146 Information respecting Botanical Travellers. 



plants, and has promised to collect anything interesting as it comes 

 into season in this hilly country : he is familiar here and well known 

 among the Indians, whose villages are numerous amongst the Serras ; 

 so that from him I expect something new, principally in the Cactus 

 tribe. 



The village, or Guardea de Tandil, is a military station, where is 

 a strong earthen battery, surrounded with deep ditches as a defence 

 against the Indians, who till lately were very troublesome. A little 

 while before we arrived, they had come in a body of about 200, 

 passed two Estanceas, and on the third cleared off every animal they 

 found, to the amount of several thousands. 



We turned to the north-west along the Arrog de Chappie 

 Aguha, and travelled six miles to the Estancea of a Bremen ship- 

 master, who has become cattle-farmer. He has been for nine years 

 in the country, and now possesses a farm of 6000 cattle, 200 horses, 

 and several thousand sheep. This dwelling is strongly guarded by 

 ditches and a battery of three cannon ; being always on the alarm, as 

 attacks and robberies are frequent in this district. On crossing the 

 plain to his house, we came to an Arrog not visible till we were close 

 upon it : when entering it to cross it, we drove in the foremost horse ; 

 but before he entered four yards, he was out of his depth, with our 

 bedding, my specimens, seeds, &c. totally immersed in water. 



Having at dusk arrived at the house of the Bremen captain, we 

 found him a hospitable and well-provided bachelor, having everything 

 about him in good European style ; and we shared in his hospitality 

 as freely as if we had been among friends. He said he was always 

 glad to see persons from a Christian country, for he lived almost in 

 the midst of savages, where he considered himself every night in 

 danger of an Indian visit : he is however well prepared for defence. 

 He mounted his horse and accompanied us for a good way the next 

 morning, to put us in the direction homewards ; for road there was 

 none. As I had searched in vain for specimens in the country, which 

 was a plain dry pasture field, I made up my mind to return to Buenos 

 Ayres. 



On the 1st of May I left the Arrog de Chappie Aguha for Buenos 

 Ayres. I travelled this day between sixty and seventy miles without 

 seeing a single new plant, through a monotonous, rough, grassy, and 

 in some places marshy plain. At ten at night we arrived at a mise- 

 rable straw hut, where lodged four cut-throat Gou^ias, who gave us 

 a coarse joint of beef to cook for supper; but, except green weeds, 

 we had no firing. However, having tasted nothing on our day's 

 journey, we were quite ready for supper ; and then we cleared a 



