey, the Yguairy, 
 the Acaray, a noble river, as large as, perhaps 
 larger than the Danube at Vienna. For on the 
 shore itself I measured it to be full six fathoms 
 deep, and that not during the time of inunda- 
 tion. It flows in a very wide channel, but so 
 quietly that you can hardly hear it. It is joined 
 on the way by thirty rivers of various sizes, 
 and would certainly be navigable to large 
 ships, were it not impeded by rocks, which 
 might perhaps be removed could the Spaniards 
 be brought to perceive the advantages of its 
 navigation. For the herb of Paraguay, which 
 abounds in the woods near its banks, might be 
 transported along this river to the Parana, and 
 thence to the city of Buenos-Ayres, with a great 
 saving both of time and expense. But they are 
 blind to these advantages. The Monday, which 
 springs from the Tarumensian woods, near the
 
 PAKAGUAY. 171 
 
 town of St. Joachim, and afterwards other mo- 
 derate-sized rivers, such as the Yhu, the Taru- 
 may, the Yuguiry, the Guirahemguay, the Cam- 
 bay, &c. augment it to such a degree that it 
 becomes navigable to larger kinds of skiffs and 
 boats — the Caapivary, the Aguapey, which has 
 a narrow but very deep channel, and is dange- 
 rous to swimmers by reason of its water mon- 
 sters, (the Yaguaro, a kind of water tiger, often 
 devours horses and mules as they are swimming 
 in this river) — the Atingy . All these, which I 
 have mentioned, are of lesser note ; they are 
 quite ignoble streams. But now listen atten- 
 tively whilst I give you some description of the 
 place where the city Corrientes is situated and 
 which lies in lat. 27° 43' and in long. 318° 57'. 
 You must know that the great Paraguay, swelled 
 by the waters of so many rivers which it has 
 received in its progress, here becomes the prey 
 of the greater Parana, and, at the same time, 
 loses the name it has hitherto borne. For that 
 vast body of water formed by the junction of 
 both rivers is never called the Paraguay but 
 always the Parana, because the former brings 
 a far greater quantity of water than the latter. 
 But though both rivers flow within the same 
 banks and in the same channel, the limpid 
 Parana, scorning the muddy waters of the Pa- 
 raguay, for some time refuses to mix entirely
 
 172 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 with it. It is certain that, about three miles 
 apart, you may perceive the waters to be differ- 
 ent both in colour and taste. The Parana, 
 which, a little before, flowed westerly, follow- 
 ing the Paraguay, changes its course, hastening 
 to^yards the sea, the mother of streams. How- 
 ever you may despise this conjecture, it seems 
 to me to possess some probability. In the 
 country of St. lago del Estero, the rivers Dulce 
 and Salado have frequently changed their chan- 
 nel on this very account, and the same has been 
 the case with regard to some other rivers. In 
 the city of St. lago, St. Francisco Solano built 
 a dwelling-house, and a handsome church, for 
 his companions, in such a manner that the door 
 of it did not look toward the market-place of 
 the city, but towards the plain. The brothers 
 not approving of this plan, the architect Solano, 
 who was famous for the gift of prophecy, bade 
 them wait a little, saying, that what they now 
 desired, in ignorance of the future, would some 
 day really happen. Some years after, the river 
 Dulce, which washes the city, changed its chan- 
 nel. The city was forced to be changed also, 
 which being done, the door of the church fronted 
 the market-place, as it does at this day. The 
 event verified the prediction, which the native 
 Spaniards related to me when I was there. But 
 let us now return to the Parana.
 
 PARAGUAY. 173 
 
 The eastern shore of it is, in great measure, 
 steep and stony ; the western shore, on the con- 
 trary, is low, muddy, and subject to floods. All 
 that part of this province which looks towards 
 the west, beyond the Parana, abounds in im- 
 mense trees of various kinds, (fit for building 
 ships and waggons,) in fertile pastures and tracts 
 of land, now sinking into plains, now rising into 
 gentle hills ; yet you can scarce ever meet with 
 a situation fit for human habitations or fixed 
 towns, either from the superfluity or deficiency 
 of water, or, which comes to the same thing, 
 the saltness and bitterness of it ; for if you build 
 a colony on the shores of the Parana, it will be 
 inundated with water on the next flood, extend- 
 ing for two leagues beyond : if you remove it 
 two or three leagues from the shore, both the 
 inhabitants and the beasts will perish of thirst. 
 
 The rivers of lesser note, and more uncertain 
 duration, which unite with the Parana, after its 
 junction with the Paraguay, are the rivers Ne- 
 gro, Verde, Blanco, Rubeo, the Rio de Gomez, 
 the Atopehenra-lauat^, or the place of Capibaris, 
 the Alcaray, the Cayman, the Embalzado, the 
 Rio del Rey, called by the Abipones Ychimaye, 
 the Malabrigo, called by the Abipones Nebo- 
 quelatel, the Eleya, the Saladillo, the Inespin, 
 called by the Abipones, Narahaguem, the Rio 
 de Martin, the Salado, the Cai'caranal, the
 
 174 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 Tortugas, or river of tortoises, the Matanza, the 
 Rio de los Arrecifes, the Areco, the Lujan, the 
 Rio de las Conchas. We have now reached the 
 port where vessels, coming from the east or 
 west of Paraguay, are in danger ; for here the 
 Parana, swelled by the accession of so many 
 rivers, and by that of the vast Uruguay, and the 
 equally vast Rio Negro, takes the appearance 
 of a sea. But just as the Parana does really 
 show itself akin to the sea, it suddenly receives 
 the name of La Plata. What is the reason of 
 this ? Has it any silver in its bosom or on its 
 shores ? Nothing is to be found there but mud. 
 However, as Scipio received the title of Africa- 
 nus, from having devastated Africa, by the same 
 right may the Parana be called La Plata from 
 the Peruvian silver which it has often swallowed 
 up, along with the ships that contained it. Here 
 the river is ten leagues wide, yet, not content 
 with its own magnitude, it joins with itself the 
 other ignobler streams which flow towards the 
 west. The most noted of them is that by the 
 Spaniards called Riachuelo. 
 
 The more considerable rivers which join the 
 Parana, on the eastern side, beginning at the 
 north, are the Ariemby, the Parana-pan^, the 
 Guitay, the Iguazu, flowing from Brazil, by which 
 the Mamalukes formerly came to plunder the 
 Guaranies. This river is of no inconsiderable
 
 PARAGUAY. 175 
 
 size, and will bear tolerably large vessels. Four 
 leagues from the bank of the Parana you meet 
 with a cataract thirty ells high, from which the 
 river falls headlong, with a frightful noise, and 
 such a foam proceeds from it that the thick 
 vapour, covering the place like a cloud, may be 
 seen at four leagues distance. As this cataract 
 is utterly impassable, navigators travel by land, 
 for some time, and drag their boats along with 
 their hands. Three leagues from the cataract 
 the river is only one league in width. The 
 Ybirayty, the Yabebiry, which flows past the 
 Guarany towns of St. Ignatius-miri, and Nues- 
 tra Senhora de Loretto, is narrow but very deep, 
 the St. Ambrose, the Rio de los Astores and the 
 Rio de Sta. Lucia. Through these last-men- 
 tioned rivers we have often known those cruel 
 pirates the Payaguas come to plunder the es- 
 tates of the Spaniards, and slay the inhabitants. 
 The Corrientes, a moderate-sized river, which 
 rises from the neighbouring lake Ybera, for- 
 merly called Lago de los Caracaras, said to be 
 about four miles in length, but of inconsiderable 
 and varying breadth. Many islands which it 
 contains, are chosen at this time by Indian run- 
 aways, as places of concealment ; and we learn 
 that, in the last century, they were inhabited 
 by the Caracara Indians who proved very for- 
 midable, and almost invincible, to the Spaniards.
 
 176 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 However, at the command of the Governour of 
 Buenos-Ayres, a party of our Guaranies, under 
 Juan de Garay, happily attacked and conquered 
 them, most of the enemies being either slain or 
 taken captive after an obstinate defence of all 
 the islands. These are the names of the other 
 rivers v^hich join the Parana. The Guanguilar6, 
 the Espinosa, the Alcaraz, the Hernand Arias, 
 the Pardia, the Rio de los Charruas and the 
 Pacu. But all those streams are of lesser im- 
 portance. Jam pauld major a canamus. 
 
 We have now arrived at the place where the 
 Uruguay, a river of the first magnitude, submits 
 to the Parana. It rises in the mountains of 
 Brazil, between the twenty-fifth and twenty- 
 sixth degrees of latitude, in the Captaincy of 
 St. Vicente, (according to Bourgainville,) and 
 flows for the space of full two hundred leagues ; 
 the rocks and cataracts with which it is here 
 and there impeded render navigation extremely 
 difficult, even to middle-sized skiffs. The 
 largest of all the cataracts blocks up the whole 
 river at the Guarany town Yapeyu, and denies 
 a passage to skiffs coming from the port of 
 Buenos-Ayres, so that the sailors are obliged to 
 carry them on their shoulders by land, in order 
 that they may proceed on their journey. It is 
 proper in this place to describe that kind of 
 vessel in use amongst the Uruguayan Indians,
 
 PARAGUAY. 177 
 
 and which in the Spanish language is called 
 balsa. Two very large boats, sometimes seventy 
 feet long, are firmly joined together with cross- 
 planks, and over them they strew reeds care- 
 fully matted by way of a pavement. In the 
 midst a little reed hut is erected, covered with 
 bulls' hides to defend it from the inclemencies 
 of the weather. Oars, not sails, are made use 
 of, both in going up and down the stream, with 
 more security than despatch. There is, more- 
 over, need of many rowers; in all directions you 
 meet with islands rich in palms, citrons, 
 peaches and various other trees, but which 
 abound likewise in tigers, serpents and other 
 wild animals either dangerous, or fit for food. 
 The immense rocks, of which these cataracts are 
 composed, being blasted, were indeed hurled 
 aloft into the air, but falling back again into the 
 river, obstructed the passage of even the smallest 
 vessels. Thus remedies are often worse than 
 the disease itself. 
 
 The most considerable rivers which flow into 
 the Uruguay on the western shore are the Ya- 
 puc^, the Piguiry, or Pepiry, the Guanumbaca, 
 the Acarana, the Mborore, much celebrated for 
 the victory I related to you gained by the Gua- 
 ranies over the Mamalukes, the Aguapey, the 
 Miriiiay, flowing from the lake Ybera, the Vac- 
 careta, the Timboy, the Gualeguay, the Rio de 
 
 VOL. r. N
 
 178 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 Ids Topes, the Yaguary-guazu. All these rivers 
 are joined in their course by lesser streams. 
 The Uruguay receives, on the east, the waters of 
 the Uruguay-mifi, the Uruguay-pita, or the lit- 
 tle, and red Uruguay, the Yriboba, the Rio St. 
 Juan, the Nucora, the Yaguarap^, the Yyuy, 
 the Piritiny, the Ycabagua, the Mbutuy, the 
 Toropy, after its junction with the Ybicuy, the 
 Guaray, the Tebiguary, the Lechiguana, the 
 Rio San Salvador. In this neighbourhood, the 
 Rio Negro, famed for the excellence and abun- 
 dance of its waters, enters the Uruguay a little 
 before that river unites with the Parana, at La 
 Punta Gorda. From such a number of uniting 
 streams you may arrive at an idea of the mag- 
 nitude of the Uruguay. 
 
 I must now discourse upon the Paraguay, 
 from which the Parana receives its chief aug- 
 mentation. The origin of this river has occa- 
 sioned as great a dispute as that of the Parana 
 It is, however, now established beyond all 
 doubt, that those persons who have written 
 that this river comes out of the lake Xarayes 
 are quite mistaken. This ancient and universal 
 error, with good leave of Bourgainville be it 
 spoken, did not originate in the Jesuit geogra- 
 phers, but was brought into Europe by the 
 Spaniards who first subdued Paraguay, and 
 has in the present age been detected : for it is
 
 PARAGUAY. 179 
 
 certain that the Spaniards their successors 
 have sailed on the river Paraguay sixty leagues 
 beyond that lake, which proves that we must 
 seek for the source of it in the more distant 
 mountains situated tow^ards the north-east. 
 Some have thought that it proceeds from the 
 fabulous lake Del Dorado. Bourgainville asserts 
 that the Paraguay takes its rise between the fif- 
 teenth and sixteenth degrees of north latitude, 
 at almost an equal distance from the North and 
 South Seas. This opinion of the Frenchman I 
 willingly leave to be examined by the later Por- 
 tugueze who have dwelt there. However this 
 may be, it has been clearly ascertained that the 
 Paraguay does not take its rise from the lake 
 Xarayes, as such a lake exists no where but in 
 geographical charts; for that collection of 
 waters which is sometimes seen is not the pa- 
 rent of the river Paraguay, but the offspring of 
 it. This I boldly affirm on the authority of 
 Father Joseph Sanchez Labrador, a curious na- 
 turalist, who repeatedly traversed both banks 
 of the Paraguay, and by them arrived at the 
 towns of the Chiquitos. The Chiquito town 
 dedicated to St. Xavier is situated more to- 
 wards the north than the rest, lying, as the 
 same Sanchez observed, in the 16th degree of 
 latitude, and the 313th degree of longitude. 
 The town of Corazon de Jesus, situated in the 
 
 x2
 
 180 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 16th degree of latitude, and the 319th degree of 
 longitude, lies nearest the shores of the river 
 Paraguay, one hundred and ninety leagues dis- 
 tant from the city of Asumpcion. Now let 
 geographers hear what the oft commended 
 Sanchez declares to be his opinion respecting 
 that imaginary lake Xarayes, and the fabulous 
 island De los Orejones. 
 
 *' The Paraguay," says he, " collected into 
 one channel, for some time flows to the north, 
 but presently separates into three branches, one 
 of which the Indians call Paraguay-miri, that is 
 little Paraguay, and the other two Paraguay- 
 guazu, or great Paraguay. These three branches 
 of the river are swelled by the usual floods, and, 
 overflowing their banks, inundate the plain 
 country for the space of two hundred leagues. 
 European strangers have mistaken this frequent 
 inundation, this collection of waters, which gene- 
 rally lasts for some time, for a permanent lake. 
 In the midst of this imaginary lake they placed 
 an island called De los Orejones, to which they 
 give thirty leagues of length and ten of breadth, 
 such being the degree of space occupied by the 
 Parana when it overflows. This was called the 
 Island of Paradise by the Spaniards who first 
 conquered Paraguay, for there they rested for a 
 short time after their mighty labours. Neither 
 the Portugueze, who inhabit Cuyaba and Matto
 
 PARAGUAY. 181 
 
 Grosso, neighbouring places, nor the more re- 
 cent Spaniards, nor the native Indians, were 
 acquainted with any such lake." These are the 
 arguments made use of by Sanchez, who was 
 better acquainted with the controverted territo- 
 ries than any other person, and consequently, in 
 my opinion, most worthy of credit, to prove the 
 non-existence of the lake Xarayes and its island. 
 Europeans travelling in unknown America are 
 frequently deceived; they mistake an assem- 
 blage of waters caused by many months' rain for 
 a river, or a constant lake, whereas it only pro- 
 ceeds from an immense flood created by conti- 
 nual showers, or by the melting of the snow on 
 the Peruvian mountains. 
 
 The principal rivers, with the waters of which 
 the Paraguay is enriched, join it on the western 
 shore: the Jauru, which flows into the Para- 
 guay in 16° 29' of south latitude, and 320° lO' 
 of longitude from the island of Ferro ; the Man- 
 diy beneath the site of the feigned lake Xarayes; 
 the Rio Verde; the Yabebiry; the Pilcomayo, 
 which falls into the Paraguay in two branches 
 some leagues apart; the Timb6, a very large 
 river, formed of two other lesser streams in the 
 place called La Herradura, and diametrically 
 opposite to the river Tebiguary, which is at the 
 other bank of the Paraguay. Here I founded 
 the Abiponian colony of San Carlos, The Rio 
 
 N 3
 
 182 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 Grande, or Vermejo, enters the Paraguay be- 
 fore its junction with the Parana. On the east- 
 ern shore, beginning at the north, the Paraguay 
 is joined by the river De los Porrudos, which 
 had before received the waters of the Cuyaba, 
 the name of a Portugueze town, and to which 
 also the rivers Cuchipo-guazii, Cuchipo-miri, 
 and Manso had previously united themselves. 
 Lower down the river Taguary, augmented by 
 the waters of the Camapua, enters the Para- 
 guay by three mouths, which are formed by 
 intervening lands. Through these and other 
 rivers the Portugueze sail in boats to their co- 
 lonies Cuyaba, and Matto Grosso, where they 
 gather little bits of gold out of the sand, with 
 no inconsiderable profit. In Camapua, an in- 
 termediate place, Andreas Alvarez, a Portu- 
 gueze, took up his residence with a number of 
 negro slaves, and supplied the Portugueze, who 
 travelled backwards and forwards, with provi- 
 sions, waggons, and other necessaries from the 
 produce of his land. The following are the 
 names of the rest of the rivers : the Mbotetey, 
 in the land of the Guarany Ytatinguas, for 
 whom the Jesuits formerly founded two colo- 
 nies in this place ; the Ygarype, the Mboym- 
 boy, the Tareyty, the Guaycuruy, on the banks 
 of which the Guaycurus settled, and where 
 they remain to this day ; the Corrientes, the
 
 PARAGUAY. 183 
 
 Mbaery, the l^pane-guazu, formerly the Gua- 
 rambar^, the Yeyuy, navigable to large boats, 
 impeded by many rocks, and augmented by 
 many rivers, the most important of which is the 
 Caapivary, which mingles its waters with the 
 Yeyuy, about twenty leagues before that river 
 enters the Paraguay. The shores of the Yeyuy, 
 and of the Caapivary, are surrounded by im- 
 mense woods, nurseries of the herb of Para- 
 guay, a vast quantity of which is carried from 
 the town Curuguati to the city of Asumpcion, 
 by the other Spanish inhabitants. But let us 
 proceed. The Paraguay receives into itself 
 the following streams : the Tobaty, the Caa- 
 fiabe, and the Tebiguary, navigable to middle- 
 sized vessels. By the accession of so many, 
 and such considerable tributary streams, the 
 Paraguay is increased to such a size, that the 
 old Spaniards used to sail through it to the 
 city of Asumpcion, and even more distant 
 places, in the same ships which had borne 
 them on the Ocean, from the port of Cadiz. 
 At this time no one dares attempt that, for fear 
 of being wrecked, for this river swells to such 
 a breadth, that you often cannot see either 
 bank, as on the sea. It is intersected by many 
 islands, and abounds in rocks, shallows, and 
 quicksands. It is dangerous to sail on it with- 
 out a pilot, called Pratico, well acquainted 
 
 N 4
 
 184 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 with the river, who must be hired to go before 
 the ship in a boat, and sound the depth every 
 now and then. At night you must rest in a 
 safe situation, and anxiously seek port on an 
 approaching storm. But alas ! spite of every 
 art that can be exerted, vessels often stick in 
 shoals, and quicksands, out of which they must 
 be taken on the shoulders of the sailors, or, 
 with the assistance of a skiff, in great part un- 
 loaded. For many persons, through greediness 
 of gain, load their vessels with so much mer- 
 chandise, that you can scarce see two palms 
 of wood above the water, in consequence of 
 which, if the wind blows violently, they are 
 swallowed up in the waves. This river is like- 
 wise rendered dangerous by two whirlpools — 
 places where, even when there is no wind, the 
 water twists into circles, and forms, in the cen- 
 tre, a whirlpool, which sucks up whatever 
 comes near it ; but it may be passed without 
 danger, unless the sailors are extremely stupid. 
 There is more danger in various other places, 
 where the river hurries along like lightning, 
 and dashes vessels upon rocks or shallows. In 
 sailing against the stream, oars alone will not 
 suffice; sails must be made use of likewise. 
 From these things you may judge that the na- 
 vigation of this river can never be eifected with- 
 out danger, and reasonable alarm.
 
 PARAGUAY. 185 
 
 I must now speak of the cataract of this river, 
 which is called by the Spaniards El Salto 
 Grande, and occurs about the 24th deg. of lat. 
 and 325th of long., near the ruined city of 
 Guayra. I myself never saw it: I shall, therefore, 
 describe this prodigy of nature in the words of 
 Father Diego Ranconier, a Fleming, who gave 
 a most accurate description of it in the name 
 of the Jesuit Father Nicolas Duran, then Pro- 
 vincial of Paraguay, in his annals of Paraguay, 
 dated Rome, in the year 1626. " Amongst all 
 the things," says he, " capable of exciting ad- 
 miration in these provinces, this cataract easily 
 obtains the first place ; and indeed I know not 
 whether the whole terraqueous globe contains 
 any thing more wonderful. The river precipi- 
 tates itself, with the utmost violence, down an 
 immensely high rock, twelve leagues in descent, 
 and dashes, in its downward course, against 
 huge rocks of horrible form, from which the 
 waters, being reverberated, leap up to a great 
 height, and as the channel is in many places 
 intersected, on account of the exceeding rough- 
 ness of the rocks, the waters are separated into 
 various paths, and then meet together again, 
 causing stupendous whirlpools. In other places 
 also, the waters, leaping down, rush into the 
 rocks themselves, and are concealed from the 
 view : then, after having remained hidden for
 
 186 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 some time, again break forth, as if they had 
 sprung from various fountains, and swallow up 
 vast masses of rocks. Lastly, so great is the 
 violence of the waters in the descent of the 
 stream, that, during the whole course of twelve 
 leagues, they are covered by a perpetual foam, 
 which, reflecting the rays of the sun, dazzles 
 the eyes of beholders with its brightness. Also 
 the sound of the water, falling down and dash- 
 ing against the rocks, may easily be heard at 
 four leagues distance. This rough descent 
 being ended, the water seems inclined to rest on 
 the bottom, in smoother ground. For it often 
 stagnates there by day, but almost every hour 
 a loud noise arises, from some hidden cause, 
 and the water leaps up to the height of many 
 cubits. Fish of immense size are seen there : 
 and Father Antonio Ruiz de Montoya, then 
 missionary of the Guarany nation, in Guayra, 
 declares that he saw a fish, as big as an ox, 
 swimming on the river, with only half his body 
 above water. Nor is this incredible ; for when 
 I visited the Guarany Reductions," (he means 
 the new colonies of Indians,) " they wrote me 
 word that an Indian had been swallowed by a 
 river-fish of this kind, and afterwards ejected 
 whole on to the bank." 
 
 Between the Guarany town De la Candelaria, 
 and the city Corrientes, the Parana throws in
 
 PARAGUAY. 187 
 
 the way of navigators another smaller rapid, 
 full of projecting rocks. I have no doubt that 
 in the long course of the Parana, there lurks 
 many a hidden whirlpool ; the credibility of 
 which opinion I will endeavour to prove to you, 
 by relating a recent event. In the year 1756, 
 whilst I was residing in the town of Loretto, a 
 number of Guaranies began to sail in boats up 
 the river Parana, to gather the herb of Para- 
 guay in distant woods. When they had got 
 a very few leagues beyond the town of Cuerpo 
 de Cristo, all perished, except one man, the 
 announcer of this unfortunate catastrophe. 
 "About noon," said he, " they briskly rowed 
 the boat to the sound of pipes and drums. The 
 sky was serene, the air tranquil, the river 
 placid, when suddenly the prow of the ship 
 was lifted straight upright, like a pillar, and 
 the poop proportionably lowered ; but it fell 
 back into its former situation, and put an end to 
 the sudden terror excited, but not to the danger. 
 For soon after the prow was again elevated by 
 some hidden impulse, and the ship and all the 
 sailors were swallowed up in a moment." One 
 alone escaped, as I told you, by swimming, and 
 announced the sad fate of his companions. 
 We know the fact, but are ignorant of the cause. 
 Almost every body agreed with me in attribu- 
 ting it to a hidden whirlpool, which had re-
 
 188 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 mained till then undiscovered in this frequented 
 river. Often in vast rivers, and still oftener in 
 the wide ocean, places destructive to ships are 
 discovered, which had, for many ages, escaped 
 the observation of skilful navigators. 
 
 The Parana abounds in innumerable islands 
 of various sizes. It often demolishes the old, 
 and creates new ones. For the annual floods 
 heap up the sands, which are liberally supplied 
 with seeds of willows wafted thither by the 
 wind ; these soon take root and quickly grow 
 up with the aid of abundant moisture. Wait a 
 little, and you will see the island covered with 
 willows, other trees, and turf, and haunted by 
 birds, wild beasts, and amphibious animals. 
 Other islands are gradually destroyed by the 
 violence of the waves ; we have seen some of 
 them sunk under water, others rocked like a 
 ship by the wind and the waves, and borne up 
 and down till they are dissolved and swallowed 
 up. The most considerable islands are Martin 
 Garzia, Las dos Hermanas, the Island of St. 
 Gabriel, La Isla de Flores, and La Isla de Lobos. 
 The Parana overflows twice every year. The 
 greater flood generally commences in the sum- 
 mer month December, continues during the 
 whole of January, and sometimes does not sub- 
 side till the end of February. The lesser be- 
 gins about the middle of June, and lasts thirty
 
 PARAGUAY. 189 
 
 days. In both floods all the islands, some of 
 which are three leagues in extent, are so en- 
 tirely covered that the tops of the very highest 
 trees are alone visible. 
 
 Tigers and stags like those of our country, 
 which are very numerous, come out upon the 
 shores. When the river is not contained within 
 its very high banks, it spreads to the space of 
 many leagues. I remember sailing near the 
 town of St. Ferdinand, in a ship, amid palm 
 trees, on the plain which, at other times, I used 
 to gallop over on horseback. The waters of 
 the Parana are muddy ; but if suffered to settle 
 in a pitcher, not unwholesome for the natives 
 of the town; though in strangers, they occasion 
 diarrhoea, which proved fatal to fourteen of my 
 companions, whilst we were awaiting an op- 
 portunity of sailing to Europe, in the city 
 of Buenos-Ayres, whither we had assembled 
 from different parts of the province. I, also, 
 was confined to my bed, and placed in extreme 
 danger by it. The tide of the sea spreads full 
 a hundred leagues up the Parana, especially 
 when the south wind blows violently ; but its 
 waters are fresh about six leagues from the 
 mouth of the sea. 
 
 The Parana, now distinguished by the un- 
 merited appellation of La Plata, has five havens 
 for sea-vessels; but perfect security is to be
 
 190 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 found in neither of them. Ships rest in the 
 port of Buenos-Ayres, three leagues from land, 
 exposed to all winds and storms. The south 
 wind, which rages most in those parts, threatens 
 immediate destruction, unless the anchors and 
 cables be very strong and firm. Long, light 
 ships, called Lanchas, which are much used 
 in this river, draw to land by the river Ria- 
 chuelo, when it is augmented by the tide ; for 
 when the sea ebbs, it is too shallow to bear 
 those vessels. Colonia do Sacramento, which 
 lies on the eastern shore, opposite to the city 
 Buenos-Ayres, and almost fifteen leagues dis- 
 tant from it, (for such the width of the river is 
 reckoned to be,) afibrds a safer station for ves- 
 sels, and one nearer to land, being somewhat 
 defended against the wind by high banks on one 
 side, and on the other by the neighbouring 
 island of St. Gabriel, though this very circum- 
 stance of the island's being so near, as well as 
 the hidden rocks, are great causes for appre- 
 hension, because mournfully signalized by not 
 a few shipwrecks. The best, and, to say truth, 
 the only port on the same shore, is that of 
 Monte-Video, which is situated thirty leagues 
 distant from the colony, and as many from the 
 sea, and is commodiously defended by artillery, 
 and by a castle which contains five hundred 
 guards. This bay, which is about one league
 
 PARAGUAY. 191 
 
 and a half long from the port, and almost cir- 
 cular, is protected against all winds, except the 
 south, which is very formidable here, by high 
 shores, and by a lofty mountain visible at eight 
 leagues distance. It is also navigable to ships 
 of war. The little island of rabbits. La Isla de 
 los Conejos, occupies the port. The castle of 
 the place is so small, considering the immense 
 sums expended upon it by the court of Madrid, 
 that it rather deserves the name of a castlet. 
 The island Maldonado, about nine leagues dis- 
 tant from the mouth of the sea, and about as 
 many from Monte-Video, betwixt La Isla dos Lo- 
 bos, and La Isla de Flores, affords a convenient 
 situation to ships of every size, and a defence 
 against the S. E. wind. The Governour, Pe- 
 dro Ceballos, fortified this bay as well as he 
 could with new works. Men skilled in these 
 matters have declared it as their opinion that 
 this post is excellently well situated, and might 
 be made very important to 'the security of the 
 province, if nature were assisted by art. On 
 the opposite shore, towards the west, the bay 
 Barragan, twelve leagues distant from Buenos- 
 Ayres, affords an opportunity for repairing 
 ships, but little security for them. For it is 
 every where surrounded by low banks, and lies 
 exposed to all winds. The entrance itself is 
 not devoid of danger. The harbour is indeed
 
 192 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 of wide extent, but, being rather shallow, the 
 larger ships remain two leagues from land. The 
 place has no fortifications of any kind, consist- 
 ing of a very few wretched huts of hides and 
 rushes. 
 
 As the river La Plata has but a few ports, 
 and those not very safe ones, it consequently 
 threatens navigators with an hundred dangers, 
 on account of the sand-banks, and shoals which 
 occur here and there. The most remarkable of 
 these are two named El Banco Ingles, and El 
 Banco Ortiz ; both of which are many leagues 
 both in length and in breadth. The danger is 
 increased by some hidden rocks near La Isla 
 dos Lobos, and La Isla de Flores, and still more 
 by huge crags in the neighbourhood of the port 
 of Monte- Video, called Las Carretas de Monte- 
 Video, which are the more dangerous on ac- 
 count of their being less easy to be seen. If 
 the pilot is not thoroughly acquainted with 
 the river, or if he neglects to make frequent 
 use of the sounding-line, a shipwreck is inevi- 
 table. The vessel will either be buried amid 
 high heaps of sand, or will spring a leak from 
 being dashed against the rocks. This may the 
 more certainly be expected, if the river be so 
 much disturbed by a strong south wind, as to 
 render it impossible to make any use of the 
 rudder ; for during a tempest the waves rise
 
 PARAGUAY. 193 
 
 mountains high, and the violence of them is in- 
 credible. Three or four anchors will scarce 
 hold a ship at such times. Matteo Callao, an 
 experienced man, captain of a war-ship named 
 La Esmeralda, when he brought us back to Spain 
 from Monte- Video, was often heard to exclaim 
 in the river Plata, " Let me only get clear of 
 this devil, and I shall think myself already at the 
 port of Cadiz." Who would not have been ter- 
 ror-struck at the remembrance of so many ves- 
 sels which had recently perished there ? That 
 very ship in which we sailed from Lisbon had 
 nearly been added to the number of those un- 
 fortunate ones. I will relate the affair as briefly 
 as possible. 
 
 In Portugal, a Brazilian mulatto was hired at 
 a great price by Feliciano Velho, the captain of 
 the ship, because he professed himself well ac- 
 quainted with the river La Plata, though he 
 was, in reality, extremely ignorant. At the 
 entrance of the river the captain, Joseph Car- 
 valho de Pereira, according to custom, com- 
 mitted the entire management of the ship to 
 this man ; but more ignorant than a brute, he 
 made a dangerous error at the very threshold. 
 He took the ship to such a distance from the 
 east shore, which it ought to have kept in sight, 
 that nothing but water and sky was to be seen. 
 On perceiving which, " HolloaT' exclaimed the 
 
 VOL. I. o
 
 194 ACCOUNT or the abipones. 
 
 captfiin, '* you will lose my ship before the sun 
 sets !" This sudden speech proved prophetic : 
 for leaning over the side of the vessel at about 
 two o'clock in the afternoon, I observed that the 
 water in a certain place was unusually dis- 
 turbed, and suspecting the truth of the matter, 
 disclosed the circumstance to the captain, who, 
 ascending a mast as quick as possible, perceived 
 that we were steering directly towards the 
 English Shoal, and immediately ordered the 
 prow of the ship to be turned towards the east : 
 for that repercussion of the waters arose, as I 
 suspected, from the neighbouring quicksands. 
 About evening we cast anchor in very shallow 
 water, so that the ship hardly floated at all. 
 After sun-set there came on a furious tempest. 
 While the sky bellowed with thunder, a violent 
 south wind raised huge billows in the river, and 
 created much alarm lest the ship, which was 
 fastened to a muddy bottom with a very bad 
 anchor, should be either dashed upon the rocks 
 of La Isla de Flores on one side, or upon the 
 English Shoal on the other ; for the former were 
 on our left, and the latter on our right, at no 
 great distance. Consequently, the sailors were 
 forced to toil day and night in pulling away the 
 anchors and strengthening the cables. This 
 formidable storm lasted two days. On St. 
 Stephen's day, about noon, the captain thought 
 fit to remove from this dangerous neighbour-
 
 PARAGUAY. ' 195 
 
 hood. But after a few moments sail we were 
 suddenly forced to cast anchor, for, by the 
 soundmg-line, sands were discovered to be 
 close at hand. 
 
 We learnt from the Spaniards, who came by 
 night in a skiff from Monte-Video to spy us, 
 that we were in a dangerous situation, and near 
 to the rocks named Las Carretas de Monte- 
 Video. We all vainly wished for some one 
 from the port, well acquainted with the river, 
 to show us the way. They said there was no 
 skiff for such a person to make use of, but that 
 a Portugueze captain was going next day to the 
 port of Colonia, and that this man might go 
 before us in a skiff and conduct our ship. Him 
 we expected next day to show us the way ; but 
 as he did not make his appearance, being pro- 
 bably afraid of the stormy wind, we pursued 
 our journey, blindly wandering up and down. 
 Thinking that we had now left behind us the 
 shoal named El Ortiz, we sailed, even at night, 
 without suspicion of danger. But, alas ! the 
 greatest danger is in security. About day- 
 break the ship stuck so fast upon those very 
 shoals from which we thought ourselves long 
 since escaped, that for two days no industry or 
 nautical skill was sufficient to remove it from 
 that place. On the second night there arose a 
 most violent tempest. The poop remained im- 
 
 o 2
 
 196 ACCOUNT OF THE ACIPONES. 
 
 moveable, being thrust into the sand, whilst 
 the other parts of the ship were tost about with 
 such violence, that it seemed every moment as 
 if the joints of the planks would be loosened. 
 About the same time a strong south wind, ac- 
 companied with continual thunder, drove such 
 a force of water from the sea into the river Plata, 
 that early in the morning the ship was extri- 
 cated from that abyss of sands, and floated once 
 again. Carried by the same wind, now favour- 
 able to us, we entered the port of Colonia, in 
 safety, next day about noon. After remaining 
 there for two days, and being much tossed 
 about, we were removed to the city of Buenos- 
 Ayres. In crossing this river, which is about 
 fifteen leagues wide, many of us endured more 
 apprehension, and felt more sickness, than in 
 the whole ocean. For want of a better, we 
 went in a skiff, which age had rendered rotten, 
 worm-eaten, and ruinous. Scarcely did one 
 part adhere to the other. The fury of the 
 raging wind increased our fear and our danger, 
 for as it blew against us, our sails were too 
 much bent, and one whole side of the skiff lay 
 under water. But all this was nothing. We 
 gave ourselves up for lost when the rudder was 
 thrust into the sand, and we stuck for some 
 time with the prow lifted up in the air. But 
 who can describe the joy we felt on beholding
 
 PARAGUAY. 197 
 
 the shore, and entering the port which we had 
 vainly sought for three whole months ? 
 
 I have spoken the more fully on this subject, 
 in order to show you that successful navigation 
 in this river depends not upon skill alone, but 
 upon great good-fortune. Should a violent 
 south wind arise, skill, knowledge, and expe- 
 rience all of no avail, the ship will be driven 
 into places where it will either perish, or at 
 least undergo much danger. In the year 1766, 
 the very best skiff in the port of Buenos-Ayres, 
 commanded by the most excellent captains in 
 that city, being dashed against a shoal by the 
 force of a stormy south wind, had its keel split 
 like a nut, was divided into two parts, and 
 utterly perished, ten Jesuits destined for the 
 province of Chili, many Spanish grenadiers, 
 and all the rest of the crew being drowned, ex- 
 cept one captain of the grenadiers, who, with 
 a boy of ten years old, seized hold, by chance, 
 of a little boat, and arrived in safety at the 
 opposite shore, at full ten miles distance from 
 the place of the shipwreck. Not a single per- 
 son offered to accuse the pilot of stupidity, or 
 want of skill. Every one was aware that the 
 foul tempest which had arisen in the night 
 alone occasioned the shipwreck. For it appears 
 from nautical tables and documents, that the 
 north channel of the river is narrower and 
 
 o3
 
 198 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 deeper, and the south channel, on the contrary, 
 wider but of a shallower bottom. All knew 
 whereabouts El Banco Inglez and El Banco 
 Ortiz, with the other well-known rocks, lay 
 concealed. But who could even guess at these 
 new shoals, fresh heaps of sand, which either 
 the river with its inundations, or the sea rush- 
 ing impetuously into the river, were wont to 
 heap up ? By continually making use of the 
 sounding-line, these later shoals are indeed dis- 
 covered, but often when it is too late, the waves 
 baffling all art and industry. Wherefore the 
 wider this river extends on each side, and the 
 nearer it approaches to the sea, so much the 
 more is it to be dreaded. In this one channel 
 the river La Plata flows between the promonto- 
 ries of Sta. Maria and S. Antonio, which latter 
 is also called Cabo Blanco. The priest Cy- 
 riaco Morelli speaks thus concerning the mouth 
 of the river La Plata, in his work intituled 
 Fasti Novi Orbis, " What we call the river La 
 Plata, is in reality an immense bay of the sea, 
 into which the waters of the Parana, the Para- 
 guay, and the Uruguay flow." Different authors 
 give diff'erent accounts of the width of this river 
 where it enters the sea. Many Spaniards at 
 this day give it sixty leagues, others fewer, and 
 some say it is seventy leagues across. But 
 Egidio Gonzalez de Avila, in the " Ecclesiastical
 
 PARAGUAY. 
 
 199 
 
 Theatre of the Indies,'' vol. ii. affirms that the 
 river La Plata enters the sea by mouths eighty 
 leagues in width. I leave you to form your 
 own opinion on the subject. 
 
 I have crossed this channel twice, but must 
 
 own I never measured it. It is certain, that 
 
 incautious or too credulous captains are often 
 
 deceived by the wideness of this vast river, 
 
 which prevents them from seeing both shores 
 
 of it. Trusting too much to their own fallacious 
 
 calculations, they think themselves sailing on 
 
 the ocean, and boldly proceed with spread sails, 
 
 and without consulting the sounding-line, but 
 
 at length when the ship strikes upon shoals, 
 
 perceive too late that they are in the river 
 
 Plata, and frequently perish. I write this on 
 
 my own experience. On St. Thomas's day the 
 
 ship proceeded full sail, and with a wind as 
 
 favourable as could be desired. We observed 
 
 little birds, never at other times seen on the 
 
 ocean, flying about, bits of grass floating, and 
 
 the colour of the water changed, from all which 
 
 it was easy to conclude that we were near land. 
 
 We represented these circumstances over and 
 
 over again to the captain, a Portugueze, who, 
 
 though in other respects a worthy and prudent 
 
 man, relied too much on his own observations, 
 
 and was somewhat pertinacious and opiniated. 
 
 He insisted upon it that we were far from land, 
 
 o4
 
 200 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 and openly declared that he should pursue his 
 present course, full sail, till seven o'clock at 
 night. We should have perished had he acted 
 according to his word. For about sun-set, a 
 short-lived but violent gust of wind sprung up. 
 All sails were lowered as usual. We perceived 
 that the ship was surrounded on all sides by 
 seals, which were the means of saving our lives 
 by proving that we were in the perilous river 
 La Plata, or at least in the entrance of it. For 
 you will never see these amphibious animals in 
 the main sea, it being their daily custom to quit 
 the water and go upon shore. The testimony 
 of the seals was also confirmed by the sounding- 
 line, by which we discovered that the bottom 
 was but a very few cubits deep. The captain 
 convinced of his former error, thought fit to put 
 in practice the maxim festina lente! We stuck 
 between the hammer and the anvil, when that 
 first squall was succeeded by a tempest accom- 
 panied with thunder and a furious south wind. 
 Lest the ship should be driven to the neigh- 
 bouring promontory of Sta. Maria, or on to the 
 shoals, the sails were placed in such a manner 
 that the wind when it falls into one is repelled 
 by the other, by which means the ship, floating 
 in the same place, is prevented from proceeding. 
 About the middle of the night, the wind abating 
 a little, we proceeded very slowly with but one
 
 PARAGUAY. 201 
 
 sail. At dusk in the evening unknown tracts of 
 land presented themselves to our eyes. At 
 length the sun being fully risen, it w^as not 
 without terror that we beheld ourselves scarce 
 a gun-shot from the lofty rocks of the promon- 
 tory of Sta. Maria. Our alarm was increased 
 when, after repeatedly casting the sounding- 
 line, the sailors discovered that, to the immi- 
 nent danger of the ship, the bottom was but 
 six fathoms deep. For the sea being at ebb, 
 and the waters momently decreasing more and 
 more, we should have been becalmed, and con- 
 sequently disenabled from receding from the 
 neighbouring rocks, where, if the south wind 
 returned, we should be dashed to pieces, but if 
 the calm lasted we must stick fast in the shal- 
 lows. We derived safety and incredible conso- 
 lation from the sun, then at the meridian, from 
 observation of which we at length discovered 
 whereabouts we were. Two hours after noon 
 a gentle gale arose, which enabled us to quit 
 the shallows and that threatening shore, and to 
 re-enter the main sea. The wind becoming 
 more favourable after sun-set, we stole into the 
 very channel of the river, and about dawning 
 got sight of La Isla de Lobos. But this short- 
 lived joy was saddened the same day with all 
 those wanderings and perils which I have just 
 related. From all this you may conclude how
 
 202 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 formidable the width of the river La Plata is to 
 captains of ever so long experience. 
 
