12 Account of a Journey across the 



of the Argentine cavalry : here the country is chiefly occupied 

 in keeping and breeding horses for the army, being clothed 

 with rich grass and abounding in good water. 



10th. Having travelled most of the night, and up to eleven 

 o'clock in the forenoon, except resting two hours at sun-rise, 

 we halted about noon when the sun was very warm, and turned 

 out the cattle to feed in a fine and rich, though rather coarse, 

 grassy meadow. Except two species of grass 1 added nothing 

 to my specimen-book, the vegetation being similar to that of 

 Buenos Ayres. Water was scarce and bad ; near one Rancho 

 we unexpectedly found a sunken well, but nothing to draw 

 withal, except a large horn which had many ups and downs 

 before our thirst was satisfied ; there was only eight feet of 

 depth before w^e came to the water, but the well being lined 

 with shank-bones gives the water a very bad taste. 



11th. This day^s travelling was slow and fatiguing, owing 

 to the scorching unclouded sun ; but we made up the differ- 

 ence by pushing onwards during the night, when we came to 

 good roads, for the most of the daylight had been consumed 

 in passing a bog of soft mud. To each cart the united force 

 of nine or ten pairs of bullocks had to be applied to pull it 

 through this bog which is only three-fourths of a mile wide. 

 The whole day being thus spent, I took the opportunity of ex- 

 amining the vegetation of this neighbourhood, but only found 

 two Syngenesious species that w^ere new to me. 



12th. Early this morning we came to another sofl marsh 

 with a slow river winding through it : the current did not flow 

 faster than half a mile an hour. This river is called the Ar- 

 roya del Fez, or Fish River, a name generally applied to di- 

 stinguish such streams as do not dry up in summer from those 

 which disappear at that period, although there may be no fish 

 in either. Great caution was necessary in crossing this place, 

 as the heads of the shaft bullocks were often drawn under 

 water by the weight of the waggon. So long was the line of 

 cattle, that often the foremost animals were already across be- 

 fore the cart had entered the water. When the traces break, 

 as not unfrequently happens, the poor beasts are drowned. 



13th. We rested during most of the hot afternoon of yes- 

 terday, and travelled all night through a rough trackless plain, 



