106 BAHIA BLANCA TO BUENOS AYRES. [CHAP. vi. 



What a life of misery these men appear to us to lead ! They 

 were at least ten leagues from the Sauce posta, and since the murder 

 committed by the Indians, twenty from another. The Indians are 

 supposed to have made their attack in the middle of the night ; for 

 very early in the morning after the murder, they were luckily seen 

 approaching this posta. The whole party here, however, escaped, 

 together with the troop of horses; each one taking a line for 

 himself, and driving with him as many animals as he was able to 

 manage. 



The little hovel, built of thistle-stalks, in which they slept, 

 neither kept out the wind nor rain ; indeed in the latter case the 

 only effect the roof had, was to condense it into larger drops. 

 They had nothing to eat excepting what they could catch, such as 

 ostriches, deer, armadilloes, etc., and their only fuel was the dry 

 stalks of a small plant, somewhat resembling an aloe. The sole 

 luxury which these men enjoyed was smoking the little paper 

 cigars, and sucking mate. I used to think that the carrion vultures, 

 man's constant attendants on these dreary plains, while seated on 

 the little neighbouring cliffs seemed by their very patience to say, 

 " Ah ! when the Indians come we shall have a feast." 



In the morning we all sallied forth to hunt, and although we had 

 not much success, there were some animated chases. Soon after 

 starting the party separated, and so arranged their plans, that at a 

 certain time of the day (in guessing which they show much skill) 

 they should all meet from different points of the compass on a plain 

 piece of ground, and thus drive together the wild animals. One 

 day I went out hunting at Bahia Blanca, but the men there merelj 

 rode in a crescent, each being about a quarter of a mile apart froi 

 the other. A fine male ostrich being turned by the headmost 

 riders, tried to escape on one side. The Gauchos pursued at 

 reckless pace, twisting their horses about with the most admirable 

 command, and each man whirling the balls round his head. At 

 length the foremost threw them, revolving through the air : in an 

 instant the ostrich rolled over and over, its legs fairly lashed 

 together by the thong. 



The plains abound with three kinds of partridge,* two of which 

 are as large as hen pheasants. Their destroyer, a small and pretty 

 fox, was also singularly numerous ; in the course of the day we 



* Two species of Tiuamus, and Eudromia elegans of A. d'Orbigny 

 which can only be called a partridge with regard to its habits. 



