276 Recent Journey in South America. [ Marcu, 
forth at night, on foot, supplied with /azos, and soon returned with a 
fine fat cow, which they had stolen from one of the neighbouring herds ; 
and she was immediately killed, cut up, and eaten with great gozil by 
the whole of the troop ; though all, including the supercargo himself, 
knew perfectly well how it had been obtained. 
On the Ist of October we reached the Guardia del Salto, a town with 
a fort and two thousand inhabitants. This place was captured by the 
Indians, under Carrera, and great atrocities committed. At the time of 
our passage, it contained a regiment of 500 hussars, to guard the neigh- 
bouring country against any meditated attacks. 
On the 2d of October, we passed through Areco, a town similar in 
character to the above ; and on the 4th, we reached one of a very superior 
description—the pretty town of Luxan—which includes several hand- 
some buildings, and a church surmounted by a dome. The next day an 
incident occurred, which, though frequently productive of very melan- 
choly effects, is not uncommon in these plains. The dry grass by which 
a portion of the plain was covered, had taken fire, and the column of flame 
approached our troop so quickly, that one of the carts, laden with wine, took 
fire and was entirely destroyed, while the rest escaped with considerable 
difficulty. It sometimes happens that the whole of the dry grass on the 
plains is thus consumed ; and as the flames travel at a much greater rate 
(sometimes three leagues an hour) than the ox-carts can do in attempting 
to escape from them, there is great danger in meeting with a moving 
conflagration of this kind. It was only a month before our journey that 
a troop of sixteen carts had met with one of these travelling columns of 
fire, and four of them fell a sacrifice to it—the rest only escaping by 
taking refuge in a stream of water. On this occasion, two of the drivers 
of the carts were also killed, and the other two so injured as to remain 
cripples for life. The best plan of escape in cases of this kind seems to 
be that of setting fire to the grass to leeward on seeing the approaching 
flame at a distance ; and then driving into the vacant space thus obtained. 
But there is risk in this plan, because the fibrous roots of the grass 
retain the fire for a considerable time. These fires are frequently occa- 
sioned by’ the carelessness of travellers and others, in cooking their food 
among the grass ; but they are sometimes the result of wanton mischief 
or of malice. 
The above incident is the last worthy of note that I have to relate, in 
connection with my somewhat romantic journey from Mendoga to Buenos 
Ayres. On the 6th of October we reached the last named place, after 
having been seven weeks on the road. 
A. G. 
