THE PAMPAS. 



253 



the rain. At last they all got into the post-room, 

 and as I looked out of the window, I saw them all 

 crowded together peeping over each other's heads 

 at the door. 



In the morning they found what they had lost, 

 and the peons and the whole party looked very un- 

 comfortable. Many of the peons had lain on the 

 ground the whole time, and they were of course co- 

 vered with the mud which had been formed by the 

 dust and rain. The peons and the people told us 

 they had never seen such a storm and pampero 

 before in their lives. 



The carriage was late in starting, and the sun 

 was already up, when the French Colonel and I 

 agreed to make a call on the priest. He was 

 dressed in a dirty-white serge gown, tied round his 

 body, with a rope to whip himself with ; he was 

 really not more than four feet and a half high, and 

 yet weighed more than any of our party ; his neck 

 was as thick as a bullock^s, and he had not been 

 shaved for several days. In his room, which had 

 no window, were two or three old books, covered 

 with dust, and a little crucifix affixed to the wall. 

 I asked him if it was he who had tolled the bell 



