PAMPAS INDIANS ON A FORAY. 17 



mounted formed skilful and formidable adversaries; 

 but on foot they became comparatively helpless, being 

 indifferent walkers, both slow and awkward in their 

 movements. It was their habit, when on a foray, to 

 drive a number of spare horses along with them. Ex- 

 perience has shown that in a wild country, where grass 

 is plentiful, this can always be accomplished without 

 difficulty, horses being under such circumstances very 

 gregarious, so that there is little danger of their get- 

 ting lost, or straying, an instinctive dread of the danger 

 of being separated from their party and left behind 

 causing them to keep together as much as possible 

 on the high plains. A horse left behind, will in fact 

 gallop wildly after the others, until he comes up with 

 them again. When animals run off, therefore, they 

 generally do so in a body, in consequence of a sudden 

 panic, causing a stampede. This is a subject however, 

 concerning which we shall have more to say hereafter. 

 Suffice it to say at present, that Indians for these 

 reasons rarely or never experience any difficulty, in 

 driving along with them a sufficient number of remounts, 

 in case of accident to their horses. 



The Pampas Indians of South America also eat 

 horse flesh with as great a relish as we do beef; and 

 live, whilst on a foray, almost entirely upon mares' 

 flesh. A number of these animals therefore, are always 

 brought with them, as slaughter cattle, so that they 

 are never impeded in their movements by commissariat 

 difficulties. The comparative scarcity of game on the 

 Pampas render some arrangement of this kind a matter 

 of imperative necessity; but these Indians are thus 

 enabled to travel quickly, and without encumbrance 

 of any kind, for days or even weeks together, and in 



VOL. II. 2 



