36 TEANSACTIONS AND PEOCEEDINGS OF THE [Sess. lv. 



ing on mule-back at a trot. These, it transpired, were a 

 party of twenty men of the 12th Regiment of cavahy, who 

 had been sent out to k)ok for us, and with them two of the 

 men who had gone down with Page, and had acted as 

 guides to the relief expedition. They told us the various 

 news from below, and how all sorts of stories were afloat about us 

 — that we had all been massacred by Indians— that we had starved 

 to death — or that we were dying of scurvy. How an expedition 

 of 30 men had started off to our relief three months ago and had 

 never been heard of since ; and how the Paraguayan Government 

 had heard of our plight, and threatened to send a relief party itself 

 if the Argentine Government did not do so forthwith ; and finally 

 how this party of men had been got together with some difficulty, 

 owing to all the troops having been drawn to the scenes of fighting 

 in the revolution, had set out, bringing 10 bullocks and 40 mules, 

 and a supply of antiscorbutic medicines, e^c, and after a toilsome 

 march of 30 days, having k^^t their way badly, they had at last 

 reached us. They brought word of the l:)ig revolution down below, 

 and also of Page's death, and consequently the termination of the 

 expedition. The next day young Page left the ship, taking a few 

 soldiers as escort, and made his way safely down the Paraguay en 

 route for Buenos Ayres. In a couple of days another party of 

 soldiers goes down, and to them I entrust this letter, and hope it 

 will reach you safely. I can scarcely say much as to the future. 

 I had intended to spend some time in Paraguay, but this expedi- 

 tion has been so prolonged, that I fear I shall have to return home 

 at once on leaving the river. However, that won't be for several 

 months, and I don't expect to be back before April or May at the 

 earliest. 



" Looking back upon the time I have spent on this expedition, I 

 see a great extent of time wasted, but can also count a few points 

 in which I have managed to further my scientific education. In 

 particular as regards geographical distribution I have been able at 

 least to form some faint idea as to what that means. Of taxonomy, 

 especially ornithological, I have also much clearer ideas than 

 before. But one of the chief intellectual gains I have made is on 

 the views of human nature which have been forced upon me. I 

 have seen it in some of its worst aspects, and finally I have seen 

 it in its pure and natural form, unspoilt and unadulterated by so- 

 called civilisation — in other words, I have come to know what is 

 the meaning of the phrase ' noble savage,' for I have seen among 

 these red-skinned warriors a race of 'gentlemen' — a race of 

 brothers, ethically and socially a most interesting set. I shall in a 

 few words tell you something about these red men, as they 

 appeared to us on their last visit, when we had a whole tribe, 

 numbering considerably over a hundred fighting men, about thirty 

 of their women, and a number of children. In the first place, 

 these Indians belonged to the Toba nation, famous as being the 



