Asimpleandeasystyle,akeenhabitofobservation,longacquaintancewiththecountry,azealfortheconversionoftheinfidel,notonlytoChristianity,buttoamorecomfortablemodeoflife,towhichheaddsafaithsufficienttomovetheCordilleraoftheAndes,butatthesametimerestrictedbyacommon
senseandveracitynotalwaysobservableinreligiouswriters,renderDobrizhofferapersonalfriendaftertheperusalofhiswritings。
Dobrizhoffer'sbookwaswritteninLatin,andprintedinViennain1784
underthetitleof`HistoriadeAbiponibus',etc。AGermantranslationbyProfessorKeilwaspublishedatPesthinthesameyear。
TheEnglishtranslationisoftheyear1822。
EnglishissingularlybarreninregardtotheJesuitsinParaguay。
FatherFalconer,anEnglishJesuit,hasleftacuriousandinterestingbookprintedatHerefordin1774,buthetreatsexclusivelyofwhatisnowtheprovinceofBuenosAyres,theFalklandIslands,andofPatagonia。
AsanEnglishmanandaJesuitasomewhatrarecombinationintheeighteenthcentury,andasonewhodoubtlessknewmanyoftheParaguayanpriests,histestimonywouldhavebeenmostimportant,especiallyashewasamanofgreatinformation,mucheducation,anintrepidtraveller,and,moreover,onlyenteredtheCompanyofJesusatacomparativelyadvancedage。
ItisinSpanish,orinLatinbySpanishauthors,thatthegreaterportionofthecontemporaryhistoriesandaccountsaretobefound。
Literatures,likeotherthings,havetheirtimesoffashion。
AtonetimeaknowledgeofSpanishwasasrequisiteassometinctureofFrenchisatpresent,andalmostasuniversal。
MenfromGermany,England,andHollandwhometinaforeigncountrycommunicatedinthatlanguage。IntheearlyportionofthecenturyTicknor,Prescott,andWashingtonIrvingrenderedSpanishliteraturefashionabletosomedegree。
ItistoberememberedthattheSpanishcolonistswereasaruleantagonistictotheJesuits,andthat,therefore,SpanishwritersdonotofnecessityholdabrieffortheJesuitsinParaguay。
Moreover,thenamesofEsmidSmith,FildoFields,Dobrizhoffer,CataldiniandTomasBrunoBrown,whoismentionedasbeing`naturaldeYorca',Filge,Limp,Pifereti,Enis,andAsperger,thequaintmedicalwriteronthevirtuesofplantsfoundinthemissionterritory,showhowmanyforeignJesuitswereactuallytobefoundinthereductionsofParaguay。Formoreinformationonthismatterseethe`ColecciondeDocumentosrelativosa/laExpulsiondelosJesuitasdelaRepublicaArgentinayParaguay',publishedandcollectedbyFranciscoJavierBrabo,Madrid,1872。
LaterthehistoricalresearchesofSirWilliamStirlingMaxwelldrewsomeattentiontoit。To
dayhardlyanyliteratureofEuropeissolittlestudiedinEngland。Stillleavingapartthepurelyliterarytreasuresofthelanguage,itisinSpanish,andalmostaloneinSpanish,thattheearlyhistoryofAmericaistobefound。
Afterthestruggleforindependencewhichfinishedabout1825,someinterestwasexcitedintheSpanish
Americancountries,stimulatedbythewritingsofHumboldt;butwhenitbecameapparentthatonthewholethosecountriescouldneverbeoccupiedbyNorthernEuropeans,interestinthemdiedoutexceptforpurposesconnectedwiththeStockExchange。Yetthereisacharmwhichattachestothemwhichattachestonoothercountriesintheworld。Itwastherethatoneofthegreatestdramas,andcertainlythegreatestadventureinwhichthehumanracehasengaged,tookplace。WhatAfricahasbeenforthelasttwentyyears,SpanishAmericawasthreehundredyearsago,thedifferencebeingthat,whereasmodernadventureinAfricagoesonunderfullobservation,anddealsinthemainwithabsolutelyuncivilizedpeoples,theconquestofSouthAmericawasinvestedwithallthecharmofnovelty,andbroughttheconquerorsintocontactwithatleasttwopeoplesalmostasadvancedinmostoftheartsofcivilizationastheywerethemselves。
