On the return of the convoy to the ruins of Cabot's fort, Hurtado, not finding the body of his faithful Mi randa, and impelled by conjugal affection, set out alone to seek her among the Indians. Siripa, indignant at his presumption, and conceiving him the only obstacle to his happiness, ordered him to immediate execution ; but Hurtado was saved by the intercessions of his wife. The Indian, however, worn out at last by her resistance, and his own jealousy, commanded them both to be des troyed.* Mosquera, upon whom the command of the few surviving Spaniards had devolved, was compelled, by the irreconcileable animosity of the Indians, to aban don the fort, and retired to the coast of Brasil.
Such was the situation of affairs in Paraguay when the Spanish armament arrived in 1535, under the com mand of Don Pedro de Mendoza, who was appointed governor and captain-general of all the countries that might be discovered as far as the South Sea. This armament consisted of fourteen vessels, carrying 72 horses, 2500 Spaniards, and 150 Germans, Flemings or Saxons. The first care of Mendoza was to select a convenient station for a new settlement, and having fixed upon a spot on the south bank of the river, he there founded the city of Buenos Ayres, on the 2d of February 1535. The natives, who at first brought pro visions, and seemed well disposed towards the Spa niards, soon shelved a determined hostility to the settlers. They cut off their foraging parties, intercepted their provisions, and massacred every European whom they found straggling in the country. They even attacked the city, killed thirty Spaniards, and burnt almost all the houses. This opposition, added to the ravages of famine and disease, which had begun to rage in the colony, determined the governor to look out for a more eligible situation for an establishment, and for that pur pose proceeded up the river. Having rebuilt the fort of Santi Espiritu, under the name of Buena-Esperanza, he dispatched his lieutenant Ayolas with three barks well manned to continue the voyage ; and required him, if he did not return within four months, to transmit an account of his operations and discoveries. Mendoza soon after became dangerously ill, and naming Ayolas his successor in the government, embarked for Spain. but died on his passage. Ayolas pushed up the river, and treated amicably with all the natives whom he met upon his voyage, until he came to the 25th degree of latitude, where the Indians declined all kind of inter course with the Spaniards. He immediately landed his lorces, and fought the Indians in the valley of Guarnipitan. They were defeated with great slaugh ter, and an immediate peace was the consequence, when the Indians not only supplied him with provisions, but also brought seven young females for Ayolas, and two for each of his soldiers. Here Ayolas built a small fort, which he called Assumption, from the day on which the battle was fought, being the 15th of August 1536. Proceeding upon his voyage, he landed at Puerto de Candelaria, in latitude 21° 5', where being assured by the Guarinis Indians, that there were several nations to the westward, who possessed a great deal of gold and silver, he resolved to go in quest of them ; and leaving his brigantines under the command of Irala, with orders to wait six months for his return, he pene trated by Chaco and the province of Chiquitos as far as Peru ; and returned to Candelaria loaded with treasure.
Irala, however, had departed before the appointed time ; and Ayolas, attempting to form a settlement among the Payaguas, was surprised and killed, along with all his followers.
While the progress of discovery was thus interrupted on the Paraguay, the colonies on the La Plata were suf fering all the horrors of famine. Galan, the governor of Buenos Ayres, had exposed himself, by his severity and oppression, to the universal detestation of the inha bitants ; and his arbitrary and perfidious conduct towards the Indians in the neighbourhood of Buena Esperanza awakened all the ancient animosity of the Timbuez, who drove the Spaniards from that settlement. During these melancholy occurrences, three vessels arrived from Spain with reinforcements under the command of Al phonso Calrera, who also brought out a commission from the emperor, appointing Ayolas governor and captain general of the Rio de la Plata. In case of his death, however, and no successor being chosen by the chiefs of the expedition, he was enjoined by an imperial Ce dulla to assemble them for the election of a new gover nor For this purpose they met at Assumption in the month of August 1538, when the choice fell unanimous ly upon Irala. At this meeting it was also resolved to abandon Buenos Ayres, and to concentrate all their for ces at Assumption, which had already begun to assume the appearance of a city. But of three thousand Euro peans who had entered the La Plata, scarcely six hun dred remained to compose the population of Assumption. These, however, were soon afterwards reinforced, by the arrival of four hundred Spaniards, under the com mand of Don Alvarez, who had been sent out by the em peror to take upon him the government of the Rio de la Plata in case of the death of Ayolas. Irala submitted with a good grace, but set himself secretly to foment divisions among the officers of the garrison, and to pro cure the removal of his rival. The first steps of the new governor were to secure the friendship of the neigh bouring Indians; and by his mild and prudent conduct, he not only gained their affections, but converted many of them to the Christian faith ; and by firm and decisive measures he repressed the insolence of those more fierce and savage tribes, who were constantly committing hos tilities against the Spaniards. Farther discoveries were also prosecuted on the Paraguay. Irala, with ninety Spaniards, had advanced towards the sources of that ri ver, and anchored at the mouth of the lake Xaraves, in latitude 17° 57', which he called Puerto de los Reyes.