improvement and domestic affairs of the town; induced by their examples, or relying on their support, our Yaaukanigas frequently dared to make inroads into the lands of Cordoba, Sta. Fè, and Asumpcion, where, though they committed no slaughter, they carried off droves of horses. With still greater boldness, they annoyed the neighbouring towns of the Guaranies, by whose liberality chiefly they were clothed and fed. These predatory incursions we condemned, forbade, and lamented, but had not the power to prevent. They never did any mischief, however, to the territory of Corrientes. After the departure of Debayakaikin, many of his hordesmen remained in the town of St. Ferdinand, others joined the horde of Oaherkaikin, who had long established himself in a neighbouring plain, almost in sight of the town. No tears can sufficiently deplore, nor words express the injury which the morals of the Yaaukanigas sustained from the vicinity of these plunderers, and the mischief they did to our little estate. One of this savage rabble, more rapacious than the rest, made greater havock amongst the herds than any tiger, and no means of restraining his robberies could be adopted, whilst our Yaaukanigas, ever friendly to Oaherkaikin, sometimes abetted, sometimes concealed them. The Vice-Governor, when informed of the affair, durst not utter a word of reproof to this chief of the plunderers, who was impudently sitting by his side in our house, but endeavoured to conciliate him by civil speeches. If Spanish generals, accompanied by soldiers, are dumb through fear, when they ought to reproach the savages with their wickedness, who can wonder if the Fathers, destitute of all human aid, and given up to the power of the savages, were afraid to treat their errors with too much severity? Yet despising death we overcame fear, and when any thing improper met our observation, reprehended it, if reprehension seemed likely to be of any avail. Take one example out of many which might be related of the men of our order. Father Klein, with his usual fearlessness, advised a young man of high family amongst the Yaaukanigas to refrain from incursions against the Spaniards, when the ferocious youth dashed a club at his head with such force that he fell swooning to the ground covered with his own blood. Not one of the Spaniards who were there, not one of the Abipones, durst lay hands on the perpetrator of this sacrilegious blow: he went unpunished. Another Yaaukaniga struck the same Father with his fist, crying, "It is a fable what you tell us about a God who created all things."