WhenfirstSebastianCabotandSolisascendedtheParana,theyfoundthattheGuaranisofParaguayhadextendedinnoinstancetothewesternshoreofeitherofthoserivers。
Thewesternbankswereinhabitedthen,asnow,bythewanderingIndiansofthestillnotentirelyexploredterritoryoftheGranChaco。
ChacoisaQuichuaIndianwordmeaning`hunting'or`hunting
ground',anditissaidthataftertheconquestofPerutheIndiantribeswhichhadbeenrecentlysubjugatedbytheIncastookrefugeinthishugedomainofforestandofswamp。
TheIncaGarcilasodelaVega,inhis`CommentariosReales'enMadrid1723,enlaoficinaRealya/costadeNicholasRodriguezFranco,Impressordelibros,sehallaranensucasaenlacalledeelPoc,oyenPalacio,derivesthewordfromtheQuichua`Chacu/'=asurrounding。Ifheisright,itwouldthenbeequivalenttotheGaelic`tinchel'。Taylor,theWater
poet,hasleftacuriousdescriptionofoneofthesetinchels。
ItwasatatinchelthattherisingundertheEarlofMarinthe'15
wasconcocted。
Bethatasitmay,theChacoIndiansofto
day,comprisingtheremnantsoftheLulis,Tobas,Lenguas,Mocobios,andothers,arealmostassavageaswhenfirstwehearoftheminthepagesofAlvarNunezandHuldericoSchmidel。ThesetribestheJesuitsonmanyoccasionsattemptedtocivilize,butalmostentirelywithoutsuccess,asthelongrecordofthemartyrdomofJesuitmissionariesintheChacoproves,aswellasthegradualabandonmentoftheirmissionsthere,towardsthesecondhalfoftheeighteenthcentury。
CertainitisthatatvariousplacesintheChaco,inthequaintoldmapstheJesuitshaveleftus,onereads`MissiondeSantaCruzdelosVilelas',`MissiondelaConcepciondelosFrontones',andothers;butmuchmorefrequentlytheirmapsarestuddedwithcrosses,andsomesuchlegendas`HicoccisisuntPP。AntoniusSalinusetPetrusOrtizZarate'。
ItwasonlywhentheJesuitsencounteredthemorepeacefulGuaranisthattheymetwithrealsuccess。
SeethecuriousmapcontainedinthenowrareworkofP。PedroLozano,entitled,`DescripcionChorographica……delGranChaco,Gualamba',etc。
Alsointheinterestingcollectionofoldmapspublishedin1872atMadridbyFranciscoJavierBrabo。
Whatwasthenatureoftheirsuccess,howdurableitwas,whatwerethereasonswhichcausedtheexpulsionoftheorderfromAmerica,andespeciallyfromParaguay,andwhathasbeentheresultupontheremainderoftheIndians,itismyobjecttoendeavourtoexplain。
AlongresidenceintheriverPlate,togetherwithtwovisitstoParaguay,inoneofwhichIsawalmostalltheremnantsoftheParaguayanmissionsandafewofthosesituatedintheprovinceofCorrientes,andintheBrazilianprovinceofRioGrandedoSul,havegivenmesomepersonalacquaintancewiththesubject。
Itis,ofcourse,tobetakenintoconsiderationthatmytwojourneysinParaguayweremadeafterthegreatwarwhichterminatedin1870,afterlastingfouryears;butthewritingsofDemersay`HistoireduParaguayetdesE/tablissementsdesJe/suites',Paris,1862,thoseofBrabo,andofAzara,showthedesertedstateofthedistrictofMisionesintheperiodfrom1767,thedateoftheexpulsionoftheJesuits,tothemiddleofthenineteenthcentury。
TheactualconditionoftherichdistrictofMisionesParaguay
