52 ASTONISHING THE NATIVES, [chap. 



maai 1 

 • miles 



them, I will give an account of a little excursion I 

 as far as the river Polanco, which is about seventy miles 

 distant, in a northerly direction. I may mention, as a 

 proof how cheap everything is in this country, that I paid 

 only two dollars a day, or eight shillings, for two men, 

 together with a troop of about a dozen riding-horses. My 

 companions were well armed with pistols and sabres ; a 

 precaution which I thought rather unnecessary ; but the 

 first piece of news we heard was, that the day before, a 

 traveller from Monte Video had been found dead on the 

 road, with his throat cut. This happened close to a cross, 

 the record of a former murder. 



On the first night we slept at a retired little country- 

 house ; and there I soon found out that I possessed two 

 or three articles, especially a pocket compass, which created 

 unbounded astonishment. In every house I was asked 

 to show the compass, and by its aid, together with a 

 map, to point out the direction of various places. It ex- 

 cited the liveliest admiration that I, a perfect stranger, 

 should know the road (for direction and road are synony- 

 mous in this open country) to places where I had never 

 been. At one house a young woman, who was ill 'in bed, 

 sent to entreat me to come and show her the compass. 

 If their surprise was great, mine was greater, to find such 

 ignorance among people who possessed their thousands of 

 cattle, and " estancias " of great extent. It can only be 

 accounted for by the circumstance that this retired part 

 of the country is seldom visited by foreigners. I was asked 

 whether the earth or sun moved ; whether it was hotter 

 or colder to the north ; where Spain was, and many other 

 such questions. The greater number of the inhabitants 

 had an indistinct idea that England, London, and North 

 America, were different names for the same place ; but the 

 better informed well knew that London and North America 

 were separate countries close together, and that England 

 was a large town in London ! I carried with me some 

 promethean matches, which I ignited by biting ; it was 

 thought so wonderful that a man should strike fire with 

 his teeth, that it was usual to collect the whole family to 

 see it : I was once offered a dollar for a single one. Wash- 

 ing my face in the morning caused much speculation at 

 the village of Las Minas ; a superior tradesman closely 

 cross-questioned me about so singular a practice ; and 

 likewise why on board we wore our beards ; for he had 



