90 



BAHIA BLANCA. 



Aug. 1833. 



where salt abounds. Bad as the country was^ ostriches, 

 deer, cavies, and armadilloes, were abundant. My guide told 

 me, that two months before he had a most narrow escape 

 of his life t he was out hunting, at no great distance from this 

 part of the country, with two other men, when they were 

 suddenly met by a party of Indians, who giving chase, soon 

 overtook and killed his two friends. His own horse^s legs 

 were also caught by the bolas ; but he jumped olF, and with 

 his knife cut them free : while doing this he was obliged to 

 dodge round his horse, and received two severe wounds 

 from their chuzos. Springing on the saddle, he managed, by 

 a most wonderful exertion, just to keep ahead of the long 

 spears of his pursuers, who followed him to within sight of the 

 fort. From that time there was an order that no one should 

 stray far from the settlement. I did not know of this when 

 I started, and was surprised to observe how earnestly my 

 guide watched a deer, which appeared to have been fright- 

 ened from a distant quarter. 



We found the Beagle had not arrived, and consequently set 

 out on our return, but the horses soon tiring, we were obliged 

 to bivouac on the plain. In the morning we had caught an 

 armadillo, which, although a most excellent dish when 

 roasted in its shell, did not make a very substantial break- 

 fast and dinner for two hungry men. The ground at the 

 place where we stopped for the night, was incrusted with a 

 layer of Glauber salt, and hence, of course, was without 

 water. Yet many of the smaller rodents managed to exist 

 even here, and the tucutuco was making its odd little 

 grunt beneath my head, during half the night. Our horses 

 were very poor ones, and in the morning they were soon 

 exhausted from not having had any thing to drink, so 

 that we were obliged to walk. About noon the dogs killed 

 a kid, which we roasted. I eat some of it, but it made 

 me intolerably thirsty. This was the more distressing as 

 the road, from some recent rain, was full of little puddles 

 of clear water, yet not a drop was drinkable. I had scarcely 



