1833.] AN ATTACK BY THE INDIANS. 77 



of the Indians beyond the boundaries of the plain, on which the 

 fortress stands. 



The part of the harbour where the Beagle intended to anchor 

 being distant twenty-five miles, I obtained from the Comman- 

 dant a guide and horses, to take me to see whether she had 

 arrived. Leaving the plain of green turf, which extended along 

 the course of a little brook, we soon entered on a wide level waste 

 consisting either of sand, saline marshes, or bare mud. Some 

 parts were clothed by low thickets, and others with those succu- 

 lent plants, which luxuriate only where salt abounds. Bad as 

 the country was, ostriches, deers, agoutis, and armadilloes, were 

 abundant. My guide told me, that two months before he had a 

 most narrow escape of his life : he was out hunting with two other 

 men, at no great distance from this part of the country, when 

 they were suddenly met by a party of Indians, who giving chace, 

 soon overtook and killed his two friends. His own horse's legs 

 were also caught by the bolas ; but he jumped off, and with his 

 knife cut them free : while doing this he was obliged to dodge 

 round his horse, and received two severe wounds from their 

 chuzos. Springing on the saddle, he managed, by a most won- 

 derful exertion, just to keep ahead of the long spears of his pur- 

 suers, who followed him to within sight of the fort. From that 

 time there was an order that no one should stray far from the 

 settlement. I did not know of this when I started, and was 

 surprised to observe how earnestly my guide watched a deer, 

 which appeared to have been frightened from a distant quarter. 



We found the Beagle had not arrived, and consequently set 

 out on our return, but the horses soon tiring, we were obliged 

 to bivouac on the plain. In the morning we had caught an 

 armadillo, which, although a most excellent dish when roasted 

 in its shell, did not make a very substantial breakfast and dinner 

 for two hungry men. The ground at the place where we stopped 

 for the night, was incrusted with a layer of sulphate of soda, 

 and hence, of course, was without water. Yet many of the 

 smaller rodents managed to exist even here, and the tucutuco 

 was making its odd little grunt beneath my head, during half 

 the night. Our horses were very poor ones, and in the morning 

 they were soon exhausted from not having had any thing to 

 drink, so that we were obliged to walk. About noon the dogs 



