THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE 129 



ing them secure. I have never heard of any other instance 

 of table-land in a formation of quartz, and which, in the 

 hill I examined, had neither cleavage nor stratification. I 

 was told that the rock of the " Corral " was white, and would 

 strike fire. 



We did not reach the posta on the Rio Tapalguen till 

 after it was dark. At supper, from something which was 

 said, I was suddenly struck with horror at thinking that I 

 was eating one of the favourite dishes of the country, 

 namely, a half-formed calf, long before its proper time of 

 birth. It turned out to be Puma; the meat is very white, 

 and remarkably like veal in taste. Dr. Shaw was laughed 

 at for stating that " the flesh of the lion is in great esteem, 

 having no small affinity with veal, both in colour, taste, 

 and flavour." Such certainly is the case with the Puma. 

 The Gauchos differ in their opinion, whether the Jaguar is 

 good eating, but are unanimous in saying that cat is ex- 

 cellent. 



September ifth. We followed the course of the Rio 

 Tapalguen, through a very fertile country, to the ninth 

 posta. Tapalguen, itself, or the town of Tapalguen, if it 

 may be so called, consists of a perfectly level plain, studded 

 over, as far as the eye can reach, with the toldos or oven- 

 shaped huts of the Indians. The families of the friendly 

 Indians, who were fighting on the side of Rosas, resided 

 here. We met and passed many young Indian women, rid- 

 ing by two or three together on the same horse: they, as 

 well as many of the young men, were strikingly handsome, 

 their fine ruddy complexions being the picture of health. 

 Besides the toldos, there were three ranches; one inhabited 

 by the Commandant, and the two others by Spaniards with 

 small shops. 



We were here able to buy some biscuit. I had now been 

 several days without tasting anything besides meat: I did 

 not at all dislike this new regimen ; but I felt as if it would 

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

 that patients in England, when desired to confine themselves 

 exclusively to an animal diet, even with the hope of life 

 before their eyes, have hardly been able to endure it. Yet 

 the Gaucho in the Pampas, for months together, touches 

 VOL. xxix E HC 



