52 



REPORT OF THE ROBBERS. 



of horses for the carriage. The first four leagues 

 lay through brush-wood, and a bad road ; the se- 

 cond four leagues was dreary pampas. Got fresh 

 horses at Arroyo de St. Joze^ a very good post, 

 which took us to Canada de Lucas, a wretched 

 bad one. On leaving this place^ one of our 

 horses fell into a Biscacho hole^ and rolled him- 

 self and rider completely under the carriage be- 

 tween the two fore- wheels. Astonishing as it may 

 appear^ although at full gallop, the other peons 

 pulled up so suddenly, that neither man nor horse 

 were injured. At a distance of three leagues, 

 we changed horses at a hut on the left, where 

 v/e were informed that robbers had been seen 

 in the wood which we should soon have to pass 

 through on our road to La Punta de Agua; 

 we therefore prepared our pistols, and soon 

 arrived at it, but met with no obstruction. Li 

 some parts of this wood we were obliged to 

 close the carriage -shutters for fear of being 

 scratched inside, the bushes were so thick; about 

 the middle of it there was a very bad swamp. 



