I833-] PARTRIDGES AND FOXES. 81 



slowly scan the horizon. Even if the noisy teru-tero uttered its 

 scream, there would be a pause in the conversation, and every head, 

 for a moment, a little inclined. 



What a life of misery these men appear to us to lead ! They were 

 at least ten leagues from the Sauce posta, and since the murder 

 committed by the Indians, twenty from another. The Indians are 

 supposed to have made their attack in the middle of the night ; for very 

 early in the morning after the murder, they were luckily seen approach- 

 ing this posta. The whole party here, however, escaped, together with 

 the troop of horses ; each one taking a line for himself, and driving 

 with him as many animals as he was able to manage. 



The little hovel, built of thistle-stalks, in which they slept, neither 

 kept out the wind or rain ; indeed in the latter case the only effect the 

 roof had was to condense it into larger drops. They had nothing to 

 eat excepting what they could catch, such as ostriches, deer, armadilloes, 

 etc., and their only fuel was the dry stalks of a small plant, somewhat 

 resembling an aloe. The sole luxury which these men enjoyed was 

 smoking the little paper cigars, and sucking mate. I used to think that 

 the carrion vultures, man's constant attendants on these dreary plains, 

 while seated on the little neighbouring cliffs, seemed by their very 

 patience to say, " Ah ! when the Indians come we shall have a feast." 



In the morning we all sallied forth to hunt, and although we had not 

 much success, there were some animated chases. Soon after starting 

 the party separated, and so arranged their plans, that at a certain time 

 of the day (in guessing which they show much skill) they should all 

 meet from different points of the compass on a plain piece of ground, 

 and thus drive together the wild animals. One day I went out hunting 

 at Bahia Blanca, but the men there merely rode in a crescent, each 

 being about a quarter of a mile apart from the other. A fine male 

 ostrich being turned by the headmost riders, tried to escape on one 

 side. The Gauchos pursued at a reckless pace, twisting their horses 

 about with the most admirable command, and each man whirling the 

 balls round his head. At length the foremost threw them, revolving 

 through the air ; in an instant the ostrich roll=*i over and over, its legs 

 fairly lashed together by the thong. 



The plains abound with three kinds of partridge,* two of which are 

 as large as hen pheasants. Their destroyer, a small and pretty fox, 

 was also singularly numerous ; in the course of the day we could not 

 have seen less than forty or fifty. They were generally near their 

 earths, but the dogs killed one. When we returned to the posta, we 

 found two of the party returned who had been hunting by themselves. 

 They had killed a puma, and had found an ostrich's nest with twenty- 

 seven eggs in it. Each of these is said to equal in weight eleven hens' 

 eggs ; so that we obtained from this one nest as much food as two 

 hundred and ninety-seven hens' eggs would have given. 



September \\th. As the soldiers belonging to the next posta meant 

 to return, and we should together make a party of five, and all armed, 



* Two species of Tinamus, and Eudromia elegans of A. d'Orbigny, which 

 can only be called a partridge with regard to its habits. 



