About day-break a vast company of Mocobios suddenly made their appearance in the market-place. Some of them surrounded Debayakaikin, who was drinking with most of his hordesmen; the rest meantime, unopposedly, carried off droves of horses that were wandering up and down the pastures. This vast booty, however, cost the lives of some; for Pachiekè, brother of the Cacique Narè, mounting a horse, attacked the hindmost company as they were departing, and pierced some with his spear, which, on his return, he displayed smoking with recent blood. On many other occasions, the Yaaukanigas, having expeditious horses at hand, pursued the flying Mocobios, and deprived them not only of the horses they had plundered, but of those they had used on the journey, sending them home on foot to report the deaths of their comrades. One time the plain was deluged to such a degree that it did not afford a single spot where the Mocobios could lie down at night; they therefore made themselves beds by twining twigs here and there amongst the boughs of the trees, and in these hurdles laid themselves down to sleep, but were surprized at night by the pursuing Yaaukanigas, who slew some, wounded others, and carried off the whole of the booty. Would that they had been equally successful on the eleventh of December! that day, so fatal to my horses, will never be erased from my memory. The day before, a Guarany, who guarded the cattle, announced that, early in the morning, he had observed the footsteps of the enemy, and that many horses were missing. Whilst the Yaaukanigas were vainly deploring their loss, I, with my companion Father Klein, and two young men, traversed the plain for some time on horseback. We saw that a troop had passed the Rio Negro, from their footsteps impressed on the sand, and from the grass being trodden down by the multitude of horses. No one doubted that the enemy were by that time at a considerable distance, no one therefore thought of pursuing them. I often blew a military trumpet, and with a loud voice we uttered many pleasant sayings in the Mocobian tongue; we were both seen and heard by the Mocobios, who were lurking hard by, but not attacked, because they purposed making an assault on the town next day. No suspicion of the enemy's intention being entertained, we all slept soundly. But lo! and behold, the next day at eleven o'clock the same Mocobios came in sight of the town to carry off the remaining herd of horses. Most of the Yaaukanigas being engaged in the chase, the rest in drinking, and we ourselves in sleeping, as usual with the Spaniards at mid-day, the women assembled together and filled the market-place and our court-yard with their lamentations; awakened by which we flew to repel the enemy, each furnished with a musket, and rendered, by this means, formidable to ever so numerous a foe. Father Klein set off first, accompanied by two Abipones. As I was following, a drunken Yaaukaniga took me by the shoulder, and said, in a fierce tone,