THE GAUCHO. 123 



ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. 



was spied by the lynx-eyed Gauchos, who set off in full chase, 

 and in a few minutes dragged her in with their lazos and 

 slaughtered her. We here had the four necessaries of life in 

 the open plain (en el campo) pasture for the horses, water 

 (only a muddy puddle), meat, and firewood. The Gauchos 

 were in high spirits at finding all these luxuries, and we soon 

 set to work at the poor cow. This was the first night which 

 I passed under the open sky, with the saddle -gear for my 

 bed. There is high enjoyment in the independence of the 

 Gaucho life to be able at any moment to pull up your horse 

 and say, "Here we will pass the night." The death -like 

 stillness of the plain, the dogs keeping watch, the gypsy group 

 of Gauchos making their beds round the fire, have left in my 

 mind a strongly-marked picture of this first night, which will 

 never be forgotten. 



At Tapulquen we were able to buy some biscuit. I had 

 now been several days without tasting anything beside meat. 

 I did not at all dislike this new diet, but I felt as if it would 

 only have agreed with me with hard exercise. I have heard 

 that patients in England, to whom an exclusively animal 

 diet has been prescribed, have hardly been able to endure 

 it, even to save their lives; yet the Gauchos in the Pampas, 

 for months together, touch nothing but beef. But they eat, 

 I observe, a very large proportion of fat, and they particularly 

 dislike dry meat, such as that of the agouti. It is, perhaps, 

 on account of their meat diet that the Gauchos, like other 

 flesh-eating animals, can long go without food. I was told 

 of some troops who, of their own accord, pursued a party of 

 Indians for three days, without eating or drinking. 



