so RAPIDLY ACROSS THE PAMPAS. 283 



the natural pace of the horses is such^ that really 

 the animals appear to be sensible of the journey 

 they have to perform^ and seem to be as eager 

 to get over it as the riders themselves ; nei- 

 ther is their labour so great as may be imagined^ 

 for there is no up-hill or down-hill^ windings 

 or turnings^, obstructions of blocked-up roads, 

 or any thing of the sort : in short, nothing to 

 impede the straight-forward progress ; and also 

 there is a peculiar pleasure and buoyancy of 

 spirits in riding over a dreary waste, with no- 

 thing to attract the attention ; the mind gets ab- 

 sorbed in pleasing reflections, building castles 

 in the air, which are scarcely broken by the 

 galloping of the horse, or till the post-house rises 

 in the horizon of the desolate plain, like a strange 

 sail seen from a ship at sea, which serves only 

 to break the monotony for a few passing mo- 

 ments, until he changes his horse, and gallops 

 on again, anticipating and calculating how long it 

 may be before he gets to the end of his monotonous 

 journey : thus it is, having no iuducementto stop. 



