lHIA blanca. 



ble. The govenament of Buenos Ayres unjustly- 

 occupied it by force, instead of following the wise 

 example of the Spanish Viceroys, who purchased 

 the land near the older settlement of the Rio Ne- 

 gro from the Indians. Hence the need of the 

 fortifications ; hence the few houses and little cul- 

 tivated land without the limits of the walls : even 

 the cattle are not safe from the attacks of the In- 

 dians beyond the boundaries of the plain on which 

 the fortress stands. 



The part of the harbour where the Beagle in- 

 tended to anchor being distant twenty-five miles, I 

 obtained from the Commandant a guide and hor- 

 ses, to take me to see whether she had arrived. 

 Leaving the plain of green turf, which extended 

 along the course of a little brook, we soon entered 

 on a wide level waste, consisting either of sand, sa- 

 line marshes, or bare mud. Some parts were 

 clothed by low thickets, and others by those suc- 

 culent plants, which luxuriate only where salt 

 abounds. Bad as the country was, osti'iches, deer, 

 agoutis, and armadilloes were abundant. My guide 

 told me, that two months before he had a most nar- 

 row escape of his life : he was out hunting with 

 two other men, at no great distance from this part 

 of the country, when they were suddenly met by a 

 paity of Indians, who giving chase, soon overtook 

 and killed his two friends. His own horse's legs 

 were also caught by the bolas ; but he jumped off, 

 and with his knife cut them free : while doing this 

 he was obliged to dodge round his horse, and re- 

 ceived two severe wounds from their chuzos. 

 Springing on the saddle, he managed, by a most 

 wonderful exertion, just to keep ahead of the long 

 spears of his pursuers, who followed him to within 

 sight of the fort. From that time there was an 

 order that no one should stray far from the settle- 



