158 BANDA ORIENTAL chap. 



estancias, and these few are situated in the neighbourhood of 

 damp valleys, where fortunately neither of these overwhelming 

 plants can exist. As night came on before we arrived at our 

 journey's end, we slept at a miserable little hovel inhabited 

 by the poorest people. The extreme though rather formal 

 courtesy of our host and hostess, considering their grade of 

 life, was quite delightful. 



November 22nd. — Arrived at an estancia on the Berquelo 

 belonging to a very hospitable Englishman, to whom I had a 

 letter of introduction from my friend Mr. Lumb. I stayed 

 here three days. One morning I rode with my host to the 

 Sierra del Pedro Flaco, about twenty miles up the Rio Negro. 

 Nearly the whole country was covered with good though coarse 

 grass, which was as high as a horse's belly ; yet there were 

 square leagues without a single head of cattle. The province 

 of Banda Oriental, if well stocked, would support an astonishing 

 number of animals ; at present the annual export of hides 

 from Monte Video amounts to three hundred thousand ; and 

 the home consumption, from waste, is very considerable. An 

 estanciero told me that he often had to send large herds of 

 cattle a long journey to a salting establishment, and that the 

 tired beasts were frequently obliged to be killed and skinned ; 

 but that he could never persuade the Gauchos to eat of them, 

 and every evening a fresh beast was slaughtered for their 

 suppers ! The view of the Rio Negro from the Sierra was 

 more picturesque than any other which I saw in this province. 

 The river, broad, deep and rapid, wound at the foot of a rocky 

 precipitous cliff: a belt of wood followed its course, and the 

 horizon terminated in the distant undulations of the turf-plain. 



When in this neighbourhood, I several times heard of the 

 Sierra de las Cuentas : a hill distant many miles to the north- 

 ward. The name signifies hill of beads. I was assured that 

 vast numbers of little round stones, of various colours, each 

 with a small cylindrical hole, are found there. Formerly the 

 Indians used to collect them, for the purpose of making neck- 

 laces and bracelets — a taste, I may observe, which is common 

 to all savage nations, as well as to the most polished. I did 

 not know what to understand from this story, but upon 

 mentioning it at the Cape of Good Hope to Dr. Andrew 

 Smith, he told me that he recollected finding on the south- 