atthetimeIvisitedit,shortlyaftertheconclusionofthegreatwarbetweenParaguayandBrazilin1870,doesnotenablemetospeakwithauthorityontheconditionofcommunities,theguidingspiritsofwhichwereexpelledasfarbackastheyear1767。
Theactualbuildingsofthemissions,thechurchesinadismantledstate,haveindeedsurvived;inmanyinstancesthetalldate
palmstheJesuitsplantedstillwaveoverthem。GenerallythecollegewasoccupiedbytheIndianAlcalde,whocameouttomeetthevisitoronahorseifhepossessedone,withasmuchsilveraboutthebridleandstirrupsashecouldafford,clothedinwhite,withacloakofredbaize,alarge`jipi
japa'hat,andsilverspursbuckledonhisnakedfeet。
Ifhehadneverleftthemission,hetalkedwithwonderandrespectofthetimesoftheJesuits,andatthe`oracion'kneltdowntopraywhereverthesoundoftheangelusmightcatchhim。
Hischildrenbeforebedtimekneltallinarowtoaskhisblessing。
IfhehadbeentoAsuncion,heprobablyremarkedthatthepeopleunderthoseaccursedpriestswerenaughtbutanimalsandslaves,andlaunchedintosomedisquisitionhehadheardinthesolitarycafewhichAsuncionthenboasted。Inthelattercase,aftermuchoftherightsofmanandthedutiesofhospitality,hegenerallypresentedyouwithaheavybillforIndiancornand`pindo'whichyourhorsehadeaten。
Intheformer,usuallyhebadeyougowithGod,and,ifyouspokeofpayment,said:`Well,sendmeabookofHourswhenyougettoAsuncion。'
`CocosAustralis'。
OfIndians,hardlyanywerelefttojudgeof,forinthevillagesinwhich,accordingtothereportsfurnishedtoBucareli,theViceroyofBuenosAyresatthetimeoftheexpulsionoftheJesuits,thepopulationnumberedinthethirtytownsofthemissionsonehundredandtwentythousand,
apopulationofatmosttwentythousandwastobefound。
Oneverysidethepowerfulvegetationhadcoveredupthefields。
Onruinedchurchandchapel,andonbrokentower,thelianasclimbedasifontrees,creepingupthebelfries,andthrowinggreatmassesofscarletandpurpleflowersoutoftheapertureswhereoncewerehungthebells。Inthethickjunglesafewhalf
wildcattlestillweretobefound。Thevast`estancias',whereoncetheJesuitsbrandedtwoandthreethousandcalvesayear,andfromwhencethousandsofmuleswentforthtoChileandBolivia,wereallneglected。Horseswerescarceandpoor,cropsfewandindifferent,andtheplantationsmadebytheJesuitsofthetree`IlexParaguayensis'
fromwhichismadethe`yerbamate',werealldestroyed。
SeethereportsoftheMarquesdeValdeliriosandothersinthepublicationsofFranciscoJavierBrabo,Madrid,1872,andinthe`EnsayodelaHistoriaCivildeParaguay,Buenos
AyresyTucuman',porDr。DonGregorioFunes,BuenosAyres,1816。
Inthevastforests,stretchingtotheSaltodeGuayra,afewscatteredtribes,knownasCaaguas,roamedthroughthethickets,orencampeduponthestreams。Inthethirtytowns,oncefulloflifeandstir,ineveryoneofwhichtherewasachurch,finer,asanoldSpanishwritersays,thananyinBuenosAyres,therewasnaughtbutdesolationanddespair。TheIndianseitherhadreturnedintothewoods,beenkilledintheceaselessrevolutionarywars,orhadbeenabsorbedintotheGauchopopulationsofCorrientes,RioGrande,EntreRios,andofSantaFe。
ItmaybethatallIndianracesaredestinedtodisappeariftheycomeintocontactwithEuropeans;certainly,experiencewouldseemtoconfirmthesupposition。ThepolicyoftheJesuits,however,wasbasedonisolationoftheirmissions,andhowthismighthaveworkedismatteratleastforspeculation。Itwasonaccountoftheisolationwhichtheypractisedthatitwaspossiblefortheextravagantcalumnieswhichwerecirculatedastotheirruleandrichestogainbelief。
