82 GENERAL ROSAS. 



which roams free over the plain. In fighting, his fii 

 attempt is to throw down the horse of his adversary with 

 the bolas, and when entangled by the fall to kill him with 

 the chuzo. If the balls only catch the neck or body of an 

 animal, they are often carried away and lost. As the 

 making the stones round is the labour of two days, the 

 manufacture of the balls is a very common employment. 

 Several of the men and women had their faces painted red, 

 but I never saw the horizontal bands which are so common 

 among the Fuegians. Their chief pride consists in having 

 everything made of silver ; I have seen a cacique with his 

 spurs, stirrups, handle of his knife, and bridle made of this 

 metal ; the head-stall and reins being of wire, were not 

 thicker than whipcord ; and to see a fiery steed wheeling 

 about under the command of so light a chain, gave to the 

 horsemanship a remarkable character of elegance. 



General Rosas intimated a wish to see me ; a circumstance 

 which I was afterwards very glad of. He is a man of an 

 extraordinary character, and has a most predominant 

 influence in the country, which it seems probable he will 

 use to its prosperity and advancement.* He is said to be 

 the owner of seventy-four square leagues of land, and to 

 have about three hundred thousand head of cattle. His 

 estates are admirably managed, and are far more productive 

 of corn than those of others. He first gained his celebrity 

 by his laws for his own estancias, and by disciplining 

 several hundred men, so as to resist with success the 

 attacks of the Indians. There are many stories current 

 about the rigid manner in which his laws were enforced. 

 One of these was, that no man, on penalty of being put 

 into the stocks, should carry his knife on a Sunday ; this 

 being the principal day for gambling and drinking, many 

 quarrels arose, which from the general manner of fighting 

 with the knife often proved fatal. One Sunday the 

 Governor came in great form to pay the estancia a visit, 

 and General Rosas, in his hurry, walked out to receive him 

 with his knife, as usual stuck in his belt. The steward 

 touched his arm, and reminded him of the law ; upon which, 

 turning to the Governor, he said he was extremely sorry, 

 but that he must go into the stocks, and that till let 

 out, he possessed no power even in his own house. After 

 a little time the steward was persuaded to open the stocks, 

 and to let him out, but no sooner was this done, than he 



* This prophecy has turned out entirely and miserably wrongr. 1845. 



