HOSriTALITY. 145 



make a party of five, and all armed, I determined 

 not to wait for the expected troops. My host, the 

 lieutenant, pressed me much to stop. As he had 

 been very obliging — not only providing me with 

 food, but lending me his private horses — I wanted 

 to make him some remuneration. I asked my guide 

 whether I might do so, but he told me certainly 

 not ; that the only answer I should receive proba- 

 bly would be, " We have meat for the dogs in our 

 countiy, and therefore do not grudge it to a Chris- 

 tian." It must not be supposed that the rank of 

 lieutenant in such an army would at all prevent the 

 acceptance of payment : it was only the high sense 

 of hospitality, which every ti-aveller is bound to ac- 

 knowledge is nearly universal throughout these 

 provinces. After galloping some leagues, we 

 came to a low swampy country, which extends for 

 nearly eighty miles northward, as far as the Sierra 

 Taj)alguen. In some parts there were fine damp 

 plains, covered with grass, while others had a soft, 

 black, and peaty soil. There were also many ex- 

 tensive but shallow lakes, and large beds of reeds. 

 The country, on the whole, resembled the better 

 parts of the Cambridgeshire fens. At night we 

 had some difficulty in finding, amidst the swamps, 

 a dry place for our bivonac. 



Septemher Idth. — Rose very early in the morn- 

 ing, and shortly after passed the posta where the 

 Indians had murdered the five soldiers. The of- 

 ficer had eighteen chuzo wounds in his body. By 

 the middle of the day, after a hard gallop, we 

 reached the fifth posta : on account of some diffi- 

 culty in procuring horses, we stayed there the night. 

 As this point was the most exposed on the whole 

 line, twenty-one soldiers were stationed here ; at 

 sunset they returned from hunting, bringing with 

 them seven deer, three ostriches, and many arma- 



VoL. I— 10 N 



