190 



JOURNEY ACROSS 



upon us before to-morrow ?) I was frequently 

 awoke during the night by the barking of the 

 dogs : but the alarms were all false. Before 

 daylight we were up and had breakfasted ; and 

 as the sun rose, we mounted to resume our 

 journey. 



At the last post the doctor and myself got 

 such excellent horses, that we soon rode out 

 of sight of the rest of our party; and follow- 

 ing the track, we reached the Tercero, which 

 we forded immediately, having met a courier 

 from Cordova to Buenos Ayres, who showed 

 us the right place. The post-hut was on the 

 opposite bank, to which we immediately rode ; 

 and we have employed our time in eating, and 

 talking to a respectably-dressed gaucho. To 

 dine without the rest of our party is a luxury 

 to me ; for the officer's friend never washes his 

 hands, and it really makes one sick to see him 



