1835.] AN ATTACK BY THE INDIANS. 77 
of the Indians beyond the boundaries of the plain, on which the 
fortress stands. 
The part of the harbour where the Beagle intended to anchor 
being distant twenty-five miles, I obtained from the Comman- 
dant a guide and horses, to take me to see whether she had 
arrived. Leaving the plain of green turf, which extended along 
the course of a little brook, we soon entered on a wide level waste 
consisting either of sand, saline marshes, or bare mud. Some 
parts were clothed by low thickets, and others with those succu- 
lent plants, which luxuriate only where salt abounds. Bad as 
the country was, ostriches, deers, agoutis, and armadilloes, were 
abundant. My guide told me, that two months before he had a 
most narrow escape of his life : he was out hunting with two other 
men, at no great distance from this part of the country, when 
they were suddenly met by a party of Indians, who giving chace, 
soon overtook and killed his two friends. His own horse’s legs 
were also caught by the bolas; but he jumped off, and with his 
knife cut them free: while doing this he was obliged to dodge 
round his horse and received two severe wounds from their 
chuzos. Springing on the saddle, he managed, by a most won- 
derful exertion, just to keep ahead of the long spears of his pur- 
suers, who folldwed him to within sight of the fort. From that 
time there was an order that no one should stray far from the 
settlement. I did not know of this when I started, and was 
surprised to observe how earnestly my guide watched a deer, 
which appeared to have been frightened from a distant quarter. 
We found the Beagle had not arrived, and consequently set 
out on our return, but the horses soon tiring, we were oblige 
to bivouac on the plain. In the morning we had caught an 
armadillo, which, although a most excellent dish when roasted 
in its shell, did not make a very substantial breakfast and dinner 
for two hungry men. The ground at the place where we stopped 
for the night, was incrusted with a layer of sulphate of soda, 
and hence, of course, was without water. Yet many of the 
smaller rodents managed to exist even here, and the tueutuco 
was making its odd little grunt beneath my head, during half 
the night. Our horses were very poor ones, and in the morning 
they were soon exhausted from not having had any thing to 
drink, so that we were obliged to walk. About noon the dogs 