 The name of the river Plata being spread 
 throughout Europe in former times, many of 
 the Spaniards flew to Paraguay, and after all 
 found nothing but poverty, where they expected 
 riches. Paraguay is surrounded by the pro- 
 vinces of Chili, Peru, and Quito, which abound 
 in gold, silver, gems, and precious stones, neither 
 of which is to be found in Paraguay. Some of 
 them might perhaps be discovered, you will 
 say, if properly searched for, but this I do not 
 believe, knowing how sagacious and quick- 
 sighted the Spaniards are in seeking for trea- 
 sures concealed in the bosom of the earth ; as, 
 therefore, they have never hitherto endeavoured 
 to dig for gold and silver, or have been unsuc- 
 cessful in the attempt, I am firmly persuaded 
 that there are none to be found ; and the longer 
 I remained in this country, the more was my 
 opinion on that head strengthened by con- 
 vincing proofs and experiments. In many 
 places signs of hidden metal were sometimes 
 discovered, but they served rather to drain the 
 purses of the more credulous Spaniards than to 
 enrich them. I will fairly relate whatever 
 occurs to my memory relative to the attempts 
 that were made to discover metals, and the 
 ridiculous ideas that were entertained on this
 
 PARAGUAY. 203 
 
 head. I was intimately acquainted with a mer- 
 chant in the city of St. lago del Estero, who had 
 formerly been opulent, but was at that time re- 
 duced to ruin. Hoping to become as rich as 
 Croesus, he directed his whole thoughts and 
 faculties towards discovering mines. Emissa- 
 ries were hired to search in those places which 
 were thought to contain metals. At much ex- 
 pense he undertook a journey to the Governour 
 of Tucuman, who lived at a great distance, to 
 obtain from him a right to dig for gold. He 
 spent immense sums upon workmen, mules, 
 provision, and other instruments necessary for 
 searching the bowels of the earth, with no re- 
 ward for his pains, except spending the riches 
 that he already possessed, without obtaining 
 those which he promised himself under ground, 
 and remained ever afterwards indigent and de- 
 rided by all. Yet deluded by his hopes, he had 
 still to learn wisdom. He knew that about 
 eighty leagues distant from the city of St. lago, 
 was a place named Hierro, which runs out 
 into an extensive plain covered with rich grass. 
 Not a stone or even a pebble is to be seen in 
 the whole vicinity. Here and there appears 
 out of the turf a plank, or the trunk of a tree, 
 having the appearance of iron, except that by 
 its shining it bears some sort of resemblance to 
 silver. The good man now thought he had
 
 204 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 reached the summit of his wishes, for he swore 
 that silver mixed with iron lay concealed in 
 this place, to the great amusement of all that 
 heard him. He gave a little piece of this metal, 
 which he had eagerly snatched up, to a smith 
 to be melted in the city. The Spaniards who 
 were present privily slipped some pieces of 
 silver money into the furnace. When, therefore, 
 he beheld the melted mass, consisting of silver 
 and that kind of iron flowing from the furnace, 
 he thought himself the happiest of mankind. 
 But understanding that he had been cheated, 
 and cajoled, he flew into a rage, and threatened 
 the authors of the deceit with every thing that 
 was dreadful. An European smith, after care- 
 fully trying that exotic metal with fire, in- 
 formed me that it was a sort of iron, but so hard 
 and so brittle, that no art would be sufficient to 
 bend or reduce it to any kind of form, and con- 
 sequently that it was of no use whatever. I 
 will tell you another anecdote of the same kind. 
 A certain merchant of Cordoba was involved 
 in very great pecuniary difficulties, to extricate 
 himself from which he forsook his old calling, 
 and took up that of a physician, in which he 
 was never properly instructed ; — a metamor- 
 phosis by no means uncommon amongst the 
 Europeans who reside in America. Deserters 
 from the army and navy, if they exercise any
 
 PARAGUAY. 205 
 
 handicraft trade, will never find a wife in Para- 
 guay. To obviate this objection they apply 
 themselves to merchandise. Whoever has his 
 shop filled with tallow-candles, cheese, knives, 
 needles, scissors, linen or woollen neck-hand- 
 kerchiefs, and some flagons of brandy, is styled 
 a merchant, immediately becomes noble, is 
 esteemed superior to the vulgar, and fit to 
 make any marriage connection, or hold any 
 magistracy. Reduced to ruin, from merchants 
 they suddenly become physicians. These igno- 
 rant quacks, who in Europe hardly know how 
 to shave a beard, breathe a vein, cut the nails, 
 apply cupping-glasses to the skin, administer an 
 injection, or spread a plaster, give themselves 
 out for Galens in Paraguay, and slay the rich 
 with impunity at all hours of the day. Such an 
 one was Bartholomew. Finding his purse no 
 way filled by the diseases and deaths of others, 
 and being universally dreaded, he at length 
 changed his mind, forsook his gallipots, and 
 turned his thoughts towards metals, the last 
 anchor of his hopes. A vague report had been 
 spread that in the mountains near Cordoba, 
 signs of hidden gold had manifested themselves. 
 Having consulted those persons who were best 
 informed on this subject, obtained leave of the 
 royal Governours, hired men to dig, and pur- 
 chased cattle to maintain them, solely on the
 
 206 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 promise of reward, he explored, for some time, 
 the bowels of the earth, but with no success, 
 with great loss, and terrible expense, as it was 
 necessary to convey both wood and water many 
 leagues on the backs of mules. Overwhelmed 
 with debts, which his hopes of discovering gold 
 had led him to contract, this wretched man 
 served to teach others that it is safer to seek for 
 gold on the surface of the earth, than in the 
 subterranean caverns of the Cordoban moun- 
 tains. And indeed no one, that I know of, ■ 
 from that time forward ever thought of seeking 
 there for mines of gold. A report was spread 
 amongst the common people, that the Indians, 
 before the coming of the Spaniards, had dug 
 gold out of the mountains which surround the 
 city Rioja. But every attempt of the Spaniards 
 to find this noble metal in those mountains was 
 uniformly unsuccessful. That small pieces of 
 gold had been discovered in our times in the 
 mountains near the city of Monte-Video, I was 
 informed by Andonaegui, Governour of Buenos- 
 Ayres. Though the Catholic King was made 
 acquainted with this circumstance, no pains 
 were ever taken to examine and excavate those 
 mountains, it being thought that there was little 
 hope, and perhaps no reality in the matter. 
 Some one reported that amethysts had been 
 found in the river Rosario, near the city of
 
 PARAGUAY. 207 
 
 Monte- Video; but I thought that they either 
 were not genuine, or had been brought thither 
 from some other place, as no one was known to 
 have taken the pains to seek for more in the 
 same river. 
 
 The first Spanish inhabitants entertained a 
 thorough belief that the province of Guayra 
 was rich in metals ; and there too, they pro- 
 mised themselves to find abundance of precious 
 stones. They had not yet learnt that all that 
 glitters is not gold nor diamonds either. On 
 the shores of the Parana, they found some stones 
 which they called cocos de mina. These stones 
 in shape are sometimes round, sometimes oval; 
 their surface is rough and hard, and of a dark 
 colour. In size they are equal to a pomegra- 
 nate, and sometimes to a man's head. Within 
 the outer shell they contain little stones of 
 various colours, and great value in the eyes of 
 ignorant persons, who take them for crystal, 
 amethysts, rubies, emeralds, &c. But they 
 are deceived. Jewellers rate them about as 
 high as Bohemian stones. They say that the 
 cocos de mina, pregnant with these kinds of 
 pebbles, burst with a noise as loud as that of 
 a gun, when what they consider the noble 
 burden which their womb contains is mature. 
 This appearance and these properties are at- 
 tributed to them by the vulgar, with what
 
 208 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 truth I know not, for though I have travelled 
 over the greatest part of Paraguay, particu- 
 larly the shores of the Parana, vs^ith eyes at- 
 tentive to nature, I never saw^ a stone of this 
 kind. I do not pretend to say that the coco de 
 mina may not have its value in the other pro- 
 vinces of America, which produce genuine 
 jewels, but I boldly deny that any inhabitant 
 of Paraguay was ever enriched with one. The 
 foolish credulity of certain persons, who, from 
 this fallacious resemblance of jewels, hoped to 
 gain riches, was punished with extreme poverty, 
 as we all know. Xerez, Ciudad Real, and 
 Villa Rica, cities formerly accounted fountains 
 of metals and of riches, have all proved semi- 
 naries of indigence and misery. What was 
 called Villa Rica, or the Rich City, was never 
 opulent in reality, but only so in name, and the 
 hopes it held out of discovering metals. 
 
 Finding no gold and silver in those parts of 
 Paraguay which their feet had traversed and 
 their eyes beheld, they persuaded themselves 
 and others that these metals were concealed in 
 the native soil of the Guaranies, whom the 
 Jesuits had undertaken to instruct in religion. 
 From this false conjecture, how many lies have 
 been coined, who many calumnies launched 
 against us ! By the royal authority and at the 
 desire of the Jesuits, there were sent men com-
 
 PARAGUAY. 209 
 
 missioned to search diligently if any metal ex- 
 isted in the Guarany territories. These ex- 
 plorers were attended, in the capacity of guide, 
 by a Guarany deserter, a man of bad character. 
 This rogue had been induced, by the gifts and 
 liberal promises of some enemy of the Jesuits, 
 to declare that he had seen gold mines at the 
 banks of the Uruguay, in the land belonging 
 to Concepcion, a town of the Guaranies, and 
 that this place was strengthened like a fort with 
 strong holds, warlike machines, and a numerous 
 garrison. Thither they directly hastened, and 
 when they were a very few leagues distant from 
 that golden spot, the knavish Indian, fearing the 
 punishment of his falsehood, which must be dis- 
 covered next day, fled away in the night; but 
 being taken in the town of Yapeyu, by the mis- 
 sionary himself, was sent back, chained and 
 guarded, to the Spaniards from whom he had 
 deserted. The cheat respecting those gold 
 mines and fortifications was thus brought to 
 light, and the phantoms raised by falsehood and 
 calumny disaj^)peared. The Spaniards examined 
 every corner far and near ; after which they 
 unanimously and publicly declared that no 
 mines existed in that place, nor indeed that 
 any one, who considered the nature of the situ- 
 ation, could rationally expect them to be pro- 
 
 VOL. I. p
 
 210 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 duced there. The Indian was punished for his 
 perfidy. Certain Spaniards, who had thus 
 falsely accused the Jesuits, were declared ca- 
 lumniators, punished with confiscation of their 
 goods and public infamy, and pronounced inca- 
 pable of holding any office in the state. By 
 these royal fulminations calumny was for a little 
 while repressed ; yet the ridiculous suspicion 
 that mines were buried amongst the Guaranies 
 was not yet extinct; it was even propagated 
 amongst the more credulous Europeans. 
 
 I have often laughed at beholding the eager- 
 ness and solicitude with which the Spaniards, 
 who visited the Guarany towns, gathered up 
 all the little worthless stones they met with on 
 the way, and which, on account of their various 
 colours, they thought to be emeralds, ame- 
 thysts, or rubies. Every thing that was found 
 on the Guarany soil they took for gold and 
 jewels. Diamonds, which nature has denied to 
 every part of Paraguay, were reported to 
 abound in the land of the Guaranies. In the 
 Gazeta de Madrid, I read this article, dated 
 London. " They write from Brazil that the 
 Jesuits of Paraguay have brought their dia- 
 mond mines to such a degree of perfection, that 
 it is greatly to be apprehended the diamonds of 
 Brazil will decrease in value.' I submitted this 
 paragraph to the perusal of Charles Murphy,
 
 PARAGUAY. 211 
 
 Governour of Paraguay, and I cannot tell whe- 
 ther it excited his laughter or his indignation 
 the most. I would have bought the smallest 
 particle of a diamond at any price, to cut the 
 glass for the various uses of the church, but 
 could never meet with any one who possessed 
 such a thing, and was, consequently, always 
 obliged to make use of a flint instead. If the 
 savages at the straits of Magellan have any 
 metal, they must have got it from the mountains 
 where every one knows that metals are found. 
 But the province of Chili differs as much from 
 Paraguay, as Austria does from its neighbour 
 Hungary. The one abounds in gold and silver, 
 the other is absolutely destitute of both. The 
 Portugueze in Cuyaba, in Matto Grosso, and in 
 the fortlet of Sta. Rosa, collect sands from 
 various rivers, out of which they pick very 
 small particles of gold, formerly with the con- 
 nivance of the Spaniards, and since the last 
 declaration of peace with their open consent. 
 For the Portugueze always contended that the 
 above-mentioned territories were comprehended 
 within the limits of Brazil, whilst the Spaniards 
 annexed them to Paraguay, or their own Peru. 
 That you may perceive the truth of what I say, 
 I will fairly describe the liberality of nature 
 towards Paraguay. You shall see and laugh at 
 its treasures. 
 
 p 2
 
 212 ACCOUNT OF THE ACT PONES. 
 
 At the close of the last century, Father An- 
 tony Sepp found out a method of extracting a 
 small quantity of iron from stones named yta- 
 curu, by dint of a very hot fire kept up for 
 twenty-four hours. But he had scarcely any 
 imitators, for the quantity of iron obtained was 
 so inconsiderable, in proportion to the labour 
 and firewood spent upon it, that it was not 
 thought worth the trouble. These stones, which 
 are composed of a number of very small pebbles, 
 are of a dusky colour, mottled with black spots. 
 In our times, somewhat more iron has been 
 brought in the Spanish ships, but even now it is 
 sold at a price incredible to Europeans. All the 
 Guarany youths, oii their marriage-day, and the 
 married people at the beginning of January, re- 
 ceive from the Jesuit, the priest of the town, a 
 common knife to use at table. This donation is 
 more expensive than Europeans may imagine, as 
 some of the towns contain four thousand inha- 
 bitants, some six or seven. Yet, notwithstand- 
 ing the dearness of iron, none of us ever thought 
 of procuring a trifling quantity of it, with im- 
 mense labour, from the stones named ytacurix. 
 
 Out of the Cordoban mountains, they some- 
 times dig talc, a sort of softish white stone, very 
 light, and of no firmness. It consists of slender 
 laminae, so that it may be divided with a knife 
 into small plates, and is sometimes dipped in
 
 PARAGUAY. 213 
 
 water. When slightly burnt, it assumes the 
 softness of paper and the colour of silver, and is 
 used to make little images and other figures to 
 adorn poor churches. Out of the numerous 
 leaves of which this stone is composed, you will 
 find few entirely white and transparent, for most 
 of them are darkened with black or yellow spots. 
 The better ones supply the place of glass in win- 
 dows and lanterns ; for that article was ex- 
 tremely scarce and dear, in 1748, when I arrived 
 in Paraguay. I could not see one glass window 
 in the chief colleges of the province, nor in the 
 towns of the Guaranies. Every one made his 
 own window of the stone talc, (which is diffi- 
 cult to procure,) of paper, or linen cloth; and as 
 these substitutes were torn away by every 
 shower or boisterous wind, was continually 
 under the necessity of making repairs. But in 
 the last years of my residence in Paraguay, a 
 quantity of glass was brought thither in the 
 Spanish ships, and the price being reduced, 
 the houses and churches shone with glass win- 
 dows. In the churches, where they look towards 
 the south, instead of a glass window, they place 
 a hard, white, and transparent stone, which is 
 a kind of alabaster, and is brought at a great ex- 
 pense from Peru, its native soil. For the south 
 wind, which is excessively violent in South Ame- 
 rica, at the first gust breaks all the glass tha^ 
 
 p3
 
 214 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 opposes its fury, often levelling whole houses, 
 breaking enormous masts of large ships, and 
 tearing up lofty cedars by the roots. Stones fit 
 for making lime are to be met with in almost any 
 part of Paraguay, but they are not found in 
 the territories of the Abipones and Guaranies. 
 The shores of the Paraguay and other rivers af- 
 ford gypsum. The Guaranies, who dwell at a 
 distance from these shores, make use of burnt 
 snails' shells, or of a chalk like fuller's earth, which 
 they call tobatij, in whitening their houses. At 
 the banks of the greater Tebiguary, I sometimes 
 saw marble of a black colour, spotted with green, 
 but of very small dimensions. I know not 
 whether any other marbles or remarkable stones 
 are concealed in the bosom of the earth else- 
 where. Red and black flints, containing plenty 
 of fire, and extremely fit for muskets, may be 
 seen in many places, especially at the banks of 
 the Uruguay; but instruments to cut them, and 
 fit them for the use of muskets, are wanting. 
 Whether Paraguay produces alum, sulphur, and 
 mercury, I do not know. 
 
 Many have committed mistakes who have 
 written concerning Paraguay, in that country 
 itself. They have liberally bestowed treasures 
 upon it, not because it really possesses them, 
 but because they have dreamt of them in a 
 country utterly destitute of all metals. The 
 blind man dreamt that he saw, as the Spanish
 
 PARAGUAY. 215 
 
 proverb goes, and he dreamt of what he desired. 
 El ciego sohaba que veia, y sonaha lo que queria. 
 To this number belongs Martin del Barco, 
 Archdeacon in the city of Buenos-Ayres, who, 
 in his poem intituled Ai^gentina, y Coiiquista del 
 Rio de la Plata, affirms that pearls are formed in 
 some lake, nearwhich the Abipones inhabit. The 
 oldest of the Indians, the most distinguished for 
 experience and veracity, who were born in that 
 neighbourhood, and had dwelt there for many 
 years, all answered, with one accord, that they 
 had never seen any pearls, nor heard any thing 
 about them from their ancestors. ¥/ould not 
 these savages, who continually adorn their necks, 
 arms, and legs, with glass beads brought from 
 Europe, with little round globes made of cockle- 
 shells, with the seeds and kernels of various 
 fruit and the claws of birds, would not they 
 have grasped eagerly at pearls, which are natu- 
 rally so bright, had they ever met with any ? 
 We may therefore safely pronounce this lake, said 
 to produce pearls, a mere fable, long since ex- 
 punged from history by all sensible persons. 
 
 Silver vessels are seen in the houses of the 
 Spaniards, and silver utensils in the churches of 
 the cities. In the Guarany colonies, not only 
 the altars, but sometimes the very ceilings are 
 gilded. This I do not deny. But all that gold 
 and silver was not created in the bowels of Pa- 
 
 p4
 
 216 ACCOUNT OF THF: ABIPONES. 
 
 raguay, but brought from the provinces of Chili 
 or Peru. The Guaranies make very large brass 
 bells for their own churches, or for those of the 
 Spaniards; but the people of Chili supply them 
 with brass. No money is coined in any part of 
 Paraguay in the name of the King, or of any 
 other person. 
 
 Excepting a few cities, which carry on com- 
 merce with European ships, or with the neigh- 
 bouring people of Peru, and Chili, and the Por- 
 tugueze, money is used very rarely, if at all, its 
 place being supplied by the exchange of com- 
 modities, as amongst the ancients. Horses, 
 mules, oxen, sheep, tobacco, cotton, the herb of 
 Paraguay, sugar, salt, various kinds of grain, 
 fruits, vegetables, the skins of animals, &c. are 
 used instead of money in Paraguay; with these 
 all necessaries are purchased, and the usual sti- 
 pends and taxes paid to the bishops, priests and 
 governours, especially in the district of Asump- 
 cion. The prices of all natural productions are 
 regulated by the magistrates, and are diligently 
 learnt and observed both by the seller, and the 
 purchaser. In a very few towns, where money 
 is used, we find only three kinds of silver coins, 
 namely, the peso fiierte, peso deplata, or pat aeon, 
 which is equal in value to a Spanish crown, or 
 to tv/o German florens : the realde plata, and the 
 7nedio realde plata; the first of which is equiva-
 
 PARAGUAY. 217 
 
 lent to five German groschen, the other to seven 
 cruitzers and a half. You never see any gold or 
 copper money. The Indians m the towns en- 
 trusted to our charge are entirely unprovided 
 with money, and the Jesuits likewise, except 
 that we had fourteen silver pieces, or as many 
 rials, or medios reales de plata, in every town. For 
 these pieces of money, according to the custom 
 of the Spanish church, in public weddings, are 
 given by the parish priest to the bridegroom, 
 and by him to the bride, as a dowry, but are 
 afterwards returned again to the priest, that the 
 same money, and the same nuptial rings, may 
 serve over and over again. I think that you 
 may aptly apply to Paraguay what was said of 
 Germany by Tacitus, De Moribus Germano- 
 rum : Argentum et aurum propitii, an irati Dii 
 negaverint, duhito. If liberal nature had there 
 created gold and silver, if art and industry had 
 discovered those metals, the Spaniards would 
 long since have left off breeding cattle, and cul- 
 tivating the celebrated herb, both irksome em- 
 ployments. The Indians, who must then have 
 been occupied in digging metals, would have 
 shunned both the religion and friendship of the 
 Spaniards, since they found them coupled with 
 slavery; and we Jesuits should never have in- 
 duced so many savages to embrace our reli- 
 gion ; so that the want or ignorance of metals
 
 218 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 may be reckoned amongst the divine blessings 
 and advantages of Paraguay. 
 
 Though Paraguay is entirely destitute of 
 metals, yet it can by no means be called a poor 
 country. It abounds in things necessary for 
 human subsistence, and especially in all kinds of 
 cattle. The w^hole world does not contain a 
 country more numerously supplied with oxen, 
 horses, mules, and sheep ; which were formerly 
 brought to Paraguay, and in the course of two 
 hundred years increased marvellously, both on 
 account of the richness of the pastures, and the 
 unbounded liberty they possessed of wandering 
 up and down the plains, both by day and night, 
 at every time of the year. The quantity of kine 
 which exists there is scarce credible to a 
 European. Fifty years ago, when all the plains 
 were covered with wild oxen, travellers were 
 obliged to send horsemen before them to clear 
 the way, by driving away the beasts which 
 stood threatening them with their horns. It is, 
 therefore, no wonder that at that time a full 
 grown ox was sold for five grosclieii, (a real de 
 plata,) as appears from the old books of valu- 
 ations. Every Spaniard who intended to en- 
 large his estate hired a troop of horse, who 
 brought him eight, ten, or more, thousands 
 of cows and bulls from the country, within a 
 few weeks. Do you desire to be made ac-
 
 PARAGUAY. 219 
 
 quainted with the shape of the Paragiiayrian 
 oxen? In height they equal those of Hun- 
 gary, and generally surpass them in the size of 
 their bodies, though not of the same, but of va- 
 rious colours. With a sort of ferocious arro- 
 gance they imitate stags in the manner of hold- 
 ing their lofty heads, and almost equal them in 
 swiftness. Unless a long drought have impo- 
 verished the pastures, every ox yields such a 
 weight of fat, that two robust men are some- 
 times scarce able to carry it. The fat of oxen is 
 always used instead of butter in culinary pre- 
 parations ; for the cows are very seldom milked, 
 on account of their ferocity ; the taming of them 
 is a long and laborious process, and conse- 
 quently odious to the slothful Spaniards and 
 Indians. When tamed, they will not suffer 
 themselves to be milked, unless their feet are tied 
 and their calf is standing beside them. Some- 
 times the mothers are sent with their calves to 
 the pastures, return home at evening of their 
 own accord, and are separated at night, unless 
 their milk has been exhausted by the calves — on 
 which account milk and cheese are very seldom 
 used in Paraguay, butter scarcely ever. A 
 butcher and shambles are words unknown to 
 the Paraguayrians. Every one slays his oxen 
 at his pleasure. The poorer sort do not buy 
 pounds of meat, as is customary in Europe, but
 
 220 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 a part of a slaughtered ox, which they generally 
 owe to the liberality of the rich. Two or three 
 young men are sufficient to kill the most furious 
 bull. One throws a noose of leather over his 
 neck, another casts one round his hind legs, and 
 cuts the nerve of one of them, then, leaping on 
 his back, fixes a knife in his neck; thus the ox 
 falls, despatched at one blow. 
 
 An ox-hide, which measures three ells from 
 the head to the tail, and is called by the Spani- 
 ards a legal hide, is bought by merchants at six 
 German florens, though a whole live ox is sold 
 for only two florens amongst the Guaranies, and 
 for four amongst the Spaniards; for the labour 
 employed on hides, even before they are dressed, 
 increases their price. They are carefully fas- 
 tened to the ground, to be dried, with wooden 
 pegs, under shelter, in a place where the fresh 
 air is admitted ; and lest moths should gnaw or 
 strip them of their hairs, for thirteen or, at least, 
 eight days, the dust which ingenders these in- 
 sects must be diligently beaten from them with 
 a stick. This labour, which was often conti- 
 nued for many months, whilst some thousands 
 of them were disposed of, is rated very high by 
 the Spaniards who sell them. It is incredible 
 what art and industry are employed in stretch- 
 ing hides, which come a little short of three ells, 
 to the usual size, though when made as thin as
 
 PARAGUAY. 221 
 
 paper they are totally useless to European cur- 
 riers, on account of whose complamts this 
 stretching of hides has long since been prohi- 
 bited. The Spaniards, finding that the trade in 
 hides was by far the most profitable to them of 
 any, were possessed with a blind rage for kill- 
 ing all the oxen they could lay hands on. For 
 this purpose, troops of horse were perpetually 
 traversing those plains which abounded most 
 in wild cattle. The horsemen employed have 
 each separate tasks assigned them. Some fur- 
 nished with swift horses attack a herd of oxen, 
 and with a long spear, to which is added a sharp 
 semicircular scythe, disable the older bulls by 
 cutting the nerve of the hinder foot; others 
 throw the halter on them whilst they are stag- 
 gering, and others follow behind to knock down 
 and slay the captive bulls. The rest are em- 
 ployed in stripping the hides off the slaughtered 
 animals, conveying them to an appointed place, 
 fixing them to the ground with pegs, and taking 
 out and carrying away the tongues, suet, and 
 fat. The rest of the flesh, which would suffice 
 to feed a numerous army in Europe, is left on 
 the plain to be devoured by tigers, wild dogs 
 and ravens;, and indeed one might almost fear 
 lest the air should be corrupted by such a quan- 
 tity of dead bodies. In an expedition of this 
 kind, lasting several weeks, the person at whose 
 
 ^
 
 222 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPOXES. 
 
 expense it is undertaken is supplied with some 
 thousands of hides. This custom of hunting and 
 slaughtering oxen, being continued for a whole 
 century, exhausted almost all the plains of wild 
 cattle. You no longer saw those public and 
 immense herds of innumerable oxen, which be- 
 longed to no one in particular, but might be ap- 
 propriated to the use of any. It must be attri- 
 buted to the extensiveness of the plains, and the 
 fertility of the soil, that in the Paraguayrian 
 estates the number of oxen is still so great that 
 Europe may envy, but cannot hope to equal 
 them. At this day a fat ox may be bought for 
 four florens amongst the Spaniards, and two 
 amongst the Guaranies. In the first years that I 
 spent there one floren was the universal price, 
 but as the number of herds was daily decreas- 
 ing, the price increased in proportion. I have 
 known Spaniards who possessed about an hun- 
 dred thousand oxen in. their estates. The town 
 Yapeyu, which was dedicated to the three kings, 
 contained fifty thousand; that of S. Miguel 
 many more, but not one superfluous. At least 
 forty oxen were daily slaughtered to satisfy the 
 appetites of seven thousand Guaranies. Add to 
 these the oxen which are privily slain by the In- 
 dians, either in the town or the estate, and those 
 which are daily consumed by hostile savages, 
 by tigers, wild dogs, and worms which are
 
 PARAGUAr. 223 
 
 bred in the navels of calves. Every merchant's 
 ship transports thirty, and sometimes forty, ox- 
 hides into Europe. Who can reckon the num- 
 ber of hides daily employed in manufacturing 
 ropes, building hedges and houses, and making 
 trunks, saddles, and wrappers for the herb of 
 Paraguay, tobacco, sugar, wheat, cotton and 
 other things? The common people amongst the 
 Spaniards have no other bed than an ox-hide 
 stretched upon the ground, which is also the 
 case with an innumerable crowd of negro slaves. 
 fBeef is the principal, daily, and almost only 
 food of the lower orders in Paraguay. More- 
 over that quantity of meat which would over- 
 load the stomach of a European is scarce suf- 
 ficient to satisfy the appetite of an American. A 
 Guarany, after fasting but a very few hours, 
 will devour a young calf. An Indian, before he 
 lies down to sleep, places a piece of meat to 
 roast at the fire, that he may eat immediately 
 when he wakes. Place food before him, and 
 the rising and the setting sun will behold him 
 with his jaws at work and his mouth full, but 
 with an appetite still unsatisfied. Such being 
 the voracity of the inhabitants, and so continual 
 the slaughters of innumerable oxen, you will 
 agree with me that Paraguay may be called the 
 devouring grave, as well as the seminary of 
 cattle.
 
 224 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPOXES. 
 
 Besides this incredible multitude of oxen, 
 Paraguay breeds an infinite number of horses, 
 all sprung from seven mares which the Spani- 
 ards brought with them. The whole of that 
 plain country, extending from the river Plata 
 full two hundred leagues in every direction, is 
 covered with droves of wandering horses, of 
 which any person may catch as many as he 
 likes, and make them his own property. Some 
 horsemen, within a few days, bring home more 
 than a thousand horses from the plain. A hunt 
 of this kind is performed in various ways. 
 Some catch every horse they come near with 
 a leathern cord. Others construct a hedge 
 with a wide entrance like the sleeve of a 
 garment, through which they drive a herd of 
 horses, separated from the rest, into the inclosed 
 space, where, after they have been confined 
 for some time, hunger and thirst render them 
 gentle, and they are easily led away wherever 
 the owner chooses, in company with other tame 
 horses. Sometimes a part of the plain is burnt. 
 The horses crowding eagerly to crop the new 
 grass, are surrounded on all sides, and forced 
 away by the hunters. There were some who 
 secured the mares that were taken in this man- 
 ner, by slightly cutting the nerve of the hinder 
 foot, to prevent their running away. A horse 
 of this kind of either sex, when brought from
 
 PARAGUAY. 225 
 
 the country, and before it is accustomed to the 
 saddle and bridle, is sometimes bought for ten 
 or thirteen cruitzers. The colts of the mares 
 are given gratis to the purchasers. 
 
 Horses in Paraguay are valued, or the con- 
 trary, not according to their colour, or the con- 
 formation of their bodies, but chiefly according 
 to their natural method of going, which is of 
 four different kinds. The most esteemed are 
 those which have not the common trot, but 
 move very gently, and when spurred begin to 
 amble, so that the rider might hold a cup 
 full of liquor in his hand, and not spill a drop. 
 They are either born with this kind of pace, 
 or are taught it by art. If the mother be an 
 ambler, though the father may not have been 
 so, the colt will generally prove an ambler 
 also ; but more certainly if both parents have 
 been of that kind. The young horses that are 
 most remarkable for beauty of form, and for 
 strength, are selected from the rest, and taught 
 that easy and swift manner of moving. Their 
 fore feet are fastened to their hinder ones in such 
 a manner, that, though still able to walk, they 
 cannot practise their natural method of leaping, 
 which is so unpleasant to the rider. Others tie 
 to the feet of the young horse a round stone, 
 wrapped up in a skin, which strikes his legs 
 when he attempts to trot, and makes him endea- 
 
 VOL. I. Q 
 
 \
 
 226 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 vour, through fear of the pain, to walk gently. 
 This method of teaching is practised in all the 
 Guarany towns. An ambling nag goes two 
 leagues in the space of an hour, unless impeded 
 by the roughness of the road ; nor can a common 
 horse keep up with him, unless spurred by the 
 rider to a gallop. But the natural pace of those 
 horses which the Spaniards call trotones, the 
 Abipones iiichilicheraneta, and the Germans 
 trahganger, is very unpleasant to the rider ; for 
 they lift up their feet like pestles, violently 
 shaking the rider's body : yet as they tread 
 firmly, and lift up their feet at every step, they 
 stumble seldomer than the amblers, which, scarce 
 raising their feet from the ground, and uniting 
 the greatest swiftness to gentleness, by striking 
 their hoofs against stones, roots of trees, and 
 hard clods, more frequently fall and throw their 
 rider, especially when there is no beaten path. 
 In long journeys, especially through rugged 
 places, it is best to make use of those horses 
 between the amblers and the trotters, which, 
 as 'they approach more nearly to the human 
 method of walking, fatigue the rider less, are 
 not so soon fatigued themselves, and are not so 
 apt to stumble. 
 
 Much are those historians mistaken, who 
 have persuaded the celebrated Robertson that 
 the American horses have small bodies, and no
 
 PARAGUAY. 227 
 
 Spirit, and that they are mere dwarfs and spec- 
 tres in comparison with those of Europe. I 
 boldly affirm that the Paraguayrian horses differ 
 nothing from those of our own country in size, 
 shape, and good qualities. You meet every- 
 where with horses of lofty, or of middling sta- 
 ture ; some well fitted for a vaulter, and others 
 for a man armed cap-a-pie. Pygmies, like Cor- 
 sican horses, are as rare in Paraguay as comets 
 in the sky. I allow that Paraguay is as yet un- 
 acquainted with horses like the natives of the 
 Styrian mountains, which almost resemble ele- 
 phants in their immense back, huge limbs, and 
 broad hoofs : this country produces slenderer 
 horses, better adapted for riding and racing 
 than for chariots and waggons. But were they 
 fed like those of Europe on oats and barley, 
 and defended in a stable against the inclemen- 
 cies of the weather, they would very probably 
 grow to the same size. The horses of Para- 
 guay are born out of doors, and remain there, 
 night and day, the whole year round ; are fed 
 upon any grass they can find, (which is not 
 always either very good, or very plentiful,) and 
 upon leaves of trees, or dry wood ; they often 
 seek in vain for water to quench their thirst, 
 and find it neither good, nor in sufficient quan- 
 tities. Being constantly in the open air, they 
 are exposed at one time to the scorching sun ; 
 
 q2
 
 228 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 at another to continual showers ; sometimes to 
 hoar frosts ; when a south wind is up, to bitter 
 cold ; and at all times and places to the stings 
 of flies, gad-flies, and gnats, infinite swarms of 
 which flit up and down. I attribute it to these 
 causes that the horses of Paraguay never attain 
 to the size of the Styrian, Holsatian, Danish, 
 and Neapolitan horses. During the winter 
 months, the former grow lean from feeding 
 upon poor grass, and their hair becomes darker, 
 but at the return of fine weather, they regain 
 their strength and natural colour. They fatten 
 so much in fertile pastures, abounding in grass 
 and nitre, that you might count money upon 
 their back, as on a table — a common saying in 
 regard to very fat horses amongst the Spaniards. 
 But though the richness of the grass greatly 
 fattens the Paraguayrian horses, it never gives 
 them that strength which European horses de- 
 rive from food composed of oats, barley, straw, 
 and hay, which enables them to bear a rider, 
 and to draw a cart, every day, and all day. 
 
 All the different colours, by which horses are 
 distinguished in Europe, are to be found in those 
 of Paraguay. They are oftener, however, white, 
 and chesnut-coloured, than black or bay; a 
 circumstance which gave me much surprize, as 
 men born in the same climate, whether of Eu- 
 ropean or American parents, are almost always
 
 PARAGUAY. 229 
 
 distinguished by very black, coarse hair. White 
 and chesnut-coloured horses are indeed very 
 pleasing to the eyes, and possess great gentle- 
 ness and docility ; but experience has taught 
 me that they are much sooner fatigued, and 
 seldom possess that strength which we see in 
 horses of a black or reddish colour, especially 
 those in which the red resembles the colour of 
 toasted bread : the patience with which these 
 horses endure labour, and travelling, is expressed 
 in an old Spanish proverb, importing that they 
 will die before they are fatigued : Alazan tos- 
 tado antes muerto, que cansado. We have, how- 
 ever, frequently found white horses sprinkled 
 with black, with black manes and tails, to pos- 
 sess a great deal of strength. The same may 
 be said with regard to the darker bays, which 
 have manes and tails of a blackish colour. Py- 
 bald horses in Paraguay are thought crafty 
 and dangerous ; nor are they slandered in this 
 respect, as I have frequently found to my cost, 
 although I may truly say that I never bestrode 
 a Paraguayrian horse, of whatever colour it 
 might be, with that confidence and security 
 which I feel in mounting an European one ; for 
 many of them are apt to wince, and be stub- 
 born, to stumble and throw their rider, and 
 almost all are startlish and fearful, being terri- 
 fied at any sudden noise, or the sight of any 
 
 Q 3
 
 230 ACCaUNT OF THE ABI PONES. 
 
 strange object ; whereupon, if the bridle be neg- 
 lected they will stand with their head lifted up 
 to the breast of their rider, or rear, and throw 
 him off, or fling him to a distance, if he be not 
 very firmly seated. 
 
 In such a vast multitude of horses, there is 
 necessarily great variety. You will see some 
 handsomer, stronger, and swifter than others, 
 as in Europe. Those which have a broad 
 breast, a small head, large and black eyes, 
 short and pricking ears, wide nostrils, a bushy 
 mane, a large and long tail, hairy feet, a 
 small belly, a wide round back, straight slender 
 legs and hard hoofs, not indented, like a comb ; 
 those which, with playful alacrity, provoke the 
 rest to fight in the plain, leap ditches with- 
 out the least hesitation, cross marshes quickly, 
 and, as soon as they are released from the 
 saddle and bridle, joyfully roll themselves 
 on the ground, are esteemed superior to all 
 others in Paraguay. Those born in rough, 
 stony situations are preferred to the natives of 
 a soft, clayey soil ; for this reason, that if you 
 remove a horse accustomed to such places, to 
 soft, marshy plains, you will find him slacken 
 his pace, and walk slowly and timidly for a 
 long time. This fear is occasioned by the 
 earth's yielding to their hoofs. But a horse 
 bred on a soft soil, when brought to stony 
 places, and gravelly roads, will often stumble
 
 PARAGUAY. 231 
 
 and get lame — his hoofs being bruised, and even 
 made bloody by the roughness of the stones. 
 Horseshoes are never used in Paraguay, though 
 that country abounds in rocks and stones. A 
 horseshoe would cost more than any horse, on 
 account of the dearness of iron, and moreover 
 because blacksmiths are not even known here 
 by name. The experience of many years has 
 taught me that horses, wherever they are born, 
 in a few months grow accustomed to any soil. 
 Mares kept for the purpose of breeding have 
 their manes and tails shorn by the Spaniards, 
 that they may fatten sooner, for I know of no 
 other reason. But horses kept for riding are 
 adorned with a long bushy tail, which increases 
 their beauty and value. Even the meanest 
 negro slave would think it an indignity and a 
 punishment were he ordered to ride on a horse 
 that was deprived of its tail. The Indians think 
 we are jesting when they hear us say that in 
 Europe there exist men who cut off the tails of 
 their horses, and reckon it an improvement ; 
 for they think that a handsome tail is not only 
 a great ornament to a horse, but likewise his 
 instrument of defence, with which he drives 
 away the swarms of flies and gnats. A Spanish 
 priest, of an advanced age, who had long been 
 in a bad state of health, had in his possession a 
 horse of an extremely gentle disposition, as 
 
 q4
 
 232 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 well as of a quick and easy pace. This horse 
 the old man made use of, in preference to in- 
 numerable others that he possessed, in all his 
 necessary journeys. A certain Spaniard had 
 long wished for the horse, and vainly offered 
 to give for it whatever price the owner chose. 
 Impatient of repulse, he dared to threaten that, 
 unless the old man would sell the horse of his 
 own accord, he should steal it from him. The 
 owner, fearing that he would have very little 
 difficulty in accomplishing his threat, said to 
 his servant, " Go, and cut off the tail of that 
 horse of mine : it is better to lose a part of him 
 than the whole. When deprived of his tail he 
 will be laughed at by all who see him, but 
 he will at least be secured from thieves. I 
 would rather be derided myself for using a 
 horse without a tail, than have all my bones and 
 limbs jolted to pieces, like pepper in a mortar, 
 by any other trotting beast." To mutilate the 
 tail of another person's horse, is a bitter and not 
 uncommon kind of revenge amongst the lower 
 orders of Spaniards ; it is also thought an in- 
 sufferable insult for one man to call another un 
 rahon, a horse without a tail. 
 
 To keep horses in good condition, or make 
 them so, it is of much importance that they be 
 kept extremely clean ; for if their skin is co- 
 vered with dust, their mane uncombed, their
 
 PARAGUAY. 233 
 
 tail full of scurf, and their hair matted together, 
 the perspiration is obstructed by the pores be- 
 ing stopped up, and consequently they, by de- 
 grees, grow lean and scraggy, or get the mange. 
 On this account, the Spaniards and Abipones, 
 who are most careful of their property, though 
 less solicitous than Europeans about combing, 
 washing, and rubbing down their horses, and 
 unprovided with instruments for those pur- 
 poses, take great care to prevent their growing 
 dirty, though they have no other stable than 
 the open plain, day and night, during every 
 part of the year. If thistles, thorns, and other 
 prickly plants of that kind stick to their tails, 
 they carefully extricate them by anointing their 
 hair with tallow. After performing a journey, 
 when the harness is taken off, they wash and 
 wipe the back of the horse, which is bathed in 
 perspiration, and lest the coldness of the air 
 should cause it to swell, keep it covered, for 
 some time, with a horsecloth. Moreover the 
 health and liveliness of horses are best preserved 
 by taking care that their pastures be not situ- 
 ated very far either from clear lakes or limpid 
 rivers, where the horses may drink and bathe 
 at their pleasure ; for in the winter months 
 the cold air makes them lean and mangy, and 
 the frequent droughts produce the same effect
 
 234 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 in the summer season, unless they have an op- 
 portunity of laving and swimming. 
 
