THE PAMPAS. 



235 



dfed yards off, came up and asked to be paid for 

 the boat ; I told him I v/ould pay him as soon as 

 the coach was over, and I asked him to take care 

 of my pistols for me, and he accordingly took them 

 to his hut. 



We then set to work to get the carriage over, 

 which was a very curious operation. The bank to 

 descend to the river was much steeper than 45°, 

 and it was therefore necessary to fix a peon, with 

 his horse and lasso to the back part of the carriage, 

 to prevent its oversetting ; we had also lassos fas- 

 tened as guys on each side. Two or three peons 

 fixed their lassos to the end of the pole, and one swam 

 across the river with a long drag rope, to which eight 

 or ten horses were affixed to assist in dragging the 

 carriage. As soon as these arrangements were made, 

 the carriage was lowered down the bank, but its 

 weight was so great that it dragged after it the peon 

 and horse fixed to retain it ; and while our party also 

 were hauling at the rope, it was curious to see them 

 all dragged down the bank. As soon as the car- 

 riage came into the river, although the wheels and 



His wife had just risen, but he was still snoring, with his head 

 lying on a bullock's skull, which had an enormous pair of horns. 



