THE CHACO 395 



discriminately had caused the spread of various diseases, 

 among them cancer of the mouth, at an alarming rate. Our 

 good friends at Los Sarmientos were very fond of their daily 

 brew, and usually took nothing else for breakfast. They 

 at first very generously passed the steaming bowl to us, 

 but soon grew accustomed to our refusals and refrained 

 from extending further invitations to drink. 



The weather grew rapidly colder and rain or snow fell 

 almost daily. A mantle of white completely covered the 

 Andes stretching in an unbroken range to the west of us; 

 the picture presented in the early mornings was one of great 

 beauty, as the sun lit up the snowy summits with a rosy 

 light, while a thin bank of purplish vapor enveloped the 

 foot of the range in a soft mantle of regal splendor. 



Hunting in the marshes grew most difficult on account 

 of the cold, and the thin ice through which we had to crunch 

 to reach the better collecting-grounds. We therefore de- 

 cided to seek a friendlier clime, and returned to Tucuman 

 to prepare for a visit to the desert regions of Santiago del 

 Estero. 



