THE PAMPAS INDIANS. 



117 



ride so beautifully, all declare that it is impossible 

 to ride with an Indian, for that the Indians'* horses 

 are better than theirs, and also that they have such 

 a way of urging on their horses by their cries, and 

 by a peculiar motion of their bodies, that even if 

 they were to change horses, the Indians would beat 

 them. The Gauchos all seemed to dread very 

 much the Indians^ spears. They said that some of 

 the Indians charged without either bridle or saddle, 

 and that in some instances they were hanging almost 

 under the belhes of their horses, and shrieking, so 

 that the horses were afraid to face them. As the 

 Indians' horses got tired, they were met by fresh 

 troops, and a great number of them were killed. 



To people accustomed to the cold passions of 

 England, it would be impossible to describe the 

 savage, inveterate, furious hatred which exists 

 between the Gauchos and the Indians. The latter 

 invade the country for the ecstatic pleasure of mur- 

 dering the Christians, and in the contests which 

 take place between them mercy is unknown. Be- 

 fore I was quite aware of these feelings, I was 

 galloping with a very fine-looking Gaucho, who 

 had been fighting with the Indians, and after 