 In the plains of Paraguay, which abound in 
 cattle, not only are numerous snakes concealed 
 in the grass, but even many herbs, more noxious 
 than the most deadly snake, present them- 
 selves to their hungry jaws. The commonest 
 of these is that which the natives call nio. It 
 has a tall stalk with a yellow blossom, but con- 
 tains a deadly poison. Horses after feeding 
 upon it are seized with a feverish trembling, 
 which terminates in death. Horses born in 
 places which produce this poisonous herb, de- 
 vour it with impunity, but are always contemn- 
 ed as feeble and incapable of enduring the fa- 
 tigues of a journey. The Spaniards use the 
 following method to prevent their horses from 
 tasting this deadly food. When marching 
 against the enemy, they daily send forward 
 some of their companions to explore the whole 
 country round about where the horses are to 
 feed. Whenever they find any of those poison- 
 ous herbs they pluck a few, tie them into a 
 bundle, and set fire to them, so that the smoke 
 arising from thence is conveyed by a contrary 
 wind to the troop, and the smell of it inspires 
 them with a horror of the pestilent herb. For 
 though they eagerly crop the rest of the grass, 
 they leave that untouched. But alas! there
 
 PARAGUAY. 235 
 
 are many other instruments of death, tigers, 
 serpents and worms, by which an incredible 
 number of horses are yearly destroyed. The 
 worms which gnaw the horses are occasioned 
 by the saddles made use of in Paraguay. Those 
 that are made of dressed leather are stuffed 
 with two bundles of rushes, which lie upon the 
 ribs of the horse in such a manner, that the 
 saddles do not touch the spine of the back. 
 They are quite unprovided with cushions, in 
 the place of which, the back of the horse is co- 
 vered with four ells of woollen cloth, folded up 
 together, and on this, by way of harness, they 
 place the horsecloth of softish leather, vari- 
 ously embossed and adorned with figures. All 
 this is placed beneath the saddle, that it may 
 not hurt the horse's back, on which, that the 
 rider may sit the easier, is placed a sheep's skin, 
 or an ornamented horsecloth of sheep's wool, 
 died of various colours. The saddles are fast- 
 ened on the horse's back, not with a hempen 
 girth, but with a thong of cow's leather, so that 
 there is no need of buckles. The wooden stir- 
 rups, curiously carved, and plated with silver, in 
 use amongst the better sort of people, are called 
 by the Spaniards baules, baskets ; for they really 
 are little baskets, entirely inclosing the rider's 
 feet, and covering, and defending them against 
 the injuries of the weather and the road. But
 
 236 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 if the horse fall suddenly, and throw his rider, 
 stirrups of this kind are very dangerous, as it is 
 more difficult to extricate the foot quickly from 
 them than from those of Europe. The stirrups 
 which the Spanish peasants, who never wear 
 shoes, make use of, are likewise made of wood, 
 but the opening is so small that nothing but 
 the great toe can be inserted into it. The 
 savages, according to the custom of their an- 
 cestors, do not use stirrups, and most of them 
 are unfurnished with saddles even. The Para- 
 guayrian bridles, also, differ from those of our 
 country in size and shape. The Indians make 
 use of a bridle composed of transverse spikes of 
 cow's horn, like a hurdle, which fills the whole 
 mouth of the horse. The spurs of the Spani- 
 ards are very large, and furnished with pegs, 
 with which they rather bruise, than prick, the 
 sides of the horse. They abhor the small sharp 
 European spurs, with which they think that 
 horses are easily wounded and infuriated. This 
 is the whole furniture used for horses, in Para- 
 guay. I will now give you some account of 
 their diseases, and the remedies for them. 
 
 It frequently happens that the friction of a 
 rough horsecloth, or the hardness or compres- 
 sion of the saddle galls the back of the horse ; 
 and if, after long fatigue, his horsecloth be 
 taken off, whilst he is still smoking with sweat.
 
 PARAGUAY. 237 
 
 it is swelled by the sudden admission of the 
 cold air, or of rain, till the tumour by degrees 
 grows into a wound. The ulcerated and bloody 
 flesh is quickly infested by swarms of flies, the 
 eggs and filth of which ingender white worms. 
 Delay is dangerous ; for the worms increase 
 rapidly every hour, and creep to the interior 
 parts of the animal. If you wish to save your 
 horse, you must immediately dig the worms out 
 of his flesh with a small stick, and stop up the 
 cavities where those insects lay with chewed 
 tobacco leaves, the bitterness of which kills the 
 worms, drives away the flies which breed them, 
 and prevents the progress of corruption. The 
 scar must be anointed with tallow every day, 
 that fresh hair may grow there. The Indians 
 smear their horses' backs either with the root 
 guaycurUy well masticated with their teeth, or 
 with melted tiger s fat, or with the shell of the 
 armadillo burnt to ashes ; but these remedies 
 seldom effect a complete cure. From a book 
 of Father Martin Szentivan, a Hungarian, on 
 the treatment of animals, I learnt a remedy 
 much superior to any of those American ones, 
 and which has been successfully adopted by 
 many Paraguayrians. Salt, well ground, and 
 mixed with vinegar and yolk of e^^, is applied 
 to the horse's back once a day, as it cleans away 
 the blood, keeps off" worms, and in a few days
 
 238 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 removes the swelling, and renews the skin and 
 hair. The same author advises the application 
 of a white onion, pretty well roasted. We our- 
 selves have seen many horses preserved by both 
 remedies. Certain large birds, of various co- 
 lours, carnivorous, and of the vulture kind, may 
 aptly be called horses' physicians ; for they 
 perch upon their ulcerated backs, and are de- 
 terred by no kicking from taking away the 
 blood and the worms ; though with their sharp 
 beaks they very often enlarge the wound. Bats, 
 also, greatly exceeding those of Europe in 
 number and size, not only molest, but even 
 injure the horses. Vast numbers of them fly 
 up and down the plain. They sit upon the 
 horse, and whilst they wound his back with 
 their bills, create a gentle breeze by the conti- 
 nual motion of their wings, lulled by which the 
 horse makes no resistance, and suffers his blood 
 to be sucked by the bat. The wound that re- 
 mains, unless it be sprinkled with hot ashes, 
 soon swells, and by degrees becomes ulcerated, 
 which clearly proves that bats are in some 
 measure venomous. Showers continuing day 
 and night, for many weeks, necessarily deluge 
 the whole plain country with water, and the 
 horses can find no dry land whereon to place 
 their feet. Hence, from feeding so long, im- 
 mersed in water, their hoofs are softened to
 
 PARAGUAY. 239 
 
 such a degree, that being unable to stand on 
 their feet, and to seek pasture, they perish, 
 though perfectly healthy in other respects. 
 Sometimes horses labour under strangury, or 
 dysury. A Spaniard saddles a horse afflicted 
 with such a disease, instead of physicking him, 
 and spurs him to a full gallop, till he is covered 
 with sweat. Nor is there any occasion to repeat 
 the operation. A horse, which was in a dying 
 condition a little before, soon recovered, for he 
 inundated the plain. Sometimes horses are 
 seized with convulsion of the nerves, or with 
 rheumatism, so that they cannot stand on their 
 legs ; on such occasions the Spanish soldiers tie 
 their feet with a rope, and lay them on the 
 ground, then throw plenty of urine on their 
 legs, and kick them several times with their 
 heels ; when untied they mount and compel 
 them, however unwilling, to run. This violent, 
 but speedy method of healing, I found, to my 
 surprize, attended by the desired effect. As 
 Paraguay swarms with horses, in as great num- 
 ber as insects, she cares very little about 
 curing them when they are sick. In Europe, 
 where horses are scarcer and more valuable, we 
 cannot wonder at their having many physicians 
 and many medicines. What if I should say 
 that, in Paraguay, both are unnecessary ? For 
 there it is plain that horses are afflicted with
 
 240 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 less frequent and less heavy complaints ; be- 
 cause they generally enjoy their full liberty, 
 wander up and down the plains at will, breathe 
 the pure air of Heaven, feed on the fresh grass, 
 drink and bathe at pleasure in running streams, 
 are never employed in bearing burdens and 
 drawing carts, and are consequently more 
 healthy and spirited than European horses, 
 which, during the greatest part of their lives, 
 are chained, like thieves, in dark stables, which 
 resemble dungeons, are obliged to fill rather 
 than refresh their stomachs, with hay dryer than 
 a stone and straw harder than a board, taste 
 oats seldomer and more sparingly than country 
 people do cakes, and endure frequent and long 
 hunger and thirst, sometimes through the dis- 
 honesty or laziness of servants, sometimes 
 through the avarice of their masters, who are 
 more anxious about employing than about feed- 
 ing their beasts ; not to mention the continual 
 annoyance they undergo from the putting on 
 and taking off of their iron shoes ; and even the 
 pain frequently inflicted on them in this opera- 
 tion from the awkwardness of blacksmiths. All 
 these circumstances considered, instead of won- 
 dering that the horses of our country are sub- 
 ject to so many diseases, I rather feel surprized 
 that one remains alive. 
 
 Mules in company with horses fill the plains
 
 PARAGUAY. 241 
 
 of Paraguay, nor shall they be separated in my 
 relation. You will see many of them equal in 
 height to horses, but, on the other hand, the 
 major part are less than those which Italy or 
 Spain produces. You may judge of the multi- 
 tude of them from this circumstance, that Para- 
 guay yearly sends about eighty thousand to 
 Peru, in return for which she receives all the 
 silver to be seen in her churches and houses, 
 with no inconsiderable advantage. For un- 
 broken mules, two years of age, valued, gene- 
 rally speaking, at three Spanish crowns in 
 Paraguay, fetch ten and often fourteen in Peru. 
 Who can reckon the number of mules, employed 
 either in bearing burdens or in carrying a rider, 
 in the cities and estates of Paraguay ? Many 
 thousands of them are constantly occupied in 
 conveying the herb of Paraguay from the woods 
 to the cities, and numbers are yearly sacrificed 
 both to the roughness of the road and the 
 cruelty of their drivers. I have known estates 
 which contained four thousand mules, and many 
 more thousand mares kept for breeding mules. 
 The young mules, at two years old, are taught 
 to carry burdens or to bear a rider ; but being 
 extremely wild, occasion their instructors con- 
 tinual trouble and danger. However docile and 
 obedient they may have appeared in times past, 
 you never can entirely trust to them. For as 
 
 VOL. I. R
 
 242 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 the Spanish proverb goes, a mule will serve his 
 master seventy years, that he may kick him to 
 death at last. Broken legs, bodies dragged 
 along the ground, cut hands, heads dashed 
 against trees or stones, and other accidents of 
 . the same nature, mournfully confirm the truth 
 of this adage. For mules, though stronger than 
 any horse, though accustomed to traverse w^oods, 
 rocky places, and trackless plains, with both a 
 firmer and gentler pace, and though less liable 
 to hurt their feet, are much more to be dreaded 
 by their riders, on account of their being con- 
 stantly suspicious of danger. All of a sudden 
 they halt on the road astonished, smell the 
 grass, prick up their ears to listen, and with 
 eyes wandering in every direction descry the 
 most distant objects. The uncommon colour 
 of a plant, a strange smell, the piping of birds, 
 the rustling of trees, or an unusual agitation of 
 the leaves occasioned by the wind, fills them 
 with suspicions of the approach of a tiger, espe- 
 cially at dusk, or at dark night. Presently, 
 seized with sudden terror, they run away with 
 their rider, and unless he be possessed of great 
 presence of mind, either throw him on the 
 ground or drag him along with his feet sticking 
 in the stirrup. The kicking of mules is very 
 dangerous, on account of its being so quickly 
 and frequently repeated. These animals, there-
 
 PARAGUAY. 243 
 
 fore, are never more to be dreaded than when 
 they are themselves afraid, for at such times 
 they become unmanageable, and seem as if 
 they had lost their senses. As the trade in 
 mules is lucrative in Paraguay, it is also dan- 
 gerous to the merchants, on account of the ex- 
 ceeding timidity of these animals. Ten thou- 
 sand mules, entirely free and without bridles, 
 are often driven, by a few Spanish guards, in 
 one drove. At the slightest alarm they all take 
 to flight, hurry over the plain, and hide them- 
 selves in interminable deserts, whilst no in- 
 dustry in the horsemen, nor swiftness in the 
 horses, is sufficient to bring them back again. 
 Many have been ruined by mules running away 
 and being lost in this manner. 
 
 I have been acquainted with men, in other re- 
 spects brave and intrepid, who, warned by the 
 danger of others, resolved never in their lives to 
 ride on a mule. I have known many more, who, 
 scorning the most excellent horses, would never 
 travel on any other animal. Neither is this pre- 
 ference to be condemned, for mules, though fear- 
 ful and treacherous, possess many good qualities 
 which do not belong to horses. Their pace, 
 especially that of the amblers, is easy and firm, 
 by which means they always tread with safety, 
 whether they have to ascend rocks or to creep 
 over marshy places, though horses are better for 
 
 r2
 
 244 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 crossing deep marshes and rivers, on account of 
 their height. One mule is sufficient in a long 
 and difficult journey which would fatigue four 
 horses. Mules are contented with the readiest 
 and coarsest food, though generally fat and 
 sleek. Many of them surpass the swiftest 
 horses in speed, as I have often observed in the 
 races of the soldiers. They are longer lived 
 than most other beasts. In the town of S. 
 Joachim I had mules more than thirty years old, 
 which w^ould bear a rider, and sometimes con- 
 trive to kick him off too. Moreover they are 
 possessed of athletic strength, for they are ac- 
 customed to carry almost four hundred weight, 
 in journies of many months, through very rough 
 roads, when laden with the herb of Paraguay. 
 In a word, I am unable to determine whether 
 the virtues or vices of mules preponderate. 
 
 By the right of relationship asses should be 
 spoken of between horses and mules. They 
 wander by crowds in the plains of Paraguay, 
 and with their braying prevent the neighbour- 
 ing inhabitants from the enjoyment of sleep. 
 In Italy and Portugal the ass is a very much 
 employed animal, and used both for the pannier 
 and the saddle. In Paraguay they enjoy a per- 
 petual exemption from labour. In the larger 
 estates great numbers of asses are maintained 
 for the purpose of breeding mules. The female
 
 PAIIAGUAV. 245 
 
 asses are less prolific than you would imagine, 
 but we were never able to discover the cause of 
 their sterility. Asses continually fall a prey 
 to tigers, especially those kept to breed mules, 
 which they prefer to the common sort. No 
 American ever accused asses of pusillanimity, 
 for they bravely repel any tiger, whom they see 
 approaching, with their heels, and defend them- 
 selves more pertinaciously than horses ; but 
 being here, as every where else, stupid and 
 dilatory, are generally vanquished by the swift- 
 ness or cunning of tigers. The Spaniards also 
 kill a great number every year for the sake of 
 the fat which they have in their necks, and 
 which is used, by tanners, to dress and soften 
 stags' skins, and for other purposes. In this 
 vast abundance of horses and mules which Pa- 
 raguay rears, would not the most needy of the 
 Spaniards or negroes be ashamed to ride upon 
 an ass ? But in the territories belonging to 
 Rioja and Catamarca, where horses are not so 
 abundant, the lower orders of Spaniards do not 
 disdain to saddle asses. By a useful edict we 
 took care to prevent the Guaranies from pos- 
 sessing horses, to deprive them of the dangerous 
 opportunity of wandering. Persons of both 
 sexes made use of their own asses to carry 
 home the produce of the neighbouring fields. 
 But those charged with guarding cattle and 
 
 ?i3
 
 246 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 other offices in the town, always had horses and 
 mules prepared and in readiness. 
 
 Paraguay also abounds in numerous flocks of 
 sheep, no ways differing from those of our 
 country. Some of the Guarany colonies have 
 counted thirty thousand, others fewer, accord- 
 ing to the number of inhabitants and the size of 
 the pastures. The wool was used chiefly for 
 the clothing of the male Indians, for the women 
 covered themselves with a piece of white cloth 
 made of cotton. An Indian is never content 
 unless he has his belly well filled, and his body 
 well covered ; so that a number of sheep and 
 oxen seemed requisite to the preservation of 
 these colonies, the latter supplying meat for 
 food, and the former wool for clothing. Sheep, 
 on account of their tenderness, demand greater 
 care than the larger cattle. Hence we were 
 extremely solicitous to supply them with dili- 
 gent and faithful shepherds, whom we fre- 
 quently admonished to bring the flock at stated 
 hours to the folds, which being furnished with 
 a roof, though not with walls, commodiously 
 defended them against the night dew, the heat 
 of the sun, and the attacks of lions and tigers ; 
 not to send the sheep into the plain till the sun 
 and wind had dried up the dew ; carefully to 
 keep them from marshy places, from the dewy 
 grass, and from thistles and thorns; for too
 
 PAUAGUAY. 247 
 
 much moisture affects sheep with a mortal 
 cough, and thorns tear their wool ; and, lastly, 
 to look about anxiously for pastures abounding 
 in nitre, M^holesome grass, and plenty of water. 
 Shepherds should take great care to collect the 
 young lambs, as soon as they are yeaned, and 
 remove them to a safe place, where they may 
 be suckled and licked by their mothers. Should 
 this precaution be neglected, they will certainly 
 be crushed under foot by the old sheep. It is 
 also proper to see whether they are afflicted 
 with worms, which are often bred in the wool. 
 It conduces much to the enriching an estate to 
 distribute the whole flock, consisting of ten or 
 thirteen thousand sheep, into lesser companies, 
 and to assign to each separate folds, pastures, 
 and shepherds, that the care being divided 
 amongst many, each may perform his own office 
 more easily and completely. By these arts the 
 estates of the Guaranies daily gained such ac- 
 cessions of sheep as an European will hardly 
 credit. 
 
 Something must now be said of the climate 
 of Paraguay. The temperature of the air varies 
 in different places. Those which are nearest to 
 the south are colder. In the Magellanic region, 
 which is included in Paraguay, the cold is 
 generally intense, the iieighbouring mountains 
 are constantly covered with snow, the south 
 
 11 4
 
 248 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 winds are extremely violent, and dreadfully 
 agitate that sea, which is dreaded by all sailors. 
 The territory of Buenos-Ayres itself, situated in 
 the 34th degree of lat. is too cold for tobacco, 
 cotton, the sugar-cane, the herb of Paraguay, 
 apes, and various kinds of parrots, to subsist 
 there, though it produces plenty of wheat, as 
 well as citrons, peaches, quinces, pomegranates, 
 figs, &:c. if the diligence of the agriculturist 
 answer to the fertility of the soil. I never saw 
 any snow beyond the mountains near the pro- 
 vince of Chili. The year is divided into four 
 seasons as in Europe, but in different order : — 
 whilst the Europeans enjoy summer it is winter 
 there ; whilst it is spring in Europe, it is au- 
 tumn with the Paraguayrians. For with them 
 November, December, and January, are sum- 
 mer ; February, March, and April, autumn ; 
 May, June, and July, winter; August, Sep- 
 tember, and October, spring. In the. month of 
 August the trees bud, the birds build their 
 nests, the swallows return from their places of 
 retirement. In the winter there is no snow 
 and very seldom frost, so that melons and vege-! 
 tables will grow up, and not be hurt by the 
 asperity of the air. But in the mountains of 
 Taruma, three frosts succeed one after another. 
 The third, which is much severer than the other 
 two, is always followed, about noon the same
 
 PARAGUAY. 249 
 
 day, by a tempest, accompanied with thunder, 
 lightning, and torrents of rain, which causes 
 the herbs, killed by the frosts, to revive, or 
 fresh ones to spring up. The temperature of 
 the air varies according to the wind. The 
 south wind is cold, the north, hot : hence we 
 often had winter and summer in the same day, 
 whenever one wind succeeded to the other. 
 Nor is the difference of winter fixed and certain. 
 For some countries, Brazil for instance, are 
 afflicted with continual rain at that season, 
 whilst others are distressed by long droughts, 
 lasting many months, as is the case with the 
 territory of St. lago del Estero. Thunder- 
 storms are not peculiar, as in Europe, to the 
 summer season, but are common to every part 
 of the year : nor can it ever be said that 
 this or that month, though a winter one, will 
 be free from thunder, lightning, and hail. The 
 heat of the sun is excessively painful to horses 
 in travelling, but often more endurable to them 
 when resting in the shade, than in Austria 
 during the hottest part of the summer. That 
 the cold in winter is not very intense you may 
 collect from this circumstance, that the Indians 
 of both sexes and of every age are accustomed 
 to endure it, without danger of any bad conse- 
 quence, with naked feet, uncovered heads, and 
 nq other clothing than a thin piece of linen, and
 
 250 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 that the animals remain out of doors day and 
 night. I do not deny that the Indians some- 
 times use cloaks made of otters' skins to defend 
 them against the cold air. The shortest day 
 with the Paraguayrians is in the month of June, 
 the summer solstice in Europe. The sun rises 
 at the sixth hour and fifty-second minute, and 
 sets at the fifth hour and seventh minute. 
 Their longest day is in the month of December, 
 our winter solstice. The sun rises at the fifth 
 hour and seventh minute, and sets at the sixth 
 hour and fifty-second minute. I speak of that 
 part of the sky under which lie the Guarany 
 colonies situated in the 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 
 28th, and 29th degrees of latitude. From 
 which it appears that there is no day in Para^ 
 guay so long or so short as in our Germany. 
 The air of so extensive a province is necessarily 
 various, but for the most part extremely health- 
 ful, and calculated to induce longevity. 
 
 A history may justly be called defective, if it 
 do not slightly touch upon what is most worthy 
 of note in the wild beasts, amphibious animals, 
 birds, fishes, plants, trees, and their fruit. We 
 will begin with quadrupeds. The tiger appears 
 first on the scene „
 
 PARAGUAY. ' 251 
 
 THE TIGER. 
 
 Paraguay abounds in tigers from the number 
 of its cattle, which are the food of these beasts. 
 They are all marked with black spots, but the 
 skin of some is white, that of others yellow. 
 As the African lions far exceed those of Para- 
 guay in size and ferocity, the African tigers 
 yield in like proportion to the Paraguayrians in 
 the size of their bodies. In the estate of St. 
 Ignatius, which belongs to the Cordoban col- 
 lege, we found the skin of a tiger, that had 
 been killed the day before, fastened to the 
 ground with wooden pegs : it measured three 
 ells and two inches in length, which is no 
 smaller than the dimensions of the hide of a 
 full grown ox. But the largest tiger is much 
 slenderer than any ox. 
 
 Tigers, whether springing out like cats or in 
 the act of flight, run extremely quick, but not 
 for a long time together ; for as they soon tire, 
 an active horseman may overtake and kill them. 
 In the woods they defend themselves amongst 
 the trees and rocky places, and pertinaciously 
 repulse assailants. It is incredible what slaugh- 
 ters they daily commit in the estates. Oxen, 
 sheep, horses, mules, asses, they kill without 
 difficulty, but never eat till putrid. They de- 
 vour stinking flesh in preference to sweet, as the 
 following facts will clearly prove. Should a 
 Spaniard, an Indian, and a Negro sleep toge-
 
 252 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 ther near the same fire and in the same place, 
 the tiger will reject the Spaniard and Indian 
 without hesitation, and rush to devour the 
 Negro; for Negroes' flesh they reckon a dainty, 
 because it is most stinking. Tigers will devour, 
 to the last morsel, horses' carcasses streaming 
 with liquid putrefaction, though living horses 
 be at hand. Both Spaniards and Indians con- 
 spire against these destructive beasts. They 
 construct a very large chest, like a mousetrap, 
 composed of immense pieces of wood, and sup- 
 ported upon four wheels, and drag it with four 
 oxen into that place where they have discovered 
 traces of tigers. In the farthest corner of the 
 chest, a very stinking piece of flesh is placed, 
 by way of bait, which is no sooner laid hold of 
 by the tiger, than the door of the chest falls and 
 shuts him in, and he is killed by a musket or a 
 spear put through the interstices of the planks. 
 In the town of the Rosary we spied a tiger not 
 yet full grown, but menacing and formidable to 
 all he met, in a wood, a gun's shot distant from 
 my house. Myself and three armed Spaniards 
 flew to kill him ; on seeing us, by flying here 
 and there amongst the trees and brambles, he 
 contrived to get out of sight. Following his 
 footsteps we found him lurking in an aged, very 
 large, and almost hollow tree, which, to de- 
 prive the tiger of all egress or means of escape, 
 we strewed about with pieces of wood, making
 
 PARAGUAY. 253 
 
 a hole in the side of it, that the lurking beast 
 might be put to death with arms, A\^hich I at 
 last effected without the least danger to myself. 
 You cannot conceive how the tiger leapt up and 
 down in the hollow of the tree after receiving a 
 few wounds. The skin, which was pierced 
 with shot and the sword till it was like a sieve, 
 could be made no use of, though the flesh af- 
 forded the Abipones a sumptuous supper. But 
 as tigers are possessed of singular strength, 
 swiftness, and cunning, it is scarcely safe for 
 one person to pursue them in the open plain. 
 I do not deny that a tiger may be sometimes 
 pierced or strangled, by a Spaniard or Indian 
 alone. But a Spaniard or Indian is often torn 
 to pieces by a tiger from the spear's thrust 
 missing, or failing to inflict a mortal blow; 
 for unless the interior of the head, the heart, or 
 the spine of the back be wounded, this powerful 
 beast does not fall, but gets infuriated, and 
 attacks the aggressor with rage proportioned to 
 the pain of the wound. 
 
 On this account, whenever any of those beasts 
 are to be destroyed, many men armed with 
 spears unite together ; the use of the musket 
 alone is almost always dangerous ; for unless 
 the tiger is knocked down by the first ball, he 
 leaps furiously to the place whence the fire pro- 
 ceeded, and tears the man that inflicted the
 
 254 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 wound. He, therefore, that does not choose to 
 run the risk of his life, goes accompanied on each 
 side by two spearmen, who pierce the tiger as 
 it advances to attack him, after he has fired his 
 musket. Taught by the danger of others, I 
 found that bullets must not be rashly used 
 against tigers. Travelling with six Mocobios, 
 from the city of Santa Fe to the town of St. Xa- 
 vier, I passed the night on the banks of the round 
 lake, in the open air, as usual; the earth was our 
 bed, the sky our covering. The fire, our nightly 
 defence against tigers, shone for a while in the 
 midst of us as we slept, but at length grew very 
 low. In the middle of the night a tiger crept to- 
 wards us. My Indian companions, that they 
 might not appear distrustful of the friendship of 
 the Spaniards, had begun the journey unarmed. 
 Anticipating no danger, I had neglected to 
 load my musket. At my direction, firebrands 
 were dexterously hurled at the approaching 
 tiger. At each throw he leapt back roaring, but 
 resumed courage, and returned again and again, 
 more threatening than before. Meantime I 
 loaded my musket. But as the darkness de- 
 prived me of all hope of killing the tiger, and left 
 me only the desire to escape, I loaded my musket 
 with plenty of shot, and fired it off" without a 
 ball. The beast, alarmed at the horrid thunder- 
 ing, instantly fled, and we lay down to sleep
 
 PARAGUAY. 255 
 
 again, rejoicing in our success. Next day, at 
 noon, in a narrow path, bounded on one side by 
 a lake, and on the other by a wood, we met two 
 tigers, which would have been caught with a 
 noose by the pursuing Mocobios, had they not 
 fled and hidden themselves in the wood. 
 
 Innumerable tigers are yearly caught with 
 leathern thongs by the Spaniards and Indians, 
 on horseback, and are strangled, after being 
 swiftly dragged for some time along the ground. 
 The Pampas wound the tiger's back with a slen- 
 der arrow, and kill him instantly. At other 
 times, for the same purpose, they use very strong 
 arrows, or three round stones suspended from 
 thongs, which they hurl at the tiger. How great 
 their strength must be you may judge from this, 
 that if they meet two horses in the pastures tied 
 together with a thong to prevent their escaping, 
 they will attack and slay the one, and drag him, 
 along with the other live one, to their den. I 
 should not have believed this, had I not myself 
 witnessed it, when travelling in company with 
 the soldiers of St. lago. Their cunning is equal 
 to their strength. If the wood and the plain 
 deny them food, they will procure it by fishing 
 in the water. As they are excellent swimmers, 
 they plunge up to their neck in some lake or 
 river, and spout from their mouths the white 
 froth, which, swimming on the surface of the
 
 256 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 water, the hungry fishes eagerly devour as food, 
 and are quickly tossed on to the shore by the 
 claws of the tigers. They also catch tortoises, 
 and tear them from their shells by wondrous 
 artifice, in order to devour them. Sometimes a 
 tiger, lurking unseen under the high grass or in 
 a bramble bush, quietly watches a troop of 
 horse passing by, and rushes with impetuosity 
 on the horseman that closes the company. On 
 rainy and stormy nights they creep into human 
 habitations, not in search of prey or food, but to 
 shelter themselves from the rain and from the 
 cold wind. 
 
 Though the very shadow of this beast is 
 enough to create alarm, yet those are most to be 
 dreaded which have already tasted human flesh. 
 Tigers of this description have an intense craving 
 after men, and continually lie in wait for them. 
 They will follow a man's footstep for many 
 leagues till they come up with the traveller. 
 
 It will be proper in this place to give ac- 
 count of some methods of defence against tigers. 
 If you climb a tree to avoid falling into the 
 clutches of a tiger, he will ascend it also. In 
 this case urine must be your instrument of de- 
 fence. If you cast this into the eyes of the 
 tiger, when he is threatening you at the foot of 
 the tree, you are safe — the beast will immedi- 
 ately take to flight. In the night a blazing fire
 
 PARAGUAY. 257 
 
 affords great security against tigers. Dogs also 
 are dreaded by them, though these they some- 
 times cruelly flay and tear to pieces. The Spa- 
 niards have mastiffs which are very formidable 
 to tigers. In the town of St. Ferdinand a tiger 
 often stole by night into the sheepfolds, killed 
 the sheep, sucked their blood, and leaving their 
 bodies, carried away their heads. This auda- 
 city at length appearing to us no longer en- 
 durable, at sun-set twenty Abipones armed them- 
 selves with spears to kill the mischievous beast, 
 and placed themselves in ambush. Another, 
 armed with pistols, lay down in the midst of the 
 flock. Though the men were silently concealed 
 in the court-yard close by, yet the tiger, aware 
 of the circumstance, either from the smell or 
 hearing, durst not approach the sheepfold. At 
 length, despairing of his arrival, the watchers, 
 about night-fall, returned to their huts. Scarcely 
 had they turned their backs, when the tiger re- 
 turned and tore to pieces ten sheep. To search 
 him out, all the Abipones that were at home set 
 off on foot, armed on both sides with spears, 
 ready to strike whenever the beast appeared. 
 At the request of the Indians, I closed the com- 
 pany, armed with a gun and bayonet and some 
 pistols. After diligently exploring the vicinity, 
 as no tiger appeared, we returned home without 
 
 VOL. I. s
 
 258 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 effecting our business, and saluted by the hisses 
 of the women. But the very same tiger at sun- 
 set daily approached the town, to tear away part 
 of the carcass of a dead horse, without ever being- 
 caught by the Indians who lay in wait for him. 
 The Abipones have continual contests with tigers, 
 and unless the spear misses, are uniformly victo- 
 rious. Hence an Abipon is very rarely devoured 
 by a tiger, but innumerable tigers are devoured 
 by the Abipones. Their flesh, though horridly 
 ill-savoured even when quite fresh, is eagerly 
 craved after by the equestrian savages, who also 
 drink melted tiger s fat, esteeming it nectar, and 
 even believing it a means of producing valour. 
 They all detest the thought of eating hens, eggs, 
 sheep, fish, and tortoises, imagining that those 
 tender kinds of food engender sloth and languor 
 in their bodies, and cowardice in their minds. On 
 the other hand, they eagerly devour the flesh of 
 the tiger, bull, stag, boar, anta, and tamandua, 
 having an idea that, from continually feeding on 
 these animals, their strength, boldness, and cou- 
 rage are increased. In repeated battles with 
 tigers many persons are wounded by their claws. 
 The scars, after the wounds are healed, occasion 
 excessive pain and burning, which no time nor 
 medicine can ever relieve. The tigers them- 
 selves are tormented with the heat of their own
 
 PARAGUAY. 
 
 259 
 
 claws, and in order to relieve the pain, they rub 
 them against the tree seibo, and leave the mark 
 of their nails in the bark. 
 
 The tiger spares no living creature ; all it at- 
 tacks, but with various fortune and success : 
 for horses and mules, unless they save their lives 
 by speedy flight, are generally overcome ; asses, 
 when they can gain a place where they may de- 
 fend their backs, repel the assailant, by going 
 round and round, and kicking very quickly for a 
 long time ; but in the open plain they seldom 
 obtain a victory. Cows, trusting to their horns, 
 defend themselves and their calves with the 
 utmost intrepidity. Mares, on the contrary, 
 at the approach of a tiger, desert their foals and 
 take to flight. Antas lie down on their backs, 
 await the advancing foe with expanded arms, 
 and immediately on his assault squeeze him to 
 death, if we may credit the testimony of the na- 
 tives. Tigers' skins are used by the Abipones 
 for breastplates, for horsecloths, for carpets, 
 and for wrappers. In Spain, every skin is sold 
 for four, and sometimes six German florens. In the 
 hope of gain, a number of Spaniards join toge- 
 ther in Paraguay, and go out to hunt tigers. A 
 vast quantity of tigers' skins are yearly sent to 
 Spain. In the city of Sta. F^, I knew a Spaniard 
 at first indigent, who, from this trade in skins, 
 
 s 2
 
 260 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 within a few years excited the envy of others by 
 his opulence. 
 
 To the tiger kind belong two other wild 
 beasts, but smaller, and not so ferocious. One 
 of them is called by the Spaniards onza, the 
 other by the Guaranies mharacaya. These, 
 though seldom offensive to other animals, often 
 depopulate a whole henroost by night, but are 
 seldom seen by day. 
 
 THE LION. 
 
 The Paraguayrian lions seem unworthy of so 
 great a name ; for they are quite unlike those of 
 Africa in form, size, and disposition. They 
 never attempt any thing against horses, oxen, 
 and men, and are dreaded only by calves, foals, 
 and sheep. The Paraguayrian lions suit well 
 with the old Spanish saying, No es tan bravo el 
 leon, como se pinta, the lion is not so fierce as his 
 picture. You can scarce distinguish their flesh 
 from veal, so that the Spaniards and Indians de- 
 vour it with avidity. Their skin is tawny and 
 spotted with white. Their head is large and 
 round, their eyes sparkling, and nose flat. Their 
 whiskers are composed of long hard hairs, like 
 bristles, for I have handled them myself; but 
 hear on what occasion. The guards of the es- 
 tates, both Spaniards and Indians, had a cus- 
 tom of preserving the heads of the lions and
 
 PARAGUAY. 261 
 
 tigers which they slew, fastened with stakes to 
 the folds of the cattle, as testimonies of their vi- 
 gilance and courage, in the same manner as the 
 heads and hands of criminals are seen fixed to a 
 pole in the place appointed for their punishment. 
 In a certain estate I got up upon the hedges, exa- 
 mined the heads of the lions and tigers, of which 
 there was an immense number, observed their 
 eyes, ears, and teeth, and tore some hair out of 
 the whiskers of the tigers, which resembled wire, 
 were thick at the root, and endued with a kind 
 of elastic property. I cannot understand why 
 the Abiponesdo not rear the whelps of lions, as 
 they reckon tigers' whelps a dainty, though they 
 are never procured without danger. Before 
 they are full grown they give proofs of their na- 
 tive ferocity, and with their little tender claws 
 and teeth fly upon all they meet, especially in 
 the heat of the sun. One man deprived a tiger's 
 whelp of its teeth and claws, to prevent it from 
 doing any mischief, but though destitute of its 
 arms, it used to rush upon children and calves, 
 and would certainly have crushed and strangled 
 them, had they not been instantly rescued. 
 That the danger might not increase as he grew 
 up, he was forced to be shot. 
 
 THE WILD CAT. 
 
 In most of the woods you may see wild cats, 
 s 3
 
 262 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 differing from the domestic ones in our country 
 in no other respect except that the extremity 
 of the tail is flatter and more compressed, and 
 that they are superior in size. They are also 
 of various colours. The Indians eat them 
 roasted, but being extremely swift and shy, 
 they are not killed without difficulty. We had a 
 young cat in the town of Conception, born of a 
 tame mother and a wild father, than which I 
 never saw a larger or handsomer, or one more 
 ferocious and fugitive. 
 
 THE ANTA, or THE GREAT BEAST. 
 
 The more secluded woods towards the north 
 are the haunts of this animal, which the Spa- 
 niards call the Anta, or La gran hestia. In size 
 it resembles a full grown ass : in shape, if you 
 except its eyes, head, and feet, a pig. It has 
 rather short ears, inclining towards the forehead, 
 very sharp teeth and lips, like those of a calf, the 
 upper part of which somewhat resembles a pro- 
 boscis, and is thrust forward by the animal when 
 he is angry. The fore feet are cloven into two 
 hollow nails, the hind feet into three. A smooth 
 unhairy appendage supplies the place of a tail. 
 The skin is of a tawny colour and extremely 
 thick, on which account it is dried in the air by 
 the Spaniards and Abipones, and used for a 
 breast-plate to ward off the blows of swords and
 
 PARAGUAY. 263 
 
 arrows, but is penetrable to shot and to spears. 
 This beast flies the sight of man, though pos- 
 sessed of such extraordinary strength as, when 
 caught with a rope, to drag along with him in 
 his flight both horse and rider. It generally 
 sleeps in the day-time, and by night, wandering 
 up and down the recesses of the woods, feeds 
 upon herbs ; it frequently betrays itself by the 
 rustling noise it makes in breaking the branches 
 of shrubs and trees as it walks about the woods. 
 The Indians who inhabit the woods lay traps, 
 made of stakes, to catch the antas, or conceal- 
 ing themselves in some thicket, imitate the sound 
 of their voices, and pierce the beasts on their ar- 
 rival with arrows ; for their flesh, either fresh or 
 hardened by the air, is continually eaten by the 
 savages, though its toughness renders it rather 
 unpalatable. In the stomach of the anta lies a 
 pouch, which is often found to contain a num- 
 ber of bezoar stones, scarce bigger than a hazle- 
 nut, not oblong nor oval, but polygonous, and of 
 the colour of ashes or lead. These are thought 
 by physicians superior to the bezoar stones sup- 
 plied by other beasts, and more efficacious as 
 medicine. Arapotiyu, the young Indian whom 
 I brought from the woods of Mbaevera, which 
 the savages call the country of the antas, gave 
 me a heap of these bezoar stones : — " Take, fa- 
 ther," said he, " these most salutary little stones, 
 
 s4
 
 264 ACCOUNT OF THE ABI PONES. 
 
 which I have collected from the antas I have 
 killed." On my inquiring what virtue they 
 attributed to them, and how they were used 
 in the woods, he replied — " Whenever we are 
 seized with a malignant heat, we rub our limbs 
 with these antas' stones, after warming them at 
 the fire, and receive immediate relief." This 
 use of the bezoar stone I submit to the judg- 
 ment of physicians, for it must be confessed I 
 never made trial of its virtues. The nails of 
 antas are much esteemed by the Spaniards, as 
 remedies for ill-health, and worn by them as amu- 
 lets, to defend them from noxious airs : they are 
 said to be sold in the druggists' shops in Eu- 
 rope, for various medicinal purposes, especially 
 for persons afflicted with epilepsy, small-pox, 
 and measles, as is related by Woytz in his Me- 
 dico-physical Thesaurus, where he affirms that 
 antas are often afflicted with epilepsy or the fall- 
 ing-sickness, and that, to relieve the pain, they 
 rub the left ear with the nail of the fore foot. The 
 truth of the fact must be looked to by those who 
 have affirmed it, and have hazarded the asser- 
 tion that the anta is called by the Germans 
 elendthier, the miserable beast, because it is 
 subject to epilepsy. But in reality it was called 
 by the old Germans elck, by the Greeks oixm, 
 and by the Latins alv or alee. As it appears 
 from all writers, that elks are horned in the
 
 PARAGUAY. 265 
 
 northern countries of Europe, and as I myself 
 saw, that those in Paraguay have no horns, I 
 began to doubt whether they were not a diffe- 
 rent animal altogether, and only bore the same 
 name on account of some similitude. 
 
 I do not agree with those who call elks equi- 
 cerviy mongrel creatures born of a stag and a 
 mare. This cannot be imagined for a moment 
 of the Paraguayrian antas, which inhabit the 
 roughest and most rugged forests, not only un- 
 known but almost inaccessible both to horses 
 and stags. The antas choose plains full one 
 hundred leagues distant, where they can never 
 meet with either of those animals. However 
 this may be, I advise giving credit to those who, 
 in the present age, have written more fully on 
 natural history from authority. 
 
 THE HUANACO. 
 
 This animal, which the Spaniards call Gua- 
 naco, and the Abipones Hakahatak, as it has no 
 name in Latin, may be called £Aaipo)ta/A>iAov, a 
 camele^pard, as the ostrich is called a camel. 
 For whilst it resembles a stag in other parti- 
 culars, its head, neck, the bunch on its back, the 
 fissure of the upper lip, and the tail a span long, 
 are like those of a camel. Its feet are cloven, 
 and its skin shaggy, and for the most part of a 
 reddish colour. The hair of this beast serves to
 
 266 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 make hats with. Its flesh is eaten both by Spa- 
 niards and Indians. Its swiftness stands it in 
 the stead of arms. It never attempts to kick 
 or bite, but when offended by any one, spits 
 at him in a rage ; this saliva is commonly said 
 first to create a red pustule, and afterwards to 
 bring on the mange. Like goats, these animals 
 inhabit rocks and high mountains, but come 
 down in flocks, at pleasure, for the sake of the 
 pasture in the plains below the mountains ; 
 mean time one of the males occupies a high 
 place, whence, like a watchman from a tower, 
 he sees if any danger is near, and surveys every 
 part of the neighbourhood. The whole flock 
 hurries away upon any alarm, the females 
 going before, and the males closing the com- 
 pany. This is seldom a panic terror, for the 
 huanacos, whilst occupying the pastures in the 
 plain, are often caught by the Spanish horse- 
 men ; but very swift horses are necessary for this 
 business, as they run extremely quick. I have 
 often seen flocks of these animals, when travel- 
 ling in Tucuman, on the Cordoban mountains. 
 Hearing the sound of approaching horses, they 
 crowd to the highest summits of the rocks, 
 whence, ranged like soldiers in a long file, they 
 look down upon the horses as they pass under- 
 neath, neigh for sometime in a manner strongly 
 resembling human laughter, and presently.
 
