TAPALGUEN. 149 



feet liigli, excepting at one spot, where the en- 

 trance lies. Falconer* gives a curious account of 

 the Indians driving troops of w^ild horses into it, 

 and then, by guarding the entrance, keeping them 

 secure. I have never heard of any other instance 

 of table-land in a formation of quartz, and which, 

 in the hill I examined, had neither cleavage nor 

 sti'atification. I was told that the rock of the " Cor- 

 ral" was white, and would strike fire. 



We did not reach the posta on the Rio Tapal- 

 guen till after it was dark. At supper, from some- 

 thing which was said, I was suddenly struck with 

 horror at thinking that I was eating one of the fa- 

 vourite dishes of the country, namely, a half-formed 

 calf, long before its proper time of birth. It turn- 

 ed out to be Puma: the meat is very white, and 

 remarkably like veal in taste. Dr. Shaw was 

 laughed at for stating that " the flesh of the lion is 

 in great esteem, having no small affinity with veal, 

 both in colour, taste, and flavour." Such certainly 

 is the case with the Puma. The Gauchos differ 

 in their opinion whether the Jaguar is good eating, 

 but are unanimous in saying that cat is excellent. 



September 11th. — We followed the course of the 

 Rio Tapalguen, through a very fertile country, to 

 the ninth posta. Tapalguen itself, or the town of 

 Tapalguen, if it may be so called, consists of a per- 

 fectly level plain, studded over, as far as the eye 

 can reach, with the toldos, or oven-shaped huts of 

 the Indians. The families of the friendly Indians, 

 who were fighting on the side of Rosas, resided 

 here. We met and passed many young Indian 

 women, riding by two or three together on the 

 same horse : they, as well as many of the young 

 men, were strikingly handsome, their fine ruddy 

 complexions being the picture of health. Besides 

 * Falconer's Patagonia, p. 70. 

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