MENDOZA 83 



diately protrude its sucker, make a charge, and, if 

 allowed, draw blood. No pain was caused by the 

 wound. It was curious to watch its body during 

 the act of sucking, as in less than ten minutes it 

 changed from being as flat as a wafer to a globular 

 form. This one feast, for which the benchuca was 

 indebted to one of the officers, kept it fat during 

 four whole months ; but, after the hrst fortnight, it 

 was quite ready to have another suck. 



March 21th. — We rode on to Mendoza. The 

 country was beautifully cultivated, and resembled 

 Chile. This neighbourhood is celebrated for its 

 fruit ; and certainly, nothing could appear more 

 flourishing than the vineyai'ds and the orchards of 

 figs, peaches, and olives. We bought water-mel- 

 ons nearly twice as large as a man's head, most 

 deliciously cool and well-flavoured, for a halfpenny 

 apiece ; and for the value of three pence half a 

 wheelbarrowful of peaches. The cultivated and 

 enclosed part of this province is very small ; there 

 is little more than that which we passed through 

 between Luxan and the capital. The land, as in 

 Chile, owes its fertility entirely to artificial irriga- 

 tion ; and it is really wonderful to observe how ex 

 traordinarily productive a barren traversia is thus 

 rendered. 



We stayed the ensuing day in Mendoza. The 

 prosperity of the place has much declined of late 

 years. The inhabitants say, "it is good to live in, 

 but very bad to grow rich in." The lower orders 

 have the lounging, reckless manners of the Gauchos 

 of the Pampas ; and their dress, riding-gear, and 

 habits of life are nearly the same. To my mind, 

 the town had a stupid, forlorn aspect. Neither the 

 boasted alameda, nor the scenery, is at all compara- 

 ble with that of Santiago ; but to those who, coming 

 from Buenos Ayres, have just crossed the unvaried 