 PARAGUAY. 267 
 
 struck with sudden terror, for they are ex- 
 tremely timorous, scour off in all directions. 
 This spectacle frequently amused and delighted 
 us Europeans. Huanacos, though very wild 
 and shy, may be easily tamed in the towns, 
 when young. Besides the skin and flesh of the 
 huanacos, the bezoar stone, which is often 
 found in their insides, is of value. It some- 
 times weighs more than a pound, is always 
 oval, scarce smaller than a hen's egg, and 
 painted, like marble, with most exquisite co- 
 lours. Most probably it derives this medicinal 
 property from the animal's feeding upon whole- 
 some herbs, which grow in the mountains : its 
 virtues, however, are thought little of by the 
 physicians of these times, who despise old pre- 
 scriptions. 
 
 THE PERUVIAN SHEEP LLAMAS. 
 
 Peru, the neighbour of Paraguay, produces 
 wild animals, in which the bezoar of various 
 colours, forms, and sizes, is found : namely, the 
 native sheep, which the Indians call Llamas, 
 the Spaniards Carneros de la Tierra, and which 
 are used, like beasts of burden, for carrying- 
 weights, not exceeding one hundred pounds. 
 
 THE VICUNA. 
 
 This country likewise produces Vicunas, ani-
 
 268 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 mals equal in size to a goat in our country, but 
 not horned, and clothed with wool of a darkish 
 yellow colour, softer than silk, and much es- 
 teemed by Europeans. A garment made of 
 this wool cools the body when the sun is op- 
 pressively hot. It is said to cure pains in the 
 kidneys, and to assuage the torture of the gout. 
 The flesh of the vicuna, though unsavoury to 
 the palate, is eaten by the Indians ; it is also 
 used as medicine. A man who had got a dis- 
 order in his eyes, from walking for a long time 
 amidst snow in Peru, was presently relieved of 
 the pain by a piece of vicuna's flesh, applied to 
 the part aflected, by an Indian woman. 
 
 THE PACO, MACOMORO, k TARUGA. 
 
 Peru also boasts of pacos, macomoros, and 
 tarugas, which are almost of the same use and 
 appearance as the former, and in like manner 
 produce the bezoar stone. 
 
 THE TAMANDUA, or ANT-EATER. 
 
 The tamandua obtains its name from the 
 ants upon which it feeds. But it does not 
 eat every kind of ant, but only those which 
 the Guaranies call cupis, and their eggs. When 
 these are not to be had, it takes up with 
 little worms, winged insects, honey, and meat 
 cut into very small particles. In bulk it is
 
 PARAGUAY. 269 
 
 equal to a very large pig, but superior in 
 length and height. Its head does not corre- 
 spond to the size of its body. A very small 
 fissure, which is seen in its long snout, serves 
 it for a mouth, under which is concealed a 
 blackish, smooth tongue, slenderer than the 
 goose's quill I am writing with, but twenty- 
 five inches long. This he dips into a hill of 
 ants, scraped together with his nails, and when 
 covered with those insects, or their little eggs, 
 draws back again into his mouth, and swallows 
 them instantly. This animal has small black 
 eyes, middle-sized, and almost round ears, and 
 a blackish skin, interspersed here and there with 
 white, and for the most part hairy. From the 
 extremity of the fore-feet project four curved 
 nails, of which the two middle are very strong, 
 and three inches in length ; they are quite ne- 
 cessary arms to the tamandua, for with them he 
 digs up, and removes the turf under which the 
 ants' nests lie. The hind feet have five fingers, 
 furnished with as many nails, and in walking 
 make the same footsteps as a boy. The tail, 
 which is covered with stiff bristles, longer than 
 the hairs in a horse's mane, is as long as his 
 whole body, and so wide that, bent towards 
 the neck, with the hairs expanded on each side 
 like a fan, or fly-flap, it covers his whole body 
 when he sleeps, and defends him not only
 
 270 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 against cold, but even against rain. This beast 
 is not able to keep running for any length of 
 time, and may be easily caught by a person on 
 horseback, or even on foot. Its flesh is eaten 
 by the Indians, but not reckoned a dainty. 
 When young it is very soon tamed in the colo- 
 nies of the Indians, but seldom brought up by 
 them, because it must be chiefly fed upon ants, 
 which are very troublesome to procure. 
 
 THE WILD BOAR. 
 
 Four different species of boars abound in Pa- 
 raguay. The most remarkable are those which 
 have upon their backs a spungy, glandulous little 
 piece of flesh, swelled with a white liquor re- 
 sembling milk, and scented like musk. This 
 boss is immediately amputated after the ani- 
 mal's death, before the intolerable odour of 
 musk has infected the flesh, and rendered it 
 unfit for use. In woods, near marshes, and 
 marshy fields, wander herds of boars, which are 
 killed, either with a stake, or with arrows, by 
 the Indians. Herds of boars sometimes rushed 
 into the colony of St. Ferdinand, perhaps from 
 the hope of finding food there, perhaps from 
 some other motive. But the Abipones, assem- 
 bling together, killed a great number of them, 
 and feasted sumptuously upon their flesh for 
 some days. 1 was told that boars entered the
 
 PARAGUAY. 271 
 
 towns of the Uruguay in the same manner. 
 The Abiponian women make themselves tra- 
 velling dresses of the skins of this animal, and 
 its bristles are collected into small bundles, 
 and used as combs. 
 
 VARIOUS KINDS OF LITTLE FOXES. 
 
 THE ZORRIXO. 
 
 There are three sorts of foxes here, different 
 from those of our country. The Abipones call 
 the larger ones Kaalk, the lesser Licheran, and 
 the least Lichera, which last is named Zorrino 
 by the Spaniards, and by the French Canadians 
 Bete Puante, the stinking beast, or Enfant du 
 Diable, child of the devil ; appellations which 
 it justly deserves. This animal, which is equal 
 in size to a small rabbit, of a chesnut colour, and 
 marked on each side by two white lines, though 
 it pleases the eyes by its elegant form, offends 
 the nostrils by its excessive stink. It may be 
 commended for beauty, but not for politeness ; 
 for at every passer-by it squirts, with certain 
 aim, a liquor so pestilent, that dogs, if sprinkled 
 with it, will howl dreadfully, and roll them- 
 selves for some time on the ground, as if 
 scalded with boiling water. If it touch the 
 eyes, blindness is the certain consequence. If 
 a woollen or linen garment, a stick, or any
 
 272 ACCOl>NT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 thing else, be sprinkled with it, no farther use 
 can be made of the article on account of the 
 stink, which no art will ever take away. If 
 one of these animals shed his urine in the open 
 plain, the stench is carried by the wind the 
 space of a league. That white liquor shines in 
 the night like phosphorus, and wherever it 
 passes, looks like a ray of fire. If a skunk 
 creep into a house, and scatter any of that ter- 
 rible liquor, the inhabitants, one and all, rush 
 out, as if the house was on fire, and fly into the 
 street or open plain, to breathe freely, that they 
 may not be stifled with the stench. Therefore, 
 although this animal is very little and weak, it 
 is dreaded extremely by tigers, mastiffs, and 
 all mortals. Its unequalled stink is its means 
 of defence. Whoever desires to possess its 
 most beautiful skin, in order to catch it, with- 
 out injury to himself, must take it by the 
 tail, and hold it with its head towards the 
 ground ; for, by this means, it loses the use of 
 its pestiferous syringe, and cannot squirt out 
 that horrible liquid. Some assert that the fat 
 in the kidneys of the skunk is either the cause, 
 or the receptacle of the stink, and that if this 
 be taken away, the flesh may be eaten, and is 
 not of an unpleasant savour : I envy no one 
 such a dainty. 
 
 Many have written of the skunk, but gene-
 
 PARAGUAY. 273 
 
 rally from the accounts of others : I, alas ! from 
 my own experience. I feel both shame and grief 
 in refreshing" the sad remembrance of my dis- 
 aster ; but will, nevertheless, relate it, to show 
 you my candour. When, with some fifty com- 
 panions, we journeyed from the port of Buenos- 
 Ayres, where we first landed, through an im- 
 mense plain of an hundred and forty leagues, 
 to Cordoba, we were all conveyed in waggons^ 
 drawn by four oxen ; for a waggon in those de- 
 serts serves both for house and bed. Reclining, 
 day and night, upon a mattrass, we pursued our 
 journey according to the season, the roads, and 
 the weather. The jolting of this rude vehicle 
 creates nausea, and fatigues the whole frame, so 
 that quitting it at evening, to enjoy the fresh 
 air, was quite a relief As I was walking with 
 two Spaniards, I spied a skunk gently approach- 
 ing us : " Look," cried I, " what a beautiful 
 animal is that !" We trusted too much to ex- 
 ternal appearance. Not one of us perceived 
 what a pest was concealed under this elegant 
 skin. Hastening our steps we all emulously 
 ran to catch the animal, and my ill stars directed 
 that I should outstrip both the Spaniards. The 
 cunning skunk, spying me near him, feigned 
 submission, stood still, and, as it were, offered 
 himself my captive. Distrusting the blandish- 
 ments of an animal that was unknown to me, 
 
 VOL. I. T
 
 274 ACCOUXT OF THE ABIPOXES. 
 
 I gently touched it with a stick. In a moment 
 it lifted up its leg, and discharged at me that 
 Stygian pest. It sprinkled my left cheek all 
 over, and then victorious, took to flight imme- 
 diately. That my eyes were spared may be 
 accounted a blessing. I stood thunderstruck, 
 become, in an instant, intolerable to myself; 
 for the horrid stench had diffused itself from 
 my cheek into every part of my body, to my 
 very inner garments ; and spreading in a mo- 
 ment through the plain, far and wide, an- 
 nounced what had happened to my companions. 
 Some on foot, some on horseback, they all 
 hastened to look at me, amidst peals of laugh- 
 ter ; but, smelling me from a distance, returned 
 a long way back, with greater speed than they 
 had come. Like an excommunicated person, I 
 was shunned by all, and was forbidden to enter 
 the very tent where I used to sup with the rest. 
 I, therefore, betook myself to my own waggon. 
 On asking the Spanish driver if he smelt any 
 thing amiss, he replied that he had been de- 
 prived of the power of smell for four years. 
 " Oh ! fortunate circumstance !" cried I, for if 
 the driver had been in possession of this faculty, 
 I should have been banished from my own 
 waggon also. Throwing off all my clothes, 
 I washed, wiped, and rubbed my face over and 
 over again. But this was washing the black-
 
 PARAGUAY. 275 
 
 amoor white. That night I wished I could 
 have been separated from my body, so entirely 
 had that liquid exhalation penetrated my very 
 fibres, especially my cheek, which it burnt like 
 fire. My clothes, all of which I had entirely 
 thrown off, though daily exposed to wind, rain, 
 sun, and dust, for more than a month, on the top 
 of the waggon, always retained the vile scent, 
 and could be made no possible use of. Had I a 
 hundred tongues I should think them all insuffi- 
 cient to convey an adequate idea of the stench 
 of this ill-scented beast. Whether it be urine 
 which it discharges, or any other liquid, I am at 
 a loss to determine. This is indubitable, — that if 
 Theophrastus, Paracelsus, and any other che- 
 mist, had conspired together, in all their fur- 
 naces and shops, and with all their arts, they 
 could never have composed a stink more into- 
 lerable than that which the skunk exhales by 
 nature. Spirit of hartshorn, or any more pow- 
 erful odour, if there be such, will be called 
 aromatic scents, frankincense, balm of Gilead, 
 and the most fragrant carnations and roses, by 
 him that has once smelt the skunk. Europe 
 may be congratulated upon her good fortune in 
 being unacquainted with this cursed beast. 
 
 THE BISCACHA. 
 
 Let this fetid animal be succeeded by the 
 T 2
 
 276 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPOXES. 
 
 ridiculous biscacha, which closely resembles a 
 hare, has a tail like that of a fox, and is marked 
 with black and white spots. Its hair is ex- 
 ceedingly soft. In the plains, particularly in 
 the more elevated situations, these animals dig 
 themselves burrows so artfully, that no part of 
 them is exposed to the rain. They are di- 
 vided into separate apartments, as several fa- 
 milies usually inhabit the same place. On the 
 surface of the earth many doors are opened into 
 the cave, at which crowds of them sit at sun- 
 set, and carefully listen if any one be approach- 
 ing ; but if all is quiet they go out to pasture 
 on moonlight nights, and make deplorable 
 havoc in the neighbouring plains ; for they are 
 extremely fond of wheat and maize, and if 
 either of these is to be had, will not feed on 
 grass. At the doors of their burrows they heap 
 up dry bones, bits of wood, and any other rub- 
 bish they can light upon, but for what purpose, 
 no one hitherto has been able even to conjec- 
 ture. The Spanish rustics sometimes amuse 
 themselves with hunting these animals. They 
 pour many pitchers of water into their subter- 
 ranean dwellings, so that, to avoid drowning, 
 the creatures leap out into the plain, and, no 
 opportunity of escape being allowed them, are 
 killed with stakes. Their flesh, unless they be 
 very old, is not despised, even by the Spa- 
 niards.
 
 PARAGUAY. 277 
 
 THE HARE. 
 
 Hares, differing from those of Europe, in size 
 alone, do exist in Paraguay ; but I imagine 
 there must be very few, because, though I have 
 often traversed the whole province, and have 
 lived chiefly amongst the Indians, who spare 
 no kinds of animals, I never saw but one. In 
 Tucuman, where it looks towards Peru, I un- 
 derstand that hares are not so scarce. 
 
 VARIOUS KINDS OF RABBITS. 
 
 As rabbits are extremely numerous in every 
 part of this country, there is likewise great va- 
 riety amongst them. Some, of various colours, 
 like those of our country, live under ground. 
 Others, which hide themselves under shrubs and 
 bushes, are less than hares, larger than our rab- 
 bits, and of a bay, or rather a chesnut colour. 
 Their flesh, which is extremely well tasted, may 
 be seen at the tables even of the more wealthy. 
 Several pairs of these rabbits are said to have 
 been brought from Spain by some person who, 
 in travelling through Paraguay into Peru, 
 took rabbits of each sex out of their coop, and 
 set them loose on the plain to feed, at which 
 time some of them escaped and ran away. 
 Their posterity is, at this day, extremely nu- 
 merous in Tucuman, especially in the land of 
 
 t3
 
 278 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 St. lago. Other kinds of rabbits, scarce big- 
 ger than dormice, conceal themselves some- 
 times in the hedges of fields, sometimes in holes 
 under ground, and, being innumerable, are ex- 
 tremely pernicious to wheat. The Abipones, 
 who undertake most of their journeys without 
 provisions, when they wish to dine or sup, set 
 fire to the tall dry grass in the plain, in order 
 to kill and roast the animals concealed under- 
 neath it, which leap out for fear of the fire. 
 Were tigers, deer, stags, and emus, not to be 
 had, there would never be a deficiency of rabbits, 
 a hundred of which they easily take, and hang 
 upon a string, after a chase of this kind. I was 
 told by Barreda, the old General of the St. 
 lagans, that in hasty marches in search of the 
 enemy, when there was no time for hunting, 
 rabbits, dried in the air, served the Abipones 
 for victuals. 
 
 THE STAG. 
 
 The shores of the Parana and Paraguay, and 
 the larger islands of these rivers, abound in 
 stags, which, in no respect, differ from those of 
 Europe. Not one is to be seen in any other 
 part of Paraguay. The Abipones pursue the 
 stags on swift horses, and laying hold of their 
 horns, kill them either with a knife or a spear ; 
 they also pierce them with thick arrows, when
 
 PARAGUAY. 279 
 
 hunting in a wood impervious to horses. For- 
 merly, before the savages w^ere acquainted witli 
 iron, they prefixed a stag's horn to their spears, 
 instead of an iron point, and this weapon in- 
 flicted very deep wounds. Whilst I dwelt 
 amongst them, some of the elder Abipones still 
 used spears pointed with stags' horn, and were 
 the more dreaded on that account. Stags' skins, 
 which are used for various purposes, the Spa- 
 niards soften and polish with the melted fat of 
 mares. They also entertain an idea that the 
 smallest piece of stag's skin, worn close to the 
 body, is a powerful preservative against the 
 bites of serpents, as it is well known that stags 
 and deer have frequent conflicts with these 
 animals. 
 
 ROEBUCKS. 
 
 On entering the plain, wherever you turn 
 your eyes you will see nothing but roebucks, 
 exactly like European ones. Those which 
 inhabit the plains are of a chesnut colour, but 
 brighter ; those which live in the woods, of a 
 darker chesnut, but both are marked with white 
 spots. When young they are easily tamed at 
 home. I once nourished a little fawn, only a 
 few days old, brought me by an Indian, on 
 cow's milk, and reared it in my own apartment. 
 When grown older, it went daily into the plain 
 
 t4
 
 280 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 to pasture along with the cows, which are 
 milked in the court-yard, but returned to my 
 room of its own accord. When he found it shut 
 he signified his arrival by knocking against the 
 door with his feet, often in the middle of the 
 night. He followed me, whether walking or 
 riding, like a dog. He beheld a crowd of dogs 
 running after him without alarm, and often put 
 them to flight by stamping on the ground with 
 his feet. By tinkling a collar of bells which I 
 placed round his neck, he frightened all the 
 dogs, and deceived them into thinking him 
 some strange and formidable animal. He fed 
 upon meat, bread, roots, and grass, but a sheet 
 of paper was quite a treat to him, and sweeter 
 than honey to his taste. The collar, which 
 many months before I had fitted to his neck, 
 beginning to squeeze him as he grew older, I 
 endeavoured to loosen it; when the little animal, 
 imagining that I did it with the intent of causing 
 his death, and believing me to be his enemy, 
 took to flight, and wandered up and down the 
 more distant plains, without revisiting me for a 
 month. He was often seen by the Indians. 
 At length I directed my attention tov/ards re- 
 calling and reconciling him. Allured by a sheet 
 of paper, which I showed him from a distance, 
 he approached me, though with a trembling 
 foot, and being presented at intervals with fresh
 
 PARAGUAV. 281 
 
 sheets of paper, followed me to the house, un- 
 mindful of his terror and offence, and ever after 
 remained, as long as he lived, with the utmost 
 fidelity in my house. He would often fight 
 with mules for half an hour together, affording 
 a spectacle worthy to be seen and applauded 
 by the assembled Indians ; for resting on his 
 fore-feet, he kicked the head of the mule every 
 now and then with his hinder ones, and whilst 
 his antagonist with bites and kicks endeavoured 
 to render like for like, the fawn, by leaping 
 backwards and forwards with incredible cele- 
 rity, eluded the threats and anger of the enraged 
 beast. After obtaining so many victories, to 
 the astonishment and applause of the whole 
 town, engaging in the plain with an untamed 
 mule, his back was broken by the kicks of his 
 adversary, which occasioned his death, at two 
 years of age, when, being a male, he had very 
 large horns. You will scarce believe how we 
 grieved for his death. I still have in my pos-^ 
 session a music-book bound with his skin. 
 
 THE YKIPARA. 
 
 The ykipara, a species of mole lurking in 
 holes under ground, makes a horrid noise, like 
 the sound of a great drum beat at a distance, 
 which is scarce heard without alarm by stran- 
 gers. 1 cannot describe the appearance of this
 
 282 ACCOUNT Oi' THE ABIPOiSTES. 
 
 little animal, never having seen, though fre- 
 quently heard it. I imagine that its voice must 
 sound the louder from being re-echoed by the 
 hollow corners and windings of the earth. 
 
 DIFFERENT KINDS OF APES. 
 
 Were I individually to describe the names, 
 forms, and properties of all the apes which 
 inhabit the North of Paraguay, this subject 
 alone would fill a volume. Those called caraya 
 are the most numerous and the ugliest species. 
 Their hair is tawny, they are full of melancholy, 
 always querulous, always morose, always snap- 
 pish. As they howl incessantly day and night 
 no one chooses to take them home and tame 
 them. They sit by crowds on trees, and wander 
 about in search of food. When they howl with 
 most pertinacity it is a sign of rain or storms ; 
 the sound they utter resembles the creaking of 
 waggons with ungreased wheels, and as hun- 
 dreds howl in concert, may be heard many 
 leagues off. They are of a middle size. 
 
 THE CAYI. 
 
 The little apes called cayi are scarce a span 
 long, when full grown ; they are merry, play- 
 ful, and, if tamed young, extremely docile. 
 But they can seldom be allowed to walk up and 
 down the house at large, for, wanting to touch
 
 PARAGUAY. 283 
 
 and taste every thing, they throw down ink- 
 stands and other vessels, spill liquors, tear 
 books, and break every thing made of glass. 
 They put their fingers into boxes, lamps, and 
 jugs, smell them, and dirt the table and peo- 
 ple's clothes. They steal every thing fit to eat 
 that they can lay hands on. They are, there- 
 fore, tied with a long slender cord in such a 
 manner that they may be able to go up and 
 down. We had a little ape of this kind in the 
 town of St. Joachim, which readily unclasped 
 the men's spurs when they returned from ri- 
 ding. I have seen others take a journey seated 
 on the back of a dog, and by mimicking the 
 actions of men, like buiFoons, excite both anger 
 and ridicule. It is, therefore, no wonder that 
 apes of this kind should be prized both by In- 
 dians and Europeans, and bought at a high price. 
 Potatoes are their daily fare, but they also feed 
 sometimes on flesh, bread, or any thing made of 
 flour. Great care must be taken not to give 
 them too large a portion, otherwise they will 
 eat till they burst. In the woods, when quite 
 young, they are carried about on the backs of 
 their mothers, round whose necks they put their 
 arms, like infants, and in this manner are borne 
 along the boughs of trees, wherever there is any 
 chance of finding food. An Indian, therefore, 
 who wants a live ape, kills the mother with an
 
 284 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPOXES. 
 
 arrow, and the little one never suffers itself to 
 be torn from her without howling. I will tell 
 you something still more surprizing, and which 
 seems almost incredible. The Guaranies some- 
 times remain in the woods four days together, 
 employed in hunting wild beasts. Having 
 killed a number of apes, they consume part of 
 them on the journey, and roasting the rest to 
 prevent their growing putrid from the heat of 
 the sun, carry them to the town to be eaten at 
 home. The little apes, which are kept alive for 
 diversion, know their mothers when roasted and 
 blacker than a coal, and adhere so tenaciously 
 to their shoulders, that their running away is 
 not the least to be apprehended. Who does 
 not admire the filial affection of these animals, 
 which, though imitators of mankind in other 
 respects, may certainly be their instructors in 
 this? 
 
 BARBUDOS. 
 
 The Spanish Paraguayrians employed in 
 collecting the herb of Paraguay in the thick 
 northern woods, often see very large and me- 
 lancholy apes, with extremely long beards, on 
 account of which circumstance they have given 
 them a ridiculous name which I prudently for-^ 
 bear to mention. They love dark recesses, 
 flying mankind and the light, but are universally 
 dreaded, on account of the arms they make use
 
 PARAGUAY. 285 
 
 of: for at every passer-by they throw some of 
 their stinking dung, which is always ready. 
 But in comparison to that of the skunk, this 
 stink may be accounted rose and saffron. No 
 one has hitherto ever thought of catching and 
 taming them. 
 
 THE CARUGUA. 
 
 In the more secret recesses of the woods 
 wander apes, which the Guaranies call carugua, 
 and the Spaniards diablos del monte, devils of 
 the woods. They are hairy, and taller than 
 other apes ; in walking they generally stand on 
 their hind-feet. Their footsteps are like those 
 of a boy of fourteen years old. They love soli- 
 tude, and do not lie in wait for man, but if they 
 spy one near them in the narrow parts of the 
 forests, they tear him to pieces with the utmost 
 ferocity. I knew of a Guarany belonging to 
 the new colony of St. Stanislaus, who died of a 
 dreadful wound he received from a carugua. 
 An Indian belonging to the same colony killed 
 one of these apes in a distant wood. Fearing 
 that the trouble of a long journey, under a 
 burning sun, would prove insufferable, he left 
 the carcass of the beast, but cut off his horrid 
 nails, more formidable than any dagger, and 
 showed them to Father Pietro Paulo Danesi, a 
 Roman, to whom the care of the town was at
 
 286 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 that time entrusted ; they were carried about 
 the other Guarany towns, that all who beheld 
 might thereby judge of the beast to whom they 
 belonged, and learn to know and dread the ter- 
 rific arms of the carugua, whenever they had to 
 traverse rugged forests. I was once very near 
 becoming the prey of one of these ferocious 
 beasts. Passing the night in the woods of 
 Mbaevera, whilst the Indians and my compa- 
 nion Paschali Vilalba were sound asleep, I heard 
 the noise of boughs breaking, together with a 
 little singing sound resembling a human voice. 
 As the voice and the noise approached nearer 
 to me, and I was at a great distance from the 
 fire of the Indians, I cried out and inquired of 
 my comrades, who were at length awakened by 
 my clamour, what bird or beast uttered those 
 sounds ? After listening awhile, they all ex- 
 claimed that the carugua, the devil of the 
 woods, was approaching. A number of them 
 ran to encounter him, armed with spears and 
 firebrands. The beast, alarmed at their ap- 
 proach, hastened back ; and thus delivered from 
 peril, I breathed once again. 
 
 THE QUATi. 
 
 The quati appears to be of a mongrel breed, 
 for its snout is like that of a barrow-pig, its 
 head like that of a fox, while the rest of its
 
 PARAGUAY. 287 
 
 body resembles a middle-sized ape, with a yel- 
 low skin, and a tail longer than all the rest of 
 its body, divided into little rings of various 
 colours. Like apes, these animals leap up 
 and down the boughs of trees, on the fruit of 
 which they subsist, though you sometimes meet 
 a numerous herd of them jumping about upon 
 the ground. Even when full grown, they are 
 completely tamed by the Indians, within a few 
 days, but are always destructive to hens, and 
 their eggs, which they delight in. 
 
 THE AY. 
 
 The last of the different tribes of apes is an 
 animal which, from the slothfulness of its na- 
 ture, and the slowness of its motions, is called 
 by the Guaranies, ay, and by the Spaniards, la 
 pereza, the sloth. It is about the size of a fox, 
 and has a small head, a narrow face, smooth 
 nose, little black eyes, and long hair, of the 
 colour of ashes, which spreads over its neck 
 like a mane. It has a dusky streak in the mid- 
 dle of its back, long nails, bent backwards on 
 each foot, a wide mouth, a thick tail, weak 
 teeth, no ears ; its appearance, in short, is ridi- 
 culous and disagreeable in every point of view. 
 It lives upon the tops of trees, and feeds upon 
 their leaves, and sometimes upon the smaller 
 kinds of ants. It never gets up upon its feet.
 
 288 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 nor is it ever seen to drink, perhaps content \^itli 
 dew. Slower than any tortoise, it so dreads the 
 slightest motion, that it spends a whole day in 
 creeping up or down a tree; It detests the least 
 drop of rain. Every now and then it pro- 
 nounces the letter I, like a person groaning. It 
 has a remarkably firm skin; but its flesh is 
 nauseated even by the Indians. From what I 
 have said, you may perceive that this most sloth- 
 ful animal is extremely dissimilar to apes, which 
 spend the whole day in running, leaping, and 
 playing, as if impatient of the shortest respite. 
 The Indians, in travelling, take great delight in 
 the flesh of apes, which, in various countries of 
 America, is the chief and most esteemed food 
 of the Indians. Moreover, many of the Ameri- 
 cans have believed apes to possess the power 
 of speech, and to feign themselves dumb, that 
 they may not be obliged to labour by the Spa- 
 niards. Whenever an ape is wounded by a 
 bullet, he puts his hand to the wound, as if to 
 prevent his life from being shed with his blood ; 
 and when the body is quite lifeless, stiff", and 
 cold, the hand remains in the same situation. 
 I have found, from experience, that their teeth 
 are hurtful and dangerous ; for my companion, 
 after being bitten by a mad she ape, was seized 
 with an erysipelas, which spread from the arm 
 to the head, induced a great heat and swelling,
 
 PARAGUAY. 289 
 
 and caused terrible, and almost mortal agonies. 
 In European towns I have seen many apes 
 which are not found in any part of Paraguay ; 
 for in various countries there is a great variety 
 of apes ; their names are also various on account 
 of the diversity of tongues. 
 
 THE ARMADILLO, or TATU. 
 
 This little animal, which is scarce larger thani 
 a common tortoise, is called by the Spaniards 
 armadillo. Its whole body is armed with horny 
 scales, elegantly varied with red and white. Its 
 head, which resembles that of a young pig, it 
 discovers in walking, but on the approach of 
 danger entirely conceals under this coat of mail. 
 It has rather a long neck. Its scales are clothed 
 here and there with white hairs, especially 
 under the belly. The feet are like those of a 
 tortoise, with five unequal fingers, armed with 
 very sharp nails with which it digs holes under 
 ground to hide itself in, or clings so firmly to 
 the surface of the earth that the strongest man 
 can hardly make it loosen its hold. It has a 
 long scaly tail, of which, prefixed to a reed, the 
 Abipones make military trumpets. Its little 
 ears are destitute both of hairs and scales. It 
 is furnished with two joints near the neck, so 
 that it can bend its throat here and there. It 
 runs very fast, and makes many doubles to 
 
 VOL. I. u
 
 290 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 escape the pursuit of dogs and men. It feeds 
 upon herbs and roots, drinks plentifully and 
 grows very fat. Dogs discover its subterranean 
 retreats by the scent. This animal does not 
 lay eggs, like a tortoise, but brings forth a nu- 
 merous living progeny. Paraguay produces 
 three species of armadillos, all different in form, 
 size and name. To the first kind belong arma- 
 dillos full two spans long, and larger than a 
 barrow-pig, with very long nails, and some with 
 yellow, others with red hairs. The scales of 
 the red ones, half burnt and pulverized, are very 
 efficacious in healing horses' backs, which are 
 either ulcerated, or stripped of their hair. These 
 larger armadillos, on account of their feeding on 
 the carcasses of mules and horses, are loathed by 
 most people ; but their great shells, or coats of 
 mail, are used by the lower order of Spaniards for 
 dishes and plates. Armadillos of the second spe- 
 cies, which are much smaller than the others, ab- 
 stain from carcasses, and yield flesh and fat of a 
 very pleasant savour. The smallest of the three 
 kinds roll themselves up at will, like a hedge- 
 hog. Such is the strength of their globose coat 
 of mail, that no force is sufficient to make it ex- 
 pand, except you pour water with violence 
 upon it; for when wetted they open themselves 
 voluntarily. Their flesh is very white, full 
 of excellent gravy, and even by an European
 
 PARAGUAY, 291 
 
 would be esteemed superior to capon, pheasant, 
 or chicken. Their fat is also used for medicinal 
 purposes. The plains of Paraguay swarm with 
 these mailed animals. 
 
 So far concerning the wild quadrupeds indi- 
 genous to Paraguay. Let us now proceed to 
 amphibious animals. 
 
 THE CROCODILE, or CAYMAN. 
 
 At the head of the amphibious animals stands 
 the crocodile, which exceeds all the rest in the 
 slowness of its motions, and the size of its body. 
 The young creature, when it breaks its shell, 
 resembles a small lizard, such as is commonly 
 seen in European gardens, scarce more than 
 half a span in length. In the course of years it 
 grows by degrees to an enormous size. Croco- 
 diles ten feet long are very common in Paraguay. 
 When a two years' drought had exhausted many 
 of the lakes and rivers in Paraguay, among other 
 aquatic beasts we found numbers of crocodiles 
 roaming about the plain, which died of thirst 
 from being unable to get a sufficiency of water. 
 I am of opinion that most crocodiles reach to 
 extreme old age from the advantage of a singu- 
 lar nature, by which they are so effectually for- 
 tified, that it is exceedingly difficult to kill them. 
 I will give you a description of this animal. It 
 has a large, flat head, a very wide mouth, armed 
 
 u 2
 
 292 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 on each side with extremely sharp, but unequal 
 teeth, and large, round grey eyes, with a black 
 pupil. It has no tongue, but the place of one 
 is supplied by a little immoveable membrane. 
 Its feet, which are furnished like birds' claws 
 with four fingers, and nails, it uses, sometimes 
 in walking slowly on the shore, sometimes in 
 swimming. Its body, which resembles a huge 
 trunk, terminates in a long tail, like the point 
 of a weapon, at the extremity of which lies a 
 small black ball, closed on every side, the dis- 
 tinguishing mark of the female sex, for the 
 males are not furnished with this ball. Its 
 rough skin, covered with very hard scales, 
 which are elegantly variegated with black and 
 white, like shells, forms a mail which renders 
 its head, back and tail impenetrable to all wea- 
 pons. Softer scales adorn rather than arm its 
 belly, sides and feet, where circular or square 
 figures, distinguished at intervals by a colour 
 partly yellow, partly dusky, project, like shells, 
 from the surface of the skin. The tail is com- 
 posed of blackish rings, and a little denticulated 
 fin which it moves in swimming. The skin of 
 the neck is softer, and very easily wounded. 
 Crocodiles on being attacked by tigers, kill 
 them by a stroke of their tail. They are them- 
 selves killed if their neck or belly, both which 
 are covered with softer skin, is wounded by the
 
 PARAGUAY. 293 
 
 horns or claws of beasts, by a bullet, a spear, 
 or an arrow ; on these occasions they take to 
 swimming, but the Indians generally swim after 
 them, and bring them back to shore. During a 
 pretty violent south wind crocodiles are ren- 
 dered torpid by the cold at night, from being 
 immersed in pools ; but when the sun is risen, 
 they lie, like logs of w^ood, on the sunny shore to 
 warm themselves, and their limbs being stiffened, 
 and their senses almost gone, are pierced with 
 spears by the Abipones, without danger or trou- 
 ble. Leaving their bodies, they carry away no- 
 thing but the teeth, and the little bones of the 
 spine, which, being as hard as iron, as sharp as 
 awls, and at the same time elastic, are used by 
 them for the purpose of pricking their limbs, at 
 drinking parties. Crocodiles' teeth, which are 
 thought by the Indians extremely efficacious in 
 curing or preventing the bites of serpents, they 
 wear themselves, or sell to the Spaniards. The 
 flesh of crocodiles is tender, and so white that 
 it can hardly be distinguished from that of 
 sturgeon. Many American nations, especially 
 those which inhabit the islands of the Orinoco, 
 and others, are said to feed on it. But in 
 Paraguay, excepting the Payaguas, who live 
 near rivers, scarce any other nation eats them, 
 because that country abounds in cattle, and 
 wild animals, as well as in vegetables and fruits. 
 
 u 3
 
 294 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 But I think that no European would dislike the 
 flesh of the crocodile, unless it were on account 
 of the musk which it has both in its jaws and 
 testicles. Provident priests hang up a small 
 particle of the glans, to which that musk adheres, 
 wrapped in a piece of gold, or silk stuff, in the 
 sacred coffer of the great altar, where the Eu- 
 charist is kept, in order to keep off worms, 
 which, in so moist and hot a climate, are other- 
 wise bred in the sacred wafer. 
 
 When you hear it said that crocodiles abound 
 in venom, pray account it an old wife's fable; 
 for it is very certain that they are eaten by the 
 Indians, and would be eagerly sought by all 
 Europeans also, were it not for their musk. 
 Crocodiles' teeth grow very deep in the head, 
 are hollow at the root, but where they terminate 
 in a point, extremely solid, and capable of 
 tearing the hardest substance. It is a terrible 
 circumstance that whatever this beast gets 
 within its teeth it never lets loose of. In the 
 new kingdom of Granada, if a crocodile catches 
 hold of the arm of a swimming Indian with his 
 jaws, those who come to his assistance immedi- 
 ately cut it off, to preserve the rest of the body, 
 as the man would otherwise lose his life. I 
 will now describe to you their manner of breed- 
 ing. The females, almost every day, lay about 
 thirty eggs, cylinder-shaped, and as large as
 
 PARAGUAY. 
 
 295 
 
 those of ducks; these eggs are buried under 
 the sand, and when heated by the sun, bring 
 forth creatures like our lizards. As croco- 
 diles have short feet, and sweep the ground 
 with their vast bellies, they crush a number of 
 eggs whenever they move : for if Providence 
 had not ordered it thus, there would be no room 
 left either for beasts or fishes in America. Cro- 
 codiles' eggs are in high esteem amongst the 
 Indians. In the town of Concepcion two croco- 
 diles, a male and a female, newly hatched, were 
 brought by an Abipon to my companion, at 
 whose request I undertook the care of rearing 
 them. To prevent them from escaping, I shut 
 them both up in a very wide and deep wooden 
 mortar, frequently poured fresh water on them, 
 and threw in mud, little fishes, and very small 
 pieces of meat for them to feed upon. This 
 was their habitation, this their food, during 
 seven months. I sometimes took them out of 
 the water, and allowed them to walk up and 
 down the court-yard of the house. The Abi- 
 pones were delighted to see the little creatures 
 playing on the grass, or striving together with 
 gaping mouths and erected bodies. I had a 
 young dog, which, as was natural to his age, 
 was extremely playful. He imprudently rushed 
 barking upon the crocodiles, when one of them 
 laid hold of his nostrils with its very sharp 
 
 u 4
 
 296 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 teeth. Unable by any means to get rid of this 
 disagreeable appendage, he at length came to 
 me and implored my assistance, when by the 
 hands of the by-standing Abipones, who were 
 laughing heartily at the adventure, the perti- 
 nacious crocodile was torn from his nose. It 
 was evident that these beasts were extremely 
 quick of hearing, for they heard the slightest 
 noises, such as would escape human ears — per- 
 ceived thunder from a cloud at a great distance 
 below the horizon, and acquainted me with the 
 circumstance by repeatedly murmuring u u u u. 
 At seven months of age, when scarce a span 
 long, they were killed by the cold, in a journey 
 of one and twenty days, taken with the Spanish 
 soldiers, to change the situation of the colony. 
 A sharp frost, for it was the winter season, 
 killed these pupils of mine. Had they en- 
 joyed their natural liberty and food, I have no 
 doubt they would have grown more in so many 
 months. 
 
 Much has been written concerning the fero^ 
 city of crocodiles towards mankind. I contra- 
 dict no one. But it would be wronging the 
 Paraguayrian crocodiles to complain of them, 
 for during the two and twenty years of ray 
 residence in that country, I never heard of a 
 single creature's being killed or hurt by a cro- 
 codile. Almost all the Abipones, men, women.
 
 paragi/ay. 297 
 
 boys and girls, daily cooled themselves during 
 the heat of the sun, by bathing in rivers, pools, 
 streams and lakes, all v^^hich are frequented by 
 crocodiles ; yet no one ever received any injury 
 from these animals, no one suspecting the dan- 
 ger of such a thing. They are generally scared 
 away by the noise which the Indians make in 
 swimming, especially the black ones ; for the red 
 are considered more bold and more dangerous 
 by the Abipones. But I myself have found 
 that crocodiles of any colour, whether in the 
 water or on dry land, are perfectly harmless. 
 Crossing rivers in a bull's hide, or low boat, I 
 have often seen crocodiles swimming past, with 
 erected heads, sparkling eyes, and gaping 
 mouths ; but knowing them to be harmless, I 
 beheld them with the utmost unconcern. In the 
 town of the Rosary, scarce a gun-shot from my 
 house, there was a pool swarming with croco- 
 diles. The town of St. Joachim was surrounded 
 with lakes. About sun-set we often went out 
 to breathe the fresh air, and in our walk always 
 met with crocodiles of every age and species, 
 but never received any injury from them, though 
 unarmed, and perhaps on that account more 
 safe : for it is my opinion that crocodiles have 
 been injurious chiefly to those by whom they 
 have been themselves injured. They spare 
 those that spare them. I do not in the least
 
 298 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 wonder that in the territories of Quito, and 
 Nuevo Reyno, and in certain parts of Asia and 
 Africa, crocodiles have shown the utmost fury 
 towards men, when they are daily tormented, 
 taken, and slain, by the inhabitants, who feed 
 regularly upon their flesh. 
 
 Different nations make use of different arti- 
 fices in hunting and killing crocodiles. Some 
 go upon the river in boats, and throw into the 
 water a piece of wood, to which flesh or fish is 
 fastened with a long rope. The crocodiles 
 swallow the wood along with the flesh, but as 
 it is crossed in their jaws, are unable to throw 
 it up, and being dragged to the bank by means 
 of the rope, are presently killed. Others take 
 a long, sharp, pointed piece of timber, and when 
 the crocodile approaches thrust it deep into the 
 animal's jaws, by which means it is killed with- 
 out danger. The Abipones generally pierce 
 those crocodiles with a spear which they find 
 lying basking in the sun quite stiffened with 
 cold. An arrow, though extremely strong, 
 unless it touch the neck of the crocodile, where 
 the skin is softer, always proves a weak and 
 precarious instrument of death. The same may 
 be said of bullets. Though crocodiles are per- 
 fectly harmless to mankind in Paraguay, they 
 are in like proportion destructive to fishes, 
 which are either consumed or put to flight by
 
 PARAGUAY. 299 
 
 them. They are useful in medicine. Wounds 
 inflicted by a crocodile are happily cured by 
 being smeared with the fat of the same animal. 
 One of their intestines, when dried and reduced 
 to powder, is a remedy for the pain of the stone. 
 Little stones, like common flint, found in the 
 stomach of the crocodile, are said to be very 
 efficacious in curing quartan agues, and stone 
 in the kidneys, if reduced to powder and drunk. 
 I have observed elsewhere that envenomed 
 wounds of snakes are both healed and prevented 
 by crocodiles' teeth, and shall tell you many 
 things relative to the use of this remedy, in 
 their proper place. 
 
 If I have been too prolix in my remarks on 
 this prince of amphibious animals, the reader 
 will excuse it, for I shall aim at brevity in treat- 
 ing of more ignoble creatures. 
 
 THE AGUAKA, or WATER-DOG. 
 
