It was openly reported that Ychoalay, enraged that the event of this expedition had proved so contrary to his desires and expectations, was directing his whole attention, in conjunction with the Spaniards, towards totally destroying our colony; on hearing which, our Abipones withdrew from the town, and hastened by crowds to their known retreats. What were our feelings on perceiving this? We wrote to inform Barreda of the matter, and in the mean time awaited a remedy for our affliction, which might, after all, prove too late; for conscious of that general's lenity towards his soldiers, and of their tardiness in undertaking a journey, we justly feared that Saguntum would be lost while Rome deliberated. CHAPTER XXX. THE ARRIVAL OF BARREDA, AND THE REMOVAL OF THE TOWN TO THE BANKS OF THE SALADO. Barreda groaned on receiving intelligence of the approaching ruin of the town; he knew how much trouble the Abipones had caused the Spaniards, whilst at enmity with them, and therefore thought every exertion should be made to preserve a friendship which was so necessary to the whole province. Without delay, he set off, with four hundred horsemen, in the intention of removing the town from the neighbourhood of Ychoalay, and Sta. Fè, into the territory of St. Iago. The journey was an exceedingly arduous one; for in the first part of it not a drop of water could be found, often for the space of twenty leagues, the lakes and rivers being exhausted by a long drought; and towards the latter end, the country was flooded by unceasing rains, to such a degree, that they were obliged to ride through water by day, and to lie down in it at night, when overcome by sleep. Many of the soldiers passed the night in the trees, and placing a piece of hard turf, taken from the ant-hills, amongst the boughs, kindled a fire upon it to heat the water in which they infused the herb of Paraguay. Barreda reached our town a little before noon, on Whitsunday. He alighted from his horse, his clothes dripping with the rain, and hastening to the church, assisted me as I was ministering at the altar; thus affording an excellent example to the surrounding soldiers and Indians. But his mind was wholly intent on speedily remedying the afflicted state of the town, which, to prevent its utter ruin, he wished to have removed to the banks of the Salado, eighty leagues distant from its former situation. But Alaykin boldly and prudently condemned the proposed migration, declaring that the place mentioned by Barreda for the site of the colony, appeared to him objectionable. "What," said he, "do you wish us to drink bitter water, which the very beasts refuse to touch?" The counsels of Barreda were equally displeasing to all the other Abipones, who were strongly attached to their native soil, a soil abounding in delightful fruits and wild animals, and fortified with so many secure lurking-holes; and who