ISO CATTLE TROOPS. [chap. viii. 



disturbance, and to overturn a government which as yet 

 has never rested on any stable foundation. I noticed how- 

 ever, both here and in other places, a very general interest 

 in the ensuing election for the President ; and this appears 

 a good sign for the prosperity of this little country. The 

 inhabitants do not require much education in their repre- 

 sentatives ; I heard some men discussing the merits of those 

 for Colonia ; and it was said that, "although they were not 

 men of business, they could all sign their names : — with 

 this they seemed to think every reasonable man ought to 

 be satisfied. 



November iZth. — Rode with my host to his estancia, at 

 the Arroyo de San Juan. In the evening we took a ride 

 round the estate : it contained two square leagues and a 

 half, and was situated in what is called a rincon ; that is, 

 one side was fronted by the Plata, and the two others 

 guarded by impassable brooks. There was an excellent 

 port for little vessels, and an abundance of small wood, 

 which is valuable as supplying fuel to Buenos Ayres. I was 

 curious to know the value of so complete an estancia. Of 

 cattle there were 3000, and it would well support three or 

 four times that number; of mares 800, together with 150 

 broken-in horses, and 600 sheep. There was plenty of 

 water and limestone, a rough house, excellent corrals, and 

 a peach orchard. For all this he had been offered ,-^2000, and 

 he only wanted ;^5oo additional, and probably would sell it 

 for less. The chief trouble with an estancia is driving the 

 cattle twice a week to a central spot, in order to make 

 them tame, and to count them. This latter operation 

 would be thought dilBcult, where there are ten or fifteen 

 thousand head together. It is managed on the principle 

 that the cattle invariably divide themselves into little troops 

 of from forty to one hundred. Each troop is recognised 

 by a few peculiarly marked animals, and its number is 

 known : so that, one being lost out of ten thousand, it is 

 perceived by its absence from one of the tropillas. During 

 a stormy night the cattle all mingle together ; but the 

 next morning the tropillas separate as before ; so that 

 each animal must know its fellow out of ten thousand 

 others. 



On two occasions I met with in this province some oxen 

 of a very curious breed, called nata or niata. They appear 

 externally to hold nearly the same relation to other cattle, 

 which bull or pug dogs do to other dogs. Their forehead 



