THE PAMPAS. 



Pampas, I got more falls than I ever before had, 

 though in the habit of riding all my life. The 

 Gauchos are occasionally killed by these biscache- 

 ros, and often break a limb. 



In the middle of the Pampas I once found a 

 Gaucho standing at the hut, with his left hand 

 resting on the palm of his other hand, and appa- 

 rently suffering great pain. He told me his horse 

 had just fallen with him in a biscachero, and he 

 begged me to look at his hand. The large muscle 

 of the thumb was very much swelled, and every 

 time I touched it with my fore-finger, the poor 

 fellow opened his mouth, and lifted up one of his 

 legs. Being quite puzzled with one side of his 

 hand, I thought I would turn it round, and look 

 at the other side, and upon doing so, it was in- 

 stantly evident that the thumb was out of joint. I 

 asked him if there was any doctor near ; the Gau- 

 cho said he believed there was one at Cordova, but 

 as it was five hundred miles off, he might as well 

 have pointed to the moon. "Is there no person 5*" 

 said I, nearer than Cordova, that understands 

 anything about it ? "No hai, Senor," said the 

 poor fellow. I asked him what he intended to do 



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