THE PAMPAS. 



a long sabre. I now continued my course for the 

 remainder of this post, which is fifty-one miles, 

 changing my horse when I overtook the droves of 

 loose horses which preceded the carriage. 



This stage is really one of the most singular ex- 

 amples of South American travelling which I have 

 witnessed. We started with seventy horses, which 

 were driven before us at a gallop. These horses 

 were all loose*; and the country hot sand, covered 

 with trees and brushwood. The trees are princi- 

 pally the Algarroba ; they were about the size and 

 shape of apple-trees, and were sufficiently high to 

 hide the horses. This drove of wild loose animals 

 was driven by a man and a boy, and it was quite 

 surprising, as I galloped along the road, to see 

 these fellows constantly darting across the path be- 

 fore me, in close pursuit of the horses, which were 

 never to be seen in the road. In the plains of grass 

 it is even wonderful to see how the troops of horses 

 are driven on, but in a wood it is much more asto- 

 nishing ; and it is a beautiful display of horseman- 

 ship to see the Gauchos galloping at full speed 

 among the trees, sometimes hanging over one side 

 of their horse, and sometimes crouching upon his 



