EMBARK TN AN OPEN WHALE BOAT. 31 



thing stops them — through mud^ water^ brooks, 

 and every thing — you must follow, or be left 

 behind. 



At Las Vacas we were detained till the 30^A, 

 with a provoking foul wind, which set in strong 

 during the day, but went down at night. We 

 made two attempts to get out in a balandra,^ 

 which we hired for the purpose, but could not 

 get the boatmen to try at night, being afraid to go 

 down to the vessel which lay at the mouth of the 

 harbour, for fear of being attacked by tigers, 

 which we heard were very numerous. Fortu- 

 nately, a whale-boat arrived from Buenos Ayres, 

 so we left our balandra, forfeiting half freight, 

 and engaging her, embarked in this open whale- 

 boat about sunset on the 30t/i. 



On clearing the harbour, we pulled up along 

 shore for fifteen miles, and arrived on board a 

 Spanish gun-boat, laying off Martin Garcia : it 

 was very dark, with drizzling rain. In hopes of 

 its clearing up, we landed in a small creek, and 

 * A small vessel. 