Itwasonaccountofisolationthatthefirstconflictsarosebetwixtthemandtheauthorities,bothclericalandlay。ThattheJesuitsweremorehighlyesteemedthantheotherreligiousordersinSpanishAmericaintheseventeenthcentury,thesayingcurrentinthosedays,`Losdemasvana/un~a,losJesuitasa/una'
i。e。,Theothersgetalltheycan,buttheJesuitshaveoneaimtheconversionoftheIndians
seemstoshow。
ItisnotmypurposetodealwiththeprobablereasonswhichinducedtheirexpulsioninEurope。Sufficeittosaythat,whatevercrimesormisdemeanourstheywereguiltyof,theywerenevercalledontoanswerbeforeanytribunals,andthatinmanyinstancestheyweretreated,especiallyinPortugal,withgreatcrueltyandinjustice。
Theburning,attheageofeighty,oftheunfortunateMalagridainLisbonundertheauspicesofPombal,forabookwhichitseemsimprobablehecouldhavewritteninprisonatsogreatanage,andwhich,moreover,wasneverbroughtintocourt,onlysupposedextractsfromitbeingread,mayserveasanexample。InorderclearlytounderstandthepositionoftheJesuitsinAmerica,andespeciallyinParaguayandBolivia,itisnecessarytoglancebrieflyatthehistoryofthefirstconquestoftheriverPlate。
ThediscoveryofAmericaopeneduptoEurope,andespeciallytoSpain,opportunitiesforexpansionofnationalterritoryandindividualadvancementwhichnoepoch,eitherbeforeorsince,hasequalled。
FromaclusterofsmallStates,strugglingforexistenceagainstapowerfulenemyontheirownsoil,inafewyearsSpainbecamethegreatestempireoftheworld。Theresultwasthataspiritofadventureandadesiretogrowrichspeedilypossessedallclasses。Inadditiontothis,everySpaniardinAmericaduringthefirstfewyearsoftheconquestseemedtoconsiderhimself,tosomeextent,notonlyasaconqueror,butalsoasamissionary。
Now,missionariesandconquerorsaremen,onthewhole,moreimbuedwiththeirownimportanceandsanctity,andlessdisposedtoconsiderconsequences,thanalmostanyotherclassesofmankind。Theconjunctionofthetwoinonedisposedthe`conquistadores'ofAmericatoimaginethat,nomatterhowcrueloroutrageoustheirtreatmentoftheIndianswas,theyatonedforallbytheintroductionofwhattheyconsideredtheblessingoftheknowledgeofthetruefaith。Itwillbeseenatoncethat,ifonecandeterminewithaccuracywhichofthemany`faiths'preachedabouttheworldisactuallythetruefaith,amanwhoisinpossessionofitisactingproperlyinendeavouringtodiffuseit。ThemeanestsoldierinthevariousarmieswhichleftSpaintoconquerAmericaseemstohavehadnodoubtaboutthematter。
BernalDiazdelCastillo,who,ashehimselfrelates,cametoAmericaattheageofeighteen,andthereforecouldhavehadlittlepreviousopportunityofstudyingtheology,andwho,moreover,wasunfittedtodosobythewantofknowledgeofLatin,towhichhehimselfconfesses,yetattheendofhishistoryoftheconquestofMexico,oneofthemostinterestingbookseverwritten,hasthefollowingpassage:
`Butitistobenotedthat,afterGod,itwaswe,therealconquerors,whodiscoveredthem[theIndians]andconqueredthem;andfromthefirstwetookawaytheiridols,andtaughtthemourholydoctrine,andtousisduetherewardandcreditofitall,beforeanyotherpeople,eventhoughtheybechurchmen:forwhenthebeginningisgood,themiddleandendingisgood,whichthecurious[i。e。,attentive]readermayseeintheChristianpolityandjusticewhichweshowedtheminNewSpain。
`AndIwillleavethematter,andtelltheotherbenefitswhich,afterGod,byouragency,cametothenativesofNewSpain。'
