46 RIO NEGRO. [CHAP. iv. 



on the south side a. long line of perpendicular cliffs commences, which 

 exposes a section of the geological nature of the country. The strata 

 are of sandstone, and one layer was remarkable from being composed 

 of a firmly-cemented conglomerate of pumice pebbles, which must 

 have travelled more than four hundred miles from the Andes. The 

 surface is everywhere covered up by a thick bed of gravel, which 

 extends far and wide over the open plain. Water is extremely scarce, 

 and, where found, is almost invariably brackish. The vegetation is 

 scanty; and although there are bushes of many kinds, all are armed 

 with formidable thorns, which seem to warn the stranger not to enter 

 on these inhospitable regions. 



The settlement is situated eighteen miles up the river. The road 

 follows the foot of the sloping cliff, which forms the northern boundary 

 of the great valley, in which the Rio Negro flows. On the way we 

 passed the ruins of some fine " estancias," which a few years since had 

 been destroyed by the Indians. They withstood several attacks. A 

 man present at one gave me a very lively description of what took 

 place. The inhabitants had sufficient notice to drive all the cattle and 

 horses into the " corral " * which surrounded the house, and likewise 

 to mount some small cannon. The Indians were Araucanians from the 

 south of Chile ; several hundreds in number, and highly disciplined; 

 They first appeared in two bodies on a neighbouring hill ; having there 

 dismounted, and taken off their fur mantles, they advanced naked to 

 the charge. The only weapon of an Indian is a very long bamboo or 

 chuzo, ornamented with ostrich feathers, and pointed by a sharp spear- 

 head. My informer seemed to remember with the greatest horror the 

 quivering of these chuzos as they approached near. When close, the 

 cacique Pincheira hailed the besieged to give up their arms, or he 

 would cut all their throats. As this would probably have been the 

 result of their entrance under any circumstances, the answer was given 

 by a volley of musketry. The Indians, with great steadiness, came to 

 the very fence of the corral ; but to their surprise they found the posts 

 fastened together by iron nails instead of leather thongs, and, of course, 

 in vain attempted to cut them with their knives. This saved the lives 

 of the Christians : many of the wounded Indians were carried away 

 by their companions ; and at last one of the under caciques being 

 wounded, the bugle sounded a retreat. They retired to their horses, 

 and seemed to hold a council of war. This was an awful pause for 

 the Spaniards, as all their ammunition, with the exception of a few 

 cartridges, was expended. In an instant the Indians mounted their 

 horses, and galloped out of sight. Another attack was still more 

 quickly repulsed. A cool Frenchman managed the gun ; he stopped 

 till the Indians approached close, and then raked their line with grape- 

 shot ; he thus laid thirty-nine of them on the ground ; and, of course, 

 such a blow immediately routed the whole party. 



The town is indifferently called El Carmen or Patagones. It is 

 built on the face of a cliff which fronts the river, and many of the 



* The corral is an enclosure made of tall and strong stakes. Every 

 estancia, or farming estate, has one attached to it, 



