A WHITE CABALLEBO. 159 



Its flesh has a musky smell somewhat disagreeable; jet 

 hams are made of it in this country, a circumstance which 

 almost justifies the name of 'water-hog,' given to the 

 chiguire by some of the older naturalists. The missionary 

 monks do not hesitate to eat these hams during Lent. 

 According to their zoological classification they place the 

 armadillo, the thick-nosed taper, and the manati, near the 

 tortoises; the first, because it is covered with a hard ar- 

 mour like a sort of shell ; and the others because they are 

 amphibious. The chiguires are found in such numbers on 

 the banks of the rivers Santo Domingo, Apure, and Arauca, 

 in the marshes and in the inundated savannahs* of the 

 Llanos, that the pasturages suffer from them. They browze 

 the grass which fattens the horses best, and which Dears the 

 name of chiguirero, or chiguire-grass. They feed also upon 

 fish ; and we saw with surprise, that, when scared by the 

 approach of a boat, the animal in diving remains eight or 

 ten minutes under water. 



We passed the night as usual, in the open air, though in 

 a plantation, the proprietor of which employed himself in 

 hunting tigers. He wore scarcely any clothing, and was of 

 a dark brown complexion like a Zambo. This did not pre- 

 vent his classing himself amongst the Whites. He called 

 his wife and his daughter, who were as naked as himself, 

 Dona Isabella and Dona Manuela. Without having ever 

 quitted the banks of the Apure, he took a lively interest in 

 the news of Madrid, enquiring eagerly respecting " those 

 never-ending wars, and everything down yonder (todas las 

 cosas de alia)." He knew, he said, that the king was soon to 

 come and visit " the grandees of the country of Caracas," but 

 he added with some pleasantry, " as the people of the court 

 can eat only wheaten bread, they will never pass beyond 

 the town of Victoria, and we shall not see them here." 

 I had brought with me a chiguire, which I had intended tc 

 have roasted; but our host assured us, that such 'Indian 

 game' was not food fit for "nos otros caballeros llancos" 

 (white gentlemen like ourselves and him). Accordingly he 

 offered us some venison, which he had killed the day before 

 with an arrow, for he had neither powder nor fire-arms. 



Near Uritucu, in the Caflo del Ravanal, we saw a flock of eighty o 

 ne hundred of these animals. 