 In lakes and rivers dwells the water-dog, 
 called by the Guaranies aguara, and I have 
 often seen it in plains near the shore. Though 
 larger than a mastiff" it is afraid of every thing, 
 takes to flight on espying a man at a distance, 
 and is an object of fear to no one. Its ears 
 resemble those of an ass, its head that of a 
 dog. It has plenty of strong and sharp teeth. 
 By night it roars very loud, and lies in wait
 
 300 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 for lesser animals. The Abipones hunt it for 
 the sake of its skin alone, which is shaggy, of 
 a dark yellow colour, and marked along the 
 back with a black line like an ass. Its hair 
 is extremely soft and much valued by the 
 Spaniards on account of its efficacy in assuaging 
 sciatica, gout, and pains in the bowels. Some 
 lay it upon saddles, finding its warmth extreme- 
 ly salutary. On returning from Paraguay I 
 brought some of it home, but it was stolen from 
 me, a loss which I regret to this day. 
 
 THE YGUARO, or WATER-TIGER. 
 
 This beast, which is larger than a mastiff, is 
 generally concealed under deep water. It is 
 shaggy, with a long tail, ending in a point, and 
 is armed with very strong nails. It lays hold 
 of horses and mules, as they are swimming 
 across rivers, and drags them to the bottom. 
 Shortly after, the bowels of the animal, which 
 it has torn to pieces, are seen floating on the 
 surface of the water. The yaguaro generally 
 dwells in deep gulphs of rivers, but digs large 
 caverns in the higher banks, where it can hide 
 both itself and its offspring. On the high 
 shores of the Paraguay, we often heard a tre- 
 mendous noise in our nightly navigation, and 
 the sailors and soldiers informed me that it pro- 
 ceeded from those caves, which were hollowed
 
 PARAGUAY. 301 
 
 by the continual dashing of the water, and had 
 at length begun to gape. 
 
 THE a6. 
 
 This dreadful beast, which has a head and 
 claws like those of a tiger, which resembles a 
 mastiff in size, has no tail, and possesses singu- 
 lar ferocity, and equal swiftness, is called by 
 the Guaranies ao, a word signifying clothing, 
 but given to this beast because, from its 
 wool, the Guaranies formerly wove themselves 
 garments. They wander gregariously in pools, 
 marshy places, or woods far from the noise of 
 men. But if one of them chance to meet an 
 Indian hunting, his life is as good as gone, un- 
 less he can avoid its cruel fangs, by a very swift 
 flight, or by ascending a tree ; though when 
 seated on the very highest boughs he cannot 
 be perfectly secure, for as these ferocious ani- 
 mals are incapable of climbing a tree, they will 
 tear it up by the roots with their claws, and 
 when it falls seize hold of their prey. These 
 things the Indians and Spaniards all agree in 
 relating and believing. For my part, after so 
 many journeys on foot, and on horseback, after 
 traversing so many of the woods, plains and 
 marshes of Paraguay, I never saw even the 
 shadow of such a beast. From which I infer 
 that they cannot be very numerous, nor com-
 
 302 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPOXES. 
 
 men to the whole province. Would that they 
 were banished from every part of Paraguay ! 
 That ferocious animal which writers call fama- 
 cosio, most of us think to differ from the a6 in 
 name only. 
 
 THE CAPIIGUARA, or WATER-PIG. 
 
 The water-pig inhabits the larger rivers and 
 streams, but not the very largest, although, as 
 it feeds upon grass, it comes out to pasture in 
 the neighbouring plains, not without commit- 
 ting great depredations in the fields. When 
 full grown it resembles a pig of two years old 
 in size, and almost in appearance, except in its 
 vast round head, and the whiskers on its upper 
 lip, which are similar to those of a cat. It has 
 short ears, large, black eyes, a very wide 
 mouth, but rather narrow lips, dusky and very 
 short hair, and no tail. Besides two long, 
 curved tusks, which project from its mouth, it 
 is armed with forty-eight teeth, plain at the top, 
 but hollow beneath. Its feet are like those of 
 a pig ; the front ones have four nails, the hind 
 only three. These beasts swim or walk in 
 company, and cross rivers with surprizing expe- 
 dition. By night they bray like asses, and 
 sometimes alarm travellers unacquainted with 
 America. Their flesh is very like pork, but as 
 it has a fishy taste, is eaten by none but the
 
 PARAGUAV. 303 
 
 Indians ; though when young they are reckoned a 
 dainty by Europeans even . Capiiguaras may be 
 wounded without difficulty, either with a spear, 
 an arrow, or a ball, but it requires great good 
 fortune to catch them ; for on receiving a wound, 
 as they are excellent swimmers and divers, they 
 immediately hide themselves under water, and 
 extract the arrow or spear which is sticking in 
 their flesh. The Abipones, who frequently em- 
 ploy themselves in hunting these animals, after 
 wounding a pig, swim after it and overtake it in 
 the water. The skin of the capiiguara is very 
 thick, and were it properly dressed, would be 
 useful in various ways. 
 
 THE OTTER. 
 
 Otters swarm in the lakes and rivers of Para- 
 guay. If I mistake not, they differ from those 
 of Europe in no other respect than in being 
 somewhat smaller. They are most numerous 
 in the Abiponian territories, and those adjacent 
 to the cities of Sta. F^, Cordoba, and Corrientes. 
 In the distant hordes of the Mocobios and Abi- 
 pones, towards the north, there are no otters, 
 or very few at least. The savages make use of 
 them in various ways. They feed upon their 
 flesh, and make cloaks of their skins. 
 
 When the lakes and rivers are almost ex- 
 hausted by a long drought, the Abipones go
 
 304 Account of the abipoxes^ 
 
 out to hunt otters. If the water is shallow 
 enough to ford, hounds are sent forwards, and 
 many hundreds killed with stakes in one day, 
 though they are extremely apt to bite, and have 
 very sharp teeth, on which account^ in killing 
 them, both the Indians and their dogs often re- 
 ceive wounds which are not cured in a few days, 
 
 THE YGUANA. 
 
 The yguana, an animal of the lizard kind, 
 closely resembles the dragon which St. George 
 is represented overthrowing. It is some- 
 times more than an ell long. Its belly is large, 
 its skin clothed with green, white, and yellow 
 scales, elegantly varied with red. From the 
 head to the extremity of the tail, the spine of the 
 back is surmounted by a denticulated fin. Its 
 thick and very long tail is marked with kinds of 
 black rings, intermixed with red ones, and ends 
 in a very slender point. It is furnished with large 
 black eyes, a nose spreading as wide as the lips, 
 short teeth, a cloven tongue, which, when irri- 
 tated, it moves very quickly, four feet, and lower 
 down five nails, wide like the sole of the foot, 
 and covered with a thin web, which assists it in 
 swimming ; for it sometimes swims in the water, 
 sometimes climbs trees, and sometimes lurks for 
 a long time in corners of houses, being very pa- 
 tient of hunger. It never does harm to any one.
 
 PARAGUAY. 305 
 
 It feeds upon honey, little birds' eggs, oranges, 
 sweet citrons, and other fruits. It is incredibly 
 tenacious of life, for after being stripped of its 
 skin, and having received frequent vi^ounds on 
 the head, it will not die, till its head be severed 
 from its body. Though the horrible form of the 
 yguana inspires all beholders with terror, yet its 
 extremely white flesh delights the palates of 
 many. Deceived by my companion, I ate it for 
 fish, and at another time for chicken, and pro- 
 nounced it exceedingly savoury. But I never 
 could prevail upon myself knowingly to taste 
 the yguanc\, so great was the horror which I 
 conceived of its external appearance. The 
 yguank lays about forty eggs in as many days ; 
 they are round, about the size of a walnut, and 
 of a white or yellowish hue, like hens' eggs. 
 Some people eat them fried. As they abound 
 in their own native fat, water is poured on them 
 instead of oil or butter. They say that little 
 stones are sometimes found in the head of the 
 yguana, which, when ground to powder, and 
 drunk with a wholesome potion, or simply ap- 
 plied to the body, diminish or remove stone in 
 the kidneys. Others affirm that a stone, an 
 ounce in weight, is found in some other part of 
 this animal's body, which, when reduced to 
 powder, and drunk in tepid water, removes ob- 
 structions of the bladder. I never saw any 
 
 VOL. I. x
 
 306 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 stones of this kind — never tried their efficacy. 
 Besides this, other kinds of lizards, of diiferent 
 forms and colours, are seen in Paraguay, but I 
 have nothing remarkable to relate of them. The 
 chameleon is very seldom seen here. I once saw 
 one jump hastily out of a boat which lay on the 
 ground near the shore, but had not time to exa- 
 mine it closely. 
 
 RIVER-WOLVES. 
 
 Many rivers, and even lesser streams, pro- 
 duce two kinds of wolves, a larger, and a smaller. 
 Sometimes the Abiponian women tame the 
 whelps at home, suckling them like their own 
 children. They also do the same kind office for 
 puppies, although no wife can suckle another 
 person's child without greatly offending her hus- 
 band, and running the risk of being divorced. 
 These wolves are killed with various weapons 
 by the Abipones, who, though their flesh is not 
 fit for food, make use of their skins, which are 
 of a dusky colour, but yellow at intervals, with 
 extremely soft hair. 
 
 SEALS. 
 
 Seals are remarkable for the size of their bo- 
 dies, and are very numerous in the river Plata, 
 especially at the mouth by which it enters the 
 sea. They have more fat than flesh, so that
 
 PARAGUAY. 307 
 
 hunger alone could induce me to taste them. 
 But their skin, of an elegant yellow colour, 
 marked with a black line on the back, and co- 
 vered with very soft hair, is much prized by 
 Europeans. Our companions, who, at the com- 
 mand of King Philip the Fifth, sailed to the 
 shores of Magellan, record that seals in that 
 place often exceed a bullock two years old in 
 size; that they often strive with one another on 
 the sandy shore, lifting up their bodies as 
 straight as a pillar, and that many geographers 
 have erred in saying that these seals have a 
 mane, and in giving them the name of sea-lions. 
 This is no affair of mine ; let others decide the 
 point. I think the dispute is all about a name. 
 
 FROGS AND TOADS. 
 
 At the end of the amphibious crew come 
 frogs and toads, which swarm in all the rivers, 
 lakes, and marshes, and even the very plains of 
 Paraguay. But what is their use, what their 
 occupation ? They go on singing their old com- 
 plaint in the mud, though in Paraguay they 
 have nothing to complain of; for not being reck- 
 oned amongst the number of eatables, and being 
 entirely excluded from the kitchen, they are 
 neither desired nor attacked, and consequently 
 live in the completest security. To destroy the 
 
 x2
 
 308 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 race of frogs, I had long wished that the vora- 
 cious Indians would take it into their heads to 
 eat them, for whenever we slept in the open air 
 by the side of a river or lake, we were ex- 
 ceedingly annoyed by their croaking. Their 
 voice, as well as colour, is extremely various, 
 for some utter a gentle, clear, sharp sound, 
 others, perhaps the more aged ones, a rough, 
 hoarse, disagreeable croaking. Of toads, horse- 
 leeches, and other insects of that description, 
 we shall speak in another place. 
 
 BIRDS. 
 
 Paraguay has scarcely any European bird, 
 except the swallow, but it abounds in native 
 ones, foreign to Europe. The former excel in 
 the sweetness of their voice, the latter in the 
 elegance of their plumage. Out of many I will 
 describe a few. 
 
 THE HUMMING BIRD. 
 
 The most curious is a bird, which is the 
 smallest, and at the same time the most beauti- 
 ful of all the winged tribe. The Spaniards have 
 with justice named it picaflor, for it plucks the 
 flowers out of which it sucks juice like a bee. It 
 charms the eye with the exquisite beauty of its 
 colour and plumage. The whole of its little 
 body is scarce bigger than an olive or a nutmeg.
 
 PARAGUAY. 309 
 
 Its bill is very long, but slenderer than a needle, 
 its eyes extremely lively, and its tongue broad, 
 but thinner than a silken thread. It sometimes 
 utters a shrill whistle which can hardly be heard. 
 In the country, in a chapel that had long been 
 deserted, I found the nest of one of these birds ; 
 scarce bigger than a common walnut, it hung 
 suspended by a horse-hair from two corners 
 of the wall, and in it the mother was then sit- 
 ting upon two little eggs. Its feathers are 
 sometimes of a bright green, sometimes (for 
 there are nine different species of them in Para- 
 guay) of a blue, sometimes of a fiery red colour ; 
 but all seem clothed with most refulgent gold. 
 That brilliant hue which shines in the expanded 
 tail of a peacock, or in a drake's neck, is dull in 
 comparison with the golden resplendence of this 
 little bird. In sucking juice from flowers it does 
 not stand upon its feet, but seems to hang in the 
 air, and is always borne swiftly along, with its 
 feathers suspended and tremulous. Some have 
 caught birds of this kind and brought them home, 
 but though carefully fed upon melted sugar, they 
 never lived more than four days, being always 
 used to the nectar of flowers. With their fea- 
 thers, which nature has painted with the most 
 exquisite colours, and tinged with gold, the Pe- 
 ruvian Indians are said to have adorned such 
 
 x3
 
 310 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 elegant little images, that you would have sworn 
 them to be formed by the pencil of an artist, and 
 gilded. 
 
 THE CONDOR VULTURE. 
 
 From the least of birds, let us proceed to the 
 largest. The condor, a bird of the hawk species, 
 frequently inhabits the very highest summits of 
 theTucumanand other mountains, whence it flies 
 down to the vallies beneath to prey upon cattle. 
 It is of an almost incredible magnitude ; when 
 its wings are expanded, it measures ten feet, 
 (or, according to some, sixteen,) from the extre- 
 mity of one wing to that of the other. The hol- 
 low part of the quill is equal to a man's finger in 
 width. This bird is furnished with talons like 
 those of a cock, and its beak is so strong and 
 pointed, that it can pierce a bull's hide. It is 
 black, sprinkled here and there with white fea- 
 thers. On its head it has a little crest, like 
 that of a cock, but not so denticulated. It is 
 possessed of amazing strength, and is formidable 
 to all animals, but particularly to new-born 
 calves and foals ; for it tears out their eyes with 
 its beak, and then kills and eats them. It is 
 said to carry away lambs in the air. The de- 
 vastation these birds daily commit amongst the 
 herds and flocks exceeds belief. Several of 
 them always fly together to rapine, and being
 
 PARAGUAY 
 
 311 
 
 rendered formidable by their numbers, do not 
 scruple to attack even full grown beasts. When 
 satiated and loaded with meat they are unable to 
 fly back again , and try to relieve their stomachs by 
 vomiting, that they may be lighter and more ex- 
 peditious in flying. The S paniards who guarded 
 the estates, having frequently observed this cir- 
 cumstance, place in the way of the condors 
 beef sprinkled with plenty of salt, which they 
 eagerly devour, but not being able to vomit, are 
 rendered incapable of flying, and slain with 
 sticks and stones whilst coursing up and down 
 the plain. At other times the condors, crowd- 
 ing together, make a tremendous noise by clap- 
 ping their enormous wings, to the terror of all 
 that hear them. They soar so high in the air as 
 to seem from below no bigger than sparrows, 
 
 THE EMU.* 
 
 The emu, a bird extremely common in Para- 
 guay, is so well known in Europe as to render 
 a description of its figure unnecessary. I will 
 however briefly relate its peculiarities, which no 
 one will dislike to be made acquainted with. 
 
 The emu is ranked amongst birds, because it 
 is winged, though it makes use of its wings, 
 which are too weak for the weight of so large a 
 
 * The American ostrich differs a little from the African, 
 
 x4
 
 312 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 body, not to fly with, but to assist itself in walk- 
 ing, like sails and oars, especially when the wind 
 blows in a favourable direction, for when it is 
 contrary they retard its course. To pursue this 
 bird is extremely difficult, for it not only runs 
 with the utmost swiftness, but escapes by turn- 
 ing and winding about. Emus, which fly the very 
 shadow of a man, are seldom caught by persons 
 on foot, unless they be in such numbers as to 
 surround these birds, and take them as it were 
 in the toils. When standing upright, they reach 
 to the head of the tallest man, which is owing to 
 the length of their legs and neck, for their head 
 is very small. They have little eyes oversha- 
 dowed with large eyebrows. Their body is 
 equal to that of a lamb in weight. Their flesh is 
 much sought and praised by the Indians, and is 
 generally very fat. The Spaniards, neglecting 
 the rest of the flesh, eagerly devour the wings, 
 and think them the best part of the emu. I have 
 eaten them myself sometimes, but a nausea 
 which they created in my stomach gave me a 
 disgust to that food. 
 
 The Abipones make themselves bags, purses, 
 and cushions of emus' skins. The skin which 
 covers the rump they use for little hats. Great 
 and various are the uses of their feathers : for 
 of them are made fly-flaps, fans, and skreens, 
 which both the better sort of Spaniards, and the
 
 PARAGUAY. 
 
 313 
 
 Abiponian women, in riding, place before the 
 sun, that their faces may not be tanned with 
 the heat. To the hinder part of their saddles, 
 the Indians of every nation fasten the longer 
 emu feathers, which, moving as the horse 
 moves, serve to drive away gad-flies, hornets, 
 and gnats. All the female emus of one neigh- 
 bourhood deposit their eggs in one place, and 
 the chickens are hatched by the sun's heat, 
 without any other care. The young ones are 
 fed by the males, who break the eggs that are 
 still full, and employ them in feeding the chick- 
 ens already hatched — thus brothers unborn are 
 devoured by those that have but just seen the 
 light. Sometimes more than sixty or a hundred 
 eggs are found in the same nest, and are eaten 
 both by Spaniards and Indians, either fried or 
 boiled, but are digested slowly and with diffi- 
 culty if wine be not added to the repast. They 
 often afforded me a sumptuous banquet in tra- 
 velling through deserts. One eg§ is enough to 
 satisfy many persons, for the contents of thirty 
 hens' eggs may be poured into the shell of one 
 emu's egg. The shell of the emu's egg is strong, 
 and may be used for various purposes as a pot- 
 ter's vessel. Emus feed on grass, wheat, fruits, 
 or any trash they meet with ; but if they impru- 
 dently swallow iron or bone, they afterward void 
 it quite undigested, and in no way altered. When
 
 314 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 taken young they are easily tamed, and walk 
 up and down the streets or yards, like dogs 
 and hens, suffer children to play with them 
 without fear, and never run away, though the 
 plain be close by, and in sight. There is 
 scarcely any Indian town in which you do not 
 see tame emus of this kind. You must know, 
 moreover, that emus differ in size and habits, in 
 different tracts of land : for those that inhabit 
 the plains of Buenos-Ayres and Tucuman, are 
 larger, and have black, white, and grey feathers : 
 those near to the straits of Magellan are smaller 
 and more beautiful ; for their white feathers are 
 tipped with black at the extremity, and their 
 black ones, in like manner, terminate in white, 
 and make excellent ornaments for the hats and 
 helmets of Europeans. The higher orders 
 amongst the Spaniards, also, greatly prize 
 skreens made of these feathers. 
 
 THE TUNCA. 
 
 The tunca is remarkable on account of its bill, 
 which is as long as its whole body, is as light 
 as paper, of a citron colour, marked at the ex- 
 tremity with a red line, and a black spot, and 
 denticulated at the edges. It has a very long 
 tongue, and rather large eyes, surrounded by a 
 circle of green, and another larger one of yellow. 
 Its feathers are, for the most part, black, ex^
 
 PARAGUAY. 315 
 
 cept on the neck, which is white, and the tail, 
 which is beautifully red at the extremity; but 
 some are blue instead of black. It is about the 
 size of a pigeon. The tunca is called by some, 
 the preacher bird, I believe on account of the 
 loudness of its voice. You will scarce ever see 
 this bird in company with any other. It feeds 
 on the ripe seeds of the tree caa, but as those 
 seeds are too glutinous to be digested, it voids 
 them whole, and they produce new trees, and 
 in time woods, to the great profit of the inha- 
 bitants. I knew a Yaaucaniga Abipon, who, 
 when going to fight, always tied the huge beak 
 of a tunca to his nose, in order to render him- 
 self more terrible to the enemy. 
 
 THE CARDINAL. 
 
 Cardinals are remarkable for the extreme 
 sweetness of their song, and, in my opinion, 
 would far exceed the canary birds of our coun- 
 try, were they able to trill like them. From 
 the shining purple of their feathers they have 
 obtained the name of cardinals. The top of 
 the head alone is adorned with a small black 
 crest, like a little hat. They are about the 
 size of a linnet. They fly in crowds to the most 
 barren fields, where there are more thistles 
 than grass, and are easily caught by boys, who
 
 316 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 will give you four or five cardinals in exchange 
 for a single needle, in the city of Corrientes. I 
 have seen cardinals resembling the rest in other 
 respects, but much larger, being equal in size 
 to a starling. 
 
 THE CHOPI. 
 
 The chopl, w^hich is about the size of a swal- 
 low^, and has dusky feathers, but if shone upon 
 by the sun, of a blue colour, goes in flocks like 
 European sparrows, flies up and down houses, 
 and wheat fields, and delights the ear with its 
 pleasing song. Some very small birds, the 
 names of which I am unacquainted with, sing 
 sweetly in gardens, but when taken they can- 
 not long bear the confinement of a cage. 
 
 THE QUIRAPU. 
 
 The quirapu, a Guarany word, signifying the 
 tinkling bird, so called because its voice is like 
 the sound of a little bell, resembles a pigeon. 
 It is of a grey colour, has very beautiful eyes, 
 a large head, and a green throat, which is in- 
 flated when the bird cries. It never stays long 
 in one place, but passes quickly from tree to 
 tree ; on which account it is very seldom, and 
 with great difficulty, caught. Other birds of 
 the same name, (quirapu miri,) but smaller, and
 
 PARAGUAY. 317 
 
 of a white colour mixed with dusky, fly in com- 
 panies, and whilst one utters loud sounds, all 
 the rest are silent. 
 
 THE TININI. 
 
 The bird tifiini imitates the human voice, 
 particularly at night, and not unfrequently 
 alarms strangers sleeping in a wood, who take 
 it for some enemy or spy. 
 
 THE TIJERAS. 
 
 This bird, which is smaller than our sparrow, 
 and entirely white, is called by the Spaniards 
 tijeras, the scissars, because it sometimes 
 opens and shuts its tail, which consists of two 
 long and very white feathers, like a pair of 
 scissars. 
 
 VARIOUS KINDS OF WILD DOVES. 
 
 The apicazu, yeruti, and other kinds of wild 
 doves, wander about in flocks, doing great mis- 
 chief to fields and gardens, especially to grapes. 
 From their wonderful variety of colours they 
 are pleasing to the eye, but still more so to the 
 palate, when boiled or roasted. 
 
 THE INAMBU. 
 
 This bird inhabits every part of the plain 
 country. In some respects it resembles a part-
 
 318 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 ridge, in others a quail. Its flesh is extremely 
 white and well tasted, but very dry. You will 
 seldom see a stupider bird, or one more easily 
 and more frequently caught. A man on horse- 
 back sometimes goes round and round it, and 
 whilst the bird goes round in like manner, 
 knocks it down with the long piece of leather, 
 which they use for a bridle, or with a slender 
 reed. Numbers are daily brought to the city 
 of Buenos-Ayres, and sold at a very low price. 
 
 MARTINETES AND GALLINETAS. 
 
 There are other birds also, thought to be of 
 the partridge kind, which are larger than a 
 common hen, adorned with a variety of co- 
 lours, and a beautiful crest, and of an agree- 
 able savour. 
 
 DIFFERENT KINDS OF PHEASANTS. 
 
 Birds are found in Paraguay which, in some 
 respects, resemble European pheasants. The 
 commonest species is the yacu. This bird is 
 equal in size to a full grown hen ; its feathers are 
 of a very black colour, and its flesh extremely 
 well tasted. It mostly frequents woods near 
 a river or lake. At sun-set or sun-rise, you 
 may find a number of them on one tree. When 
 one is brought down by a gun, the rest do not 
 fly away, but only recede a little farther on the
 
 PARAGUAY. 319 
 
 bough which they are sitting upon, and there 
 remain till they are all killed by repeated firings. 
 This I have often witnessed, and wondered 
 much that the birds were neither scared by 
 the report of the gun, nor impelled to flight by 
 the deaths of their companions. 
 
 THE MBITUU. 
 
 In the larger class of pheasants, we may with 
 justice place the mbituu, a bird which almost 
 resembles a turkey-cock. Its very black fea- 
 thers are white at the extremity, but the belly 
 is varied with a colour peculiar to partridges. 
 On the top of its head it has a crest composed 
 of black and white feathers, as soft as silk, 
 which it erects when angry. It is armed with 
 a long, hooked, and blackish beak. Its tail is 
 long and generally expanded. Its beautiful 
 head* is adorned with large bright black eyes. 
 Its very long legs are supported on four claws 
 like those of a hen. Its tender flesh is univer- 
 sally commended, and as it is so desirable for 
 the table, I wish it were more commonly met 
 with in the woods by the Indian huntsmen. 
 
 VARIOUS KINDS OF PARROTS. 
 
 The variety and multitude of parrots I might 
 almost call innumerable. Every different spe-
 
 320 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 cies differs distinctly in form, voice, and plu- 
 mage. Those with which I am best acquainted 
 are the paracautee, the paracaubay, the iribaya, 
 the aruay, the tui, the mbaracana, the quaa, or 
 quacamayo, the caninde, the catita, or kikilk ; 
 and others whose names have slipped my me- 
 mory. I will relate what is most remarkable 
 respecting those which I know most of. The 
 paracautee signifies the true and legitimate 
 parrot, which excels the rest in sense and do- 
 cility, and can imitate the sounds of men and 
 beasts with greatest ease and success. It is 
 equal in size to a young pigeon : its feathers 
 are green, but yellow, red, and blue on the 
 head, wings, and tail. I had in my possession 
 a bird of this kind, which I called Don Pedro, 
 and which articulately pronounced many words, 
 and even whole sentences, in the Spanish, Gua- 
 rany, and Abiponian languages, and learnt to 
 sing a little Spanish song admirably. More- 
 over he could imitate violent coughing, laugh- 
 ing, weeping, barking, and an hundred other 
 things so dexterously that you would have 
 sworn it was a man you heard. Whenever I 
 travelled on foot or on horseback, he sat upon 
 my shoulder, always chatty, always playful. 
 When tired of his noise or his weight, I gave 
 him to one of the Indians to carry — he angrily 
 bit the man's ear, and flew back to me. He
 
 PARAGUAY. 321 
 
 laughed very loud for a long time at an old In- 
 dian woman, whom we met riding on an ass. 
 Though he reposed all day long on my shoulder, 
 yet about sun-set, like fowls, he felt a desire for 
 rest, began to grow angry, and, by clapping his 
 wings, and repeatedly biting my ear, admonished 
 me to stop the journey. Next day when I 
 mounted my horse again, he was extremely de- 
 lighted, and did nothing but sing and laugh. 
 When I stayed in the town, he sometimes walked 
 up and down a very long rope suspended from 
 two pillars outside the house. When I entered 
 the dining-room he would fly after me, and 
 whilst we were dining, ran about the table, 
 and always flew angrily to bite the Indian who 
 came to take away the rest of the food with the 
 dishes. He tasted, snatched, and swallowed 
 any food that he could lay hold of. He some- 
 times walked about the court-yard, rubbing 
 and sharpening his beak in the sand, which he 
 often swallowed by way of medicine. Seeing 
 me caress a smaller parrot of another species, 
 filled with envy he attempted to pierce the 
 bird with his beak ; but softened by a little 
 coaxing, he not only suffered it to sleep under 
 his wings, but ever afterwards treated it as a 
 pupil, or rather as a son. What the older 
 bird pronounced with a deep voice, the younger 
 repeated in a slenderer one. The Guaranies 
 
 VOL. I. Y
 
 322 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 tie all their tame parrots, by one foot, to a long 
 pole, to prevent them from flying away. These 
 chains did not please me : I therefore clipped 
 one wing of my parrots a little to prevent them 
 from flying long, or far away, leaving them the 
 full liberty of their legs. This Don Pedro of 
 mine, after continuing many years faithful, 
 took advantage of the circumstance of his fea- 
 thers having grown a little too much, to fly 
 away and disappear. He was sought by many, 
 but without success. At the end of three days 
 he saw me passing through a wood, and knew 
 me instantly. Without delay he crept swiftly 
 along the boughs by the help of his beak and 
 claws, and flew to my shoulder, repeating the 
 words Don Pedro. But though he lavished 
 mibounded caresses on me, he atoned for this 
 desertion by the mutilation of his feathers. I 
 often wondered to hear this parrot repeat the 
 sentences that he knew so opportunely, as if 
 he understood the meaning of them ; for when 
 he was hungry, he cried ijobrc Don Pedro, poor 
 Don Pedro, in a tone calculated to excite com- 
 passion, repeating those words again and again, 
 till eatable roots, bread, or some other food was 
 given him. These particulars, relative to my 
 parrot, the memory of which is still dear to me, I 
 have, perhaps with too much prolixity, related, 
 in order to show you how great is the power of
 
 PARAGUAY. 323 
 
 education, even upon brute animals. Female 
 parrots learn to imitate human speech quicker 
 and better than the males. My companion 
 had one which could repeat the Lord's Prayer 
 in the Guarany tongue. I could have fancied 
 I heard a child praying. This circumstance is 
 very surprizing, as we find that the females of 
 other birds are almost mute. I never could 
 understand how parrots, brought by English- 
 men or Dutchmen from the remotest parts of 
 Asia, Africa, or America, after travelling about 
 so many months, or years perhaps, learn to 
 pronounce sentences either in German or 
 French, or any other language, when in Para- 
 guay it is thought impossible to teach them to 
 speak, unless they be brought unfledged from 
 the nest ; for when full grown we have found 
 them quite indocile. They are most conveni- 
 ently taught at night, or in a dark room, where 
 no object presents itself to their eyes, no sound 
 to their ears : though, whilst walking on their 
 rope, or on a pole, in the court-yard, they in- 
 sensibly learn to imitate dogs barking, horses 
 neighing, cows lowing, old men coughing, boys 
 whistling, laughing, or crying — being extreme- 
 ly attentive to every thing. By long experi- 
 ence I have found that parrots of every kind 
 will learn better and more willingly from wo- 
 
 y2
 
 324 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 men and children, whose voices are sweeter, 
 than from men. 
 
 The paracaubay is of the same size and form 
 as the paracaute^ ; but its feathers are almost 
 all green, with but a very sparing admixture of 
 blue ones, and perhaps a little yellow, or red 
 feather here and there on its head, wings, and 
 tail. These birds babble some unintelligible 
 stuff, but never utter an articulate sound. 
 
 The aruay, which is somewhat smaller than 
 the former, is of a most lovely shape, adorned 
 with red, yellow, and bright green feathers, 
 and capable of talking a great deal, if instructed. 
 
 The iribaya, which scarce exceeds a Euro- 
 pean linnet in size, is sparingly besprent with 
 a few dark green, red, and blue feathers, and is 
 distinguished from the rest by a white circle 
 round the eyes. Though of a very lively tem- 
 per, garrulous, restless, and apt to bite, it rs 
 unable to learn to talk, and has a harsh voice. , 
 Some woods abound to such a degree in these 
 birds, that no other kind of parrot can be seen 
 there. 
 
 The mbaracana, and others of the same kind 
 that are entirely green, being devoid of all 
 beauty and docility, are seldom taught by the 
 Indians. The tuys are divided into many spe- 
 cies. The greenness of their plumage is praised
 
 PARAGUAY. 325 
 
 by every body. The least of them does not 
 exceed a man's little finger in length ; they are 
 extremely merry, and more apt to bite than 
 any of the rest. 
 
 The largest and most beautiful of all the par- 
 rots which Paraguay produces, are the quaa, or 
 quacamayo, and the caninde ; the latter of 
 which is adorned in every part with feathers of 
 a Prussian blue, and a dark yellow colour ; the 
 former with very red and dark blue ones. Their 
 tail is composed of feathers a cubit in length. 
 They are alike in form and size, in which they 
 far exceed a common cock. Their beak is so 
 strong that it would pierce the hard bark of an 
 almond tree at one stroke ; you must be cau- 
 tious, therefore, in handling them. At home 
 they are tamed sooner than you would believe 
 it possible. In the town of St. Joachim I had 
 in my possession some very gentle quaas and 
 canindes. They walked every day about the 
 yard, and would never suffer themselves to be 
 separated, but always kept company together, 
 and were always quarrelling, so that you might 
 apply to them the words of the poet. Nee te- 
 cum possum vivere, nee sine te. They never 
 learn to speak any thing but their own name, 
 which they articulately and clamorously pro- 
 nounce with a harsh voice. I had often wished 
 to have an unfledged caninde brought me from 
 
 Y 3 .
 
 326 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 the nest, feeling quite sure that I should be 
 able to teach it to speak; but these wishes 
 were vain ; for the old Indians who were born 
 in the woods, and had long dwelt there, all re- 
 plied with one accord, God, the Creator of all 
 things, alone knows where the caninde builds 
 its nest. For it is thought to hide its offspring 
 in the hidden recesses of the wood, and from 
 thence, when they are advanced in age, to fly 
 with them to the open plains. Though so 
 many kinds of parrots are exposed for sale at 
 the shops of Lisbon, or are exhibited in the 
 gardens of the chief people there, yet the ca- 
 ninde, which yields to none of the parrot kind 
 in beauty, is never to be met with out of Para- 
 guay, nor is it found in every part of that pro- 
 vince even ; for, like the other more elegant 
 parrots which I have described, it only inhabits 
 the northern forests. In the more southern 
 regions, parrots of the largest size, but of a 
 sombre dark green colour, and annoying to 
 the ears by their senseless clamours, fly in 
 crowds about the groves, especially those com- 
 posed of palm trees ; where wander also great 
 numbers of very small parrots, about the size 
 of a lark, adorned with pale green feathers, and 
 called catitas, or kikilk. They are merry, 
 playful, cunning, and may easily be taught to 
 pronounce some words. They are kept in lea-
 
 PARAGUAY. 327 
 
 thern cages. Incredible is the mischief they 
 do to fields sowed with maize. Guards are 
 necessary to keep them off. The Indians know 
 how to change the natural colour of the parrot 
 into any other they choose. They pull the 
 feathers up by the roots, and rub the place 
 from which they have been plucked, till it 
 grows red, and blood flows from it ; they then 
 instil and press into the pores or sockets of the 
 old feathers, juice of any colour they like. If 
 the wings or tail be imbued with a yellow, red, 
 or blue colour, yellow, red, or blue feathers 
 will grow there. This was practised amongst 
 the Brazilians, Guaranies, and, according to 
 P. Joseph Labrador, amongst the Mbaya sa- 
 vasres. The same Father observed that the In- 
 dians performed the operation in the beginning 
 of spring or autumn, that green is very easily 
 turned into yellow, and that yellow feathers, if 
 plucked up, will be succeeded by none but 
 yellow ones. Why might not the experiment 
 be tried upon European birds ? A red canary, 
 a yellow nightingale, and a blue lark, would 
 certainly be curious objects. 
 
 As the beautiful colours of parrots, and their 
 merry garrulity delight the ear and eye, their 
 flesh, in like manner, is extremely pleasing to 
 the palate, but being rather hard, must be 
 beaten a little while, before it will become 
 
 Y 4
 
 328 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 tender. As parrots are exceedingly suspicious, 
 all times are not equally proper for hunting 
 them. When they assemble on the highest 
 boughs, one of them occupies the top of the 
 tree, that, if any body approaches, he may warn 
 his companions of their danger, and exhort 
 them to flight by sudden clamour. About sun-' 
 set they compose themselves to rest like hens. 
 A great crowd generally assemble on one tree, 
 and as each strives to get the highest bough, 
 continual quarrels ensue — one trying to push the 
 other from the seat that he has obtained, whilst, 
 amid horrid clamours, the feathers that they have 
 torn from each other with their beak or claws, 
 fly about in all directions. During these con- 
 tentions for the highest place, the hunter steals 
 softly thither, and with a gun, or a bow, knocks 
 down the disputing bipeds. If ever you hear 
 the parrots, which you see in the houses of the 
 wealthy, called by other names than those I 
 have mentioned, remember that they must have 
 been brought from other countries, of Asia, 
 Africa, or America. White parrots, with a 
 little red crest, called cockatoos, and others of 
 a grey colour, which I have often seen in Ger- 
 many, are unknown to Paraguay. The smaller 
 parrots, which we call tuy in the Guarany 
 tongue, have the French name perroquet given 
 them in Europe.
 
 PARAGUAY. 329 
 
 INDIAN CROWS. 
 
 Indian crows are black, like those of Europe, 
 but much longer ; their head and neck, as far as 
 the beginning of the wings, are bald, smooth, 
 quite destitute of feathers, but full of wrinkles. 
 These birds subsist on the carcasses and entrails 
 of slain beasts. Whenever oxen are killed in 
 the open plain, as usual there, they perch upon 
 trees or roofs of houses, presently rush down 
 upon the intestines, and one taking each end, 
 carry them through the air like a long rope. 
 Their king is clothed with extremely white fea- 
 thers, and though very seldom seen, flies ac- 
 companied by the other crows, as by satellites. 
 As birds of one feather flock together, the Abi- 
 pones, who live on rapine, bring up the young 
 of these rapacious crows at home, as they be- 
 come wonderfully tame: for they accompany 
 their masters when they ride out to hunt or enjoy 
 the country, partake their fare, and return when 
 they return, but sometimes suffer themselves to 
 be enticed away by flocks of crows which they 
 meet on the road. Crows' feathers are gene- 
 rally chosen for arrows by the savages, on ac- 
 count of their strength. 
 
 '&' 
 
 THE CARACARA, or CARRANCHO. 
 
 Kindred, and allies of the crows, are birds
 
 330 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 which the Spaniards call caracar^, or carrancho. 
 Their body is of a yellowish grey colour, but 
 spotted with yellow and white. They are about 
 the size of a hen, and resemble a hawk in their 
 head, hooked bill, eyes, long claws, and long 
 tail. They feed upon carcasses, like crows, and 
 do a great deal of mischief amongst hens and 
 other birds. Their flesh is of no use. 
 
 VARIOUS KINDS OF HAWKS. 
 
 Caracar^s are followed by kirikir), different 
 kinds of hawks, spotted with various colours. 
 Amongst them are the common hawk, the gos- 
 hawk, or gerfalcon, &c. 
 
 Of owls, the commonest are those which the 
 Spaniards call lechuza, and the horned owl, 
 which the Spaniards call mochuelo. Bats are 
 of various kinds, and very common, as shall be 
 shown hereafter. 
 
 THE GOOSE. 
 
 Water-fowl are so numerous, and of such va- 
 rious kinds, that it would fill a volume to de- 
 scribe them properly ; I shall therefore only 
 speak of some of them. I have, though very 
 seldom, met with an immense number of geese 
 like those of Europe in lakes. But of ducks 
 there is such a variety and number, not only in 
 the lakes but in the rivers also, that their dung
 
 PARAGUAY. 331 
 
 defiles the water so as to render it unfit to be 
 drunk. 
 
 VARIOUS KINDS OF DUCKS. 
 
 Ducks, clothed with black and white feathers, 
 are extremely numerous, and pass the day in the 
 water, and the night in trees close by it. They 
 are most easily and frequently shot out of the 
 water. Their young, when removed to towns, 
 seldom become tame. Other ducks, which the 
 Abipones call roakabl, have feathers of various 
 colours, and beautifully red feet. Small ducks, 
 called by the Abipones ruilili^, flit about toge- 
 ther at night, making a loud hissing, and are be- 
 lieved by the Abipones to be spirits of the dead. 
 The most remarkable are certain middle-sized 
 ducks, of a beautiful rose colour from the head 
 to the tail, but their natural ill smell annoys the 
 nostrils of all who approach them, as much as 
 the beauty of their plumage delights beholders. 
 Under the beautiful feathers of their wings and 
 the rest of their body, (of which not only the 
 plume, but the quill, which we use to write 
 with, is tinged with a deep red colour,) is con- 
 cealed skin, bone, and a very scanty portion of 
 most stinking flesh. They are slenderer than 
 geese's quills, and are used by the Abipones to 
 adorn and crown their heads.
 
 332 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 STORKS. 
 
 Paraguay is not destitute of river-fowl, very 
 like European herons and storks. 
 
 THE HARIA. 
 
 The haria, which is about the size of a stork, 
 boldly attacks serpents, pierces them with its 
 bill and eats them. It soon grows tame in the 
 houses of the Spaniards, and is very useful in 
 gardens by killing noxious insects. I was often 
 moved to laughter by another river-fowl, which, 
 when it stretches out its neck, exceeds a tall man 
 in height, and a lamb in the size of its body. 
 This bird is entirely white, and has very long- 
 feet. It stands for many hours motionless, as if 
 meditating, in the water ; but I confess that I 
 have forgotten its name. 
 
 WATER-CROWS. 
 
 In the river Parana, and elsewhere, numerous 
 water-crows are seen. Their young are de- 
 voured with avidity by the savages, though they 
 all detest the thought of eating birds, hens, 
 or chicken. It would take a long time to men- 
 tion all the various kinds of water-fowl which 
 swarm in the larger rivers and subsist wholly 
 on fish.
 
 PARAGUAY. 333 
 
 SWALLOWS. 
 
 Before I proceed from birds to fishes, I think 
 proper to subjoin a few remarks upon common 
 hens and swallows, the latter of which no ways 
 differ from those of Europe in appearance, voice, 
 and habits. Although Paraguay is free from 
 snow, yet as the south wind renders the air 
 rather cold in winter, the swallows migrate like 
 those of Europe to other places about the be- 
 ginning of autumn, and pass the winter in some 
 unknown retreats, but return at the commence- 
 ment of spring. 
 
 BRAZILIAN FOWLS. 
 
 TheParaguayrian hens have the same form and 
 variety of colour as the European. A few years 
 ago, hens much larger, but not better than the 
 common ones, were brought into Paraguay from 
 Brazil. Their flesh is hard and unsavoury. 
 The chickens are not clothed with feathers 
 within several weeks. The cock is unusually 
 large, and instead of the crest which those of our 
 country wear, displays a large purple crown. 
 Now let us proceed to the scaly tribes of Para- 
 guay. 
 
