126 WHAT MR. DARWIN SAW. 



URUGUAY. 



the morning caused much speculation at the village of Las 

 Minas. A superior tradesman closely cross -questioned me 

 about so singular a practice, and likewise why, on board ship, 

 we wore our beards (for he had heard from my guide that 

 we did so). He eyed me with much suspicion. It is the 

 general custom in this country to ask for a night's lodging 

 at the first convenient house. The astonishment at the com- 

 pass and my other feats in jugglery was a certain advantage 

 to me, as with that, and the long stories my guides told of 

 my breaking stones, knowing venomous from harmless snakes, 

 collecting insects, etc., I repaid them for their hospitality. I 

 am writing as if I had been among the inhabitants of Cen- 

 tral Africa. Banda Oriental would not be flattered by the 

 comparison, but such were my feelings at the time. 



On the road toward Mercedes, on the Rio Negro, we asked 

 leave to sleep at an estancia at which we happened to arrive. 

 It was a very large estate, being ten leagues square ; and 

 the owner is one of the greatest land-owners in the country. 

 His nephew had charge of it, and with him there was a cap- 

 tain in the army, who the other day ran away from Buenos 

 Ayres. Considering their station, their conversation was 

 rather amusing. They expressed, as was usual, unbounded 

 astonishment at the globe being round, and could scarcely 

 believe that a hole would, if deep enough, come out on the 

 other side. They had, however, heard of a country where 

 there were six months of light and six of darkness, and where 

 the inhabitants were very tall and thin ! They were curious 

 about the price and condition of horses and cattle in England. 

 Upon finding that we did not catch our animals with the 



