NO WATER 103 



hour, coming about ten to the next water, which was on 

 the edge of the Romberg place. Here we saw a brood of 

 young ostriches which had been hatched by the people 

 and were running about among the hens. They seemed 

 very easy to domesticate, but whether it will pay to tame 

 them is a question. It would seem profitable, from their 

 rapid growth and the fact that they are general feeders, 

 to raise them for meat, though their feathers are of 

 little value. Thence we went upon the pampa again 

 and had fine roads the rest of the day. 



We were to find water just beyond the first fence on the 

 left of the road. About half-past six we found the fence 

 all right and began looking for the water. After perhaps 

 two miles we spied a lake of good size (ten acres or so) on 

 the left. Thinking this undoubtedly the place, and also 

 finding a good slough of grass, we stopped and made camp. 

 On going down to the lake we found all along the shore a 

 rime of white, which proved to be salt crystals four or 

 five inches deep, and the water was bitterer than that of 

 the ocean. We had stopped on one of the numerous 

 Salinas scattered all through this section of northern Santa 

 Cruz. The country is nearly level, and the wind has 

 blown out shallow depressions in the plain, in which all 

 the surface water of the adjacent country accumulates. 

 There being no outlet the water gradually evaporates, 

 leaving a more or less concentrated solution of salts, until 

 it is saturated and begins to deposit beds of the contained 

 salt. Some of these are of nearly pure sodium chloride, 

 and from such the salt is gathered by the wagon load and 

 given to the sheep. In others there are various salts, in 

 which cases the deposits are as yet not used for anything. 

 These salinas are quite destitute of life, for they are too 

 strong for aquatic animals, and as no plants can grow in 

 them, there is nothing to attract the water fowl. We 

 were in for another dry night, but as the grass was good 



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