Seen and Lost, 
379 
wheeled round square before me, stared straight 
into my eyes, and in an exceedingly high-pitched 
reedy or screechy voice and a sing-song tone re- 
turned my good morning,’^ and bade me call for 
the liquid I loved best at his expense. I declined 
with thanks, and in accordance with gaucho 
etiquette added that I was prepared to pay for his 
liquor. It was then for him to say that he had 
already been served and so let the matter drop, but 
he did not do so : he screamed out in his wild 
animal voice that he would take gin. I paid for 
his drink, and would, I think, have felt greatly 
surprised at his strange insolent behaviour, so un» 
like that of the usually courteous gaucho, but this 
thing affected me not at all, so profoundly had his 
singular appearance and voice impressed me ; and 
for the rest of the time I remained in the place I 
continued to watch him narrowly. Professor 
Huxley has somewhere said, A variation frequently 
occurs, but those who notice it take no care about 
noting down the particulars.” That is not a failing 
of mine, and this is what I noted down while the 
man’s appearance was still fresh in memory. He 
was about five feet eleven inches in height — very 
tall for a gaucho — straight and athletic, with ex- 
ceedingly broad shoulders, which made his round 
head look small ; long arms and huge hands. The 
round fiat face, coarse black hair, swarthy reddish 
colour, and smooth hairless cheeks seemed to show 
that he had more Indian than Spanish blood in him, 
while his round black eyes were even more like 
those of a rapacious animal in expression than in the 
pure-blooded Indian. He also had the Indian or 
