SALE OF OUTFIT XI9 



Then we packed up all our personal effects and were ready 

 for a boat to come in. On Sunday morning (two days later) 

 the Camerones put in and began to load the hundred or 

 more tons of wool on the beach. It was not until four 

 o'clock that we were allowed to walk the plank into the 

 lighter, and thence on to a small tug which plowed through 

 waves out to the ship, during which voyage all the passen- 

 gers were thoroughly soaked by the flying water. 



We had covered over 1,000 miles with the wagon and 

 half as much more on the saddle horses, had prospected 500 

 miles of bluffs and with a good collection and data for 

 geological work, we were fully ready to turn our faces 

 toward home. 



The boat stopped at three or four more ports for more 

 wool, and brought us on Christmas Eve into Buenos Aires, 

 too late to go to the banks, so we could not take advantage 

 of sailing on the Cap Finisterre next day on its maiden 

 voyage. This was the biggest boat then in the South 

 American trade, displacing about 17,000 tons and built 

 with especial reference to going up the La Plata River, 

 which permits only about seventy feet of draught. Thus 

 we had to wait four more days. 



Christmas in Argentine is not the holiday it is in the 

 United States; and next morning we found only the larger 

 stores and offices and the banks closed. There was not 

 as much notice taken of it as of a regular Sunday. Only 

 one feature seemed to be peculiarly striking, and that 

 was the pan dulce (a sweetened bread with raisins in it) 

 with which every bakery window was piled high, and which 

 was sold by the kilo in loaves of from two to twelve pounds 

 in weight. The eating of this and the use of some simple 

 candies seemed to be the only celebration among the Argen- 

 tines. The presence of great numbers of English and 

 Germans in the city was, however, indicated by signs in 

 the store windows, calling attention in these two languages 

 for presents for the Natividad. In the matter of candies 



