330 MENDOZA. [chap, xv 



thong-h its course towards the sea-coast is verj'^ imperfectly 

 known : it is even doubtful whether, in passing over the plains, 

 it is not evaporated and lost. AYe slept in the village of Luxan, 

 v/liich is a small place surrounded by gardens, and forms the 

 most southern cultivated district in the Province of Mendoza ; 

 it is five leagues south of the capital. At night I experienced 

 an attack (for it deserves no less a name) of the Benchuca, a 

 species of Reduvius, the great black bug of the Pampas. It is 

 most disgusting to feel soft wingless insects, about an inch long, 

 crawling over one's body. Before sucking they are quite thin, 

 but afterwards they become round and bloated with blood, and 

 in this state are easily crushed. One which I caught at Iquique, 

 (for they are found in Chile and Peru,) was very empty. AVhen 

 placed on a table, and tliough surrounded by people, if a finger 

 was presented, the bold insect would immediately protrude its 

 sucker, make a charge, and if allowed, draw blood. No pain 

 was caused by the wound. It was curious to watch its body 

 during the act of sucking, as in less than ten minutes it changed 

 from being as flat as a wafer to a globular form. This one feast, 

 for which the benchuca was indebted to one of the officers, kept 

 it fat during four Avhole months ; but, after the first fortnight, it 

 was quite ready to have another suck. 



March 21th. — We rode on to Mendoza. The country was 

 beautifully cultivated, and resembled Chile. This neighbour- 

 hood is celebrated for its fruit ; and certainly nothing could 

 appear more flourisiiing than the vineyards and the orchards of 

 figs, peaches, and olives. We bouglit water-melons nearly twice 

 us large as a man's head, most deliciously cool and well-flavoured, 

 for a halfpenny apiece; and for the value of threepence, half a 

 wheelbarrowful of peaches. The cultivated and enclosed part 

 of this province is very small ; there is little more than that 

 which we passed through between Luxan and the Capital. The 

 land, as in Chile, owes its fertility entirely to artificial irriga- 

 tion ; and it is really wonderful to observe liov/ extraordinarily 

 productive a barren traversia is thus rendered. 



We stayed the ensuing- day in Mendoza. The prosperity of 

 the place has much declined of late years. The inhabitants say 

 *' it is good to live in, but very bad to grow rich in." The 

 lov/er orders have the lounfjinsr, reckless manners of the Gauchos 



