The unfortunate gentleman, during the first walk after his recovery, calls on a German bookseller, from whom he obtains leave to sit in the shop sometimes and read gratuitously. The bookseller invites him to tea one evening; he stays late; and, on returning to his lodgings, he finds himself accidentally shut out. "There was no choice left," he says, "but to keep out the cold by walking about the streets; for to go to any hotel or publichouse was quite out of the question." So, wandering about the lonely streets upon a rainy January night, he was for a time

lost in London.

The bookseller and his connections were eventually useful. The writer's acquirements were made known, and procured him employment. He is now connected with the Foreign department of an eminent journal, and prospers.

South American Scraps.

THE PAMPAS INDIANS.

HE Pampas Indians, like the more civilized guachos or

descendants of the old Spanish colonists, live on horseback. Their domestic arrangements are of the simplest kind. A moveable tent, made of horse-hide, is the only mansion they covet; horse-flesh and maize are their food; a poncho, or short cloak, and a pair of boots, made of colt-skin, their only clothing. They herd together in separate tribes; each community being governed by a cacique, or chief. Their wants are few; but even these are often not well supplied, in spite of the natural fertility of their country. Sir Francis Head, in his "Scamper across the Pampas," divides these regions into three sections. "On leaving Buenos Ayres," he says, "the first is covered, for one hundred and eighty miles, with clover and thistles alternately; the second, which extends for four hundred and fifty miles, produces long grass; and the third, which reaches to the base of the Cordilleras, is a grove of low trees and shrubs. The whole country is in such beautiful order, that if cities and millions of inhabitants could suddenly be planted at proper intervals and situations, the people would have nothing to do but drive out their cattle to graze, and without any previous peparation, to plough, whatever ground their wants may require." This is, to a great extent, true; yet so straitened are the natives for food occasionally, that necessity has sharpened their wit to a high degree of cunning. Travellers inexperienced in the subtle tricks of the Pampas Indians, have but poor defences against them,

while roving in pursuit of their little equestrian diversions either for frolic or plunder. To understand some of the strategies which I am about to disclose, it is necessary to bear in mind that in South America all journeys, whether long or short, are made on horseback, and that a traveller is always accompanied by two or three attendants, likewise mounted, leading and tending additional horses caparisoned for use. These are usually driven a-head, and gallop together at a quick speed, followed by the whole party, the attendants from time to time riding forward to survey and regulate the course of the horses in advance.

This is the basis of one of their most successful stratagems, which is remarkable, as exhibiting their ability in horsemanship, and, moreover, the absence of any other purpose than that of obtaining some petty spoil. It being a common thing to see five or six persons galloping through the country, and driving a large number of horses before them; you, who are probably travelling in the same manner, take no special notice of the party advancing towards you from the distance. They approach nearer; you neither slacken your pace, nor diverge from your proper course. Why should you? There is no perceptible reason; yet you are, or may soon, be in a snare. Look well at the advancing party! Now they are near enough for a more critical survey—what do you make of them? There are in advance about thirty horses, driven forward by a party of six persons, all on horseback-they appear to be Indians; but what if they are? How can they harm us? Well, you continue to ride on unsuspectingly. Now you are within musket shot-look intently and scrutinisingly-do you see nothing more? No, nothing! Look again. Ha! it is now too late. On the backs of the thirty horses spring thirty devils, created seemingly by some sorcerer's blackest art. Each bears in

his hand a lance, whose cast is certain death. In the first stare of amazement, before you can arrange a thought out of your bewilderment, they are on you and around you; you are dragged from your horses; and what follows depends mainly on your own behaviour. It is probable they will deprive you of your horsesperhaps your clothes too. What of that? You escape with your life, and without personal outrage. Go home as fast as you can, and be satisfied with so gentle a misfortune. Now whence did these thirty "monsters" spring from so suddenly? How came they there? Their unearthly wildness seemed to subdue even the wild horses. Nothing is plainer than a deception explained. You cannot seriously think those tawny monsters knew anything more of magic or sorcery than its primary and potential element, deception. Their cunning is of nature, not art. They do not pretend to do enormities. Their simple object to obtain effectually and as quietly as possible, seems to be all they wish, and all they really do. The truth is, that they did not spring out of the ground merely to entrap you. They came as gentlemen, wild or tame, should approach, on horseback—all the way on those very horses, which they rode in a fashion of their own-not suitably, by any means, to the tame equestrians of London or Paris. A very quick eye might have discerned, while the advancing horses were galloping along in apparent freedom, something hanging under the belly of each horse; it is the dark body of the crafty Indian, holding, with one hand to the mane of his horse, and to the spine with one of his feet; in the other hand he carries his lance, so low to the ground and carefully poised, as neither to injure nor obstruct the motions of the horse. The drivers vigilantly keep the horses together, with that side of each which is free from the

leg of the suspended Indian presented to the traveller favoured with their interest.

I am not certain that these special customs of theirs are not practised by them rather as sporting diversions than in malice of hostility, or with the motive of plunder. Perhaps they regard their pursuit in adopting the stratagem as a kind of chase after a human animal quite as cunning as themselves. Two circumstances seem to point to this conclusion:-the one, that they do no personal injury, and only take what, even to them, must be almost valueless: and the other, that, in consequence of the disappearance of all kinds of animals from their usual huntinggrounds, they are obliged to seek their sport within the "inhabited" or settled portions of the Pampas. It is said that they have destroyed all the animals of their own districts, by accumulating and driving in, from far off, all they could see into a corner between the sea-coast and a river that discharges itself at that point. This appears to me to be rather improbable: certainly less probable than the supposition that many of the herds thus perpetually hunted, have, from time to time, escaped from those districts, and come into the safer retreats of the "inhabited" parts.

Even the wildest of the wild among the Pampas Indians appear to be polite. They come into the "inhabited" parts for the purpose of hunting, but they invariably ask permission of the Estancieros. But what cares the Estanciero for their politeness? He sorely feels himself on the horns of a dilemma. If he consent, he is certain they will destroy some of his herds of tame cattle— he supposes they will steal a few horses. If he refuse, he is equally certain they will chase and hunt as much as they please in the remotest part of his "property," and drive away as many