170 ST. FE. 



tor at San Pedro had previously to these years 

 20,000 cattle ; at the end not one remained. San 

 Pedro is situated in the middle of the finest coun- 

 try ; and even now abounds again with animals ; 

 yet, during the latter part of the " gran seco," live 

 cattle were brought in vessels for the consumption 

 of the inhabitants. The animals roamed from their 

 estancias, and, wandering far southward, were 

 mingled together in such multitudes, that a govern- 

 ment commission was sent fi'om Buenos Ayres to 

 settle the disputes of the owners. Sir Woodbine 

 Parish informed me of another and very curious 

 source of dispute : the ground being so long dry, 

 such quantities of dust were blown about, that in 

 this open country the landmarks became oblitera- 

 ted, and people could not tell the limits of their 

 estates. 



I was informed by an eyewitness that the cattle 

 in herds of thousands rushed into the Parana, and, 

 being exhausted by hunger, they were unable to 

 crawl up the muddy banks, and thus were drowned. 

 The arm of the river which runs by San Pedro was 

 so full of putrid carcasses, that the master of a ves- 

 sel told me that the smell rendered it quite impass- 

 able. Without doubt, several hundred thousand 

 animals thus perished in the river : their bodies, 

 when putrid, were seen floating down the stream ; 

 and many, in all probability, were deposited in the 

 estuary of the Plata. All the small rivers became 

 highly saline, and this cav^sed the death of vast 

 numbers in particular spots ; for when an animal 

 drinks of such water it does not recover. Azara 

 describes* the fury of the wild horses on a similar 

 occasion, rushing into the marshes, those which ar- 

 rived first being overwhelmed and crushed by those 

 which followed. He adds, that more than once he 

 * Travels, vol. j., p. 374, 



