V 



246 FALKLAND ISLANDS. March, 1834. 



Wales ; having however less sunshine and less frost, but more 

 wind and rain. 



March 16th. — I will now describe a short excursion 

 which I made round a part of this island. In the morning 

 I started with six horses and two Gauchos : the latter were 

 capital men for the purpose, and well accustomed to living on 

 their own resources. The weather was very boisterous and 

 cold, with heavy hailstorms. We got on, however, pretty well; 

 but excepting in the geology, nothing could be less interesting 

 than our day^s ride. The country is uniformly the same un- 

 dulating moorland ; the surface being covered by light brown 

 witheYed grass and a few very small shrubs, all springing 

 out of an elastic peaty soil. In the valleys here and there 

 might be seen a small flock of wild geese, and every where 

 the ground was so soft, that the snipe was able to feed. 

 Besides these two kinds of birds, there were few others. 

 There is one main range of hills, nearly two thousand feet 

 in height, and composed of quartz rock, the rugged and 

 barren crests of which gave us some trouble to cross. On 

 the south side" we came to the best country for wild cattle ; 

 we met however no great number, for they had lately been 

 much harassed. 



In the evening we came across a small herd. One of my 

 companions, St. Jago by name, soon separated a fat cow ; 

 he threw the bolas, and it struck her legs, but failed in 

 becoming entangled. Then dropping his hat to mark the 

 spot where the balls were left, while at full gallop he un- 

 coiled his lazo, and after a most severe chase, again came up 

 to the cow, and caught her round the horns. The other 

 Gaucho had gone on ahead with the horses, so that 

 St. Jago had some difficulty in killing the furious beast. 

 He managed to get her on a level piece of ground, by taking 

 advantage of her as often as she rushed at him ; and when she 

 would not move, my horse, from having been trained, would 

 canter up, and with his chest give her a violent push. But 

 when on level ground it does not appear an easy job for one 

 man to kill a beast mad with terror. Nor would it be so, if 



