64 



CARRIAGE OVERTAKES US. 



wants appear to consist in a cigar, which, when 

 supplied, they care for little else ; but the wo- 

 men will do nothing but loiter away their time, 

 smoking ; and are so disgustingly dirty, that it 

 is dangerous to go near them. From the pro- 

 vince of Santa Fe, also, cattle becomes very 

 scarce, owing to the poorness of the land ; but 

 numerous flocks of sheep and goats supply their 

 place. This post being so long, thirty- six miles 

 without a change of horses, and the road very bad, 

 we did not arrive till four P. M. ; it was then 

 too late to proceed. The whole of the day it 

 blew a gale from the south-west, which rendered 

 travelling extremely unpleasant. The thermome- 

 ter varied in the course of the day, in the shade, 

 from 30^ to 70^ From this post there is a fine 

 view of the mountains of San Luis. In the 

 evening, the carriage arrived ; and, as we found 

 we could not travel faster, on account of our car- 

 goes, we made up our minds to take to it again. 



Sunday, hth. We started at eight o'clock 

 in the carriage, with a relay of fourteen horses ; 



