In the full confidence of security, all reposed. Meanwhile the colonel ordered his horses saddled, and mounted. Dividing his corps into three columns, they commenced their fatiguing and dangerous march at night through the Pampas, towards the toldeira of the Indians, which the three columns of cavalry reached at day-break. No sentry or outpost was there to alarm the encampment. All within lay in the deepest repose.

The issue, in all its revolting horrors, may be anticipated. The natural cruelty of the old Spanish blood was exhibited in the thousand frightful and revolting barbarities then committed by the Argentine soldiers. Only a few of the Indians succeeded in escaping amidst the universal confusion. These speedily informed their countrymen of the horrible fate of their tribe. They have never forgotten that dreadful day. To perpetuate the memory of that massacre, and to mark its scene of horror indelibly for all time, the very place, as well as the small river there flowing on so peacefully and bloodlessly, is called "Los Vuesos," signifying the bones.

In the course of my residence at Azul, I cultivated the acquaintance of one of the Caziques of the Capamento, with the view of gathering information as to the religion and peculiar customs of the Pampas Indians. But I never could obtain any regarding the nature and the conditions or laws of their religion. The first caution I received in Azul, was while walking in the sandy streets which are always crowded with them, that I must avoid passing between two of them while in mutual converse, as such an interruption is, they consider, a flagrant insult, and becomes usually the precursor of the most disagreeable consequences. Of course I did not fail to note the caution; and I had neither the courage, nor the disposition of curiosity or mischief, to try the experiment.

I cannot say the Pampas Indians are free from the vice of drunkenness. It seems that, like other wild tribes of Indians, these have, in their contact with more civilized settlers, contracted the habit of occasionally indulging to excess in spirituous liquors. In almost all cases it will be found to be an imported vice, the result of an imported temptation, too agreeable to the cravings of that sense from which man in his rude state derives one of his princi-· pal gratifications. However, there is a striking peculiarity in their mode of drunkenness which deserves to be noted. Everybody has heard there is a method in madness. I never heard of any method in drunkenness; but I have witnessed it plainly developed among these Pampas Indians. In Azul are numerous pulperias, or brandy-shops. Being there, it is not likely the Pampas Indians will pass them without tasting the liquor so much esteemed by the Argentine soldiers. If it were intended to make drunkards of all the Indians in the Capamentos, no surer method could be adopted than opening so great a number of such shops there. Whenever the Indians have either money or valuable property of any description, to these shops they hasten, usually in parties of a considerable number. Of course the intoxicating beverage is supplied to the extent of their means of payment; and to many, credit is given. Amongst every such party of drinkers, there is always one who refuses to drink; he will not taste a drop. Nothing will tempt him. The offer of whatever may be at any other time operative to seduce a Pampas Indian to perform an act of any kind, is now quite unavailing. His mission is to watch over and protect his drinking companions. More vigilant than a sentinel at an outpost, facing an enemy under arms, does he perform his solitary duty. He acts as paymaster or banker for all his party. He appears to have been invested by each of them

with supreme authority for the time being. But what is the use of authority over a party of drunkards? How can it be exercised beneficially while they remain in drunkenness? Let us see. Observe him closely. He looks around, and sees his companions in a state of apparent helplessness, or some, perhaps, in excessive excitement. At any time, without consulting any of them, he pays the reckoning for all, and with a single word his authority is acknowledged by every individual of the party. All disputes cease without another word. He leads them out of the pulperia, and even the most drunken fellow of the party follows alertly. Nor is this all: every man mounts his horse, and all return together to their toldeira.

Once, while in the neighbourhood of Patagones, our party was encamped on the border of the Colorado. One morning, very early, myself and the six companions who slept with me in our tent, were disturbed by the suffocating sensation caused by thick gusts of smoke blown down upon us by a hot north wind. The smoke had affected my eyes, and I therefore rose, early as it was, to enjoy the freshness of the air. I was proceeding, slowly strolling towards the river, when an unusual noise proceeding from the other side of the river attracted my attention. The atmosphere being dark and misty, I could not see anything to account for the noise, as our caravane lay before my eyes, and I had ascertained that nobody was missing. I remained watchful, until the morning mist began to clear away, when I was astonished in recognising immediately the unmistakeable features of a party of Pampas Indians, who were approaching our caravane in their usual silent fashion. In a moment I alarmed my companions, As our party was numerous, and we had an abundance of firearms, although alarmed, we felt satisfied that nothing extremely

serious was likely to happen to us. But we knew that with such neighbours of the Pampas no precaution can be considered as superfluous. We held a brief council, which resulted in the mission of the young Estanciero (who perfectly well understood the language of the Pampas Indians, and personally knew many of their tribes) to the advancing party in order to ascertain their intentions. While he advanced, we prepared everything for an efficient defence; but happily none was necessary. After the interchange of a few words, the young Estanciero discovered that instead of any meditated hostility, it was, in fact, a party attending in honour to visit himself—a truly agreeable surprise to all

of us.

It turned out that an old Cazique, who was a very old friend of the young Estanciero, having heard of his presence in our caravane, could not abstain from indulging himself with a visit. On hearing this, of course the least we could do was to turn ourselves up all hands in the endeavour to entertain our guests, who, counting women and children, amounted to nearly a hundred persons. As those Indians eat nothing but horseflesh, all we could do was to provide the wherewithal for their repast. We could give them horses or mares, but they must kill them, and cook them, and eat them without our assistance.

Some mares were brought from the nearest manada, or troop of wild horses, after about half an hour's sharp chase. They were presented in due form, and in due form they were received. Some were killed, cooked, and eaten, also in due form, I suppose: but, certainly, with very little of what we call ceremony. When I mention that the blood of the animal is esteemed the chief delicacy, the reader will not require me to describe the repast in detail.

The immense plains of grass and other vegetation, which are interspersed with lakes, and of which La Plata is chiefly composed, give life to innumerable animals of the lizard tribe.

The Lagarto, or lizard, is at home in all parts of the Sierra de St. Catherina, and is of various sizes, from the little animal of scarcely four inches in length, to the magnitude of six feet in length. Its colours are most beautiful and diversified. In the hot summer days they appear to like to congregate and bask upon the mountains, where the reflection of the rays of the sun upon their brilliant-colored and translucent skins impart a striking effect. I have often, upon approaching a mountain where they disported themselves in the sunshine, making it almost vivid with their brilliancy, seen them, in their fright at my approach, suddenly and rapidly rush away from all sides of it, producing the same visual sensation and effect as a flash of lightning unexpectedly passing over the shining surface of large sheets of downward-rolling waters. It is very difficult to catch them, on account of the rapidity of their movements. I remember a circumstance happening to myself, while in the Sierra, which will exemplify one of the few ways to kill a lagarto.

On a very hot summer afternoon, I was returning from a visit I had paid to a neighbour, and passing near a solitary puesto (the house for a capatan, a steward or overseer of a certain part of the lands belonging to an Estancia), I resolved to dismount from my horse, in order to refresh myself at the puesto with a draught of water. Finding that the inhabitants had not returned from their occupations in the fields, I entered the little kitchen, and much fatigued, with my eyes full of dust. At the opposite end was a very small door, through which alone any light penetrated