ii6 BAHIA BLANC A TO BUENOS AYRES chap. 



nothing can prevent the horses dispersing in every direction ; 

 and a storm will have the same effect. A short time since, an 

 officer left Buenos Ayres with five hundred horses, and when he 

 arrived at the army he had under twenty. 



Soon afterwards we perceived by the cloud of dust, that a 

 party of horsemen were coming towards us ; when far distant 

 my companions knew them to be Indians, by their long hair 

 streaming behind their backs. The Indians generally have a 

 fillet round their heads, but never any covering ; and their 

 black hair blowing across their swarthy faces, heightens to an 

 uncommon degree the wildness of their appearance. They 

 turned out to be a party of Bernantio's friendly tribe, going to 

 a salina for salt. The Indians eat much salt, their children 

 sucking it like sugar. This habit is very different from that of 

 the Spanish Gauchos, who, leading the same kind of life, eat 

 scarcely any : according to Mungo Park,-^ it is people who live 

 on vegetable food who have an unconquerable desire for salt. 

 The Indians gave us good-humoured nods as they passed at 

 full gallop, driving before them a troop of horses, and followed 

 by a train of lanky dogs. 



September 12th and 13///. — I stayed at this posta two days, 

 waiting for a troop of soldiers, which General Rosas had the 

 kindness to send to inform me would shortly travel to Buenos 

 Ayres ; and he advised me to take the opportunity of the 

 escort. In the morning we rode to some neighbouring hills to 

 view the country, and to examine the geology. After dinner 

 the soldiers divided themselves into two parties for a trial of 

 skill with the bolas. Two spears were stuck in the ground 

 thirty-five yards apart, but they were struck and entangled 

 only once in four or five times. The balls can be thrown fifty 

 or sixty yards, but with little certainty. This, however, does 

 not apply to a man on horseback ; for when the speed of the 

 horse is added to the force of the arm, it is said that they can 

 be whirled with effect to the distance of eighty yards. As a 

 proof of their force, I may mention, that at the Falkland 

 Islands, when the Spaniards murdered some of their own 

 countrymen and all the Englishmen, a young friendly Spaniard 

 was running away, when a great tall man, by name Luciano, 



1 Travels in Africa^ p. 233. 



