22 DESCRIPTIVE OUTLINE ^| 



i 



indolence; those who visit his hut find him at j 

 the door with his arms folded, and his poncho | 

 thrown over his left shoulder like a Spanish cloak ; I 

 his hut is in holes, and would evidently be made 

 more comfortable by a few hours'* labour: in a beau- 

 tiful climate, he is without fruit or vegetables ; sur- 

 rounded by cattle, he is often without milk; he lives \ 

 without bread, and he has no food but beef and 

 water, and therefore those who contrast his life with 

 that of the English peasant accuse him of indo- 

 lence; but the comparison is inapplicable, and the j 

 accusation unjust ; and any one who will live with | 

 the Gaucho, and will follow him through his exer- i 

 tions, will find that he is any thing but indolent, i 

 and his surprise will be that he is able to continue 

 a life of so much fatigue. It is true that the Gau- 1 

 cho has no luxuries, but the great feature of his 

 character is, that he is a person without wants: 

 accustomed constantly to live in the open air, and 

 to sleep on the ground, he does not consider that a \ 

 few holes in his hut deprive it of its comfort. It \ 

 is not that he does not like the taste of milk, but 

 he prefers being without it to the every-day occu- 

 pation of going in search of it. He might, it is ! 