 VARIOUS KINDS OF FISHES. 
 I never found any European fish throughout
 
 334 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 the whole extent of Paraguay, but many in some 
 respects resembling them. Those best known 
 to me I will describe under their Spanish or In- 
 dian names. 
 
 THE DORADO. 
 
 The fish dorado has obtained the name of the 
 golden fish from its scales, which shine like gold. 
 It is of great weight, and aff'ords solid, white, and 
 savoury flesh. Its head is justly reckoned a 
 dainty, though almost all other fish have their 
 heads cut off" in Paraguay, before they are 
 brought to table. 
 
 THE PACU. 
 
 The pacu is remarkable not only for length but 
 breadth, and the savouriness of its flesh, which 
 is prized for its abundance of fat. The scales are 
 of a dusky, and in some of a sulphureous colour. 
 The head seems too small in proportion to the 
 rest of the body. The Parana, and even the 
 lesser rivers which unite with it, abound in this 
 most excellent fish. 
 
 THE CORVINO. 
 
 The corvino is generally caught in the neigh- 
 bourhood of the ports of Monte-Video and Mal- 
 donado, where the fresh water is mingled with 
 the salt water of the river Plata. It has some-
 
 PARAGUAY. 335 
 
 what the appearance of a carp, but excels that 
 fish so much in size and savouriness, that it is 
 eagerly sought by distant cities. 
 
 THE MUNGRULLU. 
 
 The mungruUu is perhaps the largest and 
 strongest of the Paraguayrian river-fish. It 
 sometimes weighs more than a hundred pounds. 
 Its flesh is firm and red. 
 
 THE ZURUBI. 
 
 The zurub), a fish scarce inferior in size to the 
 former, is not covered with scales, but with a 
 slippery skin of a greyish colour, and mottled 
 with large black spots. It aflfords white, solid, 
 savoury, and wholesome flesh. The vast weight 
 of this fish maybe inferred from the circumstance 
 that when hung upon a pole, and carried on the 
 back, it is enough to tire two Indians. 
 
 THE PATI. 
 
 The pati is thought almost equal to the former 
 in size and savouriness. 
 
 THE ARMADO. 
 
 The fish armado is very properly named, for 
 its back and sides are armed all over with very 
 sharp gills and fins, with which it endeavours to 
 wound the fisherman as he is taking the hook
 
 336 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 from its jaws, horribly roaring at the same time 
 and tossing itself about, on account of which its 
 head must be crushed with a strong stake as 
 soon as it is taken out of the river. Its head is 
 round, resembling that of a frog, and shielded 
 by a very strong shell. It has small bright eyes, 
 surrounded by a circle of gold. Its mouth is 
 narrow, but rendered terrific by a shaggy 
 beard. The body is of an iron-grey colour, and 
 armed with very hard oblong scales. This fish 
 is thicker than it is long, and often weighs four, 
 often six pounds, or more. Its flesh is solid, ex- 
 tremely well tasted, and on that account thought 
 very wholesome for sick persons. The river 
 Paraguay abounds in this noble fish. 
 
 THE VAGRE. 
 
 The vagre is a species of trout. Its head is 
 covered with a hard shell, its skin is smooth, 
 slippery, and covered with red spots, and its flesh 
 extremely well tasted. Various rivers contain 
 various kinds of this fish, which are distinguished 
 by the number, size, and colour of their fins and 
 gills, but are all of an admirable savour. Of 
 their bladder, ground with the teeth, and mixed 
 up with brandy, a very strong glue is made. 
 
 THE SAVALO. 
 
 The savalo somewhat resembles our carp, but
 
 PARAGUAY. 337 
 
 is smaller, and more savoury. You scarcely 
 ever see one weighing more than two pounds. 
 This fish is full of thorns. Though very common 
 in many rivers and lakes, it is never caught with 
 a hook. 
 
 THE BOGA. 
 
 The b6ga differs little from the siivalo, but is 
 superior to that fish, though less abundant. 
 
 THE PEJE REY. 
 
 The peje rey means the king fish, for in fact, 
 though only middle-sized, its flesh is pre-emi- 
 nently good. It has a very large head and 
 mouth, and is destitute of fat. It is only caught 
 in that part of the Parana which washes the ter- 
 ritories of Sta. Fe, or in the kindred streams, to 
 which this fish repairs to spawn. When fresh, 
 it is reckoned amongst the delicacies of the 
 tables of the wealthy. After being dried by the 
 air only, without a grain of salt, it is sent in 
 quantities from the above-mentioned city to 
 others, and kept a long while, but soon putrifies 
 if it contracts any moisture on the way. 
 
 LA VIEJA. 
 
 La vieja is a very strange fish, for its whole 
 body is covered with a strong shell, or horny 
 bark, which would resist even a knife. Hence, 
 
 VOL. I. z
 
 338 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPOXES. 
 
 when caught it is laid on live coals, together 
 with the shell, and eaten roasted in this manner. 
 It is very seldom taken with a hook, and rarely 
 weighs more than a pound. 
 
 THE DENTUDO. 
 
 The dentudo abounds every where, and would 
 be extremely palatable, were it not for the 
 thorns with which it is covered. It scarcely 
 ever weighs so much as a pound. I have caught 
 and eaten numbers of them, but have lost many 
 hooks in the process, for they gnawed the line 
 to pieces with their sharp teeth. 
 
 THE RAYA. 
 
 The raya is a fish of such singular appearance, 
 that it can hardly be reckoned amongst fishes. 
 Its form resembles that of an oval dish with a 
 flat surface. Its back is black, and its belly 
 white. In the middle of its body is placed a 
 narrow mouth or cheek. It has ^ smooth, slen- 
 der, but very long tail, denticulated like a saw, 
 and armed at the end with a poisonous sting, 
 with which, whilst lurking under the sand 
 on the shore, it grievously wounds the naked 
 feet of the sailors walking about there, whenever 
 it has an opportunity. The wound presently 
 swells, gets inflamed, and unless hot ashes be 
 immediately applied to it, causes death. It is
 
 PARAGUAY. 339 
 
 a curious fact, that the Abipones use this enve- 
 nomed sting as a pen-knife to open a vein. The 
 flesh of the raya maybe eaten ; but it is generally 
 thought that hunger alone could render it palat- 
 able, though I must say, that, well fried, it was 
 not unpleasant to my taste. The size and form 
 of these fish vary in various kinds ; (for there are 
 many species of them). They appear to be vivi- 
 parous, for embryos are frequently found in their 
 insides. 
 
 THE PALOMETA. 
 
 The palometa is more formidable to swim- 
 mers than any crocodile ; for its jaws, each of 
 which is furnished with fourteen very sharp, 
 triangular teeth, like so many spears, are its ar- 
 moury, with which it attacks any part of the 
 human body, and cuts it off at one blow. I 
 myself have seen a strong Abipon with the sole 
 of his foot severely wounded by this fish, and an 
 Abiponian boy with four of his toes cut off by it 
 and hanging only from a bit of skin. To prove 
 the credibility of the fact, ^ I must tell you that 
 the Abiponian women use the jaw of the palo- 
 meta to shear sheep with. The Abipones also, 
 before they were in possession of iron, used it 
 to cut off the heads of the Spaniards. This fish 
 is found every where in great abundance, but is 
 smaller in the smaller rivers, where it scarce 
 
 z2
 
 340 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 weighs half a pound, while in the larger ones it 
 grows to the size of two or more pounds ; but 
 its length never corresponds to its breadth. It 
 has a curved back, thick head, wide mouth, 
 small round eyes, and a broad forked tail. Be- 
 sides the formidable jaw which I have described, 
 it threatens all assailants with large, long gills, 
 and seven sharp fins, the largest of which is si- 
 tuated in the middle of the back, and runs to- 
 wards the tail. The body is covered with faint 
 grey spots, interspersed with red, blue, and 
 yellow. The flesh is firm, white, and very sa- 
 voury ; I wish that it were not so full of bones. 
 When the hook is extracted, these fish must be 
 handled with caution, otherwise they will wound 
 you with their teeth or fins. 
 
 THE MBUZU. 
 
 In muddy pools, and even in rivers, you see 
 fish very like European eels, and not eaten by 
 the Indians, on account of their snake-like ap- 
 pearance. Our eating one of these fishes, caused 
 a report amongst the Indians that Europeans 
 fed upon serpents. Whether these fishes are 
 really eels, or of the serpent kind, I will not pre- 
 tend to determine. 
 
 THE RIVER-CRAB. 
 
 Although Paraguay abounds in various kinds
 
 PARAGUAY. 341 
 
 of choice fish, it is almost destitute of crabs. I 
 had long heard that some very small crabs, 
 not like those of the sea, but like those in 
 the rivers of Germany, v^ere found in certain 
 streams in the territories of the Uruguay ; and 
 I myself saw some which were brought to 
 our table in the Uruguayan town of Concep- 
 cion ; but they were pygmies in comparison 
 with ours, and might be called mere shadows, 
 and embryos of crabs. After travelling, sail- 
 ing, and fishing so much in Paraguay, as I 
 never saw any other cray fish beside these, it is 
 my opinion that there are none, or very few in- 
 deed. But there are a great variety of sea-crabs. 
 
 RIVER-TORTOISES. 
 
 The rivers, lakes, and streams, abound in 
 tortoises, but not of that kind the shells of 
 which are valuable in Europe, and fit for work- 
 ing. No sooner did we cast a hook into the 
 river than a tortoise would bite, but was always 
 rejected by us ; for in the greater part of Para- 
 guay these animals are eaten neither by Spani- 
 ards nor Indians. The only useful part of tor- 
 toises in Paraguay is their great shells, which are 
 used for pots and plates by the common people. 
 
 LAND-TORTOISES. 
 
 Whilst the Abipones, Guaranies, and other 
 z3
 
 342 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 Indians with whom I was acquainted, not only 
 abstain from eating tortoises, but even detest 
 the very idea of such a thing ; the Chiquitos, 
 on the contrary, make them their chief food 
 during the greater portion of the year. They 
 laboriously hunt after these animals, which are 
 marked with various colours, in the woods and 
 rocks, that provision may not fail them during 
 those months in which their territories are inun- 
 dated by an annual flood ; for as there is more 
 wood and mountain than plain country there, 
 the deficiency of pasture renders it impossible 
 that as many oxen can be raised and killed, 
 for the support of the Indians, as in the colonies 
 of the Guaranies and Abipones. The tortoise, 
 therefore, supplies the place of beef among the 
 Chiquitos. 
 
 SNAILS. 
 
 Innumerable snails are seen in their shells in 
 the woods, plains, and the borders of lakes, 
 but are eaten by no human being in Paraguay. 
 Empty snail-shells, burnt to ashes in the fire, 
 are used by the Guaranies for whitening walls, 
 when stones for making lime are not to be 
 found. From the white shells of certain snails, 
 the Vilelas make little round beads, perforated 
 in the middle, which they sell to the other 
 Indians. The Abipones hang round their
 
 PAUAGUAY. 343 
 
 necks great heavy strings of these beads, and 
 both men and women think the more they are 
 loaded the finer they are. On the shores of the 
 river Uruguay, there is an odd kind of snail, 
 larger than a man's fist, which the Indians roast 
 in its shell, and devour with avidity. I do not 
 recollect any thing worth mentioning, in regard 
 to shells and shell-fish, if there are any wretched 
 ones to be found here. 4| 
 
 WAYS OF FISHING. 
 
 After treating of fish, a few observations 
 should be made concerning the various methods 
 of fishing. In the city of Buenos-Ayres the 
 Spanish fishers enter the river Plata on horse- 
 back, near the shore, as far as it is shallow. 
 Two of them lay hold of each end of a rope, on 
 which a net is either spread, or closed again, 
 filled with fish ; in a few hours they carry to 
 shore numbers of noble fishes, which are imme- 
 diately put to sale. The Payaguas and Vilelas 
 subsist chiefly upon fish. For fishing they use a 
 very small net, two ends of which they fasten 
 before them, as you would an apron, at the 
 same time holding the two others with their 
 hands. Thus accoutred they jump from the 
 shore into the water, and if they spy any fish 
 at the bottom, swim after it, catch it in the net, 
 which they place under its body, and carry it 
 
 z4
 
 344 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 to shore. The Indian who has remamed be- 
 neath the water such a length of time that you 
 believe him inevitably drowned, you will, with 
 astonishment, behold emerging at a great dis- 
 tance, laden with booty. These men are more 
 properly divers, than fishers. If the transpa- 
 rency of the water, as in the river Salado, ren- 
 ders the fish visible, the Paraguayrians pierce 
 them with an arrow, a spear, or an iron prong. 
 The wood Indians catch fishes more usually by 
 craft and artifice than by arms. Sometimes 
 by throwing in sticks, and boughs of trees art- 
 fully entwined together, they dam up a river in 
 such a way that, though the fish can enter this 
 enclosure, they are unable to get out again. 
 In other places they throw the plant y^ipotingi, 
 which creeps up trees, or the leaves or fresh 
 roots of the caraquata, well pounded, into the 
 water, which intoxicates the fishes to such a de- 
 gree that they may be caught with the hand as 
 they float on the surface. They often lash the 
 water with the leaves of a certain tree which 
 grows in great abundance near\he river Atingy, 
 the juice of which is said to be fatal to fishes. 
 The Indians sometimes catch fishes with hooks 
 made of wood or reeds. The common, and 
 indeed the only instrument for fishing that I 
 used, was an iron hook baited with a piece of 
 fresh beef.
 
 PARAGUAY. 345 
 
 LITTLE FLYING-FISH. 
 
 Flying-fish are about the size of a large her- 
 ring ; their body is oblong and smaller at the 
 tail ; their head large and flat ; their eyes 
 round and big, with immense pupils, and sur- 
 rounded by a yellow circle, and another larger 
 blackish one : their mouth is middle-sized, des- 
 titute of teeth, but armed with jaws slightly 
 denticulated. The tail is wide and forked ; 
 the wings very large, and composed of a mem- 
 brane thinner than paper, of a whitish grey co- 
 lour. They are furnished with six small fins, a 
 bony shell, pointed at the end, and scales of 
 various colours and forms, but shining like those 
 of a herring. They fly out of the water to 
 avoid the dorados, which try to catch them ; 
 but in a few moments, as soon, in fact, as their 
 wings are dried by the air, fall back into the 
 sea, and being again moistened are enabled to 
 renew their flight. In various seas they are of 
 various forms and sizes. The Portugueze sailors 
 do not refuse to eat their flesh. 
 
 THE SHARK. 
 
 But as men of this description have generally 
 too large appetites, and capacious stomachs to 
 be satisfied with '* such small deer," they pre- 
 fer larger fish, especially sharks, numbers of
 
 346 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 which they caught, during their voyage, with 
 an iron hook many pounds weight. Sharks 
 generally follow ships, and swallow whatever is 
 thrown out of them, whether it be dead bodies 
 or any other filthy trash. They are of such vast 
 size and weight, that twelve stout sailors are 
 scarce sufficient to drag one with a rope from 
 the sea into the ship. Nor should you be sur- 
 prized at this, for a shark is about nine feet 
 long, and three or more wide. Its horrid jaws, 
 which contain a triple row of serrated triangu- 
 lar teeth, are prepared to tear any thing. It 
 has a fierce, and ever watchful look. It is 
 covered with very rough skin of various co- 
 lours. Whenever a shark was taken and gutted 
 by the sailors, its stomach presented a ridicu- 
 lous spectacle ; it looked like a broker's shop 
 full of all sorts of trumpery. In it we found 
 worn out garments, old drawers, hats, whole 
 fowls, and whatever had been thrown by the 
 sailors into the sea. When I found this, I 
 always suspended stones, or cannon balls, to 
 human bodies before I committed them to the 
 waves, that they might sink to the bottom, lest 
 floating on the surface, they should be torn to 
 pieces by sharks. The flesh of this fish, though 
 very white, was tasted by none but hungry 
 sailors ; though the females are despised by them 
 even. One, which I had seen them take with
 
 PARAGUAY. 347 
 
 immense labour, they threw back into the sea, 
 on discovering its sex. I cannot tell why they 
 make this distinction. The Abipones roast and 
 eat female locusts, but loathe and reject the 
 males, for reasons known to themselves alone. 
 
 DOLPHINS. 
 
 During nine months spent in sailing on the 
 Mediterranean and the Ocean, I have frequently 
 seen many others of the scaly tribe, with forms 
 terrible to the sight ; but except middle-sized 
 fishes and sharks, I never saw any of the family 
 of Neptune caught by the sailors. When the 
 sea was smooth, and the air tranquil, we fre- 
 quently observed dolphins tossing themselves 
 merrily about, and appearing as it were to 
 dance ; a spectacle by no means pleasing to us, 
 who had so often found this leaping of dolphins 
 the forerunner, and annunciation of an impend- 
 ing whirlwind and tempest. 
 
 WHALES. 
 
 Immense whales were a very terrible, and by 
 no means uncommon sight to us on the ocean, 
 though they never approached the ship. On 
 the desert shores of Brazil we thought we per- 
 ceived a pirate ship. Fearing some mischance 
 we called for the captain, who from the top of
 
 348 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 the mast by the help of a telescope discovered 
 it to be an enormous whale. This immense 
 animal, as it tossed itself about on the waves, 
 presented the appearance of a ship. A pro- 
 jecting fin, which is said to be sometimes fifty 
 feet high, had been taken for a mast. From 
 the horrid pipe, or fistula of his head, as from a 
 great fire-engine, he spouted up a vast quantity 
 of water, which, when dispersed by the wind, 
 and shone upon by the rays of the sun, looked 
 white like the sails of a ship. In returning to 
 Europe we observed the water leaping up and 
 breaking itself in an unusual manner, not far 
 from the ship. Imagining that rocks or shoals 
 must be at hand, the captain ordered the prow 
 of the ship to be turned in another direction. 
 But an intolerable stench relieved our minds by 
 discovering the putrid carcass of a very large 
 whale, against which the waters had been dash- 
 ed. Whales perish in the same way as ships, 
 and die by degrees from being knocked against 
 quicksands and shoals. We sometimes, how- 
 ever, see the carcasses of whales cast on to the 
 shore by the tide. I have spoken elsewhere of 
 melotas, enormous fish, innumerable shoals of 
 which we met during some weeks in the month 
 of November. From the water let us now pro- 
 ceed to the woods and plains of Paraguay,
 
 PARAGUAY. 349 
 
 which abound in so many curious plants and 
 trees. 
 
 PLANTS. 
 
 The Jesuit priest Thomas Falconer, an Eng- 
 lishman well versed in medicine and botany, 
 frequently and openly declared that Paraguay 
 had been enriched by the bounty of nature with 
 so many wholesome plants, roots, gums, woods 
 and fruits, that whoever was skilled in the 
 knowledge of those things would have no occa- 
 sion for European druggists to cure any disease. 
 Out of many which Paraguay affords either for 
 medicinal or other purposes, I will describe a 
 few in the order in which they enter my mind. 
 I doubt not that botanists have written on this 
 subject more clearly and methodically ; whe- 
 ther more faithfully also, I dare not determine 
 with regard to all. 
 
 CHINA CHIN^, OR PERUVIAN BARK. 
 
 This tree is peculiarly worthy of note on ac- 
 count of its bark, which is called china chinae, 
 Peruvian bark, or the remedy for fever. It is 
 of middling height, and not very large, and 
 bears an almost orbicular fruit, somewhat raised 
 in the middle, and by no means fit to be eaten, 
 but which contains two yellowish nuts indented 
 all over like the rind of an almond. It is filled
 
 350 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 with a balsamic odour of a dusky colour, and a 
 very sweet scent, but extremely bitter. With 
 this balsam the Indians allay pains in the eyes, 
 head and stomach, if they arise from cold. The 
 bark is naturally white, but when torn from 
 the tree gradually assumes a dark yellow on 
 the surface, a little varied with pale spots : but 
 within, it is of a red colour, not like blood, but 
 like cinnamon, being tinged with a yellowish 
 cast. The taste is bitter, but the smell aromatic 
 and pleasant, though somewhat rancid. Some 
 call the Peruvian bark Jesuits' powder, because 
 the Jesuit missionaries in Peru were the first 
 who made known its singular efficacy in expel- 
 ling fevers. The celebrated physician Woytz 
 tells us that this medicine was first brought to 
 Europe, in the year 1650, by Cardinal de Lugo, 
 a Spanish Jesuit. 
 
 ZARZA PARRILLA. 
 
 Zarza parrilla is the root of a green, creeping 
 plant, armed at intervals with very small thorns. 
 It has leaves almost a span long, from the be- 
 ginning of which proceed two tendrils, with 
 which it entwines itself with other plants. The 
 flowers grow in clusters, and give place to 
 berries, which are first green, then red, and 
 when quite ripe, black, and wrinkled like dry 
 cherries, which they resemble in size and form.
 
 PARAGUAY. 351 
 
 This plant is called by the Spaniards zarza 
 parrilla, on account of its thorns, for zarza in 
 Spanish means a thorny plant ; parrilla, in the 
 same language, signifies a gridiron ; as there- 
 fore the leaves of this plant bear some sort of 
 resemblance to a gridiron, three pretty large 
 veins running lengthways, crossed by a number 
 of smaller ones, it has received the name parrilla 
 or gridiron ; but botanists call it smikuv aspera 
 Peruviana, or sarmentum Indiciim. The zarza 
 parrilla is very common on the banks of the 
 Uruguay, and the Rio Negro, the waters of 
 which are celebrated for their salubrity ; it is 
 also found near the Rio Tercero, in the territo- 
 ries of Sta. F^, and other parts of America. 
 The most famous is that which comes from the 
 bay of Honduras. The roots of the zarza parrilla, 
 which possess a medicinal virtue, are scarce 
 thicker than a goose's quill, wrinkled on the 
 surface, and of a dusky colour, but white 
 within; all of them grow from the same joint 
 or knot of the plant. They have no particular 
 taste or smell. They consist of iwDsin, and gum 
 which is the softer part of them. The various 
 uses of these roots are too well known to phy- 
 sicians to need an explanation from me. 
 
 RHUBARB. 
 Rhubarb is the root of a plant of the dock
 
 352 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPON£S. 
 
 kind. From out the sheath of the leaves rises 
 a little bunch of flowers divided into many 
 branches, on which hang four blossoms, sur- 
 rounded with leaves, and bearing a triangular 
 seed. The roots are long, and rather spungy^ 
 tolerably heavy, yellowish on the outside, but 
 within of the colour of a nutmeg, variegated 
 like marble, and of a sharp bitter taste. When 
 eaten they create nausea, and have an aromatic 
 flavour. In divers parts of Paraguay, especi- 
 ally in the mountains called La Cordillera, near 
 the city of Asumpcion, as well as at the banks of 
 the rivers Ypane miri, and Tapiraguay, there 
 grows a kind of rhubarb, similar to that of 
 Alexandria in colour, taste, smell, and virtue, 
 but with this difference, that the leaves of the 
 Alexandrine rhubarb are pointed at the bottom, 
 and broader at the end ; whereas the leaves of 
 the Paraguayrian are wide at the beginning, 
 and terminate in a point, like the leaves of lilies. 
 I understand that the East Indian rhubarb, as 
 well as that of Persia, Muscovy, and Tartary, 
 is preferred by physicians to that of America. 
 
 THE ROOT JALAP. 
 
 Paraguay abounds in the root jalap, the plant 
 of which is called by botanists Mirabilis Pe- 
 ruviana. These roots are long, thick, and re- 
 sinous. Without they are of a dusky brown.
 
 PARAGUAY. 353 
 
 but within of a pure white, without any decay. 
 They not only cure bile, and rheum, but expel 
 other noxious humours from the body. The 
 rosin of jalap is prepared from them. 
 
 MECHOACHAN. 
 
 Mechoachan is a large light root, entirely 
 white at the beginning, but of a dusky colour 
 above. Some call it bryonia Indica, but though 
 it resembles the bryonia, its plant is a convol- 
 vulus, and bears heart-shaped leaves, and small 
 berries. The mechoachan is well calculated 
 for gently purging infants ; for the powder to 
 which the root is reduced has no taste, and 
 looks like flour. 
 
 SASSAFRAS. 
 The tree sassafras, which is very common 
 throughout the whole of America, may be com- 
 mended for its beauty, as well as its salubrity. 
 The trunk is perfectly straight and plain, to the 
 length of about thirty feet, when the top un- 
 folds into branches, and leaves. Not only the 
 wood of this tree, but also the bark and root 
 smell very strong of fennel, which keeps off 
 decay and rottenness. Like santalum it is of a 
 dusky yellow colour, and has a sharp aromatic 
 taste, and a pleasant smell. Druggists should 
 examine carefully that the wood of the red fir, 
 
 VOL. I. A A
 
 354 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 boiled in fennel, may not be palmed upon them 
 by foreign traders for the real wood. There is 
 also another kind of sassafras, which has leaves 
 like those of a laurel, and bears an odoriferous 
 and blackish fruit. The bark is of a darkish 
 red colour. This other species is said to pos- 
 sess the same virtue as the former, in provoking 
 perspiration, and urine, in healing maladies 
 arising from cold, syphilis, obstructions in the 
 bowels, disorders in the womb, &c. The ape- 
 terebi, a tree common in the North of Para- 
 guay, is also thought by some to be a species of 
 sassafras. 
 
 HOLY WOOD. 
 
 The tree called holy wood is very broad, but 
 not very lofty. It has little and almost round 
 leaves, two of which proceed from single stalks, 
 and are indented at the top. It bears yellow 
 flowers, which grow either single or two toge- 
 ther, at the extremity or in the middle of the 
 boughs. The wood is exceedingly hard, and will 
 last almost for ever, even under water. The pith 
 is of a lead colour. The rosin which exudes 
 from this tree is bitter, aromatic, and said to 
 possess equal medicinal properties with the 
 wood: it, as well as the gum, is reduced to a 
 powder which the Paraguayrians drink in cold 
 water, as a cure for dysentery. For what dis-
 
 PARAGUAY. 355 
 
 orders, and in what manner this salutary wood 
 is to be used, it is not my province to explain. 
 This tree does not grow in the South of Para- 
 guay, but in the North, where the Abipones 
 and Mocobios dwell ; it is also found in some 
 parts of upper Tucuman. 
 
 THE GUAYACAN. 
 
 It is a great mistake to suppose that holy 
 wood, and guayacan are the same ; for though 
 the wood of both possess the same power of 
 healing almost any disease, yet the two trees 
 differ as much in form as in name : for the 
 guayacan is loftier than the other, and almost 
 resembles a nut-tree. It abounds in boughs, 
 and bears small hard leaves. The flowers are yel- 
 low and produce fruit full of seeds. The blacker 
 the pith of the tree is the more it abounds in 
 rosin. The bark of this tree is hard, resinous, 
 and composed of several little skins, spotted 
 with grey on the outside, but within of a pale 
 red : it has a bitter taste, but not an unpleasant 
 smell, and is thought to be more efficacious 
 in medicine than the wood itself. 
 
 THE ZUYNANDY. 
 
 The zuynandy, a large, lofty tree, consists of 
 a soft wood, a thick bark turgid with copious 
 moisture, and red flowers which seem to be 
 A a2
 
 356 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 composed of one large expanded leaf, as soft as 
 silk. The bark, when stripped of the rough 
 outer skin, and properly ground, is of much effi- 
 cacy in healing wounds inflicted by the teeth 
 or claws of a tiger. 
 
 THE ZAMUU. 
 
 The zamuu is ridiculous both in name and 
 form ; for the Spaniards call it 'palo borracho, 
 the drunken tree. It is lofty. It has a trunk 
 surrounded with largish thorns, and bears mid- 
 dle-sized flowers of a beautiful red colour, but 
 is of very singular appearance in other respects. 
 For the highest and lowest parts of the trunk 
 are small, while the middle swells out to a 
 great width, like a barrel : on which account 
 its very soft wood is easily made into tubs, and 
 barrels. The farther this tree grows from rivers 
 the wider it swells, so great is its dislike to 
 water. It bears a round fruit like certain large 
 gourds, with a very strong rind, which fruit, 
 when ripe, bursts open and discovers woolly 
 flakes, like cotton, and softer than silk, but 
 with so short a fibre that it is very difficult to 
 draw them out into a thread. The thorns of this 
 tree when bruised to powder, and boiled, tinge 
 the water with a red colour which is said to 
 cure sore eyes.
 
 PARAGUAY. 
 
 357 
 
 THE MANGAY. 
 
 The mangay is about the size of a cherry- 
 tree, and bears white flowers, which exhale a 
 very dehghtful odour. It produces fruit of a 
 golden colour, and equal in size to a large plum, 
 which, when ripe, are agreeable to the taste, 
 but hurtful to the stomach. Both the tree 
 and the fruit overflow with a kind of milky, and 
 resinous juice, called mangayci, in the Guarany 
 tongue, which streams out plentifully, when 
 you cut the bark, and is caught by the hand, 
 or by a board. The air curdles it, and gives it 
 the appearance of a little skin. In this state, 
 it is rolled up into balls, which are so remark- 
 ably elastic, that when thrown lightly upon the 
 ground they leap up very high in the air. 
 This liquor, mangayci, is said to be very useful 
 in cases of dysentery. It is much to be la- 
 mented that so very few take the trouble to 
 collect this rosin, which would be useful in 
 Europe in various ways. 
 
 DRAGON'S-BLOOD. 
 
 The tree caa vera, which produces the dra- 
 gon's-blood, is middle-sized both as to height 
 and bulk. Some botanists call these trees 
 palmcc prunifercc foli'is Jaccce, but in my opinion 
 they have no affinity whatever with palms. 
 
 A A 3
 
 358 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 When a deep incision is made into their trunks, a 
 kind of juice flows from them, resembling blood 
 in colour and consistence, and which, when 
 boiled on the fire, condenses into a liver-co- 
 loured rosin. Physicians complain that foreign 
 traders sell them goat's-blood, bolo, or red 
 Brazil wood, mixed with gum arable, for dra- 
 gon's-blood. 
 
 THE CUPAY. 
 
 The Paraguayrian trees, though they offer 
 their fruits spontaneously to the natives, do not 
 yield the oil, with which they are impregnated, 
 without being cut. Amongst these is the 
 cupay, a large, tall tree, remarkable for its 
 leaves, which are half a foot long, with red 
 nerves and veins. Besides the wood, which is 
 of a dark red colour, hard, and fit for carpen- 
 ter's work, it affords a fruit which is dusky on 
 the surface, but has a kernel resembling a walnut 
 in size and form, and which is reckoned eatable 
 by the Indians, and a dainty by the apes. 
 But this tree owes its celebrity and value to 
 the excellent oil with which it teems. To 
 extract this most useful juice both arms, and 
 arts are requisite. The trunk of the tree, 
 which should neither be very old, nor too 
 young, is cut to the pith with a knife. Soon 
 after the incision is made, you will hear a slight
 
 PARAGUAY. 359 
 
 crackling, caused by the oil flowing from the 
 top and from the boughs : for the warm air, 
 insinuating itself more freely into the pores of 
 the wounded tree, seems to rarefy and liquidate 
 the oil, which is naturally resinous and thick. 
 To eifect this sooner and with more certainty 
 apply dry burning boughs to the opposite side 
 of the tree into which the incision has been 
 made ; by their heat, the oil is more dispersed 
 amongst the fibres of the tree, and more liquefied, 
 which causes it to flow freely into the vessel 
 placed beneath the trunk. Within a few hours 
 you will find a jug full of oil. If you wish to 
 fill many jugs cut many of these trees, which 
 are most abundant in the northern woods of 
 Paraguay ; there are none, or very few, else- 
 where. This operation must be performed in 
 spring, in the month of September, when the 
 moon is at full ; if you undertake it in the ab- 
 sence of the moon, in winter, or summer, you will 
 lose your labour. This oil, in colour, could not be 
 distinguished from water ; it has a bitter taste, 
 exhales an odour neither sweet nor the con- 
 trary, and is useful both to painters and phy- 
 sicians. I will now make you acquainted with 
 its virtues, which I learnt from others, but 
 never tried myself. When warmed and ap- 
 plied to a wound, it is said to stop the flowing 
 of the blood, and to heal the wounded person 
 
 A A 4
 
 360 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 very speedily. It will cure the bites of ser- 
 pents, and remove scars. Placed by way of 
 plaster on the breast, it eases languor in the 
 stomach ; when applied to the belly, it assuages 
 colic, and pains arising from cold. Two or 
 three drops, swallowed with a boiled egg, will 
 remove dysentery, and other hurtful fluxions, 
 restore the tone to the bowels, and impart 
 strength. Sometimes it is used as an injec- 
 tion with sugar from plaintain water, or oil of 
 roses. From the oil of the cupay the Brazilians 
 make the balsam cupayba, of such high repute 
 in Europe, especially the inhabitants of the 
 province of Maranham, which abounds in those 
 trees. But other rosins, chiefly that from the 
 tree ybirapaye, of which we shall speak here- 
 after, are mixed with this balsam, as the sin- 
 gular fragrance of the smell discovers. Ame- 
 rican as well as European painters derive much 
 benefit from the oil of the cupay, for when 
 mixed with garlick, it brightens pictures better 
 than any varnish, and will never be obscured 
 by time, if mixed with the colours instead of 
 linseed oil. In wooden images, particularly, 
 nothing is better for painting the face, hands, 
 and every thing of flesh, of a natural colour. I 
 can scarce persuade myself that the oil of the 
 cupay is brought quite pure from America to 
 our shops; and that merchants do not adul-
 
 PARAGUAY: 361 
 
 terate it to increase the weight. There are 
 three trees in Paraguay, all materially different, 
 but much alike in name ; I mean the ciipai/, the 
 curupay, and the ciunipicay. The curupay 
 affords bark like that of the cevil, which the 
 Indians use to dress ox-hides with. To give 
 them a red colour they mix the bark of the 
 curupay with that of another tree, (the caatigua, 
 which the Abipones call achit^.) The curu- 
 picay, a tree not larger nor harder than the 
 elder, has a spungy kind of wood, unfit for 
 any purpose, that I know of, which at the 
 slightest touch, sheds a milky juice commonly 
 thought to be poisonous. 
 
 PINON DEL PARAGUAY, or 
 THE CATHARTIC NUT. 
 
 This is a shrub resembling the fig tree of 
 our country, in its leaves, its form, and the soft- 
 ness of its wood. The trunk and leaves, when 
 pressed with the hand distil a milky juice 
 abounding in serum. It bears fruit like dark 
 walnuts, beneath the hard black rind of which 
 lie three white kernels, covered with a white 
 membrane and divided into as many separate 
 compartments ; in sweetness, and in shape they 
 resemble almonds. These kernels, pinones del 
 Paraguai), or piny nuts of Paraguay, are called 
 by physicians, cathartic nuts, ricini Americani,
 
 362 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 or purging beans ; for two or three kernels, 
 which many say ought to be first stripped of 
 their white skin, then bruised in wine, and 
 roasted a little on the fire, to mitigate their purg- 
 ing qualities, when eaten, will cause vomiting, 
 purge the bowels, and expel noxious humours. 
 Whether these nuts are sold in the druggists' 
 shops in Europe, and whether physicians pre- 
 scribe the use of them, I do not know. This is 
 certain, that they must be taken cautiously, and 
 with regard to the strength of the sick person. 
 A branch of this tree, when cut and committed 
 to the earth, soon takes root, and grows up very 
 quickly. 
 
 THE VAYNILLA. 
 
 The vaynilla, a sweet name to those who love 
 chocolate, is a creeping plant which grows in 
 moist places, and entwines itself with certain 
 palm trees, which serve it for a prop. It bears 
 large leaves about a hand long, and small white 
 flowers. Like pulse, for fruit it bears little 
 hulls, or sheaths, a quarter of an ell long, trian- 
 gular, and when ripe dark on the surface, and 
 of a bright colour; they have a most delicious 
 odour, and are full of very small seeds, like figs. 
 Of these seeds the Indian women make rosaries 
 to adorn their necks with : the savages for- 
 merly knew no other use of the vaynilla, which
 
 PARAGUAY. 363 
 
 however birds and apes eagerly devour. The 
 little bag or sheath, in vv^hich the fruit is inclosed, 
 occasioned the Spaniards to give it the name of 
 vaynilla. The description of this plant, which 
 became extremely profitable to the Americans 
 after the discovery of the use of chocolate, I owe 
 to Father Joseph Sanchez, who had travelled over 
 the land of the Chiquitos, where that fruit grows, 
 as well as in Peru and elscM here. For this plant 
 grows in no other part of Paraguay that I am 
 acquainted with, which must be attributed to 
 the inhabitants, not to the climate, as it doubt- 
 less would grow in the northern parts of Para- 
 guay, were it cultivated there. 
 
 THE CACAO. 
 
 With the vaynilla we must speak of the cacao, 
 which is produced by a tree resembling an 
 orange tree in its leaves, but larger, and having 
 a kind of crown on the top. It bears a fruit 
 like large melons, containing oily kernels, as big 
 as almonds, and separated from one another by 
 a white and very sweet skin, as by a kind of 
 fence. The Peruvian Indians, throwing away 
 the kernels which they did not then know how 
 to use in preparing chocolate, were accustomed 
 to chew and suck the little skin only, which is 
 sweeter than honey. These trees in their native 
 woods grow to a great size, and cover the melons
 
 364 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 which they bear so entirely with their immense 
 leaves, that you cannot see them without stand- 
 ing close by. They never grow so large when 
 planted in any other soil. In Peru, amongst 
 the Mojos Indians, in Mexico, and other coun- 
 tries of America, the woods abound in this most 
 profitable fruit : both the tree and the kernel, 
 however, vary in different countries. 
 
 THE TAMARIND. 
 
 Tamarinds, which are very well known in Eu- 
 ropean druggists' shops, are a species of plum, 
 with a dark rind, rather acid, of an agreeable 
 taste, and full of a number of beautiful kernels. 
 Taken inwardly, after being steeped for some 
 time in cold water, they conduce much to allay 
 the most burning thirst, and gently to purge the 
 bowels. They grow upon trees which resemble 
 palms, and have boughs and leaves long enough 
 to cover a number of men, and with their dark 
 shade protect them from the heat of the sun. 
 Tamarinds, which botanists call dactijliacidi, grow 
 in the territories of the Chiquitos, and else- 
 where, but are unknown to the other parts of 
 Paraguay. 
 
 THE ROSIN YgiCA. 
 
 This Paraguayrian rosin is found at the roots 
 of trees under ground, where it flows very co-
 
 PARAGUAY. 365 
 
 piously from them in the heat of the sun. The 
 Guaranies use it not only for medicinal pur- 
 poses, but also to tar ships with, when pitch is 
 not to be had. 
 
 THE TREE ABATI TIMBABY. 
 
 The huge tree abati timbaby, in the heat of 
 the sun, sheds a quantity of gum of a golden 
 colour, and clear as the purest crystal, of which 
 the lower orders of Spaniards and the wood In- 
 dians make crosses, ear-rings, and beads to hang 
 round the neck, by the following method : they 
 apply hollow moulds, made in the same form, 
 of wood or reeds, to the trunk of the tree, and 
 the gum flowing down into them is hardened by 
 the air, and quickly assumes the shape of 
 crosses, ear-rings, or beads, with admirable ex- 
 actness ; you would swear they were made of 
 crystal. Although as fragile as glass, they can 
 be melted by no moisture. Were European ar- 
 tisans in possession of this gum, they would 
 make knots, buckles, and little images beauti- 
 fully with it. Might it not possibly contain 
 medicinal properties? No one has hitherto 
 made trial of its virtues. 
 
 THE CEDAR. 
 
 The more northerly woods of Tucuman and 
 Paraguay boast of innumerable lofty cedars.
 
 366 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 which, having exceedingly tall, straight, and 
 large trunks, afford excellent materials for ships, 
 and all sorts of building, as they never feel de- 
 cay, and last for ever, even under water. No 
 tree which Paraguay produces makes longer or 
 wider beams, which, as they are laboriously 
 hewn, not by a water-machine, but by human 
 hands with a saw, and conveyed in waggons from 
 Tucuman full three hundred leagues, sell very 
 high in the city of Buenos- Ayres, where no woods 
 are to be seen, and whither they are brought from 
 the distant forests of Asumpcion, after a two 
 months' navigation on the river. In Tucuman, 
 indeed, a German lay-brother of our order con- 
 structed a machine, by which the saw was 
 moved to the cedars by water underneath the 
 wheel, with a great saving of time and labour ; 
 but it was soon after removed and destroyed by 
 the natives, who hate all innovation. Some- 
 times out of one cedar a very large boat is made, 
 to pull which thirty rowers are hardly sufficient. 
 I do not deny that the tree timboy is made into 
 shorter and slenderer planks and boats in Para- 
 guay ; but cedars hold the first place, as they 
 excel in the width, height, and straightness of 
 their trunk, in the docility of the materials, and 
 their durability under water. There are two 
 kinds of cedars in Paraguay; the wood of the 
 one is beautifully red, that of the other rather 
 palish ; both, however, have a very sweet smell.
 
 PARAGUAY". 367 
 
 and in the heat of the sun shed great quantities 
 of gum, which is sometimes white, sometimes 
 red, but always transparent. We used it in the 
 same manner as gum Arabic, to glue things to- 
 gether, and also for polishing ; might it not be 
 fit for various medicinal purposes ? Water 
 boiled with bits of cedar wood and drunk, is a 
 remedy for extravasation in those that have been 
 bruised by a violent blow, by a sudden fall from 
 a horse or a tree ; though in such cases, to ac- 
 celerate the cure, an infusion of quinoa, a kind 
 of pulse with a very small grain, should also be 
 drunk. Others make plasters of the quinoa, 
 after it has been pounded in a mortar, and 
 boiled in water, and when applied to the 
 wounded or bruised part, they dissipate noxious 
 humours so soon as to exceed the expectation 
 both of the physician and the patient. This 
 pulse is also a very wholesome food. 
 
 THE AMERICAN PINE, CURIY. 
 
