250 INCIDENTS ON THE ROAD. 



going directly to Brazil, lie probably would have lost what be owned in 

 Santa Cruz. Tbe prefect believed the cabinet-maker bad sent tbe bottles 

 of material used for mechanical purposes, instead of those for medicinal, 

 on purpose to varnish him. The honest mechanic, it is supposed, took 

 this opportunity of showing his ill will towards the authorities, who 

 have orders from the supreme government not to be too smooth with 

 foreigners, but to send them to Brazil immediately upon the least sus- 

 picion of misbehavior. Liberty, property, and even life hinge on the 

 will of the prefect of this department. The' power of the prefects of all 

 the other divisions of the territories in Peru and Bolivia are great enough, 

 but none are so far from the eye of the government as this, which is geo- 

 graphically independent of the mountainous regions. The authorities 

 have unlimited powers, over foreigners particularly. 



Four leagues travel brought us to a hacienda; we dismounted, after 

 having toiled through herd grass, mud, and water up to the horses' knees. 

 The water is gradually drawing off the lands, it has settled among the 

 grass, and now is perfectly transparent. For miles we waded through 

 it a foot deep ; then the land swells up and becomes dry. Where we 

 find water, there fowls are in great abundance — flocks of ducks and long- 

 legged cranes. As we rise on the dry soil, deer start from our path, 

 and the ostrich walks slowly ofF, holding his head down below the tops 

 of the grass, as though we did not see his tail of beautiful and valuable 

 feathers. 



The two houses at the hacienda were surrounded with plantain and 

 papaya trees. There were several enclosures for cattle, one of which 

 contained a great number of calves; they, with the Indian women and 

 dogs, had used up all the morning's milk. The Englishman, therefore, 

 drew the cork of a bottle of wine, the prefect produced bread, but 

 cheese had been left behind. A large pot of beef was boiling on the 

 fire; it was so tough and insipid, for the want of salt, we could not eat it; 

 while the " peste" remains, we doubt whether it is healthy food. 



After leaving the hacienda, with its two-storied houses, we waded one 

 league through water two feet deep, spread all through the grass on the 

 plain as far as we could see in every direction. Birds of most beautiful 

 plumage flew up about us, and the party became pretty well ducked. 

 We would have done much better in canoes than in saddles. Beach- 

 ing dry land we pushed on foot, in single file, to the river Yvare. An 

 Indian from the opposite side obeyed the call of our guide. The 

 horses were unsaddled ; we all embarked with the riding gear in a 

 canoe and paddled over, as the horses swam to the opposite bank. 

 While the Indians saddled up, we bathed in the stream with the greatest 



