8o BAHIA BLANCA TO BUENOS AYRES. [CHAP, n, 



never any covering ; and their black hair blowing across their swarthy 

 faces, heightens to an uncommon degree the wildness of their appear- 

 ance. They turned out to be a party of Bernantio's friendly tribe, 

 going to a salina for salt. The Indians eat much salt, their children 

 sucking it like sugar. This habit is very different from that of the 

 Spanish Gauchos, who, leading the same kind of life, eat scarcely 

 any: according to Mungo Park,* it is people who live on vegetable 

 food who have an unconquerable desire for salt. The Indians gave 

 us good-humoured nods as they passed at full gallop, driving before 

 them a troop of horses, and followed by a train of lanky dogs. 



September 12th and i^th. I stayed at this posta two days waiting for 

 a troop of soldiers, which General Rosas had the kindness to send to 

 inform me, would shortly travel to Buenos Ayres ; and he advised me 

 to take the opportunity of the escort. In the morning we rode to some 

 neighbouring hills to view the country, and to examine the geology. 

 After dinner the soldiers divided themselves into two parties for a trial 

 of skill with the bolas. Two spears were stuck in the ground thirty-five 

 yards apart, but they were struck and entangled only once in four or 

 five times. The balls can be thrown fifty or sixty yards, but with little 

 certainty. This, however, does not apply to a man on horseback ; for 

 when the speed of the horse is added to the force of the arm, it is said, 

 that they can be whirled with effect to the distance of eighty yards. 

 As a proof of their force I may mention, that at the Falkland Islands, 

 when the Spaniards murdered some of their own countrymen and all 

 the Englishmen, a young friendly Spaniard was running away, when a 

 great tall man, by name Luciano, came at full gallop after him, shouting 

 to him to stop, and saying that he only wanted to speak to him. Just 

 as the Spaniard was on the point of reaching the boat, Luciano threw 

 the balls ; they struck him on the legs with such a jerk, as to throw 

 him down and to render him for some time insensible. The man, after 

 Luciano had had his talk, was allowed to escape. He told us that his 

 legs were marked by great weals, where the thong had wound round, as 

 if he had been flogged with a whip. In the middle of the day two men 

 arrived, who brought a parcel from the next posta to be forwarded to 

 the general : so that besides these two, our party consisted this evening 

 of my guide and self, the lieutenant, and his four soldiers. The latter 

 were strange beings ; the first a fine young negro ; the second half 

 Indian and negro ; and the two others nondescripts ; namely, an old 

 Chilian miner, the colour of mahogany, and another partly a mulatto ; 

 but two such mongrels, with such detestable expressions, I never saw 

 before. At night, when they were sitting round the fire, and playing at 

 cards, I retired to view such a Salvator Rosa scene. They were seated 

 under a low cliff, so that I could look down upon them ; around the 

 party were lying dogs, arms, remnants of deer and ostriches ; and their 

 long spears were stuck in the turf. Further in the dark background, 

 their horses were tied up, ready for any sudden danger. If the stillness 

 of the desolate plain was broken by one of the dogs barking, a soldier, 

 leaving the fire, would place his head close to the ground, and thus 

 "Travels in Africa," p. 233. 