BernalDiaz,`HistoriadelaConquistadelaNuevaEspan~a',vol。iv。,cap。207,Madrid,1796。
Onewouldimagine,onreadingtheaboveextract,BernalDiazhadneverkilledanIndianinhislife,andthathehadsacrificedhisprospectsincomingtoMexicosolelytointroduce`aChristianpolityandjustice'
amongsttheinhabitants。Yethewasnohypocrite,butastoutsagacioussoldier,evenkindly,accordingtohislights,andwithaloveofanimalsuncommoninaSpaniard,forhehaspreservedthenamesandqualitiesofallthehorsesandmareswhichcameoverinthefleetfromtheHavanawithCortes。Thephrase,`despuesdeDios'
afterGodoccursrepeatedlyinthewritingsofalmostallthe`conquistadores'ofAmerica。Having,afterGod,conqueredAmerica,thefirstactionoftheconquerorswastosetaboutmakingtheirfortunes。
Inthosecountrieswhichproducedgoldandsilver,asMexicoandPeru,theyworkedtheminesbythelabouroftheIndians,thecrueltiesandhardshipsbeingsogreatthat,inaletterofPhilipII。totheComedeChinchon,theViceroyofPeru,datedMadrid,April30,1639,writtenfiftyyearsafterthediscovery,hesays:`TheseIndiansflee,becomeill,anddie,andhavebeguntodiminishgreatlyinnumber,andtheywillbefinishedsoonunlessanefficientremedyisprovidedshortly。'
Especiallynotingdowntheappearanceandqualitiesof`elcaballoMotilla',thehorseofGonzalodeSandoval。ThusdoesheminutelydescribeMotilla,`thebesthorseinCastilleortheIndies'。`Elmejorcaballo,ydemejorcarrera,revueltoa/unamanoya\otraquedecianquenosehabiavistomejorenCastilla,nienesatierraeracastan~oacastan~ado,yunaestrellaenlafrente,yunpieizquierdocalzado,quesedeciaelcaballoMotilla;
e/quandohayahoradiferenciasobrebuenoscaballos,suclendeciresenbondadtanbuenocomoMotilla。'
InParaguaytherewerenomines,buttherewereothermethodsofextractingmoneyfromtheIndians。AtthefirstconquestParaguaywasnotthelittlecountryboundedonthewestbytheParaguay,onthesouthbytheParana,onthenorthbytheAquidaban,andontheeastbySierraofMbaracavu,asitisatpresent。
Onthecontrary,itembracedalmostallthatimmenseterritoryknownto
dayastheArgentineConfederation,someoftheRepublicofUruguay,andagreatportionofBrazil,embracingmuchoftheprovincesofMisiones,RioGrandedoSul,Parana,andMattoGrosso,aswellasParaguayitself。
Howthelittlecountry,twelvehundredmilesfromthesea,cametogiveitsnametosuchanenormousterritory,andtohavetheseatofgovernmentatAsuncion,demandssomeexplanation。
PeruandChilewerediscoveredandoccupiedsometimebeforetheeasternsideofSouthAmerica。Theirrichesnaturallydrewgreatattentiontothem;butthevoyage,firsttoCartagenadeIndias,andthenacrosstheisthmus,andthere
embarkationagainonthePacific,werebothcostlyandarduous。IthadbeentheambitionofallexplorerstodiscoversomeriverwhichwouldleadfromtheAtlantictotheminesofPeruandwhatisnowBolivia,thenknownasAltaPeru。
Ofcourse,thismighthavebeenachievedbyascendingtheAmazon,especiallyaftertheadventurousdescentofitbyOrellana,ofwhichFrayGaspardeCarbajalhasleftsocuriousadescription;
but,whetheronaccountofthedistanceorforsomeotherreason,itneverseemstohavebeenattempted。
In1526SebastianCabotleftSpainwiththreesmallvesselsandacaravelfortheobjectofreachingtheMoluccasorSpiceIslands。
ItwashispurposetoreachthemthroughtheStraitsofMagellan。
