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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 





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© Keystone View Co. 



A HUMBLK INHABITANT OE THE RICH CORDOBA REGION OE ARGENTINA 



This child of the lower classes, mounted on a donkey, is returning- from a slaughter- 

 house with the skull of a steer in one of the two crude pack baskets which hang from the 

 donkey's sides. Cordoba is the capital of one of Argentina's richest provinces. Its drinking- 

 water, light, and electric power come from the Rio Primero, which is held back by one of the 

 largest dams in South America, at a point 12 miles above the city. 



separate people, the tribes in the interior 

 being of a different stock and tongue ; but 

 the Guarani language has held its own 

 through the centuries and still is spoken 

 by the lower classes quite as generally as 

 Spanish. It is a primitive dialect, with a 

 vocabulary of less than eight hundred 

 words and only rudimentary grammar. 

 Four is as high as one can count, after 

 which one says "full hand," "full hand 

 and one," etc. Most of the geographical 

 names of Paraguay are Guarani and a 

 majority of the common names of trees, 

 plants, wild animals, and birds are in that 

 language. 



From Asuncion a line of small steam- 

 ers runs on spasmodic schedules up the 

 Paraguay River far into Brazil. Our 

 boat proved to be a filthy little side-wheel 

 tub of six-foot draft, mostly patronized 

 by third-class passengers, who swarmed 



over the lower deck, drinking mate, 

 smoking, and chattering Guarani like a 

 troop of monkeys. It was very hot and 

 mosquitoes were numerous. After pass- 

 ing Villa Hayes, named in honor of 

 President Hayes, of the United States, 

 following his decision of a boundary dis- 

 pute with Argentina in favor of Paraguay, 

 we made our first stop at a high bank to 

 take on passengers from Rosario, a town 

 several miles inland. 



THE PARAGUAYAN GAUCHO IN HIS GLORY 



Here we first saw the Paraguayan 

 gaucho in all his glory. His shirt is 

 bright-colored and about his neck is 

 loosely knotted a gorgeous silk handker- 

 chief. Tight-fitting white cotton trous- 

 ers, often with draw-strings at the ankles, 

 extend almost to his armpits. About his 

 waist he girds a six-inch-broad leather 



