DELAYS AND DISASTERS. 



157 



haste as possible to go to sleep. The guide 

 and servant^ in defiance of the cold, chose to 

 lie outside the house on their saddles. 



We slept tolerably well. At daylight I was 

 up, and scolding a faithless woman for not 

 bringing some milk, which she had promised 

 to the peon for our use the first thing in the 

 morning. At last she milked a cow, made a 

 fire under a shed, and we breakfasted on our 

 coffee and bread ; which last we had brought 

 with us ; for in general, it is a scarce article on 

 these plains. 



It was nine o^clock before we could get the 

 horses ready for a start. The gauchos are so 

 slow when not on horseback that it is quite 

 wearisome to look at their snail-like move- 

 ments. " Ahora vamos, Senor ! estamos pronto" 

 (Now we go, sir, we are ready), is the answer 

 you get to an entreaty to make haste ; whilst 



VOL. I. H 