 The curiy resembles the European pine in its 
 leaves and in its height, but exceeds it in the 
 hardness of its wood, which is pale, with red 
 veins. The knots and swellings particularly 
 which grow on the Paraguayrian pine are al- 
 most as hard as a stone. Of these large knots 
 the Guaranies turn rosaries and images of the 
 saints very neatly. When placed by the fire.
 
 368 ACCOUKT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 the red rosin lurking in the veins of the wood is 
 melted, so that they seem as if varnished with a 
 beautiful red colour, and shine surprizingly. 
 
 THE ALFAROBA. 
 
 We are now come to a tree on many accounts 
 worthy of particular note ; the fruit of which is 
 called by the Spaniards alfaroha. The Ame- 
 rican alfaroba differs in size, form, and colour 
 from that which is commonly put to sale in 
 Germany, and is called by the Spaniards alfa- 
 roha de la Berberia ; for from Barbary it was 
 brought by the Moors to Spain and Portugal, 
 where, at this day, it grows in such abundance 
 in the woods, without culture, that in those 
 countries, during the winter season, it is given 
 to oxen and mules for their daily fodder. The 
 sheath of the Spanish alfaroba is rather wide, 
 full of seeds, or large pebbles, and of a dusky 
 colour, although its pulp is sweet and whitish. 
 The sheaths or hulls of the Paraguayrian alfa- 
 roba, which are almost a span long, and the 
 breadth of a man's thumb, are covered with a 
 soft yellow s-kin ; moreover the seed is smaller 
 and softer, and they have a pleasanter taste. 
 Of the many kinds of alfaroba which Paraguay 
 produces, the most remarkable are those two 
 which are distinguished by the names of the 
 white and the black. It is chewed white and
 
 PARAGUAY. 369 
 
 dry, as it falls from the tree, and when pounded 
 in a mortar, is either eaten, or drunk mixed 
 with water, and fermented, by the Abipones 
 and other savages. It is the employment of 
 the women to gather it in the woods, carry it 
 home on a horse, pound it in a mortar, and 
 pour it, mixed with cold water, on a hide, 
 which serves both for tub and drinking vessel, 
 where, without addition of any thing else, 
 in about twelve hours, it effervesces so much 
 with its own natural heat, as to become at 
 last, a sharp, sweet, and wholesome bever- 
 age. Immoderate use of it disorders both the 
 head and feet, and still more the tongue ; yet, 
 when taken in moderation, it is a means of 
 strengthening the constitution, and inducing 
 uncommon longevity. Moreover horses, mules, 
 and oxen are never fatter, or more robust than 
 after feeding on the alfaroba, woods of which 
 abound particularly in Chaco, and the territo- 
 ries of St. lago, though not even the shadow 
 of such a tree is to be seen in any other part 
 of the immense tracts of Paraguay. The Gua- 
 ranies, who, being distributed into thirty-two 
 colonies, inhabit a vast extent of country, are 
 destitute of this most wholesome fruit ; neither 
 did we ever think fit to plant the alfaroba, 
 which grows so quickly, lest the Abipones, like 
 the other Indans, should turn it to a bad use, 
 
 VOL. I. B B
 
 370 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 and that it should cause drinking-parties and 
 intoxication. Moreover the seeds of the alfa- 
 roba, if carelessly scattered in any soil, will 
 certainly, and quickly grow up into trees. The 
 white alfaroba affords not only meat, drink, 
 and medicine, but also excellent materials for 
 building waggons, houses and ships : for its 
 violet-coloured wood is docile, and extremely 
 firm, even under water. The leaves of this 
 tree are small ; and from its little pale flowers 
 grow seeds, inclosed in a pod. They ripen in 
 the month of November, and last in the woods 
 till March, or are gradually collected and pre- 
 served at home by provident persons. 
 
 The other species of alfaroba, which the Spa- 
 niards call the black, resembles the former in 
 all respects, except that it is smaller and 
 sweeter. Its dusky bark is covered with red 
 spots. The pods, though agreeable to the 
 palate from being extremely sweet, create a 
 roughness in the tongue, if eaten raw too freely, 
 and a difficulty in speaking. I write this on 
 my own experience ; for once in a long jour- 
 ney, happening to pluck some of that fruit as 
 I rode along, I was suddenly deprived of the 
 power of speech. Some hours' silence was 
 both the disease and the remedy ; the Spa- 
 niards who accompanied me being greatly 
 amused at my taciturnity. This kind of alfa-
 
 PARAGUAY. 371 
 
 roba is more commonly used for food than for 
 drink. Its hulls, when pounded in a mortar, 
 are reduced to a flour, which, after being 
 strained through a sieve, is thrown into a 
 round wooden box, pressed with both hands, 
 and, as it is naturally resinous, forms into bread 
 of itself, and becomes as hard as a stone ; for 
 as it abounds in thick rosin, its own dust glues 
 it together. These loaves, which are called 
 patay, and are chiefly made in the colonies of 
 St. lago, and sent to other cities, are taken, 
 not only as food, but as medicine, especially by 
 Europeans labouring under stone or strangury. 
 No one ever doubted that both the black and the 
 white alfaroba, as they have a diuretic pro- 
 perty, are of much use, whether taken in a 
 solid or liquid state, to persons in a consump- 
 tion, or labouring under diseases of the bladder. 
 Some say that spirits of much efficacy in dis- 
 eases of the kidneys, and in hectic fevers, 
 might, by chemic art, be extracted from both 
 the alfarobas. We must not pass by a third 
 species of alfaroba, which appears little diffe- 
 rent from the acacia. It has very hard, dark, 
 red wood, is clothed with the same sort of 
 leaves as the other alfarobas, and bears small 
 yellow flowers, growing in clusters, and exhal- 
 ing an aromatic smell. The rind of the pods 
 is thick and black. The seeds, inclosed in 
 
 B B 2
 
 372 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 the pods, are like pulse, but harder. The pods, 
 with their pulp, are resinous, of a sharp, bitter 
 taste, and fit neither to be eaten nor drunk. 
 The fruit is used by the people of Cordoba, 
 and St. lago, to dye wood, and cotton of a 
 black colour, with the addition of alum, and 
 copperas. This tree exudes rosin like gum 
 Arabic. To it you may add a fourth species of 
 alfaroba, a small tree, the pods of which are of 
 a dark red colour, and taste neither sweet nor 
 bitter. Of this the natives make a potion 
 which is remarkably sudorific, and which, ac- 
 cording to Thomas Falconer, will cure many 
 persons who, in Europe, could not be restored 
 to health without the aid of salivation. 
 
 VARIOUS KINDS OF PALMS. 
 
 Palms alone would afford subject for a bulky 
 volume, if the names, forms, properties, and 
 uses of all the different species were to be de- 
 scribed. Palms supply the Americans with 
 meat, drink, medicine, arms, lodging, and 
 clothing. Out of the numbers that I have seen 
 in Paraguay, I will describe a few. 
 
 THE CARANDAY. 
 
 The tall palm, caranday, expands its leaves 
 like an open fan, and bears sweet dates, which 
 are not disliked by Europeans even. The bark 
 of the trunk, which is very hard, when cut with
 
 PARAGUAY. 373 
 
 an axe, and deprived of the pith, which con- 
 sists of sharp thorns, is used to roof the houses 
 in some cities, and even to build cottages with. 
 If the palms be cut when the moon is in 
 the wane, their bark will bear age. This also 
 is certain, that the caranday palms create the 
 richest and most wholesome pasture for cattle ; 
 for the rain-water, flowing to the ground from 
 their leaves, contracts a kind of sal tness, which 
 generates saliva, and is the best and most 
 agreeable seasoning of the grass for beasts. 
 
 THE PINDO. 
 
 The pindo is a very lofty and common palm, 
 with a rough, white bark. By way of wood it 
 has a pulp as porous as a fungus, very light, 
 and composed of threads extremely liable to 
 catch fire. It produces dates which, after being 
 pounded in a mortar, are either drunk with 
 water, or eaten. The dates, falling from the 
 trees, fill the woods, and, by their hardness, 
 severely hurt the naked feet of the Indians. 
 But though these palms are, in some respects, 
 very annoying to travellers, yet in others they 
 are equally convenient to them : for the Gua- 
 ranies, when they pass the nights in the woods, 
 are furnished by them, on an impending storm, 
 with a protection against the rain. Some hew 
 down any palms of this sort that they can find, 
 « li 3
 
 374 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 and with the soft spungy materials afforded by 
 their trunks, quickly build a little hut, and 
 cover it well with boughs and leaves of palms, 
 bent partly one way, partly another: should 
 the rain fall with the utmost violence, not a 
 drop will penetrate this hasty fabric. Of the 
 leaves of the pind6 palms, cords, panniers, 
 and baskets are sometimes woven, as of osiers 
 in other places. These palms, not only by 
 their great height, but also by the length of 
 their boughs, which they gracefully extend, 
 afford a pleasing spectacle to the eye, and a 
 great ornament to gardens. 
 
 THE YATAY. 
 
 The yatay, a smaller palm, besides dates, 
 yields a very tender germ, leafy at the top, as 
 soft as butter, and of a yellowish white, which 
 is eaten raw, as it is plucked from the tree, and 
 is very pleasant to the taste. Crowds of par- 
 rots daily fly to feed upon the nuts of this palm. 
 
 THE YATAY GUAZU. 
 
 The yatay guazu, which has very large bright 
 green leaves, and a rugged trunk, and is at 
 least five ells high, produces oval shaped nuts, 
 which the Spaniards call coccos. The pulp is 
 very small in quantity, but, if boiled, eatable. 
 In each nut there are three large kernels, as 
 agreeable to the taste as almonds, but more oily.
 
 PARAGUAY. 
 
 375 
 
 THE MBOCAYAY. 
 
 The mbocayay , a tree very abundant on hills, 
 has its trunk and leaves armed with long and 
 strong thorns. It bears bunches of smooth 
 dates, as sweet as almonds, which are eaten 
 either raw or roasted. Oil, almost like that of 
 olives, may be expressed from these nuts. This 
 palm puts out threads stronger than hemp, of 
 which the savage nations make cords for bows, 
 and lines for fishing with. In the territory of 
 Cordoba you see palms, the leaves of which 
 make such strong and commodious besoms, that 
 they are brought to the more distant cities. The 
 Spaniards of St. lago, who go to the woods to 
 seek wax and honey, cut certain palms to the 
 pith. At the end of some weeks they return to 
 the place, and in those palms they had wounded 
 find very large fat worms, which they fry, and 
 eat with much satisfaction. 
 
 FRUIT-BEARING TREES. 
 
 Many fruits which European trees produce 
 are unknown to Paraguay: in all my travels 
 through that country I never, or very rarely, 
 saw any apples, pears, plums, cherries, filberts, 
 chesnuts, &c. These trees seem not to suit the 
 climate and soil of Para^iay; for they are 
 either entirely barren, or produce such ridicu- 
 
 B 15 4
 
 376 ACCOUNT OF THE ABlPdXES. 
 
 lous fruit as rather deserve the appellation of 
 abortions of nature, than delicacies of the pa- 
 late. The want of the fruits above-mentioned 
 is amply compensated by an incredible abun- 
 dance of very large peaches, quinces, pome- 
 granates, citrons, both sweet and sour, and 
 oranges which Europe might envy. In the 
 neighbouring kingdoms of Chili, where, on ac- 
 count of the vicinity of the mountains, the air 
 is much sharper, almost all European fruits, 
 and many other native ones, succeed amazingly, 
 and are dried and carried into other countries 
 with great profit. But though Paraguay is 
 destitute of various European fruits, she boasts 
 of many native ones, unknown in Europe even 
 by name. I shall cursorily describe trees and 
 shrubs as they enter my head, without regard 
 to order. 
 
 THE MISTOL. 
 
 The mistol, a very large tree, affords hard and 
 heavy wood, of a red colour, fit for making pes- 
 tles of mortars and spears; it also produces a 
 red fruit, about the size of a chesnut, resem- 
 bling in appearance the tree which the Spani- 
 ards call a:.ofaifa, and druggists jujiihcs, and 
 which was formerly brought from Africa to 
 Spain and Italy. The skin is tender, the ker- 
 nel rather large and hard, and the pulp fit for
 
 PARAGUAY. 377 
 
 food ; a sweet drink, and even a kind of bread, 
 being made of it, which is much liked by the 
 Indians, but to my taste extremely insipid. 
 Thejujub is used by European physicians for 
 allaying pains in the breast, cough, hoarseness 
 and pleurisy : whether the Paraguayrian mistol 
 possess the same virtues or no, I cannot tell, 
 
 THE CHANAR. 
 
 The tree chanar has a yellowish and very 
 hard wood: the fruit supplies both meat and 
 drink, and is dried and preserved by some. 
 
 THE YACANE. 
 
 The fruit of the yacan^ tree is of a yellow 
 colour, about as large as a middle-sized citron, 
 and in taste like a rotten pear. 
 
 THE QUABYRA GUAZU, and 
 THE QUABIYU. 
 
 The quabyra guazu, which somewhat resem- 
 bles a plum, and the quabiyu, which is more 
 like a cherry, are used both as meat and drink. 
 The quabyra is very abundant, and much liked 
 by the Indians ; but was always nauseous to 
 my taste, for it smells like a bug. Both the 
 trees which produce these fruits afford very 
 good wood for turning.
 
 378 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 THE QUABYRA MIRI. 
 
 The quabyra miri, that is, the smaller quaby- 
 ra, differs totally from the former, and, in my 
 opinion, exceeds all the other Paraguayrian 
 fruits, both in sweetness, and salubrity. It is 
 a little apple, resembling a medlar in size, and 
 form, and covered with a hardish skin, which 
 is green at first, and wdien ripe becomes a dark 
 red. The pulp, which is full of tender seeds, 
 pleases the palate with an agreeable taste, be- 
 tween sweet and sourish, and exhales a fragrant, 
 balsamic odour, with which the bark and leaves 
 are likewise scented. It is a remarkable cir- 
 cumstance that this fruit, though naturally hot, 
 is never prejudicial, however freely it be eaten. 
 The quabyra miri grows on shrubs like the 
 junipers of Austria; they are supported by 
 a slender stalk, but have a number of knotty, 
 thick roots, spreading far and wide in the 
 earth. They grow no where but in sandy soils, 
 destitute of good grass. The quabyra miH 
 is to be seen in every part of the plains of 
 Taruma, of the lands near the little city Curu- 
 quati, and of the territories of St. Paulo, bor- 
 derino- on Brazil. But in those tracts of land 
 where this fruit abounds, you find the pastures 
 particularly poor, either from the grass being
 
 PARAGUAY. 379 
 
 choked by the sand, or because these shrubs 
 suck up the best juices of the earth. Certainly 
 in the rest of Paraguay, where richer turf is 
 found, I never beheld any thing the least like a 
 quabyra miri. I should not be silent on the 
 other use of this plant ; in its little branches 
 the ants make a wax whiter than milk, and 
 fragrant as the most delightful balsam ; it con- 
 sists of very small, white grains, scattered up 
 and down the shrub, which are laboriously col- 
 lected by women, melted at the tire, and made 
 into candles, for the use of the churches, where, 
 when lighted, they exhale a very sweet odour. 
 It is much to be lamented that this wax, though 
 excellent in other respects, wants hardness ; for 
 the candles made of it melt quickly, and are 
 consumed in a short time. To render them 
 more durable, I have often mixed common 
 bees' wax with the wax of ants. 
 
 LA GRANADILLA, or THE PASSION 
 FLOWER. 
 
 The first claim to our notice after these 
 belongs to a most wholesome fruit, which the 
 Spaniards call la granadilla. It grows in great 
 abundance in the plain, at all seasons of the 
 year, on a shrub which clings, like ivy, to 
 hedges and bushes. There are many species 
 of it, differing only in form and colour. They
 
 380 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 all bear a middle-sized apple, of a golden colour 
 spotted with red, in taste between sweet and 
 acid, with an agreeable odour, and full of 
 round, black seeds. Whether eaten raw, or 
 boiled with sugar, like citrons, and drunk mixed 
 with cold water, it is extremely salubrious. 
 Its sweet juice conduces much to strengthen 
 the bowels, and without danger to cool the 
 limbs, after they have been heated by the sun. 
 If you attentively examine the beautiful flower 
 of this plant, you will find the scourge, the 
 crown, the nails, the cross, the pillar, the dice, 
 the gall, and all the other instruments belong- 
 ing to the passion of our Lord, plainly figured 
 there. 
 
 On this account it universally goes by the 
 name of the passion flower, and was thought 
 worthy to be brought from America to Rome, 
 in the time of Paul V. 
 
 THE GUEMBE. 
 
 The fruit guemb^ is the more remarkable 
 for its being so little known, even by many 
 who have grown old in Paraguay ; for the 
 northern woods only of that country are its 
 native soil. It is about a span long, almost 
 cylindrical in shape, being thicker than a man's 
 fist in the middle, but smaller at both extremi- 
 ties, and resembles a pigeon stripped of its
 
 PARAGUAY. 
 
 381 
 
 feathers, sometimes weighing as much as two 
 pounds. It is entirely covered with a soft 
 yellowish skin, marked with little knobs, and a 
 dark spot in the middle. Its liquid pulp has a 
 very sweet taste, but is full of tender thorns, 
 perceivable by the palate only, not by the eye, 
 on which account it must not be slowly chewed, 
 but quickly swallowed : for if any one were 
 leisurely to bruise the pulp with his teeth, his 
 tongue would be made to smart for a long time 
 by the latent thorns, and would be rendered 
 less ready in speaking. The stalk, which occu- 
 pies the middle, has something of wood in it, 
 and must be thrown away. You cannot ima- 
 gine how agreeable and wholesome this fruit is, 
 and how it refreshes a man fatigued with long 
 walking and bathed in perspiration. This pon- 
 derous fruit srrows on a flexible shrub resem- 
 bling a rope, which entwines itself round high 
 trees. How great must be the stren'gth of the 
 guembepi, as the Guaranies call it,, you may 
 infer from this, that the stoutest In dians, when 
 they cut a high tree for the sak'3 of getting 
 honey, sit for a long time with saf( ity upon this 
 shrub, which is entwined about th e boughs and 
 trunk. From the above-mentioned guembepi 
 the Spaniards and Portugueze sorrietimes weave 
 cables stronger than hempen one^ \,
 
 382 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 THE TATAYY, A MULBERRY TREE. 
 
 The tatayy, a tall, large tree, bears mulber- 
 ries, resembling those of our country in taste, 
 and form, but larger, and of a yellow colour. 
 The saffron-coloured wood of this tree is very 
 hard, but docile, and of it the Indians make 
 beautiful boxes, pipes, trumpets, and other 
 things, as Europeans do of box. Pieces of the 
 same wood, boiled with alum, are used for 
 dying wool, and cotton, of a yellow colour. 
 
 MAMMONES. 
 
 Mammones, fruit about the size of a quince, 
 sometimes larger, and when ripe of a greenish 
 yellow, grow upon the trunk of the tree, and 
 hanging»; by short stems, have the appearance 
 of teats , whence they are named. Their pulp 
 resemble s that of melons, in its taste and yel- 
 low coloLir, and is sometimes eaten raw, or 
 boiled with meat. The tree is of middling 
 height and thickness, and resembles a walnut, 
 in its duskj j bark, and a fig-tree, in its large, 
 angular leav es. Its weak wood swells with a 
 milky, insip id liquor, which is an additional 
 reason for th e name of mammones being given 
 it. This tre e bears flowers, and fruit, at all 
 seasons of th e year, but is so much exhausted 
 by this excet iding fertility that it scarce ever
 
 PARAGUAY. 383 
 
 lasts above four years. When fresh planted it 
 bears fruit the first year. There are two spe- 
 cies of this tree, whereof the one is called the 
 male, the other the female. In some respects 
 they differ, but it is not true that one would be 
 barren without the other. Mammones, though 
 abundant in Brazil, and other parts of America, 
 are very rare in Paraguay, and scarce ever seen 
 there except in gardens. 
 
 THE ALABAS. 
 
 A shrub, or more properly, a low thorny 
 thistle, delighting in a sandy soil, produces the 
 alabas, round apples, about the size of a hen's 
 egg, concealing beneath a thick, pliant bark, 
 defended by sharp, but very slender thorns, a 
 liquid pulp, which is sometimes redder than 
 blood, sometimes whiter than milk; abounds in 
 soft black seeds ; delights the palate with its 
 delicious flavour; and greatly refreshes the 
 body, when heated by the sun. Assuredly this 
 fruit, were it found in Europe, would be ranked 
 amongst the delicacies of the desert. It grows 
 very common in some parts of Paraguay, but is 
 rarely seen in others. 
 
 THE AGUAY. 
 
 The aguay, an immense tree, produces fruit 
 like plums, which on account of the acidity of
 
 384 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 their juice, are oftener, and more safely eaten, 
 after being boiled in water. There is another 
 tree which resembles this in name, but is totally 
 different in form and other respects. 
 
 THE ANGUAY, or YBIRAPAYE. 
 
 The anguay, a tree of uncommon height, and 
 thickness, affords wood fit for carpenters' work, 
 hard, red, and remarkably fragrant. By way 
 of fruit, it bears hard seeds, like almonds, 
 which are also used in medicine. The stones 
 of this fruit are triangular-shaped, of a violet 
 colour, and so bright that the Indian women 
 make necklaces of them. The rosin which 
 distils from the anguay is exceedingly fragrant, 
 and of sovereign virtue. The famous Peruvian 
 and Brazilian balsam is made of this rosin 
 mixed with the oil of the cupay tree, and 
 others ; it is also used in churches instead of 
 frankincense, which it greatly exceeds in 
 sweetness. The bark of the tree, being im- 
 pregnated with rosin, is used for the same 
 purpose. The tree is named anguay, because 
 mortars are generally made of it by the Guara- 
 nies, in whose language it is also called ybira 
 pai/^, the conjuror's tree; for the savage jug- 
 glers, whenever they expected to be visited, 
 and consulted by their countrymen, used to
 
 PARAGUAY. 385 
 
 perfume their huts, by burning this rosin, that 
 they might seem to breathe of something divine. 
 
 THE YBA POROYTY. 
 
 The yba poroyty is a small pome, resembling 
 a cherry, with a pleasant, but rather acid 
 flavour. Of the tree balsam is made. 
 
 THE TARUMAY. 
 
 The fruit of the tarumay somewhat re- 
 sembles an olive, though extremely dissimilar 
 in taste. From the abundance of these trees, 
 the territory, wherein we placed the town of 
 St. Joachim, was called Taruma by the Spa- 
 niards, and Indians ; none of whom are very 
 fond of this fruit. 
 
 THE GUAYABA. 
 
 The tree guayaba produces kinds of pears of 
 an oval shape, and full of grains. The surface 
 of them, when they are ripe, is yellow, the pulp 
 red. They are both pleasant and wholesome 
 when boiled with sugar. Dressed unripe they 
 are very efficacious in strengthening the bowels, 
 and possess an astringent quality. This tree 
 flourishes even in soils that are not very rich. 
 
 THE VINAL. 
 
 The vinal, a tolerably large tree, is clothed 
 
 VOL. T. c c
 
 386 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 with leaves like those of the olive, but broader. 
 It bears sweet pods, of which a beverage is 
 pi^pared. The tree is covered with very sharp 
 and strong thorns, a span in length, and so vi- 
 rulent, that whoever is pricked by them finds it 
 a matter both of pain and danger. But the 
 same tree also affords a medicine; for the juice 
 expressed from its leaves, after they have been 
 pounded, is said to cure complaints in the eyes, 
 especially when they are afflicted with noxious 
 humours. 
 
 THE YBIRA YEPIRO. 
 
 Of the ybira yepir6 a balsam is prepared, but 
 for what purpose intended I do not know. 
 
 THE CAAYCY. 
 
 The caaycy, which some say is a species of 
 mastic, yields a transparent, sweet-scented 
 rosin. 
 
 THE AGUARIBAY. 
 
 Of the shrub aguaribay, which is likewise 
 thought to be a species of mastic, a balsam of 
 much service in cleansing and healing wounds 
 is made. Taken inwardly it greatly conduces to 
 stop flowing of the blood, and allay coughs. 
 
 THE MOLLE. 
 
 The moUe, a tree of no obscure name, fur-
 
 PARAGUAY. 387 
 
 nishes solid wood for building, but liable to be 
 moth-eaten. It is adorned with leaves, like 
 those of a laurel, which, when bruised, serve 
 for dressing goats'-skins, and for medicinal pur- 
 poses. The trunk distils a quantity of very 
 fragrant gum, which is burnt instead of frank- 
 incense. It bears fruit of a black colour, the 
 rind of which, when unripe, is of a pale blue. 
 This fruit is boiled in water, and, being sweeter 
 than the alfaroba, makes a sharp and sweet 
 syrup, which, mixed with water, affords a 
 pleasant, but powerful drink. This liquor 
 imparts a sort of ferocity to the eyes of persons 
 intoxicated with it, which continues two days. 
 Physicians use both the boughs and the rosin 
 of this tree for various medicinal purposes. 
 
 THE BACOEA and BANANA. 
 
 The fruits bacoba and banana, which the 
 Indians delight greatly in, belong to the fig 
 species. They are oval-shaped, and of a red 
 colour. The shrubs which produce them have 
 neither seed, nor boughs, but are adorned with 
 long, wide, and beautifully green leaves, from 
 the midst of which the germen and the fruit 
 emerge. The trunk or stalk of these shrubs is 
 slender and fragile. They die after bearing 
 fruit once, but are compensated for by suckers 
 which grow from their roots. The fruit of the 
 c c 2
 
 388 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 banana is rather long, and square in form, with 
 a saffron-coloured skin, a soft pulp, and not a 
 very rich, but rather cold juice, which, unless 
 quite ripe, is injurious to the stomach. The ba- 
 coba is, therefore, more wholesome than the 
 banana; both fruits, however, when properly 
 used, are remedies for various complaints. A 
 liquor expressed from them causes intoxication 
 when taken in excess. Both trees, though they 
 grow in very sterile soils, bear fruit all the year 
 round. 
 
 THE ANANAS, or PINA DEL 
 PARAGUAY. 
 
 The anana is called by the native Spaniards 
 p'ma del Paraguay, from a sort of resemblance 
 to the nuts of the pine, and from its being very 
 abundant in the north of Paraguay. I observed 
 that those of Paraguay were larger than those 
 of Europe, but not so sweet. The juice of the 
 former is as pleasant as that of strawberries to 
 the taste ; but, unless perfectly ripe, sharp and 
 caustic ; on which account this fruit, when cut 
 into stocks, according to its length, must first 
 be macerated in rich wine. The liquor of it, 
 when expressed by the aid of fire, removes 
 languor from the mind, and nausea from the 
 stomach, relieves dysury, and nephritic pains, 
 and restores the natural heat to the aged. 
 Some preserve ananas in sugar. Each plant
 
 PARAGUAY. 389 
 
 yearly produces one fruit, and becoming ex- 
 hausted, gradually dies away; whilst, in its 
 place, a little plant, taken from the crown of 
 the ripe fruit, is placed in the ground, and next 
 year bears fruit. This also is the case when it 
 grows wild without cultivation ; for the new 
 germ falls from the top of the plant, and takes 
 root. 
 
 THE MANDIOC. 
 
 The mandioc is the root of the little plant 
 mandi6, which is about the height of a middle- 
 sized man. It is supported by a very straight, 
 slender trunk, the thickness of a man's thumb, 
 knotty like a reed, wi„h bark resembling that 
 of a hazle, and pith, spungy, like the elder's, 
 and full of milk. At the top it is crowned with 
 branches and little boughs, with elegant, long, 
 narrow leaves, of a beautiful green colour. The 
 flowers are yellow. The want of fruit is com- 
 pensated by the roots, which are sometimes 
 three feet long, fragile, thicker than a man's 
 arm, and covered with a dusky skin like the 
 bark of a hazle. Their very white pith is full 
 of a milky, glutinous, and poisonous liquid. 
 As in the cinnamon shrub the bark is alone 
 made use of; so in the mandio, the root is the 
 only serviceable part. The Americans are ac- 
 quainted with more than twenty species of this 
 c c3
 
 390 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 tree, differing in form and virtues. The man- 
 dio bears seed not unlike that of the pinon del 
 Paraguay ; but it is quite useless in propaga- 
 ting the plant, for which purpose the trunk or 
 stalk of the shrub is cut into stocks, about a 
 span long, three of which are always stuck 
 into heaps of mould, so that they project about 
 the length of a span from the surface of the 
 earth. In a short time they take root, put out 
 leaves, and grow up. Neither do they require 
 to be watered, for this plant detests moisture 
 and shade, and loves dry soils, and sunny si- 
 tuations. . It must be planted in the summer, 
 in ground that has been well dried. Six months 
 after it has been laid in the earth, you will find 
 roots fit for eating ; but in reality it is a year be- 
 fore they are fully mature, and attain to their or- 
 dinary size ; at the end of which time, although 
 they be not dug up, they will remain a long- 
 while under ground uninjured, but if taken out 
 of the earth, grow rotten in the space of three 
 days. The roots, therefore, should be carefully 
 cleansed without delay, the little skin being- 
 first stripped off them; they should then be 
 cut into small pieces, and laid upon the floor 
 to dry for two days. After being pounded in 
 a mortar, they are reduced to flour, and made 
 into bread baked in various shapes, which, 
 though wholesome, is relished by none but
 
 PARAGUAY. 391 
 
 persons unacquainted with the taste of wheat. 
 These American loaves are round, flat, and ra- 
 ther hard, like the bark of the cork tree. They 
 look like those cakes made of flour and honey 
 in Germany, but are devoid of all taste. In 
 other places they squeeze a juice from the roots 
 of the mandio, which, when left in a vessel for 
 two hours, deposits a white settlement at the 
 bottom. This, when dried, is made into flour, 
 and that into small cakes, balls, and other 
 things. The same juice is boiled on the fire, 
 and makes a kind of paste, which is not only 
 used as victuals, but likewise for starch to 
 stiffen clothes with, and sometimes for glue to 
 fasten paper together. There is another kind 
 of mandio, the roots of which, after being 
 softened by lying for some days in water, 
 are roasted on the ashes, and eaten without 
 prejudice. It would take up a long time to 
 relate all the diff'erent methods by which the 
 mandioc is converted into meat, drink, and 
 medicine, mixed with butter, barley, and sugar. 
 Happy are the Americans who can deceive and 
 appease their stomachs by so many artifices ! 
 For my part, though I have often, in tra- 
 veUing, been exceedingly hungry, I could never 
 ])revail upon myself to satisfy the cravings of 
 appetite with the mandioc, in whatever way it 
 were dressed. If the Americans like it, that is 
 c c 4
 
 392 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 sufficient : hand equidem invideo, miroi^ magis. I 
 confess, however, that the root of the mandioc 
 properly cleaned, and eaten plain with boiled 
 beef, was by no means disagreeable to me, I 
 never doubted either that these roots, when 
 prepared in other ways, though insipid to 
 Europeans, create good blood and juices; for, 
 to omit other arguments, the American mo- 
 thers, whenever they find their milk fail, 
 after recruiting themselves with boiled man- 
 dioc, find their breasts filled, which a little 
 while ago were quite exhausted. The Portu- 
 gueze in Brazil perform arduous journeys of 
 many months, on foot, through immense wilds, 
 furnished generally with no other provision 
 than the flour of the mandioc. The Portugueze 
 sailors also, when they are detained many 
 months in the Brazilian ports, and when they 
 sail back to their native land, feed principally 
 upon the mandioc, and most part of the natives 
 do the same ; for as the continual rain prevents 
 the cultivation of wheat, the higher ranks only 
 eat wheaten bread, the flour being conveyed 
 at a great expense from Lisbon. The North 
 Americans also greatly esteem, and carefully 
 cultivate the mandioc. The Brazilian and Pa- 
 raguayrian Indians account this plant one of 
 the greatest blessings of Providence, as being- 
 frequently the only support of life ; for alv
 
 PARAGUAY. 393 
 
 though locusts, ants, or a long drought, should 
 entirely destroy maize, pot-herbs, pulse, melons, 
 and fruits ; the mandioc alone, surviving under 
 ground, would supply the place of all these 
 things; for when the boughs, and leaves of 
 this tree are, by some means, destroyed, the 
 roots flourish, increase, and remain uninjured. 
 Drought, which destroys other plants, is fa- 
 vourable and salutary to this. But now the 
 resemblance of the name admonishes me to 
 pass from the esculent niandi6, to the woolly 
 mandiyu. 
 
 THE MANDIYU, COTTON. 
 
 As the mandio is very seiviceable in feeding 
 the Americans, the mandiyu does much towards 
 clothing them. It is produced by shrubs scarce 
 larger than a hazel of our country, with wood 
 and bark like the elder, and clothed with plenty 
 of soft, woolly leaves. Between three small 
 leaves, with which the unripe nuts are sur- 
 rounded, grow flowers larger than roses, com- 
 posed of five broad yellow petals, streaked 
 with red : yellow stamens grow in the bottom 
 of the flowers. The blossoms at length be- 
 come fruit of a green colour, oval-shaped, or 
 rather conical, and when full grown larger 
 than a plum. When ripe it turns black, and
 
 394 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 separates into three parts, thrusting out white 
 cotton, full of black seeds, resembling pistachio 
 nuts in size and shape. Under the black skin 
 of these seeds is concealed a yellowish white 
 pith, of a sweet taste, very oily, and of much 
 use in allaying cough and difficulty of respira- 
 tion. The oil expressed from them is said to 
 be efficacious in cases of stone and in cutaneous 
 disorders. Cotton itself, when burnt, will stop 
 the flowing of blood. As the cotton gradually 
 ripens and bursts from its prison, it is not ga- 
 thered all at once, but collected day by day. 
 In the Guarany towns this is the business of 
 the girls, who walk about the field, and pluck 
 the fruit with a gentle hand, that the shrubs 
 may not be injured. The cotton daily collected 
 is spread on hides in the court-yard of the 
 house, and laid out in the sun to dry. If this 
 be properly attended to, it may either be safely 
 kept for years in a leathern bag, or spun into 
 thread as soon as you like. To extract those 
 seeds from the cotton the women make use of 
 a wooden machine, consisting of a couple of cy- 
 linders, the thickness of two fingers, into which 
 they insert the cotton, and, twisting it about with 
 their hands, cause the seeds to fall out of them- 
 selves ; because, as they are thicker than the 
 space between the cylinders, they are squeezed 
 out by them.
 
 PARAGUAY. 395 
 
 Some parts of Paraguay produce yellow cot- 
 ton, but this is very uncommon ; for in every 
 other place throughout the country the cotton 
 is as white as snow, and grows on shrubs which 
 are reared from seed sown in little plots of 
 ground, and yield fruit many years. If any 
 plant withers, or grows old, fresh seed is sown, 
 and another succeeds which bears fruit the first 
 year. Cotton loves a sunny elevated situation, 
 exposed to the winds on every side, and full of 
 stones. However favourable the soil may na- 
 turally be to the production of cotton, it 
 always requires exquisite culture. It must be 
 ploughed, and weeded over and over again, to 
 clear it of thistles, tares, and grass. The fur- 
 rows and ditches, into each of which three or 
 four fresh cotton seeds are placed, must be dug 
 in a right line, and at such a distance from one 
 another that the oxen and ploughmen may have 
 room to pass through the intermediate spaces. 
 The same field, indeed, must be fresh ploughed 
 every year, and, at the approach of spring, the 
 plants, which have been stripped of their leaves 
 in the winter, are cut like vines, and quickly 
 covered with new foliage. The poorer sort 
 amongst the Spaniards of Paraguay wear cot- 
 ton shirts ; the richer, linen ones. They prefer 
 paying an inordinate price for linen webs
 
 396 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 brought from Europe to the trouble of cultiva- 
 ting flax. 
 
 RICE. 
 
 During the first years that I spent in Para- 
 guay, rice was so scarce that, as it was brought 
 from other countries, it hardly ever appeared 
 at our table. It was never sown, and none 
 would go of their own accord to gather or carry 
 away rice, which grows at a great distance on 
 the northern shores of the Paraguay; justly 
 fearing the Payaguas, who infested those 
 places. Instructed, at length, by the Portu- 
 gueze Brazilians, we began to sow rice, and 
 the crop was more than could be consumed. 
 But as it is very difficult to take the grains of 
 rice out of the ear, the Indians preferred eat- 
 ing maize, which is pounded in mortars with 
 little trouble. Let no one entertain a notion that 
 the sowing and cultivation of rice require any 
 particular artifices; for it is sown and reaped 
 exactly in the same manner as European 
 wheat, with this difference only, that the 
 seeds must be committed to the earth at the 
 commencement of spring, and in a moist situa- 
 tion. Many have affirmed positively that rice 
 will only grow in marshy places; but we found 
 that which was sown in woods, or rather in
 
 PARAGUAY. 397 
 
 ground that had formerly been wooded, to yield 
 a more abundant harvest than what was sown 
 in a marshy situation. For a place that has 
 been previously occupied by trees, retains, for 
 a long time, its native humidity, and the ashes 
 of the trees that have been cut down and burnt 
 on the spot, incredibly fertilize the soil. In 
 places of this kind the Guaranies used to sow 
 tobacco, maize, and most other things except 
 cotton, with great success. But, good hea- 
 vens ! how have I lost myself in this labyrinth 
 of trees, shrubs, and plants ! I shall hardly be 
 able to find my way out of the wood ; yet it is 
 best to tarry there awhile till, after having de- 
 scribed the medicinal trees, I have enumerated 
 all the rest which are useful in building, or on 
 other accounts worthy of note. 
 
 THE TAYY, or URUNDEY 
 QUEBRACHO. 
 
 The tayy, or tajibo, and the urundey que- 
 bracho, either of a red, or pale colour, excel in 
 hardness and size ; both trees are called by the 
 Spaniards quebracho, or quebrahacho, because, 
 unless dexterously cut by a skilful woodman, 
 or carpenter, they break the axe at the first 
 blow, being as hard as iron ; for hadia means 
 an axe, and quebrar to break. The quebracho 
 Colorado, when covered with its bark, is red.
 
 398 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 As soon as it is cut down and worked upon, 
 the rosin in which it abounds is melted by the 
 hot air, and flowing to the exterior parts of the 
 wood, gives it a red hue, and causes it to shine 
 like porphyry. The Guaranies burn pieces of 
 the tree tayy, receive the smoke or soot arising 
 from them into a clean dish, and by pouring hot 
 water upon it, convert it into ink, which, mixed 
 with gum and sugar, is by no means to be 
 despised. 
 
 THE LAPACHO. 
 
 The lapacho is remarkable for the hardness 
 and heaviness of its wood, and is particularly 
 useful in making the mills for squeezing the 
 sugar cane, olives, and other things, and also 
 for wheels of waggons. 
 
 THE VIRARO. 
 
 The virar^ affords white, not very hard, but 
 extremely durable materials. 
 
 THE ESPINILLO. 
 
 The espinillo has very strong wood, but its 
 indocility renders it fitter for the fire than for 
 carpenter's work. 
 
 THE NETERGE. 
 
 Of the pith of the neterge very strong spears
 
 PARAGUAY. 399 
 
 or pikes are made. This tree is remarkable for 
 the width and height of its trunk. Its leaves, 
 which are like oblong thorns, point towards the 
 ground. For fruit, it bears pods or bags, which 
 are about a span long, and have a balsamic 
 odour. The pith of this tree equals iron in 
 hardness, and is of a violet colour, which how- 
 ever changes to black, after the spears made of 
 this wood have been rubbed some time by the 
 hand. 
 
 THE YBARO. 
 
 The large tree ybaro bears black, shining 
 berries, about the size of filberds, which are 
 pierced in the middle, and made into rosaries. 
 
 THE CEVIL. 
 
 5 
 
 The ^evil produces bark for dressing hides, 
 together with certain pods, which the savage 
 Indians used formerly to buhi, inhaling the 
 smoke into their mouth, nose, and whole body, 
 which rendered them drunk, mad, and for some 
 time furious. 
 
 THE SEIBO. 
 The seibo, a middle-sized tree, adorned with 
 violet-coloured leaves, consists of crooked 
 boughs, and a spungy wood, as soft as that of 
 the cork tree, so that, when fresh, it may be cut 
 with a knife like an apple ; but after it is dry.
 
 400 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 axes are not sufficient to hew it. A bough of 
 this tree fixed in the ground takes root, and 
 grows immediately. Whenever the tiger feels 
 his claws burn, he is said to rub them against 
 the bark of this tree to relieve the pain. 
 
 PALO DE LECHE. 
 
 This tree is called palo de leche, the milky tree, 
 by the Spaniards, because its wood is white as 
 milk, and so soft that it may be cut with a 
 common knife, and is used for small carpenters 
 work. 
 
 THE YCAPY. 
 
 The ycapy, a large tall tree, is covered with 
 leaves like those of the citron, but smaller, and 
 of a paler green. It is a remarkable circum- 
 stance, that when the air is mild, and always in 
 the night, its leaves drop a quantity of water, 
 which moistens the space round about the tree 
 and renders it muddy. The wood of the tree is 
 very soft and flexible, but not moist, on which 
 account it is well calculated for making stirrups. 
 John Verkens of Leipzig, in his account of a 
 journey taken by the Dutch to the East Indies, 
 relates, that in the island of Ferro, one of the 
 Canaries, they found a very large tree which 
 dropped water day and night, every part of the 
 year, and that the inhabitants hung up large
 
 PARAGUAY. 401 
 
 pitchers to receive it for their own use, and that 
 of their cattle ; fresh water, he says, being in- 
 credibly scarce there. If this be true, I suspect 
 that it must be the same tree as that which the 
 Guaranies call ycapy in Paraguay. They say 
 that this water possesses a medicinal virtue, but 
 of what kind I do not know. 
 
 THE TREE OF ANTS. 
 
 This is called arbol de hormigas, the tree of 
 ants. It consists of a weak spungy wood. The 
 whole tree is full of holes like a sieve, and being 
 covered with ants, should be avoided by all 
 passers by ; for if you do but touch the tree, a 
 host of ants rush out of their lurking-holes, and 
 will cover both you and the tree itself. 
 
 THE UMBU. 
 