Beingcompelledbywantofsuppliestoabandonhisroute,heenteredabroadestuary,andascendeditundertheimpressionthathehaddiscoveredanotherchanneltothePacific。Hesoonfoundhismistake,andbegantoexplorethesurroundingcountry。Fifteenyearsbefore,withthesameobject,JuandeSolishadenteredthesameestuary。
OntheislandofMartinGarciahewaskilledbyaChanaIndian,andhisexpeditionreturnedhome。Hearingthattherewasmuchsilveratthehead
waters,hehadcalledittheRiodelaPlata。
Ifwetakethehead
watersoftheriverPlatetobesituatedinBolivia,therecertainlywasmuchsilverthere;butCabotwasunawarethatthehead
waterswereabovetwothousandmilesfromtheestuary,andhewasnotdestinedtocomenearthem。HedidgoasfarasapointontheriverCaracara,inwhatisnowtheprovinceofSantaFe,andtherehebuiltafortwhichhenamedEspirituSanto,thefirstSpanishsettlementinthatpartofAmerica。
WhilstatEspirituSanto,severalexploringpartiesweresenttoscourthecountry。Oneofthem,underasoldierofthenameofCesar,neverreturned。Tradition,alwayseagertomakeuptohistoryforitswantofinterest,assertedthataftermarchingforyearstheyreachedacity。PerhapsitwasthemysticTrapalandaofwhichtheGauchosusedtodiscourseatnightwhenseatedroundafireofbonesuponthepampa。Perhapssomeother,forenchantedcitiesandEldoradoswereplentifulinthosedaysinAmerica,alternatingwithoccasionalempires,asthatofPuytita,neartheLagunadelosXarayes,Manoa,andtheCiudaddelosCesares,supposedtobesituatednearAraucointheChilianAndes。However,oneofthepartyactuallyreturnedafteryears,andrelatedhisadventurestoRuyDiazdeGuzman,
thefirsthistorianofParaguay。ThusitwasthatthestreamofadventurerswaseverseekingforachanneltotheminesofPerufromtheAtlanticcoast。
CabotappearstohaveascendedtheParanatotheislandofApipe,andthen,returning,enteredtheriverParaguay。HavingascendedpastwhatisnowAsuncion,thecapitalofParaguay,CabotencounteredIndiansfromthenorthwhotoldhimoftheminesinPeruandinBolivia,probablyunawarethatCabotknewofthemalready。Atthispoint,encouragedbywhatheheard,hegavethenameofRiodelaPlatatowhathadpreviouslybeenknowneitherasLaMarDulceorElRiodeSolis。
Likemostnameswhicharewronglygiven,itremainedtotestifytothewantofknowledgeofthegiver。Fouryearsafter,CabotreturnedtoSpain,havingfailedtoattractattentiontohisdiscoveries。
InthefaceofthewealthwhichwaspouringinfromthePeruvianmines,anotherexpeditionstartedfortheriverPlate。ItsGeneral
forinSpainthetitlewasusedindifferentlybylandandsea
wasDonPedrodeMendoza,agentlemanofGuadixinAlmeria,andamemberofthehouseholdofCharlesV。
`LaArgentina',includedinthe`ColecciondeAngelis',BuenosAyres,1836。
DonPedrohadseenserviceintheItalianwars,andseemstohavebeenamanofcharacterandbravery,butwantinginthediscretionandthenecessarytactessentialinthefounderofacolony。
In1534theexpeditionstarted,unfortunatealmostfromthefirst。
Ina`certainisland',asthehistorianoftheexpedition,HuldericoSchmidel,aGermanorFlemishsoldier,callsRioJaneiro,adisputeoccurredbetweenDonPedroandhissecondincommand,JuandeOsorio。
Atacourt
martialhelduponOsorio,DonPedroappearstohaveletfallsomeremarkswhichJuandeAyolas,theAlguazilMayorChiefConstable,seemstohavetakenupasanorderforinstantexecution。
Thisheperformeduponthespot,plunginghisdaggerrepeatedlyintoOsorio,or,asHuldericoSchmidelhasit,`sewinghimupwithcuts'
`cosiendolea\pun~aladas'。Thismurderorexecution
forwhoshalltellwhenmurderfinishesanditslegalcounterpartbegins?
