An Account of the Abipones, an Equestrian people of Paraguay, (3 of 3)

The cover was produced by the transcriber and is in the public domain.
FROM THE LATIN OF MARTIN DOBRIZHOFFER,
EIGHTEEN YEARS A MISSIONARY IN THAT COUNTRY.
IN THREE VOLUMES.
VOL. III.
LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.
1822.
London: Printed by C. Roworth,
Bell-yard, Temple-bar.
The Spaniards subdued, in great measure, the Indian natives of Paraguay, sometimes by means of soldiers, but oftener by that of priests, who, unarmed, could penetrate where a soldier found no access. The former effected more with their beads, than the latter with their bullets. In the next century, however, the Abipones, grown more contumacious, would neither be conciliated by gifts, nor subdued by arms. They would not receive the Spaniards as their friends, still less as their masters, and lest conquered they should experience them as enemies, they consulted their liberty, now fighting, now flying, as need required, sometimes availing themselves of arms, oftener of cunning and swiftness. The places of residence which they had chosen were fortified by nature, and afforded them protection against the forces of the Spaniards, so dreaded in the open field. They could not be conquered, because they could not be attacked, whilst defended by ditches and impervious woods, chiefly before they were possessed of horses. They had rather endure hunger, thirst, and concealment, than obey strangers. They resolutely refused to admit the king of the Spaniards, and the law of God—to-wit, their own happiness. It is certain that, from the age of Charles V., who united the noblest parts of America to his own Spain, the Abipones persisted in defending their liberty for upwards of two centuries, even when all the neighbouring nations had yielded to the foe. Nor were they satisfied with obstinately refusing the friendship of the Spaniards, but, intent upon every opportunity of doing mischief, overran the whole province with hostile arms. Whenever I think of the slaughters committed by the Abipones in the latter part of that century, I imagine that these savages, and their allies the Mocobios and Tobas, were reserved by an avenging God to punish the evil deeds of the Christians, as formerly the Philistines, Jebusites, and Perizzites, in the land of Canaan, were preserved by the interposition of the Almighty, to curb the rebellious Jews, whilst all their other enemies were either destroyed or reduced to subjection.