 So wide are the boughs and trunk of this 
 tree, that the sun never sees its foot. It affords 
 plenty of shade to iifty persons seated beneath 
 it, and completely defends them against the 
 rain. The linden trees of Europe are mere 
 dwarfs compared with an aged umbu. 
 
 THE WILLOW. 
 
 The willow, though it covers the islands of 
 the Parana, and the banks of certain rivers, is 
 not to be seen elsewhere throughout a vast ex- 
 
 VOL. I. D D
 
 402 ACCOUNT or the abipones. 
 
 tent of country. The wood and leaves of wil- 
 lows, used both medicinally and for other pur- 
 poses, were often vainly sought by us. 
 
 THE AMBAY. 
 
 The ambay, a kind of wild fig, grows pretty 
 high in the course of a few months. The body 
 of the tree is slender, and perforated like an 
 elder ; the bark such as is peculiar to figs ; and 
 the wood white like that of a birch, but so soft 
 that it may be cut with a knife. It has few 
 boughs, but is adorned with very large leaves, 
 for the lively verdure of which it is greatly com- 
 mended, as well as for the salubrity of its bark, 
 juice, and leaf, which, applied in various ways, 
 stop running of the reins, too copious dis- 
 charges, and looseness of the bowels. 
 
 THE WALNUT. 
 
 Walnuts, no ways differing from those of our 
 own country, are very common in the woods of 
 Tucuman, but scarce seen in other parts of 
 Paraguay. Their wood is employed in making 
 pistol-cases, handles, and for other kinds of ca- 
 binet-maker's work. The nuts are of different 
 sorts, for some are very large, with a soft rind, 
 others quite dwai'fish, and with rinds as hard 
 as a stone.
 
 PARAGUAY. 403 
 
 THE URUCUY. 
 
 The urucuy, which is half shrub half tree, re- 
 sembles a hazle in the whiteness of its wood, 
 and the blackness of its bark. Its leaves are 
 rather large, and heart-shaped. The flowers, 
 which are composed of five white petals, tinged 
 with red, are about the size of a common rose, 
 but have no scent whatever. For fruit it bears 
 pods, which are green at first, and afterwards 
 red, each containing about forty grains the size 
 of peas, but plain on both sides, and with a 
 white pulp, like the seeds of apples. The sur- 
 face of them is of a deep bright red, and imme- 
 diately dies the hands of all who touch it with 
 that colour. The pods, when ripe, burst open 
 of themselves. These grains, either dry or 
 fresh, supply the place of vermillion : when 
 pounded, and sprinkled with water, they are 
 used by the savages, sometimes for painting 
 their bodies, sometimes for dying or staining 
 cloth, vessels, or other things. This scarlet co- 
 lour, when a thing is once tinctured with it, ad- 
 heres pertinaciously, if the grains of the urucuy, 
 steeped in water, be mixed with alum or urine. 
 The same grains are thrown into boiling water, 
 and of the colour that settles at the bottom 
 cakes are made, which the women in Europe 
 paint their faces with, and painters and dyers 
 
 D D 2
 
 404 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 use for other purposes. They are used also both 
 as food and medicine, variously prepared and 
 mixed. Of the bark some weave cables, cords, 
 and ropes, stronger than hempen ones. 
 
 THE ANIL, OR INDIGO. 
 
 That mass of blue colour which the Spaniards 
 call aiiil, or ariir, and other Europeans, indigo, 
 is made of a plant, with a long slender root, 
 branching out into a number of shoots ; on 
 which account its long stalks partly creep 
 on the ground, and partly stand upright. They 
 are red on one side, and are loaden with small 
 boughs, and round leaves, about the size of 
 one's little finger nail, of a dark green, on one 
 side, and a silvery white on the other. The 
 little blossoms of this plant are of a palish red, 
 with flowers like a husk of corn, or as others 
 explain it, like an open helmet : and are suc- 
 ceeded by pods, hanging from the stalk, full 
 of an olive-coloured seed, very like rape seed. 
 The leaves of the plant, when perfectly mature, 
 are gathered in bundles, pounded in stone 
 mortars in the first place, and next steeped, 
 and turned about in a pan of tepid, or as others 
 say, cold water. They use them poured out 
 on a wooden table, surrounded with a high 
 wooden brim, and hollowed here and there 
 into ditches. After the water has escaped, the
 
 , PARAGUAY, 405 
 
 thicker part of the colour settles into those 
 ditches, coagulates, and hardens. The solid 
 particles are then taken out, and dried for many- 
 days ; for the dryer they are, the nearer they 
 approach to that colour which we call Venetian 
 blue. Those who dyed webs, or garments with 
 that colour in Paraguay, mixed children's urine, 
 instead of alum, with it, to prevent the colour 
 from flying. The plant anil is sown in other 
 places, and grows spontaneously in the plains 
 of Paraguay, but is generally neglected, the 
 industry of the inhibitants seldom answering to 
 the liberality of nature. I never had the least 
 doubt but this plant might be cultivated in 
 those countries of Europe where the climate is 
 milder. The seed must be sown in a soft, and 
 well-tilled soil. The young plants must be 
 removed, like lettuce, and cabbage, and placed 
 at proper distances : great care must likewise 
 be taken to prevent their being choked with 
 weeds. 
 
 COCHINILLA. 
 
 The Paraguayrian cochineal is produced by 
 winged insects, which sit continually on cer- 
 tain little thistles, and suck their juice. There 
 are many kinds of these thistles, which differ 
 from one another in their form, and fruit. The 
 plant on which the cochineal is found, is called 
 D d'S
 
 406 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 tuna by the Spaniards, and opuntia by bo- 
 tanists. From a very short root rises a thick 
 stalk, .sometimes four-cornered, green, crooked, 
 with a white fragile pulp, and covered with 
 thorns : on this, instead of boughs and leaves, 
 grow other stalks, the same as the former, very 
 long, and extremely full of juice. Yellow 
 flowers are succeeded by fruit of a red colour, 
 larger than a common fig, with a sweet, and at 
 the same time, rather acid flavour, which ren- 
 ders them very delightful to the palate. Their 
 pulp is full of small, black seeds, like grape 
 stones, and when peeled has a delicious taste. 
 From these shrubs therefore, the women collect 
 cochineal, which consists of very small, white, 
 fluid particles, closely resembling moss. Most 
 of the particles are made into small, round 
 cakes, and, after exposure to the air, become 
 red and hard. Nothing further is requisite to 
 fit them for painting, and dying. The Jesuit 
 priest of the Guarany town Nuestra Senhora 
 de Sta. Fe, took care to have the tuna thistle 
 planted in a large garden, that they might not 
 be obliged to seek the cochineal necessary for 
 his town in distant plains. When the thistles 
 were grown up, those winged insects, resem- 
 bling bugs, were carried by the Indians from 
 the plain, and scattered up and down, with 
 more than the desired success ; for so abundant.
 
 PARAGUAY. 407 
 
 and so excellent was the cochineal collected 
 from them, that it was anxiously bought, at 
 any price, by the neighbouring priests, for the 
 use of their towns ; because it was of a deeper, 
 and brighter red, than that of the plains, and 
 the woods, and was, moreover, scented with 
 citron juice. In succeeding years, the same 
 Father prevented all access to the town by 
 means of these thistles, that the equestrian 
 savages, who had committed much carnage 
 amongst them, might not be so easily able to 
 approach it. This kind of living hedge, which 
 the Spaniards use both in their gardens and 
 estates, became not only a means of security, 
 but at the same time, an ever fertile nursery 
 of cochineal, which, as well as a most beautiful 
 paint, affords the Paraguayrians a medicine for 
 strengthening the heart, creating perspiration, 
 and counteracting poison ; so that it may be 
 safely, and usefully mixed with vinegar, and 
 other seasoning liquors. 
 
 GOLDEN-ROD. 
 
 Golden-rod, which has a very straight stalk 
 crowded from top to bottom with leaves, is 
 sometimes four, sometimes five feet high, and 
 adorned with a bright, yellow flower, abounds in 
 the plains of Paraguay. Both its trunk, and 
 leaves, boiled in water, and mixed with alum, 
 D D 4
 
 408 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 afford painters, and dyers a most splendid 
 yellow colour, and mixed with blue a very 
 bright green. The same golden-rod is also of 
 great, and various use amongst physicians. I 
 remember a gentlewoman, who had been con- 
 fined to her bed for years by some disease 
 which baffled the skill of many physicians, 
 being quickly, and happily cured, by a German, 
 who prescribed the use of this medicine. There 
 are many species of golden-rod, but I was ac- 
 quainted with only one in Paraguay. 
 
 ROOTS OF A RED COLOUR. 
 
 The Guaranies in marshy places dig up roots 
 called yzip6 with a dusky surface, which they 
 use to dye woollen, and cotton cloths of a dark 
 red. Whether this root be the rubia of dyers 
 I cannot venture to affirm, for though that plant 
 is cultivated in Austria, I never happened to 
 see it. 
 
 THE BARK CAATIGUA. 
 
 The bark of the tree caatigua, when dipped 
 in water, imparts a pale red colour, and is 
 chiefly used for dying leather. 
 
 MATERIALS FOR A BLACK COLOUR. 
 
 To dye cloth black, they make use either of 
 a kind of alfaroba, which 1 have described
 
 PARAGUAY. 409 
 
 elsewhere to be like the Egyptian tree acacia, 
 of a well-known Paraguayrian herb, or of a 
 rich, black clay. Though cotton will take a 
 black dye, it will not hold it long ; consequently 
 the cotton dresses which we wore in Paraguay, 
 became almost of no colour, and the blackness, 
 by degrees, faded away. The Spanish ladies 
 of St. lago, and the Chiquito Indians have 
 the art of dying cotton with a very lasting 
 black, a secret unknown to every one else. 
 
 A NAMELESS FRUIT AFFORDING 
 A GREEN COLOUR. 
 
 Walking in a wood on the banks of the 
 Narahage I discovered a shrub, before un- 
 known to me, covered with leaves of such a 
 very bright green that I felt an inclination 
 to taste them. I found them sweeter than 
 sugar, and thought to use them for sweetening 
 the herb of Paraguay. Applauding myself 
 vastly, for what I thought so useful a discovery, 
 I gave a leaf to the Spaniard, my companion, 
 to taste; but he prudently declared, that he 
 should take care not to eat, or even touch that 
 strange plant. The Indian old women were 
 consulted on this affair : they told us that these 
 leaves were used for dying things green, but 
 were very poisonous.
 
 410 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 WOODS USED FOR DYING. 
 
 Woods, moreover, used for dying various 
 colours, which are brought into Europe from 
 Brazil, Guayana, and other countries of Ame- 
 rica, are found in that part of Paraguay, which 
 borders on Brazil. The same may be observed 
 with regard to roots, oils, juices, gums, rosins, 
 kernels, &c. 
 
 CARDONES, OR CEREI. 
 
 To the thistles called tunas, or Indian figs, 
 you may add the cardones, or cereiy the trunk of 
 which is large, and tall, with a spungy, and 
 brittle pulp. In the place of branches and 
 leaves there grow on them other stalks, both 
 thick, and long, which are thorny on every 
 side, full of juice, and straight upright. They 
 bear white flowers, and oval-shaped fruit larger 
 than a goose's e^^, which produce a red colour, 
 and are eaten by the Indians with impunity. In 
 the deserts of Paraguay, I have often traversed 
 immense woods of cardones. The honey which 
 bees deposit in them is very famous in Europe. 
 Every part of the cardo is converted into 
 medicinal uses, both by the Europeans, and 
 Americans. There are many species of car- 
 dones, of strange, and monstrous forms. Some
 
 PARAGUAY. 
 
 411 
 
 creep on the ground, others stand upright. 
 The most remarkable is the large, thorny, 
 Peruvian cereus, which is twenty feet high, and 
 one foot thick. Its trunk has various corners, 
 and channels, as it were, together with knobs, 
 and thorns. The bark is green, and the pulp 
 fleshy, and under it lies a ligneous substance, 
 the pith of which is white, and juicy. It bears 
 but few flowers. If you wish to know more of 
 this cereus, it is to be seen in the gardens of 
 princes. 
 
 VARIOUS SPECIES of the CARAQUATA. 
 
 Many species of this plant are commonly to 
 be met with in Paraguay. I will briefly men- 
 tion those with which I am best acquainted. 
 The caraquat^ guazu, or the great caraquata, is 
 supported by a short thick root. It consists 
 of about twenty very thick leaves, dentated on 
 both sides, remarkably sharp, and about two 
 feet in length, in the midst of which rises a 
 stalk, like a trunk, five, and often more feet 
 high. The top of it is crowned with yellow 
 flowers. The Indian women spin threads of 
 the fibres of the leaves, as others do of flax, or 
 hemp, and weave them into cords, cloths, and 
 nets. But no time, or art can make these 
 threads perfectly white, nor will they hold any
 
 412 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 colour with which they may be dyed. Credit- 
 able authors write that in the province of 
 Guayana such beautiful stockings are woven of 
 this same thread, that they are sometimes pre- 
 ferred to silk ones in France for strength, and 
 softness. Another kind of caraquata, very 
 like the former, is seen in the woods, but it 
 cannot be spun into threads. In the woods 
 of Mba^vera, the Indian women who inhabit 
 there make thread, and garments, not of the 
 caraquata, but of the bark of the tree pino, 
 after it has been properly cleaned : for the webs 
 woven of the thread of this bark, after being 
 exposed for sometime to the sun, and frequently 
 sprinkled with water, become beautifully white 
 and will retain any colour with which they are 
 dyed, extremely well. It is much to be la- 
 mented that this tree pino is found in the larger 
 woods only, and is not to be seen in many 
 parts of Paraguay. Another caraquata of a 
 different shape produces a kind of artichoke, 
 or anana. It bears fruit of a scarlet colour, and 
 has plenty of seed contained in a straight slen- 
 der stalk. It is surrounded with very large 
 leaves, denticulated like a saw, and pointing 
 towards the ground, in the centre of which 
 travellers find a tolerable supply of very clear 
 water, and with it often quench their thirst in 
 dry deserts, where sometimes not a drop of
 
 PARAGUAY. 413 
 
 water is to be found. Another caraquat^ with 
 leaves very like a sword, and armed on both 
 sides with a threatening row of thorns, bears 
 fruit of a pale yellow within and without, full 
 of black seeds, and pregnant with an acidulated, 
 and pleasant juice. But to extricate this fruit 
 from the many thorns, with which the leaves 
 that guard it are armed, without being wound- 
 ed, is the labour and the difficulty. Of this 
 fruit mixed with sugar a very wholesome drink, 
 and an excellent medicine for various diseases 
 are made. These, and other kinds of cara- 
 quata are of great use to the Americans. 
 Planted around gardens, and the buildings of 
 estates, they, by their thorns, prevent all 
 secret, and improper access, more effectually 
 than any other kind of hedge, and will survive 
 every inclemency of the weather. Their leaves 
 supply the place of flax in making thread, as 
 well as of tiles in covering temporary huts, and 
 their thorns serve for needles. Their leaves, 
 on being pricked, yield a thick juice which 
 washerwomen use for soap, and when boiled on 
 the fire are fit to be eaten. The Indians look 
 upon the various fruits of the caraquat^ as food. 
 From their leaves, when scraped with a knife, 
 flows a sweet liquor, which is thickened on the 
 fire, and condensed into sugar. This liquor of 
 the caraquata, mixed in water with the seeds of
 
 414 ACCOUNT OF THE ABTPONES. 
 
 oranges, or lemons, undergoes a vinous fermen- 
 tation; exposed to the sun it turns to vinegar. 
 By what method, and in what cases, wounds 
 and disorders are healed by the juice of the 
 caraquata, would be long to tell. A polypo- 
 dium, preferable in the opinion of physicians to 
 any European one, grows on the caraquata. 
 
 VARIOUS KINDS OF REEDS. 
 
 Both in marshy plains, and in the moister 
 woods, you see a great abundance and variety 
 of reeds; some solid, others hollow. Some are 
 as thick as a man's thigh, others scarce equal 
 to his thumb : many which are slenderer than a 
 goose's quill, but full ten yards long, entwine 
 themselves about the neighbouring trees. You 
 commonly meet with reeds of such immense 
 size, that they supply the place of wood in 
 building houses, waggons, and ships, and if cut 
 at proper times would exceed it in hardness 
 and durability. Some made very large flag- 
 gons, for the purpose of holding wine on a jour- 
 ney, of these reeds, and they answered better 
 than glass, because less fragile. As various 
 kinds of reeds grow in various parts of the pro- 
 vince, the Indians ingeniously conjecture the 
 name and country of their savage foes who 
 have been travelling the same way, from the 
 reed of an arrow which they may have chanced
 
 PARAGUAY. 415 
 
 to see on the road. We have often crossed 
 woods of wide extent bristling with continual 
 reeds, and have been obliged to pass the night 
 there even, always sleepless, always anxious ; 
 for as reeds generally delight in a marshy soil, 
 they are seminaries and abodes of tykes, snakes, 
 gnats and other insects, which are always noisy 
 and stinging, and never spare either the blood 
 or ears of strangers ; especially on an impending 
 calm. If a violent wind comes on, the fire at 
 which you sit, being thereby scattered up and 
 down, will set fire to the reeds, which are co- 
 vered with leaves, and you will be burnt; for no 
 means of extinguishing the flames are at hand, 
 and there are no opportunities of escape. Those 
 reeds which the Germans call Spanish canes, 
 and the Spaniards Indian ones, and which are 
 used for walking-sticks, never grow in Para- 
 guay, though neither rare nor precious in the 
 provinces of North America. 
 
 THE SUGAR-CANE. 
 
 The sugar-cane flourishes exceedingly in the 
 hotter territories towards the north, if properly 
 cultivated. In the month of August, at the end 
 of winter that is, slips of canes, about one or 
 two feet long, are placed sloping in furrows, at 
 equal distances, and properly ploughed. These 
 gradually rot under ground, and from them a
 
 416 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 new germ arises, which grows to the height of 
 eight feet, and is cut down in the space of 
 about two months, being perfectly ripe. The 
 longer they are left in the field, the sweeter 
 and thicker becomes their juice, which is after- 
 wards expressed by various methods and ma- 
 chines in America. In Paraguay, the canes, 
 after being stripped of their leaves, are cut into 
 pieces a foot and a half in length. 'These are 
 thrust by the hand into two large cylinders of 
 very hard wood, which are turned round by two 
 oxen with the help of a great wooden wheel. 
 The juice squeezed out by the tight compression 
 of the cylinders, falls into a boat or cup placed 
 beneath. It is then boiled in a brass pan, more 
 or less, according to the various uses for which 
 the sweet liquor is intended; for if it be used in 
 the same manner as honey, which serves either 
 for food or drink, it is less thickened on the 
 fire, and kept in skins, at the bottom of which, 
 after the liquid part is consumed, you find 
 white crystallized stones, made of the coagu- 
 lated sugar, which is commonly called the pure 
 and natural sugar-candy; for that yellow can- 
 died sugar so full of threads, which is sold in 
 shops, appears to be artificial. But if the liquor 
 expressed from the canes be intended for making 
 sugar, it must be boiled for a long time, and 
 brought to a thick mass. The oftener this is
 
 PARAGUAY. 417 
 
 strained through an earthen pan perforated at 
 the bottom, and the longer it is exposed to the 
 sun, the more thoroughly it is purged of the 
 dregs, which flow off into a vessel placed be- 
 neath the pan, and the whiter and better sugar 
 it becomes. Of these dregs the Spaniards make 
 either coarser sugar, or aqua vitae, by liquefy- 
 ing it at the fire drop by drop. For the same 
 purpose others use the canes that have been 
 pressed by the cylinders, but have not had all 
 their juice entirely squeezed out. Observe, 
 moveover, that the pans in which that sweet 
 liquor is daily exposed to the sun are carefully 
 covered with fresh moist mud. All .the sugar 
 prepared in Paraguay, and the neighbouring- 
 Brazil, has the appearance of wheat flour. That 
 alone is used by the Portugueze ; it is transported 
 from Lisbon, in ships, to different places, and 
 made as hard as a stone by aid of chalk, or 
 bull's blood. As the industry of the inhabitants 
 in Paraguay by no means answers to the ferti- 
 lity of the soil, the sugar made there is rarely 
 sufficient for that province, so that no one 
 thinks of exporting any from thence. On the 
 contrary, from the exquisite cultivation of the 
 sugar cane, Brazil derives immense wealth 
 from Europe; it is the chief strength of the 
 Portugueze trade, and a perpetual source of 
 
 VOL. I. E E
 
 418 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 riches. The sugar cane differs from the com- 
 mon reed no otherwise than in having more 
 joints, and a smaller space between each. It is 
 adorned with beautifully green and very large 
 leaves, especially at the top. It is about four 
 inches thick. Though the plant is seven or 
 eight feet high, great part of it towards the top 
 is thrown away, being devoid of juice, and very 
 full of leaves. Sugar canes like a rich and moist 
 soil, nor will they grow much on hills, though 
 well watered. More earth must be heaped on 
 the sugar cane after it has been lately planted 
 in the summer, less in the winter, that it may 
 not bud too much ; for the more leaves it bears 
 the less juice it will yield. Weeds, which suck 
 up the moisture of the earth, must be carefully 
 extirpated. Moderate frosts are useful to the 
 full grown canes, because they thicken the 
 sweet liquor; immoderate ones do harm, be- 
 cause they exhaust it all. Ants, which are de- 
 structive to the young canes, must be carefully 
 kept away. Many other arts, proper to be used 
 in the rearing and expression of canes, and the 
 converting of them into sugar, I choose to omit 
 for the sake of brevity. I have briefly de- 
 scribed the principal ones, that Europeans may 
 be made thoroughly acquainted with the origin 
 of sugar, which they know so well how to con- 
 sume, and cease to wonder that these reedy
 
 PARAGUAY. 419 
 
 sweets, so laboriously prepared in America, 
 should often be sold at such an extravagant 
 price in Europe. 
 
 BEES' HONEY. 
 
 Throughout the whole of Paraguay you see 
 none of those beehives the keeping of which is 
 so troublesome in Europe, because the various 
 species of bees deposit their excellent and 
 copious honey either in hollow trees, in the 
 caverns of the earth, or in the open plain ; espe- 
 cially in those territories which enjoy a mild 
 climate, and are near to flowery plains. Honey 
 differs both in name and taste according to the 
 different bees that produce it, and the different 
 times and places in which it is produced. That 
 which is concealed under ground the Abipones 
 call naherek. In some places it is rather acid, 
 in others very SAveet. A quantity sufficient to 
 fill many jugs is often dug out of one cave. 
 That which is taken at the beginning of spring 
 from the tops of shrubs or high grass is called 
 by the Spaniards lechiguana. The materials of 
 which the cells of this honey consist are very 
 like blotting-paper, and are often of such extent 
 and circumference that you can hardly embrace 
 them with both arms. The honej^combs which 
 certain wasps build in Europe are constructed 
 
 E E 2
 
 420 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 in much the same way. The excellence of the 
 lechiguana honey you may ascribe to its being 
 made of the first spring flowers, and if it re- 
 mains untouched for some months, and escapes 
 the eyes and hands of passers by, it hardens of 
 itself, like sugar, which it excels in sweetness. 
 Moreover it has no admixture of wax. Though 
 various kinds of honey are found under the 
 earth, and in the plain, yet the principal store- 
 houses of the bees are the hollow trunks of lofty 
 trees. The Spaniards of St. lago prefer to 
 every other kind that found on the cardones. 
 With the Guaranies, and all just estimators, 
 the first place is given to the eijrobana, the 
 sweetest and most transparent of all honey, 
 which, when poured into a glass, could not be 
 distinguished from water. The same honey, if 
 found on the fragrant wood of the tree ybirapay^ 
 is then decidedly the best, and excels all other 
 honey as the sun does the lesser stars. In 
 Paraguay, in the winter months the Abi- 
 pones think honey extremely unwholesome, 
 and carefully abstain from eating it. The Spa- 
 niards of St. lago go out in crowds to seek 
 honey and wax in distant woods ; and after 
 whitening it with immense labour in the sun, 
 sell it to the people of Peru and Chili, with 
 hardly moderate profits. To discover and rifle 
 the beehives concealed in the woods is a
 
 PARAGUAY. 421 
 
 matter of little difficulty to the Abipones, who, 
 when the sky is clear, and the sun bright, 
 ride out on horseback into the country. Be- 
 ing possessed of wonderfully quick eyesight, 
 they perceive the bees flying about, and leaving 
 their horse at the bank of a river, pursue them 
 on foot till they see what tree they enter : this 
 they climb with all the agility of apes, open a 
 hole by way of a door, and as a mark of the hive, 
 take out the honey and wax into a leathern bag, 
 and carry it home, where their friends, wives, 
 and children soon consume these adventitious 
 sweets, either by eating them like ambrosia, or 
 drinking them like nectar. But if a general 
 drinking-party be appointed on any occasion, 
 the honey they bring is mixed with cold water, 
 and stirred for a little while with a stick; when, 
 without addition of any other ferment, it effer- 
 vesces, froths, and becomes wine in the space 
 of some hours, and taken even in small quanti- 
 ties intoxicates the Indians like very pure wine: 
 for we have found two or three cups sufficient 
 to upset their naturally imbecile minds. Wax 
 is scarce ever used amongst the Indians : for the 
 fire, which is always kept alive on the floor of 
 the hut, serves to dress the food by day, and 
 supplies the place of a candle by night. 
 
 E E 3
 
 422 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 SALT. 
 
 From honey let us proceed to salt, which is 
 in great request both amongst the savages and 
 almost all beasts, though they are scarce ever 
 able to procure it: for notwithstanding that 
 some parts of Paraguay abound in salt either 
 natural, or artificial, yet none of either kind can 
 be obtained throughout immense tracts of land, 
 unless it be brought at a great expense from 
 other places. All the Guarany towns are 
 destitute of chalk, and salt, both of which are 
 forced to be conveyed in ships, or waggons, 
 from the remote colonies of the Spaniards, are 
 often purchased at an exorbitant price, often 
 not to be procured. In the Cordoban territo- 
 ries, and elsewhere, the lakes which have been 
 exhausted by a long drought do indeed afford 
 coagulated salt ; but during time of drought it 
 is very difficult to reach those lakes, as the 
 plains, through which you must pass, deny 
 water both to the carriers, and to the oxen, by 
 whom the salt is conveyed in waggons to the 
 cities. In rainy seasons, when those lakes are 
 full, no salt is coagulated, which being frequently 
 the case, salt is in consequence often scarce 
 and dear. In many places under the jurisdic- 
 tion of the cities Asumpcion, and St. lago, 
 nitre collected in the plains, or saltwater boiled
 
 PARAGUAY. 423 
 
 in small pans, is converted into salt. At the 
 town of Concepcion the salt boiled in the little 
 town of Sta. Lucia was sometimes too bitter 
 to be eaten : that salt made in the Indian town 
 Lambare, and in Cochinoco where it bor- 
 ders on Peru, is much esteemed, because it is 
 hard as a stone, very white, and fit for medicinal 
 purposes. The people of Buenos-Ayres some- 
 times convey salt in ships by the South Sea, 
 sometimes in waggons by land from the lakes, 
 where there is an immense accumulation of 
 native salt, and of snow. These lakes, as they 
 are situated towards the straits of Magellan, 
 many days' journey from the city, can never be 
 reached without much expense, and seldom 
 without some danger. Great troops of Spa- 
 niards were often cruelly murdered on the way 
 by the southern savages, who scarce left one 
 alive to announce the massacre to the city. 
 On considering these difficulties you will not 
 much wonder that salt is generally scarce in 
 Paraguay, and often not to be procured. The 
 Guaranies eat their meatand all their other provi- 
 sions without a grain of salt; but a single spoon- 
 ful was given on Sundays by the free bounty 
 of the priest, to every father of a family, to last 
 the whole week : yet even this little portion 
 was expensive to the towns, of which some 
 contained a thousand inhabitants, others seven 
 
 E E 4
 
 424 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 or eight hundred. For as an arroba (a Spa- 
 nish weight of twenty-five pounds) of salt often 
 cost four crowns, or eight Austrian florens, a 
 pound was worth about twenty of our cruitzers. 
 The savages who live in hidden wilds generally 
 eat their food without salt, as there are no salt- 
 pits there ; and this is, in my opinion, the rea- 
 son that so many of them are afflicted with 
 cutaneous disorders. Others burn a shrub 
 which the Spaniards call la vidriera, the ashes 
 of which they used instead of salt, to season 
 their meat with and to prepare medicines. 
 
 CORO. 
 
 This plant closely resembles tobacco in its 
 leaf, its pungency, and property of exciting sa- 
 liva. 
 
 When should I ever have done writing, were 
 I to mention the names of all the other shrubs 
 and plants ? In certain Guarany towns you find 
 immense woods of rosemary, rue, artemisia or 
 mugwort, golden-rod, mint, and wormwood. I 
 was acquainted with three different kinds of 
 sage, varying in appearance, but endued with 
 the same virtues. That which the Spaniards 
 call royal sage is scarce, because seldom culti- 
 vated. Borage, plantane, mallows, bastard 
 marjoram, garden-nasturtium, bugloss, vervain, 
 fumitory, purslain, liquorice, and three kinds of
 
 PARAGUAY. 425 
 
 pepper, that is, common pepper, which the Gua- 
 ranies call gy ; cumbary, which has a small grain, 
 but is remarkably pungent ; and aji, which we 
 call Turkish pepper : all these, which grow in 
 Europe, are seen here in some places; but not 
 every where. Ginger grows abundantly when 
 planted. Throughout many tracts of land I 
 could discover none of the nettles of our country. 
 Liberal nature has bestowed on the soil of Para- 
 guay innumerable herbs useful to physicians, 
 such as contrayerva, &c. It may be proper to 
 give some little account of the grains which 
 compose the chief part of the support of the In- 
 dians. 
 
 MAIZE. 
 
 That grain, which the Spaniards call mayz, is 
 the principal provisions of the Americans. It 
 bears grains of divers colours. The Guaranies 
 sow various kinds of it. Those best known to 
 me are the abati hata, composed of very hard 
 grains, the abati moroti, which consists of very 
 soft and white ones, the abati miri, which ripens 
 in one month, but has very small dwarfish 
 grains, and bisingallo, the most famous of all, 
 the grains of which are angular and pointed : 
 when pounded in a wooden mortar, they yield 
 a sweet and very wholesome flour, and drunk 
 with water, either alone, or mixed with honey or
 
 426 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 sugar, quickly allay hunger and the most burn- 
 ing thirst. This flour is the delicious food of the 
 soldiers of St. lago, when they pursue the fugi- 
 tive savages, and by its aid they often accomplish 
 long and arduous excursions in a few days, with- 
 out ever being obliged to light a fire to cook their 
 victuals. This flour was likewise a great relief 
 to myself in calamitous journeys under a burn- 
 ing sun. Of the grains of each kind of maize, 
 either whole, or pounded in amortar, the Indian 
 women make various sorts of food, and even a 
 thin bread, dressed on the hot coals, which, 
 however, hunger alone would render palatable 
 to a European. The Spanish ladies, of maize 
 flour, carefully strained through a sieve, make a 
 white bread, which, while new, has an agreeable 
 flavour, and is to my taste preferable to wheaten 
 bread. The grains of maize, when pounded in 
 a mortar, and sprinkled with water, ferment in 
 a few hours, and frequently afford the lower 
 orders of Spaniards, and still oftener certain In- 
 dians, a fermented liquor called chicha or aloja. 
 The Abipones, who abound in honey and the al- 
 faroba, though very fond of maize, never use it 
 in that manner. Many and great are the ad- 
 vantages of maize, for it does not require a very 
 rich soil. One grain often yields the cultivator 
 more than a thousand-fold. The ears, when 
 young and milky, arc much relished both by Eu-
 
 PARAGUAY. 427 
 
 ropeans and Americans, either roasted or boiled 
 with meat. The Indians find this grain, how- 
 ever prepared, highly useful in strengthening 
 the body, increasing the blood, and lengthening 
 life. Neither could we discover any thing better 
 for fattening hens and other animals. 
 
 BATATAS.* 
 
 Amongst articles of food used by the Indians, 
 a high place is given to certain roots which the 
 Spaniards call batatas, and the Germans earth - 
 apples (erd'dpfel). It would be superfluous to 
 describe with prolixity a thing so commonly 
 seen. Those of Paraguay are decidedly supe- 
 rior to the German ones in size and flavour. 
 These roots, or rather bulbs, are sometimes 
 white, sometimes red, and sometimes yellow, in 
 Paraguay. In my opinion the red ones are by 
 far the worst, and the yellow the best of all. 
 
 THE MANDUBI. 
 
 The mandubi, a fruit which Europe may envy 
 America the possession of, resembles an almond 
 in oiliness, sweetness, and, with the exception 
 of the bark, in appearance. It grows under 
 ground from a very beautiful plant about two 
 feet high, which has a square hairy stalk of a 
 
 * Potatoes.
 
 428 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 reddish green colour. Its slender boughs are 
 covered with four small leaves of a bright green 
 on one side, and a whitish hue on the other, and 
 are clothed with tender down. At the begin- 
 ning of the little boughs grow small yellow 
 flowers with red edges, hanging by a short stem, 
 and surrounded by three leaflets. The roots of 
 this plant are short, slender, and tortuous, and 
 on them hang yellow oblong pods with a soft 
 rind. Each of these pods contains either one or 
 two kernels, (for there are various species of the 
 mandubi,) beautifully covered with a red skin, 
 and inclosing a very white and very rich pulp. 
 These kernels, slightly fried or roasted, are much 
 liked even by Europeans. The oil expressed 
 from them is used instead of oil of olives, to which 
 indeed it is superior, on lettuce ; and many eat 
 it with food in the place of butter or beef fat. 
 I have often wished that this excellent fruit grew 
 in Europe, where it certainly would be useful in 
 many ways. 
 
 VARIOUS KINDS OF VEGETABLES. 
 
 Besides lentils, beans, fasels, and other kinds 
 of vegetables, there is an infinite variety of me- 
 lons, gourds, and cucumbers, brought from 
 England, Italy, Germany, and Africa, into Pa- 
 raguay, which, dressed in various ways, serve 
 excellently both to fill the stomach and delight
 
 PARAGUAY. 429 
 
 the palate. The curugu^, a kind of gourd, is of 
 great size. Hanging from its stalk, it creeps like 
 ivy along the neighbouring hedges and trees. 
 This gourd is a by no means unpleasant dish, 
 and a celebrated medicine for persons afflicted 
 with the tertian ague. After being kept at 
 home for many months, it fills the room with a 
 delightful fragrance, which virtue the seeds 
 likewise possess. Melons of almost too great 
 sweetness grow every where here, but, unless 
 plucked as soon as ripe, immediately get bitter 
 and are filled with most offensive bugs. Water- 
 melons are very plentiful and of great size. The 
 soil of St. lago del Estero, which is sandy, pro- 
 duces exceedingly sweet and enormously large 
 melons. Their pulp, which is sometimes red, 
 sometimes yellow, and always cold, greatly re- 
 freshes the mouth when parched with heat, and 
 the other parts of the body, without injuring 
 the stomach. They will keep great part of a 
 year, if suspended in any open airy place. 
 Rainy weather is extremely injurious to the 
 young melons, for they absorb so much water 
 that they either burst before they are ripe, or 
 when ripe quickly putrify. 
 
 LETTUCE. 
 
 Lettuce grows in the winter months, if rightly 
 cultivated, but very seldom in the summer, un-
 
 430 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 less it be planted on the banks of rivers ; for in 
 a garden, by reason of the excessive heat of the 
 sun, it soon blossoms, and turns to seed. Eu- 
 ropean rapes grow successfully the first year 
 they are planted, but degenerate to black and 
 very pungent radishes the next. 
 
 THE RADISH. 
 
 Indeed the soil of Paraguay seems peculiarly 
 favourable to radishes, which grow every where 
 to an amazing size, and are very pernicious to 
 wheat, by choking up the fields like tares. 
 
 MUSTARD SEED. 
 
 Mustard seed, a wholesome seasoning for food, 
 is always to be seen in the "more careful gardens. 
 
 NASTURTIUM. 
 
 The European nasturtium is almost unknown 
 to the whole of Paraguay; though the garden, 
 or water-nasturtium, grows spontaneously in 
 moist places. 
 
 SAFFRON. 
 
 The European saffron is found in no part of 
 Paraguay. The American, which is saffron in 
 name and appearance only, is not used for sea- 
 soning food, but for dying things of a yellow 
 colour.
 
 PARAGUAY. 431 
 
 ASPARAGUS. 
 
 Asparagus grows wild in the plains, but is 
 very bitter, and slenderer than a thread; if 
 cultivated in gardens, it would become quite 
 gigantic. 
 
 ONIONS AND GARLICK. 
 
 Onions and garlick are diligently cultivated 
 with great care and expense by the Spaniards, 
 and are even eaten raw with avidity by hungry 
 persons. 
 
 FUNGUSES. 
 
 Various funguses are found both in the woods 
 and plains, but no one would venture either to 
 touch or taste them. Verengena, called by the 
 Latins melongena, tomates, which the Germans 
 call apples of Paradise, and other condiments of 
 this kind, better known to Spaniards than Ger- 
 mans, are frequently seen in gardens and at 
 table. The Indians like sweet things, and de- 
 test radishes, mustard-seed, garden-nasturtium, 
 lettuces sprinkled with vinegar, in short, every 
 thing acrid, acid, or bitter. The Abipones, 
 who, leading a vagrant life, never take the pains 
 to sow, nor find occasion to reap, subsist, like 
 birds and beasts, on whatever their predatory 
 habits supply, or liberal nature gratuitously
 
 432 ACCOUNT OF THE ABIPONES. 
 
 offers to hunters in the plains, woods, rivers, 
 and lakes. If the surface of the earth yields no 
 food, they seek under the earth, or the waters, 
 for esculent roots, of which they call some 
 neeyeka, others hakamlk, and others again le^- 
 kate. There is also a kind of very small bean, 
 which they call nauvirgila, and which is com- 
 monly found in the woods. These beans, when 
 boiled, though not very savoury to the palate, 
 serve in some measure to fill the bellies of the 
 Indians. 
 
 WHEAT. 
 
 The soil of Paraguay, particularly in the ter- 
 ritories of Buenos-Ayres, Monte-Video, and St. 
 lago of the Tucumans, is extremely fruitful of 
 wheat. It is nevertheless no less true than 
 surprizing that greatest part of the Spanish 
 nation never taste wheaten bread, to avoid the 
 difficulty of sowing and grinding this grain : for 
 you never see any thing like a water-mill here. 
 The mill-stone is turned about by horses, in 
 some places by the wind. I saw but two wind- 
 mills of this kind, and those were in the city of 
 Buenos-Ayres. European wheat differs from 
 that of Paraguay, the latter having a very short 
 stalk, but a larger ear, containing larger grains. 
 The Guaranies cut off the ears alone with a 
 common knife, and leave the stalks in the field,
 
 PARAGUAY. 433 
 
 where they are afterwards burnt as they stand, 
 as the ashes fertilize the soil better than any 
 other manure. In every Guarany town as 
 much wheat is sown, as is thought sufficient for 
 one year. The grains of wheat are pressed out 
 of the ear by the feet of horses, one or two 
 hundred of which are driven round an area sur- 
 rounded by hedges, wherein the ears are strew- 
 ed on the floor. 
 
 OATS. 
 Oats are not even known by name in Para- 
 guay. 
 
 PETRIFICATION OF WOOD and HORN. 
 Immense pieces of petrified wood are some- 
 times seen in the river Parana. Cows' horns 
 also, which are mottled with various colours 
 like marble, and when rubbed against steel 
 emit fire like flint, are often transformed in this 
 way. 
 
 HOT SPRINGS. 
 
 In none of those parts of Paraguay which I 
 have myself visited did I ever find any mineral, 
 or medicinal waters. But Father Joseph Sanchez 
 Labrador discovered, in his journeys through the 
 towns of the Chiquitos, that two places con- 
 tained salubrious springs, which T shall describe 
 
 VOL. I. F F
 
 434 ACCOUNT or the abipones. 
 
 in his own words. ** Not far from the town of 
 St. lago is a hot spring, surrounded on all sides 
 by woods. It is wide, about three feet deep, 
 and emits a sound like that of a boiling kettle, 
 occasioned by the water bubbling up from the 
 bottom. On dipping your foot into it you feel 
 a violent heat, which in a short time becomes 
 tolerable. Little fishes swim in these waters, 
 without however doing them any injury; but 
 their sulphureous odour renders them very dis- 
 agreeable. The banks of the fountain are sur- 
 rounded by lime-stones. The farther the water 
 recedes from the spring, the colder it becomes, 
 forming a river, which, about three leagues 
 beyond the town of Santissimo Corazon de 
 Jesu, loses itself amid extensive palm groves. 
 Many persons who had been long, and grievous- 
 ly ill, derived much benefit from these springs. 
 In sight of the town of St. Juan, at the borders 
 of the rocks, rises another small fountain, bub- 
 bling with the heat of its waters ; it forms a 
 lake in the neighbouring vale, which gives birth 
 to another river. That water is hot at its 
 source, but gradually cools as it goes along, 
 and is drunk by the Chiquitos : but it is of 
 an unpleasant taste, and not very wholesome. 
 Indeed the inferior fruitfulness of the w omen of 
 that town is ascribed by many to this water. 
 The same complaint is made by the inhabitants
 
 PARAGUAY. 435 
 
 of the. town of St. lago. From which I con- 
 clude that these waters are beneficial to sick 
 persons bathing in them, but not proper to be 
 drunk." 
 
 Of metals, or rather of the total absence of 
 all metals, I have discoursed elsewhere. Wild 
 animals, trees, and plants I have described with 
 a hasty touch, like one speeding upon a journey. 
 Let me hasten therefore to the Abipones, the 
 chief subject of my pen, lest I appear to dwell 
 too long upon the introductory part of my 
 work. 
 
 END OF VOL. I. 
 
 Lnndoii : Piinteil l)v C. Roworlh, 
 Bell-YartI, Temple-Bar.
 
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