158 DELAYS AND DISASTERS. 



the vagabonds thrust their hands in their 

 pockets, and take another whiff at a cigaro de 

 papel, — never caring for your disposition to 

 break their heads for their want of despatch. 



Before we were out of sight of the post- 

 house^ one of the horses commenced kicking 

 off his load, after lying down twice to roll 

 on it; and we narrowly escaped a worse dis- 

 aster ; for, after the portmanteaus had fallen to 

 the ground^ the spiteful brute kicked at them 

 until I expected every moment to hear his 

 hoof rattling among our silver dollars and rials, 

 which were inside. We have stowed them 

 away for the present, as paper money only is 

 in use in the state of Buenos Ayres. For this 

 the silver is to be afterwards substituted ; each 

 note in paper being worth seven pence. We 

 pay a rial per league, or sixpence for every 

 horse we ride, and two rials for the baggage- 



