42 EOSARIO, AND A VOYAGE TO THE UNITED STATES AND BACK. 



Generally, however, there is no necessity to riin such risk. By taking a well-known arriero. 

 and being careful not to stray away from him when near suspicious characters, but little danger 

 need be apprehended. From the arriero there is nothing to fear, if proper precaution has been 

 taken to procure one well recommended. They know very well that, if anything happen to 

 their "patron," they will be required to account for him; but it is quite as necessary to learn 

 who and what the persons recommending one are, as to know the character of the arriero himself. 

 Generally it is better to refer to the chief of police, or juez del barrio. A Chileno in San Luis 

 recommended my man, Luis Alvarez, to me, and I ascertained afterwards that it was only to 

 recover a debt of four dollars due from him. On my second journey across the country, as 

 there was some difficulty in obtaining good horses in the province of San Luis, I inquired for 

 Alvarez, intending to bargain with him to carry me to Mendoza, but was told that I had better 

 put my head in the fire than trust myself with him, for he was the greatest knave in the country. 

 The Chileno was among those who gave me this advice, notwithstanding his former recom- 

 mendation. 



If, in addition to other precautions, the traveller on the pampa will profess himself a Catholic, 

 or "Christian," (as the Catholics are called), or wear a rosary, cross, or scapulary, in such a 

 manner that it may be seen, the danger will be much less ; for, as it is imusual to see a "gringo" 

 who is not a heretic, any exception is looked upon with great consideration. 



I do not know that I would have been exposed to danger under any circumstances, but am 

 satisfied that the chance was much less in consequence of my having a scapulary — a present 

 from a friend in Chile — worn at first as a memento ; but so soon as I found that my arriero, 

 although a great knave, was a devout Catholic, I determined to make another use of it, and 

 allowed myself to be surprised several times attentively regarding it, apparently engaged in 

 my devotions. The desired effect was produced, and I was firmly believed to be a Christian; 

 taking which in an un-catholic sense, I never denied. 



"What I have said of the arrieros may also be said of the postillions who accompany travellers 

 from one post to another ; they are considered perfectly trust-worthy. 



On the 5th of January I embarked on board of an uncomfortable little Italian schooner, for 

 Buenos Ayres, where I arrived on the 10th, heartily sick and tired of the mosquitos and of 

 eating tripe and maccaroni — the only food our capta'n irovided. 



On the passage down the river we passed an Italian brig on her way up, which had on board 

 some forty friars bound across the country to Chile. 



It often struck me, as we drifted or sailed down tlie Parana Ihat the people thereabouts ought 

 to be very honest. There is a little bird very common on its banks, called, from its notes, 

 "bien te veo." These notes come out so suddenly and clearly, that I thought it would be 

 impossible to be guilty of bad conduct in the presence of the little monitors. Sometimes when 

 taking a pull at the captain's jug of aguardiente, the clear, sharp, and spiteful "que bien te 

 veo" — how well I see you — would break on me from the overhanging trees, and almost induce 

 me to return the jug untouched to its locker. 



I arrived in Buenos Ayres without money, and was unable to get a draft cashed ; so that I 

 was in a strait. Commodore McKeever relieved me, however, by giving an order on Purser 

 Gulick, of the Jamestown, for the amount of pay due me. 



The custom-house officials in Buenos Ayres appeared to take jjarticular deliglit in throwing 

 as many obstacles in my way as their infamous system admitted. Before attem[)ting to disem- 

 bark my baggage, I went to the resguardo, and stated that, besides personal equipage, I had a 

 set of instruments, with which I proposed to make a series of observations, and was told that 

 there would be no difficulty in passing them. Acting on this assurance, I landed and got my 

 things into a cart, expecting to have no other trouble than merely opening them on the mole. 

 On the contrary, I was obliged to go to the custom-house for a permit ; and from the custom- 

 house it was necessary to go and look for a shop where stamped paper could be bought ; then to 

 find some person who would word the permit in due form ; and finally to the collectors, to get 



