Bands of soldiers were sent at intervals to construct houses for the Abipones, who, till that time, for more than a year, had dwelt under the mats, which they used for tents both at home and in travelling. On holidays, when I was ministering at the altar, I used to discourse with the soldiers to such effect that many of them confessed to me the faults of their past life, which was rendered the more necessary by the perilous situation of our affairs. We were agitated with daily apprehensions of the enemy's approach. At one time it was reported that Ychoalay, provoked at repeated plundering of his horses, was drawing near to the colony; at another, the vengeful Tobas were said to be coming with confederate savages. As no hope of tranquillity, or shadow of security appeared, there was not one of the Spaniards who did not ardently desire a speedy departure from the colony, and all the soldiers who were ordered thither by their captains thought themselves condemned to the quarries, or to the oar. The richer and more respectable strove to evade the journey on pretence of business, indisposition, or by some other feigned excuses; hence none but the meaner soldiers, Spaniards only in name, attended our town, and were rather a burden than a protection to us. Such were generally those who, in the beginning, were dispatched every month to our colony, both to bring us certain necessaries, and to see whether I was still alive. They were often prevented from reaching us from fear of the savages; at other times every thing they brought was so spoilt with the water as to be of no possible use: these were frequent causes of distress in the colony. CHAPTER XLIII. AN ASSAULT OF SIX HUNDRED SAVAGES ON THE SECOND OF AUGUST.