renderedDonPedroveryunpopularwithallthefleet;for,asSchmidelhasitinhishistory,`thesoldierslovedOsorio。'TobelovedbythesoldierswastheonlychanceaSpanishofficerhadinthosetimesofholdinghisown。
BothSchmidelandBernalDiazdelCastillo,whohadbothbeencommonsoldiers,andwho,curiously,bothwrotehistories,losenooccasionofvilifyingofficerswhousedthesoldiershardly。ItistruethatBernalDiazwho,unlikeSchmidel,wasamanofgeniusdoessowithsomediscretion,andalwaysapparentlywithreason。Schmidel,ontheotherhand,seemstohaveconsideredthatanyofficerwhointerferedbetweenthesoldiersandtheIndianswasatyrant,andhencehisdenunciationofAlvarNunez,underwhomheserved。
`HistoriayDescubrimientodeelRiodelaPlatayParaguay',HuldericoSchmidel,containedinthecollectionmadebyAndresGonzalezBarcia,andpublishedin1769atMadridunderthetitleof`HistoriadoresPrimitivosdelasIndiasOccidentales'。
In1535theexpeditionenteredtheriverPlate。HereMendoza,withhisusualwantofjudgment,pitcheduponwhatisnowthesiteofBuenosAyresasthespotonwhichtofoundhiscolony。
Itwouldbedifficulttoselectamoreinconvenientplaceinwhichtofoundatown。ThesiteofBuenosAyresisalmostlevelwiththewatersoftheriverPlate,whichthereareshallow
soshallowthatlargevesselscouldnotapproachnearerthantentofifteenmiles。Withoutaharbour,theanchoragewasexposedtothefullfuryofthesouth
westgales,knownas`pamperos'。
However,ifthesitewasbadtheairwasgood;atleast,itseemsso,foracaptainoftheexpeditionexclaimedonlanding,`Quebuenosairessonestos!'andhencethename。Hereeverysortofevilchancecameonthenewborncolony。ThePampaIndians,whomthehistorianSchmidelseemstohaveonlyknownbytheirGuaraninameofQuerandis,atfirstwerefriendly。Afteralittlewhiletheyceasedtobringprovisions,andtheGeneralsentoutanexpeditiontocompelthemunderhisbrother,DonDiegodeMendoza。ItdoesnotseemtohaveoccurredtoDonPedrodeMendozathat,hadthe`cacique'oftheQuerandislandedinSpain,noonewouldhavebroughthimprovisionsforasingledaywithoutreceivingpayment。However,DonPedrohadcometoAmericatointroducecivilizationandChristianity,andtherefore,knowing,likeBernalDiazandtheotherconquerors,hisownmoralworth,wasjustlyindignantthatafteradayortwotheIndiansrefusedhimmoresupplies。IntheencounterwhichtookplacebetweentheSpaniardsandtheIndians,DonDiegodeMendozawasslain,andwithhimseveralothers。Hereforthefirsttimewehearofthebolas,orthreestonesunited,likeaManxman'slegs,withstripsofhide,withwhich,asHuldericoSchmideltellsus,theIndianscaughtthehorsesbythelegsandthrewthemdown。AfterthisforetasteofEuropeanjustice,theIndiansbesiegedthenewly
builttownandbroughtittogreatstraits,somuchsothat,afterthreemenhadbeenhungforstealingahorse,inthemorningitwasdiscoveredtheyhadbeencutdownandeaten。
InthisdesperatestateDonPedrodespatchedJuandeAyolastogetsupplies。
He,havingobtainedsomemaizefromtheTimbuIndians,returned,leavingahundredofhismeninalittlefort,calledCorpusChristi,closetoEspirituSanto,thefortwhichCabothadconstructed。
ThefriendlinessoftheTimbusinducedDonPedrotoabandonBuenosAyresandmovetoCorpusChristi。Thereherepairedwithaboutfivehundredmen,allwhoremainedofthetwothousandsixhundredandthirtywithwhichhesailedfromCadiz。Thehorsesheabandonedonthepampa;
theretheybecametheancestorsoftheinnumerableherdswhichatonetimeoverspreadtheArgentineRepublicfromtheChacotoPatagonia,andwhosedescendantstothisdaystockthe`estancias'ofthatcountry。
ThegreatLasCasas,whomadesevenvoyagesfromAmericatoSpain
thelastattheageofseventy
two
toprotecttheIndians,hadastrongopinionabout`conquerors'and`conquests'。
InthededicationofhisgreattreatiseonthewrongsoftheIndians,hesays:`QuenopermitaFelipeII。lasatrocidadesquelostiranosinventaron,yqueprosiguenhaciendocontitulode"conquistas"。Losquesejactandeser"conquistadores"
aquedesciendendeellossonmuchomasorgullososarrogantesyvanosquelosotrosEspan~oles。'Strangethatevento
daythesame`atrocidades'of`tiranos'aregoingoninAfrica。
Nodoubtthedescendantsofthese`conquerors'willbeasarrogant,proud,andvainasthedescendantsofthe`conquistadores'
ofwhomLasCasaswrites。
Mendozaleft`AzaraApuntamientosparalaHistoriaNaturaldelosQuadrupedesdelParaguay',etc。fivemaresandsevenhorsesintheyear1535。In1580DonJuandeGaray,atthesecondfoundingofthecity,alreadyfoundtroopsofwildhorses。Thecattleincreasedtoamarvellousextent,andbytheendofthecenturywerewildinPatagonia。Sarmiento`CivilisationetBarbarisme'