THE CHACO 383 



by one of his hands. He failed utterly to understand our 

 request, and curtly refused to have anything to do with 

 any millinery establishment. We argued in vain, then retired 

 to think of some new move, for the permit was necessary 

 if we wished to keep out of jail, and I must admit that such 

 was our ardent desire. 



There being no United States Consul in Tucuman, I ap- 

 pealed to the British Consul for assistance. He very kindly 

 spent many hours calling on various officials, from the 

 governor down, explaining our mission and asking that the 

 small matter be arranged for us. Our quest seemed hopeless 

 vmtil one day a copy of .one of the large daily newspapers 

 arrived from Buenos Aires, and in this I found an account 

 of how representatives of Latin-American countries who 

 were attending th6 scientific congress in Washington had 

 been received and entertained at the American' Musemn of 

 Natural History during their visit to New York. Armed 

 with this clipping I again invaded the palacio. Ordinarily 

 I should not have done such a thing, as there are many 

 reasons why it is not commendable, but the situation was 

 desperate and called for aggressive tactics. Suffice it to say 

 that this visit was the last. A mild comparison of how 

 their people were treated in our country, and the diffi- 

 culties we had in theirs was sufficient, and when I left the 

 building the permit was in my pocket. 



The Sierra de Tuciaman, a range of comparatively low 

 mountains, rises directly west of the city. This we foimd 

 to be covered with a growth of tall, dense forest, so we lost 

 no time in moving there. We left the city by rail and pro- 

 ceeded southwestward to a small station called San Pablo, 

 a short distance away. This is in the heart of the sugar 

 region and vast fields of cane stretch on either side of the 

 railway. Here and there the tall brick chimneys of a re- 

 finery rise above the waving green fields, and wide, deep 

 canals divide the cultivated areas into sections and supply 

 water for irrigation. 



A good cart-road leads from San Pablo up the side of the 



