58 



STORM ON THE PAMPAS. 



already broken,) and having been twice upset^ my 

 companion and (being very anxious to get for- 

 ward^) thought it more prudent that we should 

 leave it^ and perform the rest of the journey on 

 horseback; so we accordingly made our pre- 

 parations to start early the next morning. 



The post-house of Barranquita is a very large 

 one^ and has a chapel fronting the post-room 

 door : its situation^ also^ is rather pleasant. Not- 

 withstanding all this^ it was the most filthy, dirty 

 place we had met with^ the owners being too 

 rich to care any thing about accommodating pas- 

 sengers. 



Thursday, August 2d, It blew a gale of 

 wind^ with heavy rain_, which prevented our 

 starting. I have heard of the miseries of being- 

 confined in an inn during a rainy day ; I will 

 leave those to judge who have crossed the Pam- 

 pas^ what it must be in one of those wretched 

 post-houses ; wet, dirty, and swarming with ver- 

 min — obliged to have the door open, admitting 

 wind, rain, and cold, or else remain in the dark. 

 Our luggage lay scattered about the mud and 



