835.1 AN ADVENTURE 79 



surface during the slow and recent elevation of this dry country. 

 The whole piienomenon is well worthy the attention of natural- 

 ists. Have the succulent, salt-loving- plants, which are well 

 known to contain much soda, the power of decomposing- the 

 muriate? Does the black fetid mud, abounding witli organic 

 matter, yield tlie sulphur and ultimately the sulphuric acid ? 



Two days afterwards I again rode to the harbour : when not 

 far from our destination, my companion, the same man as before, 

 spied three people hunting on horseback. He immediately dis- 

 mounted, and watching them intently, said, " They don't ride 

 like Christians, and nobody can leave the fort," The tliree 

 Imnters joined company, and likewise dismounted from their 

 horses. At last one mounted again and rode over the hill out 

 of sight. My companion said, " We must now get on our 

 iiorses : load your pistol ;" and he looked to his own sword. I 

 asked, " Are they Indians ? " — " Quien sabe ? (who knows ?) if 

 there are no more than three, it does not signify." It then struck 

 me, that the one man had gone over the hill to fetch the rest of 

 his tribe. I suggested this ; but all the answer I could extort 

 was, "Quien sabe?" His head and eye never for a minute 

 ceased scanning slowly the iistant horizon. I thought his un- 

 common coolness too good a joke, and asked him why he did not 

 return home. I was startled when he answered, " We are 

 returning, but in a line so as to pass near a swamp, into which 

 we can gallop the horses as far as they can go, and then trust to 

 our own legs ; so that there is no danger." I did not feel quite 

 so confident of this, and wanted to increase our pace. He said, 

 " No, not until they do." AVhen any little inequality concealed 

 us, we galloped ; but when in sight, continued walking. At last 

 we reached a valley, and turning to the left, galloped quickly to 

 tiie foot of a hill ; he gave me his horse to hold, made the dogs 

 lie down, and then crawled on his hands and knees to reconnoitre. 

 He remained in this position for some time, and at last, bursting 

 out in laughter, exclaimed, " Mugeres !" (women !) He knew 

 them to be the wife and sister-in-law of the major's son, hunting 

 for ostrich's eggs. I have described this man's conduct, because 

 he acted under the full impression that they were Indians. As 

 soon, however, as the absurd mistake was found out, he gave mt) 



