2o6 FALKLAND ISI^ANDS chap. 



Gauchos, who have from infancy almost lived on horseback, say 

 that, under similar circumstances, they always suffer. St. Jago 

 told me, that having been confined for three months by illness, 

 he went out hunting wild cattle, and in consequence, for the 

 next two days, his thighs were so stiff that he was obliged to 

 lie in bed. This shows that the Gauchos, although they do 

 not appear to do so, yet really must exert much muscular effort 

 in riding. The hunting wild cattle, in a country so difficult 

 to pass as this is on account of the swampy ground, must be 

 very hard work. The Gauchos say they often pass at full 

 speed over ground which would be impassable at a slower pace ; 

 in the same manner as a man is able to skate over thin ice. 

 When hunting, the party endeavours to get as close as possible 

 to the herd without being discovered. Each man carries four 

 or five pair of the bolas ; these he throws one after the other 

 at as many cattle, which, when once entangled, are left for some 

 days, till they become a little exhausted by hunger and 

 struggling. They are then let free and driven towards a small 

 herd of tame animals, which have been brought to the spot on 

 purpose. From their previous treatment, being too much terri- 

 fied to leave the herd, they are easily driven, if their strength last 

 out, to the .settlement. 



The weather continued so very bad that we determined to 

 make a push, and try to reach the vessel before night. I^^'om 

 the quantity of rain which had fallen, the surface of the whole 

 country was swampy. I suppose my horse fell at least a dozen 

 times, and sometimes the whole six horses were floundering in 

 the mud together. All the little streams are bordered by soft 

 peat, which makes it very difficult for the horses to leap them 

 without falling. To complete our discomforts we were obliged 

 to cross the head of a creek of the sea, in which the water was 

 as high as our horses' backs ; and the little waves, owing to the 

 violence of the wind, broke over us, and made us very wet 

 and cold. Even the iron -framed Gauchos professed them- 

 selves glad when they reached the settlement, after our little 

 excursion. 



The geological structure of these islands is in most respects 

 simple. The lower country consists of clay-slate and sandstone, 

 containing fossils, very closely related to, but not identical with, 



